2000https://escapethisplanet.files.wordpress.com/2022/06/sayasiconicgun.jpeg?w=1024 Behold Sayas iconic GUN It may seem odd for me to say that these Little Busters specials make for a worthwhile Little Busters test run for any interested newcomers. But believe it or not these specials dont require any prior knowledge of the series to enjoy nor do they spoil anything major from the main story except for one of the routes which Ill explain later. To summarize the existence of these specials youd need to know that the Little Busters visual novel had two major releases. The original Little Busters was released in 2007 and the first two seasons of the anime slim down most of its content into one viewing experience. In 2008 another version of the visual novel was released named Little Busters Ecstasy. This version added new 18+ scenes for every character lol but more importantly it introduced three entirely new character routes. One would focus on Harukas twin sister Kanata. The second would focus on Rins baseball rival Sasami and the last one focused on a brand new character altogether Saya. The contents of these specials focus exclusively on these three new character routes. That might not seem important in the grand scheme of the anime but consider that back when these specials were first released these new routes had not yet been translated into English. For the first time in the 5+ years since Ecstasys release a subtitled version of these episodes were the only way English speakers would get to experience these stories It would remain that way for another three years afterwards so whether or not you liked the Little Busters anime adaptation youd have to admit that this was a tempting offer. Two of my favorite Little Busters routes are Ecstasy exclusive meaning theyre both in this little collection. Sayas is one of them. In the game youre led on a wild puzzle/action adventure that involves navigating through underground mazes and shooting at ghosts. You will end up dying many times. This is all highlighted with Sayas cartoonish sense of humor and many goofy slapstick scenes along the way. Its by far the most ridiculous nonsensical route in all of Little Busters. It all ends with an emotional parting with Saya leaving her to exist only within this strange story. I could only wonder how in the hell this route would be translated into animation let alone four episodes of it. 2000https://escapethisplanet.files.wordpress.com/2022/06/sayadiesagain.jpeg?w=1024 Saya cannot grasp her newly animated existence. Turns out my question was answered quickly as Sayas route is the first that the anime covers. Youll have to believe me that as little sense as this route makes in the anime its comparable to the intended experience in the visual novel. Unfortunately much of the fun that comes with playing this in its original form is lost in translation. Youll have to trust me that Im not a VN elitist but this route was not intended for any other format. In the game youd need to choose the correct option or risk dying over and over again. You could even purposely die multiple times on each bottleneck to get some amusing extra dialogue where Riki starts to enjoy being killed. Seeing as Riki doesnt die once during these episodes his whole trial and error part of the process gets cut and thus you lose a lot of the fun that comes with it. With our four episode limitation Riki and Saya fluke every obstacle they run into. Of course the whole game reset aspect gets explained eventually though its a bit tricky to try and piece together what exactly is happening within Rikis universe during Sayas route. In true Maeda fashion its been written backwards. It doesnt make any sense until you hit the ending and ultimately it ends up being about as hacky as his usual stories. But its interesting and I still end up watching them anyways. Cant complain too much about it though viewers looking for something with logical structure might not be amused by Maedas writing style. 2000https://escapethisplanet.files.wordpress.com/2022/06/surprise.jpeg?w=1024 Up next: My favorite Little Busters character Sasamis route is the next one and its short as it is in the game. As far as Little Busters goes this is my favorite route and Sasami is my favorite character. Her story isnt impossible to translate into anime form so I was looking forward to seeing this one in motion. Its basic but also silly with a bittersweet ending. As the episode title indicates Sasami indeed turns into a cat at times for unknown reasons. Riki is left as the only person who can understand her and so it is once again up to him to figure out what to do But now that I have more time to focus on the story rather than trying to piece the events together I start realizing the main reason why Little Busters feels like a downgrade in anime form. Its the perspective Before I couldnt pin down why the anime felt less exciting despite having the same stories and even the same music as the visual novel. Now I see that watching this story unfold from a third person view is like watching a race from the stands rather than being on the track. Riki is not an interesting character mainly because hes intended to be experienced from the players point of view. Watching him from the outside zooms us back and takes a chunk of the focus away from the central character of the route. In short these stories make less sense from this perspective than they already did in the game. Unfortunately Sasamis route ending and all ends up not being as memorable here. That leads me into the last of these stories Kanatas. This is the one that spoils some of the story that being her sister Harukas route. Their backstories are shared and Kanatas story is essentially expanding on the ideas that were already laid out in the other one. Not that you need to see Harukas route to understand whats happening here Once again I do like these characters but their routes were some of my least favorite from the game. They both involve a ridiculous kids being treated like lab rats backbone with a sister sacrifice twist reminiscent of a situation that was laid out in an earlier popular visual novel Tsukihime. However Tsukihime involves vampires and oni whereas such an abusive upbringing feels out of place in the Little Busters world. 2000https://escapethisplanet.files.wordpress.com/2022/06/nom.jpeg?w=1024 Nom Either way Kanatas route ironically seems to work better in the anime with a fitting end to cap off this series of specials. Not as much focus is left on the backstory meaning we get to spend more time developing Kanatas character. Its only two episodes but its just enough to make a point. Riki and Kanata make for an oddly fitting pairing more so than with Sasami or Saya making the thirdperson perspective work better than before. Whether or not I was a fan of the adaptations of these stories I have to admit that theyre all balanced well against each other. Nowadays you can experience those Ecstasy routes in English on the Steam version of the game so theres no real reason to have to rely on these episodes anymore. Though they remain as a curious attempt to adapt more of Maedas bizarre stories into a watchable format. Despite being watchable in isolation it isnt entirely worth seeking out for those unfamiliar with the series. After all with such a limited focus youll be left wanting some more interaction with the other set of characters. But getting to see these side characters and their little moments put into animation is worthwhile enough by itself. They truly feel as out of place as they were intended to be in the visual novel and for what its worth I enjoyed it. 2000https://escapethisplanet.files.wordpress.com/2022/06/allhere.jpeg?w=1024 We truly are the J.C. Staff Little Busters