This is sixth of fifteen essays contained within the fourth issue of the Adult Analysis Anthology, a collection of longform writing that seeks to expand the breadth of critical discourse around adult games and adult game culture. If you’d like to support the creation of more high-quality writing about adult games the full anthology is available for purchase on Itch! Anthology logo by Pillow!

Written By: Kastel

I believe Amelie Doree has written some of the finest criticisms on adult visual novels. In accessible English, she integrates her queer experiences and scholarly research to discuss why erotic fiction is an authentic vehicle for artistic expression. You can see it for yourself on her YouTube channel – my personal favorite is her video on Suisenka.

But before she became a pioneering figure of our times, she was an ordinary trans woman who followed my ramblings on visual novels. While reading older visual novels and thinking about the historical conditions of their narratives, I joked on Twitter that I wouldn’t mind helping a video essayist discuss visual novels. Expecting nothing, I was surprised to see her reply on the next day, asking if I could help provide background information and translations on a then recently translated game, Dōkyūsei: Bangin’ Summer, a remake of a historically influential visual novel from the 90s. The ensuing video helped establish a long-lasting collaboration that persists to this day.

As a fellow critic, I am always curious about the way others formulate their thoughts and put them into words, especially under restrictive settings. Her answers below are a window to a mind who cares deeply about the meaning and place of adult visual novels. I hope you find them as insightful as I have.

Introduction

For people who don’t know you or your work on adult visual novels, how would you describe yourself?

I want to say ‘I’m a weird little doll gremlin who likes estrogen, squishy anime boobs, and things that go vroom,’ but I’m not sure that’s very descriptive or helpful. In all seriousness, I would describe myself as a literary critic who’s interested in exploring how Japanese media reflects society and at times, directly commentates on it, with a particular focus on adult media and feminist/leftist ideas.

When did you start making videos?

I began making videos, in general, around 2012, on a now-mostly abandoned YouTube channel, where I mainly covered FPS games and other action titles. I did that for about 6 years or so before I stopped to focus on creating music for games as a job, but I got back into it with the Amelie Doree alias in late 2021. At that time, music work was pretty slow, and I was interested in getting back into visual novels. I thought it would be fun to discuss them and whatever thoughts spring up from my experiences with them. The rest is history.

Why did you choose to cover adult visual novels? And why video?

I’ve been fascinated with adult media since I’ve been aware of it. I got a lot of weird gender feelings from various ero-doujinshi (interviewer’s note: self-published erotic manga, often on existing intellectual property) when I was in my teens, and I remember stumbling into ones that were equally as much about catering to a fetish as they were trying to provoke thought of the reader. The same happened with visual novels as a teen; I downloaded some games because I heard they were erotic, and ended up very fascinated by the ideas within them. Some games as well, like Saya no Uta, used their adult scenes in ways that I found super fascinating, which also left an impression on 15-something me.

When I was getting back into creating videos, I wasn’t really thinking about creating videos on adult visual novels – in fact, I was a bit biased against it because at that point I bought into the false idea that a lot of developers put adult scenes in out of obligation rather than desire. But I was open to it, and upon playing more games for the channel and on the side, I realized there was an immense amount of potential in focusing on them in particular, and how the adult content adds to their themes.

As for why I chose video – there’s two reasons. One, it’s simply what I know best. 6 years of torturing myself with Sony Vegas and vomiting words into Notepad made me – respectively – good at navigating horrendous linear editor UIs and good at typing up scripts in a form suited for video really fast.

Second, video has become the dominant way people engage with critique. Blogging and text posts, for better and worse – mostly worse – are pretty much dead. I think creators are able to find much more success (read: a livable wage in the global south) through broadcasting their words in a way which can simultaneously be heeded thoughtfully, and as background noise. People who prefer the written word begrudgingly put up with videos for this reason, I presume. Economically, and business-wise, videos are the option that make sense for me.

How do you choose your visual novels? Are you guessing what the audience wants?

I want to say my choice is very calculated and intelligent, but sometimes it’s as simple as liking boobs on the front cover of a game and seeing it has interesting VNDB tags (interviewer’s note: a visual novel database). Sometimes it’s because I recognize a writer or artist. Sometimes it’s because a friend posted a screenshot on Discord and I liked how the prose looks. I simply choose games because they appear as if they could be interesting, though on rare occasion I will cover something because of high audience demand.

In general, though, I don’t think too much about what the audience wants, simply because games that are regularly demanded or popular may not be the best to cover. For example, route-based moege are extremely popular, and I’m sure there’s many people who want someone to talk about them. But I rarely leave them with anything to discuss, and games like them tend to perform horrendously as videos. Horror games are very popular, but despite performing well as videos, many of them cover similar themes and I deign to repeat myself constantly. What I want are games that are interesting and novel to discuss, generally without regards to what will perform best.

Writing & Research

Your most recent video was on Saihate no Ima, a visual novel about people suffering the anxieties of living in a technological world where everyone is connected all the time through the internet. How do you start writing your scripts on complex visual novels like that?

All of my scripts begin with an immense amount of notetaking as I read through the game. I’ll jot down any ideas I find interesting, lines that are memorable, and see how the game develops them as it goes on. Whatever ideas are the strongest and most possible to expand on will become what I focus on in the video. After that process of reading and note-taking, I find books and studies that are relevant to the themes I wish to talk about, and then take notes on those.

By the time all of that is over, I have a very clear idea of what I want the core thesis of the video to be, and what individual ideas I’ll explore in each segment, and that’s where script writing actually begins – finding a structure for the video that works, tying all the different segments together, and editing the script over and over and over again until I’m happy with it.

Your videos also incorporate a lot of academic research and nonfiction to flesh out your interpretations of the game. Why do you take this approach?

I am someone who firmly believes art does not exist in a vacuum, or be it, that art is separate from society and politics. Everything about a given piece of art is influenced by the authors beliefs and those are influenced by the society they live in. For me, it’s very important to understand both the explicit and implicit ideas that a piece of art brings up – and I find that nonfiction and academic research is a very powerful tool for this. Through it, I’m able to better understand the real world phenomena that a piece of art is discussing or embeds into its world, and thereby produce a critique/analysis that’s actually grounded in reality.

For example, with the Ai Mai Misuto video – which is a game that deals explicitly with a who’s’-who of gender ideas – I’m sure I could have produced a perfectly fine essay just talking about what the text of the game says, in the context of the games world. But art is always drawing parallels to reality, and I believe the video, like all my videos, turned out much better because I was able to draw parallels to reality with it, and discuss phenomena it discusses – like transmisogyny – with reference to the real world.

You also include your own personal experiences when discussing visual novels like Dasaku, a gory title about traumatized queer high schoolers and learning to see the humanity in those who are deemed monsters. Any thoughts on this?

Just as art does not exist in a political and social vacuum, the way it’s interpreted by readers is not uniform and fixed. I believe experiencing art is a process of dialogue between the reader and creator, and in this way, personal experiences will always affect how we read art. Realizing this and abandoning the pursuit of objectivity (while still attempting to understand the artists ideas for what they are!) allows for very enriching and thought-provoking connections between the reader and the art.

I make my videos to show people my experiences and my thoughts on a work of art, to inspire them to open themselves up to art and find those connections for themselves. I’m open about discussing how my personal experiences affect my understanding of a piece of art, because I want to encourage others to do take the same approach and enter into dialogue with what they love.

Additionally, and also of great importance, is that I think personal experience is very important for bridging the gap between people and art. I can tell someone how Dasaku deals with TERF ideology and gender dysphoria and queer trauma and whatever else, but unless they already care about how those things impact people, they probably won’t think much of that. But if I talk about my personal experiences, then suddenly, those ideas become humanized. They’re no longer abstract social concepts happening ‘there;’ they’re real things that affect a real person, who you’re listening to right now. That’s really important for creating empathy.

Distribution

You currently distribute your videos on YouTube for the public, which leads to them being heavily censored. What are your thoughts on the need to censor your content on YouTube?

I find it to be extremely discouraging and depressing. I, obviously, do not intend my videos to be erotic in any sort of way, and it’s frustrating that platforms such as YouTube are incapable of differentiating sexual content for gratification, and sexual content for the sake of art discussion and critique. I strongly believe that even purely gratifying content should be able to be on public facing websites, but failing that, you/I should be able to put a boob on a screen and discuss it without getting a ban.

What is your process like for censoring your videos for YouTube? How long does it take?

The process is tedious, boring, and obnoxious. It starts while I’m working on the base, uncensored version of the video, as I flag any sort of visuals that may be considered too lewd to come back to for censorship later. Once I’ve finished handling all of those, I watch the video very carefully for anything I may have missed, and anything that could be construed as ‘too adult’ despite not really being so. For example, two clothed characters touching each other suggestively or two people kissing with tongue generally has to be censored out. I’ve seen people get their videos taken down for far less, so I try not to take any sort of risks.

The whole process can take anywhere from 4 hours to 4 days depending on the kind of game and the complexity of the content that has to be censored. A game like Saihate no Ima for instance has very little adult content, and what it does have, is simple enough to censor with a single bar over the “offending” content. But a game like Yami no Koe is chock full of complicated scenes and little UI details that could be considered unacceptable. That can take a long time to work through.

You also rely on Patreon for subscription income. What are your thoughts and experiences with that?

I am extremely grateful for how Patreon as a platform provides me and others the opportunity to create works that would be/are impossible to have funded in more “traditional” ways (news columns, ad revenue, etc). However, I am also somewhat nervous about the platform for a variety of reasons.

Beyond the usual freelancer instability (no security/benefits, plus absurdly high taxes (35% of my income!) as a US citizen and Brazilian resident), I’m effectively at the whims of the regulations of the platform, and the rising tide of censorship about adult media threatens my ability to exist on the platform. Just as I don’t know if work will continue to exist due to business insecurities, I can’t guarantee it’ll continue to exist due to the possibility of Visa, Mastercard, et al, going silly mode one morning and deciding school uniforms in anime are sexualizing minors. It’s very anxiety inducing.

Do you think the amount of censorship in both platforms you have to do affect your video essays in any way?

Sort of. I’ve gotten so used to writing around the regulations and potential problems with platforms that I don’t even think about it anymore. But, as that sentence outright states, I write around the regulations and potential problems with platforms. I’m careful not to use certain words too much (anything implying violence or coercion) and not to be too explicit about sexual acts. I feel like my job would be far easier if I didn’t have to consider these things, but as it is, I’m able to express what I want to express without much trouble.

Thoughts On Work

Since you primarily make video essays on visual novels, what is your relationship to the genre now that it is part of your job?

It’s weird. I’m still able to enjoy them in my spare time, but it’s hard for me to not see them as something only for my work some days because I’m so used to note-taking and analysis while I read. I don’t play them nearly as much outside of my job as I’d like to because of this; if I want to read in Japanese I’ll typically grab a manga or light novel, because those don’t feel like they have the potential to become videos to me.

On a more positive side, I feel like this job has given me a very deep appreciation for the genre. I’m somebody who tries to view every form of art and every genre with respect, be it in music, paintings, video games, what have you. But I have a particular admiration for visual novels simply because of the sheer amount of analysis I’ve done on them. I really think they’re one of the most innovative and fascinating spaces in terms of storytelling, and the union of different elements in support of that.

What are your thoughts on completing the Saihate no Ima video and what has the reception been so far?

I always feel relief from getting a video done, but the Saihate no Ima video more so than any other, simply because of the sheer density and complexity of it. There was so much that went into research, fact-checking, double-checking everything I wrote, and so on, due to how challenging the game is to interpret, even for very well-read native Japanese speakers. Once I finally uploaded it and heard positive things from friends who read the game, I felt really happy, like I did an okay job. I hold myself to an extremely high standard and that positive feedback always means a lot.

On that note, the reception I think has generally been very positive. A lot of people on my Patreon and other socials have left very kind and thoughtful commentary, with many people saying that it made them reflect on social media and the internet in general in a way they hadn’t before, or didn’t know how to express. That kind of reflection is something I always want my videos to provide to people. I don’t want people to walk away from what I make just thinking “that was neat.” I want to have some sort of impact, and it seems like this video really gave that to people.

Do you see yourself working on more visual novel videos in the near future?

I do! Even though I’m slowing down a bit this year to juggle school alongside my videos, I still hope to cover more visual novels in the coming months. I’d really like to cover the remaining Bishoujo Mangekyou games in particular, as well as more games from Leaf. But I also want to cover more things outside of visual novels, because I find it to be a fun challenge.

What do you think of your videos? Any favorites?

I don’t know if they’re good or bad, because I don’t feel like it’s my right to judge that – it’s up to the part of the public who listens to what I say and seriously engages with it to decide that. But I think they’re the kind of videos that I wish there was more of now. I love seeing people talk about what they’re passionate about and making insightful commentary about themselves and life while they do so, and that’s what I hope I bring to the table.

As for favorites, I think the Saihate no Ima video is my best work by far. It’s a good mix between academic and casual, with a lot of complex research and thoughts that took a lot of mulling over to properly formulate. The Cross Channel video is a favorite of mine for similar reasons. And on the complete flip side, I think the Gun-Katana and To Love-Ru videos are some of the most ‘me’ videos I’ve ever done. They’re two works of art filled with things I am super passionate about, and I had a lot of fun making them.

Conclusion

What are your thoughts on recent censorship waves in Steam and Itch?

Very, very sad. I feel like we’ve entered a new point of no return with censorship on games distribution platforms, and it makes me worried for the future of gaming. The new difficulties involved in distributing adult games on these platforms is going to result in fewer people being exposed to them, which is only going to make the stigma around them worse (‘they’re just porn games, they [have] no meaning, they’re for weird gross perverts’, etc). The stigma being worse means fewer people will be playing them, and fewer people will be making them.

I always try to be hopeful, but I don’t have much hope to spare in this situation. I think the only recourse we have is to continue creating art regardless of whether authorities want us to or not, and to continue talking about it in ways that resonate with people. As I said before, I believe it’s very important to discuss how this kind of art affects us personally, and to make people see the power it has.

What would you like to see in visual novels in the near future?

I just want to see more authors discuss what they’re passionate about. Give me weird incomprehensible games about pre-industrial society, give me fun romps that deal with how silly gender is, give me route-based moege that are secretly about astrophysics… I just want to see people using the unique combination of art, visuals, sound, and interactivity that the medium offers to get people interested in the world and what it has to offer. There’s no better gateway into hyper-niche subjects than busty anime girls and ripped anime dudes.

How do you see the future of criticism in adult games?

I’m worried that it’s going to become even more niche than it already is due to the growing suppression of adult games. But I also believe this suppression is teaching people that adult media is not something we can just take for granted, its’ existence is something we actively have to fight for. In this way, I believe adult games criticism in the future is only going to grow more mature and serious, because that’s necessary to make people understand why it’s important that it exists.

Do you want to work on a visual novel someday?

I’d love to! If it’s not clear by the fact that I cover them for a living, I’m very passionate about visual novels and I want to do what I can to make other people see the joy in them. If I can make that happen by contributing slick tunes to one, then I’m happy to do so.

Kastel is somehow a consultant on Japanese media, a member of the yuri visual novel collective Prof. Lily, and a blogger on subculture media and literature. Their solo games include 3XXX: NAKED HUMAN BOMBS and I Got You, and they’re now expanding into the world of PICO-8 games. Always looking for avenues to talk about their interests, they can be reached at @highimpactsex on BlueSky.

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