Recent reviews by fragile dolly ౨ৎ

this game is often criticized for its taboo themes - particularly the so-called “incestuous” elements, but i think that label alone doesn’t capture what the story is really about. at the time of writing this i have yet to complete the game, so i can only speak for the parts i have played so far. what stands out is that nothing here feels designed purely to shock or provoke. the narrative explores the consequences of shared trauma and unhealthy codependency without ever glorifying these dynamics. from my experience, some of the harsher criticisms seem to come from people who haven’t engaged with the game fully or aren’t approaching it with media literacy. of course, it’s understandable that the subject matter can be uncomfortable, but approaching the game with a nuanced perspective reveals just how painful and realistic its exploration of trauma can be. even if you can’t personally relate to the characters’ experiences, it’s clear why many players find it so compelling.

i honestly struggled to put the game down up until this one segment in episode 3 that had shattered my heart into a million pieces and made me literally burst into tears. this was also the very moment the game became an instant favorite of mine.

minor spoilers ahead, though nothing that would spoil any major plot points:

there’s a segment where you play as a little ghost, seemingly resembling that of a small drifting memory. you receive a call from a classmate asking about a school group project, but you cannot quite tend to it yet as the game quite literally prompts and forces you to tend to “more important matters” first, such as doing chores, caring for your little sister and cleaning her doodles off the walls while in the meantime you try to figure out a way to distract her so she will move out of your way.

somewhere in the distance, another ghost watches your every move closely through binoculars - growing upset whenever you wander even a little from what you’re meant to do. with every task you complete, a key appears in front of you. each key opens a door to a new repressed memory that those who grew up with neglectful or abusive parents may very well recognize. it’s a surprisingly poignant and resonant segment that i believe might even have slipped past some people. this segment really hit home and sat quite heavy upon my heart because it resembled a lot of my own childhood/teenage years, so it really did a number on me and felt as if though i were looking into a portrait of my own childhood. and for a moment, i was that lost, sensitive and afraid little girl again. wondering if i was too much or not enough or both at once. wondering where it all went wrong and what i had to do to in order to be deserving of my parents’ love. wondering why i always had to earn their love and why i couldn’t just be. and if i’m being quite honest, i still am that little girl, and that little girl will always be a part of me.

to speak it anew, this was something so subtle that i feel may even have gone over some people’s heads, but to me the creator has unmistakably endured hardships of their own and truly just understands what dealing with trauma is like. and, as i see it, that’s what makes the game so extraordinary. it’s raw and messy and reaches deep within you to elicit deeply buried memories that you’ve tried to avoid and hide in some dust-veiled chamber of your mind. it forces you to sit with the hurt and reflect on your pain head-on even when it’s uncomfortable, and it’s so undeniably human. if you have the stomach for it, please play this game - you won’t regret it.

edit: the way i just got unfriended over this game without even being allowed to get a word out is beyond me. engaging with media that has heavy or problematic themes so to speak doesn’t automatically equate to the endorsement of every disturbing aspect it contains. by that logic, we should all be vilified, because everyone has engaged with difficult or uncomfortable media at some point or another.

i do not endorse any of the questionable elements in this game, and i shouldn’t need to publicly voice that for people not to jump to conclusions about my character. you do not know me. i do not advocate for anything harmful in the slightest. this game is quite literally a commentary on trauma, abuse and dysfunctional family dynamics which i can heavily relate to and is in huge part why it resonates with me. so much of the dialogue in the game i have heard from my own parents and in my own life verbatim. aspects of the characters’ individual trauma feel relatable and hit close to my heart.

you can relate to or even appreciate a piece of media while also acknowledging its extreme and disturbing natures - they aren’t mutually exclusive. but it is so much more than its questionable parts, which is precisely the point i was trying to convey in my review. it should not be reduced to those aspects alone or treated as if the game glorifies it (which, by the way, it does not). one would think the game had 95% overwhelmingly positive ratings out of nearly 18k reviews for good reason. let’s not be weird about it and make baseless, harmful assumptions of others..

🙏BLESS🙏

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(edited to write an actual review)

saya no uta embodies something almost shakespearean in structure if not in scale - at least when one were to consider psychological and moral stakes rather than literal scope. we can sympathize with fuminori even as we witness him commit acts so deplorable that would otherwise sever any thread of empathy. we see choices that should inspire pure disgust, yet the perspective we inhabit while seeing the world through his eyes compels a measure of sympathy for him that in truth almost feels wrong to admit. playing this was akin to picking at a scab. it was painful, disgusting, yet oddly gratifying in the sense that it is a constant, virtually impossible battle to fight the urge to uncover what is underneath. in much the same way, fuminori treats saya. she is his sole soft spot in a world wherein everything has turned into raw meat and bile, and so he clings to her with a desperate, painfully tender devotion that we cannot help but understand and empathize with.

saya no uta approaches morality in a very unconventional and disturbing way in which it allows us to experience how perception can warp moral judgment, and thus forces us to argue morality against how one would usually do so in clear-cut “good vs. evil” terms. the blossom ending was definitely my favorite of the three and i could talk about it for hours. overall, this beautiful, grotesque, and morbid vn isn’t for the faint of heart. but if you enjoy vile, perverse and transgressive media that touches on sensitive topics and lovecraftian horror with romantic elements, you may find it to your liking.