Select Oblige v1.01

Light and darkness, progress and decline, glory and downfall...Under the distorted order and peace brought by capitalism,there exists a special zone where only a handful of elites monopolize wealth, education, and safety.A man reaches out from outside this realm.His name is Nagi Fuwano.Born and raised in the slums, his life was supposed to be destined as a loser.One day, however, he obtains an invitation to paradise.One's Gift.This is a right granted to just one young person per year, no matter their circumstances, to enroll in "Ogen Academy", an institution where only the elites are allowed to study.Graducation guarantees immense status, honor, and rights.As Nagi aims for a reversal of his life, he faces a swirl of negative emotions and schemes directed at this outsider who doesn't belong.Standing in his way are the extraordinary members of the student council, the rulers of the academy...Kaname Isshiki, the charismatic president who controls the elite academy and is the head of a noble family secrectly ruling Japn.Eve Tateshina, a trickster who has mastered Aikido and operates on a top-secret mission for the National Police Agency.Kukuru Yato, a brilliant engineer boasting overwhelming financial power.Together with his younger sister-figure Tori from the same hometown,Nagi challenges the high society he is completely unfit for, risking everything for survival and glory.

Story:

Light and darkness, growth and decline, glory and downfall――

Under the distorted order and peace brought about by capitalism, there is a special zone where the wealth, education, and security, belong exclusively to a handful of elites.

But there is one man from the outside who is able to step into it. His name is Fuwano Nagi, born and raised in the slum, a man who should have been a loser for the rest of his life. One day, he is invited to this paradise.

The “One’s Gift.”

Once a year, one person, regardless of their background, has the right to enroll at “Ougen Academy,” a school where only the elites are allowed to enter.

Upon graduation, they will receive high position, honor and privileges. Nagi plans to turn his life around with this chance, however, he is surrounded by negative feelings and schemes against an outcast like him. And standing in his way, are the rulers of the school, the remarkable members of the student council――

Controlling Japan from behind the scenes, the head of a noble family, Isshiki Kaname.

Working on a top-secret mission for the National Police Agency, a trickster who has mastered aikido, Tateshina Eve.

Possessing an overwhelming financial power, an extraordinary engineer, Yato Kukuru.

Nagi, along with his younger sister Touri, in a high society far away from home, take on the challenge, fighting for survival and glory.

Characters:

Kanade Isshiki: The poised and commanding Student Council President, Kanade naturally draws others to her with an aura of charisma and authority. An heiress of the renowned Isshiki family, she epitomizes elegance and power, though her reserved nature conceals a softer side known only to a select few.

Eve Tateshina: A highly skilled Aikido practitioner and daughter of the National Police Agency’s chief, Eve is the head of the athletic clubs and a second-year student. Her strength, kindness, and dedication to justice make her a valued ally to her father’s covert work, while her unwavering morals and approachable demeanor earn her the respect of her peers.

Kukuru Yato: A first-year prodigy and head of the academy’s cultural clubs, Kukuru is a celebrated genius in AI and automation. Her sharp intellect and vast resources garner admiration, though her preference for research over social interactions sets her apart from her classmates.

Tohri: Nagi’s loyal childhood friend and “little sister” figure from their orphanage days, Tohri is calm, dependable, and unafraid of challenges. She follows Nagi to Sakuramoto Academy to support him, concealing her deep feelings behind her gentle and kind-hearted nature.

Together, Nagi and Tohri navigate the academy’s intricate social network, facing challenges, rivalries, and emotional battles. As they strive for acceptance and a brighter future, they discover the true weight of loyalty, ambition, and resilience.

Reviews:

If you are interested in this because of its availability in English, I'd recommend most other visual novels out there instead of this one. The English translation is passable, and the editing is well below average. It reads as if it translated by someone who is ESL, and edited by someone at the same level or worse (if it had an editor at all). My best guess is someone who speaks Chinese primarily in both cases due to the way it is written. There are also multiple repeated lines, i.e. the translated line repeats and you lose an entire line of dialogue or narration. A large portion of the sentences read very poorly. From what I've seen of other people who are further into the game than I am these issues get worse as you get further into the script.

Just a decent game so far. In my opinion, The Translation is actually quite decent although has it's own issue but not to the point of being unreadable. (Since it's being done by a primary Chinese publisher)Overall Okay-Priced for around 40h hours of read (VNDB), but I would recommend buying on a sale (Especially if you're concerning about the translation quality). As for 'Additional Contents' or 'Patches', I recommend check a VNDB page for this game.My only complain for the game is that Houjou Twin should have their own route. Thank you.

I just finished playing through the common route. So far, the games story has a very good narrative and the characters' characterization has been great. There have been some issues with the english translation that need some editing, but that's nothing that can't be fixed with a patch. Translations are still better than MTL. Great job!

t’s hard to describe my feelings regarding Select Oblige. The reading experience in English was rather janky due to poor-quality edits with many typos and incorrect pronouns/proper names; plotwise, the drama within each route was…bizarre ranging from completely redundant to utterly ridiculous. It’s understandable to call it a bad game like many reviews from the English readers community.Nonetheless, I fell in love with Select Oblige because of its characters. The protagonist was no pushover as he would risk everything to protect and fight for what he loved while the heroines were all unique and had their own distinctive development. The romance, in particular, was very well-written, you can strongly feel the sexual tension as well as the intimacy between the couple in the heroines’ route from the beginning till the end aside from the drama part. The heroines’ designs are cute and the H-scenes were so HOT, I hope other side characters like Five and the Twin will have their own routes in the future fandisc, otherwise, it would be a waste for such cute designs.Furthermore, I really like the theme of Select Oblige being Human Bonding. Despite the peculiar drama plotline, the joy of creating bonds between people was wonderfully presented in every route.Overall, if you’re an English reader, I would recommend you wait a bit longer for a potential proofread in the future, or at least until it gets a bigger sale, and THEN give this story a chance; it’s surprisingly charming in its own way.

Final Thoughts:

Select Oblige is the latest title from the popular Japanese visual novel brand Madosoft. The game includes Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, and Japanese language options and supports features like Steam achievements and trading cards, along with a wealth of additional content. The Steam version is set to launch on November 8, 2024.Select Oblige features character design and artwork by renowned illustrator Hiyo Yuzuna, with the story crafted by Shoukei Wakaba. The main heroines are voiced by popular voice actresses Hana Akino, Kanau, Ren Sagami, and Yuuka Nanakusa. The theme song is performed by the well-known singer Faylan.Story and Character IntroductionGameplaySelect Oblige is a romance-themed visual novel where players take on the role of Nagi Fuwano. Most of the gameplay involves reading the text that appears on screen, representing the narrative and dialogue of the story. The text is accompanied by character sprites, which show who Nagi is speaking to, along with background images depicting the setting. During key story moments, players will encounter special event CGs where the background and character sprites are replaced by detailed illustrations of the scene.Players will have the opportunity to experience up to four storylines, each centered on a different heroine. Throughout the game, players will encounter decision points where the game pauses until a choice is made. Some decisions may lead to early endings. To fully explore all the storylines, players will need to replay the game multiple times, making different choices to progress through the other routes.