I would have never guessed to find a VN out of the show Dark.
Dude...I just finished the second episode of Dark
Dark's story is NOTHING like Ripples other than having time travel and everything that comes with it, a loud scary power plant that emits blue light, and missing children.
Yes, in Dark it's already obvious that
but come on man. That's such a surface level connection to Ripples that it's just as vulgar as saying "Harry Potter is based off Lord of the Rings because there is an old powerful good wizard who dies", or "Neon Genesis Evangelion is based off Mobile Suit Gundam because there are teenagers piloting giant robots"
Ripples is in NO WAY a retelling of Dark. Naming the city Winden is obviously a loving homage, one that I seriously hope Jestur doesn't regret making, now that everyone keeps on saying Ripples is just a retelling or even based on Dark.
Maybe as I see more of Dark (and Ripples!) I will be proven wrong and I will have to bitterly swallow my nerdrage and log off with my sweaty scrotum tucked between my thighs, but as of now, I am fighting all of you with my mighty keyboard.
Some positive things because I am generally a super positive person
I can already tell that Dark is an absolute masterpiece. It is certainly worthy of tribute. What is exceptional about it right from the start is how effectively and efficiently it captures humanity within different perspectives and experiences.
But fundamentally, it is having a COMPLETELY different philosophical conversation than Ripples is. And the
feeling itself isn't even close.
Dark (so far) is all about perception and perspective. Adult perspectives, adolescent perspectives, child perspectives. It is inherently about loss, trauma, secrecy, and the obstinate blindness of the human ego. It is about belief and disbelief, trust and mistrust.
Ripples is more similar to shonen anime than it is to Dark. It has two central themes:
1) How far are you willing to go for the ones you love? Can you understand and appreciate how they're willing to do the same for you?
2) Do your actions truly cause their own consequences, and if so, what are they? Does fate exist? How does one
choose whether to believe in fate or not?
If Dark is a study of humanity, then Ripples is a study of life itself.
Also, Ripples is a love letter from a horny nerd written out to tell other horny nerds that it's totally okay to be a horny nerd, and that you should live your life fully and freely without feeling held back by what you enjoy.