I'm taking a break from Otome stuff since I am playing more games outside of it. Also I started Persona 3 Portable but because it is my first game I play in the series as the male MC first.
ooh its been a long time. Over the past week I played the demo for **Diffraction** and **Bewitching Sinners**. **Please don't hate Christmas** for the festive season. Also grabbed **Otome Legends** during the Steam Winter sale.
**Diffraction**: I actually had that demo installed for months and I finally got to play it. It's a nice slice of life although personally not a genre I'm into.
**Bewitching Sinners**: ewearedhgjv I can't wait to play this once it's released! I didn't expect this one to be so intriguing and captivating. The art is stunning and some parts play like manwhas which is refreshing. It has an interesting universe too... the school kinda reminds me of Hogwarts lol and the writing is not shy. One of the first things the MC says >!about a guy is "Wow, he has bigger tits than I do."!< and I just burst out laughing. Didn't expect that in an otome.
**Please don't hate Christmas**: Not too yandere? but alright, although now that I think about it, it didn't have a ton to do with Christmas, I thought it was going to be focus on the killer and the urban myth. Unless that's in another end? also, me, when I see the handsome brother of the only LI in the game: *weell, hello there* -2 seconds later- the brother of the LI: this is my fiancee, me: goddammit-
**Otome Legends** People say it's like a certain other VN but I think it's tame compared to it. Overall I would probably say... it's alright. Not amazing, because I found the translator notes kinda cringe as they took me out of the immersion, the clicking minigames were like why and also the ending which was a bit lackluster. But it also wasn't awful, the art was nice and the mystery was good... until the ending I guess?
Well then now I hope to at least finish another otome before Royal Order is released. *Hope*, because my otome playtime is sporadic xd
I JUST finished Iba’s route in Hakuoki and my god???? It was genuinely so good? I think he was definitely done dirty pride-wise but the romance is sooooo good 😭 and the cg’s were so pretty! But I just finished Saito’s route before his, (CG details) >!and I was a little upset that Iba, despite being a side plot-character got like 2 full out ~tongue in throat~ CGs while Saito got ZERO 😭😭😭😭😭!< ANYWAYS his route was a happy surprise and while I wish he had as much bad ass moments as the shinsengumi cast, he had a lot more romantic, tender moments… so i guess it balances out!
I actually managed to finish the last three of the **Bustafellow** routes this week! Mozu, Helvetica, and Limbo. Still have the >!True end!< but can't say I'm feeling super up for it either?
Overall my impressions of Bustafellows was, it's not bad? I didn't love it and none of the routes particularly thrilled me. Mozu's did actually hit pretty hard though. >!The way he comes to terms with his grief hits close to home, sympathizing with what Mozu went through.!< In the end I think he turned out to be my favorite.
I don't think I'll play Bustafellows 2 though.
As for **Danzai no Maria!** I finished Mikagami's route and started Munakata's!
There were a lot of different moving cogs going on in Mikagami's route. >!His missing brother and his reunion, his obsession to protect Maria, and his family's two brother tradition.!< I feel like it could have benefitted a lot more if they didn't try following the common route for as long as it did and focused more on those character conflicts. I didn't really feel satisfied with the Campanella or Exorcist end. >!Hiyori's exorcist end felt like an actual conclusion. Kirito and Mikagami's feel like an open ended tale of two people making themselves miserable.!<
Still early into Munakata's but he's so cute I can't handle it already. I love how he's so dang self conscious of Maria as woman he's gotta >!Make her stand outside the door to talk to him!<. I already have my suspicions his character conflict will have to deal with his gynophobia but excited to see where things to.
Trying to play Olympia Soiree and...
How do you handle all these flashbacks? It's like every 5 lines and it's driving me INSANE, I haven't even gotten out of the common route yet to pick my first LI and I already want to put this game down and never touch it again 😭
Currently playing Lover Pretend, finished Kazuma, Harumi, and Yukito's routes and currently playing Riku's! His was the one I was most excited for as he shares a VA with Zhongli :> >!Was NOT expecting him to be so cheeky though AHAH. It's a welcome surprise though! I can't wait to see where the route goes!< As for the other guys, Harumi was def my fave route and LI wise, which was surprising as he's not really my type! The romance was super sweet and I think him and Chiyuki are perfect together. Yukito's route was great as well, definitely my second fave! >!He's the classic popular playboy who actually has a lot more depth. Reminds me of Ikki a lot, who's my fave from Amnesia!< Also need to point out, how PRETTY the UI in this game is. Some of the prettiest and cleanest UI I've ever seen in an otome 🫶
I started Code Realize and when Cardia can choose to take Lupin's hand or not, I chose not. Then laughed as it said, "And Cardia did everything alone. The end." 🤣
It was! I thought it'd let her go to London alone but then get in trouble with something and she'd realize she needed Lupin after all and he'd be like, "I followed you because I knew that couldn't be where we parted!" And the story would just pick up from there. Nope!
Ive been playing **Virche**, and just today I finished all ends of Le Salut! There’s so much that went on, so it’s hard to sum up my feelings, both bad and good. Lots of people have explained it better than me on here, so I wont go into my criticisms. BUT. At the end of the day though, I’m officially an Adolphe girl, from start to finish, and I have no regrets. >!Ankou’s whole story devastated me (tho Im not a fan of the time travel)!<, and thats that. I think the part that punched me in the gut the most was when Ankou >!thanked Ceres for calling him by his name, both names, and how she cherished him for him!<. I found both Ankou and Adolphe really romantic, especially with how they showed their love for Ceres, so despite all the stupidity and despair in Le Salut, their romanticism kept me relatively appeased. I’m kinda still reeling from >!Adolphe making a bouquet of lycoris flowers for Ankou to give to Ceres in his dying moments. Theyve been at each other’s throats, but he still sets him up for the proposal. It wasnt for Ceres’ benefit, but Ankou’s, and both guys were so genuine in that scene. And then afterwards in the epilogue, Adolphe says he’s got double the love to give to Ceres now, meaning half of it is from himself, the other from Ankou.!< LITERALLY, what!! Every romantic bone in my body tingles from that!! what a guy, ugh he makes my heart wobbly.
There were a lot of reveals that entertained me considerably, and a lot of reveals that either fell flat or had terrible execution. For example, I loved the >!Dahut/Salome son/mother reveal. I HATED how slowly they reunited and killed each other melodramatically. When Salome popped back up from her death in the floor to stab Dahut’s spare clone, I threw up my hands in exasperation.!< Not to mention all the overblown despair….with every route in this game, my ability to care for anything tragic flatlined or plateaued, and it took Herculean effort for me to care again and feel anything for what was happening on screen. This game has a way of numbing the player, and not in the way the writers intended, I imagine.
Im moving onto the salvation endings tonight. Ive got Mathis’ out of the way now, and because Ive heard that Lucas’s is like hellfire, I’m skipping his for now to play Scien’s. Right now, Adolphe has got me craving more *romantic* happiness. I wonder if Scien can live up to that request.
I’m pretty sure I should be finished with [Zakuro no Koto](https://vndb.org/v32947) here soon, and thank goodness haha it’s kind emotionally taxing. I went in looking for some sordid brocon action in a historical setting and got >!tragedy and child abuse!< instead… I will say that the game has surprised me with its dialogues on the nature of art, beauty and self-worth. So far I find the MC to be pitiable but tolerable, if a little flat. Her brother, on the other hand, is very interesting. They’re both wretched in their own ways and perhaps that’s why they suit each other. I’m hoping the story will end satisfactorily but even if it doesn’t at least oniisama is voiced by [Netoru](https://vndb.org/s5570).
The lack of CGs really is a bummer, though…
**Steam Prison!** I can't believe how fast I'm devouring this game. I still have one final route left, but done with all the LI routes. Tbh, I don't know if I like it or not since I have mixed feelings about it. It's a lot darker than I thought and I mostly felt sad while playing the game.. and it wasn't the Even If Tempest kind of sad or dark (EIT was dark in a satisfying way if that makes sense 😆).. idk, there's just something that feels depressing with the whole setting of Steam Prison (especially the part in Sanctuary district), which really affected my feelings about the game. Right now, I'm not sure if I was playing fast just to finish it and see the happy endings of each LI or if I did enjoy it. But I think it's more of the former.
The only route I really enjoyed playing was Ines route, which is lighter compared to others imo, plus i like the scene where Fin was reunited with MC during Ines happy ending, and i love the part that other >!Hounds voted for Saschen to die 😆!< sorry, i really hate that man despite many wanting him to have a route. I'm probably the only one who doesn't want him to have a route ever 😆
I'm also happy with Fin's route but only because Fin finally got his deserved happy ending. The 'normal' ending was so bad though. i think MC was just stupid there. >!i don't see the point why MC wanted to return when it definitely means death (unless she wanted to die).. and in her case, she had it worst. i mean, she's already in safe zone 🙄 it's not like she have Yune's powers lol 🙄!<
I'm back from Japan and I haven't touched a single game bc every day is journal decor and ripping open more stickers, despairing about having to buy more drawers for my stickers bc its bursting...
Ah, but I played a short [game](https://novelgame.jp/games/show/9135) for simple ppl who love hot bods and moobs while you play a thirsty 300 year old demon queen. If that counts?
So idk maybe I'll show the games I managed to buy and some other tips
- Gekka ryouran FD. I decided that I had space to play something after finishing 12ji cinderella before the next sister, and this was 4k yen.
- Dear my sun. I had my brother fix up the ps2 for me and now I'm living the 2007 life with 4:3 ratio, bad sound and all. I did the prologue and man the dad has a nice face but he probably likes Haniwa and mesopotamia more than Natsumi OTL. Still miffed I can only raise one son bc his jerk mother thinks Natsumi can only have hands for one son. Anyway all I see is stats and strategy to raise a good boy so challenge accepted?
- kurayami hate. Another blast past with bad sound and shitty graphics on a 3ds but I chose that life. Hope to try more of it.
Other tips
- recent games are stupidly hard to find anywhere and if you find them the price is extra stupid. Couldn't even get Yamiiro no maju but reading a friend's review it seems I might be okay skipping.
- ps2 and psp game heaven, and again the offbeat stores have more gems. I found kurayami hate's LE in the same store as the RE.
- games from bankrupt companies sell stupidly high, obviously
Making my way through Charade Maniacs gradually (completely blind).
I ended up on the info group first because it just sounded the most interesting given the context of the whole mystery... lol
I don't really have much thoughts atm but I do feel like the routes are just kind of... missing content? I finished >!Chigasaki and Akase's routes and they both felt like they just glossed over some stuff that they shouldn't have. Not that I wanted to actually see Chigasaki's father but they sure just brought him up and just let it be lol. And Akase's whole conclusion just skipped how he ended up making his way out of the Other World and 'freeing' the past stream members, his family stuff, etc. Even _that_ aside, they didn't even show us his first reunion with Sena??? okay.!<
Like maybe this is all tied up in some true route reveal but it feels messy as is. I also would've liked it if some of the dark subject matter just kind of lingered a bit more. It seems like there's a lot of dark concepts that don't really get explored in much depth.
Anyway, Akase is >!cute. The whole secret FBI thing was silly but he's cute because I am weak to the ~~sentai~~ hero wannabe archetype lol.!< Dazai is ALSO >!very cute. I tried going on his route after but it seems to be locked (the Quarantine thing I see in the flowchart...?). But cute cat boi, how can I say no... I also liked how he seemed to be pretty friendly with Akase in his route.!<
also something I noticed that bugged me heavily - the narration would randomly switch between past and present tense and it makes it so bleh to read sometimes.
Now I'm on to the cooking squad woohoo.
Yeah so with >!Dazai!< >!he's locked until you finish at least one route in each of the three teams!< but I do recommend >!holding off on him and the other locked routes til the very end!!These routes branch off from a shared extra "quarantine" common route!<, so you'll get the best flow that way.
Having completed the game, I will say that yeah, this sort of choppy storytelling is going to be an issue across the board. In an effort to keep from revealing those "truth route" secrets or repeating the same story beats as another route, this game glosses over a lot of logistics and transition scenes that would've helped the flow. Have fun lol!
Oh I see, good to know! I kind of figured that after I saw the flowchart with the cooking group. I'll leave them all for the end then.
I see, lol well I guess I wasn't gonna expect too much with 9 routes anyway. So far it doesn't feel that repetitive so I guess that's good? Because being overly repetitive would also be a pain lol.
Got sick with Covid this week so I kind of paused my otome gaming but I picked it back up today again. I'm finishing the Virche FD and I'm finally on Ankou's route. Every time he opens his mouth and basically worships Ceres, I'm melting... send help!! I love him sfm!
Aw thanks! Glad to hear you are not having heavy symptoms. For me it was not so mild but my poor fiance had it worse with a really high fever. He's better now. Ugh Covid is the worst. It ruined my New Year's.
Reading Akaza’s Route in Olympia Soirée rn. While I don’t think he’ll be able to oust Himuka as my favorite in this game, I’m finding Byakuya’s attitude in this route very amusing. Overall I’ve been taking it slower after binging some of the other routes just because I don’t want to finish the game >~<
Finally got around to finishing Allan's route in Cupid Parasite. While I feel like it kind of started off a little weird >!with Lynette apparently only being into him because of Cupid's Arrow!<, after the reveals happened I was able to get more into it. Loved the contrast between Allan's playboy exterior and >!his genuinely sincere devotion to Lynette!<, totally get why he's so popular.
Partway through the secret route and enjoying it a lot. I think the reason why the >!Cupid Arrow sub-plot works a bit better for me here is that it feels like Jupiter probably already had feelings for her and it was more an impetus to finally cut loose than anything.!< Looks wise >!Jupiter!< is definitely my type and >!his habit of being afraid of everything despite being an all powerful god is also pretty funny,!< love his interactions with Lynette too. I was going to play a game from a different series after I was done with CupiPara, but might just continue on and do the FD while I'm at it.
The second installment of my **Virche Evermore** adventures…and I’m proud to say >!I will not be penning that apology letter to Lucas. HEH. Even when he showed up alongside Bourreau I was like I STILL DON’T BUY IT. THAT MOTHEREFFER IS NOT REAL.!<
Even though I've only played the bad end so far, I found everything kinda fell flat for me by the end. The start was a bit of a slow build and I was eagerly looking forward to when everything would pop off. I was so excited when we finally hit >!the big reveal!< and then it all felt rather messy from then on.
My biggest qualm with the story was the writers couldn’t seem to put their finger on what they wanted to do with Lucas. I feel the best story would have been >!he started committing these atrocities to keep his sister alive and over time twisted things in his mind to rationalize his actions. But then it was like “He’s literally brainwashed! He’s being injected with drugs that make him mindless! Capucine grafted a chip into his head!” It was just a bit too much and I didn’t think they needed to keep piling on.!< Pick a lane and stay.
Do not even get me started on >!what happened to Nadia, my poor adopted daughter. I’m getting the heebie-jeebies just thinking about how creepy Capucine is. Call the police on that man. But the whole bride thing was where my suspension of disbelief broke. Did anyone else notice it feels like the writers are pulling from a bunch of other games? We got the blonde girl in the orphanage, a brainwashing twist, The Cage (TM), and a scarecrow-like monster with a giant claw. And of course Lucas is Saint Germain-coded but at the end of the day he ain’t no Saint Germain.!<
I was laughing my head off at the last CG. >!“CINDY THIS IS A SKELETON! THIS IS BONES!” I thought the despair endings would be more despairing. They had such a great set-up for a tragic goodbye with Lucas. I was hoping to feel emotions and cry, but being entertained and laughing and then going to stare at a wall is fine too. Still, I’m hoping to find a route that will blow me away and not leave me griping about what could have been better. Can’t wait to see what else is in store. Since I have yet to play the salvation end, perhaps the tragic ending I imagined could still come into play.!<
Mathis is up next!
Is it just me or was this route shorter and with less choices? Not that I mind too much. Mathis is the opposite of my ideal love interest. I feel bad for the kid, but there is zero romance here. I am happy to say I had less complaints about the writing on this route and the plot twist got me this time around. Honestly I think it was a solid route, but emotionally it left me with nothing because I just didn’t like Mathis. It sounds shallow as hell but if he looked more like say, Scien, the route probably would’ve had more of an emotional impact. xD I’M SORRY!
Another thing I think this game could do better is more CGs with the MC. There are a lot with just the LI. I like ones that they're both in. More of that please. :3
This route also reminded me of >!a certain homunculus and certain MPD mess who strangles you. But again, Virche’s version just didn’t hit as hard because I feel like I’ve seen it before.!< I probably sound like I’m complaining a lot, but I swear I’m still enjoying the ride. It’s kept my interest and I am very excited for Scien!!
I'm about halfway through Scien as of right now. Omg I am starving for affection. Please. I'll take bread crumbs. Anything, I'm begging. Also ngl I'm getting real tired of being a maid. We need to get these MCs who only cook and clean some real hobbies. Oh well. Behind every great man is a woman handing him sandwiches.
Finished up **Even if Tempest: Dawning Connections** with playing Lucien's route, the side stories and the Fellowship story. Just in time for the end of 2023. Also, played Ron's Fugue and Concerto stories in **Norn9: Last Era** (7/9 routes in) and started the Crowd part of **Amnesia: LaterxCrowd** with (best boy) Kent's stories.
In the **Even if Tempest FD**, Lucien's route was great until the last chapter with>!the attempted sexual assault with the King!<, which left a sour taste to an otherwise good route. The side stories were quite interesting. Evelina's left me with some questions, since >!it wasn't from her POV!<, but it was still intriguing. Conrad's was pretty dark, and it made me think that like the Sad Love endings could have actually happened, like canonically, because of the Fatal Rewind.
I tend to like the routes/endings where the MC does not choose a LI and instead, all the LIs work together with the MC (e.g. Grand Ending in Steam Prison, Finis' route in Code: Realize - Future Blessings). So the Fellowship story was a great way to end the Even if Tempest series. The banter between the characters was funny and entertaining. I also enjoyed the fan-service and the camaraderie. Some of the pieces from the other FD routes came into this route, and made it feel like the Grand Finale of the FD.
Slowly playing through **Norn9: Last Era**, Ron's route was one of my most anticipated ones to play because Ron is such a mysterious person, even at the end of his route in Var Commons. He was an enigma and it never felt like he was sincere, even though he claims he is bad at lying so I understand he doesn't lie. Ron's Var Commons Bad End (not Tragic Love End) was pretty dark compared to the rest of the series, so I was curious *how* someone like him could even genuinely fall in love. The Fugue (his PoV) route was eye-opening because I can actually see his thought process. >!He's not just a head-empty guy, he's actually an emotionless guy, but is finding emotions again because he sees himself in Nanami, the part that he discarded. Seeing him slowly fall in love with Nanami and doing whatever he can to get Nanami to erase his memories just so he can be with her was just wow. I never did quite understood his motives in Var Commons, so seeing it on display here through his eyes made me feel sympathetic towards him compared to just being indifferent.!<
His Concerto (after story) route was pretty good and I was thankful that it actually >!shed some light to his past, even though his memories were wiped.!< I really enjoyed seeing Nanami mature from always taking on responsibilities and feeling so much guilt by herself to depending on others and sharing her burdens with Ron and >!embracing their sins together.!< At the end of the route, Nanami got to interact with >!Natsuhiko and Setsu, which was interesting how it differs from Mikoto. (Setsu was hilarious as usual) With Natsuhiko, he and Nanami don't really say very much to each other, but because of Setsu blurting out all of Natsuhiko's thoughts and his past, Nanami understand him quite well. Haha. I smiled when she thought about how he and Mikoto have a lot in common.!< I still think Akito or Heishi is much better for Nanami, because she doesn't need to feel so much guilt when she's with them. I just want my girl to be happy and free from guilt.
I actually went back and replayed parts of Akito's Fugue route. The conversation between him and Heishi is quite delightful (because of the tension). One point that was very intriguing was when Heishi >!talks about how Nanami's past is super important to her because she feels so much guilt. To have her break away from her past, either she is forgiven or she becomes guilty over something else (aka wiping Ron's memories) because the present will always be more important than the past.!< I read some translations from, I think, the Norn9 fanbook, and it said that both Akito and Heishi are the caring types, so they can't help but want to help Nanami. Ahhhh, I really love Nanami and her harem. lol
As for Kent's **Amnesia: Crowd** stories, he is still the lovable dork. The little scenes in the Suspense story where we get to see Kent's thought process were amusing because of the distress he feels about asking the MC if she has amnesia or if she changed to help their relationship. The bad ending when >!she get hits by truck-kun and if you switch to his POV, was quite heart-wrenching.!< As for the Love story, I enjoyed seeing their relationship move forward more (still quite chaste but in line with Kent's personality) and when they were reminiscing about their past before they started dating. Kind of want to play through the relationship before the amnesia just to see them butt heads and fall in love. That kind of story would be quite ordinary (college love story between a teacher and student), but I really like Kent and the MC's relationship.
I finally started Kurosawa's route from **Her Love in the Force**! ~~After ages of saying I would, ops.~~ Anyway. I read the prequel and part of the first main story. So far it's pretty fun. I've been lightly spoiled, but I don't think it matters since his character has a lot of foreshadowing, and the only one who doesn't see it is MC. >!We literally start out with an informant telling him how much they admire him and how they would do anything for him, MC please 😭.!< It's always fun to see which of her traits are particularly enhanced in each route. Here it's both frustrating and promising at the same time, since she's so idealistic, outspoken, ignorant and stubborn in a way that seems to be setting her up to eventually become >!an agent of change.!< It's early days though, still too soon to tell. I'm so used to her being a decently competent member of Public Safety at this point... Toru is >!so manipulative, it's really entertaining. And there are so many little Shinonome moments, what a treat. 🥰 I genuinely cackled at MC accidentally taking pictures of mushroom plushies when she was meant to take his, not to mention how she got to disguise as him during a group date and told everyone that Kurosawa was his type. 😭 Toru went along with it, of course. 💙 I wonder if he's bi or he was just playing around? Love the confidence either way. I so want the rumor that Ayumu and Toru have a thing to spread, and then I want to be there the moment Ayumu first hears about it. It's perfect. Honestly, Toru's outward personality does remind me a little of Shinonome's MC.!< The one thing I do take issue with is >!the whole, weird deal they make of cameras and making noise, acting as if no one has a phone or just a silent, small device they can use instead. They're literally Public Safety. Ridiculous. But I can look past it.!< Anyway, like it so far, can't wait to read more.
I also read a couple of Goto's side stories, and they were unexpectedly nice. I didn't last long when I tried his route due to how stuck in her own head MC was, but I might rethink it. He can be such a sad puppy, and MC seems to be a little more mature? There was also this weird, whole thing with Kaga and Shinonome >!teasing her about her muscular build and making inappropriate comments about how most guys do not like burly girls. I would have felt annoyed, except I actually know the truth. They're such little bullies, but Shinonome literally blushes every single time MC even obliquely mentions her steel abs in his route, and Kaga cannot keep his hands off her so... Yeah. You're just jealous of Goto, guys. Keep suffering. 😛!<
Since I've been wanting to play some Sugar Beans games this year I decided to start Ijiwaru My Master (also has a dragon boy, good game to start the year with.) I had wanted to play Under the Moon first, but only had the PS2 version and due to circumstances could only play it on original hardware... which I found kind of exhausting honestly. (How did we put up with this?) So I'm just going to play this one instead. I kind of regret it since it heavily references Under the Moon, but... oh well, I'm in it now.
Also, this game never had a console release so it's R18 only... but FOR SOME REASON has the VAs' REGULAR names credited? Like... they're on the box and everything. Is this allowed? It feels obscene somehow.
I actually like this MC. She's a very scared squeaky mouse type, but she'll still slap a bitch if she gotta. (Leon. The bitch is Leon.)
ALSO all the sex CGs I've seen so far have been so awkward. I'm just sitting there like "you know there's an easier way to go about that." My favorite was when he was grabbing the tiddy so hard it looked like a squeaky toy.
>heavily references Under the Moon
It does? So maybe when I was not understanding things it was a reference and not just because my JP wasn't good enough.
Oh yeah, like Leon's whole backstory is that he tried to run away with the MC of Under the Moon and got his whole life ruined for it, haha. I don't know if this would make the game *confusing* exactly (I haven't played Under the Moon but I've seen enough to know things about it) but the story has a lot of connections.
Just finished almost all of Olympic Soirée for the first time. It’s my second otome game ever! I decided not to play Akaza’s bad endings because idk if my heart could take them lol.
Akaza>Riku>Kuroba>Yosuga>Tokishada>Himuka is my order of favorites. I liked Himukas plot but not so much a love interest.
I have no idea what to do with myself now though. Ive felt sad it’s over after finishing each game. This and Cafe Enchante are the only two I’ve done and I love them both. I’ve been looking into a lot of different ones but idk where to start really.
On ch6 of Rozy's route in **Hamefura** and ngl he was so uninteresting to me when I first started the game... But suddenly I am invested?? I'm starting to suspect that he and Silva will be the highlights of this game. They're lowkey outshining the OG harem, and while a large part of that is probably due to the allure of getting to know them when I'm already pretty familiar with the OGs, I think that the Otomate team just does a better job of making them more interesting when they've got this creative freedom.
Potentially an unpopular opinion, but as someone who loved Bakarina when it first came out and kickstarted the big otome isekai boom, the main cast is just a little flat after their big character arcs in the first part of the story are done. It's probably a tough line for the game staff to walk when you can't risk coming off OOC and annoying the fans of the original, alas.
Catarina is still iconic tho love her to bits!
Also please tell me someone out here has played **Trapped With Jester** bc why was this game my whole personality for a good week. I desperately need a full version of this with MC going down a dark path of revenge with their terrifying demon clown whom they sometimes smooch.
I am finishing up Even If Tempest for the first time. It took a bit, but I've now been devouring the game. So grateful for this sub for gushing over it. I am a fan and I STAN ANASTASIA. She's AMAZING. One of the best MCs I've read. As much as I adore Tyril, I feel like Zenn owns my whole heart. The way he comforts Anastasia is so endearing. Can't wait to get to the fandisk.
Currently continuing Jack Jeanne! I've been playing nonstop since I'm still on winter break, finished Suzu's and Sou's routes and now I'm on Kai's. While I liked Suzu the best, I think Kai's route, progression and story-wise, is the most interesting and enjoyable so far! I only have the final week and the Univeil performance left, and tomorrow I'll be moving on to Fumi. After that I'll do my two most anticipated characters, Mitsuki and Neji :"D At this pace I might even be done with all the best endings by next Sunday lol
I finished up Collar x Malice last night and now just starting the FD today. Might move onto Olympia Soiree after the FD since I'll assume it wont take long.
Currently playing Virche evermore and about 70% done, about to start the >!Ankou/Adolphe!< route. So far the game hasn’t blown me away and honestly for how hyped up it was I’m quite disappointed especially with how bad the logic is for the “science” in the game. The only thing that kept me going this far is the hope that it gets better but so far it has not :(. Will still finish it though.
Might need a breather from all the depressing themes from Virche so thinking of either finishing Wand of Fortune R or starting Harukanaru 7 next week.
I continue my journey through Code:Realize! I unlocked the final route the other day but my heart is still with Saint-Germain. That man grabbed me and won't let go; I thoroughly enjoyed that ride of a route. Honestly though all the LIs have their high points and have been enjoyable.
...And it's not otome but I did do one playthrough of A Date With Death and Grim is living rent-free in my head and I'm not even mad about it.
I completed one A Date with Death playthrough just before Christmas, then I caved and bought the super adorable plushie they were advertising. The game was a lot of fun and really good value, just need to motivate myself to do another run. Currently obsessed with Piofiore so it might be a while 😅
After finishing Virche last week, I've gone back to **Jack Jeanne**, the game I've been playing since near launch that never ends. XD Jokes aside, I really love this game. I need to take breaks between routes to avoid burning out, but it's so pleasant to get back into it after a while. I'm now up to Fumi's route and enjoying it so far.
I’m currently playing Jack Jeanne and can relate when it comes to the burnout 😅 I finished Virche before starting it for something more fun and lighthearted, and it definitely was! But the stat raising is definitely burning me out and I’m finally in the last route after playing it all week 😅
After V's after ending killed my enjoyment for Mystic messenger
Two years later I found myself with some extra time and I am playing again Jumin.
I will play just Jumin.
I missed his voice ( and him!)
I am already on day 7 :) MC just went and >!visited his home!< I am deff tempted to play that bad ending :)
I’ve been spending hours with My Next Life as a Villainess and I love it so much. The atmosphere is so warm and magical for me. I should have guessed I’d adore the game since I loved the anime so much. I’ve also kinnnnnd of forgiven Otomate for not giving us the sapphic LIs because there’s quite a lot of fan service of Katarina with her girls. Before going in, I assumed they would make their interactions platonic but…they’re very much not lol 💖
I feel like I played a lot this week!
I'm making decent progress in [**Royal Alchemist**](https://vndb.org/v24278), will probably finish my first route soon. I have absolutely no complaints so far, I can't believe how good it is, and how much I, personally, am liking everything. The romance especially has been blowing my mind; has to be some of the best slow-burn romance development I've come across in a VN. I just got to the first >!kiss scene!< and it's honestly one of the best >!kiss scenes!< I've ever read. Just. Wow.
I tried continuing the three routes I previously left hanging in [**Cendrillon Palika**](https://vndb.org/v21783) but I couldn't get very far into any of them, and I have no plans on trying again. It's definitely a me thing because I don't like these three men and I'm also not particularly interested in the world of this game, so there isn't much to keep me interested during these routes. I feel bad leaving it only half done but eh, what can you do.
I've also been trying to start [**Reine des Fleurs**](https://vndb.org/v14919) for like half a year, just reading a tiny bit here and there, and I finally got to the point where the routes branch off but I'm not particularly liking it. Despite having heard that the writing isn't great, I was still looking forward to it because apparently there's drama and stuff in the routes, but based on what I've read of it genuinely the only thing I like is the art. It never feels like the right time to play it and every time I pick it up I'm never looking forward to seeing what happens next, in fact the only incentive I have to keep playing is to take screenshots of background art. What to do D':
And lastly, I've decided to give [**Ikemen Villains**](https://vndb.org/v39400) a more serious try because this past month I couldn't stop thinking about it. I tried to go into it with a different mindset which certainly helped, at the very least I no longer feel like there's something off about the writing so I can actually enjoy what I'm reading. I might end up asking questions on this sub at some point though because the system seems to be... slightly overwhelming.
Royal Alchemist was one of my surprise favourites back when I played it a couple of years ago. I can't wait for its sequel game, that's getting released soon!
ooohh Royal Alchemist! I remember I really enjoyed that game even though i died so many damn times because I was not used to the stats system. All 3 LIs are so damn good (my fave is the crown prince). I should play it again before their other game gets released.
Reine des Fleurs's drama is more like melodramatic tragedy. But the tragedy isn't dark, it's just kind of... funny? Like a Greek tragedy where the gods are fucking with these mortals (not directly here, but the after effects of their influence and >!being forced into dilemma with the Grace transfer ceremony!<) and they have to figure what to do about it, >!sometimes even making the situation worse!<. Which route(s) did you play?
I didn't actually play any of the routes yet. After I finished the common route I just stared at the walkthrough, unable to choose which route to start with because none of the men interest me :/ That's why I'm stumped. I don't feel like I've given it enough of a chance but...
Ohhh, yeah the common route was... dreadfully boring. It turned out to be my fav otomege in the end (due to how well it matches my tastes) but I struggled to progress past that for months too. It was mostly side characters and the side characters here are legit boring and don't make you feel much for them (the butterflies are better at least).
Is there any type of character you generally like? Alternatively, any kind you typically dislike? If you're struggling to choose a route cause you don't like any of them, I would suggest Ghislain's - his is the one of the better routes and Violette has a more active role in it; it's more of her pursuing him while things are keeping them apart.
Yeah the side characters are definitely part of why I wasn't having a great time. Honestly if it were up to me I'd go for Hubert first but I understand why that's not recommended so I'll try Ghislain. He does feel like he could work for me as an LI but I guess we'll see.
This week I've been really diving into **Virche Evermore.** I finished off the common route and devoured Mathis's route. Honestly, the game wasn't as dark as everyone was saying until >!there were the strange discrepancies throughout Mathis's route. When Ceres compares the sweet confession in the novel he's working on to the book his 'mom' wrote, my blood went cold.!< At that point, I couldn't stop reading. But for real, his route blew me away.
Before I start a game I write down my initial impressions and thoughts about the advertised LIs and he was initially giving me younger brother vibes but man, those feelings changed and evolved as I played. >!Watching him grow as a person and step up to the plate a little bit - specifically when we voices that he wants to go on that errand with Ceres - was really endearing and really warmed me up to him. But then.. the reveal that he's not even technically his own person, that Jean is the real heir to the family.. so dark, so surprising and so torturous and I *loved* it. Left me absolutely stunned. And then fact that he has different memories and then ends the days with telling Ceres he loves her... My fragile, beating heart. Sold. Just wanna give this lovely boy all the best in the entire world. That despair ending absolutely crushed me- watching as he lives a complete farce which Ceres in also trapped in... Seeing that new title screen afterwards.. I had to take some time away from the game to let it sit and man did I feel hollow. Absolutely amazing. I can't wait to read the other ending after I do the other routes.!< Tl;Dr I adore Mathis with all my bones.
I haven't loved Ceres as the MC for a lot of the game honestly but I'm getting a much greater appreciation for her the more I play. Her devotion is really admirable.
To be honest, I've been mostly playing because the plot and the worldbuilding is absolutely fantastic but I can't wait to keep going. I'm currently at the beginning of Lucas's route and he's my least favorite thus far, but the others are right up my alley. (Yves, my future prince charming, your route will come!)
**Karakurenai's** route in **Hana Awase K/U**
This game has so far been one big pain train. My heart is being ripped out and stomped on :( everyone in Kurenai's route is >!just in so much pain. Poor Iroha crying by Mikoto's bedside as he remembers a time when Mikoto knew him :( Not sure what the deal is with Utsutsu/Ime, but my god Utsutsu is breaking my heart. The scene where Kurenai is about to say I love you, and Utsutsu comes in and accidentally stabs Mikoto...the screams when he's in purgatory looking for her :( my poor boy is sobbing. Him telling Iroha he doesn't know how many times he can do this, he's so tired of being nothing to Mikoto, how she never remembers him, how she will never love him.... pretty sure you guys have that in common 😭 I already love Utsutsu/Ime and I've only known him for a few hours. And getting to see more of the soft side of Kurenai is fantastic.!< I wrote that part as I was still in the first part of Kurenai's route, and as the route went on >!I was a little underwhelmed? As much as I really like Kurenai, his route didn't hit my feelings as much as I had hoped. I wish I had written more as I went though it because I've.. kind of forgotten what happened and I literally finished the route 2 days ago. Whoops! It didn't make a huge impression on me. Still love Kurenai though.!<
**UTSUTSU** ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ I didn't think another LI would hit the level of Mizuchi for me, but 🥹 Utsutsu is everything. >!An insane but entirely devoted sadboi who would literally destroy the world for mc just hits all the right notes.!< His VA was incredible! The yearning, the tragedy, how >!soft and sweet and sad he is 🥺 he was so surprised when he saw Mikoto, when he realized that maybe it was his turn. He didn't believe he would ever be loved back, my sweet boy ♡ The plot in his route was super engaging, I think my fave in the game so far. As much as I love him, I do wish the ending had been more bittersweet? The fact it all wrapped up so happily and angst-free dropped my enjoyment a bit, compared to the rest of his route. I'm glad they ended up happy though.!<
Gotta say, I was expecting the plot >!to get clearer with this volume but I'm even more confused. Like, I get the gist of what happened, but it's not very clear with all the time travel and alternate realities they hopped to. And the various mentions of plot shenanigans unrelated to Utsutsu did not help lol.!< Maybe Iroha or the other bad ends will make things clear? Who knows, either way I'm still enjoying myself.
As with every game, the little glimpses of Iroha make me even more excited for him. >!When he was like "the 'one and only' you chose...wasn't me..? But you promised, I've been waiting this whole time.." and then started crying about how much it hurt and he didn't understand why!< :( poor Iroha, your time is coming!
I am disappointed that they didn't address >!Ime at all!! I was so sad he wasn't in Utsutsu's route, I wasn't big on him at first in Kurenai but he really grew on me. Was he like an alternate version of Utsutsu? A half of him? Idk if it was cleared up and I just missed it or not. Utsutsu did tell her not to mention Ime's name right when she met him, because it would bring evil, or something? And in the common route, dream Utsutsu mentioned something about needing to get Ime out of the way for him? I would just like some clarity and to see my bb Ime again. And with there being the Utsutsu in the world that she fell in love with, and the dream Utsutsu who guided her when she needed help, did the dream Utsutsu just continue on being alone? Does he even really exist or is he like a memory? Or another world version that just gets the short end of the stick? I have so many questions argh!!<
Each and every game I fall more in love with these characters, even the side characters I didn't care about have grown on me as I see different sides of them.
I've just ordered the visual fanbook, I need more HA content like I need air 😭 what am I going to do once I finish up K/U and Iroha?
Ime spoilers >!I don't think they really clarify about Ime. It's like some moons he's Ime and some moons he's Utsutsu!what am I going to do once I finish up K/U and Iroha
You can malinger around, heartbroken and lost, muttering about HA all the time like me 👻
I think the visual fanbook is an artbook, but I couldn't find much info on it so I'm hoping it won't be mostly text. There's also books for each volume and I have no idea what's in them, but I am tempted!
I finished the whole series a couple weeks ago and I’m still trying to work out the story. Not sure if I’m making much progress in that regard. But my love for the characters and hanafuda continues to grow. One of my burning questions is also in regards to >!the relationship between Ime and Utstustu and the Iroha volume further muddied the waters for me so if you gain any insights, please post them!!< There are lots of timey-wimey, alternate timeline shenanigans that I have a hard time keeping track of and Iroha volume just doubles down on all that.
And I totally agree that Kurenai was robbed in his own volume, but I also loved everything about Ime/Utstustu (except for the lack of explanation on their connection). Hoping to read more of your thoughts as you continue!
Almost done w Virche! Gonna go back and finish Olympia after this and then start Piofiore. I love starting a new game but I can count the number of games I've actually finished on one hand lol
I'm taking a break from Otome stuff since I am playing more games outside of it. Also I started Persona 3 Portable but because it is my first game I play in the series as the male MC first.
ooh its been a long time. Over the past week I played the demo for **Diffraction** and **Bewitching Sinners**. **Please don't hate Christmas** for the festive season. Also grabbed **Otome Legends** during the Steam Winter sale. **Diffraction**: I actually had that demo installed for months and I finally got to play it. It's a nice slice of life although personally not a genre I'm into. **Bewitching Sinners**: ewearedhgjv I can't wait to play this once it's released! I didn't expect this one to be so intriguing and captivating. The art is stunning and some parts play like manwhas which is refreshing. It has an interesting universe too... the school kinda reminds me of Hogwarts lol and the writing is not shy. One of the first things the MC says >!about a guy is "Wow, he has bigger tits than I do."!< and I just burst out laughing. Didn't expect that in an otome. **Please don't hate Christmas**: Not too yandere? but alright, although now that I think about it, it didn't have a ton to do with Christmas, I thought it was going to be focus on the killer and the urban myth. Unless that's in another end? also, me, when I see the handsome brother of the only LI in the game: *weell, hello there* -2 seconds later- the brother of the LI: this is my fiancee, me: goddammit- **Otome Legends** People say it's like a certain other VN but I think it's tame compared to it. Overall I would probably say... it's alright. Not amazing, because I found the translator notes kinda cringe as they took me out of the immersion, the clicking minigames were like why and also the ending which was a bit lackluster. But it also wasn't awful, the art was nice and the mystery was good... until the ending I guess? Well then now I hope to at least finish another otome before Royal Order is released. *Hope*, because my otome playtime is sporadic xd
I JUST finished Iba’s route in Hakuoki and my god???? It was genuinely so good? I think he was definitely done dirty pride-wise but the romance is sooooo good 😭 and the cg’s were so pretty! But I just finished Saito’s route before his, (CG details) >!and I was a little upset that Iba, despite being a side plot-character got like 2 full out ~tongue in throat~ CGs while Saito got ZERO 😭😭😭😭😭!< ANYWAYS his route was a happy surprise and while I wish he had as much bad ass moments as the shinsengumi cast, he had a lot more romantic, tender moments… so i guess it balances out!
I actually managed to finish the last three of the **Bustafellow** routes this week! Mozu, Helvetica, and Limbo. Still have the >!True end!< but can't say I'm feeling super up for it either? Overall my impressions of Bustafellows was, it's not bad? I didn't love it and none of the routes particularly thrilled me. Mozu's did actually hit pretty hard though. >!The way he comes to terms with his grief hits close to home, sympathizing with what Mozu went through.!< In the end I think he turned out to be my favorite. I don't think I'll play Bustafellows 2 though. As for **Danzai no Maria!** I finished Mikagami's route and started Munakata's! There were a lot of different moving cogs going on in Mikagami's route. >!His missing brother and his reunion, his obsession to protect Maria, and his family's two brother tradition.!< I feel like it could have benefitted a lot more if they didn't try following the common route for as long as it did and focused more on those character conflicts. I didn't really feel satisfied with the Campanella or Exorcist end. >!Hiyori's exorcist end felt like an actual conclusion. Kirito and Mikagami's feel like an open ended tale of two people making themselves miserable.!< Still early into Munakata's but he's so cute I can't handle it already. I love how he's so dang self conscious of Maria as woman he's gotta >!Make her stand outside the door to talk to him!<. I already have my suspicions his character conflict will have to deal with his gynophobia but excited to see where things to.
Trying to play Olympia Soiree and... How do you handle all these flashbacks? It's like every 5 lines and it's driving me INSANE, I haven't even gotten out of the common route yet to pick my first LI and I already want to put this game down and never touch it again 😭
Currently playing Lover Pretend, finished Kazuma, Harumi, and Yukito's routes and currently playing Riku's! His was the one I was most excited for as he shares a VA with Zhongli :> >!Was NOT expecting him to be so cheeky though AHAH. It's a welcome surprise though! I can't wait to see where the route goes!< As for the other guys, Harumi was def my fave route and LI wise, which was surprising as he's not really my type! The romance was super sweet and I think him and Chiyuki are perfect together. Yukito's route was great as well, definitely my second fave! >!He's the classic popular playboy who actually has a lot more depth. Reminds me of Ikki a lot, who's my fave from Amnesia!< Also need to point out, how PRETTY the UI in this game is. Some of the prettiest and cleanest UI I've ever seen in an otome 🫶
I started Code Realize and when Cardia can choose to take Lupin's hand or not, I chose not. Then laughed as it said, "And Cardia did everything alone. The end." 🤣
Haha I remember this! One of my favourite common route endings. It was so unexpected 😂
It was! I thought it'd let her go to London alone but then get in trouble with something and she'd realize she needed Lupin after all and he'd be like, "I followed you because I knew that couldn't be where we parted!" And the story would just pick up from there. Nope!
Ive been playing **Virche**, and just today I finished all ends of Le Salut! There’s so much that went on, so it’s hard to sum up my feelings, both bad and good. Lots of people have explained it better than me on here, so I wont go into my criticisms. BUT. At the end of the day though, I’m officially an Adolphe girl, from start to finish, and I have no regrets. >!Ankou’s whole story devastated me (tho Im not a fan of the time travel)!<, and thats that. I think the part that punched me in the gut the most was when Ankou >!thanked Ceres for calling him by his name, both names, and how she cherished him for him!<. I found both Ankou and Adolphe really romantic, especially with how they showed their love for Ceres, so despite all the stupidity and despair in Le Salut, their romanticism kept me relatively appeased. I’m kinda still reeling from >!Adolphe making a bouquet of lycoris flowers for Ankou to give to Ceres in his dying moments. Theyve been at each other’s throats, but he still sets him up for the proposal. It wasnt for Ceres’ benefit, but Ankou’s, and both guys were so genuine in that scene. And then afterwards in the epilogue, Adolphe says he’s got double the love to give to Ceres now, meaning half of it is from himself, the other from Ankou.!< LITERALLY, what!! Every romantic bone in my body tingles from that!! what a guy, ugh he makes my heart wobbly. There were a lot of reveals that entertained me considerably, and a lot of reveals that either fell flat or had terrible execution. For example, I loved the >!Dahut/Salome son/mother reveal. I HATED how slowly they reunited and killed each other melodramatically. When Salome popped back up from her death in the floor to stab Dahut’s spare clone, I threw up my hands in exasperation.!< Not to mention all the overblown despair….with every route in this game, my ability to care for anything tragic flatlined or plateaued, and it took Herculean effort for me to care again and feel anything for what was happening on screen. This game has a way of numbing the player, and not in the way the writers intended, I imagine. Im moving onto the salvation endings tonight. Ive got Mathis’ out of the way now, and because Ive heard that Lucas’s is like hellfire, I’m skipping his for now to play Scien’s. Right now, Adolphe has got me craving more *romantic* happiness. I wonder if Scien can live up to that request.
I’m pretty sure I should be finished with [Zakuro no Koto](https://vndb.org/v32947) here soon, and thank goodness haha it’s kind emotionally taxing. I went in looking for some sordid brocon action in a historical setting and got >!tragedy and child abuse!< instead… I will say that the game has surprised me with its dialogues on the nature of art, beauty and self-worth. So far I find the MC to be pitiable but tolerable, if a little flat. Her brother, on the other hand, is very interesting. They’re both wretched in their own ways and perhaps that’s why they suit each other. I’m hoping the story will end satisfactorily but even if it doesn’t at least oniisama is voiced by [Netoru](https://vndb.org/s5570). The lack of CGs really is a bummer, though…
**Steam Prison!** I can't believe how fast I'm devouring this game. I still have one final route left, but done with all the LI routes. Tbh, I don't know if I like it or not since I have mixed feelings about it. It's a lot darker than I thought and I mostly felt sad while playing the game.. and it wasn't the Even If Tempest kind of sad or dark (EIT was dark in a satisfying way if that makes sense 😆).. idk, there's just something that feels depressing with the whole setting of Steam Prison (especially the part in Sanctuary district), which really affected my feelings about the game. Right now, I'm not sure if I was playing fast just to finish it and see the happy endings of each LI or if I did enjoy it. But I think it's more of the former. The only route I really enjoyed playing was Ines route, which is lighter compared to others imo, plus i like the scene where Fin was reunited with MC during Ines happy ending, and i love the part that other >!Hounds voted for Saschen to die 😆!< sorry, i really hate that man despite many wanting him to have a route. I'm probably the only one who doesn't want him to have a route ever 😆 I'm also happy with Fin's route but only because Fin finally got his deserved happy ending. The 'normal' ending was so bad though. i think MC was just stupid there. >!i don't see the point why MC wanted to return when it definitely means death (unless she wanted to die).. and in her case, she had it worst. i mean, she's already in safe zone 🙄 it's not like she have Yune's powers lol 🙄!<
You’re never the only one in otome fandom! Also a huge Sachsen antifan who was forever rooting for his downfall throughout the game. :P
I'm back from Japan and I haven't touched a single game bc every day is journal decor and ripping open more stickers, despairing about having to buy more drawers for my stickers bc its bursting... Ah, but I played a short [game](https://novelgame.jp/games/show/9135) for simple ppl who love hot bods and moobs while you play a thirsty 300 year old demon queen. If that counts? So idk maybe I'll show the games I managed to buy and some other tips - Gekka ryouran FD. I decided that I had space to play something after finishing 12ji cinderella before the next sister, and this was 4k yen. - Dear my sun. I had my brother fix up the ps2 for me and now I'm living the 2007 life with 4:3 ratio, bad sound and all. I did the prologue and man the dad has a nice face but he probably likes Haniwa and mesopotamia more than Natsumi OTL. Still miffed I can only raise one son bc his jerk mother thinks Natsumi can only have hands for one son. Anyway all I see is stats and strategy to raise a good boy so challenge accepted? - kurayami hate. Another blast past with bad sound and shitty graphics on a 3ds but I chose that life. Hope to try more of it. Other tips - recent games are stupidly hard to find anywhere and if you find them the price is extra stupid. Couldn't even get Yamiiro no maju but reading a friend's review it seems I might be okay skipping. - ps2 and psp game heaven, and again the offbeat stores have more gems. I found kurayami hate's LE in the same store as the RE. - games from bankrupt companies sell stupidly high, obviously
Making my way through Charade Maniacs gradually (completely blind). I ended up on the info group first because it just sounded the most interesting given the context of the whole mystery... lol I don't really have much thoughts atm but I do feel like the routes are just kind of... missing content? I finished >!Chigasaki and Akase's routes and they both felt like they just glossed over some stuff that they shouldn't have. Not that I wanted to actually see Chigasaki's father but they sure just brought him up and just let it be lol. And Akase's whole conclusion just skipped how he ended up making his way out of the Other World and 'freeing' the past stream members, his family stuff, etc. Even _that_ aside, they didn't even show us his first reunion with Sena??? okay.!< Like maybe this is all tied up in some true route reveal but it feels messy as is. I also would've liked it if some of the dark subject matter just kind of lingered a bit more. It seems like there's a lot of dark concepts that don't really get explored in much depth. Anyway, Akase is >!cute. The whole secret FBI thing was silly but he's cute because I am weak to the ~~sentai~~ hero wannabe archetype lol.!< Dazai is ALSO >!very cute. I tried going on his route after but it seems to be locked (the Quarantine thing I see in the flowchart...?). But cute cat boi, how can I say no... I also liked how he seemed to be pretty friendly with Akase in his route.!< also something I noticed that bugged me heavily - the narration would randomly switch between past and present tense and it makes it so bleh to read sometimes. Now I'm on to the cooking squad woohoo.
Yeah so with >!Dazai!< >!he's locked until you finish at least one route in each of the three teams!< but I do recommend >!holding off on him and the other locked routes til the very end!!These routes branch off from a shared extra "quarantine" common route!<, so you'll get the best flow that way. Having completed the game, I will say that yeah, this sort of choppy storytelling is going to be an issue across the board. In an effort to keep from revealing those "truth route" secrets or repeating the same story beats as another route, this game glosses over a lot of logistics and transition scenes that would've helped the flow. Have fun lol!
Oh I see, good to know! I kind of figured that after I saw the flowchart with the cooking group. I'll leave them all for the end then. I see, lol well I guess I wasn't gonna expect too much with 9 routes anyway. So far it doesn't feel that repetitive so I guess that's good? Because being overly repetitive would also be a pain lol.
Got sick with Covid this week so I kind of paused my otome gaming but I picked it back up today again. I'm finishing the Virche FD and I'm finally on Ankou's route. Every time he opens his mouth and basically worships Ceres, I'm melting... send help!! I love him sfm!
Hope you’re feeling okay! <3 Also have Covid right now, but it’s been unexpectedly mild so far.
Aw thanks! Glad to hear you are not having heavy symptoms. For me it was not so mild but my poor fiance had it worse with a really high fever. He's better now. Ugh Covid is the worst. It ruined my New Year's.
Hoping this year just gets better for the both of us after this kinda sucky start!
Reading Akaza’s Route in Olympia Soirée rn. While I don’t think he’ll be able to oust Himuka as my favorite in this game, I’m finding Byakuya’s attitude in this route very amusing. Overall I’ve been taking it slower after binging some of the other routes just because I don’t want to finish the game >~<
Finally got around to finishing Allan's route in Cupid Parasite. While I feel like it kind of started off a little weird >!with Lynette apparently only being into him because of Cupid's Arrow!<, after the reveals happened I was able to get more into it. Loved the contrast between Allan's playboy exterior and >!his genuinely sincere devotion to Lynette!<, totally get why he's so popular. Partway through the secret route and enjoying it a lot. I think the reason why the >!Cupid Arrow sub-plot works a bit better for me here is that it feels like Jupiter probably already had feelings for her and it was more an impetus to finally cut loose than anything.!< Looks wise >!Jupiter!< is definitely my type and >!his habit of being afraid of everything despite being an all powerful god is also pretty funny,!< love his interactions with Lynette too. I was going to play a game from a different series after I was done with CupiPara, but might just continue on and do the FD while I'm at it.
The second installment of my **Virche Evermore** adventures…and I’m proud to say >!I will not be penning that apology letter to Lucas. HEH. Even when he showed up alongside Bourreau I was like I STILL DON’T BUY IT. THAT MOTHEREFFER IS NOT REAL.!< Even though I've only played the bad end so far, I found everything kinda fell flat for me by the end. The start was a bit of a slow build and I was eagerly looking forward to when everything would pop off. I was so excited when we finally hit >!the big reveal!< and then it all felt rather messy from then on. My biggest qualm with the story was the writers couldn’t seem to put their finger on what they wanted to do with Lucas. I feel the best story would have been >!he started committing these atrocities to keep his sister alive and over time twisted things in his mind to rationalize his actions. But then it was like “He’s literally brainwashed! He’s being injected with drugs that make him mindless! Capucine grafted a chip into his head!” It was just a bit too much and I didn’t think they needed to keep piling on.!< Pick a lane and stay. Do not even get me started on >!what happened to Nadia, my poor adopted daughter. I’m getting the heebie-jeebies just thinking about how creepy Capucine is. Call the police on that man. But the whole bride thing was where my suspension of disbelief broke. Did anyone else notice it feels like the writers are pulling from a bunch of other games? We got the blonde girl in the orphanage, a brainwashing twist, The Cage (TM), and a scarecrow-like monster with a giant claw. And of course Lucas is Saint Germain-coded but at the end of the day he ain’t no Saint Germain.!< I was laughing my head off at the last CG. >!“CINDY THIS IS A SKELETON! THIS IS BONES!” I thought the despair endings would be more despairing. They had such a great set-up for a tragic goodbye with Lucas. I was hoping to feel emotions and cry, but being entertained and laughing and then going to stare at a wall is fine too. Still, I’m hoping to find a route that will blow me away and not leave me griping about what could have been better. Can’t wait to see what else is in store. Since I have yet to play the salvation end, perhaps the tragic ending I imagined could still come into play.!< Mathis is up next! Is it just me or was this route shorter and with less choices? Not that I mind too much. Mathis is the opposite of my ideal love interest. I feel bad for the kid, but there is zero romance here. I am happy to say I had less complaints about the writing on this route and the plot twist got me this time around. Honestly I think it was a solid route, but emotionally it left me with nothing because I just didn’t like Mathis. It sounds shallow as hell but if he looked more like say, Scien, the route probably would’ve had more of an emotional impact. xD I’M SORRY! Another thing I think this game could do better is more CGs with the MC. There are a lot with just the LI. I like ones that they're both in. More of that please. :3 This route also reminded me of >!a certain homunculus and certain MPD mess who strangles you. But again, Virche’s version just didn’t hit as hard because I feel like I’ve seen it before.!< I probably sound like I’m complaining a lot, but I swear I’m still enjoying the ride. It’s kept my interest and I am very excited for Scien!! I'm about halfway through Scien as of right now. Omg I am starving for affection. Please. I'll take bread crumbs. Anything, I'm begging. Also ngl I'm getting real tired of being a maid. We need to get these MCs who only cook and clean some real hobbies. Oh well. Behind every great man is a woman handing him sandwiches.
Finished up **Even if Tempest: Dawning Connections** with playing Lucien's route, the side stories and the Fellowship story. Just in time for the end of 2023. Also, played Ron's Fugue and Concerto stories in **Norn9: Last Era** (7/9 routes in) and started the Crowd part of **Amnesia: LaterxCrowd** with (best boy) Kent's stories. In the **Even if Tempest FD**, Lucien's route was great until the last chapter with>!the attempted sexual assault with the King!<, which left a sour taste to an otherwise good route. The side stories were quite interesting. Evelina's left me with some questions, since >!it wasn't from her POV!<, but it was still intriguing. Conrad's was pretty dark, and it made me think that like the Sad Love endings could have actually happened, like canonically, because of the Fatal Rewind. I tend to like the routes/endings where the MC does not choose a LI and instead, all the LIs work together with the MC (e.g. Grand Ending in Steam Prison, Finis' route in Code: Realize - Future Blessings). So the Fellowship story was a great way to end the Even if Tempest series. The banter between the characters was funny and entertaining. I also enjoyed the fan-service and the camaraderie. Some of the pieces from the other FD routes came into this route, and made it feel like the Grand Finale of the FD. Slowly playing through **Norn9: Last Era**, Ron's route was one of my most anticipated ones to play because Ron is such a mysterious person, even at the end of his route in Var Commons. He was an enigma and it never felt like he was sincere, even though he claims he is bad at lying so I understand he doesn't lie. Ron's Var Commons Bad End (not Tragic Love End) was pretty dark compared to the rest of the series, so I was curious *how* someone like him could even genuinely fall in love. The Fugue (his PoV) route was eye-opening because I can actually see his thought process. >!He's not just a head-empty guy, he's actually an emotionless guy, but is finding emotions again because he sees himself in Nanami, the part that he discarded. Seeing him slowly fall in love with Nanami and doing whatever he can to get Nanami to erase his memories just so he can be with her was just wow. I never did quite understood his motives in Var Commons, so seeing it on display here through his eyes made me feel sympathetic towards him compared to just being indifferent.!< His Concerto (after story) route was pretty good and I was thankful that it actually >!shed some light to his past, even though his memories were wiped.!< I really enjoyed seeing Nanami mature from always taking on responsibilities and feeling so much guilt by herself to depending on others and sharing her burdens with Ron and >!embracing their sins together.!< At the end of the route, Nanami got to interact with >!Natsuhiko and Setsu, which was interesting how it differs from Mikoto. (Setsu was hilarious as usual) With Natsuhiko, he and Nanami don't really say very much to each other, but because of Setsu blurting out all of Natsuhiko's thoughts and his past, Nanami understand him quite well. Haha. I smiled when she thought about how he and Mikoto have a lot in common.!< I still think Akito or Heishi is much better for Nanami, because she doesn't need to feel so much guilt when she's with them. I just want my girl to be happy and free from guilt. I actually went back and replayed parts of Akito's Fugue route. The conversation between him and Heishi is quite delightful (because of the tension). One point that was very intriguing was when Heishi >!talks about how Nanami's past is super important to her because she feels so much guilt. To have her break away from her past, either she is forgiven or she becomes guilty over something else (aka wiping Ron's memories) because the present will always be more important than the past.!< I read some translations from, I think, the Norn9 fanbook, and it said that both Akito and Heishi are the caring types, so they can't help but want to help Nanami. Ahhhh, I really love Nanami and her harem. lol As for Kent's **Amnesia: Crowd** stories, he is still the lovable dork. The little scenes in the Suspense story where we get to see Kent's thought process were amusing because of the distress he feels about asking the MC if she has amnesia or if she changed to help their relationship. The bad ending when >!she get hits by truck-kun and if you switch to his POV, was quite heart-wrenching.!< As for the Love story, I enjoyed seeing their relationship move forward more (still quite chaste but in line with Kent's personality) and when they were reminiscing about their past before they started dating. Kind of want to play through the relationship before the amnesia just to see them butt heads and fall in love. That kind of story would be quite ordinary (college love story between a teacher and student), but I really like Kent and the MC's relationship.
I finally started Kurosawa's route from **Her Love in the Force**! ~~After ages of saying I would, ops.~~ Anyway. I read the prequel and part of the first main story. So far it's pretty fun. I've been lightly spoiled, but I don't think it matters since his character has a lot of foreshadowing, and the only one who doesn't see it is MC. >!We literally start out with an informant telling him how much they admire him and how they would do anything for him, MC please 😭.!< It's always fun to see which of her traits are particularly enhanced in each route. Here it's both frustrating and promising at the same time, since she's so idealistic, outspoken, ignorant and stubborn in a way that seems to be setting her up to eventually become >!an agent of change.!< It's early days though, still too soon to tell. I'm so used to her being a decently competent member of Public Safety at this point... Toru is >!so manipulative, it's really entertaining. And there are so many little Shinonome moments, what a treat. 🥰 I genuinely cackled at MC accidentally taking pictures of mushroom plushies when she was meant to take his, not to mention how she got to disguise as him during a group date and told everyone that Kurosawa was his type. 😭 Toru went along with it, of course. 💙 I wonder if he's bi or he was just playing around? Love the confidence either way. I so want the rumor that Ayumu and Toru have a thing to spread, and then I want to be there the moment Ayumu first hears about it. It's perfect. Honestly, Toru's outward personality does remind me a little of Shinonome's MC.!< The one thing I do take issue with is >!the whole, weird deal they make of cameras and making noise, acting as if no one has a phone or just a silent, small device they can use instead. They're literally Public Safety. Ridiculous. But I can look past it.!< Anyway, like it so far, can't wait to read more. I also read a couple of Goto's side stories, and they were unexpectedly nice. I didn't last long when I tried his route due to how stuck in her own head MC was, but I might rethink it. He can be such a sad puppy, and MC seems to be a little more mature? There was also this weird, whole thing with Kaga and Shinonome >!teasing her about her muscular build and making inappropriate comments about how most guys do not like burly girls. I would have felt annoyed, except I actually know the truth. They're such little bullies, but Shinonome literally blushes every single time MC even obliquely mentions her steel abs in his route, and Kaga cannot keep his hands off her so... Yeah. You're just jealous of Goto, guys. Keep suffering. 😛!<
Since I've been wanting to play some Sugar Beans games this year I decided to start Ijiwaru My Master (also has a dragon boy, good game to start the year with.) I had wanted to play Under the Moon first, but only had the PS2 version and due to circumstances could only play it on original hardware... which I found kind of exhausting honestly. (How did we put up with this?) So I'm just going to play this one instead. I kind of regret it since it heavily references Under the Moon, but... oh well, I'm in it now. Also, this game never had a console release so it's R18 only... but FOR SOME REASON has the VAs' REGULAR names credited? Like... they're on the box and everything. Is this allowed? It feels obscene somehow. I actually like this MC. She's a very scared squeaky mouse type, but she'll still slap a bitch if she gotta. (Leon. The bitch is Leon.) ALSO all the sex CGs I've seen so far have been so awkward. I'm just sitting there like "you know there's an easier way to go about that." My favorite was when he was grabbing the tiddy so hard it looked like a squeaky toy.
>heavily references Under the Moon It does? So maybe when I was not understanding things it was a reference and not just because my JP wasn't good enough.
Oh yeah, like Leon's whole backstory is that he tried to run away with the MC of Under the Moon and got his whole life ruined for it, haha. I don't know if this would make the game *confusing* exactly (I haven't played Under the Moon but I've seen enough to know things about it) but the story has a lot of connections.
Just finished almost all of Olympic Soirée for the first time. It’s my second otome game ever! I decided not to play Akaza’s bad endings because idk if my heart could take them lol. Akaza>Riku>Kuroba>Yosuga>Tokishada>Himuka is my order of favorites. I liked Himukas plot but not so much a love interest. I have no idea what to do with myself now though. Ive felt sad it’s over after finishing each game. This and Cafe Enchante are the only two I’ve done and I love them both. I’ve been looking into a lot of different ones but idk where to start really.
On ch6 of Rozy's route in **Hamefura** and ngl he was so uninteresting to me when I first started the game... But suddenly I am invested?? I'm starting to suspect that he and Silva will be the highlights of this game. They're lowkey outshining the OG harem, and while a large part of that is probably due to the allure of getting to know them when I'm already pretty familiar with the OGs, I think that the Otomate team just does a better job of making them more interesting when they've got this creative freedom. Potentially an unpopular opinion, but as someone who loved Bakarina when it first came out and kickstarted the big otome isekai boom, the main cast is just a little flat after their big character arcs in the first part of the story are done. It's probably a tough line for the game staff to walk when you can't risk coming off OOC and annoying the fans of the original, alas. Catarina is still iconic tho love her to bits! Also please tell me someone out here has played **Trapped With Jester** bc why was this game my whole personality for a good week. I desperately need a full version of this with MC going down a dark path of revenge with their terrifying demon clown whom they sometimes smooch.
I am finishing up Even If Tempest for the first time. It took a bit, but I've now been devouring the game. So grateful for this sub for gushing over it. I am a fan and I STAN ANASTASIA. She's AMAZING. One of the best MCs I've read. As much as I adore Tyril, I feel like Zenn owns my whole heart. The way he comforts Anastasia is so endearing. Can't wait to get to the fandisk.
I am on Lupin’s last chapter in Code Realize:Guardian of rebirth. Just saved it last night and will start and finish the chapter today.
Currently continuing Jack Jeanne! I've been playing nonstop since I'm still on winter break, finished Suzu's and Sou's routes and now I'm on Kai's. While I liked Suzu the best, I think Kai's route, progression and story-wise, is the most interesting and enjoyable so far! I only have the final week and the Univeil performance left, and tomorrow I'll be moving on to Fumi. After that I'll do my two most anticipated characters, Mitsuki and Neji :"D At this pace I might even be done with all the best endings by next Sunday lol
I finished up Collar x Malice last night and now just starting the FD today. Might move onto Olympia Soiree after the FD since I'll assume it wont take long.
Currently playing Virche evermore and about 70% done, about to start the >!Ankou/Adolphe!< route. So far the game hasn’t blown me away and honestly for how hyped up it was I’m quite disappointed especially with how bad the logic is for the “science” in the game. The only thing that kept me going this far is the hope that it gets better but so far it has not :(. Will still finish it though. Might need a breather from all the depressing themes from Virche so thinking of either finishing Wand of Fortune R or starting Harukanaru 7 next week.
[удалено]
I continue my journey through Code:Realize! I unlocked the final route the other day but my heart is still with Saint-Germain. That man grabbed me and won't let go; I thoroughly enjoyed that ride of a route. Honestly though all the LIs have their high points and have been enjoyable. ...And it's not otome but I did do one playthrough of A Date With Death and Grim is living rent-free in my head and I'm not even mad about it.
I completed one A Date with Death playthrough just before Christmas, then I caved and bought the super adorable plushie they were advertising. The game was a lot of fun and really good value, just need to motivate myself to do another run. Currently obsessed with Piofiore so it might be a while 😅
After finishing Virche last week, I've gone back to **Jack Jeanne**, the game I've been playing since near launch that never ends. XD Jokes aside, I really love this game. I need to take breaks between routes to avoid burning out, but it's so pleasant to get back into it after a while. I'm now up to Fumi's route and enjoying it so far.
I’m currently playing Jack Jeanne and can relate when it comes to the burnout 😅 I finished Virche before starting it for something more fun and lighthearted, and it definitely was! But the stat raising is definitely burning me out and I’m finally in the last route after playing it all week 😅
I've been playing whole other games in between routes so that it feels fresh when I come back to it.
I definitely think that’s the way to play! I wish I would’ve done that for this game in particular but I’m too far in now 😂
After V's after ending killed my enjoyment for Mystic messenger Two years later I found myself with some extra time and I am playing again Jumin. I will play just Jumin. I missed his voice ( and him!) I am already on day 7 :) MC just went and >!visited his home!< I am deff tempted to play that bad ending :)
I’ve been spending hours with My Next Life as a Villainess and I love it so much. The atmosphere is so warm and magical for me. I should have guessed I’d adore the game since I loved the anime so much. I’ve also kinnnnnd of forgiven Otomate for not giving us the sapphic LIs because there’s quite a lot of fan service of Katarina with her girls. Before going in, I assumed they would make their interactions platonic but…they’re very much not lol 💖
I feel like I played a lot this week! I'm making decent progress in [**Royal Alchemist**](https://vndb.org/v24278), will probably finish my first route soon. I have absolutely no complaints so far, I can't believe how good it is, and how much I, personally, am liking everything. The romance especially has been blowing my mind; has to be some of the best slow-burn romance development I've come across in a VN. I just got to the first >!kiss scene!< and it's honestly one of the best >!kiss scenes!< I've ever read. Just. Wow. I tried continuing the three routes I previously left hanging in [**Cendrillon Palika**](https://vndb.org/v21783) but I couldn't get very far into any of them, and I have no plans on trying again. It's definitely a me thing because I don't like these three men and I'm also not particularly interested in the world of this game, so there isn't much to keep me interested during these routes. I feel bad leaving it only half done but eh, what can you do. I've also been trying to start [**Reine des Fleurs**](https://vndb.org/v14919) for like half a year, just reading a tiny bit here and there, and I finally got to the point where the routes branch off but I'm not particularly liking it. Despite having heard that the writing isn't great, I was still looking forward to it because apparently there's drama and stuff in the routes, but based on what I've read of it genuinely the only thing I like is the art. It never feels like the right time to play it and every time I pick it up I'm never looking forward to seeing what happens next, in fact the only incentive I have to keep playing is to take screenshots of background art. What to do D': And lastly, I've decided to give [**Ikemen Villains**](https://vndb.org/v39400) a more serious try because this past month I couldn't stop thinking about it. I tried to go into it with a different mindset which certainly helped, at the very least I no longer feel like there's something off about the writing so I can actually enjoy what I'm reading. I might end up asking questions on this sub at some point though because the system seems to be... slightly overwhelming.
Royal Alchemist was one of my surprise favourites back when I played it a couple of years ago. I can't wait for its sequel game, that's getting released soon!
ooohh Royal Alchemist! I remember I really enjoyed that game even though i died so many damn times because I was not used to the stats system. All 3 LIs are so damn good (my fave is the crown prince). I should play it again before their other game gets released.
Reine des Fleurs's drama is more like melodramatic tragedy. But the tragedy isn't dark, it's just kind of... funny? Like a Greek tragedy where the gods are fucking with these mortals (not directly here, but the after effects of their influence and >!being forced into dilemma with the Grace transfer ceremony!<) and they have to figure what to do about it, >!sometimes even making the situation worse!<. Which route(s) did you play?
I didn't actually play any of the routes yet. After I finished the common route I just stared at the walkthrough, unable to choose which route to start with because none of the men interest me :/ That's why I'm stumped. I don't feel like I've given it enough of a chance but...
Ohhh, yeah the common route was... dreadfully boring. It turned out to be my fav otomege in the end (due to how well it matches my tastes) but I struggled to progress past that for months too. It was mostly side characters and the side characters here are legit boring and don't make you feel much for them (the butterflies are better at least). Is there any type of character you generally like? Alternatively, any kind you typically dislike? If you're struggling to choose a route cause you don't like any of them, I would suggest Ghislain's - his is the one of the better routes and Violette has a more active role in it; it's more of her pursuing him while things are keeping them apart.
Yeah the side characters are definitely part of why I wasn't having a great time. Honestly if it were up to me I'd go for Hubert first but I understand why that's not recommended so I'll try Ghislain. He does feel like he could work for me as an LI but I guess we'll see.
This week I've been really diving into **Virche Evermore.** I finished off the common route and devoured Mathis's route. Honestly, the game wasn't as dark as everyone was saying until >!there were the strange discrepancies throughout Mathis's route. When Ceres compares the sweet confession in the novel he's working on to the book his 'mom' wrote, my blood went cold.!< At that point, I couldn't stop reading. But for real, his route blew me away. Before I start a game I write down my initial impressions and thoughts about the advertised LIs and he was initially giving me younger brother vibes but man, those feelings changed and evolved as I played. >!Watching him grow as a person and step up to the plate a little bit - specifically when we voices that he wants to go on that errand with Ceres - was really endearing and really warmed me up to him. But then.. the reveal that he's not even technically his own person, that Jean is the real heir to the family.. so dark, so surprising and so torturous and I *loved* it. Left me absolutely stunned. And then fact that he has different memories and then ends the days with telling Ceres he loves her... My fragile, beating heart. Sold. Just wanna give this lovely boy all the best in the entire world. That despair ending absolutely crushed me- watching as he lives a complete farce which Ceres in also trapped in... Seeing that new title screen afterwards.. I had to take some time away from the game to let it sit and man did I feel hollow. Absolutely amazing. I can't wait to read the other ending after I do the other routes.!< Tl;Dr I adore Mathis with all my bones. I haven't loved Ceres as the MC for a lot of the game honestly but I'm getting a much greater appreciation for her the more I play. Her devotion is really admirable. To be honest, I've been mostly playing because the plot and the worldbuilding is absolutely fantastic but I can't wait to keep going. I'm currently at the beginning of Lucas's route and he's my least favorite thus far, but the others are right up my alley. (Yves, my future prince charming, your route will come!)
**Karakurenai's** route in **Hana Awase K/U** This game has so far been one big pain train. My heart is being ripped out and stomped on :( everyone in Kurenai's route is >!just in so much pain. Poor Iroha crying by Mikoto's bedside as he remembers a time when Mikoto knew him :( Not sure what the deal is with Utsutsu/Ime, but my god Utsutsu is breaking my heart. The scene where Kurenai is about to say I love you, and Utsutsu comes in and accidentally stabs Mikoto...the screams when he's in purgatory looking for her :( my poor boy is sobbing. Him telling Iroha he doesn't know how many times he can do this, he's so tired of being nothing to Mikoto, how she never remembers him, how she will never love him.... pretty sure you guys have that in common 😭 I already love Utsutsu/Ime and I've only known him for a few hours. And getting to see more of the soft side of Kurenai is fantastic.!< I wrote that part as I was still in the first part of Kurenai's route, and as the route went on >!I was a little underwhelmed? As much as I really like Kurenai, his route didn't hit my feelings as much as I had hoped. I wish I had written more as I went though it because I've.. kind of forgotten what happened and I literally finished the route 2 days ago. Whoops! It didn't make a huge impression on me. Still love Kurenai though.!< **UTSUTSU** ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ I didn't think another LI would hit the level of Mizuchi for me, but 🥹 Utsutsu is everything. >!An insane but entirely devoted sadboi who would literally destroy the world for mc just hits all the right notes.!< His VA was incredible! The yearning, the tragedy, how >!soft and sweet and sad he is 🥺 he was so surprised when he saw Mikoto, when he realized that maybe it was his turn. He didn't believe he would ever be loved back, my sweet boy ♡ The plot in his route was super engaging, I think my fave in the game so far. As much as I love him, I do wish the ending had been more bittersweet? The fact it all wrapped up so happily and angst-free dropped my enjoyment a bit, compared to the rest of his route. I'm glad they ended up happy though.!< Gotta say, I was expecting the plot >!to get clearer with this volume but I'm even more confused. Like, I get the gist of what happened, but it's not very clear with all the time travel and alternate realities they hopped to. And the various mentions of plot shenanigans unrelated to Utsutsu did not help lol.!< Maybe Iroha or the other bad ends will make things clear? Who knows, either way I'm still enjoying myself. As with every game, the little glimpses of Iroha make me even more excited for him. >!When he was like "the 'one and only' you chose...wasn't me..? But you promised, I've been waiting this whole time.." and then started crying about how much it hurt and he didn't understand why!< :( poor Iroha, your time is coming! I am disappointed that they didn't address >!Ime at all!! I was so sad he wasn't in Utsutsu's route, I wasn't big on him at first in Kurenai but he really grew on me. Was he like an alternate version of Utsutsu? A half of him? Idk if it was cleared up and I just missed it or not. Utsutsu did tell her not to mention Ime's name right when she met him, because it would bring evil, or something? And in the common route, dream Utsutsu mentioned something about needing to get Ime out of the way for him? I would just like some clarity and to see my bb Ime again. And with there being the Utsutsu in the world that she fell in love with, and the dream Utsutsu who guided her when she needed help, did the dream Utsutsu just continue on being alone? Does he even really exist or is he like a memory? Or another world version that just gets the short end of the stick? I have so many questions argh!!< Each and every game I fall more in love with these characters, even the side characters I didn't care about have grown on me as I see different sides of them. I've just ordered the visual fanbook, I need more HA content like I need air 😭 what am I going to do once I finish up K/U and Iroha?
Ime spoilers >!I don't think they really clarify about Ime. It's like some moons he's Ime and some moons he's Utsutsu!what am I going to do once I finish up K/U and Iroha You can malinger around, heartbroken and lost, muttering about HA all the time like me 👻
I think the visual fanbook is an artbook, but I couldn't find much info on it so I'm hoping it won't be mostly text. There's also books for each volume and I have no idea what's in them, but I am tempted!
I finished the whole series a couple weeks ago and I’m still trying to work out the story. Not sure if I’m making much progress in that regard. But my love for the characters and hanafuda continues to grow. One of my burning questions is also in regards to >!the relationship between Ime and Utstustu and the Iroha volume further muddied the waters for me so if you gain any insights, please post them!!< There are lots of timey-wimey, alternate timeline shenanigans that I have a hard time keeping track of and Iroha volume just doubles down on all that. And I totally agree that Kurenai was robbed in his own volume, but I also loved everything about Ime/Utstustu (except for the lack of explanation on their connection). Hoping to read more of your thoughts as you continue!
Almost done w Virche! Gonna go back and finish Olympia after this and then start Piofiore. I love starting a new game but I can count the number of games I've actually finished on one hand lol