Z.A.T.O. thoughts
While I'm working on the never-ending Shigatsu Youka review, I had the privilege of reading a new free English-language visual novel! I'm always excited to see new spins on the medium.
Z. A. T. O. // I Love the World and Everything In It, which I'll just call ZATO, is a short 5-hour piece made by one person that tackles the denpa genre in a new light, set in 1986 USSR.
Overall I rather enjoyed it. It's a fun modern western spin on the genre which I think lands well and ekes out a new niche. The highlight was definitely Asya's monologues; the imagery and prose she uses is quite inspired and leaves an impression, and it had me at full attention whenever she started waffling. The characters and scenario itself were somewhat barebones, but still effective at sending across the vibe and themes the writer was going for.
I do think this falls for the common sci-fi trap of ending the story right when it was about to get interesting. The setting is intriguing but I can't help but feel the narrative is drowning in the vastness of the ideas it has, and it would need to be 3-4 times longer to properly live up to what it's going for. If this was volume 1 and the writer was planning a sequel series, I would be down for that 100%.
I adore the art, music and craft on display though, and it's worth reading for that alone. Especially if you like the atmosphere of Misericorde I would recommend you read this, as I think it's that+1 in some ways, though of course they have different goals.
I have no clue why this is free though. I would happily pay 5-10 bucks for this.
