Alternative Theory Precious ~Gaze~ (Free Reading Game) Introduction and Review

This is an article introducing the reading game "Issetsu Precious ~Manazashi~" by Kichigai Jigoku Gedo Saibun, which was unveiled at "VIPRPG Kohaku 2022".
This work is based on the popular novel "PRECIOUS ~Things to Protect~," which has seen numerous remakes, and boldly incorporates elements of Kenji Miyazawa's works.
It features intense battle scenes and has a distinct atmosphere that sets it apart from typical isekai (otherworld) stories.

The completion time was approximately one and a half hours.

Game Overview (No Spoilers)

A young man suddenly finds himself on a train traversing the galaxy, only to be transported to another world by a mysterious woman.
While wandering through the forest, I heard a scream and ended up helping a woman who invited me to the Demon King's castle.
What will this young man, who is like a sword itself, learn and feel through his interactions with the people of the Demon King's castle and his battles against his enemies?

The basic gameplay involves reading the text displayed in the window at the bottom of the screen to advance the story.
You can think of it as something like a visual novel.

The battle between the young man and the other characters is described with a sense of tension in the narrative.
Because the protagonist is a young man of few words, the narrative text is somewhat lengthy, resulting in a somewhat formal writing style.
While there are some sudden comedic scenes, the main atmosphere of the work is serious.

Each chapter is titled after a work by Kenji Miyazawa.
The title "Thank you" refers to data loading, so you can start reading from the beginning of each chapter that is saved from the start.

On the other hand, this screen that appears during gameplay is the save screen, so if you want to save your progress, save it in one of the empty slots at the bottom.
However, since save data for all possible points in time is available from the beginning, there is no particular need to save.

Review (contains spoilers)

I played it to the very end and was surprised and left with an indescribable feeling; it was really enjoyable.
This review will contain spoilers, so please be aware if you plan to play the game.

I had never really been involved with VIPRPG before, so I wasn't familiar with the original Precious game either.
However, previously, Mr. Tanchi'sPRECIOUS - Why did Shaw challenge God? -After playing "[Title of the game]", I became interested in the original work, "PRECIOUS ~Things to Protect~" (hereinafter referred to as the original work), and decided to play this game.
I think that players who have played many Precious titles will be more likely to be deceived and surprised.

The original work was a fairly standard fantasy story set in another world.
Although it was first published in 2007 and therefore feels somewhat dated, it was a well-paced work with a good narrative structure.
I don't understand the atmosphere at the time, or why the original work became so popular.
However, I suspect that the original work had a template-like plot in a good way, making it easy to modify, and just as jokes posted on the web are modified by many users, this led to the creation of numerous remakes.
Furthermore, the uniquely cheesy lines and other elements contribute to its endearing humor, which I think is another reason why it's so beloved.

There are two reasons why I decided to try playing "Issetsu Precious ~Manazashi~" (hereinafter referred to as "this game").
I chose this because I had previously encountered Precious's works, and I was intrigued by the author, Kichigai Jigoku Gedo Saibun.

I remembered Kichigai Jigoku Gedou Saibun because of the impact of his name, and I recalled that he was in charge of battle direction in Tanchi's works.
In other words, knowing that the author is the crazy, hellish, and evil Saibun, there was an expectation that the battle descriptions would be amazing.
And those expectations were not wrong.

Regarding Kenji Miyazawa's "Night on the Galactic Railroad," I only vaguely remember reading it a long time ago; I don't remember it clearly.
However, it did remind me of Miyazawa's somewhat ambiguous and unique writing style, and the fantastical impression it left.
In this work, the young protagonist frequently quotes from "Night on the Galactic Railroad."
When the young man quotes and speaks, the work seems to gain a human touch, perhaps due to the writing style itself.
The reason the young man keeps this book isn't clear, but I think his mother probably bought it for him.
However, the scary thing is that it doesn't mean he cherishes her; in the final scene, he probably only sees her as someone who was useful as a shield.

What I found particularly interesting about this work was the structure of the betrayal, which is especially striking because I'm familiar with the original work.
Players familiar with the original work will likely find themselves thinking, "Shou is surprisingly hard-boiled and cool," as they read on.
Even when he interacts with the people of the Demon King's castle, the episodes often highlight the young man's unique and alien nature rather than showing him becoming friends with them.
If the person has a good character, they will likely interpret the young man's behavior favorably and find it endearing.
Due to her personality, Nin-Nin carefully observes what kind of person the young man is, and as a result, negative feelings towards him gradually accumulate.
It's precisely because the young man is speaking his honest thoughts that the disgust among the Nin-Nin characters intensifies.

Conversely, in conversations with Musha, who (presumably) is not speaking in the young man's own words, communication appears to be taking place on the surface.
However, in reality, the phrases the young man speaks—"January appears in all water, and all water months are contained within January" and "Were we born to play?"—are all quotes from books and not his own words.
If we interpret the use of a quote as meaning that the speaker isn't speaking their true feelings, it offers an interesting perspective.

Just when you think it's going to be a heartwarming story about a young man who, after going through various ups and downs, eventually gains more human emotions, the ending reveals that it's not Sho, leaving the player stunned.
There's a reason it's labeled as an "alternative version"—it's fundamentally different from the original.

Ultimately, the story took the opposite turn from a happy ending, concluding on a dark note.
He wasn't a demon seeking strength, nor was he a cruel villain; the protagonist was unsettling because of his "nothingness"—that very existence.
I realized that it was precisely because there was nothing else to speak of that I was able to spontaneously quote from texts I had read before.

I like how the scene in the screenshot above looks like a beautiful, moving, and fantastical scene if you don't know what's going on behind the scenes.
Other memorable scenes included Nobitanian, the most extreme of the ruffians (using the escape tactic Yahiko used in Rurouni Kenshin), the wire trick from World Trigger used by the fake Makuta, and the final battle with Musha.

It's sad when one person thinks they have a deep connection with another, but the other person feels absolutely nothing.