First Glance: 16bit Sensation: Some other Layer
Premise
Konoha is a struggling illustrator who yearns for the classic 90s and 2000s bishojo game era. She trips into a 1992 bishojo gaming studio after stopping by an enigmatic used game store.
Jel’s verdict: PC-98 Not Included
This is exactly the kind of conceited wankery that I generally detest. The author is passionate about a particular specific issue, so much so that he developed a self-insert character to extol the virtues of the subject, and coincidentally, the cast consists largely of adorable anime ladies. It’s likely that if you’re under 30 and haven’t spent the last twenty or more years immersed in anime and related media, you won’t understand the plot of this show.
Despite my age of over thirty and my extensive interest in anime and related media for more than twenty years, this episode brought back fond memories for me, which helped me get through it. Even though I have no taste for this specific genre of games, it was nonetheless entertaining to watch because of my memories of it all.
I believe it’s crucial to distinguish this from, instance, the works of Tsukasa Fushimi, which structurally adopt a similar approach, in order to further analyze this. Using Oreimo and Eromanga Sensei as examples, it seems that these series are more about the author’s fears and self-loathing than they are about letting the world see what he is passionate about. 16bit Sensation has the feel of a letter written from the heart to someone who truly loves the subject. Do I believe that Kanon, the visual novel, is a masterpiece that should be played by all? Definitely not, although I understand the author’s perspective.
Another noteworthy distinction from previous seasons of this type of show, in my opinion, is that this one does not contain any sexual content at all. Thus far, Konoha has been able to go about her life without worrying about the Anime Creeper Cam appearing. Let’s see if that continues. Everything seems so, you know, respectable, as if the emphasis should always be on the author’s love of bishojo games and how much the world has changed.
Having saying that, I find it difficult to suggest 16bit Sensation to someone who isn’t engaged with the subject matter. Even for me, I was primarily engrossed in nostalgia, and I’m not sure if it would sustain my interest for the duration of my visit. My only hope is that, now that Konoha has made an appearance in the 1990s, they will delve more into the details of how these games were created in the past. That is interesting to me at least from an academic standpoint, but I imagine most people won’t feel the same way.
