Thoughts on Kindred Spirits on the Roof

Those who follow me on Twitter know that I bought myself a certain yuri visual novel not too long ago. Now that I’ve attained enlightenment by finishing it, I figured I would share my thoughts on Kindred Spirits on the Roof.

Since I want to share my thoughts on all the characters and their relationships, I think it is only fitting to stick this here first:

Spoiler Warning!

If you are yet to experience Kindred Spirits on the Roof and want to do so, then it’s probably best to give this post a miss. I’ll be discussing my favourite scenes and couples. I’ll also be including a few SFW screenshots, so that’s also something else to keep in mind before reading this post.
I won’t be posting any screenshots of scenes of characters getting intimate, but I will be sharing my thoughts on those particular scenes.
With all that said and done, might as well dive straight into my thoughts on Kindred Spirits on the Roof.
Guess I’ll start with a quick synopsis, though I imagine those who choose to read this post are already aware of the premise. Regardless:
Sachi Enoki and Megumi Nagatani are a pair of ghosts kindred spirits who haunt the roof of Kokonotsuboshi Girls’ Academy of Commerce. Sachi and Megumi are in love with each other, and wish to experience their “first time” together. Thing is, they have no idea how two girls get intimate with each other.
Cue Yuna Toomi, who is able to see and speak with the kindred spirits. Sachi and Megumi enlist Yuna to help them foster more yuri couples within the school. Part of it is to assist girls struggling with their hidden feelings, but Sachi and Megumi also hope their successes will provide them with the information they need so they can have their first time with each other.

Before I start sharing my thoughts on the characters and couples themselves, I’ll focus a little on how the game works. It’s standard visual novel fare, though the addition of the planner helps it to stand out.As you can see in the screenshot above, there are three different types of scenes. As you might expect, main scenes advance the plot. These scenes are generally told from the point of view Yuna, Sachi or Megumi – there are even occasions when it switches between the three.
Couple scenes are where the side characters get to shine – these scenes are told from their perspectives. These scenes involve characters growing closer to their loved ones.
Finally, extra scenes are just that – once you’ve finished the main plot, extra scenes are unlocked which reveal more about the characters. Some extra scenes also show character interactions not seen elsewhere.
You also have the option to view any CGs you’ve previously seen, and clicking on the headphones takes you to BGM mode. I guess now is a good time to say that my favourite songs in the game are ‘ClashingXSwords’, ‘Just do it!’ and ‘A. A. Ai!’. Both the opening and ending themes are pretty good as well.
The planner’s a pretty great way to keep track of everything, and I imagine it makes it easy to get back into the visual novel should you take a break from it.

I will now share my thoughts on each character, and then after that I’ll focus on the couples.
First up, Yuna Toomi. She’s the main character of Kindred Spirits on the Roof, and as such the majority of the main scenes are told from her point of view.
The great thing about Kindred Spirits on the Roof is that all of the characters are likeable, and they all experience their own personal growth.
I respect Yuna’s devotion to helping the kindred spirits, and I certainly can appreciate someone who is good at cooking.
I particularly enjoy the way Yuna develops as a character, which comes from lending her help to the couples in the school.
She’s not the best when it comes to her own feelings, though. Still, she does come to terms with them eventually, and that comes from the people she’s helped helping her.

Next is one the kindred spirits, Sachi Enoki. I like the mature, composed air she gives off. However, she has plenty of curiosity and a lot of the time that involves discovering the tastes of different foods.
When she first revealed that she was hiding her true self from both Yuna and Megumi, I was a little bit concerned about where things would go.
However, I feel like it was ultimately nothing; by the time she plucked up the courage to tell Yuna and Megumi about it, there was no way they were not going to accept her regardless of how she was. Again, though, she has my respect for being able to share her past with those closest to her, even though she thought it might bring her pain.

The other kindred spirit is Megumi Nagatani. I guess you can’t really talk about the two kindred spirits without mentioning how deep their devotion for each other is, so yeah; Megumi and Sachi are entirely devoted to each other.
In fact, Megumi’s devotion runs so deep that she can’t help but get jealous when it seems that Yuna is getting close to Sachi. She threatens to curse her several times, but it may be that she wouldn’t even know how to go about doing that…
Regardless, Megumi is a pretty fun character. She may not openly state it, but she does become rather attached to Yuna during the time they spend together.

That covers the three main characters, so now let’s move on to the supporting cast. First up, Seina Maki. She has a love of architecture, and that’s the reason she enrolled at the school. Her appreciation of the building soon takes a back seat to her love of Miki Aihara.
Seina is the first girl that Yuna helps out, and it is by providing a distraction so she can put a love letter in Miki’s bag.
From there, Seina is able to talk with Miki and their relationship develops. Seina even finds a place just for the pair of them, though that does lead to an event that causes Seina a lot of turmoil. Things work out, and later on Seina even gets one of the best scenes – I’ll be talking more about that in a little while.

Miki Aihara may just be one of the characters I felt the most sympathy for. The reason comes from her fellow students and even some teachers piling work on her.
I guess part of it comes from her own desire not to disappoint anybody, but the amount of work she takes on borders on absurd.
I did like that some of the other characters were entirely aware of this and did what they could to help her out, but ultimately it was Seina who gets her to change her ways.
There isn’t really too much more to say about Miki. It’s clear that she is extremely reliable, but as a result many people took advantage of that. Again, that does lead to one of the best scenes in the visual novel.

The perpetually sleepy Nena Miyama is certainly up there as one of my favourite characters. For someone who seems to be constantly napping, she is surprisingly aware of her surroundings.
Another scene I really like comes courtesy of Nena, and it is one in which she sheds her sleepy persona for a while. Again, I’ll talk more about that in a while.
She is friends with Umi and Sasa, and may just be the MVP when it comes to having the three of them stay as friends. Whilst Umi and Sasa are her closest friends, she also gets on well with Ano and Kiri – they are fellow gamers. Nena even manages to develop a good friendship with Yuna as well.

My first impression of Umi Ichiki was that she was incredibly annoying, particularly with her constant talk of friendship. Whilst that more or less remains constant throughout the story, she did grow on me over time – though I think Nena might be the reason for that.
It is revealed why she is so obsessed with friendship, which was another reason I started to like her more.
I haven’t even mentioned how Umi, Nena and Sasa are in the broadcasting club yet. Well, the three of them are in the broadcasting club, complete with a radio show.
After getting past the whole friendship thing, I really enjoyed Umi’s energy. She also has a shy side to her, particular when it comes to her girlfriend.

The last member of the Broadcasting Club trio is Sasa Futano. She tends to sound pretty harsh with her language, with no hesitation when it comes to saying things like ‘die’.
I guess her personality is a result of having to keep the sleepy Nena and hyperactive Umi  in check. Well, I doubt there is anyone else that she would rather be with, even if that isn’t something she would outright admit.
She values her friendship with Umi and Nena a lot, and is even prepared to give up on romantic feelings should they estrange one of them.
Overall, the broadcasting club trio are all pretty great characters – even if it takes a little while for one of them to get there.

Sonou Tsukuyo is a teacher at the school, though you might not think that at first glance. The subject she teaches is classical literature.
Her attempts to get certain students to refer to her as ‘Tsukuyo-sensei’ are futile, no matter how many times she repeats herself.
She is another character who can be relied upon, though too much work is tough for her frail body.
Honestly, there was a point where I found myself with a lower opinion of Tsukuyo; when she wrote of a certain someone’s confession as a misunderstanding. I actually shared Megumi’s sentiments after that happened.
But, much like with Umi, character development struck. It was revealed why Tsukuyo reacted the way she did, and she then went on to accept her own feelings. That certainly helped improve my impressions of her.

To quote a Tweet I saw rather recently, Kiri Tsurugimine is a ‘maths nerd lesbian’. She is the sole member and president of the maths club, of which Sonou is the advisor.
Kiri also has a weakness for cute things, and as such she can’t get enough of Tsukuyo. She soon realises that her obsession with Tsukuyo may be something more than a love of cute things…
She’s another character I felt sympathy for, particularly after her first confession to Tsukuyo.
Before that, though, I got a good laugh out of the scene where she is chased by Yuna, Tsukuyo and Hina. Also, as a fellow Monster Hunter bow user, she has my respect. In fact, she enjoys that together with Nena and Ano – Nena uses a lance whilst Ano uses dual blades.

Aki Ariu may just be the most surprising out of all the characters. The first couple scene she appears in refers to her as the ‘Demon Gate Guard’. She’s also a member of the disciplinary committee, so you’d expect her to be uptight.
Whilst she is serious about punctuality and seems to be rather intimidating, Aki is actually a really great character.
Whereas most of the cast more or less starts coming to terms with their sexuality during the course of the story, Aki has known for a long time that she prefers girls.
She takes an interest in Youka, and finds herself enjoying their brief encounters every day. The interactions between those two lead to what I feel may just be the best scene in the entire visual novel.

All the characters in Kindred Spirits on the Roof are great in their own ways and have their own particular charms, but if you asked me to pick out one favourite? That honour would have to go to Youka Koba.
Youka wants every aspect of her life to be rock, and as a lover of rock music myself, I can certainly identify with that.
She even thinks it is rock that she has fallen head over heels in love with Aki, and I’m inclined to agree.
Her rock lifestyle does result in her being late quite a lot, but fortunately Aki is there to set her on the right track.
I really quite enjoy how Youka has no qualms with saying whatever is on her mind. This does cause her to let a secret slip, but that is pretty much part of her charm.

Miyu Inamoto is the vice captain of the track and field team, as well as one half of a veteran yuri couple.
She’s the type that can be relied upon, and the captain of the track and field team is acutely aware of that. Though Miyu is the vice captain, she’s the one who draws up training plans and schedules.
Miyu wants to keep her relationship on the down low, as she is worried about her strict parents separating them should they find out about it.
This does lead to arguments between her and her lover, though most of the time they only really serve to strengthen their bond. However, one particularly bad argument ends up dragging Hina into their mess, and it’s a pretty bad time all around.

Matsuri Amishima is the captain of the track and field team, and Miyu’s girlfriend. The pair have been going out for several years before the events of Kindred Spirits on the Roof take place.
Matsuri’s desires often leaving her wanting to get intimate with Miyu, even going against rules established meant to keep their relationship a secret.
The whole rules thing turns out to be a huge headache, and its made even worse when Hina is dragged into it.
Even after that big argument, however, it’s clear that Miyu and Matsuri’s love for each other didn’t fade at all. I didn’t like the way they had to drag Hina into their fight, but I am glad to see that they were able to reconcile.

Hina Komano is Yuna’s childhood friend, and a member of the track and field team.
I’m not going to lie, I find Hina to be incredibly adorable. Kiri describes her as ‘Hercutelean’, and I get where she is coming from.
Hina is almost never seen without her tracksuit, but it seems that the school is incredibly lax when it comes to uniform.
She doesn’t ever really seem to have much to say, and if she does, she will get straight to the point. A rather amusing example of that comes from when she asks Miyu and Matsuri for advice about a specific topic in an extra scene – and it’s nothing to do with running.

Last, but definitely not least, we have Fuji Ano. She is the only character who is never referred to by first name.
She may not have any romance, but that doesn’t stop Ano from being a great character. I’ve already mentioned that she uses dual blades in Monster Hunter; if I’m not using ranged attacks, then I tend to prefer being a ‘demon dancing fool’ as well.
Ano’s also quite interesting in that she can sense the kindred spirits; she can’t perceive them as clearly as Yuna can, but she is aware of their presence. As such, she decided to help Yuna out in her own way.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention that Ano is incredibly forgetful. It seems that part of Yuna’s morning ritual at school is asking Ano if she forgot anything…
Ano may have large social circles and seem easygoing, but she is actually really quite shy. That’s just another of her charms, to me at least.

So, overall, a really great cast. There are moments where a few of them can be a little annoying or aggravating, but ultimately that all helps towards their growth. After all, a little drama is just life.
With all the characters talked about, I’ll guess I talk a little about each couple. I’ve already stuck a spoiler warning in the post’s intro, but I’ll reiterate it here just in case.

Might as well start with Sachi and Megumi, our eponymous kindred spirits. The first thing Megumi done after dying was go straight to Sachi and confess to her. I can’t help but feel it is kind of a shame that we are only told about that scene rather than witnessing it, since I feel like it could have been quite poignant.
There’s sort a sense of sadness there that the pair of them are unable to physically touch each other, but that certainly doesn’t stop them from loving each other with all their might.

Following that, Seina and Miki. It all starts with Seina plucking up the courage to place a love letter in Miki’s bag. Miki isn’t able to directly respond to her feelings right away, but the pair of them do become closer.
There is a bit of turbulence soon after, but it ultimately helps both girls realise their true feelings – and as I mentioned before, one scene in particular makes this a romance I am more than happy to support.

Next are Sasa and Umi. Umi constantly forcing Sasa and Nena to accompany her everywhere makes it hard for this relationship to get started. However, Nena is completely aware of it, and is eventually able to get away from the pair of them with help from Yuna and Ano.
Sasa is able to tell her true feelings to Umi whilst they share an umbrella, but that somehow makes the whole friendship thing worse. Umi becomes worried that Nena will feel excluded and grow distant, and those feelings seem to rub off on Sasa as well.
The two almost break it off, but Nena gives them a proper good lecture – one of the scenes I really liked.
After all that, the broadcasting club trio don’t really get to do much else until the extra scenes.

I’ve already stated how I felt when Tsukuyo told Kiri that her feelings were nothing more than an understanding. I’m glad she was completely and utterly wrong. To be fair, Kiri did take the time to think about her feelings, but I’m glad that she was able to remain true to them.
Tsukuyo revealing that she had experienced the same thing earlier in her life gave me a better understanding of why she said what she did, and any negative feelings I had for her were completely gone when she accepted and returned Kiri’s love.

It should come as no surprise that my favourite character would also be half of my favourite couple. Perhaps it’s because how unlikely it seems, but Aki and Youka are a really good match for each other.
I particularly enjoyed the way in which Youka was inspired by her love for Aki to write a song – ‘A. A. Ai!’, in fact. I also liked seeing a side of Youka that isn’t normally seen, what with her being incredibly nervous before performing it on stage at the school festival.
Aki’s reaction to the song is great too.
Surprisingly, it seems that Aki is barely able to hold herself back after that confession, particularly if that certain extra scene is anything to go by…

I mean this in the nicest possible way, but Miyu and Matsuri are a pair of idiots. Idiots that I find likeable, at least when they’re not dragging Hina into their fights. They both end up going on a school festival date with Hina (one in the morning, one in the afternoon). I guess their idiocy is the kind that is brought on by being in love…
They also blame each other for starting that particular fight. I do believe that Miyu is way to strict with her rules, but I also believe that Matsuri overstepped a boundary when she shouldn’t have.
I imagine that fights are inevitable when they’ve been going out for as long as they have, but to drag poor Hina into it…
However, they are able to overcome it in the end – perhaps because Hina makes a third choice when asked to decide between the two of them…

Finally, we have Yuna and Hina. Hina’s school festival dates result in her confessing to Yuna, who then struggles to come up with an answer for a significant amount of time.
Ultimately though, Yuna realises that she does love Hina, and it might just be the sweetest thing.
After all, Hina is Yuna’s childhood friend who has pretty much been a constant presence in her life. Hina absolutely adores Yuna’s cooking (as too does everyone else), and is even there to lend an ear when Yuna wants to get something of her chest.
Yuna does exactly that at one point, and that may be when her feelings towards Hina change. It takes her a long while to realise, even with all the friends she made giving her encouragement after Hina’s confession.
After seeing Yuna help so many other couples get together, it’s really rewarding to see her get together with Hina.
I know some people would have preferred Ano to get together with Yuna, but I respectfully disagree. I do like Ano, but I just feel Hina is a better match; particularly with extra scenes that go into more detail about Hina’s feelings for Yuna – both before and after she confesses.

I’ve mentioned certain scenes a few times now, so this is the part where I’ll be talking about my favourites. Without a doubt, my number one scene is Youka’s performance at the school festival.
Youka’s performing a song she’s put all of her heart into to share her feelings with the girl she loves. It helps that the song is really good, but more than that, Youka inviting Aki on stage and kissing her in front of the audience is an incredible moment.
The other couples pretty much keep their relationships under wraps, so it was great to see that neither had any reservations about demonstrating their love for all to see.

Another scene I really liked was Nena giving a lecture to Umi and Sasa on the roof. For a start, we get a non-sleepy Nena and it also results in Umi actually growing a little bit. Sure, she’s still all about the friendship, but she becomes less annoying with it at that point.

Seeing Seina snap when she overheard a student calling Miki a masochist was an amazing moment. After all the work that Miki had been stuck with doing, it sure was cathartic to see Seina do that.
What’s more, that whole scene caused Seina and Miki to grow even closer. I also quite liked how Seina said her family pretty much supported her actions when she told them about it.

Whilst there are plenty of dramatic and romantic scenes in Kindred Spirits on the Roof, the are some rather humorous ones as well. One that comes to mind is when Tsukuyo, Yuna and Hina chase after Kiri. She gives them quite the run around, and it is all capped off with Hina jumping out of the first floor window – which probably doesn’t sound impressive to an American, but as a Brit the first floor is the one above the ground floor.
Getting back on topic, that whole scene gave me good old laugh.

I guess I should mention the sex scenes, as well. It’s not something I’d talk about out loud, but I have no qualms with sharing my thoughts in writing.
I would say they are tasteful – well, as tasteful as scenes of two girls getting intimate can be. Anything that would normally be censored is never shown, and no matter the couple it is clear that they all respect each others’ bodies a great deal.
Those scenes never quite go as far as the ones from A Kiss for the Petals, but they certainly allow the couples to express their love for each other.
They are rather beautiful scenes in their own ways, with Tsukuyo taking the lead with Kiri being amongst the most memorable. Of course, Aki getting intimate with Youka is also one that stays firmly in the mind – after all, seeing my favourite character become intimate with the girl she loves was really heart-warming.

With my thoughts on various scenes out of the way, I’ll guess I’ll talk a little about the end. Now, I’m the type of person who doesn’t openly express my emotions, but I certainly know a tear-jerking scene when I see one.
When the time comes for the kindred spirits to part, Sachi seems to remain in control of her emotions. Megumi, on the other hand, can’t hold back her tears. That makes quite the contrast with Megumi’s usual personality.
It’s a good way to end the story; after all, a heartfelt departure leaves quite an impact when done correctly. Except the story doesn’t quite end there, what with Yuna and Hina deciding to re-do their first time without any ghostly influences. Again, another beautiful moment.

Then you go back and have all the extra scenes to read through, which reveals plenty more about all of the characters. Getting through those extra scenes is a real treat, and there’s some really great interactions there.
I particularly liked the scene in which Yuna discusses the school trip to Hokkaido; it’s just incredibly heart-warming to see all the friends she has made whilst helping out the kindred spirits.

The artwork for the series is pretty great, from the character sprites to the CGs. I think the artwork is pretty good at conveying the emotions the characters are feeling at any given time.

Kindred Spirits on the Roof is an incredible experience, and I can certainly see why it was met with such a positive reaction. The only downside I can really think of is that it has to end – though it certainly has a good ending.
Well, for me my Kindred Spirits on the Roof experience isn’t quite over yet. For a start, there’s the Drama CDs available on Steam – I may get round to buying them eventually.
One thing I know for certain that I will be buying is the Kindred Spirits on the Roof: The Complete Collection manga. Of course, once I’ve got hold of that and read it, I will share my thoughts on it.