Imouto Paradise 2 (妹ぱらだいす 2) Review

Imouto Paradise! 2 (妹ぱらだいす2) is the sequel to Imouto Paradise! — at least it’s not a spiritual successor.

Why do I say that? I think a comparison shot is in order.

Here’s the main cast of Imouto Paradise! 1:

And here’s the main cast of Imouto Paradise! 2:

And I should point out that the characters in the two games are not meant to be the same people…

What the hell!!!

So with every character looking basically identical, the only thing inherited is the game’s pure-love spirit.

Even though it’s a second entry, in terms of story… character designs… art style… and even backgrounds… it’s like 80% identical to the first one… at least.

The oldest sister is still the gentle and virtuous one, the blue-haired one is still a bit tsundere, the blonde little sister is still timid, the golden-haired one is still super forward and overly familiar, and the black-haired one is still the little devil with chuuni tendencies… which isn’t bad, honestly. The art improved a fair bit, plenty of new expressions got added, and the sprite work is way better too.

Every time I want to complain about how the sequel keeps giving me déjà vu of the first game, all these little detail upgrades shut me up. Thinking about it again, the sequel is more like a perfect remake of the first game — it fixes almost every weak point.

Those weak points include not just the character designs, sprites, CGs, music, and systems, but the sequel also expands on what the first game did well. The big one worth mentioning is the surge in animated sprites — from just one per character to three per character, not even counting the hare… oh, I mean the special event scenes. It’s a complete overhaul and a huge step up from the previous game.

Of course, it’d be wrong to say the story is completely unchanged. The rhythm is still “pick who to visit each day,” then once you’re through the common route you head into the individual routes — but the route content itself has more tactful, elegant dialogue, the descriptions of the fluttering feelings between each heroine and the protagonist land better, and there’s also new content where the heroine helps the protagonist solve problems, instead of the first game’s “protagonist helps heroine” only. Mutual support is the best way to deepen the bonds of a family, after all.

So as a second entry, Imouto Paradise! 2 has a lot going for it. Its only real shortcoming is probably how similar the story is to the first game, plus that overwhelming sense of déjà vu in the cast. You can’t really call that approach objectively bad — it’s like buying an iPhone or an Xperia. It’s been roughly the same shape for years, nothing changes except minor tweaks and fixes, but it’s still a huge upgrade at its core. Use the new version, then go back to the old one, and you’ll find the old one is just that unpleasant to use.

The same goes for Imouto Paradise. Play the sequel, go back to the first one, and you’ll wonder what the hell that was…

So in that sense, the sequel earns its “2” title. The story does feel like reheated leftovers, but at least it keeps the pure-love essence intact. It also put real effort into the comedic elements — at least I actually saw some gags this time, instead of the prequel’s single-minded focus on warm family vibes.

The CVs in the sequel are completely different from the first game — not a single one is the same. Only one familiar name remains: Kinoshita Yaya, the white-haired little sister from LoveRec. Her voice work is pretty solid, though it doesn’t quite match the first game’s proper little sister from LoveRec.

One last thing: this game got an anime adaptation too, it’s just even worse than the first one’s…

Who are you, miss? The off-model art is just painful to look at!

And on top of that — the art is broken and they even drew the flowers on her head in the wrong direction! What the hell!!!!

Whatever. The anime exists to boost the source material’s sales, so I’ll let it slide. Besides, the sequel’s anime didn’t just break the art — it wrecked the story, turning the original’s innocent plot into something you can’t look at straight. No idea if MoonStone Cherry will keep making OVAs after this.

All in all, Imouto Paradise! 2 really does live up to its “2” billing. Everything about it is an evolution and improvement over the first game. If it’s your first time with the series, you can just start with the sequel — though after playing the sequel, there’s probably no reason to touch the first one.

Except for the English version of the first one.