We are already a good way into 2016 at this point with people winding down after the holidays and people still holding on to their New Year's Resolutions...hopefully. What better way to start the Writing Features this year than with the 10th official feature! Let's get this party started:

Kemuri to Kagami

Link: fav.me/d99xunw
Creator: Catequin
Creation Date: September 17th, 2015
Number of Chapters: 7
Protagonist: Minoru "Bill" Tsukino
Completion Status: In Progress


In a Nutshell:

Pros:

   - Great grammar
   - A good mystery

Cons:

   - Slow Start
   - Lots of references
   - Hard to keep track of characters


Review:

Kemuri to Kagami is one of those stories that comes out every once and a while that tries something different. It follows the main character, Bill, who goes with his friends families on a business trip to a lodge in the mountains. A bad snow storm makes it so they are essentially trapped there and have to find ways to keep themselves occupied and wait for the storm to pass. Things begin to go awry when a letter arrives and the parents begin to panic. What follows is the protagonist trying to figure out what is happening while strange events and actions start to make everyone skeptical of those around them.

It is a very nice change of pace from the usual character transforms in first few chapters and is rescued by PRT plot. Heck, it takes a while before Pokeumans are even brought up, playing itself like a standard supernatural mystery for the early chapters. Knowing that it is a Pokeumans-fic helps with coming up with theories but it really does not give away too much at all. Most of the focus in terms of characters goes towards the kids/teenagers in the lodge who Bill ends up interacting with the most. On top of them there are also their parents, the lodge staff, and some other people that come along. With such a large cast most characters have not gotten a lot of development in these first chapters and it can be hard to keep track of everyone as a result. Despite this though there are still some characters that do stand out.

The pace at the beginning of the story is pretty slow and that coupled with the lack of Pokeumans for the first parts can be a bit of a turn off for some. However, this slow start is necessary as it does help to introduce some of the characters and get to know them. Sure there are still quite a few characters that are harder to remember because of the sheer number them but this slower start does help some characters stay in your mind. The author also makes a lot of references to literature and anime for both comparisons or for comedic affect which can make it hard for those who have not read the books or watched the shows mentioned to get what is happening. Overall though the writing flows really well and does not bog itself down with extreme detail or rush things. With the plot starting to take off it looks as though there will be a lot to look forward to in the future.


Creator Comment:

The things I did to alleviate boredom.

- Catequin


Final Word:

It's stories like these that really peak my interest. They go and find some idea that has not been seen a lot in the group and experiments with it to see how it can turn out. The characters may not be very fleshed out yet but with an interesting mystery and for the good flow I have to recommend it. I will definitely be looking forwards to seeing where this story will take us.