Oni ga Kuru - Haruko x Riri scenes were amazing. Sachi was cute too

Oni ga Kuru ~Ane ga Hinshi de Pinchi Desu~ (鬼がくる。～姉がひん死でピンチです～) is a visual novel developed by Enishi Soft, the first and only title they released. It focuses heavily on Japanese mythological elements and is reminiscent of two other visual novels titled Oniuta and Onimari, especially since they share the same artist.

The story follows Takamine Haruto as he faces the dark reality of his older sister, Haruko, dying from a mysterious, incurable sickness. Despite all his efforts and frequent prayers at the shrine, he is unable to save her and begins shouting at the gods for abandoning her.

That is when the goddess Kohime appears. She explains that she lacked the power to save Haruko due to a lack of faith in her shrine, which serves as her power source. She provides an initial treatment to keep Haruko alive and well, but it is only a matter of time before the effect wanes. Consequently, Haruto is tasked with finding a way to accumulate enough faith for her to be saved permanently.

Kohime materializes in the human world and starts living with Haruto to find a solution. Keeping this a secret from Haruko, however, causes her to feel like Kohime is stealing her brother away. Add Haruto's childhood friend, Riri, to the mix, and you have the typical setting for a comedic love triangle between the four of them.

I call it comedic because, in all the routes, there is never full-blown drama regarding who is chosen in the end, nor is there much drama during the process. Riri's route features a minor clash between her and Haruko, but the end result is positive for everyone involved.

There is a route for each of the three heroines, but they follow an enforced route order. Kohime’s route is only available after completing the routes for Riri and Haruko. While the game does not say so outright, it is clear that Kohime’s route is considered the true ending because of the larger volume of content exploring her origins as a goddess.

You do not need to worry about finding a walkthrough for this visual novel because there is only a single choice that determines which ending you receive. It is very easy to understand because it directly mentions the heroine's name. Just remember to save at that moment so you can reuse the save for all three routes.

The heroines are:

Kohime: The main heroine of the story. She is the goddess of the shrine where Haruto was praying, and she seems quite human when she materializes. As a historical girl in traditional Japanese clothes, she naturally uses the "jya" suffix and refers to herself as "warawa," much like an elderly person.

Takamine Haruko: Haruto's blood-related older sister. She is utterly in love with him, views other girls as potential enemies, and works hard to limit his interactions with them. Although she is supposedly sickly, she often displays absurd feats of strength that go beyond human capability.

Kujou Riri: Haruto's childhood friend. She is a level-headed and serious girl who has loved Haruto for a long time. She is generally a model student, but she has one small, insignificant problem: she is a heavy stalker who enjoys watching Haruto from afar in rather creepy ways.

Other characters appear in the story, but they are of minor importance. These include Riri’s mother, Mari; Haruto’s friend, Miki Seishirou; and Haruto’s classmate and shrine maiden, Tainaka Sachi. Sachi actually has an ecchi scene despite not being a main heroine, which was a bit of a shame.

I am a bit torn when it comes to choosing a favorite. While I think Riri’s route was the best because I enjoyed the comedy-focused writing, I find Haruko to be more beautiful overall. Furthermore, Kohime has the most plot-heavy story, which was genuinely interesting to read.

The character designs and art are made by Izumi Ico, who is well-known in the industry for titles like the previously mentioned Oniuta and Onimari. While it is a matter of taste, I think his style fits the traditional Japanese setting of this visual novel perfectly.

The game has one of the catchiest visual novel opening themes I have ever heard. Between the song and the animation, I find myself re-watching it often. The title is "Hana Saku Iro wa Koi no Gotoshi," performed by Tsukiyama Sae. There are also two other songs: the ending theme, "Koi ga Naru," sung by Fukunaga Yoru, and the insert song, "Toki, Hana, Yume," sung by Sakura Emi, who is also the voice actress for Kohime. Give them a listen on YouTube; you won't be disappointed.

Oni ga Kuru. Ane ga Hinshi de Pinchi Desu was a great read. If you are looking for something light, I definitely suggest giving it a shot. The total length was 27 hours for me, though this may vary depending on your reading speed and whether you stop to listen to every line of dialogue like I do.