My Neighbor is a Yandere!? Review

It’s not often you find yourself strapped to a bed and waking up from a apparent state of prolonged unconsciousness only to find a beautiful woman standing before you. For some people this might be something that happens often, perhaps daily, but for our protagonist it is the first occurence. These opening moments help define what you can expect from My Neighbor is a Yandere!? from developer Maranyo Games, a visual novel when you step into the shoes of Seijuro.

First and foremost for those unfamiliar with the term “yandere”, allow me to explain it in the shortest way possible. It is made of two other words with the first half referring to someone who is sick, with the “dere” part taken from the word “dere-dere”, which means “to be lovestruck”. In its simplest meaning, yandere is used to describe someone who has a loving intent but can quickly become aggressive and often homicidal. The word is often used in the context of visual novels, such as this one, to refer to a girlfriend who is somewhat unhinged. You know, the usual “if they won’t love me then I’ll kill them” kind of love interest.

As My Neighbor is a Yandere!? is a visual novel you can expect to be making a lot of choices during the story that will determine the route and ending you’ll experience. Each of the choices is usually broken down into three separate reactions that fit an emotion or personality. For example, you could be blunt and rude throughout or you could be shy and thankful for all that your neighbor is doing for you. I mean, she has taken care of you during your state of illness even if it meant strapping you to the bed.

The story as a whole however is fairly straightforward and typical of such a visual novel. It is worth mentioning at this point that the whole experience, including unlocking all story events and endings, will last around an hour. It might be a short visual novel but it maintains a pretty high standard of visual quality and writing that you will enjoy it from start to end. Do note though that the title is played in a portrait window, akin to a mobile phone, even on computers. Some players might find this a bit awkward but it really isn’t a problem.

In the sound department some players will be sad to hear that the title is not fully voiced in English. Japanese voice acting is included but only a small selection of the dialog is actually voiced. The delivery is good, however, and doesn’t take away from the experience. The same applies to the music which, although lacking in variety, is enjoyable and fits the scenes.

Of course, being the sort of title that it is you can expect to encounter some rather intimate motions. Depending on the route you take through the story you may get lucky enough to enjoy two scenes. One takes place in the bathroom during the usual “let me wash your back” kind of situation and the other is on the bed. The details I’ll leave for you to enjoy on your own but know that the art is to a high standard and the writing is actually believable.

In all, My Neighbor is a Yandere!? is a short but sweet visual novel that delivers some satisfying moments during it’s runtime. It won’t be for everyone but for those who want to spend an hour with a beautiful girl who may or may not kill them, this is the visual novel for you. Now to see where the developers take the story moving forward.