Even without EX it is heavily implied. Let me try and get that quote from the bad end…
Just those lines made me rewrite my whole perception of Riki as a lot more human than I would have previously thought
1 Like
Happy Birthday Komari-chan! The happiness spiral lives on!
8 Likes
One thing I’ve been thinking: if Komari had her own “after” game it would be about Komari’s struggles to cope with diabetes.
6 Likes
I hadn’t read this topic in a while. Seeing this after the last discussion was… jarring.
3 Likes
We should all follow Komari’s example and pretend any previous unpleasantness never happened. That’s the healthy way to solve our problems right?
1 Like
To be honest I completely disregarded any prior discussion when posting that, ahahah. Daijoooubu!
2 Likes
Your sarcasm is terrible 
Of course it’s not the healthy way to solve problems which was kind of the whole point of her route.
Something I noticed while rereading Komari today…
Some of Tonokawa’s stories seem to carry a specific message: that history repeats itself unless future generations do something to break the loop. This trope seems borrowed from Misuzu’s route in AIR specifically, when Yukito’s mother tells him of the challenges his ancestors faced when trying to save the girl in the sky. So far, Tonokawa’s used this in two of the routes he has written, which are this route and Chihaya’s route in Rewrite. It’s likely that it might appear in somewhere else in the future. (looks at Trianthology)
Just an observation I made. No need to pay attention to it.
2 Likes
One thing I like about Komari’s route: almost every scene there is related to the main conflict. Even the so called romantic moments or light hearted moments do not fall into randomness, instead of it, they are really useful for the plot. I think this is one of the things this route has done so well.
5 Likes
Hmmm I didn’t quite get this point in Komari’s route. What is the history that is repeating itself, exactly?
(Forgive the horrible text wrap.)
Koujirou’s past experiences with Komari (Koujirou’s wife) are exactly the same as Riki’s current experiences with Komari (the one we know and love). Riki decides he must learn from Koujirou’s mistake and help Komari (again, the one we know and love) come to terms with her brother’s death instead of trying to act as a substitute for her brother.
1 Like
Ooops okay I entirely forgot about that. Pepe’s terrible memory strikes again!
@suikashoujo , do you agree that Komari’s route is the best character route from LB? I haven’t found a single soul who agrees with me in this subject…
2 Likes
I may be a bit biased on this one, but yeah, I do. I think one of the main reasons I liked it is because unlike a good chunk of the other routes, it doesn’t rely on Refrain to make sense. I mean, as an example, it’s hard to fully appreciate the ending of Kud’s route until you know the secret of the world.
But I remember my number one thought after finishing Komari’s route for the first time (it was the first one I read) was how down to earth it felt. There were no supernatural forces at work. There were no convenient bits of Key magic that solved all of her problems. The bond between her, Riki, and (in the anime) the rest of the Little Busters was, in my opinion, second only to Refrain in how strong and genuine it felt. They realized that one of their friends was suffering, and they all worked together to help her get through it. The scene on the rooftop where she finally learns to accept her past is right up there with that infamous Refrain scene in terms of emotional impact, because the cast worked for it and made it happen without any elements that only the world they were in could create.
If the novel had only contained Komari’s route, I would have been able to treat it as a complete story. Am I glad that the rest of the game was there? Or course. But her route felt more complete to me than any of the others.
11 Likes
I agree with this. The final rooftop scene is one of the most touching moments of the whole visual novel, behind just some from Refrain, but the most touching of the character routes. The feeling I felt when I read it was indescribable: there was pain and sadness in my heart, but it also was extremely refreshing and beautiful.
Komari’s route is my top 2nd character route from the VNs I’ve read, just behind Lucia’s.
2 Likes
Suika, I have to say: I don’t agree with your opinion about Komari at all.
But I still liked your post.
Because for once, it wasnt just: “Oh, Komari is just too nice; she’s so positive and happy; she’s sooooo sweet; she soooo cute; it was soooo sad when she turned all depressed.”
You gave some actual, legitimate reasons. No subjective bull. Just objective facts, and how they affected you personally.
I personally feel Komari could have been a great character, but wasnt given the development she deserved, and instead came off as forced. But you are maybe like, the second person to ever actually describe to me a good reason to love her. Thank you.
4 Likes
I’m going to be quite controversial here and say that I liked that scene more than I did the scene from Refrain you are referring to. Komari’s acceptance of her situation made more of an emotional impact to me than her farewell speech to Rin on the same rooftop. I don’t know if I was just feeling tired at the moment or the huge amount of drama felt rather outstretched at the time, but combined with the fact that you are given an option to save everyone afterwards, I just liked Komari’s scene a little more.
You are right that Riki did everything that he could using the advice he was given and the tools at his disposal rather than any secret magical miracle. I wouldn’t say that having her brother’s spirit around to help him would be considered Key Magic, since it would be more akin to praying to God for guidance and assistance in all that he does. Sure, Riki doesn’t believe in a God, but being the insecure and humble person that he is, I do see him as the kind of person who would look towards spiritual assistance for help in saving Komari from her yandere PTSD. The end result is both touching and nostalgic in that it was reminiscent of the only other Key novel I had read at the time. It’s a very sweet resolution fitting for Komari. 
EDIT: It has been suggested to me by a kindly individual that I may have been thinking of the wrong scene, so I apologize if the scene I thought of is not the same as the one you thought of. My opinion of the scene I mention here will not change, but if you were thinking of a different scene, I will gladly give my thoughts on that if it makes you feel better.
2 Likes
Continuing this discussion from another topic~
What I’m trying to say about Komari’s route is that the plot was flawed from the very beginning So yes, the fact that it couldn’t do this, in my opinion, makes it inferior as far as storytelling goes.
See, this might just be a personal issue, but when people try to pitch to me a story that I find uninteresting and they use things such as “But the execution is so good” then, well, it simply doesn’t affect me. I’m all about plot and without a good plot, I wouldn’t give a rat’s ass about execution. So there.
But, to quote @EisenKoubu again:
My thoughts of which routes are enjoyable and which routes are well written are totally disconnected when it come to Little Busters’ character routes.
I love her theme too! Hearing One Magic Word only made it more special to me
2 Likes
I also enjoyed Komari’s route as well. I really love her character and the spiral of happiness theory. Despite her lack of seeing things as they way they are can be very difficult sometimes. Her route was special especially when they played the song Just One Magic Word and it felt so good that Komari came back to her senses when Riki decided that he could no longer let her suffer through her brother’s death. I was actually surprised that Koujirou’s wife was also the same name and that his wife experienced the same traumatizing problems that Komari was having as well. She is a very energetic character and sometimes can act ditzy but I love those qualities about her.
1 Like
