Welcome to my analysis of every single snowflake that drops in a visual novel. I may or may not mean that literally.
In this spoiler review, I'll be reviewing each chapter of "Petit Novel Series - Harvest December." Like before, "Petit Novel Series ~ Harvest December" was developed by Talestune.
Winter (B)
Harvest December (B)
Not the game, the first chapter.
This is the chapter that introduces the general setup of the story: Masaki Konno’s relationship with Yuki Towada and Shiro; Masaki’s friend group consisting of Kouhei Touyama, Mizuho Touyama, and Sanae Morino; and more.
It’s a good chapter that introduces things well.
The final day of the chapter was great given the conflict. Seeing the carefree Sanae being serious, having Masaki’s and Yuki’s lives in danger, having Yuki one-up Shiro in a climatic kiss scene, Shiro saving Yuki and Masaki out of the kindness of her heart, and so on.
However, December is a slow chapter that takes awhile to get interesting. Which can result in some boring and annoying moments.
I feel the good outweighs the bad though.
Boundaries in January (C-)
This is a chapter focusing on Mizuho as she helps Madoi, a god visiting Tagami, to retrieve the powers his late father had, those powers being in Tagami.
It’s interesting seeing things from Mizuho’s perspective, hilariously oblivious to how eccentric she is at times. She also tries hard to not only help Madoi but be like a big sister to him. It shows that Mizuho is a genuinely caring person that tries her best.
Although, this chapter is just alright. It doesn’t have much emotional impact since Madoi is hard to care about as he’s not all that interesting, which also makes the plot of getting Madoi's powers back as a whole
Mizuho is the major redeeming factor and takeaway of this chapter as her character is explored well.
Gifting February (A)
Gifting February follows Masaki’s and Sanae’s perspectives as Masaki helps Sanae reveal her newfound romantic feelings to Kouhei.
This sounds easy, but there’s competition for Kouhei’s heart. With Sakura Tagami and Uesugi Moyori being the competition. Both of whom are great characters.
Sakura is energetic and charming, while Uesugi is mean and uptight.
Masaki helps Sanae a lot in this chapter, not for any personal gain, but because he wants to help his friend. Even testing her resolve if she truly loves Kouhei when she’s hesitant. I love their dynamic a lot.
While Masaki helped Mizuho in the previous chapter, here he feels more genuine.
Now you might be wondering, what about Masaki getting a gift for Yuki and Shiro for Valentine's Day? The answer to that is…
…Masaki is Masaki.
Sanae is at her best in this chapter as we delve into her mind and see a new side to her. It’s easy to get invested in her struggle to confess her feelings to Kouhei, along with the anxiety/fears she feels towards telling her feelings given it could ruin things if he doesn't return her feelings.
The build-up and execution is well done, albeit anti-climactic, as Sanae doesn’t confess. While it makes sense as Sanae wants to do things her way, I was still let down. It's my only complaint with the chapter.
Regardless of my complaint, it’s an overall great chapter and the beginning of my favourite story in Harvest December, the Kouhei love square.
Lovely March (S)
Lovely March is about Masaki and Yuki babysitting a baby, named Ren, for a week. Both have different methods of taking care of it, causing a clash of methods.
Masaki doesn’t care for Ren, only doing the job to get paid. However, he’s done his research and knows how to effectively take care of the baby. Yuki genuinely cares about Ren but lacks knowledge to properly take care of Ren.
This clash happens throughout the entire chapter to the point of arguing and fighting so much that Ren herself steps in and teaches them both a lesson.
I really loved this chapter, the dynamic between Yuki and Masaki is well done, the conflict is amazing, and the resolution is extremely satisfying. Yuki is easily at her best in this chapter.
Spring (B)
Typhoon in April (B)
With Spring comes the leaves, the flowers, two new love interests, the sun- TWO NEW LOVE INTERESTS?!
With Spring, we’re introduced to Masaki’s cousin Nuki Kono, an energetic girl with a habit of spiking Masaki’s head like a volleyball. She’s a minor character in the grand scheme of things, but still very enjoyable.
Although, it’s off-putting she has or is implied to have romantic feelings for Masaki considering they’re cousins.
There’s also Ao, Masaki’s ex-girlfriend, who is a popular model. They broke up after Ao tried to forcefully take away his free will, causing Masaki to close his heart as a life-preservation method, making it hard to love others.
You know, regular breakup stuff.
Masaki gets explored a lot this chaper, particularly his odd way of handling romance. Mashiro Towada, Yuki’s mom, summarizes Masaki’s sick mindset perfectly.
It introduces the extremely compelling elements of Masaki with how his background is explored for why he is the way he is. To open his heart, he’s forced to live with Shiro, Yuki, and Ao at his place for a while.
Although this is mostly treated comically, causing a clash of tone.
If Shiro and Yuki weren’t bad enough, Masaki must now deal with the three-faced Ao who appears genuine to Masaki rarely; kind to everyone else; and malicious to Masaki and Yuki.
Ao herself is a great character, she’s fun and entertaining, putting a twist on things with her presence, but she’s the worst romantic interest in the story.
Which says a lot when Masaki's Cousin isn't the worst romantic option , given that breaks many, MANY moral codes.
Ao tried to make Masaki a shell of his former self like a succubus and has succeeded with doing so to others. Yes, she feels genuine love for Masaki, but she nearly ruined his life.
I feel the game never properly addresses the weight of what she did to Masaki and her victims more then once, it feels pushed under the rug when it's a huge deal. She, quite frankly, shouldn’t be a love interest.
The rest of the chapter is Masaki suffering from all four girls continuously, as he’s also chased/bullied/beat up in school for rejecting/attracting Ao, who the fight for because of her popularity.
Even Yuki chases him the day after he rejects Ao, even when it makes no sense at all. Despite being over-the-top at first, the school stuff is handled well.
Typhoon in April is overall a good chapter with great conflict, great additions to the cast, and a beautiful deep dive into Masaki. It’s ultimately brought down by Ao being a romantic interest and being mostly comical when it really shouldn’t be.
Combat May (D)
Combat May is all about Madoi’s sister, Mayoi, who comes to Tagami to kill Shiro and get her father’s powers back. Only to find out Madoi got the powers back, so 100 years of her life preparing to kill Shiro was a waste.
The entire chapter is the characters trying to help Mayoi find a purpose.
Mayoi is hilarious, she’s easily one of my favourite characters. She has infomercial bits for her inventions; is hyper; smart; gives her inventions silly names; and is a lovable person.
The fact she planned to kill Shiro with a toy gun is comedy gold.
Another great example of Shiro’s hidden kindness is shown as she goes from mocking Mayoi to training her. It’s a sweet resolution… For everyone but Masaki…
Masaki is forced to wear a dress, forced to be a reward for a fighting match between Shiro and Mayoi, tied up, is molested twice, and knocked out with chloroform.
I get its mostly part of the plan to help Mayoi, but Masaki wasn’t warned nor told about any of this stuff beforehand. It’s played as comedic, but it just makes me uncomfortable.
The conflict also lacks tension as it’s pretty evident things will end well for Mayoi.
Kasumi, Mayoi’s familiar, is also just kind of there. Despite having a human form, she barely does much. It’s a shame too because she seems interesting.
…Interestingly mean, but still interesting.
It’s overall a mediocre chapter. It introduces Mayoi who’s a fantastic character, and it does beautifully start the set-up for one of the later chapters, but everything else fails.
Bridal June (S)
Bridal June is about Kouhei as he ponders the direction he wants to go in life. He must also choose who will be his partner to assist in the blessing of a marriage in Tagami, him and his partner would then be blessed themselves as lovers.
Throughout the previous chapters, Kouhei has been oblivious to Sanae's, Sakura's, and Uesugi's feelings towards him. However, that's just an act. In truth, he's fully aware they're in love with him.
He’s hesitant to accept those feelings since if he does. With Sakura, he can't see her as a romantic partner. Uesugi I'm not too sure with, but something holds her back from her. However, with Sanae, he might be stuck working with Sanae at her family’s restaurant his entire life if he dates her, sharing her dream.
What about Kouhei’s dream?
This causes one of the most compelling inner conflicts, that being the clash between Kouhei acting like Kouhei but thinking like someone who is alien to everyone else. He’s easily one of the most compelling characters.
Sanae isn’t too different since she only shows the Sanae that Kouhei knows, not the person in love with him. Kouhei knows this, which only pains him when he sees the Sanae who is in love with him.
Resulting in this dynamic where both Kouhei and Sanae act like they normally would, but hide their true selves and feelings.
When Kouhei is making his choice of who to have as his partner, he tests Sakura and Uesugi before choosing Sanae. However, it doesn’t work out.
While the marriage is a success, Kouhei and Sanae fail to receive a blessing because Kouhei doesn't actually love Sanae.
This is another amazing chapter; it's extremely engaging, and I was invested the entire time. Kouhei’s depth, the conflict, the build-up, and the payoff of it all. This chapter is perfect in every way.
Summer (C)
Theological July (S)
Theological July begins with an interesting twist as Shiro loses her powers, putting Tagami into chaos. Specifically, lesser spirits and familiars are roaming around aggravating people and destroying crops for fun.
This was all caused by Mayoi’s equipment, which she used to continuously challenge Shiro since May. The equipment has properties to disable a god’s powers, eventually leaving a permanent effect. Although, Mayoi didn’t realize this would happen.
This leads to Masaki and his friends fighting a bunch of spirits in funny battles. Even more interesting is that Masaki’s father makes an appearance, and his first impression answers all my questions regarding his wife’s appearance from my non-spoiler review.
In all seriousness, he wants to study gods because he’s very passionate to learn more about them. He even gives his two cents on how to get Shiro’s powers back.
However, the most interesting part of this chapter is with Shiro. As for possibly the first time in her life, she has lost her godly powers. Shiro’s insecurity of loneliness is deepened as she not only loses Shirou but must face the reality that overtime she will be resented by the people of Tagami if she has no powers.
A powerless god will eventually lose her believers after all.
Not only that, but she has more insecurities on her plate. She begins losing her spirit; she starts questioning how she’ll live as a human; and her fear of loneliness, which was already an insecurity due to her prior husbands never staying for the birth of the child, gets worst.
Shiro losing her powers reveals a lot of complexity with her character, making her my favourite for her writing and struggles.
She’s desperate, her insecurities are compelling, and she feels human despite not being one.
She even protects Masaki from the horde of spirits, facing harsh wounds in the process. Which is quite huge given before she never showed much of her true affection towards Masaki.
This is also where I begin to root for Shiro to get with Masaki. Since the moments they have are genuinely touching to me.
This chapter is amazing to me. It's fun watching the characters fight spirits, it's tense, Shiro has amazing character moments, the conflict is interesting, and I don’t have any problems with this chapter.
Festive August (E)
If there was something I’d called the presentation team’s magnum opus in the game, it’d be Festive August. The opening is more intense, it introduces a lot of new characters, there are a ton of CGs, and introduces the best songs in the game.
The production value is amazing for what it is, at least in comparison to the other chapters in "Harvest December."
All the characters go to Rokushiki island to get Shiro’s powers back through a ritual ceremony, but mostly for vacation.
However, there seems to be more going on with the island than meets the eye that results in a greater conflict involving every character in the plot.
Festive August has a lot going on, too much.
The new nine characters aren’t good outside of Magari Ichimonji. Most of them are bland and don’t have enough time to care about them. Some feel outright pointless while others feel just like exposition machines.
The number of characters also makes the plot drag out with there being over 20 characters. One part focuses on all seven characters defending Shiro from the enemies, and it's so boring and repetitive.
Magari reigns as the only interesting character due to Masaki’s time with her.
The plot also delves into her struggle to find a place where she belongs well. It’s hard not to feel bad for her or not understand why she goes to the lengths she does just to find a place where she belongs.
The characters from Tagami do shine a lot in this chapter though. The characters are hilarious; the fights are well-written; Nuki only shows her serious expression in the whole game here, and more.
While not every moment succeeds, the Tagami characters bring a smile to my face in this chapter that help make Rokushiki island less of a boring place.
Rokushiki island itself isn’t bad concept-wise, it just has poor execution. The lore could be interesting, but most of it is given in a massive, boring, painful infodump of exposition.
Due to this and the new characters, it makes it hard to care about the conflict and story in this chapter. Which is a shame, because it had potential to be good.
The biggest problem with Festive August is that the whole conflict, outside of Shiro getting her powers back, feels like filler. The new characters nor the island never show up again.
Filler isn’t awful by default; it can work well. However, this filler is full of so many flaws.
I’m convinced the only reason this conflict with Magari even exists is for the final reveal of Festive August, that being Shiro and Yuki are pregnant with god children.
If this conflict didn’t happen, Yuki, and possibly Shiro, wouldn’t be given the Rokushiki god’s powers to fight Magari, thus they wouldn’t have become pregnant since the god fulfills what the person wishes for deeply.
I love this reveal a lot since it’s both surreal and funny. Adding great drama in later chapters. However, it feels forced.
Festive August is disappointing and lackluster. It’s easily the worst chapter in the game and the only chapter where I took a break from playing out of boredom.
Autumn (A)
Maternal September (A+)
Maternal September focuses on Ao and a new love interest, Yukari Nakahira. Yukari is leaving Tagami in a month and wants to spend her last month as Masaki’s boyfriend. Masaki agrees because he’s Masaki.
I admit, I was miffed when a fifth love interest was introduced, however when it's revealed she’s also only a love interest because she was a doll created by Shiro and Yuki to gather information on what type of girl Masaki likes due to being insecure, I didn't mind as much.
They also altered everyone’s memories and even their own memories to avoid guilt. The only exception being Ao, but not on purpose.
Yukari serves her role in the plot well and is a great character to boot. She’s loveable, adorable, and it’s tragic that her one month in Tagami was her only existence. She's also the most normal character in the character, which might make her boring, but it makes her extremely unique among the cast.
Ao is also cut off as a romantic interest completely, although it was inevitable given Shiro and Yuki are pregnant.
I wouldn’t say Ao redeemed herself as a person, given her past actions. However, she did show that she genuinely cared for Masaki not as prey, but as a person.
There is a plot hole though. Ao mentions her memories aren’t affected because she hasn’t been in Tagami that long. However, what about Nuki?
Wouldn’t Nuki be immune to the memory altering too since she came to Tagami at the same time as Ao? Did she become friends with Yukari without knowing she’s a doll? Or did it not affect Ao because of her powers?
It’s the only thing keeping me from saying the chapter is perfect, despite the rest of it being excellent.
Disunion in October (B+)
Disunion in October is the School Cultural Festival, or as I like to call it, the calm before the storm. October starts off with all the characters preparing and having fun at the festival. Even the visiting god who will deliver Shiro’s child, Makami, is a goofball.
She’s alright but not too interesting overall.
However, near the end of the chapter, Kouhei and Masaki make their choices of who they wanted to be with. Kouhei with Uesugi, and Masaki with Yuki. As a Shiro and Sanae supporter, my heart is in shambles.
I can’t say I’m a big fan of Masaki’s reasoning for choosing Yuki though, since it came off as though she chose Yuki simply because he didn’t spend much time with Shiro during the festival for reasons out of their control.
It feels too sudden. I’m alright with Shiro not getting with Masaki (as a critic) if the reasoning makes sense, but this reasoning, or lack of, is frustrating.
With Kouhei, his reasoning for choosing Uesugi is clear. He feels Sanae is too much of a burden for him but Uesugi promises she won't be a heavy burden, that she's what Kouhei needs.
My heart is in shambles because of his choice, but it’s well-written and makes sense.
While it’s a slow chapter, I think it’s a good way to unwind before the real drama begins.
Parting November (S)
Parting November is a devastating chapter.
With Shiro rejected, her emotions impact Tagami as a whole. There’s a massive blizzard because of her emotions; she becomes desperate, even begging Yuki to give her Masaki; and her emotions become too great, to the point where she wishes to harm Yuki.
Which her wolves accidentally carry out… On Sanae.
Shiro never wanted anyone to get hurt, but she lost control of her emotions and wished harm on Yuki. However, because of this Sanae's right leg was injured. She can never walk again.
…If you ignore the part where Shiro says she can heal it at least.
Before this, Sanae had to deal with Uesugi’s smugness as she acted high and mighty, Sanae’s jealousy boiling. So not being able to walk again definitely makes things far worse.
Kouhei ends up being filled with a ton of guilt for this, believing it’s his fault Sanae got hurt.
To add salt to the wound, Masaki tests Shiro and Yuki by saying they could get an abortion for the babies to resolve everything, but they both leave Masaki as a result. So, Masaki is left with no one.
This is one of the best months in the game, the build-up, character moments, feelings, and everything is just so well-executed. When these events happen in-game, they hit hard.
Perfect December (A-)
The finale of Harvest December, and it’s a tense and satisfying finale at that. Masaki must find a way to get Yuki back, Yuki has difficulties with her babies, Kouhei is trying to apologize to Sanae, and Yumi Morino is planning on moving away with Sanae.
The way it starts with everything being so awful for everyone makes it easy to look forward to how it’ll all be resolved, even if it’s obvious it’ll all be resolved.
The chapter is about as lengthy as Festive August but takes its time to properly build up events and explore each character’s struggles.
I particularly love Shiro and Yuki’s dynamic here, where Shiro acts motherly towards Yuki. Shiro gives moral support and keepis Yuki’s health in-check. Despite Yuki winning Masaki and Yuki saying some nasty stuff to her before, Shiro forgives her and treats her with kindness.
Masaki himself is explored more as he shows his caring side to others. It’s interesting seeing Masaki and Yuki switch places from Yuki trying to win Masaki’s heart, to Masaki trying to win Yuki’s heart back.
My only problem with this chapter is that some of the drama with Sanae and Yumi feels unnecessary. While it’s still great, if the reader remembers that Shiro said she can heal Sanae’s leg, the drama isn’t as interesting since it’s obvious her leg will be healed.
While a healed leg wouldn’t resolve everything, it would at least be easier for everyone involved since they’d know it isn’t a permanent injury. Masaki was told about this and never told anyone, despite demonstrating later he remembers.
It’s still well-executed with everyone acting human, as Kouhei wants to apologize but doesn’t know how; Yumi wants to protect her pride, hating the idea she’ll be pitied by everyone; and Sanae is limited a lot, even subconsciously glaring at her own mother because she can stand.
There just isn’t as much impact when there should be.
The resolutions to both romance plots are satisfying and earned though. Their conclusions, and the ending as a whole, left me smiling even if it didn’t end exactly the way I wanted it to.
Overall Ranking of story (A-)
“Petit Novel - Harvest December” can range in quality with its chapters. Three of its chapters range from bad to okay. Four of its chapters are masterpieces in my book. The rest are good, and 10 out of 13 chapters being good to amazing is great in my book.
To be honest, adding up all my rankings, the overall would be B. However, while the story has its shortcomings, the moments that shine really shine. To me, the lows don’t take away the massive joy and investment I felt when reading "Harvest December."
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