This VN is simple and clean, fairly lengthy, and the characters are all unique. It’s clear that real world experiences inform the characters, so the dialogue feels honest and mature. A lot of thought went into both sides of the character's discussions of shoujo anime, it’s definitely written by someone who is strongly passionate and knowledgable about the subject matter.
One thing… The game really does feel like watching two people argue about anime, and unfortunately, that’s kind of to its detriment sometimes. If you’ve ever had to watch two people talk about the details of a show you haven’t seen, you’d know that it’s hard to stay interested or feel engaged with the conversation. It feels similarly when Riley and Hana argue, making a lot of thinly veiled references to real-world anime. I’m a fan of shoujo anime, so I’ve seen and recognize some of the shows they talk about, but for every reference I didn’t get, it felt like I was missing important context for their in-depth conversations.
For that reason, I found myself wondering how much longer it would be until the game would get back to the story. It’d be cool to see more interactivity in the game overall, or a B-plot that's more about Mona’s life outside of the club to break up the arguments and keep the pace moving forward.
With the knowledge that it was a 2 month game jam game, it’s quite impressive, and it seems like the creators had fun making it!