Waifu Wednesday: Shinobu (Gal*Gun Double Peace)
The Gal*Gun games, which are enjoying their 10th anniversary this Waifu Wednesday, are built on a simple premise: is there such a thing as too much of a good thing? When you’re being swarmed by legions of overly aggressive women with apparently lewd intent who find you suddenly irresistible, turns out the answer is “yes”.
But hidden within this fantastical concept that the Gal*Gun series is built upon is a highly competent rail shooter, so, to celebrate the milestone anniversary of the original Gal*Gun (and the impending release of Gal*Gun Returns), for this week’s Waifu Wednesday, I wanted to showcase my favourite girl from the series, Shinobu Kamizono.
Who is Gal*Gun’s Shinobu Kamizono?
As Gal*Gun: Double Peace opens, Houdai Kudoki was having a normal day. Then, an act of moderate incompetence from an angel makes all the girls at his school find him painfully irresistible, leading him on an adventure to find love before the end of the day or be alone forever. Turns out Cupid’s Arrow comes with a lot of stipulations in this universe, but all is not lost because Houdai’s childhood friends also happen to be both potential love interests and demon slayers, which is very convenient.
The eldest of these demon-slaying sisters is Shinobu. She shows up to help Houdai get to the bottom of his predicament and capture the demon responsible. Along with her younger sister Maya, she is part of her family’s demon-hunting business, though she lacks Maya’s natural abilities and must use augmentations to even be able to see the tricky devils.
Why we love her
The Gal*Gun series is not one for subtlety or nuance. Throughout the story, you’re attacked relentlessly by the girls at Sakurazaki Academy on your path to uncover the cause of the situation as well as find love before the sun sets. Shinobu, depending on the route you take, is presented as a potential love interest as well as someone who happily makes use of (spiritual) sub-machineguns and rocket launchers to shoot demons in the head.
Despite the over-the-top ridiculous premise the Gal*Gun series is built upon, there is a sweetness to Shinobu and her situation. Despite lacking natural talent for fighting demons and having been far surpassed by her younger sister, she is eager to help both her childhood bestie and her sister to overcome the teenage horde that threatens to overwhelm them. Shinobu will do whatever it takes to help, even if she is slightly out of her depth.
Plus, she gets stuck in a window for a while, which is a stupid trope that I’m always amused to see any time it shows up. Because if we can’t laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation what are we even doing here?
Why you’ll love her
Shinobu hits a lot of different tropes throughout Gal*Gun: Double Peace. She’s a childhood friend with a mysterious past who was pre-ordained to fall for the main character, who gets briefly possessed and demands to be worshiped like a dominatrix goddess shortly after she gets stuck in a window with her shapely butt on full display. If you love lewd, tropey, hilarious Japanese games, you’ll find a lot to enjoy here.
If you’ve never played any of the Gal*Gun games, Double Peace is a perfect jumping-on point. Hidden within the silliness and lewdness is a surprisingly competent rail shooter that has plenty of story routes to follow and offers enough of a challenge to make unlocking them worthwhile. You can pick it up on Steam, PS4 or PlayStation Vita if you’re truly hardcore.
If you’re interested in seeing how the series got its start, be sure to check out the pre-orders for the remaster of the original Gal*Gun, which turns ten years old today! What are your favourite moments from the series? Let us know in the usual socials below!
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