There is only one reason why im not recommending this visual novel to anyone, and it's simply because the english translation is basically unreadable (at least for me).

Here are some examples of what I mean: Example 1[i.gyazo.com] Example 2[i.gyazo.com] Example 3[i.gyazo.com]

It seriously surprises me that something like this got released on steam. I really dont wanna badmouth the devs for this but I seriously cant recommend buying this unless you are fine with reading a potentially machine translated visual novel or can read chinese.
They are supposedly planning to make serious updates to this visual novel in the future fixing this issue but I’m honestly not gonna hold my breath.

Other than this, i cant really say much about the story considering I cant read this without getting a headache.

First of all, the bad:
- As it stands, the English translation is quite frankly terrible (at least the developer is up-front about it), so if you intend to read in English, this is a no-go at the moment. Which brings me to my second point.
- The Steam version has no Japanese aka original text. The only reason I could think of is that the publisher wanted to save on licensing fees, since if you wanted the original, you probably would've gotten it through Getchu / Amazon.jp etc, not Steam. However, this is a visual novel, so omitting original text makes for a bewildering choice. For me personally, this is unacceptable, especially with VN releases moving in the opposite direction with simultaneous dual-language options etc.

Your Diary came out way back in 2011. The + and +H versions were released in 2014 with three additional routes. Let's just say I got the +H version through other means back then, and I'm buying this now to support the developer and encourage more studios to release their material through Steam. If you've ever tried to properly buy/import one of these from overseas, you know how much of a hassle it is. Just to be clear, I would not have bought this on its own without Japanese subtitles, but I've already read it, so fair's fair.

So why am I giving this a positive review? It's because I think the original deserves it. This is for the devs: I hope the English re-translation goes smoothly, and the original text is added, so players on Steam get the version they deserve. Hence the following is my review of the original your diary +H in Japanese.

When this was released, in my opinion, it was an underappreciated title with very high production values. Just look at the opening movie with cover from Duca. It doesn't even feel like a 2011 title. That was almost ten years ago. This was Cube's second VN, and I get the feeling that they wanted to make a real splash. The CVs alone say a thing or two: Naomi (Idolmaster, Little Busters, Aokana, Shinikissu), Yoshino (Eustia, DaCapo), Sawada Natsu (Irosekai, Aokana). The voices were well-matched, and their performances are spot-on.

The premise in your diary is simple: Tomoki goes to an old bookstore, and he ends up being chosen by Yua, a shiawase no kami (deity of happiness) inhabiting the titular diary book, who is determined to help him find happiness in life. What does happiness mean to different people? What does happiness mean right now? These are central themes to your diary.

The first and best impression on me is the atmosphere. The pastel shades, paperback feel, and gentle piano / strings complement Kantoku-sensei's art style so well. The characters are really well-drawn even by today's standards. Throughout much of the common route, you have moodmaker Kaho and Hibiki bouncing ideas off of each other and doing rapid-fire conversations trying to get Yuuhi and Tomoki together, with Yua's innocent antics added in for laughs. Of course, the characters are all a likable bunch, and they get their own quiet moments too. It reminds me of August's Daitoshokan no Hitsujikai, where the conversation flows naturally and almost everyone in the group has something interesting to say, unlike some VNs with less competent writing. Of course, what they say is pretty much in line with what you'd expect from a chara-ge. This kind of VN has no central mystery or anything of the sort. It's about the characters.

Speaking of writing, usually I wouldn't think of mentioning prose in a typical VN. However, there are sections in this one that read like they belong in an actual book. In other words, the original writing is pretty good (IMO) by chara-ge standards:

どういうわけか、部屋に入ってきた途端、ゆあは口を閉ざしてしまい、やむなく俺はベランダに出ようと提案した。そして、しばらく二人で夜空を見上げていた。あいにくの曇り空。それでも曇の隙間から点々と星が輝いている。肌を撫でるそよ風は、少しひんやりとしていたけれど、疲れている体には、何だか心地よく感じられた。
「今日はつかれただろう？」
「いえ、だいじょうぶです……」

My best attempt at translation:
For some reason or other, just while we were headed into my room, Yua clenched her mouth and reluctantly suggested that we head out to the veranda. And thus, for some time, the two of us simply gazed upward towards the night sky. It's a regrettable, cloudy sky. But even so, the stars still managed to flash their brilliant light from between tiny cracks in the clouds. It was a bit chilly, with the caressing breeze against my skin, and that made my tired self feel just a little bit better.
Tomoki: "Today was exhausting, eh?"
Yua: "Mm, I'm alright..."

Bottom line: If you're looking for a classic VN that is buoyed by the strength of its characters, rather than cheap gimmicks and shallow writing that plagues too many VNs these days, your diary is an instant recommendation from me, once the publisher restores the original text and comes up with a translation that can do justice to the original material, that is.

Dat Engrish...
My mind "turned to be blank" when I played this game.

This is "an unintelligible" visual novel. DO NOT BUY IT!

i regret buying this, i tried to play it knowing the translation sucks but i didn't expect the port itself was unplayeable.
this is how i have to play Pic[cdn.discordapp.com] because otherwise i can't see half of the screen (the 1920x1080 option is broken) or the entire game goes black and can't see nothing unless i restart (fullscreen which also doesn't work for me).
I hope with time it gets a better translation and port because this wasn't made with love and i don't see the quality here.

Can't recommend solely on the state of the English translation. I got through the common route and one character route before I gave up and skimmed the rest.
If you're desperate for a visual novel, it's often heavily discounted, and the art and voices are good, but I just couldn't enjoy it based on the translation. I didn't bother with the patch.

Despite the warnings about the English translation I decided to purchase this visual novel. I read all the routes and can say that despite the translation issues I thoroughly enjoyed each heroines story. I found the heroines (voiced) dialog translation to be slightly better than the protagonists (un-voiced). While I cannot understand much spoken Japanese, I've studied the language a little in community college and am an avid anime/manga fan, so I'm familiar with honorifics and titles.

The voice acting was enjoyable. The character design, backgrounds, color palette and layout is a joy to behold. The user interface was easy to use and I really like the way I could save, make notes and move the saves between pages/tabs. So if you like the save at every choice you can do so and organize all your saves easily. There are optional route makers at some of the choice options so a guide is not really necessary.

After the common route I opted to do the routes in the following order: Kanade, Natsuki, Kaho, Hotori, Yuhi, Sayuki, and finally Yua.

When a proper English translation patch becomes available I look forward to reading this visual novel again.

The translation sucks and its boring..

story:7.5/10
character:8/10
CG:8.5/10
system:8.5/10
at all:8/10

Besides the translation problems, the characters of this visual novel seem to play well off one another, offering a slice of life kind of story. Only problem I found is that parts of the stories for each girl tended to meander quite a lot, often times seeming to go nowhere. Nothing sort of hit it out of the park for me. Still, I offer a thumbs-up to the game.

minor upvote

good voice acting and decent music but it's fairly generic and the translation stinks

kaho best girl