Character discussion topic for Inoue of Rewrite. Discussing Common and Kotori are fine, but please tag any references to other routes or outside works with [spoiler] tags, with adequate context provided in parenthesis.
I find it odd, I never liked her as a character whether through common route or Kotoriās or whatever. Yet I would have accepted her as a heroine and she was a sprite addition in HF that I loved the concept of more than A-chan gaining a sprite in KW.
So donāt like her person completely, but love anything that could create a story around her, is the thing I understand.
Inoue is a born reporter, with both the fitting mindset and the skills for the job.
Her natural curiosity and blatant brazenness (even when it comes to personal secrets) is somewhat charmingā¦ even though she can take it to the level of being creepy ^^
I guess the most impressive thing about her is that she had valued the information she had gathered when she had gone missing in the forest just as much as her own life. Even after losing her memory, the thought that she had to pass this information on somehow had remained in the back of her mind and she could only rest easy after entrusting Kotarou with the data.
I wouldnāt say sheās heroine material though. Thereās just not enough info on her^^
Dude she is TOTALLY Heroine material. Based on character alone, Inoue is probably my second favourite. Reading her section of Kotoriās route had me totally invested, sitting on the edge of my seat in the middle of the night finding out everything that happened to her. It really struck me as the point where things were getting incredibly serious, and this struggle to survive in such a mysterious world really hit home to me. Inouee, why didnāt you get your own route? I wouldāve loved to read it, even if Iām not sure what it couldāve been about.
Well thatās easy, she has something none of the other heroines have.
Sheās a normal ass person.
So obviously the route would centre around Kotarou protecting her from both organizations that want her dead and their increasingly desperate attempts to do so Hopefully in the style of Chihaya route, with fights out the butt.
Let the two take comfort in each other due to their constant on the runness and romance blooms.
Itās even easy as hell to set up, just have Kotarou go looking for her earlier and alone due to being more attached to her thanks to extra common scenes.
One thing I find frustrating about Inoue is that in some of the routes, they never really reveal what happens to her.
Oh well, more characterization (and a sprite finally) in Harvest Festa, so we got that going for her
[quote=āKanon, post:5, topic:300ā]
So obviously the route would centre around Kotarou protecting her from both organizations that want her dead and their increasingly desperate attempts to do so [/quote]
Thatās Kotoriās route in a nutshell, btw xD
Nah, Kotoriās is more about sitting on their ass doing nothing until the end.
Well the same can be said about Kotori, for one. She has references in Chihayaās and Luciaās routes, but there are many gaps in stories through other routes.
Hereās Inoueās first scenario from Ignis Memoria
-Neighbourhood Gossip-
Inoue: Hey, youāre on the baseball team. Iāve heard that the club ace hurt his shoulder, but canāt you tell me whatās really going on?
Inoue: Oh, the swim teamās manager, I heard you have new swimsuits. Can I see the design?
Inoue: Hello~, Miss math teacher, is it true you are living together with a young man who graduated last year?
Kotarou: Looks like Inoue is as avid a reporter as ever.
Inoue: Ah, good job on the last stakeout. Hereās the meal ticket I promised.
Inoue: Yes, the lead you gave me the other day came to good use. If you have some really juicy material, Iāll buy you an expensive meal ticket.
Inoue: Say, what do you think about this picture? Itās scheduled to be in an article next week, but I bet you have something that could work as a replacement.
Kotarou: ā¦ā¦
Kotarou: (ā¦This is the dark side of the newspaper clubā¦)
-A Sudden Confession-
Inoue: Tennouji-kun, would you come with me for a while?
Kotarou: A date!? Tha, Thatās very bold of youā¦
Inoue: Ah yes, thatās an extremely dry joke, but Iāll go along so that you donāt think Iām serious.
Inoue: Would you come with me on an investigation?
Kotarou: ā¦Just an investigation, huhā¦
Inoue: ā¦Did you really think I was asking you out?
Kotarou: Oh you~ thereās no way Iād think that~ hahahaā¦
Inoue: ā¦Well whatever, are you coming with me or not?
Kotarou: Yeah sure.
Inoue: Wait, really!?
Kotarou: What kind of reaction is that?
Inoue: Um, wellā¦ I asked on the basis that youād refuse. I didnāt think you would be okay with it.
Kotarou: Why would you think that?
Inoue: You know, Tennouji-kun, youāre always surrounding yourself with girls soā¦
Kotarou: Thatās a nasty way of phrasing it. The people I talk to the most just happen to be girls, like Kotori or Shizuru.
Kotarou: Besides, why does me talking to girls all the time mean I wouldnāt help with your investigation?
Inoue: Itāsā¦because uh, it doesnāt matter since you said okay anyway.
Inoue: Letās go right away then!
Kotarou: Yeah.
Inoue: Oh, my investigation techniques go beyond the confines of common sense, so if our opponent gets irritated, Iāll be counting on you!
Kotarou: ā¦Letās just be confined by common sense.
Gangster: You bitch! Donāt come and ask stupid questions! Iāll fuck you up!
Inoue: Your turn now, Tennouji-kun!
Kotarou: Thatās why I said to do a normal investigationā¦
[BATTLE]
Inoue: Mm nice, letās go to the next place!
-The Scent of a Scoop-
Inoue: Oh, this street looks good! The scent of a scoop is oozing from it!
Kotarou: Really? It has a pretty bad vibe. I think itād be better to stay away.
Inoue: You donāt get it! You donāt get it at all, Tennouji-kun! Itās because people stay away that thereās a scoop here!
Kotarou: Mmmā¦but stillā¦
Inoue: Come on, what are you afraid of?
Kotarou: Iām worried youāll get hurt.
Inoue: Ehā¦wha, what do you mean?
Kotarou: What I said. Youāre technically a girl, and I canāt let you do something so dangerous, can I?
Inoue: ā¦The ātechnicallyā part was unneeded.
Inoue: I see, youāre worriedā¦about me. Hmmā¦ Ahhā¦ Huhā¦
Kotarou: What is it?
Inoue: Nothing. Thank you, Tennouji-kun. Technically, I appreciate it.
Inoue: Now, letās go!
Kotarou: Sure.
Gangster: Iāll kill you, you slut!! Donāt fuck with me!!
Inoue: Okay, your turn!
Kotarou: Why canāt you listen to meā¦
[MORTAL KOMBAT]
Inoue: Good job. I knew it was a good idea to bring you, Tennouji-kun.
Inoue: Lighten up, we have more places to check out. Come on, next.
-An Obviously Suspicious Person-
Robed Man: So youāre the ones whoās been nosing around here recently.
Inoue: Wowā¦an obviously suspicious person has appeared, Tennouji-kun.
Kotarou: Uh, yeahā¦ Try to not provoke him.
Robed Man: Get lost while youāre still all in one piece.
Inoue: What should we do, Tennouji-kun?
Kotarou: Iāll leave it to you.
Inoue: Really, I get to do what I want?
Kotarou: Even if I tried to stop you, you wouldnāt listen. So do what you want, and Iāll back you up.
Inoue: Thank you, Tennouji-kun. You actually get me pretty well.
Kotarou: Iāve been through this a couple of times after allā¦
Inoue: Thatās how it is, so let me interview you! Who and what are you?
Kotarou: Thatās way too direct a questionā¦
Robed man: Curiosity killed the catā¦ Youāll mourn your own foolishness.
Inoue: Huhā¦?
Kotarou: Get back, Inoue!
[HAT-TRICK]
Inoue: Tennouji-kun, stop it there!
Kotarou: Inoueā¦
Inoue: Canāt you let him off the hook for now? I still want to interview him after all.
Kotarou: Itās a bit late for that. This guyās already unconscious.
Inoue: Ohā¦thatās no good. You have to hold back more, Tennouji-kun.
Kotarou: ā¦Hearing that from you is kind of irritating.
Inoue: Well, thereās nothing we can do if heās out cold. Letās go to the next place!
-A Strange Dog-
Inoue: Ah!
Kotarou: What wrong?
Inoue: A dog!
Chibimoth: ā¦Mosu.
Kotarou: ā¦What? A dog?
Inoue: Heās so cute! Hey, can I take a picture of you?
Chibimoth: Mosu.
Inoue: Thanks!
katcha katcha
Inoue: Thatās good, so cute!
Kotarou: ā¦Thatās cute?
Inoue: How can you not see how cute this little guy is?
Chibimoth: Mosu~?
Kotarou: Itās like heās looking down on meā¦
Chibimoth: Mosu.
Inoue: Oh, he went away. Thank you, bye bye~!
Kotarou: ā¦So even you can have those kind of moments.
Inoue: Huhā¦what kind of moments?
Kotarou: Like, fawning over a cute dog. I thought you might not have any interests other than finding scoops.
Inoue: Wellā¦Iām technically a girl. I wonāt say like a normal girl, but to a degree, you know.
Inoue: Was it that surprising?
Kotarou: I guess, but that kind of Inoue isnāt too bad either.
Inoue: Oh, were you trying to hit on me just now? So youāre finally showing your true colors.
Kotarou: Listen youā¦
Inoue: Iām just joking. Oh, look, thereās another dog over there!
Inoue: Come here, boy.
Kotarou: Wait, Inoue, that dog isā¦strange.
Inoue: Strange?
Kotarou: Iām not sure what it isā¦ It just feels dangerousā¦
Inoue: What do you mean?
Black Dog: Grrrr
Kotarou: Run, Inoue! Quickly!
Black Dog: RAWR!
[ANNIHILATION]
Kotarou: ā¦Inoue, are you okay?
Inoue: Uh, yeah, Iām fine. What about you?
Kotarou: Same here.
Inoue: Tennouji-kun, why would this dog just attack us like that?
Kotarou: I donāt know. Maybe it was just in a bad mood.
Inoue: What kind of reason is that?
Kotarou: More importantly, we should get out of here. I donāt want the owner to charge us for injuring their dog.
Inoue: I guess youāre right.
-And the Results Are?-
Inoue: ā¦We werenāt able to gather any useful material today. What a shame.
Kotarou: Sure, but not everything can be a grand scoop.
Inoue: I guessā¦ But maybe I can write something on how we were attacked by a dog.
Kotarou: Itās amazing how you can write about yourself almost getting hurt.
Inoue: It was a bit scaryā¦but I knew youād protect me soā¦
Kotarou: Huhā¦
Inoue: Your performance today was pretty decent. Iāll look forward to next time.
Kotarou: Next time? You mean you want me to help with your investigations again?
Inoue: Exactly, Iāll contact you. Bye bye!
Kotarou: Sheās so self centeredā¦
Inoue still best girl.
Inoue, please, we have a Code of Ethics to uphold XD
##The Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword
Inoue: Hey, Tennouji-kun, wonāt you come along with me again?
Kotarou: Huhā¦ You want me back after we broke up?
Inoue: Are we going to have to do this every time?
Kotarou: Itās my refined routine, you could say.
Inoue: So, do you want to or not?
Kotarou: Well, Iām free. Sure, letās go out.
Inoue: Okay, letās go then.
Kotarou: Roger.
Kotori: ā¦Kotori-san just heard something incredibleā¦
Gangster: Oi! Ya wanna go, ya cunt! Iāll bash yo āed in! Oi!
Inoue: Itās your turn, Tennouji-kun. Iām counting on you as always.
Kotarou: Why does your investigations always involve pissing people offā¦
[MEGA KILL]
Inoue: Good job. You really saved me.
Kotarou: Hey, Inoueā¦are all your investigations this dangerous?
Inoue: Hmmā¦well, sometimes. If you want to catch a scoop, you have to get in there.
Kotarou: I understand that, but you should be reasonable about it.
Inoue: Yes, yes, I get it. Letās go investigate the next place.
##An Pet Ownerās Responsibility
Robed Man: ā¦So youāre here again.
Inoue: Uwa, heās here!
Kotarou: You again.
Black Dog: Grrrrr
Kotarou: Waitā¦ Is that your dog?
Robed Man: ā¦So what?
Kotarou: Ohā¦nothingā¦
Inoue: A while back we were attacked by that dog. We were really close to getting hurt.
Kotarou: Donātā¦
Inoue: If youāre the owner, you have to train it properly.
Kotarou: I, Inoueā¦if you say that he might charge us for the injuries.
Inoue: ā¦Ah.
Robed Man: Ohhā¦ So youāre the ones who beat this one up.
Inoue: So, So what? That thing started it, so weāre definitely not paying for anything.
Inoue: If you still insist, Iāll make an article about this! As a pet owner you have to take responsibility!
Kotarou: Inoue-san, youāre provoking himā¦
Robed man: I donāt need any money. Iāll have you pay with something else.
Inoue: And that is?
Robed Man: Youāll payā¦with your lives.
Black Dog: RAWR!
[RAMPAGE]
Robed Man: Kuhā¦
Kotarou: Awesome. Letās run, Inoue!
Inoue: Huh? Weāre running?
Kotarou: Itās best to run from this kind of guys!
Inoue: Wait! Iāll take an embarrassing picture of this guy for later!
Kotarou: Stop that! Heāll just be even angrier!
Inoue: Itās best to have some leverageā¦ Iāll just take one.
Katcha
Kotarou: Letās just go now!
Inoue: Roger~.
##Misunderstanding?
Kotarou: (Lately, Iāve been helping Inoue so much that I havenāt been to the occult club at allā¦)
Kotarou: (Iām supposed to help her today as well, but I guess Iāll poke my head in at leastā¦)
Kotarou: āSup.
Chihaya: What! Kotarou is going out with someone from the newspaper club?
Kotarou: ā¦.
Shizuru: Ohā¦ Kotarou.
Akane: The timing of your entrance seemed planned.
Lucia: A āspeak of the devilā kind of thing, you mean.
Kotarou: What are you guys talking about?
Chihaya: You mean how youāre dating someone from the newspaper club?
Akane: Inoue, was it? We have a witness who saw her confess her love to you.
Kotarou: Inoue confessed to me? Who said that?
Shizuru: Kotori did.
Kotarou: ā¦Kotori-san said so, did sheā¦
Kotori: Sorryā¦ It was such a good story, so I had to tell everyone. Kotori-san is a bit of a blabbermouth.
Kotarou: Itās good that youāre aware of it, but you shouldnāt spread false rumors.
Kotori: False rumors?
Kotarou: Well, with mine and Inoueās conversations, I can imagine why you would misunderstand.
Kotori: Kotori-san, misunderstanding?
Kotarou: Yes, completely. Iām just going out on investigations with Inoue. Weāre not going out as man and woman.
Kotori: ā¦Is that so?
Kotarou: That is so. Theyāre different kinds of going out.
Lucia: So youāre not dating Inoue, Tennouji?
Kotarou: Right. Iām justā¦
Inoue: Excuse~ me, Iām looking for Tennouji-kun.
Kotarou: I, Inoue!?
Inoue: Ah, I knew youād be here. Iād like to go investigate soon.
Kotarou: Uhā¦yeah, Iāmā¦comingā¦
Inoue: Perfect, Iāll wait outside then.
Kotarou: Oh, sureā¦
Shizuru: Kotarouā¦
Chihaya: She has you wrapped around her finger, it seems?
Kotarou: That not it!
Inoue: ā¦So thatās what they said. Was it bad that I just left like that?
Kotarou: Oh, no, you donāt need to worry about it.
Inoue: But couldnāt it create more misunderstandings?
Kotarou: Well, itās a possibility.
Inoue: Ahaha, I guess that was bad of me. Sorry for causing you trouble.
Kotarou: I donāt think itās that much trouble.
Inoue: Oh, really? Then, do you want to start dating for real?
Kotarou: What!?
Inoue: As if, Iām just kidding.
Robed Man: ā¦Iāve been looking for you two.
Black Dog: Grrrr
Inoue: Geh!
Kotarou: Oh itās youā¦
Inoue: I told you weāre not paying for anything!
Robed Man: And I told you I donāt need any money.
Kotarou: So why would you look for us?
Robed Man: ā¦Give it to meā¦
Kotarou: Give you what?
Robed Man: Thatā¦embarrassing picture of me!!
Kotarou: Thatās it!?
Black Dog: RAWR!
[HOLY SHIT]
Inoue: What do you think, Tennouji-kun? Should I take another picture of him?
Kotarou: No, stop that. Also delete the last picture you took.
Inoue: Ehhā¦ Well, if you say soā¦ There, I deleted it.
Kotarou: We deleted your picture. Now you donāt have to chase us anymore, okay?
Robed Man: Ughā¦fineā¦
Kotarou: Cool, letās go, Inoue.
Inoue: I still wonder what that guy was, walking around with that weird outfit and the huge dog.
Kotarou: Who knowsā¦
##Direct Investigation
Inoue: Go out with me!
Kotarou: ā¦To investigate, yeah sure.
Inoue: Are you not doing your joke this time?
Kotarou: Since Iāve seen the misunderstandings that joke causes, I figured I shouldnāt do it anymore.
Inoue: Ohā¦reallyā¦
Kotarou: Hm, whatās wrong?
Inoue: Just that itās a bit of a pityā¦ Oh, no, itās nothing really!
Inoue: More importantly, letās go investigate!
Inoue: Iāve heard that thereās group of people causing a ruckus around here at night. Weāll investigate directly who those people are!
Kotarou: ā¦I always say this, but please investigate more normal stuff.
Inoue: Normal how?
Kotarou: Like not going to dangerous places or getting close to bad people.
Inoue: You idiot, then it wouldnāt be an investigation.
Inoue: I said this before, didnāt I? Scoops are hidden in places where people donāt go.
Kotarou: More so than scoops, Iām worried about your well being.
Inoue: Ehhā¦
Kotarou: Ah, noā¦
Inoue: Tennouji-kunā¦just nowā¦
Rustle Rustle
Kotarou: Uh, hey, someoneās here! Itās probably those guys!
Inoue: Whatās with those outfitsā¦? Are those gunsā¦?
Kotarou: Arenāt they just Airsoft players?
Inoue: They wouldnāt play at this hour. This is too suspicious.
Kotarou: Donāt stick your head out. Theyāll see us.
Inoue: ā¦If they see us, please protect me again.
Kotarou: Ehhā¦
katcha katcha
Guardian: Hey, someone is here!
Inoue: Okay, good luck!
Kotarou: Why would youā¦
[FRESH MEAT]
Esaka: ā¦Stop it right there.
Kotarou: Waitā¦Esaka-san?
Inoue: You know him?
Kotarou: Yeahā¦ Why are you here, Esaka-san.
Esaka: Thatās what I want to ask. Weāre just on our way home after playing some Airsoft.
Kotarou: Just as I said.
Inoue: So the people causing a ruckus late at nightā¦
Esaka: That would most likely be us.
Kotarou: Arenāt you a little old for thatā¦
Inoue: Bo~ring. I thought it was some secret organization having training battles.
Esaka: ā¦And this young lady is?
Kotarou: Uhā¦wellā¦ This is Inoue. Sheās part of my schoolās newspaper club.
Esaka: I see. Miss, let me give you a piece of advice.
Inoue: What, Mister?
Esaka: Curiosity killed theā¦
Inoue: Oh, I know that already. Another person said the same thing a while back.
Esaka: Oh really, then Iām not going to say anything else. Take care on your way home.
Inoue: There sure are a lot of weird people in Kazamatsuri. Well, thatās also why there are so many stories scattered around.
Kotarou: ā¦I feel like you havenāt found any scoops during this whole time though.
Inoue: Oh really? Is that how you want it? Iāll make sure to find something next time then.
Kotarou: Yeah, yeahā¦
##War Always Have Two Sides
Inoue: Hey, Tennouji-kun.
Kotarou: You want to go investigate again, right? Itās okay with me, but at this rate I might start asking for compensation.
Inoue: Compensationā¦ I wouldnāt mind giving you something in return.
Kotarou: Oh, you serious!?
Inoue: So, how about I give you some of my time as compensation.
Kotarou: Huhā¦ Your time?
Inoue: Today, Iām not asking for your help. Iām asking you on a date. I thought we could have some fun just the two of us.
Kotarou: ā¦What?
Kotarou: (To think Iād be going out alone with Inoue. She called it a date tooā¦)
Kotarou: (Well, that part is probably just a joke. Still, itās rare for Inoue to say stuff like thatā¦)
Inoue: Hey, are you hungry?
Kotarou: Uh? Yeah, I guess. We should get something to eat.
Inoue: I know a really good pizza place near here. Should we go there?
Kotarou: Seems goodā¦ Iām surprised youād know a place like that.
Inoue: Iām technically a girl after all.
Kotarou: Oh no, I didnāt mean it like thatā¦
Inoue: Fufufu, I actually know about it because I wrote an article about it. We get a lot more readers if we include information like that.
Kotarou: Okay, I see.
Inoue: This will be the first time I go there privately. Itāll be fun.
Kotarou: Oh really, and you want to go with me?
Inoue: Of course! Why are you being so tense?
Kotarou: Iām not really tense. Itās justā¦
Kotarou: (Iām getting thrown off balanceā¦)
Inoue: Oh!
Kotarou: Wh, What is it?
Inoue: Look! Over there!
Kotarou: What!?
Guardian: You Gaian fanatics! Weāll settle this here and now!
Robed Man: You small minded savages! Thereās no need to wait for salvation to deal with you!
Inoue: A crowd of adults are fighting! This is a real scoop!
Kotarou: ā¦Is it really?
Inoue: Letās go, Tennouji-kun!
Kotarou: And the pizza?
[UNICORN STAMPEDE]
katcha katcha
Inoue: To be able to mediate this large of a brawl, youāre incredible, Tennouji-kun.
Kotarou: Rather than mediate, I just pissed everyone off. I might be hated by both parties after this.
Kotarou: Who are these guys anyway? They said something about finding a key and not handing it over.
Inoue: So someone dropped their key started fighting with the person who picked it up?
Kotarou: Iāve no ideaā¦
##Lobster Roll?
Inoue: We finally found a scoop, and itās all thanks to you, Tennouji-kun.
Kotarou: ā¦Hey, wasnāt this supposed to be a date?
Inoue: Ohā¦ Thatās right, Iām sorry. I got a bit side trackedā¦
Kotarou: ā¦Itās fine. Iām more comfortable with the normal you. Thatās the Inoue I loā¦
Inoue: Umā¦ What did you say?
Kotarou: ā¦Lobster Roll.
Inoue: What do you mean lobster roll!?
Kotarou: I really want to eat a lobster roll.
Inoue: Youāre so lying!
Kotarou: Then what do you think I said, huh?
Inoue: Thatā¦ I canāt say something like thatā¦ It canāt come from meā¦
Kotarou: Then itās okay with lobster roll.
Inoue: Itās not okay! We have to make this clear!
Kotarou: Whyās that?
(Music Cue)
Inoue: Becauseā¦we donāt know what could happen to us in the future.
Inoue: I understandā¦all the things I do. At times, Iāll walk into really dangerous places.
Inoue: Someday I could get into a weird accidentā¦ It might be something really serious.
Kotarou: ā¦If you understand that, you should just stopā¦
Inoue: What ifā¦by some fluke, I lose my memory. Stuff like that could happenā¦
Inoue: Thatās why I want to make things clear. I donāt want to leave things unresolvedā¦
Inoue: I donāt want to have regrets like, I should have said this or asked that!
Inoue: So pleaseā¦Tennouji-kun, tell me how you feelā¦
Kotarou: Inoueā¦
Inoue: If you tell meā¦Iāll sayā¦what I feelā¦as well.
Kotarou: ā¦I get it.
Kotarou: Iā¦love you, Inoue.
Inoue: Iā¦love you too.
Kotarou: ā¦I had a feeling.
Inoue: Yepā¦me too.
Kotarou: Weāre way too indirect, arenāt we?
Inoue: Weāre both like that, so itās fine. Haha!
Kotarou: Soā¦uh, you want to go out with me?
Inoue: Okayā¦for investigations.
Kotarou: The hell!
Inoue: Fufuā¦ Kidding.
Kotarou: Come onā¦
Inoue: Soā¦you think weāll be happy together?
Kotarou: Of course. As long as the world doesnāt end that is.
Inoue: Whatās that supposed to mean? Youāre weirdā¦
Kotarou: Letās go, Inoue.
Inoue: ā¦Go where?
Kotarou: To have pizza.
Inoue: ā¦Sure!
Poor Robed Man I cri every time.
Man that was fun. I hate that itās only in the mobile game. >_>
Thanks for sharing thoughā¦
You can play it with an emulator though, and it feels like playing a mix between a Rewrite VN and a JRPG.
I recommend playing it, itās cute. :3
Key just made a statement that Inoueās full name is Inoue Akira. This is thanks to the current Ignis Memoria wedding event. As a joke, sort of, Kotarou says that if they were to get married her name would become Tennouji, so he would like to know her given name. She says that, if her name ever becomes Tennouji, he should call her Akira. (Though they didnāt specify how it was pronounced until now, so people have been freaking out on twitter these last two days.)
Additional to what you mentioned earlier about @Aspirety
4 of the routes would not have even happened without her. Because Inoue got lost and Koutarou and the Occult Research club went to search her, Lucia and Shizuru were revealed to be part of Guardian and Akane and Chihaya in Gaia marking the end of the common route.
(The only exception to this is Luciaās route)
Iāve been meaning to write about Miss Inoue as Iām trying not to lose my Buster status ofc as someone currently studying Journalism. I like her a lot as a character, but Iāll be a little nitpicky on her portrayal as a campus journalist haha. Please take this with a grain of salt though, as most of my media knowledge is from the anecdotes of my professors, and Iām fairly sure that journalists have it a bit differently in Japan.
The most typical press covfefe (I donāt think Iāll ever get tired of this meme) in real life is a little more mundane than how characters like Inoue tend to show. Usually, reporters are assigned to cover a particular beat (e.g. police, particular government offices, particular sectors, business, S&T, sports, you name it) and report on events that cover that particular beat. These assignments are either assigned by editors or sought out by reporters on their own. For most newspapers, itās often the latter. The typical covfefe is still exciting in their own way, mind you.
For instance, those in the police beat would often just stay in the police station and either or both (1) write stories based on blotter reports, and/or (2) do spot reporting: tag along with officers whoāll go to scenes of incidents. Those who cover government offices or companies would often attend press conferences, PR events where the big name peeps announce stuff and journos have a chance to interview them.
However, thereās this thing called āinvestigative reporting,ā also called āenterprise reporting.ā This is about seeking out stories that journalists wouldnāt usually get from their typical covfefe, and the public has yet to know. They also need to be stories that the public needs to know, stories that affect a large number of people (or everyone).
Popular examples are issues of government incompetence like corruption or poorly-implemented policies or the classic Watergate Scandal. Examples that donāt involve the government is, well, the issue of systemic sexual violence among Roman Catholic priests featured in the Oscar-awarded Spotlight. They often involve system failure.
A successful investigative report is very well-regarded and often land in the front page (aka every journoās dream). It is as difficult to pull off as it sounds as it often requires very rigorous corroboration because you canāt afford to go wrong here and sources can be difficult to find. Itās also as dangerous as it sounds.
In that sense, Inoue is more focused on investigative reporting. I think it sort of make sense that way, since campus journalists arenāt as busy on doing day-to-day coverage like those from the national newspapers do, so they have more time investigating. But at the same time, sheās following waaaayyyy too many leads haha which is kind of odd because I cannot emphasize enough how difficult investigative reporting is. And sheās still in high school.
To be honest, I think Inoue is flirting a little too close with the stereotypical reporter character which Iām not too big a fan of: those who like the smell of controversies and enjoy ruining peopleās reputation because spicy controversy is <3. Sure, newspaper owners might want that because controversy = moolah, but lolnope itās actually unethical for journalists to ruin a personās life without a compelling public-oriented reason aka the SPJ principle of Minimizing Harm.
The good thing is that I donāt think she ever intruded someoneās privacyā¦ illegally, like wiretapping or whatnot (it conflicts with another principle, that of accountability and transparency). She just has a source who happens to have a slippery tongue (ahem Shizuru). Iām not sure if she ever committed bribery in the VN, but thatās not ethically sound because journos need to abide by the principle of acting independently so they are not swayed by interests other than that of the public.
The best thing about Inoue though is that Romeo Tanaka seems to have a decently good grasp of what journalists need to do. During Kotori route, Kotarou had a great deal of respect to her eagerness to seek the truth (the most important principle in journalism). And in hindsight, a lot of her leads involve public interest: Kotarouās āillegal entryā thing and Akaneās bribery thing may be hinting to corruption in their school, the rainbow river is an important environmental concern and later even hinting an underground conspiracy. I really appreciate this effort in portraying her as a passionate journo who genuinely seek truth rather than someone who just like to write controversies for the sake of it. I mean itās not entirely unrealistic; itās just a really tiring stereotype that doesnāt exactly reflect what real-life journos do (though frankly reflects the state of the media industry because moolah).
Other than that, I only have two minor nitpicks: (1) Inoue is actively pissing off sources when real life journos tend to be much friendlier (more like pretending to be friendly) towards people they are planning to criticize (they still need them to answer their questions haha), and (2) thereās no hint of her outrightly using the handy-dandy voice recorder, which is strange because itās their most important tool of the trade. Youāll need the soundbite girl and voice recorder is the best way to capture a soundbite. Notes donāt cut it, unless you write as fast as someone speaks or your sources can only speak off-the-record.
INOUE HAS A NAME?
WHENāS A-CHANS NAME.