Hira Hira Hihiru

[h1] TLDR version: [/h1] Hirahira Hihiru is a slow, text-heavy VN about a disturbing disease and how society treats the people affected by it. [list] [*]Strong writing, great world-building, and very detailed storytelling [*]Focuses on empathy, illness, and social issues without being preachy [*]Doctor route (Masamitsu) is the highlight; the other perspective is weaker [*]Not very interactive, mostly linear reading [*]Tone is heavy but balanced with some quieter, hopeful moments [/list] [h1] Long version: [/h1] I finished Hirahira Hihiru and it’s very clearly a Setoguchi Ren'ya work, for better and worse. The story revolves around a disease where people “die” come back, and then slowly deteriorate both mentally and physically. Some can function with medication, others become almost unrecognizable. What really stands out isn’t just the condition, but everything around it - misconceptions, discrimination, lack of resources, and how society ends up pushing these people aside. It feels like a grounded allegory for real-world illness and mental health, handled with a lot of care. The writing is the main strength here. It’s detailed, clear, and very information-driven - you start off …

Really well written humanistic visual novel about marginalized people and their struggles and hopes by viewing this world through the eyes of two protagonists: the first is a doctor specialized in the zombie-like disease that is the core of this story and the other a student being thrust into caring for somebody close to him. Enjoyed this story immensely - also loved the art and music. Check this out if you are interested in human and intelligent fiction!

Very interesting story and characters that kept me engaged. There's only a few choices to be made but they make a big difference in the two stories being told. I made one wrong mistake so I got one good and one bad ending. Thanks to the convenient skip option I was able to get through the game again quickly and experience the missing good ending and the different story leading up to it. Good translation, only a few typos were found. Nice voice acting too, music was okay. Highly recommended to visual novel lovers, especially on a sale.

A beauftiful game which focuses on some heavy themes which are very close to our reality. The writing, atmosphere and music are mesmerising and will keep you invested. The entire game will tug on your heartstrings for sure. Setoguchi Ren'ya's works never disappoint.

If there’s one visual novel writer whose every word I truly savor, it’s Setoguchi Ren'ya. I’m genuinely glad that another of his works has received an English translation. This one feels quite different from his previous titles, it reads more like a literary novel than a typical visual novel. That’s not a bad thing at all, sometimes it’s refreshing to step away from familiar anime tropes and one-dimensional characters. But I think it'd benefit much more if it were given a few more hours to flesh out other things. But in the end, I'm satisfied with what I got. I also have to praise the game’s art direction and atmosphere. Few visual novels have managed to immerse me this deeply while reading. I sincerely hope that one day a publisher will bring his magnum opus, Black Sheep Town, to the English readers as well.

A great story, bittersweet and emotional.