Everlasting flowers - Mina was great. Second half was a bit...

Everlasting Flowers is an all-ages visual novel developed by flowers.studio and sprite, released in 2024. I was quite hyped for it, as the trailers highlighted something that could have become a memorable experience. While it did not quite reach those heights, it still left a positive overall impression on me.

The story follows Sakashita Mina as she begins working at a seaside lodge as a live-in waitress alongside another employee, Seino Ran. The lodge is run by the manager, Yanase Michiko, and her granddaughter, Naruse Himari. Originally, Mina was enrolled in a famous all-girls high school, but due to the difference in social status, she eventually dropped out and became a shut-in.

This becomes a journey of healing and self-improvement for Mina as she faces new challenges while interacting with the bold and forward Ran. The two bond together, and things seem to be going well, even if their relationship eventually leads to a clash that requires time to mend.

The first half was a marvel to me. Seeing Mina and Ran face each other, clash, and eventually meet in the middle was great. You can see the progress happening, and I was genuinely looking forward to reading more. However, the second part of the story introduces another girl, Tachibana Sanami, and reveals more about the actual setting, which honestly left a bad taste in my mouth. It was not terribly bad, but it definitely caused the story to fall short of the "masterpiece" status it was close to reaching.

The characters of the visual novel are:

Sakashita Mina

The protagonist of the story. She is an extremely shy and depressed girl who was affected by how she was treated at school, causing her to lose trust in others. Her development in the story is quite fast and may feel a bit forced at times.

Seino Ran

She has dyed blond hair, teal eyes, makeup, and nail polish. With her bold and forward personality, she is the personification of a "gal," which makes her a terrible match for Mina at the beginning. she keeps pestering Mina until she manages to open her heart and allow herself to change.

Yanase Michiko

The current manager of the seaside lodge. She tries her best to keep the business afloat, even if the remote location makes it hard to remain profitable. She is an older woman with a dry personality and is generally quite strict. She loves to play the guitar and acts as a mentor figure for the girls.

Naruse Himari

A hardworking middle school student. She is the real owner of the lodge, having inherited it from her parents, though it is currently under the management of her grandmother, Michiko. She is proactive and wants to find a way to make the place profitable to keep it running.

Tachibana Sanami

A university student who only appears physically in the second half of the story. She was the person Ran was frequently talking to on the phone during the first half. Honestly, my impression of her is poor, as she did not have much development in the story.

SPOILERS IN THIS SECTION

The problem I mentioned refers to the fact that the entire setup between Mina and Ran was prepared from the beginning to help Mina recover from her school issues. The seaside lodge has been providing these kinds of "services" for a long time, and Ran was actually the "target" the previous year. Now, she is "paying it back" by helping Mina.

This revelation washed away the magic of the meeting between Mina and Ran for me; it "broke the spell" I was under during the first half. The arrival of Sanami only worsened the situation, as she felt shoehorned into the story just to add another character. I felt her presence added nothing to the narrative.

The remainder of the visual novel, where Mina tries to help Himari find a way to ensure the lodge persists (since Michiko was planning to close it down), was fine. However, it lacked impact and felt more like a side story than a proper epilogue for Mina’s journey.

Artistically, the visual novel is outstanding. This is true not only for the quality of the individual CGs but also for the sheer quantity of them, which ensures you are always enthralled by the presentation. There are very few instances of the "standing and talking" sprites common in other visual novels.

Overall, I still suggest Everlasting Flowers as a visual novel to read, even with its shortcomings. It is a short read, totaling about nine hours, and I am sure you will enjoy most of it.