Have you noticed how many erogames blatantly ignore Common Sense, if not Reality altogether? In my opinion, the fact that the quality/quantity of the sex is usually inversely proportional to the quality/quantity of the story is maybe the biggest drawback to the success of the erogame genre.
Therefore I tend to become very excited ( …not in that sense, baka 
!) when I discover sex romps gifted with a story that MAKES REALLY SENSE, explaining/justifying in a rational manner and with sound logic why apparently normal guys start intensive/abnormal/deviant (sexual) activities all of a sudden.
Not coincidentally, also my first review was centered around one of these games, and I’m now happy to write about Kansen, a b-game which successfully entertained my brain, not merely the rest (yes, in that sense, this time :oops: , heheh… ).
Background (from the Secret File -see Bonus, below-):
Somewhere in Japan, an illegal project is secretly backed by (independent?) Japanese politicians with the support of (uncontrolled?) high-ranking USFJ members.
Showing a total lack of scruples, the conspirators(?) seem to get great results, but their own arrogance blinds them to the inherent dangers, until, maybe inevitably, the plan backfires…
Short introduction:
Extracurricular club activities are the norm for Japanese schools, even during summer vacations, but an all-night movie event scheduled at school and in August still sounds strange/unusual, especially considering the tiny size of the Movie Research Club (merely six students). And in fact, the two teachers supporting this novelty have hidden motives/objectives, although also the six students themselves chose to participate in the event for personal/secret reasons.
In the case of Yasuyuki Katou, the male protagonist, he sees this as the perfect opportunity for finally declaring his love to another club member, the beautiful girl who haunts his dreams since he started high school and the true reason behind his decision to join this particular club. But in the middle of the night strange things start to happen, while teachers and students alike disappear and military jets keep flying overhead. However, something much worse awaits the remaining -and still unsuspecting- club members when, the following morning, the school is assailed/invaded by a horde of shambling, drooling, totally crazed students apparently in search of still normal human beings to rape (if of opposite sex -usually-) or even devour (with no discrimination between live or dead flesh).
What’s happening all of a sudden? Where to flee if maybe the entire nation is being devastated by these now-bestial people? And most importantly, can you/Yasuyuki save at least the chosen girl and avoid to become integral part of this madness?
Storyline:
Truly a wild ride, this was my first impression after completing Kansen. This erogame is short but gives no respite, and its storyline has a cinematic/cinematographic feel rarely seen in a erogame. In addition, when you successfully “win” the game for the first time, you also unlock additional scenarios in predeterminated parts of the story, where you can see -but not influence- the events from the viewpoint of the other (male and female) characters, therefore giving you a complete -and often chilling- overview of the story itself.
Ironically, the bulk of the (very abundant!) sex is located in these additional scenarios (this includes the Bad Endings too), making of Kansen the first erogame that I’ve played where the male protagonist actively strives to avoid ANY sexual activity, even if only with the (sex-)crazed guys -of course 
-. This initially happens simply because Yasuyuki is lovestruck and/or seeks to protect his female companion(s) from harm/rape, but soon the protagonists discover that the misterious madness is contagious (“kansen” is Japanese for “infection”), starting a series of tumultuous events…
Unfortunately, although divided in two totally divergent storylines devoted to different girls (Yuu Route and Hitomi Route) and to different story concepts (“Hopeless Struggle” and “Trapped Rats”… just my wild guess/opinion here ) at the same time, Kansen’s story remains extremely linear (a classic example of the “Choose Wisely Or Die” genre), and somewhat easy to complete successfully to boot (in my case, after 100% successfully cleared Hitomi Route at the first try, just for fun I’ve initially “played” Yuu Route with the Skip Forward button pressed, only reading the various Choice Options, and I’ve completed this route after merely one mistake).
HOWEVER the story itself is great, or at least very engrossing, and the above shortcomings do not represent surely a problem if you like dark storylines with lots of disturbing situations and raped girls. Nice work!
Graphics:
Fairly good quality, I would say. The various backgrounds and the other in-game graphics are nothing special, but the CG quality is high, therefore raising the final score of this game component.
I strongly advise against buying this erogame only for the graphics, however.
Sounds:
If the storyline is the strong point of Kansen, the audio section comes a close second, not gaining the top ranking only because of the absence of dubbed voices for the male protagonists (and I’m also somewhat unsatisfied with the -otherwise great- performance of the female voice actors during those scenarios featuring screams or mad laughters :roll: … ).
But the soundtrack… Oh, EroGoddess, thank you very much for this gift, I’ve rarely heard music so appropriate. Who cares if Kansen has merely 11 songs, the “storyline+soundtrack” sum of this erogame gives fantastic results, trust me!
Bonus:
Kansen is living proof that Low(?) Budget doesn’t necessarily imply Low Quality, just opening the game box reveals surprises. In fact, Speed -the producer, a Janis brand if I’m not mistaken- released this erogame with a special Secret File included: a 24-page, white-and-black manual containing a few preliminary drawings + the Characters Introductions commented by the illustrator + , most importantly, a 12-page novel where the player will discover what caused all the mess/kansen, even if not the specific details behind.
However the game itself includes more surprises/bonuses, from the ENGLISH main screens, which also include a English flow chart clearly detailing the various routes of Kansen, to the bonus scenarios described in my Storyline section, merely the first sample/hint of a bigger surprise unlocked when you successfully complete the two primary game Routes (Kansen boasts 16 endings, but only two are “Good/True”). I’m speaking of the Infection Route, “simply” a third, alternate Route nicely complementing the “official” Routes and a real triumph of disturbing chaos and madness, where the main character himself become a sex-crazed maniac almost from the beginning.
Finally, if you also add the usual CG, Scenario and Music galleries to the list, you can easily understand my enthusiasm for this game component. Great!
Final considerations:
Sex Galore and an exciting (in ALL senses of the term, heheh) story, who needs more from a erotic videogame ? Nothing in Kansen is really outstanding, even its (fairly) fresh and original story is afflicted with not a few big holes in Logic, but nevertheless the game itself is greater than the sum of its parts/components, and represents a perfect example of the qualities I would like to see more often in the Erogame genre.
Truly a pity that, as usual, you NEED fluency in Japanese to really appreciate this gem…
Speed Home Page:
http://www.sp-janis.com/brand/speed.shtml
Kansen Home Page:
http://www.sp-janis.com/soft/infection.shtml
Getchu - Kansen Page:
http://www.getchu.com/soft.phtml?id=232385
Kansen Demo Movie 1 (37.8 MB’s - Best musics):
http://www.sp-janis.com/download/kansen_demo.mpg
Kansen Demo Movie 2 (55.5 MB’s - Best graphics):
http://www.sp-janis.com/download/kansen_demo_V2.mpg
Kansen Demo Game (113.7 MB’s - It includes only part of the Prologue, but it’s also nice and complete):
http://www.sp-janis.com/download/kansen_trial102.exe
Baldo’s (pro)test poll:
Do you know that I’m afflicted with an insane curiosity and an overbloated Ego at the same time? Therefore you can maybe understand my frustration when confronted with the angelic attitude and the lofty ideals of a certain BBS Moderator.
Why on Earth you disabled the Member Rating option of the BBS?! I just LOVE to rate anything which lives, especially fellow BBS members, you are negating my BBS Member Rights, hhrrmph!!
Worse, your protracted silent treatment about this and other issues is maybe the definitive proof that you started shirking your duty, probably lost in oppai dreams (hey, have you noticed that the entire BBS is “Moderated by: no one”, now? Just the right occasion for finally posting forbidden Links -or even reveal Peapri’s future release- with no fear of retaliation, heheheheheh)…
In the meanwhile, I decided to demonstrate my absolute devotion to the Cause, therefore -inspired by Tradition, of course - I’m posting a little test poll of mine.
Rate Baldo! And may the Force (of your support) be with me, always 8) :lol: .
EDIT:
The BBS move has deleted the old polls, the final score here was:
Do you think Baldo is a jackass?
Nah, he’s a nice guy. 89% (8 votes)
Yeah, he sucks. 11% (1 vote)
Thanks for your support! :mrgreen:
…