#now it feels so poorly written i’m ashamed of it lmao

[theicarusconstellation]

the imposter syndrome about my writing is hitting hard today damn

[queen-of-bel]

finally gonna write up my thoughts on lost judgment now that i’ve finished everything and had some time to digest it all

putting under a cut bc this is gonna be long, even by my usual ramble-y standards

As always, bad first before good, but my nits/complaints with LJ are... mostly minor, I’m gonna be honest. 

I do wish that there were more dynamic intros for bosses. The ones that we did get were absolutely amazing, so it’s not like RGG can’t do it. I’m not sure why they skimped out on dynamic intros for this game, but that was a bit disappointing, not gonna lie.

Also, does anyone want to tell me why an action/beat em up style game somehow managed to make their BOXING minigame the least fun of them all? Like good lord, you really would’ve assumed that making boxing fun would’ve been a cakewalk for them.

And speaking of poorly balanced things, the Amon fight was underwhelmingly easy. I’ve always LOVED the Amon fights in these games bc they absolutely kick my ass and I have so much fun with them. This one, though? I beat it second attempt on hard without even really trying too much. I remember afterwards just thinking “is that it?” So yeah. That was kind of a bummer.

Probably my most substantial complaint I have tho is how much of a backseat the first game’s characters/plot took. I know that RGG said you don’t need to play the first game in order to play LJ, but... come on. It’s a sequel. Who cares about spoiling the first game? I really would’ve LOVED to see what Okubo or Hamura are up to now. Or to hear Sugiura’s thoughts on Sawa’s death since it mirrored his own sisters’ murder in so many ways.

Still, I can’t say that this really bothered me too much, because...

The good

Holy shit. The characters in LJ just... I’m not gonna lie. I kinda like these characters a bit more than the first cast. I still love everyone from the first game dearly, but I felt like LJ’s writing was a significant step up from the first game, and that really helped their character writing.

I feel like Judgment suffered from poor pacing at times in the first few chapters. It’s not always clear which way the story is going to go-- there’s some weird shoe-horned in drama with Kaito/Adachi, and making the player discover the truth about Higashi’s past so early on in the game also felt a bit out of left field. I remember just like “lmao i don’t even know this dude who cares?” Once the ball started rolling, though, the game is phenomenal.

But this is my review of LJ, not it’s predecessor.

Anyway, I feel like LJ didn’t have any of those pacing issues. It just throws you into the madness and does not stop. It was nice that nearly NONE of the side content was mandatory, so it just felt like I was able to be fully immersed in the story and not get distracted with having to do like... drone racing or things like that.

And god was that story amazing. There are few times that I’ve genuinely cried at a video game, and I’m not ashamed to admit that this was one of them.

Regarding the story themes of bullying and how it’s handled... Even though I feel that was absolutely the strongest part of LJ, I... actually don’t want to dive into it too much in this post. If anyone has been keeping up with my playthrough tag, they can piece together how I feel about it. It just... mirrored a lot of what had happened in my own past and at times, the game became almost too difficult to play. Not in a bad way, but the game hit close to home a lot and that made me sympathize with Kuwana probably more than is socially acceptable to LOL

Speaking of Kuwana, can I just take some time to gush about his character? When he first was introduced I rolled my eyes at how boring he seemed but holy fuck, I take that ALL back. I’ve written more about how I feel about Kuwana here, but this man is easily my favorite RGG character now.

His motives, his sense of justice, how he executes that justice... Christ. I’ve always been partial to the “vigilante killer who recognizes that he’s on the wrong path” trope anyway, but Kuwana just blows them out of the water. When you see how he actively attempts to make amends for what he did, it’s so hard to blame him. 

Even when Reiko betrays him, he harbors no grudge over it. He feels that it’s his fault Mitsuru tried to kill himself, and that Reiko has every right to do whatever she wants, even at the expense of his own wellbeing. The only thing that Kuwana cares about is making sure that her secret never gets out.

He doesn’t sweep Sawa’s death under the rug, either. His original plan was to get Soma out alive and convicted for her murder. This was his way of trying to make it up to Sawa. But if that plan failed, he had a failproof plan B where he would do what he does best. 

When all else fails, and he’s watching these people walk away unscathed, with nothing weighing them down and nobody to judge them, he strikes. He takes matters into his own hands, and that’s exactly what he was planning on doing with Soma. If he couldn’t get Soma out alive to get justice for Sawa’s death, then he’ll kill Soma and destroy Shinya’s body, forever securing the freedom Reiko so desperately needs if she wants to remain reunited with her son.

But of course, this sense of justice that Kuwana has isn’t without flaw. While it’s so easy to want to root for him because man, fuck Shinya, Yui, and Mikoshiba. They’re all pieces of shit-- who cares what happens to them? Kuwana doesn’t... really have an end goal. He says he’ll keep doing this if it means that he can prevent another incident like Mitsuru’s suicide attempt, but he literally has no answer as to how his actions can prevent that. Everything he’s done has always been reactive, never preventative. And while it’s satisfying to see someone get their comeuppance, how exactly is this supposed to fix anything on a larger, societal scale? Maybe people will start to get wind that former bullies are being murdered as adults, but the incidents are scattered over such a long period of time that clearly nobody has been connecting the dots. He can keep doing what he’s doing, but there’s inevitably going to be another innocent person like Sawa dragged into the mix.

Enter Yagami and his own sense of justice.

I’ve seen people complain that Yagami relies too heavily on Sawa’s death to get his point across, but I don’t... really agree. To me, it didn’t feel so much as that Yagami was using Sawa’s death to convince Kuwana that his sense of justice was wrong, but moreso that Yagami needed to remind himself that Kuwana’s justice isn’t right. It’s so easy to just be like “oh cool, Kuwana, keep doing your thing.” but he needs to remind himself that Kuwana’s methods are not without collateral damage.

You know, but even then, when Yagami says that someone needs to stand up Sawa because she can’t speak for herself anymore, Kuwana can turn around and say the exact same thing about Toshiro and the other kids who killed themselves.

I think this back and forth really gets into the heart of why this was such a good moral dilemma, and why Yagami and Kuwana are such good foils for each other.

They don’t hate each other at all. In fact, they’re desperately trying to find a solution that caters to both of their morals. Neither are fully satisfied with the results that their convictions will bring, and god damn it if there's a way they can combine the best of both worlds they're gonna do it. But they both know that's not possible so what ends up happening is just a bitter fight full of despair-- two men putting everything on the line to fight for what they truly believe in.

There are very few times where the prospect of a boss fight gutted me and I’m not ashamed to admit that I teared up during the buildup of the Kuwana fight. I predicted earlier on that he would be the final boss, but after hearing his plea to keep Reiko and Mitsuru together... I really, really did not want to fight him.

Speaking of, I didn’t think it would be possible for me to cry over a character that had about 2 minutes of screentime, but Mitsuru Kusumoto... you have my entire heart. To be honest, when Reiko stood up and said that it’s time to end this, I had a mini heart attack because I thought she meant that she was going to pull the plug. I’m so happy to see that he woke up, but it’s heartbreaking to think about what his life is going to be from now on. He’s lost the only two people that supported him while he was in a coma, and now, he’s not only going to have to deal with the fallout of what Reiko did, but he has to navigate a world that went on for thirteen years without him all by himself.

Anyway, I’m still undecided on where I actually stand on the Kuwana vs. Yagami debate. It’s so easy to (half) joke online and be like “Oh, Kuwana did nothing wrong”, but if I stop and ask myself if I really feel that way... I certainly lean more Kuwana than Yagami, but it doesn’t really sit right with me. I think this exchange between Higashi and Sugiura sums up my thoughts:

I suppose that’s the whole point, because even Kuwana feels that way about his own actions, saying that he’d be too ashamed to face Sawa in the afterlife. But then again, Ehara has a point when he says that GOD knows how long it’ll take for the system to do any type of change to hold bullies accountable for their actions.

So while I’m on the topic of Ehara...

His character really blew me away. He didn’t have a ton of screentime, but the time that he did have really stole the show. This line of his in particular really stood out to me, and strikes at the heart of why Yagami’s and Saori’s arguments are flawed.

I feel like it’s a more refreshing take on vigilantism. The focus is a lot less on punishing those who deserve it, and moreso on taking a stand for those who have been utterly abandoned. It’s a slightly more nuanced stance that I really appreciate. I feel that often times, vigilante characters are those who are either don’t have patience with the system, or view themselves as some kind of defender of justice. Kuwana, Ehara, and Reiko don’t fit in either of those cases though. They all really feel as though they were forced into their actions. They didn’t want to do it, but what other choice did they have? There’s an element of hopelessness and desperation that I feel really elevates their characters. The acknowledgment that they did something evil, but that’s just how it is, and what they had to do.

And speaking of necessary evils...

Kazuki Soma. Oh my god, what a character. Soma is really easy to brush off as just some run of the mill, sadistic murderer. And while that is true of his character, he also is a lot more than that.

It’s really fun to compare his morals and sense of justice with Kuwana’s, because Soma’s “big picture” mindset is exactly what Kuwana’s sense of justice is missing.

I don’t know if this was intended to be a dig at Kuwana, but it definitely works as one. Kuwana’s method of “haphazardly taking them out” (with “them” meaning bullies) really is just a patchwork approach at best and there’s no sense of direction or an end goal in sight. 

While Kuwana is driven by emotions, focusing on the individual and short-term good, Soma’s sense of justice is driven more by logic-- a cold, detached view of the world in order to preserve a greater good. He very methodically analyzes his behavior and the world around him, and comes to the conclusion that his actions are necessary to maintain societal peace. The pleasure that Soma derives from his work absolutely makes him one sick bastard, and you may not agree with his logic, but it would be unfair to his character to deny that he makes some good points.

When you start to triangulate Yagami, Kuwana, and Soma’s characters and how they each define justice and morals, you start to get this really interesting web of gray morality. While the ideal sense of justice would be to combine the best aspects of all three definitions, that unfortunately can’t exist in the real world. So at what point in this web is the most “right”?

This triangulation also made for a much more emotionally compelling plot to me. Don’t get me wrong. I was (and still am) so emotionally invested in the first game. It was amazing with that sense of helplessness it instilled in the player. After Morita was clearly willing to turn a blind eye to the AD-9 testing, then what? You felt like your back was against the wall, with the entire world against you. Like Sugiura said, how could you be expected to fight that?

But in LJ, the plot feels much more... intimate. Yes, there’s the stuff with Bando and Public Security, but those sat relatively in the backseat throughout the game. When looking at Ehara’s trial, the point wasn’t to unravel the entire coverup and mess that was Public Security’s involvement. The appeal trial was simply to get Ehara to confess that he killed Mikoshiba. Even the most “big picture” crimes that Yagami wanted to solve were pretty localized when you look at them. Soma’s capture and Reiko turning herself in would mean that there would be justice for Sawa’s death, but it’s not like the goal was to take down Bando as well or topple RK as a whole.

Yagami really looked at Bando, RK, and Kuwana’s 5 other victims and said like “not my battle”. He recognized that it was outside of his reach-- he’s not powerful enough to do anything about it. All he can do is trust that Mafuyu and her team can sort out the Bando issue, and hope that Kuwana does some deep reflections on his actions and eventually turns himself in.

You know, this made me really gain a lot of respect for Yagami. To recognize his limitations and not get greedy and push his luck required an incredible amount of strength. It would’ve been so easy for him to try and capture Kuwana as well, but he knows that it won’t end well.

Yagami recognizes that he’s bound by the confines of a flawed system, but he’ll still do as much as he can to preserve and execute his own sense of justice.

... I feel like I’ve talked a LOT about the story and characters, so I’ll switch gears to jot down my other thoughts about the game.

The buzz words/chatter researcher was a GREAT way of finding sidecases. I absolutely loved it. It really made me feel like I was an actual detective, sniffing out cases around town.

Thank GOD Mafuyu stopped being this weird “is she or isn’t she” love interest for Yagami. It was really unclear as to how Yagami felt about her in the first game, but in LJ, I can definitely now believe him when he says “we aren’t like that”

I was really wary of the school stories, and how well the school setting would be integrated into the game, but it was perfect in my opinion. I loved seeing Yagami be the cool, dependable uncle figure to everyone, making sure that they get to have the experiences and opportunities that he missed out on.

Dancing in particular was SO FUN. I love going back and watching recordings of Esmeralda. Idk, it’s just so great to watch those funky little characters dance and have fun. 

Itokura is a girlboss. That’s all I have to say.

Vorarephilia is a fucking BANGER of a track but my god, did RGG really have to name one of the best songs “vore”????

Speaking of the soundtrack, Rasen was an AMAZING opening song. When I realized that the full length version was released on the same day that Mitsuru tried to kill himself, I nearly cried. It was such an emotional song, and Ado was the perfect choice for the singer.

I really, really hope that the series doesn’t end here. Even if Kimura can’t be in the game anymore, I’d love to see an update on Kuwana’s character. I know that LJ’s ending makes it seem like he’s switching over to Yagami’s definition of justice, but I don’t actually see it that way. If anything, Kuwana might be changing his strategy to think more about his long-term goal.

When he reports the bodies, he does so anonymously, yet he makes it clear that all of his victims were bullies in the past.

Clearly, he has no intent of turning himself in right now. Is he staying hidden because he wants to make sure Soma is convicted of Sawa’s murder, and then he’ll reveal himself afterwards? Or is this his way of letting society know that there is someone out there, willing to hold them accountable to their actions if no one else will? Maybe in revealing his trump card, this is his way of signaling to other bullies that they aren’t safe and that revenge can come for them at any moment. It won’t be immediate, but vengeance WILL come for them.

The game gives no indication as to what Kuwana plans to do next. It’s open-ended, and I think expanding on that would make for a really strong third entry in the series.

Anyway, I'll stop this train of thought here because speculation about a potential sequel doesn’t belong in a review post.

tldr, I thought this was a really, really good game. 9.5/10 easily. This has certainly become my favorite RGG game, and I’m going to go ahead and say that this is just one of my favorite games of all time, period.

[elftwink]

1 7 10 and any question you Really wanna answer so you can complain about in whichever fandom you want

What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?

mostly just really big power imbalances i’m like :/ but specifically rn i don’t really see the appeal of shipping either bryant w/damien... he holds so much power over both of them the entire concept of him being with either one: Not Good

Is there anything you used to like, but now can’t stand?

yeah, bbc sherlock. i was a grade A superwholock when i was like 13 (i never even watched spn). i still like dw (some of it anyway) i just stopped keeping up, but sherlock... it treats its female characters like trash (irene adler deserved better lmao esp since she was a lesbian end the trope of lesbians falling for men dsjkhgjhjfg Bad), and s3 especially was poorly written and left a bad taste in my mouth from start to finish. it’s a piece of work from someone who clearly likes to feel smart at the expense of their audience, the plots are too big and don’t close properly, and at that point everything that i liked was gone from the show entirely so i stopped watching. although going back i don’t like s1 or s2 anymore either. its bad writing lmao it’s a Bad Show

Any fandom you’re ashamed of being in?

i don’t associate with the fandom at all because highkey everything about it embarrasses me like as a whole but i watch some da/n and ph/il videos.... i know!!! i know!! stop looking at me. but from what ive seen that fandom is :/ and i have no interest in joining “fandoms” for real people anyway because i don’t like treating people who really exist like they are fictional characters, esp in the way some people do for youtubers. its very gross t b h 

and im picking Any fandoms that don’t appeal to you? bc ive been trying to complain about this specifically for weeks but i didn’t (and still dont) want to invite Discourse™ because im tired

but as much as i love w/tn/v with my entire soul i really dont want to be more involved with the fanbase because highkey right before i left tumblr a few years back (??? my social media timeline is a little messy idk when it happened) there was a whole thing that was homophobic as fuck.. like i was leaving so i only caught the beginning but it makes me very uncomfortable that so many people were alright with calling actual gay men “allogays” because a headcanon had been kind of disproven in canon... via innuendo... like maybe my memory is fuzzy and it wasnt that bad but guess what yall!! thinking gay people in intimate sexual relationships is gross and being mad that it’s mentioned in fiction is homophobic!! like i do get being sad or irritated that your headcanon was shot down but the way people talked about it was so completely blind to the way homophobia affects gay people and maybe it’s gotten better since then but overall im not in that much of a hurry to get closer to the fanbase. 

actually tbh in fact aside from that... every bit of Discourse™ out of that fanbase ive ever seen is Exhausting and also like. i don’t really care for theorizing about it? like it just doesnt appeal to me. the complex plot is less a mystery to be solved for me and more just a “wait and see what happens” kinda gig. so i tend to stay away for that too. thats not really negative tho i hope everyone does actually have fun w/theorizing but it’s not for me