[h1]From Orgy Bait to Psychological Sci-Fi[/h1]
I'd always been interested in Harumade Kururu (Harukuru) when I heard it was a polyamorous harem bait setup leading into a psychological sci-fi story. And well, it definitely didn’t disappoint in that regard.
[h1]17+ Version Thoughts[/h1]
For the record, I read the 17+ version (you can find the patch on Sekai Project's website called "Uncut DLC") to see if the supposedly necessary H-scenes were actually essential to the full experience. And to be upfront—no, I definitely don’t think they were.
The 17+ patch still has all the sex jokes you’d expect from a group of women horny enough to easily accept a harem. Any H-scene is still built up to, and the aftermath is shown like in a typical eroge. Some H-CGs were edited or redrawn with covered nipples. Not gonna lie, having the game auto-skip the H-scenes I wouldn’t have read anyway was super convenient. I really wish more visual novel engines had an in-game toggle to turn H-scenes on or off.
As for the supposed "new Watanabe-written scenarios," I could find maybe a handful of short 20-30 line scenes. Most weren’t bad, but they were usually tied to romance-ish moments like kisses or hugs. The only one I really liked was at the very end of the game—right before the ending. It explained a few things in a cool way.
[h1]The Comedic, Horny Heroines[/h1]
Now, about the story—there’s no doubt that the polyamorous harem orgy stuff is pretty nonsensical, but it at least sets the tone for the kind of jokes used throughout. Even when the story gets more serious, there are still plenty of goofy moege-style jokes, especially lewd ones, from almost every character. Sometimes they break the tension in a good way, but other times they derail serious moments.
That said, as someone who likes quirky, slapstick moege humor, I found it made the characters more entertaining. While it has some degenerate "bakage" jokes like SMEE or Asa Project titles, I’d say the comedy leans more toward the goofier parts of Aokana—which makes sense, since the main writer of Harukuru worked on Flying Circus, Misaki’s route, and Extra2.
[h1]The Serious, Psychological, Sci-Fi Mystery[/h1]
As for the genre shift into psychological sci-fi, the best way to describe it—without spoilers—is that the serious parts feel like a mix of Cross Channel, Higurashi, Rewrite, Island, and Danganronpa. Sounds like a weird combo, but trust me, it makes sense. Obviously, I won’t say which parts relate to which VN. The sci-fi elements are structured like a multi-route mystery VN, and the buildup is generally well done, with only a few long info-dumps toward the end. But since they mix in goofy jokes, it doesn’t feel like you're just reading a lecture. The sci-fi concepts are surprisingly well thought out—while extreme, they could theoretically happen in the real world.
Before the sci-fi aspects really take center stage, there’s a much bigger focus on the characters’ psychological states—how these five characters are in a world where no other humans exist, just hoping someone will eventually save them. For the most part, every heroine is either likable or has interesting character development as we learn more about them and how they adapt to living together. Even while waiting for more of the setting to unfold, the character exploration keeps a solid pace—not too fast, not too slow.
[h1]Flaws (In My Opinion)[/h1]
Now, while I generally like Harukuru, it does have some big flaws that prevent me from loving it more. The romance felt a bit too rushed. I get why it was written that way, and later twists try to justify it, but I personally didn’t buy into it—especially since some of the romance was necessary for certain character developments.
While I liked the comedy, some jokes repeated way too much (as expected from Japanese humor). One arc, in particular, had this really stupid sibling-play gag that completely derailed serious character development and plot twists. It gave me an aneurysm.
I thought the main twists were clever and fun to figure out, but there were a few things that either weren’t explored as much as I’d like or had potential plot holes if you thought too hard about them. That said, over-explaining them might have slowed the pacing unnecessarily, so maybe it was fine.
[h1]Conclusion[/h1]
Overall, Harukuru and its roughly 20-hour runtime were an enjoyable, well-rounded experience. It had goofy comedy that mostly fit my taste, unique and interesting character development, and a solid multi-route mystery that tied into its sci-fi elements. There were even some surprisingly emotional scenes. The introspection made me think about the characters, but the world-building also had ideas that made me consider how similar things could happen in our life.
I definitely wouldn’t call it one of my all-time favorite visual novels, but it has plenty of unique elements that make it worth recommending—if you can somehow find the time to read it in this stacked decade of great English VN releases.
