Jewelry Hearts Academia: Me and My Bros Against Racism [Repost]

tfw the best character is actually a racist

Disclaimer: Due to the visual novel's recency, I will be bolding any references to spoilers before the actual spoiler is revealed. This article is aimed at people who are interested in the title but would like to read a little deeper into the game and folks who have already read the work but want to read some concrete analysis. I've made sure to balance these expectations as much as possible.

Always Trust in the Cabbage

This game took me by surprise. I don't mean it in the sense I couldn't see it becoming good, but rather I underestimated the writing abilities of Fuyuakane Tom (Amazing Grace, Sakura no Kumo * Scarlet no Koi) and questioned whether Cabbagesoft could put a new twist onto what looks like an ordinary fantasy school setting. It's easy to believe the title's probably okay just because the writer's pretty good, but it never looked like a must play for me -- at least, in this packed as hell year. There's many highly anticipated titles that will be released in the coming months, so I postponed picking the title up.

And it didn't help I wasn't too won over by the initial demo either. While I had an inkling of what Fuyuakane was doing with these scenes, the setting felt way too detached from what I wanted from the writer. I thought of them as a writer who wrote textbooks about history in the guise of eroge; they opted to write this fantasy title instead.

So, I had a bad first impression on the game, but I suppose that is perhaps foreshadowing a central issue in the game: we can be willfully ignorant about the new and different to the point it becomes a detriment to our everyday life. When the extremely positive reviews started pouring in, I realized I jumped the gun and missed out.

Jewelry Hearts Academia is actually dealing with how systemic racism can manifest -- and as someone who's experienced it on many levels, I can vouch over how fucking good it is.

The Name's Racism... Systemic Racism

The title follows a spy named Souma Jace infiltrating into an academic institution that's researching the magical secrets of gemstones. His job is to find the Philosopher's Stone that's somewhere within this namesake academy.

His first step is to get into the highest class, Diamond, with his extremely good grades. But due to the whims of the administrator (a random dream to be exact), he gets placed into a newly created class called Pegasus alongside with five others: Arianna Heartbell, an optimistic but naive and sheltered girl; Berka Triade, a swordsmaster who refuses to lose in anything; Mare Ashley-Pecker, an aloof pursuer of knowledge; Markus von Leonstein, the proud and narcissistic prince; and finally Veo, a literal lone wolf. These misfits of different backgrounds and classes don't share many things in common and they don't seem they'll ever meet eye-to-eye. And besides, they didn't ask to be in this class; they wanted to be in the Diamond class or, in the case of Veo, be detached from the school forever. It's too bad their homeroom teacher, Charlotte Jerome, has to deal with these rascals who are only looking out for themselves. Everyone clearly wants to be in somewhere else.

The one thing everyone does share is that they possess a gemstone that is literally called willpower (意志). These precious stones express their inner desires and hopes; they not only reflect their users' ideals but they can also be weaponized in order to pursue goals. Mare, for example, holds the Topaz gemstone, which speaks to her need to know everything around her -- she has the ability to scan the strengths and weaknesses of enemies. Much like how flower language is often used to symbolize characters in Japanese media (see: Utena), these gemstones can become a powerful lens to how the character behaves and reacts in any situation.

But just like Fate/stay night, the identity of these gemstones and what they're actually expressing are secrets worth protecting from the outside world. Otherwise, their users become vulnerable. These gemstones can crack whenever their users have lost their way moving forward; their motivations have dissipated and they cannot manifest their willpower anymore. One student who believes that nothing can stop them has finally found something they can't overcome. They hear their gem shatter. This student is now just a nobody. These brokenhearted people can only leave the academy in despair because they can't stand back up right again. After all, the academy only exists to research these gemstones and allow the best of the best to attend their classes. Anyone who doesn't fit the bill is expelled.

Besides this otherwise interesting take on manifesting willpower as magic and the reverse of that, the general description of the title so far may be too familiar to people who've read fantasy school titles or played through the Sen no Kiseki/Trails of Coldsteel games. It all sounds like some JRPG-styled webnovel you can find in Narou and in a world full of interesting content, this doesn't sound that different.

But the title actually moves on from this academy premise in a chapter and a half. A subtle genre shift is taking place. The title is quick on its toes and building up to something entirely different. More and more references to casual racism pop up. Everyone still feels the legacy of past conflicts that are racially and politically motivated. The academy may be a melting pot of cultures, but the people living within the city and the overall kingdom of Phyrigia look at the Therions (セリオン), a fantasy race of people with animal traits visible in their body, with disdain. Even anyone who's from a different country is viewed with suspicion. By the time you reach the very early turning point where the title drops the fantasy school pretense altogether, you will have a basic understanding of the overall setting and why the stakes are so high.

Minorities are suffering left and right because everyone is born under this oppressive regime of systemic racism. And everyone else is benefiting from this neo-colonialism, especially those who aren't even aware they're privileged in the first place. It's obvious in hindsight this is a massive structural injustice and something must give.

The title now finally shows its cards at chapter three, so some spoilers are necessary here: a terrorist organization called Medusa has popped up in the middle of a kingdom frozen in stone and has declared war on the entire world. Its motivations are vague and ambiguous to the general populace, but its threats are real. If they cannot be stopped, they will move on with their project they call Reconquista and take over the world -- for the sake of some unknown minority group.

And it's up to the Pegasus class to figure out an amicable answer to solve this structural racism thing.

So You Want to Talk About Racism

... Or can they?

Well, figuring out what structural racism actually entails is a big issue in of itself. Even in the social sciences where I hail from, we have differing definitions which lead to different solutions -- and there's, of course, people who will deny such a thing exists: "We've moved past racism and those minorities are just complaining about how they're feeling victimized. They're the real racists, not us. Reverse racism is a thing, you know!!!" The world of Jewelry Hearts Academia is not that different either and it's actually quite difficult to avoid real world parallels.

And we probably shouldn't do that anyway. Fuyuakane Tom has always been writing about current affairs and themes that plague our world, just in more fictionalized settings. In Amazing Grace, he explores the everyday consequences of the history of Western art glorifying and romanticizing the classics and ancients; meanwhile, he investigates the long-lasting impact of Taisho-era Japan in Sakuretto. Within these two Cabbagesoft titles, Fuyuakane shows strong observational skills and foresight about the interplay of history and our current sociopolitical situations.

In the case of this title, the writer's clearly taken inspiration from not only racism in the United States of America but also apartheid regimes found in South Africa and elsewhere. Whenever references to the slave trade of the Therions in some countries and genocides against indigenous people are brought up, anyone familiar with the history of colonialism can see the direct reference point. And while the title never actually brings up "blood diamonds" explicitly (which I think is surprising), there's something similar going on with how the gemstones from those who have died are being used.

A pertinent spoiler example must be mentioned: it is later discovered that what is powering up the city is actually the gemstones of people who were enslaved and killed in the past. They leave their willpower intact, to be used and extracted for the comfort and luxuries of people today. Parallels to chattel slavery and resource extraction are very, very obvious here.

Incorporating this history of colonialism and genocide means the most commonly thought-up solutions against systemic racism aren't going to be viable. They will demean the lived experiences of those who have suffered while keeping the inherent structures in place. Simple notions of pacifist friendships will not fly, especially to those who have been hurt and betrayed. The title raises some tricky questions about how we should confront racism and the answers are just not going to satisfy everyone.

To illustrate with a specific spoiler within the full trial demo (skip this paragraph to avoid spoilers): there's a particular moment where Ruby, a childhood friend of Souma who's a member of the terrorist organization, gets extremely incensed at Arianna who suggested the fault is with them actually. I immediately conjured a scene in my mind where a person of color is being criticized by some white person for being too emotional (definitely reminds me of that famous Angela Davis clip at the very least!). This visceral exchange is all too real, especially when Arianna asks Ruby what's actually wrong -- a question that many minorities is very sick of hearing. If the majority actually cares, then they should read some history books and look for the answers themselves. There are many explainers written up already and the reason is in plain sight anyway; people are just being willfully ignorant to some degree about this.

Indeed, Jewelry Hearts Academia more or less defines the racism and xenophobia held by many people in the setting as willful ignorance. There are degrees, but all can be chalked up to a lack of empathetic recognition of the suffering beheld by minorities. Instead, people prefer stereotypes to justify their fears and biases against this unknown ethnicity or culture. Knowledge and recognition are clearly part of the solution against structural racism, but it involves people putting in the effort to rectify their misconceptions in the first place.

It's a common sight therefore to see groups look down on each other. A Therion soldier who's volunteered to help the Phryrigian army out learns that purchasing a blanket from a general store would cost threefold for them because of their race. The Therions are after all strong and quick, so goes the common sense, they clearly should be iron-willed enough to sleep in the heat or cold. Likewise, even citizens of different nations leer at each other for their cultural differences: they come from brutish cultures, they're snobs, they endorse slavery, they're against slavery, not religious, very religious, etc. Discriminatory attitudes are the norm in this world and it seems like people who aren't must be some kind of race or culture traitor.

While there may be a few people who could be a bit more open-minded, this doesn't hold true for everyone else. Many people don’t have the resolve (let alone the willpower/gems) to be more politically active. It is unfair to expect everyone to suddenly be not racist. That takes years -- more likely generations -- to have a chance at eradicating it. Even the most well-intentioned people cannot abstain from all forms of prejudice.

And it is anyway impossible to claim that knowledge is the panacea to racism. Knowledge not chained to any ethical code is merely trivia. It certainly helps to know about cultural differences, but it needs to be done in a sensitive manner -- or it'll simply become willful ignorance again, just in the mold of the savior's fallacy.

This angle muddies the water on how allying with minorities could happen. Idealism is certainly important in moving forward to abolish racism entirely; it however cannot be done at the expense of ignoring the history of suffering. Even if we admit our debt and guilt toward our histories, it is not enough. Such a stance would be too simple of a conclusion and it will never allow a line of sympathy to those minorities who have already suffered. Allyship needs to be interrogated critically if you really care about easing the pains of others.

The Various Experiences of Minorities

So, how do we then take this racism thing seriously?

It's certainly difficult to find a good answer for this, but perhaps the fact the attempt is even made is more than enough for me. The most gratifying thing in Jewelry Hearts Academia to me is how it acknowledges the existence of microaggressions. The Therions experience layers and layers of everyday racism, but they have no recourse to channel their anguish. Faced with people who are okay with jacking up the prices of basic commodities, they have to accept this racism or just move aside.

And while this blatant injustice can certainly be fixed with legislation and better ethical conduct, these temporary fixes aren't take aim at what's allowing such harm to take place in the first place. Nor does it involve in including what these minorities feel. Racial supremacy is just too pervasive for stopgap measures. The majorities indulge in dehumanizing the minorities whenever they can because they've written the laws and therefore created a comfortable status quo for them. The minorities are just expected to suck up and be grateful about the little that is done for them.

Even if they're all getting murdered in broad daylight.

Without getting too deep into spoiler territories, I can at least bring up how there's some clear parallels to the Japanese genocide of the indigenous Ainu people. These fantasy equivalents were so wiped out that it was commonly believed by the majority races that their belief system was practically extinct. Only traces can be found in historical literature. And even then, no one bothered to really archive because these peoples were closed off from the world -- the one and only kingdom that was in contact with them eventually swallowed them whole.

People who've suffered from this are going to see things differently. The world must clearly be antagonistic toward them. The ruling classes are going to hunt them and the minorities must learn how to defend themselves. This paranoia creeps into the survivors' brains. There's no good antidote to this except with temporary measures. But what will happen when those coping mechanisms are gone?

What happens if we want to come out and say we're a member of a minority to people from the majorities? Especially when our whole ordeal is being able to assimilate and stay hidden?

This fear of rejection and the temptation to succumb to paranoia are real. The title really speaks to me as someone who's experienced mass racial violence when I was younger. It's very hard to think straight about racism, especially if you're on the receiving end. Repressing one fear leads to the manifestation of new phobias. My emotions toward people of different races are always on extreme end or the other. And when I'm just chilling, remarks about how my English is pretty good for someone foreign or Chinese people are the reason we have COVID-19 remind me that I can't ever be chill. When you're in this situation for much of your childhood, it becomes so easy to hate your own ethnicity and compare it negatively to others who seem to have it so much better.

And I know that whatever I do will reinforce the already hostile gaze upon me. I feel a similar thing to what W.E.B DuBois calls the "double consciousness", which takes total control of my mind. I realize people are staring at me, so I depersonalize and begin to stare at myself being stared at other people. The internal conflict freezes my thinking; I only feel safe in internet spaces as a result. Living and studying in the United States and United Kingdom offered me new avenues for joys, but I was also greeted with indifference and contempt. I was seen as someone who's too uncanny to be in Anglophone countries. Suggestions about how I should act more Chinese or Asian and hang out with my own people are abound. And when I returned to Indonesia, I am actively reminded that one of the presidential candidates was the child of someone who allegedly orchestrated the 1965 genocide of Chinese Indonesians. This whole experience as a minority in a country that actively hates me is just there, written in visual novel form.

But Jewelry Hearts Academia also takes a step back and lets the narration say, "Even minorities can't fully imagine what other minorities feel." There are different degrees of marginalization felt by different minorities. My experiences obviously differ from fantasy races, not just because they're fictional but because they have their own unique issues to deal with. We have to consider the situational contexts these minorities have and admit how there's even an inequality on how structural racism works, even between minorities. The differentials are too much to offer a blanket statement against racism.

That's the kind of admission that I'm sure minorities like myself want to hear. Race is complicated, so we know how fake it is when people try to sympathize with us. Anyone who bothers reading even a few words on how structural racism functions will realize it's almost impossible to have a simple conversation. It's just too complicated. That's why anytime someone tries to extend their hand to us, we have to at the very least view this with skepticism. No one wants to be owned in the same way twice after all.

I'm personally glad that the title shows there's no easy answers to structural racism. It's very validating that way.

Imperfect but Intersectional Perspectives

So, when taking all this into account, it becomes difficult to find something that will please everyone of all aisles. Jewelry Hearts Academia certainly doesn't take any easy paths and that's why it tries to even talk about the complicated feelings from the other side: the majorities.

Why should we care about what the people living in privileged positions feel? Aren't they the ones who are prospering from the minorities' blood, sweat, and tears? It would be easier to ignore their views and think of them as enemies who are threatening the security of minorities.

This mindset unfortunately becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: it justifies and perpetuates the already existing imperialism that's engulfing everyone. "See," someone could say, "those minorities are uncivilized barbarians who refuse to listen to us. They can't be reasoned with." This is what many believe to be true of the Therions and other minorities. They don't have any sense, therefore they can't possibly be like us people.

This is certainly the case for someone like Markus who hail from the royal Phyrigian family. As prince, he believes in the moral superiority of his family to do the right thing. They battled against the kingdom that declared they would seize the Nova continent. Such lofty ideals could possibly be not tainted. He looks down on Therions like Vio who appear brash and uncouthly. They're just literal animals with human faces. Of course, they'll smell like they're from the jungle.

And besides, he's very good at the violin. That means he's a chad. His butler said so himself. Why would that wise old man lie about it?

However, as he fights alongside the Pegasus class and especially tries to understand Vio in their own terms, he gradually becomes uneasy about how the kingdom treated minorities. Markus begins to question whether his family is doing anything about it and grits his teeth at his people treating the Therions like shit. His cognitive dissonance weighs upon him more and more. And as much as he would like to do something about it, he knows he is incapable of enacting any changes -- not even small ones. It is not his style to apologize, so he wants to do something.

But how?

The question must be raised: how do you get everyone to sit down and talk it all out? Folks may be weary of constant violence and hatred, but searching for some international solution is obviously going to be difficult. The later parts of the game involve people trying to have this conversation, with everyone feeling exasperated and powerless. Nobody wants to budge when their lives could be ruined so easily.

If we have to consider a realistic political proposal, then it's likely everyone must make some kind of concession that may compromise their ideals and livelihoods. In the real world, we have things like the case for reparations for minorities and indigenous people or merely making memorials to commemorate the lives of those who died in mass violence. Such simple proposals have provoked outrage from all communities. This fantasy world is not different either in this respect.

It's easy to tell someone to not be racist and perhaps they'll heed the advice, but they may remain a low-key racist. Nobody can just unlearn generations of racist ideologies and willful ignorance after all. Even people who are dedicated in abolishing racial inequality will need to take a lot of time and patience. Their ways of living will be heavily disrupted and they must face some uncomfortable truths that may even ruin their lives. It is therefore futile to expect people to stop being privileged -- they really just can't abandon everything because there would be too many sacrifices made.

In fact, one particular character never stops being racist. They couldn't if they tried. It's literally their personality and what powers their gems. No one can say go be less racist without clowning upon themselves.

In this sense, the title clearly rejects the right-wing nonsense of reverse racism, which misses the point of structural racism entirely. Instead, it asks how select members of the majority gets into trouble despite its privileged status. They want things to change, but they are powerless and chained to the willful ignorance of the many.

The work thus admits there's an immense burden on the few privileged who's a little bit capable of doing the "right thing". No one has asked to be the hero solving racism in any case. We always take note of distinguished individuals because we relegate our societal responsibilities to them. They're not people in this sense but abstract symbols who will do our shit for us.

This is definitely true for Arianna who is revealed early on as the possessor of the diamond gem, the rarest of all the gems. The only other person who held this gem in history is in fact the founder of modern civilization. Many people have placed their hopes onto her. The school wants to know more about her gem. And she wants to reciprocate by protecting everyone with her almost invulnerable wings.

But she can and does lose her confidence very easily. Arianna can snap and realize she can't save everyone. She's only one person against these massive forces of hate. All she can do is smile and look forward to the future, even though she knows that she can only do so much. Being told that you have the power to do something amazing and then failing to live up to expectations -- that's gotta hurt.

Such pains must be immeasurable. There's no Stoic consolation or Nietzschean affirmation where one can pretend that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger; in the face of something like structural racism, suffering means you are cut off from any virtue, let alone appreciating it. One can't claim that fate has put these obstacles for us to surmount when they know it's people of the past that made these barriers impossible to overcome in the first place. It's too meaningless a sacrifice and disempowering to feel like you're doing your duty; it's merely a curse that one feels like they must uplift as a "hero" when it's really something everyone should participate in.

Noblesse oblige, in this respect, is more a condemnation. Markus, Arianna, and many other people may hold some kind of position that should lead to some action. However, the way these structures work means there will always be some kind of resistance. They cannot muster any more power and must acknowledge defeat. Their only reward is shame.

And because the work is so thorough in exploring all frontiers of racism and structural violence in general, even those who bear this burden cannot admit this simply. They know minorities have suffered far more and they can't really shirk these obligations off. This angst is also dehumanizing them and creeps further into their guilt. It's a thorny situation the game actually admits into existence because it wants to really search how structural violence can manifest in so many different ways.

I honestly respect the work for bringing these conundrums up, even if they're uneasy for all kinds of readers (majority or minority). The easy routes have always been either the conceiving of a utopian post-race society without even considering some very obvious obstacles or a never-ending battle between the majorities and the minorities; they both partake in dissolving the need for a heartfelt dialog and ignore the already real and harmful implications of race and other social constructs. These paths are deficient because they don't treat other people as people with their own needs and fears. In this sense, the title is not suggesting "both sides are good, actually" but rather promoting a more intersectional understanding -- that they are people too but with different backgrounds.

Jewelry Hearts Academia, in fact, proposes a very nuanced perspective on how harm of all forms trickles down from inherent structures. Such harm may not be physically violent, but they are psychologically damaging for everyone. An anti-racist approach must, in the end, become cathartic for everyone involved somehow.

And while I've made my case over the real world parallels, I must bring up the fact there are substantial differences that make a total 1:1 comparison impossible. This does assert my point on the intersectionalism because, unlike race and other social constructs, there are actually irreconcilable differences that cannot be solved so easily. It's difficult to talk about this without going into heavy spoilers, but let's just say gems aren't the only fictional thing that makes things even more difficult than the usual.

I personally don't mind how this particular detail because it actually complicates how racism actually manifests. It's an interesting enough take that makes the picture infinitely more complex. This makes it easier to see where the majority is coming from, even if they are clearly in the wrong.

Let the Subaltern Just Do Their Thing

Despite all that's been said about structural racism, there are a few little steps that people can make. Undoubtedly, it involves how we treat others with respect.

But what does that actually mean?

In the real world, many anti-racist projects pretty much fail because they don't place much faith in minorities to do what's good for them. Their creators are part of a civilizing mission to educate the minorities, whether through incentives or even harm, so they feel tinges of disappointment when things don't go their way. This is a condescending approach that unfortunately colors many otherwise well-meaning organizations.

To really consider how one should go about it, we'll have to treat everyone as individuals who can think for themselves and pursue their wants in their own ways. Even if we disagree with them, they are still in their own rights to do whatever they want. This is the trust that is really needed to make it all work.

In the case of Jewelry Hearts Academia, it means respecting the characters' gemstones and willpower. The main cast has never conceded their goals in the name of friendship, but they still treat each other as equals. They may quarrel with each other over little things; however, frustration with others implies you care. Why else would you bother convincing them to accede with your views? But more importantly, the main cast realizes that trust can only emerge if they all see each other as keeping in line with their raison d'etre -- their own willpower, if you will.

So, largely by accident, the Pegasus class has found a way to respect each other's individuality and therefore their gemstones. This teamwork is most visible in the battle scenes, which take a very laissez-faire approach. Everyone knows their purpose in the team and can harmonize very easily because they're aware of each other's quirks. Souma shoots from behind and protects Mare who is analyzing the environment and their enemies. Arianna is the tank while Vio and Berka lay on the assault. And Markus distracts enemies and buffs the party to make the fight go smoother.

This arrangement allows everyone to share the burden. No one is directing them to do this or that; everyone can predict each other's actions and is working together without missing a beat. The party cannot succeed without this delicate collaborative effort.

It is especially relieving for everyone involved: Souma and Vio can keep to themselves; Mare learns to trust other people and develop long-lasting friendships; Berka can focus entirely on mastering the art of the blade; and Arianna and Markus who, as previously mentioned, feel responsible to do something due to the positions they hold find their places in the team by protecting their classmates. Nobody is left out nor do they bear the responsibility to do everything by themselves. This is an environment where every member can feel productive and they can all take small steps towards conquering racism without betraying their will and gemstones.

And while the Pegasus class can't eradicate racism by themselves, their members are making good examples of themselves by treating everyone as equals. This doesn't just mean them taking small liberties with their classmates to make them feel more comfortable; they're also allowing each other to exert their own agencies, even if it looks counterproductive in resolving interpersonal conflicts at first glance.

Vio makes a great case study in this regard. He's allergic to teamwork and refuses to be all buddy with the cast because he grew up in solitude. Constant feuds between him and Markus are an everyday sight. At the same time, he's an important team member who can do things solo or, if the class's goals align with him, he will actually help out. He doesn't see this act as being gregarious at all. This way, Vio can keep his cool and still remain faithful to his ideals. He may lunge himself into danger this way, but everyone in the Pegasus class trusts Vio to live up to his responsibilities. They give him enough distance to do his own thing because he's not a lone wolf for nothing. Everyone respects how he needs his own space and that is one aspect of the class's teamwork.

This attention to respect people's agency also applies to the women in the game too. Fuyuakane Tom's has always been the kind of writer who averts from the usual heroine templates in order to write really interesting women, but he surpasses even my own expectations. Berka, in particular, stays true to her character as a knight from beginning to end; she merely becomes more attuned to the way of the sword at the very end. That characterization would usually be reserved for your guy sidekicks, but Berka has actual extreme girlboss energy and becomes quite the Bro. There are no scenes that diminish her agency or turn her into a sex object to jack off to later on unless you choose to read the extra scenes outside the main game for some strange reason. She keeps her dignity as a knight and the one or two extra scenes where you can opt to choose her as your heroine are barely romantic. This is also true for the other women you can go for in the game.

You wouldn't masturbate to your BROS after all. That's so objectifying and disrespectful. Your BROS are your comrades who are fighting the good war with you.

In fact, none of the heroines in the main story have any explicit romantic scenes with the protagonist at all. There's no multiple heroine routes bullshit with one grand/true end. The title is literally straightforward: the second you start the game, you can click till the end because there's no instance of branching. Gone are the days of looking up a walkthrough, but it also means that the title is hankered on getting the plot down without any distractions.

But that doesn't mean there's no love: instead, we see Vio and Noa, Markus's sister, hitting it on well. Although they are two side characters, we have many scenes dedicated to their blossoming relationship. In general, the main story does a good job in not centering everything to the protagonist (there's a few important scenes that take place without any involvement from Souma), but their romance stands out for having no interruptions from Souma or anyone else. In those scenes, the world is just between those two people. Not only is this a lovey-dovey gap moe relationship but it hints at a possible future where people of different learn to dialog with each other. Noa recognizes Vio's insistence to be alone while Vio knows that her willpower comes from being unable to ignore any instances of harm. This results in a very playful and coy relationship where the two have developed a quirky affection for each other. It's so cute that I'm honestly going to retweet any fanart of the two if I'm able to find them.

This diversity of relationships is only possible because the title allows itself to abandon the usual bishoujo-ge trappings. And it's clearly done so because the whole theme of the story is about friendship overcoming structural racism. It wants to explore all kinds of relationships because the main drive for structural racism is how it narrows everything into in-groups and out-groups. Breaking out of these templates allows the staff (and the characters themselves) to build new and unconventional friendships.

It's very hard to not be emotionally invested into these bromances. There's a lovely scene where everyone watches Berka train her swordsmanship. That's it: that's the whole scene. The characters make small banter as they try to recollect themselves and think about the future. This simple scene attests to their camaraderie because they're just watching their classmate train.

Everyone in the crew know everyone else is going to keep their end of the bargain, even if things might get chaotic. This won't solve structural racism by itself, but it humanizes previously despised groups into people with their own personalities. It's very heartwarming to see the homies conquer racism and try to beat some sense into those stubborn boomers. The bros want to show that their comrades are very much people and they won't take no for an answer.

A Flawed Diamond

It's impressive that the work does all of this in a plot with dank twists and turns. The title walks a very fine balance between fast, no-frills pacing and the hard-hitting issues of social reality. Anyone familiar with previous Fuyuakane Tom titles will be happy to know it's an easy read that doesn't waste anyone's time -- an accomplishment since it's a minimum 40 hours read. I consider it to be his best, especially with how many shitbrix twists he's able to fit inside the title.

But when the work does hiccup, its imperfections become very apparent to the naked eye. The production values of this 2022 work are a bit hectic: while there's plenty of CGs and insert songs, the fight scenes are just off. Fuyuakane is clearly not used to writing fight scenes, so they might rattle off on some unnecessary action sequences when they would be better off writing dialog. Their fight scenes do get better later on when everyone just lectures to each other about willpower, but they remain stained by the fact that many fights don't really have individual CGs themselves. We get the same action cut-in from the characters (it looks more like some limit break-styled special attack) and it doesn't always reflect what's happening in the fight scenes. I sometimes find it difficult to follow what's going on and just skim through the text.

And while I think the ending is thematically fine (most people would disagree with me and it's a valid point of contention), it's written in this very clumsy and surprisingly predictable way. I knew something like this would happen, but it made the final chapters very long to read. The climax must've taken me 3-4 hours and I honestly will like to caution slower readers to take a day off to read the ending. It's really too much for the work's own good in my opinion.

A New World Nonetheless

All in all, I found this title to be one of the most ambitious visual novels I've ever read. I don't think I can say it is the best visual novel I've read -- I've enjoyed others more -- but it is the most surprising title to come out this year for me. I did not expect to be won over by this work and the length of this article written the day after I finished the game should attest to how much I adore this work. It may need more visuals to supplement the text, but this work falls into the camp of "holy shit, how was this even made". You just don't get titles like this that frequently.

In a fantastic year that already gave us huge ass titles like Hentai Prison, Jewelry Hearts Academia is certainly going to be remembered as another highlight. Indeed, I can imagine this title doing really well overseas: I would pitch it in the elevator as "What if the Little Busters cast is in the world of Ao no Kiseki combating racial supremacy?" The title's setting and pacing will also definitely appeal to those who play JRPGs but are seeking for more progressive themes.

But I think the real accomplishment behind this title is how prescient it is, not just in capturing the everyday realities of racism but also the future of eroge. It refuses to compromise its vision, even if it's unwise to do that in eroge otaku markets, and readers can feel the staff's honesty in trying to make a better world for everyone.

The title takes tremendous risks in order to discuss something very relevant to our lives: how do we overcome racial discrimination, especially if we (minorities or majorities) are part and parcel of the problem? It abstains from simple, dogmatic answers in favor of complicated and messy ones. And while its ruminations are sophisticated and careful, it still confidently elucidates why structural racism needs to be fought against. It is a measured work that stresses we have to start understanding as exhaustively as possible, lest we fall prey to another fallacy.

This work is very difficult to write about because of how much it resonates with me. It's a title that has put my decades-long thoughts on racism into something very lucid and I am so grateful for this work.

Jewelry Hearts Academia shows there's a bright future for everyone who believes in its message. We may never be able to reconcile our differences with groups, but we could learn to acknowledge they exist and try to understand them as people. Making that paradigm shift happen is the first step in embracing all of humanity.

We all share willpower, which just manifests in different ways. We just have to learn how to notice the different things that empower us.