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The Guy I Like is a Pisces: Starry Sky in Spring- Kanata Review

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So, for my second route of the game I chose to pursue Kanata, he was probably the character I was looking forward to the most. I love tsundere characters, I find their hot/cold personalities cute, they are my otoge bias. Kanata was everything you’d expect from a tsundere, it’s obvious that he is in love with Tsukiko, but he keeps his feelings hidden…though to be honest, the only person really fooled by his act is Tsukiko.

I definitely enjoyed Kanata’s route more than I did Yoh’s, maybe its because I felt bad for the guy. He’s been in love with the same girl for years, but she is too oblivious to notice! Then when she does acknowledge his feelings, she does her best to deny them, friend zoning him in the process.

Disclaimer: I don’t own these images, they belong to Honeybee, while the patch translation was provided by OGE…and this goes without saying, but there will be SPOILERS under the cut…

Say cheese!

Kanata Nanami is a childhood friend of Tsukiko and Suzuya, and a second year in the Astronomy department of Seigetsu Academy. He is the character most affected by the appearance of Yoh towards the end of their first year.  He and Yoh spend the first half of the game at each others throat, they even have a physical altercation towards the beginning of the route. His aggression towards Yoh stems from his own precieved inability to come to terms with his own feelings for Tsukiko. In his eyes Yoh, is a threat not only to the existing friendship triangle between Tsukiko, Suzuya, and himself, but as a threat to his claim on Tsukiko’s heart. I actually found myself feeling more sympathetic towards Kanata than I was towards Yoh. Poor Kanata has the misfortune of being in love with a girl who refuses to see him as anything more than a friend. So when Tsukiko begins showing favor towards Yoh, it pushes him over the edge. Eventually, he and Yoh, come to respect each other and in the end become really good friends.
Kanata has a brash and impulsive personality and is seen as the delinquent of the group. As a child he was diagnosed with an unspecified terminal illness, as a result he often skips class. He hates it when the others see him as weak because of his illness, so he does his best to always appear strong. So, both Tsukiko and Suzuya avoid bringing up the topic in his presence, but they both worry about him constantly. In order to feel more alive and in control of his condition, Kanata has taken to getting into fights. As a child he was a bit of a crybaby, but whenever his friends were in trouble he would put on his tough guy act. He is fiercely loyal to his friends and will often go out of his way to help others in need.  Over the course of the game he learns to rely on his friends when he has a problem, especially when it comes to his illness. Through his interactions with Yoh, he learns that change is just a part of growing up and becomes more accepting of it.

He just can’t believe his luck…

There are two endings in the PC version of the game, the Good ending which takes place 2 years after the end of the game and the Best ending, which takes place 5 years after the game. Both endings are good, but I definitely prefer the Good ending…It’s just more satisfying and natural. In the Good ending, Kanata who has finally decided to confront his illness head on, tells Tsukiko that his condition is miraculously in remission! Because of this he decides to chase his dream of becoming an Astrophotographer, which means he’ll have to study abroad after graduation. He then proposes to her, promising to make her happy for the rest of her life. In the Best ending, the story picks up during Kanata and Tsukiko’s wedding, Kanata has been cured of his illness and is now a famous Astrophotographer. However, in typical Kanata fashion he is late to his own wedding…

Do I Recommend the Route?

While I definitely liked Kanata more than I liked Yoh, I wasn’t really wowed by this route, that is until the end. The terminally ill childhood friend trope was something I’d seen before, and as a whole this route didn’t really bring anything new to the table. But, when Kanata stopped acting tough and was actually honest about his feelings…I melted! I definitely enjoyed the tearful, honest Kanata more than the macho tough guy Kanata!

The route was the same cute high school fluff, one would expect from a game like Starry Sky and Tsukiko’s airheadedness did nothing to make any of this any better. In fact, I found myself getting extremely frustrated with her, especially when Kanata finally confessed his feelings to her. The poor guy has been in love with a brick wall for years and when he finally musters up the courage to confess, she runs away! I almost slammed my laptop against the wall in frustration! So while, I enjoyed parts of this route, overall my opinion of it is pretty meh… If you like cute high school romances, this is the game for you! If not, maybe you should pass Starry Sky in Spring up for a more mature game.

Do you have any suggestions for posts? Any burning questions? Want me to review a specific game or character? Feel free to Comment on this post or Ask Me on my tumblr! As always Thank You for reading!