Love Rec

First, I should explain Alcot's varying styles to those who aren't accustomed to me discussing this company. Alcot has three types of VNs it makes. One is the classic charage type, like Clover Days.
The characters and story are funny but tend to be shallow, with little overall depth. Nonetheless, because the stories are funny, you still like them anyway. The second type are the more serious works, like Kurenai no Tsuki, which have more adult (not in the sexual meaning of the word) themes and an actual central plot. This type can range from mysteries to high fantasy, and of the three types it has the most varying quality between works. The third type is their fantasy/sci-fi comedy games. Starting with Osadai (Girlfriend is President) and including Naka no Hito, this type tends to keep the humor of the charage types (sometimes including silly story elements such as giant pandas with pretty human daughters) and include a much deeper type of character development (mixed with the humor).

This game falls into the third category, at least from the common route and the first route so far. It has a definite element of fantasy to it, and the interactions in the common route are fast paced and generally hilarious. At the same time, the protagonist is one of the few 'normal guy' types I felt escaped that particular protagonist type's limitations, due to his addiction to his camera and his supportive nature toward those who catch his interest.

Nori
Nori is a young woman who reached the heights of pro video editing while still in middle school, but she gets dragged out of her hikikomori lifestyle through a combination of her big brother's efforts and the protagonist's encouragement (and timely questions). Her path has an indecent amount of ichaicha, but since she also grows a great deal during the course of the path, it is hard to complain. Her confrontation of her personal issues, in addition to the drama near the end, is the focus of the path, and it makes the ending a lot more satisfying than you normally would expect. While this route didn't contain an epilogue that could satisfy me, it is a solid path nonetheless and something to look forward to for fans of oppai.

After finishing this VN, I had a lot of thoughts... mostly positive. There is almost nothing to complain about with this VN. It shows off the best of Alcot's style of work, with hilarious character interactions, good nakige scenes, and a strong true route and ending. From the perspective of someone familiar with the structure of this type of nakige (which is what it turns out to be), this one is fairly close to kamige level.

First, there are four main heroines in this VN. Chiho, the deredere osananajimi who has absolutely no qualms about showing off either her love for Akira or her somewhat perverted/twisted personality. Miyuki, the tsundere ojousama amateur (almost pro) director with an incredibly demanding personality and a fondness for lolis that almost makes you think she is a female Steve. Nori, the professional video editor with the sweet, quiet personality and an intense otaku hobby (as well as being a devoted follower of idols in general and a specific virtual idol in particular). Last of all, there is Hitomi, the spirit of Akira's camera who materialized for the sole purpose of aiding Akira... and who has an almost endless hunger for food in general and sweets in particular.

This game is unapologetic in its approach to comedy, ecchi, and its somewhat ridiculously off the wall character interactions... and that is probably its biggest overt attraction. For those who begin watching the VN, its comedy is what will draw you in. The decision to resurrect the 'loli true heroine' cliche actually worked out well in this case, as Hitomi was portrayed perfectly in her role, presenting the kind of vulnerability mixed with adorableness and sweetness that the community's lolicons absolutely adore. Akira, being a solid 'following his dreams' type, actually serves well as a male lead, which is a rarity in this type of VN, where the protagonist usually exists just to be a cipher.

The downside to this game is that the heroine routes other than Hitomi's are somewhat overshadowed by Hitomi's route, which only makes sense in the bigger context. However, it isn't as much of a downside as you might think... since the true ending after-story is basically a straight-out harem ending

For those who enjoyed Alcot's previous works, such as Osadai or Naka no Hito, this is a great choice. This is also good for those who like the twin aspects of comedy and nakige-style catharsis and those who just want to sit back and enjoy a moe-style VN with a reasonably good story. While the story itself is yet another take on a familiar old trope, it is carried out well enough that you can't help but enjoy it anyway.

Edit: I should have added that most of the nakige stuff (except for some heroine issues) is in Hitomi's path... This isn't an innovative game, and it doesn't add anything new to VNs in general. What it does well is utilize the cliches and archetypes about as well as it is possible to do, creating a high-level game of the type. If you have to follow the cliches of charage/nakige in general, this is a really good way to do it, in other words. This isn't VN of the Year material, but it is definitely VN of the Month material.