Rewrite as a "Key novel"

Key Discussion
#1

There’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while, which is how much Rewrite should be compared to other Key works. Especially surrounding the anime, I’ve seen so many people advertise or judge it because it’s “made by the same people who made Kanon, AIR, CLANNAD, etc.”. Which just feels so awkward to me, since I consider it a Romeo Tanaka work more than anything else. In terms of themes, plot and overall feel it just feels like while it’s surface-level comparable to other Key novels, but in reality there are quite fundamental differences.

How apt do you think it is to compare Rewrite with other Key works and, say, recommend it based on being from the same company as the others?

Unmarked spoilers for Rewrite (sans Harvest Festa) are okay, but please mark reference to works besides Rewrite with [spoiler] tags, providing adequate context in parenthesis.

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#2

This is a slightly awkward discussion because while, yes, it is by the same company, Jun Meada is debatably the biggest common factor for Key to have that Key feel. Kanon, Clannad, LB, Air, and even AB all have their differences but they set a similar tone and have the same structure. Rewrite kinda follows this structure but it doesn’t use it the same way. It has a “final route” like Clannad and Little Busters, but its more action-ey than anything.

I don’t think its really right to compare Rewrite to other Key VN’s just because they’re from the same company, but if that’s what’ll get people to play it so be it.

#3

I think it is a reasonable comparison, there definitely are some differences in terms of writing and music but it still feels very Key to me and has the same plot structure as Clannad and LB (comedic common route, more serious romantically oriented character routes, true ending that incorporates the multi-route nature of the story) and although the soundtrack does feel a bit different in Rewrite, it still has the same general feel to me.

Personally Rewrite is my favorite but they feel similar enough that if people like Rewrite after I recommend it to them, I also recommend other Key works too.

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#4

Those first two parts are pretty much a standard in VNs today, although the final route is more common to Key. Moon and Terra are very different from After Story which continues one route, but I am just now realizing its pretty much the same as Refrain.

#5

Well from what I think is different. Since Romeo Tanaka-sensei is working with other VN’s company the feels of ‘Key’s works’ didn’t show to much in the game. But, the other side I think it’s a new step for Key to make a new brand VN like this VN, Rewrite.
Also, I’m glad that Jun Maeda-sensei checked the quality of Rewrite so we can feel the Key’s type.

Sorry for my bad english (>_<)ﾉ

#6

I think comparisons between Rewrite and other Key works are legitimate. Despite Rewrite having significant thematic differences as well as a higher focus on action, I think it is still very much fundamentally a Key VN.

Romeo Tanaka’s presence is pretty clear - it’s obvious that Maeda wasn’t the main scenario writer behind Rewrite. Nevertheless, I think it’s accurate to say that Rewrite is essentially Tanaka’s style being poured into a Key mold than anything else. It’s still very much Key, but just with a different flair.

To start with, Rewrite still has a significant focus on character-to-character interactions, and the greater focus on action in some routes is just a slight deviation from what you’d expect of a Key character route - the routes are still essentially character driven romance dramas more than they are anything else. I think the action and fantasy elements of Rewrite might make it more appealing to those who might not ordinarily be so inclined towards a Key VN, but there’s not enough of it there to change what Rewrite fundamentally is.

Even in routes where events of catastrophic proportions occur, the focus is generally on how those events impact Kotarou and the chosen girl and their emotional states rather than on the events themselves. To put it another way, I think Rewrite is basically a character drama where the fantasy and action elements are there to provide the basis for said drama, rather than a fantasy/action VN that just happens to have some character drama attached.

As previously mentioned, Rewrite still adheres to what you could call the typical Key formula, and of course on a production values basis it’s similar to previous works in terms of artstyle and what you’d expect of a Key OST.

I think the real major wrench in the comparisons between Rewrite and what is typically associated with Key is Moon and Terra, where Rewrite just kinda goes totally off the wheels and basically becomes almost purely a fantasy/action VN with some of everyones favorite Tanaka pithiness strewn around everywhere. I still think Terra on a surface level is basically similar to the concept of Clannad/LB “true routes”, but reading it feels very different.

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#7

This question just makes me think about, how much Summer Pockets will be “Key”.

#8

I’ll be very blunt with my opinion on this.

Rewrite is not a Key VN, because

  • Maeda did not write any routes.
  • The only Key author who did only wrote 2 out of 7 routes.
  • The most Key-like part of Rewrite was Ryuukishi’s imitation of the Key formula, which he supposedly started doing ever since Higurashi
  • The actual Key formula was not used. None of the routes, except for maybe Ryuukishi’s, had focused on the emotinal impact to the same extent a Key route would

While I agree with @ThePlasticSpork in that Rewrite is a Tanaka story in a Key mold and still character-driven, the conclusion I arrive at is different since those things are not enough to make it a Key novel in my eyes.

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#9

I dunno. The Shizuru route, although fairly generic, did feel very Key to me. It has the food thing, the hanging onto memories, the protag who tries to go beyond what they are capable of, the ending too seemed like something Key would do.

Lucia’s route definitely had some very Key-like elements in the earlier half of the route (even copy-pasting some scenes from previous VNs) but I’d say it was ultimately very different to a Key route.

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