9-Nine is a single VN, divided in 5 episodes (you can find them all here), and let me tell you, I don't like this way of doing business. With that established there's no point in reviewing each episode individually, because I would just be repeating the same info 5 times, so the remarks that you see here address the series, and not just episode 4 itself (think of it as 1 VN).
Positive:
- Really great art style for 2017 - As far as "hyper-cutesy aesthetics" go, 9-nine can match even recent releases.
- Meta elements - Without spoilers, they did a good job bringing these into the story, and made them relevant. Most "meta" you see in VN's is comedy, but they managed to increase the level (weaving them into the plot), and that's commendable.
- Good H-scenes - Visually, in terms of diversity, originality, and bringing the story to the mix. If we exclude Nukige from the picture, this is pretty high tier.
- Supernatural Powers - Obviously, you have to like the usual ideas that lead to the "shounen/seinen" classifications, for this to be a positive, but if that's the case you will be pleased, there's "a ton of it".
- Good voice acting - The protagonist is voiced, and the main cast does a good job, especially Sora.
- Nice story and setting - Nothing revolutionary, and your taste needs to match what's delivered. It's still very well executed in terms of entertainment. Logic and coherence are different topics.
Negative:
- It's divided into episodes, and that's annoying (greedy bastards, the entire thing would be half the price put together). The real problem however, is that this takes time to become interesting (it gets darker, more serious), and dropping this after the first episode seems a real possibility.
Score: This episode (4) gets an 8/10, and it's actually a very high quality short VN (one of the best out there even). The series as a whole gets a 7, and I'd recommend patience early on. If you want a story about superpowers, saving the world, big bad villains, and magic/technology then try the first episode. The only thing I can guarantee, is that it gets better as the episodes progress.
Positive:
- Really great art style for 2017 - As far as "hyper-cutesy aesthetics" go, 9-nine can match even recent releases.
- Meta elements - Without spoilers, they did a good job bringing these into the story, and made them relevant. Most "meta" you see in VN's is comedy, but they managed to increase the level (weaving them into the plot), and that's commendable.
- Good H-scenes - Visually, in terms of diversity, originality, and bringing the story to the mix. If we exclude Nukige from the picture, this is pretty high tier.
- Supernatural Powers - Obviously, you have to like the usual ideas that lead to the "shounen/seinen" classifications, for this to be a positive, but if that's the case you will be pleased, there's "a ton of it".
- Good voice acting - The protagonist is voiced, and the main cast does a good job, especially Sora.
- Nice story and setting - Nothing revolutionary, and your taste needs to match what's delivered. It's still very well executed in terms of entertainment. Logic and coherence are different topics.
Negative:
- It's divided into episodes, and that's annoying (greedy bastards, the entire thing would be half the price put together). The real problem however, is that this takes time to become interesting (it gets darker, more serious), and dropping this after the first episode seems a real possibility.
Score: This episode (4) gets an 8/10, and it's actually a very high quality short VN (one of the best out there even). The series as a whole gets a 7, and I'd recommend patience early on. If you want a story about superpowers, saving the world, big bad villains, and magic/technology then try the first episode. The only thing I can guarantee, is that it gets better as the episodes progress.