Once upon a time, we were all young and had dreams. Matsushima Michiru has her own dreams – to become a world famous idol. After one fateful night of sulking, wishing, dying, and coming back to life, everything changes… sort of.
Idol Magical Girl Chiru Chiru Michiru follows young 14-year-old Michiru as she tries to follow her fantasy. After a talking cat comes crashing down on her, she becomes a Magical Girl who needs to defeat the evil Chaos’ that have come to Earth from the Magical World. Unfortunately, Michiru is a bit slow on the uptake and just wants to stay at home and eat ice cream and mochi all day. It turns out there’s another Magical Girl in the world though, and it just so happens to be the very person she idolizes.
The game is a spin-off from the Fruits of Grisaia series, though I haven’t been able to read/play it quite yet. It’s very lighthearted in its writing, and from what I gather of the main series, a lot more toned down. That’s not to say it’s completely clean – there’s a lot of talk of breasts and panty shots to be had. I’d say this definitely still makes it more aimed towards an adult audience.
Idol Magical Girl Chiru Chiru Michiru was split into two parts on Steam – the first part is seven episodes, with the second part covering the remaining six. Each time you complete an episode, you’ll be greeted with a credits scene. The first five episodes will also give you small intro/outro scenes that are actually quite funny. I was sad to see that they weren’t present for episodes 6 and 7, and I hope that they’ll be there when I dive into part 2.
The game definitely has an anime-vibe graphically. At one point, likely as a joke to the present story of it really being a “cheap” place, the background graphics turn into hand-drawn, crayon looking scenery that is actually quite hilarious. The character models remain as they are, and overall they only seem to have a set amount of “poses” they are in. This is pretty typical out of VNs though, so I guess I can’t really complain.
The music might get on your nerves after awhile, though I never actually found myself urged to want to mute it. It does at least typically fit the scene and keeps up with the lighthearted feel of the VN. Even in the most serious of moments, Michiru and the music find a way to make you laugh or just give you that slight “sigh” and head shake. Do note that the voice acting is all in Japanese, so you’ll be in for quite a bit of reading.
My main gripes with Idol Magical Girl Chiru Chiru Michiru are that I did spot a few typos, though definitely a lot less than I’ve seen in other VNs, and the price tag. Also, if you want to get both parts at full price, you’re looking at $40 dollars. Ouch.
If you’re able to get Idol Magical Girl Chiru Chiru Michiru on a discount then I suggest doing so. While it still presents some adult themes (looking at you, Lust section), it’s definitely not “full on” adult. At a price tag of $20 though ($40 if you want both parts, and I still haven’t started part 2), it does seem a bit high. The story is only around 4-5 hours in this part, depending on the speed you read at. It is otherwise quite an enjoyable visual novel with some parts that will really make you laugh, and it did at least really make me excited to dive into part 2.
Idol Magical Girl Chiru Chiru Michiru Part 1 Review Score
4/5
You can find my review for Idol Magical Girl Chiru Chiru Michiru Part 2 here.
Idol Magical Girl Chiru Chiru Michiru Part 1 is available now on Steam.
I would like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy for review.
