Hatsukoi 1/1 finally finished:

Anything listed in my hall of fames, an explicit endorsement of a work of art, is something I've enjoyed to the fullest extent possible myself.  If it's a video game it's a game I've beaten.  If it's a visual novel it's a visual novel I've fully cleared.  If it's a song I've listened to it at least 100 times.  If it's an anime I've watched it at least twice.  If it's a manga or book I've read it in full.  I'm not a hypocrite who would ask more of others than I've asked of myself.  So it was very frustrating that Hatsukoi 1/1 was in my hall of fame but I couldn't play the final append disk of the visual novel myself.

For five years the situation remained in that unsatisfactory stasis, until I checked out the visual novel database and discovered that there was indeed a full translation of the visual novel, that it had been out for ages, and I'd totally missed the boat.  But once I did find out I quickly amended the situation and now it's full cleared like a hall of fame work should be.

Yukino isn't my preferred heroine but in a way she was the most memorable one, because my route with her led to writing an entire angry, impassioned permapost titled 'a season for all things,' which is one of the best things I've ever written on this blog.  So in a way her append disk was the most important one of all.  I'm sorry to say it's basically just pure sex scenes from start to finish.  As expected of Yukino material, it still isn't any good.  But the meta-value of getting to say with a straight face that I've completed Hatsukoi 1/1 is priceless.  Not being a hypocrite is invaluable.

In good news and bad news, 'Sakura, Saku' is coming to an end, with most of it still untranslated into English.  But the good news is an official company has licensed it and will start releasing the work in English this November.  Who knows how long it will take the official company to catch up with and surpass the fan translators, but someday they will.  The important thing is that someday we'll get to see the ending of this lovely work.  Waiting is painful, but despairing of ever getting to see an ending is much worse.  We've avoided the worst fate, so everything else can be endured.