I’m suffering from “choice paralysis” right now. I have so many games I’d like to play that I’m running away and not playing any of them. Instead I’m retreading old ground with La Corda d’Oro, a musical otome game I first played in 2014. You can read my initial thoughts on the gameplay and all that, no need to talk about all that again.

In the years since I played the original, I’ve also played La Corda d’oro 2, 3 and 4, so going back to the first game after all that time was a slight shock to the system. Many of the things I took for granted in the later games like blatant route clearing hints, the ability to forward text you’ve already read and being able to exit maps easily are not present here. The game also doesn’t save information you earned on previous playthroughs, so if for example you learn Hihara’s favorite interpretation on one route, you’ll have to jot it down somewhere or else.

The romantic routes are also more barebones than in the later games, which makes sense because there’s much less time for romancing in OG La Corda d’Oro. You’ll be lucky to get a single date with your guy of choice, and that’s if you’re really lucky. Of the four routes I did this time, only Tsukimori took me out anywhere, and only once at that. The amount of character development is also fairly low, which is why they haven’t changed much by the time you meet them again in the second game. Tsukimori is a cold jerk, then he’s less of a cold jerk. Tsuchiura pretends he doesn’t like music, then he realizes he does, Hihara is just Hihara all the way through, etc.

I cheated a little by checking a FAQ for their favorite presents and stuff, but I didn’t use one to try and get all their events. I find playing by the book a little too tedious, even for a game I’ve played countless times already. Let me share the info I gathered.

La Corda d’Oro characters, rivalry, presents, favorite songs (source)

Tsukimori Len
How to raise his rivalry: Skill, all expressions, total BP received must all be high.
Presents: メモスタンド (memo stand) (BP80) ハンカチ (handkerchief) (BP80) 靴磨きセット (shoe polishing set) (BP120) フォトスタンド (photo stand) (BP240)
Favorite pieces: 感傷的なワルツB, カンタービレB
Thoughts after redoing his route: I still failed to get his true ending, but I got a few more events with him melting down little by little. For example, he shares an event from his childhood when some envious older kids tried to break his fingers to stop him from playing the violin. That’s dark, man. But it shows his closeness with Kahoko at that point since he is willing to share that story with her.

When I first did his route, I was baffled because the issue of the magical violin was seemingly glossed over completely. With more detail, it’s still a matter of the game writers making Tsukimori have no problem with it any more. But they do show him realizing that she’s working hard and practising a lot. Hard enough to deserve a handicap like a magical violin, more or less.

Besides, there’s a clear sense of smugness in his behavior after he finds out about the cheat violin. Like “Heh, I’m still better~.” So maybe that’s how he makes his peace with the whole issue. In the end his conclusion is the same: the end justifies the means. As long as you make others love violin music, that’s good enough His true ending may have a different conclusion, but he’s such a prima donna I don’t want to deal with his route again.

Tsuchiura Ryotaro
How to raise his rivalry: Melancholy (愁情) expression must be high
Presents: お守り (talisman) (BP80) シェークスピアの本 (Shakespeare book) (BP80) パズルの本 (puzzle book) (BP120) 卓上カレンダー(desktop calendar) (BP240)
Favorite pieces: 感傷的なワルツA, ハンガリー舞曲集第2番C
Thoughts after redoing his route: Totally failed to get any meaningful events with him because his route was the first one I replayed and I was busy trying to get the hang of the mechanics again. To get the most events without slavishly following a FAQ, you should aim to raise affection by around 200 points between concerts. Meanwhile I barely had 400 heading into the final concert and very low rivalry, so yeah, I didn’t get much. I might re-redo his route later.

Still you do see clear hints of him rediscovering his love of music, which eventually leads him to join the music department (Corda 2) and eventually become a famous conductor (Corda 4). Ahh, I want a new game!

Shimizu Kenichi
How to raise his rivalry: High level of skill
Presents: アイピロー(eye pillow) (BP80) 金属製のしおり (metal bookmark) (BP80) パスケース (pass case) (BP120) 目覚まし時計 (alarm clock) (BP240)
Favorite pieces: G線上のアリアC, ラ･カンパネッラC

Hihara Kazuki
How to raise his rivalry: High level of vividness (彩華)
Presents: ラッパのキーホルダー (trumpet-shaped key holder) (BP80) ファータストラップ (Fata strap) (BP80) お手ごろポーチ (handy pouch) (BP120) フォトアルバム (photo album) (BP240)
Favorite pieces: ロマンス　ト長調A, 3つのロマンス第2曲C
Thoughts after redoing his route: I managed to get his true ending! It made me realise I barely saw anything of his route when I did first it, because this is all unfamiliar territory. Just like in La Corda 2, sunny Hihara has his “emo moment” when he goes into a brief funk because he feels like Kahoko is working so hard while he’s always being scatter-brained and getting in her way. He sulks about it for a couple of days then decides, eh, not gonna worry about it. Hihara gonna Hihara and all that. He even explicitly refuses your help and comfort, so what am I gonna do?

After that he fumbles around trying to confess but not really confessing. You know, the usual “What do you think about me? Wait, don’t answer!” kind of thing. In the process, I realized… I don’t like Hihara’s voice. And I don’t like his blushing face. And I’m okay with being friends, but I don’t really see him as romantic material, at least not in this game.

Yunoki Azuma
How to raise his rivalry: Total BP accumulated must be high
Presents: 花ばさみ (flower shears) (BP80) 炭苔 (moss planting charcoal) (BP80) 銀のスプーン (silver spoon) (BP120) 茶香炉 (tea ceremony incense burner) (BP240)
Favorite pieces: ロマンス ト長調C・夢のあとにC
Thoughts after redoing his route: I really don’t like Yunoki, but he’s better in this game than in La Corda 2. In my first round of playthroughs, I always raised his affection and rivalry a bit, so I always got to see the “true” Yunoki, who is a snide bully. That was all there was to him IMO, just part of the game.

That’s why in this set of playthroughs, I was astonished to find out that he maintains the facade till the end if you don’t go near him. In other words, it’s perfectly possible to play La Corda d’Oro several times and even complete all the other routes and still never see Yunoki as anything other than a kindly and friendly senpai. Just imagine the shock when you finally do his route!

I got his date ending again this time. It’s the easiest to get because raising his rivalry requires getting BP, and if you’re playing the game correctly you’ll be getting a ton of it. The route is mostly event after event of Yunoki saying something mean and then going “Haha, nobody will believe you even if you tell them” over and over again. Eventually he tells you that you brightened the final year of my high school life and I’m like “Gee your highness, I’m so honored.” Jerk.

Fuyuumi
How to raise her rivalry: High level of elegance (清麗)
Presents: ファータクッション (Fata cushion) (BP80) クラリネットのピンズ (clarinet-shaped pin) (BP80) ハーブ栽培セット (herb-growing set) (BP120) クリスタル一輪挿し (crystal single-flower vase) (BP240)

Favorite pieces: G線上のアリアA, ロマンス第1番A

Ousaki
Presents: 革製ブックカバー (leather book cover) (BP80) スケジュール帳 (schedule planner) (BP80) 手品グッズ (conjuring kit) (BP120) 折りたたみ傘 (folding umbrella) (BP240)
Favorite piece: シチリアーノB

Thoughts after redoing his route: [Placeholder for when I eventually do it. First time round I thought he was a bore, but after playing La Corda 2, he’s a nice guy with prospects, catch my drift? ;-]

Amou
Presents: 市内詳細地図 (detailed city map) (BP80) カメラのお手入れセット (camera cleaning kit) (BP80) 中国茶 (Chinese tea) (BP120) 手のひらテディベア (miniature teddy bear) (BP240)
Favorite piece: 金色のコルダA

Kanazawa
Presents: マゴノテくん (backscratcher) (BP80) 携帯用吸殻入れ (portable ashtray) (BP80) 携帯ラジオ (portable radio) (BP120) ミルクパン (milk bread) (BP240)
Favorite piece: ユーモレスクB

It sure would be nice if Koei-Tecmo would release the game officially in English sometime… More and more otome visual novels are getting localizations lately, but very few of them have the level of gameplay and quality that Koei’s Ruby Party games offer.

I earnestly advise fans to start learning Japanese so they can’t be held hostage to the whims and caprices of publishers and localizers. Learning a language has never been easier than right now, with tons of online books, resources and communities to help you on your way. And plenty of time off for most people due to a certain virus wreaking havoc across the world. Give it some serious thought.

Progress after taking up the piano once again

Speaking of learning stuff, I mentioned some time ago that I had taken up the piano again after about 10 years of not touching the thing. And it was largely due to the game reminding me how much I loved playing music once upon a time. I’ve been learning a lot of pieces in the years since then. Slowly approaching the limits of how much I can achieve by myself, but there’s still more I can do to improve so it’s a fun process.

My actual level of piano now is hard to measure because I’m not working with any teachers, but I’d estimate I’m around level 5 of the ABRSM piano grading scale. I say that because the piano pieces all look like very doable for me, but I would need help with the aural test and much more practice with sight reading. That’s all theoretical, because I’m not going to take any more exams for the rest of my life, unless they will add an extra digit to my paycheck.

For any adult in my situation thinking of picking up an instrument they’ve dropped, just do it. Don’t think too hard, just start again, even if it’s just 5 minutes a day or you just play one song ad nauseam. Even if you practise for a while, and drop for a while, and come back later, just start again. Three pieces of advice based on my experience:

1. Use all the resources at your disposal

Being an adult has a ton of advantages. Don’t focus on the downsides like less free time and less flexible minds/bodies. Think about the greater independence and greater financial freedom. If you want a new Yamaha upright, you can buy one. If you want pricey lessons from a tutor, you can get them. If you change your mind, you can fire them. If you want to take up a new instrument, or two, or three, you can totally do it. So many online resources, books, groups, tools, all yours for the taking. It’s pretty sweet.

2. Forget what lies behind

You can’t change what’s in the past, so there’s no use fretting about it. “Oh, I used to be so good.” Oh, if I hadn’t stopped, I could have been X.” All those wouldas and couldas are in the past, just focus on what you can do as you are right now. Like, even if someone invents a time machine you know you’re just going to go back and buy Apple and Amazon stock, not play the piano.

That said, if you’ve been away long enough for your skills to decline, don’t assume you can automatically pick up where you left off. You still have to build up the foundations again, go through the basics, practice a ton, get good teaching, and so on and so forth.

Ever replayed a video game and had a harder time on the second playthrough? In your first playthrough you probably spent a lot of time getting lost and inadvertently grinding, but this time you’re zooming from point A to B to C. Then you get splatted by a boss you steamrolled last time and you’re like “What gives?”

(And you might read that and think, hey she’s right, it’s totally like that with a musical instrument, but actually I’m just making stuff up as I go along, so don’t take me seriously :-p)

3. Grinding and levelling up is totally a thing!

Since I’ve jumped on the video game metaphor, I might as well ride that tiger all the way to the end. YES, you can totally grind and level your way through music! They call it “practice” and “improvement” but we all know grinding when we see it. Just like in games, there are more efficient and less efficent ways to practice and better and worse equipment. And when you encounter a boss (piece, technique) you can’t handle, it’s okay to shelve it and improve your skills by playing easier things. Or you can treat it as a compartment boss and break it down bar by bar. Or you can look up a FAQ or walkthrough (Youtube. Just watch Youtube videos).

In a way, it reminds me of 7th Dragon 2020. Totally random example, but hear me out (translation: I’m gonna force this metaphor until it works). The way 7th Dragon 2020 and 2020-II worked , you would usually encounter a new type of dragon whenever you entered a new dungeon. And in the beginning they would be quite challenging, but as you worked your way through the dungeon, leveiling up, upgrading your skills, buying new equipment, they would get easier and easier until eventually they became glorified mobs. Most RPGs work that way, but the neatly compartmentalized dungeons and dragon counter of 2020 stick in my mind the most.

In fact, writing about it makes me want to play a dungeon crawler. I wanted to play Yomi wo Saku Hana, but it’s not out yet and I don’t have a Switch yet. Failing that, I think I’ll play The Lost Child on the VITA. But first I need to clean up Atelier Firis and maybe write a final post. Eh, I’m so done with that game, I haven’t missed it at all. Anyway, that’s what’s on my agenda for the next couple of days. See ya.