Where can I find One’s OST ? I heard a few tracks on Youtube, but that’s only 1-3 tracks. And since it has music like Kanon, I’m all for it ! 
Dunno if you can get an album copy of the OST (there was probably one released alongside ONE’s re-release) but I just play the BGM files that came with the VN.
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Finally completed the game. It was fun to say the least. Maeda didn’t make people cry just yet, but the common route was still good.
I’m not sure which one is my favorite heroine: Akane or Mio.
Surprisingly, the most memorable thing was… the protag. I kinda hated him. I’ll assume that clueless protagonists were still somewhat new back then, so that part was almost fine. I did feel the urge to facepalm forever after how oblivious he was to Nanase’s feelings and how much he hurt her as a result, but that wasn’t the worst part.
What ticked me off was that Kouhei was such a selfish bastard. Fully aware of the fact that he would disappear soon, he would still try to get in a relationship with a girl, then leave her behind. It was like the worst thing he could ever do to Akane, but he went for it without a second thought? Why? Cause he was too dumb to figure out what had happened to her former love interest. And don’t even get me started on Nanase’s optional H-scene. Yeah, let’s not talk about that. H-scenes don’t count, right? That scenario was too unnatural, even for Kouhei…
Nagamori’s route threw me for a loop, though. I was expecting a generic childhood friend drama scenario, but Kouhei’s thought process took an unexpected turn. Instead of remaining clueless, he became passive-aggressive. He started hating all the stuff about Nagamori that he used to find natural. That was kinda great. It was unusual. What I don’t understand, however, is how the heck he arrived at the thought of wanting to hurt her in such a horrible way…
On a side note: If Maeda could create characters like Sumii in One, who’s not a wingman, but at least a legit silly guy friend, why did he screw up so badly with Kitagawa in Kanon?
Huh, I thought they were the weaker routes of the VN.
I thought you were going to bring up his insanely abusive behavior or something. I don’t think I ever even thought about that second spoiler. I always saw it in a more positive light…
I think Kitagawa was fine. He wasn’t a guy friend.
Sumii is Kouhei’s friend. Kitagawa is an acquaintance at best. He’s always doing a great job at helping when he can, but he’s not someone you get close to. Like a lot of the characters in Kanon, he’s close to being a stranger. That’s part of Kanon’s atmosphere - It’s cold, nostalgic, and lonely.
Because Kanon is more Naoki Hisaya than it is Maeda. And hell, you attributed all of One to Maeda, but the routes are 50% him 50% Hisaya, and your two heroines nominated for favorite? Both Hisaya routes.
Kouhei is a fascinating thing, he’s an unrelenting douchebag with no redeeming features, but he was also born in an age where the protag was universally treated as little more than the readers 2D penis for the Sha la la, he must have been a huge shock to people who went in not expecting their dick to be so mean without any input from themselves.
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Spoilers for Late-Game and Fuko’s route in Clannad.
The Eternal World is a rather strange and unexplained concept in One, but I believe it makes more sense if you put it into perspective by looking at later KEY works, specifically Clannad and Fuko’s route. Almost identically to Fuko’s route, people begin to forget the protagonist over time, eventually culminating in him disappearing entirely. While not stated in-game, I believe he’s an existence similar to Fuko, someone who is in a coma who reached themself out and tried to make relationships. This also explains how he can come back in the Epilogue scenes, although him being remembered is the only unexplained aspect. This may also have to do with the nature of the Eternal World and its existence, but I’m not sure.
This fan-made theme based on EFZ’s Unknown just released.
I watched the first episode of the anime OVA…
What the hell did I just watch?
I’ve never seen the anime versions of ONE, but I’ve heard talk about them, and I haven’t heard anything good about them.
Love seeing ONE being mentioned. I really enjoyed what I played of the game. I can’t figure out how to get my computer to play it for my Windows 7 computer. I have it for XP and compatibility mode it doesn’t want to install on my computer. (If anyone can help PLEASE PM me.)
I love Akane the best so much that I bought an umbrella that was the closest to her’s I could buy. I think her design is the best too :3 The scene with her waiting in the rain reminds me of a scene from my childhood when my cousin’s neighbor was just standing in the rain with her umbrella alone for a long time and went to talk to her and she invited me over.
Mayu’s route was okay from what I recall. Nanase reminds me a bit of Mai mixed with a hint of Chihaya. I did enjoy her route too. I was in Mio’s route last and then wanted to save the best route for last, Misaki (so I heard). But never got to it >.<
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I read One earlier this year, and I enjoyed it. It was honestly a surreal experience. If you had booted up One and told me it was a Key novel, I would have believed you immediately. It is so amazing to see the seeds of what would become concepts in Key’s works rooted in One. I have yet to read Moon or Dousei, so take that previous statement with a grain of salt.
Our hero is Kouhei Orihara; mix Yuuichi from Kanon and Kotarou from Rewrite and leave the resulting mess in the oven long enough that it burns, but you still eat it because it’s not THAT bad. There isn’t much to say that hasn’t already been said, really. I personally hate him.
Like most Key novels, Key magic is in full effect here. Kouhei will disappear into the “Eternal World”, a lonely world far away in the sky that he created to preserve the happy everyday of his childhood before his sister passed away, and will not return if he does not form bonds with a girl he meets in his life.
The first girl we meet is Nagamori Mizuka. A typical yamato nadeshiko with boundless optimism (Nagamori route spoilers) even after Kouhei tries to destroy her innocence utterly who takes care of Kouhei like a mother.
The second girl is Nanase Rumi. She is Chihaya but with decent IQ.
The third girl is Akane Satomura. She is Minagi but even more kuu. She even has a bubbly, idiotic friend.
The fourth girl is Kawana Misaki. She’s my personal favorite character and route; think Shiori from Kanon but blind. Her route was the saddest for me, and she alone gave this novel the charm and magic that I love Key for.
The fifth girl is Kouzuki Mio. She is a deaf loli who communicates via notebook, and is a bundle of joy in the drama club.
The final girl is Shiina Mayu. She loves animals, hamburgers, and she’s also a middle schooler. You meet her when she’s burying her pet ferret Myuu, which is unfortunately the only part of her route I remember.
While One has its flaws, it’s certainly an important novel. It is the brick foundation for which Key’s tower sits upon, sparkling and spotless. In my opinion, it’s a good novel. Hisaya and Maeda write the routes well, the art is pretty and clean (I prefer the character’s faces here to Kanon’s), and the soundtrack is full of synthy-goodness. I believe it’s worth reading for any Key fan, if only to see what ideas started here and blossomed later on in Key.
I’ve been considering reading this VN for a long time now. The fact that it’s nearly 20 years old and so different in style and art from recent VNs is a bit off-putting though.
There’s no “True Route” is there? I don’t mean like Aya’s route from Kanon that can be the first one you finish, I mean a story that takes place after finishing the other routes?
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There is no true route, although there is a secret route that can be accessed immediately.
It’s likely my favorite standalone “Key” VN. It’s dated for sure, but I think it looks better than Kanon or Clannad did. The sound quality across the board is pretty low, but it creates an unintentional sense of nostalgia, placing the story well within the era it was set in. Tactics really lucked out on how well ONE aged.
The routes are all very fundamental of Maeda and Hisaya, they are exactly what you’d imagine when you hear those names… Which is nice because neither writer has really had the time to shine of late.
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Just saw this brought up again XD. Anyone know how I can get this to work on a new PC?
Also found out there is an artbook for this series. If anyone is interested, PM me and I can show you where you can buy it second hand (its pretty cheap).
What problems are you having?
I can’t get it to install it keeps coming up with an error. I have windows 7, but someone said there was a way to get the XP version to work, regardless.
Huh, I’m on Windows 7 and it installed just fine. I can’t imagine why they’d be an installation issue outside of computer locale. When you say the XP version, do you mean the full voice edition? I’m guessing you aren’t using the Vista version or the original.
Correct, it is the full voice one. I will have some time in the coming weeks I will let you know what errors I get . It is also the physical copy too.
So, there is no true route in ONE, right? Also, what is this secret route? I always thought that Mizuka is the main heroine, but I don’t know.
So, you haven’t watched the OVAs, right? Do you still remember the visual novel and the routes? I think ONE does have flaws to it. Can you tell me what happens in the heroines’ routes if you still remember?
So, you’re saying that Mizuka is, like Ayu from Kanon, the true, main heroine of One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e? But, is her route the true route then since she’s the main heroine? Also, the secret route expands on the position of the person who’s being pulled into the Eternal World, where he/she (the guy like Kouhei in this case) is made more sympathetic on his/her situation?
