Story - 10/10
Undoubtedly the main strong point of Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road. Although the author does admit in an afterword that they do sort of make up elements related to worldbuilding as they go along, thus far, I've found the events and world factors pretty consistent, though quite bizarre. The way which the adventure of Akari and Menou is told is very good; though following a linear path, it is peppered with events from previous points in time, to help (partly) explain the mysteries which get thrown up as things progress. The way that the story is written is so that you get just enough information to form an idea for the bigger picture, but not so much that events become in any way predictable, which I absolutely love. Suspense and tension are definitely the two most used literary devices in this series and if I'm totally honest with myself they're used pretty well (to the extent where at times I was genuinely concerned for the outcome of the protagonists) along with the ever-present prospect of bloodshed and mortal danger...
There are healthy amounts of yuri content, though maybe more platonic than some will be expecting (personally, I think it's the perfect way to go, given that it doesn't throw the story out of balance and reflects the characters' behaviours really well).
In the beginning, I did think Virgin Road would be a tale that looks at the other side of the whole "isekai MC comes to a different world and causes widespread damage/ disruption" scenario and while there are elements of this throughout the story, so far, I'm pleased by how it firmly feels like it revolves around the misadventures of the heroines and their adversaries in this fictional world.
Art - 9/10
Well, it's an LN; there aren't massive amounts of art, but the artworks that are there do their job at helping illustrating the nearby events very well, which I appreciate.
Character - 9/10
I'll not sugar coat it - all of the characters are at least a bit nuts. Pandæmonium and Momo being slightly more than a bit nuts... Flare and Flarette being self-declared villains... You know things are weird when it could be argued that the strength-seeking Princess Knight, whose primary weapon could probably level a city or Akari (a yandere with control over ridiculous levels of power) are the least nutty characters in the world of Virgin Road.
The characters are all nuts, but they are all very entertaining as well, it must be said. Oddly enough, for me, I feel like the main character (Menou) might actually be least entertaining, despite having countless engaging battles, very good combat and operational abilities as well as the interesting psychological background and upbringing. As the English title for LN suggests, Menou does also provide a fair amount of interesting philosophical discussion as well, which is a nice change of pace at times.
Akari brings forth many a mystery and as the story progresses and some impressive character development (depending on how you define development). Akari also contributes quite heavily to the more humorous exchanges throughout the series, which has been great to see.
Ashuna is undoubtedly the character of convenience. Though, to me, she has the best presence of the four heroines, partly owed to her demeanour and partly owed to her combat abilities (the less said about her outfits however, the better, I think, heh)
Momo is without question one of the most unhinged yanderes I've seen in a while. Made all the more worse by her unrestrained anger/ attitude problems. If you've come seeking rage-driven verbal exchanges and fury-driven battles, Momo will certainly keep you very entertained. (She does sometimes calm down and do wholesome things as well, but they're few and far between)
The "antagonists" - yeah; they're towards the more nutty end of the spectrum, though not so crazy as to be easily defeated in battle, fortunately. Maybe with the exception of one, these antagonists do have convincing motivations as well, helping make them more believable (at least in the context of this bizarre world).
Enjoyment - 10/10
The world is bizarre, yet somehow everything feels in-place, given that it's a mashup of your average RPG-type world, our world, and a high-tech, science-fiction realm rolled together as one. It's good, because I feel like it's left the storytelling opportunities very open, allowing for the discussion of familiar concepts and familiar plotlines as well as more abstract concepts and events/ dynamics. Also on the note of world-related writing (going back to my comment on anime reviews); the level of description for both the fictional world and the concepts that it's founded by is very detailed. Some may not enjoy the challenge of trying to understand the abstract concepts and sci-fi elements that get regularly discussed but personally, I love the mental stimulation that's come from trying to wrap my head around them so far. Some may also not enjoy how the yuri content is mostly explored through symbolisms and metaphors throughout the series, some of which are quite nuanced, but personally, after taking the time to fully understand them, I found them really beautiful and adorable. Also, before I forget, the series does also do a pretty good job of progressing across a variety of moods, from light and occasionally silly, to incredibly tense and grim/ bloody; it's not for everyone, but hits the right spots for me.
Overall - 10/10
I came for the yuri action-adventure and stayed because of the impressive world building, the interesting discussions of familiar topics through abstract concepts and metaphoric storytelling, the oddly charming characters and the sheer quality and engaging manner with which the story has been written. It's been a very long time, since I've been able to immerse so thoroughly into a fictional setting and enjoy all that it has to offer.
