So I have been a steady reader of this fan comic for a good time now first reading it chronologically where it started off as kind of random before of course putting in romantic elements. For a fan comic based on the original psychological horror visual novel, I do have to say that it is entertaining and I do sometimes get invested in the plot. So, I do commend @dokidokiliteraturegirls and its creator Yui in that regard. But like many things, it is not perfect, nor should it strive to be. So, here are some pros and cons I have compiled. Once again, I do not hate the webcomic, far from it; it’s more of a short list to have the reader evaluate whether they want to read it or follow it.
So cons first:
1) The writing. So I like how Yui took his time to not only slowly build up towards the two main couples Natsuri and Sayonika, and giving the four Dokis more depth. But there were some decisions I was not really a fan of. For starters, Natsuki. In this alternate continuity, she is a preop transgirl. Just...why? True, Natsuki is a fictional character which means you can essentially do anything with her, and it’s not like I’m against changing her sexual orientation and/or identity. And obviously I have no issues with transgender people. The problem is that aside from it being pivotal in the Perfect Yuri arc, or the ribbon that she wears, the revelation doesn’t really contribute much to the overall story. If there was a legitimate reason as to why Yui felt that it was crucial in his rendition of the game, that’s one thing. It reminds me of all the jokes about Natsuki being a boy in the original game. But then there’s the next thing.
2) The dialogue. The way that the couples talk all mushy to each other is oftentimes really cheesy bordering cringe. But I can’t really take that against Yui because — even though the scenes are cheesy — there is a charm to them. On a lesser note, there are often a few misspellings or grammatical errors in the texts.
3) The main couples: This one is more of a personal one for me. Natsuri...won’t deny that I did low key ship them when watching game plays of the VN. But realistically speaking, I see that as being less likely of happening. They are way too different with their writing styles and tastes for literature. The ship I dislike more, however, is Sayorika. I’m sorry, but the main reason as to why I don’t ship Sayori with Monika again has to do with the game. After all, Monika was the reason as to why Sayori became more depressed and killed herself. Not only that, but she made a disgusting joke about it and even offhandedly mentions to the player that Sayori clawed herself when she was trying to get the noose off her neck. It’s...kind of disturbing in all honesty.
4) Another minor one is the humor. It tends to be either hit or miss.
5) The first two shipping arcs were done pretty well. The Friendship arc...was more polarizing. Ako was a character I liked, but the way that Yui wrote the rest of the arc...kind of varied. Monika especially was a real jerk in that one. While I understand that she was worried that Ako was going to take Sayori away from her, had she not learned her lesson from getting deleted in the original VN to not be that possessive? Worse yet, Sayori essentially leads Ako on despite knowing that Ako was developing feelings for her. It is one thing had she not have known; but given the fact that she is the one who is the de facto emotion reader, what the heck, Sayori? You seriously thought it was a good idea to not just plainly tell Ako and instead you just let her do her own thing until she almost kisses you? Are you really that stupid/naive?
Pros:
1) While I dislike the canon version of Monika, I will commend Yui for making her redemption feel earned. She starts off being cynical to the notion of rebooting the game because she felt that things would fall into place again, but through her interactions with the girls - and her eventual relationship with Sayori - Monika ultimately atones for her actions and becomes a genuinely better person.
2) The drawings. Whenever the arcs required illustrations to go along with the scenes, they are always top notch. My favorite one is the fireworks one at the end of the Sayorika arc where Sayori confesses to Monika.
3) The fan-made characters Yui created are also actually pretty interesting. At first I seriously was skeptical on whether they’d contribute much to the story, but now, they are an integral part of the overall story line.
4) As I have said, cheesiness aside, the true bonds the main couples have for each other are heartwarming and gets you right in the feels. Not just that, but the friendship among the girls is simply beautiful and feels, for a lack of a better word, “real.”
Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, I give it an 8.6/10.
Webcomic Pros and Cons
So I have been a steady reader of this fan comic for a good time now first reading it chronologically where it started off as kind of random before of course putting in romantic elements. For a fan comic based on the original psychological horror visual novel, I do have to say that it is entertaining and I do sometimes get invested in the plot. So, I do commend @dokidokiliteraturegirls and its creator Yui in that regard. But like many things, it is not perfect, nor should it strive to be. So, here are some pros and cons I have compiled. Once again, I do not hate the webcomic, far from it; it’s more of a short list to have the reader evaluate whether they want to read it or follow it.
So cons first: 1) The writing. So I like how Yui took his time to not only slowly build up towards the two main couples Natsuri and Sayonika, and giving the four Dokis more depth. But there were some decisions I was not really a fan of. For starters, Natsuki. In this alternate continuity, she is a preop transgirl. Just...why? True, Natsuki is a fictional character which means you can essentially do anything with her, and it’s not like I’m against changing her sexual orientation and/or identity. And obviously I have no issues with transgender people. The problem is that aside from it being pivotal in the Perfect Yuri arc, or the ribbon that she wears, the revelation doesn’t really contribute much to the overall story. If there was a legitimate reason as to why Yui felt that it was crucial in his rendition of the game, that’s one thing. It reminds me of all the jokes about Natsuki being a boy in the original game. But then there’s the next thing.
2) The dialogue. The way that the couples talk all mushy to each other is oftentimes really cheesy bordering cringe. But I can’t really take that against Yui because — even though the scenes are cheesy — there is a charm to them. On a lesser note, there are often a few misspellings or grammatical errors in the texts.
3) The main couples: This one is more of a personal one for me. Natsuri...won’t deny that I did low key ship them when watching game plays of the VN. But realistically speaking, I see that as being less likely of happening. They are way too different with their writing styles and tastes for literature. The ship I dislike more, however, is Sayorika. I’m sorry, but the main reason as to why I don’t ship Sayori with Monika again has to do with the game. After all, Monika was the reason as to why Sayori became more depressed and killed herself. Not only that, but she made a disgusting joke about it and even offhandedly mentions to the player that Sayori clawed herself when she was trying to get the noose off her neck. It’s...kind of disturbing in all honesty.
4) Another minor one is the humor. It tends to be either hit or miss.
5) The first two shipping arcs were done pretty well. The Friendship arc...was more polarizing. Ako was a character I liked, but the way that Yui wrote the rest of the arc...kind of varied. Monika especially was a real jerk in that one. While I understand that she was worried that Ako was going to take Sayori away from her, had she not learned her lesson from getting deleted in the original VN to not be that possessive? Worse yet, Sayori essentially leads Ako on despite knowing that Ako was developing feelings for her. It is one thing had she not have known; but given the fact that she is the one who is the de facto emotion reader, what the heck, Sayori? You seriously thought it was a good idea to not just plainly tell Ako and instead you just let her do her own thing until she almost kisses you? Are you really that stupid/naive?
Pros: 1) While I dislike the canon version of Monika, I will commend Yui for making her redemption feel earned. She starts off being cynical to the notion of rebooting the game because she felt that things would fall into place again, but through her interactions with the girls - and her eventual relationship with Sayori - Monika ultimately atones for her actions and becomes a genuinely better person.
2) The drawings. Whenever the arcs required illustrations to go along with the scenes, they are always top notch. My favorite one is the fireworks one at the end of the Sayorika arc where Sayori confesses to Monika.
3) The fan-made characters Yui created are also actually pretty interesting. At first I seriously was skeptical on whether they’d contribute much to the story, but now, they are an integral part of the overall story line.
4) As I have said, cheesiness aside, the true bonds the main couples have for each other are heartwarming and gets you right in the feels. Not just that, but the friendship among the girls is simply beautiful and feels, for a lack of a better word, “real.”
Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, I give it an 8.6/10.