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whydoicryidiosyncracy · 5 days ago

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Review for Kaeru Batake de Tsukamaete

Oop, didn't mean for this space to collect this much dust! Anyway ~Let’s start off positively w/a glowing review of Kaeru Batake de Tsukamaete! This is an Otome game originally released for the PS2 on April 28th, 2010. It has since been ported to PSP, PS Vita, & the Nintendo Switch. I played on my scritched up Vita for the sole purpose of a platinum trophy. If I had to say, this title’s key features are the comedy beats, as well as the unique take on Japanese mythology. Also, environmentalism plays a big part in the story, so if you’ve been looking for a game that says “go green!” this is for you!

***Warning: Includes cursed mini games. Depending on if you want to unlock every bonus (this is more an issue if you’re going for a platinum trophy on the vita), I recommend not skipping these even after the option pops up after your 1st run. I messed this up b/c I didn’t know you were penalized w/lower points for skipping (even w/the auxiliary magatama u can get from Tokunami’s shop), meaning I had to go back to replaying just for the mini games until I racked up enough points - rinse, wash, repeat.***

If any of the key words I’ve said at the top sound up your alley, and playing through grindy mini games doesn’t turn you off, give this game a try! As far as Japanese goes - and, yes, sadly, this is a (as of right now) Japanese only title - I would say a mid-upper level of N3 will get you through the game, though you might be slightly thrown off w/what characters are even saying, b/c the comedy is heavily dialogue based & these characters throw quips around like there’s no tomorrow. I loved it, but there were definitely a couple times where I was like, what is he even saying?? Wtf are they even talking about??? I think once you get comfy w/the flow of the writing, it isn’t so bad? The game does from time to time use uncommon kanji, but I always experience this w/any untranslated material, tbh. Always have an e-dictionary/internet beside u like me lol.

Synopsis: So what is this game about? The story revolves around a high school girl, Fuu Sugano , a 1st year who is also a member of her school’s broadcasting club. And Fuu… is amazing! Never have I loved an mc as much as her since Cardia from Code: Realize. She often uses old-fashioned, masculine coded speech, to the point of being considered samurai-like to those around her. She is also quite the proactive lead, asking questions that’re straight to the point, and usually being the first to act. A very cool & upfront girl. Back to the story: Fuu & her broadcasting members - mostly her senior, Ren Norizuki - want to broadcast about the “7 mysteries of Tsukiyado,” w/one conveniently located on the school grounds. When they investigate (read: wreck) the school shrine, she, 2 of her club members, & 2 other boys get wrapped up in a purple mist, & magically get turned into frogs. This is where a talking cat spirit(?) named Touya Tokunami swoops in and helps them turn back into humans on one condition: help clean up the city of Tsukiyado. This is what kicks off the plot, and brings up the main theme of the game: environmentalism. From here on, these kids are forced to live & work together in order to fully turn back into humans, as Tokunami can only change their appearance, not fully break their curse - yet. W/the help of their teachers & eventually 3rd yr senior, these kids work on fixing their town - and themselves - in the process. I think this is as much as I can say w/o reaching into spoiler territory? Idk, for some people, I’m pretty sure whatever I’ve babbled on already runs into spoiler territory... Moving on! (I have no remorse)

Characters: I’ll only be listing off the main love interests:

Ren Norizuki(va: Tsubasa Yonaga):

a 2nd year & the leader of the broadcasting club. Tries to be a dependable leader, but is just too cute live! … has the tendency to drop one thing & move onto the next. Can talk to cats.

Yuuki Hirose(va: Miyu Irino):

a ‘plain’ 1st year & a member of the broadcasting club - a “nice guy” (*pfft*). Refers to himself as an 「雨男」 - lit. ‘rain man.’ Means someone who is unlucky w/the weather/seems to bring the rain w/them whenever they go out.

Mukuto Hamura(va: Noriaki Sugiyama):

a 1st year wise-cracker that always finds a way to interpret others actions/words negatively; the resident tsundere (read: pain in the a*s). The other member of the beautification committee.

Masaomi Kuga (va: Daisuke Kishio):

our last 1st year & quite the timid one, especially w/girls & women. The real ‘heart’ of the group. Loves cats, but cats don’t love back - the true woobie dilemma. Member of the beautification committee.

Misaki Maibara (va: Mitsuaki Madono):

26 years old, the teacher in charge of supervising the broadcasting club. A weirdo. 1st to bring up lewd/sexual comments.

Akimori Togami (va: Katsuyuki Konishi):

Last, & certainly least, the class president; a 3rd year. A weirdo. Is always the loudest in the group; always manages to bring up red flags regarding his background. Special technique: bondage.

As far as play goes, the boys are split into 3 common routes after the main common route, if this makes sense: the ‘broadcasting’ route (Ren/Hirose), the ‘friendship’ route (Mukuto/Masaomi), & the ‘bonds’ route (Togami/Misaki). Around the 19th/20th day (yes, everything that happens in this story takes place w/in a month) is when the route starts to split again.

As recommended play order, I only strongly advise you save Ren for last - he has the longest route in general, more lovey-dovey scenes, & has the more intense climax, imo. A pretty freaky bad ending, too! Everyone else you can play in whatever order. I only regret playing Misaki’s route later (played his as my 4th route) b/c it brings up some interesting background info I kinda would’ve liked to see earlier. So if you think like me, I loosely recommend this order:

Masaomi > Misaki > Mukuto > Yuuki > Togami > Ren

I recommend this pattern of separating the characters w/shared common routes just b/c a lot of events overlap, so if you don’t wanna feel sick & tired of hearing the same thing 2x in a row/skipping every shared scene, this is probably for the best. If you want to quickly finish up the game, disregard everything I’ve said & play in pairings like this:

Masaomi/Mukuto > Misaki/Togami > Yuuki > Ren

This is a game where I like almost all the characters, even the side characters. The side characters were always fun to talk to & interact with, always put me in a good mood🤗 But! My least fav is Togami. I mean, I kinda like him? But mostly don’t😂 I like that he’s a loud, outrageous character, but I don’t like how he often uses force on Fuu in his route. His kiss scene felt the most offensive to me. If you are also bad w/this kind of stuff, I honestly recommend force skipping most of his route - he has the least romance, & most of what is explained in Misaki’s is re-explained in his (& vice-versa, I guess), & I didn’t feel much was expanded upon either. This is probably the most red flag of a route in the game, unless you’re a hardcore teacher hater. For me, teacher routes often feel like a waste of space, as they usually follow a trend of being the most chaste, even though it’s usually the most forbidden relationship in a school setting. I find this weird & super boring; it’s a kinky trope (to me), so where is my smutty fix? …Misaki’s route follows this pattern, so I can’t say I fully enjoyed his & Fuu’s relationship buildup, even though I do like Misaki as a character. He & Togami should’ve just stayed side characters😛 Give more to the main boys, please! My fav boys? Yuuki is my fav, but I love Ren as well. Felt like the broadcasting group had the strongest writing in general. Mukuto is a tsundere till the end, which I hate, so it took extra time for me to actually like him. He did grow on me, but I do not have the urge to replay any of his scenes atm. Masaomi is just too shy, I guess? B/c of his shyness, his & Fuu’s development feels very much like being a supportive friend than romantic partner, so I can’t say I love him as an li😅 But he is still a very good boy!

As for the story, I’d rather this blog not be used for point-by-point plot/event recitation, & there are already other blogs out there that have that anyways. I would rather discuss what does/doesn’t work, what I feel is lacking/what the game excels at, presentation, etc; the broader strokes, if you will. As I’ve said before, comedy is this game’s strength, which can sometimes feel like a detriment to the story’s flow, especially for the climax. Most of the game is spent on bringing the main cast together to be a solid group, & later building Fuu’s & her li’s bond. So when the rising conflict happens per route, it almost always felt very sudden. I felt Mukuto’s route handled this the worst, so just be prepared for major whiplash if you decide to do his first. This is what happened for me. The other routes felt like they did a better job w/this, especially Yuuki’s, Misaki’s, & Ren’s routes. The romance is very light (read: no steam/little spice), but I like seeing cute relationships, so I have no complaints. Just know that you’re mostly getting an oddball high school romance w/this game. Music is pretty good! Wish we heard more of the serious/atmospheric stuff, b/c those were the ones I liked the most, but there just aren’t a lot of serious parts to this story, so I understand why they weren’t used that much😅 The system is very interesting: It feels very utilitarian by design, but still has many functions that many vn’s still lack to this day. This includes skipping to next unread scene & skipping to next choice selection. Trust me, you will love that u have this option, especially since no matter what route you’re on, a lot of stuff just overlaps until the more serious parts come into play. As for the art… I love the sprites & the many expressions each character has. But the cgs? Can’t say I love many, but there are some pretty amazing ones as well - I’d rather money go into writing/system improvements, anyways. Pretty art just makes me buy a game w/o thinking😂

So if you’re someone that likes their media to be as seriously as you take it, you might feel this game is almost like an insult, but if you’re someone like me who doesn’t give a sh*t & just wants a good time, this game is definitely for you! That’s not to say there isn’t any substance to this game - all the mythology/background stuff was really interesting to listen to, & I like the creators’ take on how to be better to each other & the world. Yes, this a tree-hugger’s kind of game, I make no excuses😆 Is it a preachy kind of game? Dk, dc. Couldn’t really tell you if the themes/messages will rub you the wrong way, since I’m not a climate change denier nor am I a useless doomer. All I can say is that if you want a game set in summer, w/Japanese mythology behind an urban background, w/top tier comedic timing & just a little mystique/horror added for spice, check out Kaeru Batake de Tsukamaete!

#otome #kaeru batake de tsukamaete #review

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