Following on from LIP! Lewd Idol Project Vol. 1 and it’s standalone fanservice DLC, comes the next title in this lewd adventure. LIP! Lewd Idol Project Vol. 2 continues Kairi’s dream of being an idol and their search for a new member.
The Cold One
LIP! Lewd Idol Project Vol. 2 starts by showing us that the Lewd Idol Project still has a long way to go. Kairi has found some fans, but they’re still small time. She’s not exactly happy that her half-naked photos are all around Akibahara and they’ve not made enough money to do more than pay off some of their debts.
‘Lewd producer’ Ranko is full steam ahead though. She explains that she met the perfect member to grow their idol unit. A quiet and serious woman named Yuki. The only problem is that she has no interest in idols. She’d prefer to stay home and play games.
Yuki does have a weakness that might work. She’s not typically interested in girls or people at all, but after seeing Kairi’s photos, she’s become interested in her. It’s down to Kairi to track her down and convince Yuki to join their idol unit.
The new character adds an interesting dynamic. Yuki is quiet and has problems expressing herself, but she can be quite blunt and forward. She really likes Kairi, which often sets her against Ranko. Anyone who played LIP! Lewd Idol Project Vol. 1 may remember that Ranko often tricks or runs roughshod over the extremely naive Kairi, while Yuki is much more intelligent. I liked seeing the quiet Yuki get quite aggressive at times and go for what she wants.
Time to Debut
Most of the earlier part of LIP! Lewd Idol Project Vol. 2 focuses on getting to know Yuki and her hobbies, along with developing a relationship between her and Kairi. There are some enjoyable scenes of them visiting places in Akibahara and Kairi learning about gaming. Unsurprisingly, there are a few lewd moments throughout.
It soon turns back to the idol industry and the idol group’s goals. It touches on aspects like sponsors, ways to earn money, production issues, and the need for a social media presence. I particularly liked that it took a moment to explain some of Ranko’s backstory.
If you read my review of LIP! Lewd Idol Project Vol. 1, you may remember that I was dismissive of the story for the most part. Kairi remains unbelievably dumb and the focus is certainly still on the erotic content, but I did find it a lot more interesting here due to the interactions with Yuki and some focus on the challenges faced.
Much like the title before it, the ending sets up Vol. 3 nicely too, by briefly introducing the next idol.
For the Lewd Gamer
LIP! Lewd Idol Project Vol. 2 doesn’t have routes, but it does have choices. In a few instances, you can choose which character you would like to follow, which was a nice way to encourage a replay. Most choices are simple dialogue ones, which affect a relationship meter with one of the two characters.
As well as the choices, a few minigames are included. These are all very simple timing-based games where you click when a circle is overlapping or the right part of a gauge is highlighted. They’re all really easy.
A few collectibles are included too, between costumes for the sprite viewer and items gained through the gacha and UFO catcher games. LIP! Lewd Idol Project Vol. 2 doesn’t have Steam achievements. It’s unfortunate, as this seems like it would be perfect for them.
Graphics and Sound
The quality of the sprites and backgrounds are good for a budget visual novel. Though as with the other titles in the series, it uses techniques to draw attention away from limitations such as the lack of sprite poses. There are a good number of CGs though, considering the approximately 3.5-hour length and again the low price. It has seventeen CGs, not including variations.
The music works well to fit a variety of scenes, with seventeen tracks. These are mostly BGMs, but it does include a couple of vocal songs.
Partial voicing in Japanese is included, which mostly consists of sound bites. These are usually generally appropriate for the scene, but often don’t match the words said exactly. Sometimes it’s cute sounds or a few words. In the more adult scenes, it’s usually panting and moaning.
All the above fit this budget visual novel well, but it does make me wonder what Toffer Team could do with a much larger budget. It feels like they’ve done a lot with few resources here.
It’s a Nukige After All…
It’s worth noting that no 18+ patch is needed here. LIP! Lewd Idol Project Vol. 2 is uncensored on Steam by default.
Even the recap scene at the beginning includes Kairi’s sex scenes with Ranko and her ‘lewd transformation’, setting the scene right away for the focus of this title. Throughout the visual novel, we can see Kairi having encounters with Ranko, Yuki, and even both at the same time. Cosplay makes an appearance which is always a bonus too.
Verdict
As long as you’re looking for a lewd adventure, LIP! Lewd Idol Project Vol. 2 is certainly a good one to pick up for the price. It certainly doesn’t have an epic story, but there are some fun character interactions, both in and out of the bedroom.
LIP! LEWD IDOL PROJECT VOL. 1 IS RECOMMENDED
If you like the sound of this, you should check out the add-on title – LIP! Lewd Idol Project Vol. 1 – Hot Springs And Beach Episodes
If you would like to see more lewd Visual Novels, you may be interested in our review of The Ditzy Demons Are In Love With Me. Or how about checking out some of the other top visual novels for this year on our Top Visual Novels of 2022 list.
Many thanks go to Toffer Team for a PC review code for this title.
A gamer since the days of Amstrad and DOS and someone who has dabbled in a variety of professions. He enjoys a wide variety of genres, but has been focusing on visual novels and virtual reality in recent years. Head Editor of NookGaming. Follow him and the website on @NookSite.
