Love on Leave (Ore no Yuukyuu Koi Monogatari) is a cute visual novel about a burned-out office employee who quits his job and takes a two-week vacation to replenish his energy. His destination is the quiet town where he grew up. He reunites with three attractive sisters who give him a place to stay.
A Well-Earned Vacation
Love on Leave follows our protagonist, who desperately needs a vacation. Akito Kiyama worked at a dead-end company that abused its employees with unpaid overtime. They all left one by one, and their work was given to Akito to finish. He finally had enough and joined them out the door. Fortunately, he saved up two weeks of paid vacation. He considered going to a hot spring, but he remembered the quiet country village where he grew up.
His spirit started to feel at ease when he arrived there. He made plans to relax at an inn, and maybe even pursue a childhood dream of becoming an author. However, that inn was closed for renovations. Just as his hopes were dashed, the three sisters he fondly remembered, Kanami, Amane, and Hibiki Amakusa appeared.
These three lovely angels offer him a place to stay. The motherly older sister Kanami, the tsundere middle sister Amane, and the cute younger sister Hibiki are all overjoyed to see him again, even if Amane cloaks it behind bewilderment. It’s decided that he’ll stay with them on their farm. This gives Akito a chance to reconnect with the lovely sisters, and perhaps start a heart-pounding romance with one or more of them.
Artful Scenes and Characters
The art style is simply great. The colors pop from the screen, making the first sunset warm and inviting. The character art makes each character unique. No effort was spared on even the finer details, such as frills or laces. The girls themselves are “well-rounded” and “defined” in all the best ways.
Love on Leave has side-scrolling sections where characters can move from location to location. The character models are much the same in these sections. Eagle-eyed players will note that certain physics are present when the girls walk.
The Perfect Tune for the Moment
The in-game music is beautiful. There are different tunes that play depending on the scene and mood in Love on Leave. It’s wistful when Akito is riding the bus to the village, and upbeat when he meets with the Amakusa sisters. It’s not elevator music in the slightest. It’s the sort of music you can just put on to listen to.
The girls here are fully voiced, and they were all perfectly cast for their roles. It’s obvious that these are all professional voice actors. Akito doesn’t have a voice actor here, but it’s likely due to the developer’s wish that the player will put themselves in the role.
The sound effects are done just as well. The sounds of the bus rolling around, and even the keyboard clicking while Akito was at the office. Each action one would expect to hear is heard. All of this fully immerses the player in the world.
Navigating the Battlefield of Love
As previously stated, there are side-scrolling sections where players will navigate around the game. Akito can walk in and out of the house and visit separate locations. This is also where players can save the game: just visit any phone and save.
There are multiple choices to be made, and different endings to be unlocked. Players can dedicate themselves to one or all sisters. I’m just going to assume most of you will go for that harem ending, as it is clearly the most valid one.
Love on Leave also has plenty more to offer than most visual novels. Besides being able to walk around, there are mini-games to play. Without spoilers, there’s a card game, and we see Akito fishing. It’s all done exceedingly well, and it’s plenty of fun.
Finding Love on Leave
In conclusion, Love on Leave is tailor-made for visual novel players who want a bit more to do besides clicking on a screen to advance a scene, while occasionally making story-important decisions. The art and music are all top-tier, and the gameplay is really fun. The story is nice and heartwarming as well. It’s an easy recommendation for fans of visual novels.
Love on Leave is currently available for PC on Steam and with a 10% discount on GOG. It is also available on the Nintendo Switch.
©qureate, MediBang
Anime Corner was provided a review copy of Love on Leave.
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