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Piofiore: Fated Memories (Rant Review)

Y’all, I can’t with this game. I’m actually kinda upset, since I’ve heard a lot about it in the Otome community. It seemed pretty well liked and highly recommend. But this might be the first game I don’t even try to finish.

It started off fairly strong, I liked Nicola’s route. I thought my the premise was interesting enough, and the music and art were beautiful. I thought Nicola was a complex character, and I liked his motivations. Was it my favorite? No. It didn’t really have much romance or plot, but it wasn’t too bad.

Then I played Yang’s route. I hated every second of it. People had hyped Yang up to be this iconic yandere. He is not a yandere. Not even kind of. I question if he even really likes MC at all. He just seems like a psychopath. The whole route just icked me out, and rubbed me the wrong way. MC had no agency. The action isn’t even believable either. It was just crazy, and not even in a fun way. Not to mention I feel like the sex trafficking and sexual abuse of her friend was glossed over so fast, and somehow twisted Yang isn’t the villain there???

Then I did Dante’s route, and at least I like Dante. I like that he has his own morals and values. His character type is very cute. But again the plot wasn’t interesting, and there was barely any romance. Then I get to the big twist at the end and I was so over it.

I’m about half way through Orlok’s route and I’m giving up. I just can’t with this game. The plots are so poorly done, and very noncoherint. There is practically no romance which sucks. It just feels like a nothing sandwich. Not to mention, I’m sick of Dante being made out to be a villain, when objectively I feel like he’s one of the better characters morally. Like he’s getting screwed over in most routes. So it’s hard for me to want to play other guys routes when they keep talking down to the two guys I actually liked. I’ve heard that apparently Dante does some messed up stuff in one of Orlok’s bad endings, but Orlok killed his dad and his older brother figure, so like maybe it’s justified? I’m not sure since I haven’t played it, but I’m too over it to care. I like Orlok, but dude seems super brainwashed by the church, and is siding with Yang the psycho of all people.

I just can’t bring myself to finish this game. I’m just not having a good time. I’m actually kinda sad I bought it 🥲

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I’m playing Dandelion for the first time and just finished Jiwoo’s route. I’m literally on the floor sobbing 😭 Cheritz why do you do this to me?!?!

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Olympia Soirée Review

I had heard a lot of good things about this game going in. It seemed to be recommended everywhere, so I had bought it a while ago, but it’s been on my back log. I had seen this game has some darker themed so I was waiting for the right time to play it. I decided now would be that time, since I was in a little bit of a game slump, and was hoping this would help get me out.

So far based on the common route I really like the game! I think the world building and lore is very interesting, albeit a little confusing too. The art style and music is also very beautiful. I think just off the common route I’m very intrigued by almost all the love interests. I think Blue, Green, Red , and Reaper interest me the most. Blue seems like he may be a tsundere which I typically enjoy, plus he seems to be a good guy despite his classism. Green is super cute, aesthetically I really like him the most, and he seems like such a cutie. He’s a bit young for me irl, but I think he’ll be super cute with MC. Red and Reaper both seem to already be affectionate or hold affection for MC, so I’m curious to learn more about them and why that is. Overall I’m very excited to play!

Riku of the Blue

I’m starting with Riku for two reasons; one, he was the first in the recommended play order (which I plan on following), two, he’s just cute and was already one that had caught my eye. We didn’t get to know him super well, but I think he’s a good guy. Especially when he mentioned not wanting your kids taken from you, makes me think his strictness in following color purity is more than just a classism and colorism thing. So I guess we’ll see.

I ended up really liking Riku’s route. I think that him and MC are very cute, given how inexperienced and shy they both are. I think the fact they are both dancers is very sweet, and it was cute seeing them bond. Riku is a bit of a tsundere but more so just very serious and shy. It’s interesting that both him and MC are kind of in similar positions, and how that both brings them together while also pushing them apart. The story was very interesting, and I just enjoyed it a lot. Riku is so cute, as I’ve said many times on this blog, I love a blushing boy. I think this was the perfect starting route!

Tokisada of the Green

Next up is Tokisasa, I’m very exited to play his route, since he was the one I liked most in the common route. He’s also the only outsider we can romance, which I think will be very interesting.

This was one of the wildest dating sim routes I’ve ever played. Tell me why Tokisada is based off of a real life Saint??? That was actually persecuted and killed! I was not expecting to hear about Jesus, The Bible, Portuguese missionaries, religious persecution, and an actual Saint in my dating sim lol. Not to mention I think the main antagonist was kinda rushed and not well fleshed out, the last line before credits rolled was wild. Then you had Lord Jigen talking like Master Oogway and I was loosing it lmao. But overall I actually really loved Tokisada. He’s incredibly cute and sweet. I find him and MCs relationship to be super adorable. I love that it had a lot of MC comforting him and kind of filing the role I feel like the LI usually fills. Plus, despite how crazy some of this route is I enjoyed it, I’m also a Christian, so I thought seeing a Saint was pretty strange, but it didn’t bother me either. I’m some ways it was really cool, and it made me look into the real Saint’s story, which was fascinating. I’m sure this route won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I really enjoyed it.

Yosuga of the Purple

I won’t lie, I’m probably least excited for Yosuga’s route. I think he’s very handsome, but he’s just not the type I typically like or go for. I’m hoping it’ll still be interesting and fun, even if he’s not my favorite. I don’t really have a solid reason to dislike him, I think he’s a good person in game, but he’s just not my personal preference. But maybe he’ll surprise me.

I won’t lie, I feel kind of conflicted about Yosuga. On one hand I kind of like him, he’s handsome, he’s kind, he has an interesting story, but on the other hand, something about him just isn’t for me. He has a very similar story and vibe to Allan from Cupid Parasite, and that’s not just because they are both purple. They both have that “she’s so beautiful and pure, if I love her I’d be tainting her and dragging her to hell” vibe. Although, I much preferred Yosuga to Allan. Yosuga also has slight yandere tendencies, and that won me over a little, I won’t lie. He’s a little crazy, and I was kind of into it, although he’s definitely not the craziest or worst yandere by far. But I love that he’s more of a “I’ll kill for you, and be killed by you” yandere, and not a “I’m going to drug you and lock you in a cage” yandere. I think the story was interesting, although a little predictable. I’d say I enjoyed him and his route overall, he’s just not my favorite.

Kuroba of the Black

I honestly feel pretty mixed about Kuroba going into his route. He doesn’t seem like bad guy (to be honest none of them really do), but I just don’t feel any kind of way about him. He also comes from a rare color which could be interesting. But he also has a somewhat flirty/playboy attitude which isn’t my favorite. The only interesting thing about his route is he might find a cure for Haku, which would be nice. But yeah, not sure how to feel about him going in.

Okay, so I was right. I’m still not sure how I feel about him either. I think he’s nice, as all the guys are. The finding a cure was cool. But I did not like the stone walling and pushing MC away miscommunication thing they did this route. I think Kuroba just also isn’t my ideal type or archetype. I think I’ve preferred the routes where MC is the more assertive one. This time they just made MC too dumb, like in every other route she realizes her feelings sooner, is more assertive, explains her hair station, but in this route she did the opposite. I think that played into why I just didn’t like this route that much. This route was fine, but I just don’t have much to say about it, or Kuroba for that matter. I guess one thing I wasn’t expecting was her getting assaulted by another guy, that was kind of crazy. On one hand, I don’t hate that it’s in there, which I know is kind of unpopular. But I’ve played a lot of games where it was threatened but you know it’ll never happen so it just feels weak and gross to include. I feel like this time felt more real, which had me actually worried for the first time, so I can appreciate it in that aspect. I’m kind of glad at least the game treats it seriously, and commits to it to an extent. But then again it also pushes the whole “nahh we shouldn’t kill the rapist” which I don’t love. Like MC should’ve used Batsu on him. Or he should’ve had some extreme punishment. But instead they did the whole “MC is a saint” approach, which I hate. Like why include the assault if it’s not to have her use these powers we know she has and that has been constantly referenced. It just feels like a wasted opportunity. I’ve also heard if you choose not to save her rapist you get a bad ending, which is so stupid. I think even if she didn’t kill the Jade guy, she could’ve at least used batsu on part of him before the haku reveal. But I don’t know, this was upsetting but I just don’t think I liked Kuroba or his route. This route just made me miss Tokisada and Riku, especially since we see them both stand up for her in this route. So yeah, I’d say this was probably my least favorite.

Himuka The Undertaker

So I think Himuka is a very interesting character. His personality is interesting, as well as his role in the story being the undertaker and best Batsu user. When I first saw him outside of playing the game, I thought he was a girl, since his design is somewhat feminine. Although seeing him in the game, he’s more obviously a guy. I’m guessing his route will focus on Batsu, and maybe this will finally be the route where she uses her Batsu and learns it’s not bad (although that didn’t happen in Riku’s route so…my hopes aren’t that high). I’m actually excited for his route, but I’m not sure how I’ll feel about him as a love interest yet.

I once again have mixed feelings. I really liked a lot of the story and mystery in this route. I didn’t want to stop playing because I was so hooked on trying to discover what was happening. But I feel like the ending dragged a little too much, and while it had its sad moments, it didn’t make me cry. It wasn’t as sad or heartwrenching as Il (Cafe Enchante) and Shirashi’s (Collar X Malice) routes. This route had another assault scene that still didn’t have any consequences for the perpetrator which sucked. She still never used Batsu. And I feel like they played it a little safe with his whole “true self” stuff. Himuka as a love interest was also conflicting to me. I think personality wise it wasn’t that bad and I kind of liked him. He’s very similar to Mysrir, in both personality and story arc. But I think his character did end up looking a little too young and feminine for me. Like none of the CGs really did it for me, and it was hard to get into it because his looks were throwing me off. That’s saying a lot because I like the younger cute guys in otome games, but this just didn’t work for me. Also the whole in love with his sister thing was also kind of weird. I think the more I played it made it harder and harder for me to see him romantically. This isn’t to say I didn’t like this route, because I really did like 90% of the route. But the ending just didn’t work for me.

Akaza of the Red

This is honestly the most excited I’ve been for a final/true route in a while. If you’ve read my other posts you’ll know, I typically don’t like final true routes. The guys end up being kind of boring or underwhelming, and their romance is rushed in order to ties all routes together and finish the story with a nice bow. I’m really hoping that won’t be the case with Akaza. I know he’s the poster boy, but I was actually pretty interested in him since the prologue. I think he seems very kind, he had some kind of trauma associate with the “red curse”, and he seems to know the most about her off the bat (like Yusuga and Himuka). He’s also one of the ones I really like visually, he’s very handsome. Also, I think the fact MC is so offended by him saying he’ll “fulfill that duty” if she can’t find a husband, and he being so stubborn about not ever marrying him, will be a very fun dynamic. So I’m very excited to see what they do with his route, and I really want to like it.

I really loved this route! A lot happened, and some of it left me with questions, but overall, it was really good! Starting with Akaza, he’s definitely in my top three. I really liked him. He’s very handsome, has a good voice, and is very smart yet kind. I love that he doesn’t let social expectations or fate control him. I also just love seeing stoic men loose their composure and we defiantly got that here. I think he does fall a bit victim to us not really knowing when or how he fell in love with her, but that seems to be the case for most of the guys in this game. I also really enjoyed the plot and lore from this route. Although it did feel a little rushed. I loved learning who MCs father was, but it left me with a lot of questions. He also wasn’t surprised about her hair, which makes sense, but I was sad to see it. I think this was a good ending to the game though. One of my favorite final routes I’ve played in a long time.

Overall Thoughts

So I really loved this game. I can see why it’s recommended so much. The art, music, and voice acting was all really incredible. It was visually really stunning. I love that MCs hair changes color to match her lover’s color. I loved even more seeing the guys freak out over the hair color change. It’s so funny and sweet, and so I really enjoyed that. But that means I was kinda sad with how some routes handled the hair color change, like if the guy already knows or they make it a weird miscommunication thing.

I do like that you directly pick who’s route you want to play, but that also means there where no choices in the common route. That doesn’t really bother me, but I know some people may not like that. I’m also not sure how I feel about the pacing of CGs, a lot of them got majority of CGs at the end of the route, which is kind of a bummer. Although, I do think the CGs were really pretty, and they even had quite a few spicy ones. Like there was a lot of under boob shown, which I feel isn’t very common, and very spicy for this genre.

When it comes to the overall story, I really liked it. I feel the world building and lore was super interesting. However, as I’ve mentioned before, they’d set stuff up then never use it. Like why have the women of white have Batsu, but then they never use it. Why didn’t they use it to save themselves on the Red Calamity? Why doesn’t MC ever use it? especially when she’s being assaulted or in a life or death situation??? There are also some inconsistencies. I feel like the game does a lot of foreshadowing, but then they also throw stuff at you just to distract you. Like with her father, why lie to us about her father so many times? Also why was her father treating her like that? it was never explained and that’s annoying. But there are a lot of things like that in the game and it can be annoying. Another annoying part of the story, is it can be too repetitive. Like multiple of the same plot points happen in multiple routes or every route, then you have to re-read the same thing so much. It’s super repetitive, and it’s not fun to have the same exact thing happen and re learn the same stuff we already know. There were also waaaay too many flashbacks.

I also am sad there’s basically nothing from the guys POV. I know I’m a bit biased, since I started on Voltage games, and it’s something I enjoy. But I am disappointed we didn’t see more from the LI POV. I think it could’ve added more depth to these guys and their characters. It also could’ve helped made more clear when they fell in love and what they like about MC. On the other hand, I really liked some of the themes. When they introduced the soulmates concept I was a bit skeptical. I’m personally not a believer in soulmates in real life, and I also don’t really believe in fate, and while I don’t mind it in games, I was worried I’d be annoyed. But I actually like how the game handled it for the most part. This is just my perspective, but I get the impression soulmates aren’t actually real. Or at least not in the way people think in the game. Because all six guys are her soulmate which means your soulmate is the person you choose. Anyone can be your soulmate if you love and are loved in return, and I like that. Now you could argue that’s not the case, but that’s how I interpreted it.

I’d say I really enjoyed this game. I really liked the characters and the world. I think it’s very unique and interesting. I’ll definitely play the fandisk if it gets an English release. I think my ranking of the guys will go as follows: First up is 100% Riku. I love him. He’s so shy and blushy, and I love blushy boys. I love how forward MC is in his route, I liked their romance. I felt this was a very good route, and I just love Riku. Anytime I see him in another route, I kinda just wanted to play his again. Second favorite I think is actually going to be Akaza. I love his “we control our fate” mindset. He’s a really great guy, and I liked his story a lot. I also like that he’s playful about how stubborn MC is, even more so because I’m also a very stubborn person. Third favorite is Tokisada. I love him, he’s the perfect sad boy LI. His route had me genuinely feel for him. I think the Catholic stuff was really crazy. But overall I thought he was very cute, and again I like that MC got to be the more in-charge one in their relationship. Fourth is probably Yusuga, I felt mixed about him, but I think I enjoyed him the most out of the three I felt mixed on. Plus he’s very handsome. Fifth is Kuroba, and Sixth is Himuka. I really liked this game, despite its flaws and weak points. I really hope we get that English fan disk.

That’s it for my Olympia Soirée review! I’d recommend it to anyone who hasn’t played yet! I’m not sure which game I’ll be playing next. I’ve gotten through all of my initial back log, so now I just have the games I got recently. Next up will probably be Piorfire, Tashino X Alice, or Diabolik Lovers. But that’s all for now! Thanks for reading!

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our communal wife 🫶

thanks to marchenvessel for the wonderful animation!

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Almost have all Rafayel’s 5 Star Cards fully leveled up

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Finally Got It

This has been on my list to play since I was 14 and first watched the anime. I’m so excited!!! I love me some vampires 🤭

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Amnesia: Memories Review

I’m back with a review for Anmesia! This will be a but different from my typical reviews, I didn’t take as many notes when playing, so this will be mostly my impressions after playing the game and my lingering thoughts. Also since this is an older game, I will be spoiling stuff, so if you haven’t played and don’t want spoilers, you probably shouldn’t read this. But with that out of the way, let’s dive in!

To start, I’ve known about this game since middle school. I believe the game came out around 2011, and was adapted into an anime in 2013. This was around the time I discovered dating sims, although I only played mobile ones, and my friend had found the anime. She was really obsessed with it, and wanted me to watch it, so I did. To be honest, the anime didn’t leave much of an impression on me, I just remembered her being in the hospital and four guys all claiming to be her boyfriend, that and that she had amnesia (duh). Since getting back into otome games, I’ve seen a lot more about the game (including some spoilers. So I knew there was a yandere going in, and I knew that the MC could die in quite a few endings). But I did try to avoid too many spoilers since I knew I wanted to play, but it being such an old and iconic otome game, made avoiding them near impossible.

Shin

I played in the presented order, which meant Shin was first. He’s also the poster boy, so it seemed fairly fitting. My initial thoughts were he seemed like a pretty classic tsundere, but in the likable way. He’s blunt, honest, and direct, but he’s not mean just to be mean. I ended up liking his route a lot, his was one of the more predictable plot-wise, but his character design and personality really sold it for me. Looks-wise, he probably is my favorite. It’s hard for me to say who my overall favorite is, but Shin is a top contender for sure.

I like that despite his harsh exterior, you can tell he really loves the MC and wants what’s best for her. I spent a lot of his route feeling genuinely bad for the guy, like my heart aches for him. He loves her so much, and worked so hard to get her to see him as a potential dating candidate, only for her to loose her memories, and him have to start all over again. I also enjoyed that even though he’s the younger one he was still very mature.

I found Shin to be very cute, and I really just felt for him all game. Like actually felt so sorry for him. I think he’s probably my favorite match for MC as well, like I think their romance was very believable, and they really complemented each other. Plus they don’t have a large age gap (only 6 months apart?), which I appreciate.

I think you start to see Toma’s red flags in this route too. Now I was already pretty sure Toma was our yandere, but after seeing his “nice guy” speech in Shin’s route, I knew for a fact he was. But I found Shin to be really respectable, and I really liked how he handled things. He was definitely a winner to me, and really fit he hooked into the game.

Ikki

I was pretty worried I wasn’t going to like Ikki or his route, when I found out he was kind of a player. I don’t typically find these stories and character types enjoyable. But I did think his character design was cool, I love the spade tattoo on his cheek, and spade is my favorite suite of cards, so I wanted to be opened minded.

Ikki did end up surprising me a lot. He turned out to be a very kind, sweet, and devoted guy, which was very enjoyable. I also thought the plot was pretty interesting in his route, and definitely less predictable. At first I thought maybe he had asked her to give him 3 months to fall for him, in maybe a sort of cocky way, or even just genuinely. But I did like that she actually did probably already like him before they even officially started going out, but for different reasons than the other girls.

I did find the fan girls to be very annoying, and his attitude about it to be frustrating, but as we learn about his condition, his past, and his kind nature, I kind of understand his point of view and I did empathize for him. The reveals about the fan club was pretty insane, he basically has a MLM cult of girls, who want to cycle dating him, so it’s just a club of exes and soon-to-be-exes, which was super creepy. But I did like how MCs amnesia played into why these girls got so mean towards the end. I also liked that Ikki does end up setting a more firm boundaries with the fan club.

Also, so random, but I love that he’s an accounting minor, since I majored in accounting and am now an accountant. It was fun to get some accounting representation, I loved his relationship with Kent in this regard too. I wish I had a math buddy like that lol. I do think Ikki ends up being one of my favorites as well, and is probably my second choice for best match with MC. I think they challenge each other, and have a mutual love and respect for each other, that was really refreshing to see.

Kent

After playing some other routes, I knew Kent wasn’t a bad guy, but he does have that rational-cold personality trope. I thought him and MC had a very unique dynamic prior to MCs amnesia, which was cool to see. I also really liked that Kent is a surprisingly innocent, easily flustered, and easily jealous type. I found it to be a very cute gap-moe. It was very enjoyable.

Another thing that was very unique in his route, that I loved but I feel other probably hate, was that he makes her a math workbook. I found that to be so sweet, and I actually had so much fun solving all his questions, and seeing how he was incorporating his real world scenarios into the word problems. Like this was one of my favorite parts of the game. I’m very tempted to print them and try and gave my husband solve them now.

Again, I love his relationship with Ikki. I think it’s a great example of unlikely friends, and I love how Kent makes him super complicated math problems to solve. It’s actually so cute, and I want what they have.

I think overall, I really liked Kent, but he had a few factors that really tanked his points for me personally. One, I don’t think him and MC had a strong relationship, which even the game admits to. Like even though they loved each other, they were both too stubborn and fought all the time, genuinely I don’t think they would’ve lasted had she not gotten amnesia. Two, he looks so much like one of my brothers irl. Especially in the CGs, they look so similar, and it made it REALLY hard to get into, because eww that’s my brother. So I think because of that, even though I enjoyed his route, and him in many ways, he defiantly not my favorite. Also the dog stuff was a little much, even for me…

Toma

Ah Toma, when I catch you Toma, you’ll wish I hadn’t! This bitch, I swear, I was so mad. Like I had said, going in, I knew there was a yandere. I was fairly certain I had read it would be Toma. I had seen the memes about him locking her up in a dog cage. So mix that with the fact he played the whole “nice guy” speech, and almost killed MC in Shin’s route, I was positive that this was the cage-yandere route, and I needed to be wary of Toma.

Now please excuse me as a rant about Toma, and his MANY red flags. To start off, I was already sus, when he kept her in the hospital so long, and was visiting her apartment without her. Then her computer battery and charger was missing, I was very suspicious of this man and his intentions. But once she realizes she thinks she had a crush on him before the amnesia, and she asks him, and he lies to her face that they were dating. I was fuming, like this lying jerk! Then to make it worse, because she faints, when she wakes up, he pretends he never said it and goes back to pretending he’s just her big brother. What a freaking coward. If you’re going to be a manipulative liar, you better be ready to commit, so why are you chickening out Toma??? Then he basically says “you can’t leave my apartment” which is so dumb, he’s isolating her from literally everyone! Like I don’t care that it’s to “keep her safe”, you still could have to Shin or Sawa so she could at least get out of the house, but noooo. Then he drugs her. Not once, not twice, but like five times total over a three day period!!! Like huh?!?! Just so she won’t leave the apartment. Then the cage finally makes its appearance. He has her locked in a dog cage for OVER A WEEK!!! This poor woman. It was at this point, I personally hit my snapping point. I snapped. She kept defending him, over, and over, and over again. It made me sick. Like I get she liked him, I get she trusts him, that he has always protected her, BUT THAT DOES NOT JUSTIFY HIS ACTIONS!!! He should have lost that trust when he started drugging her, but for sure should’ve lost it when he literally caged her!!! But at this point I was so mad, I stopped following the guide to get a good ending, and I went rouge. I wanted to free this girl, to get her away from Toma. So tell me why in both bad endings she doesn’t really escape??? In one she is killed by Ukyo, which is sad, but honestly I kind of prefer that to the other bad ending and the good ending. Because in the other bad ending, Toma finds her and keeps her permanently locked up, and her mind breaks, actually so disturbing. So I give up, go back to the “good” ending, hoping maybe he’ll at least get a redemption arc. NOPE! This man then tries to ACTUALLY RAPE HER!!! WHAT?!?!?! It’s not even implied, he straight up says it and is going to do it! Like what the actual hell??? But “oh no” her diary opens and he realizes she’s always loved him, so now he doesn’t have to rape her, and it all can go back to normal! HUH???? ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?!?! Sure, he apologizes, he says he’s a bad guy, and why does she like him. I DO NOT CARE. THAT IS NOT ENOUGH. She forgave him too easily, and he never had to actually repent for what he did, there was no consequences, no redemption, NOTHING. I was so pissed. That’s just not okay. It made me so mad, that I played the normal ending, because I was praying maybe she can finally be free of Toma there.

My prayers we answered. We were back. Toma trying to actually rape her, she FINALLY fights back and runs. Then there he was. My knight. My hero. The Man I had been crying and begging to come save this poor woman. Shin. Shin sees the state she’s in, realizes Toma must have done this to her, and I assume kicks his ass (deserved). I was so happy. She was rescued. She was free. But then, they just had to write how sad she is Toma is gone and out of her life, that she’ll never be happy now. I was livid. Why can’t this girl know peace?!?! I genuinely struggle to like Toma at all now. Like they couldn’t even properly redeem him. I think they should have made her slowly more and more scared of Toma, to the point she finally gets free of him, then he has to actually work to improve himself and win back her trust. I think that would’ve been my ideal good ending for Toma, and I would’ve actually liked his route. But because the MC just blindly trusts him and never reprimands him all route, then he doesn’t even really get a redemption arc, it left a sour taste in my mouth.

This route made me realize, I’ve been too harsh on my past Yandere Boyfriends. So I’d like to formally apologize here and now.

Dear Natsume,

I was too harsh on you. While I enjoyed your route overall, I remember making fun of your speech to my husband. I called you crazy. I insulted you, and thought you had taken things too far.

I now realize, that was wrong. You actually weren’t that bad. While you were obsessive, possessive, and had yandere tendencies, you acknowledged that. You realized these feelings, and took steps to distance yourself from your MC, to keep her and others safe. You loathed yourself for your feelings. While you didn’t act on your feelings much at all, you still thoroughly apologized and tried to make things right. You were willing to give away your true love to keep her safe, and I appreciate that.

You weren’t perfect, but at least you actually apologized and accepted punishment for your actions. Looking back now, you may be my ideal yandere man. So I’m so sorry for judging you.

Sincerely,

Jay

Dear Soh,

I’m sorry for judging you. While you were in a slice of life game, and weren’t given a long enough story to fully develop your yandere themes properly, I found you unsettling. I wasn’t happy with your resolution. It felt too rushed.

I realized now, you actually weren’t all that bad. While you did also drug your MC, at least it was only once, and you let her go freely after realizing how unhinged it was to drug and kidnap someone.

I still think, you could have done so much more, if you only had time. But even on your time restraints, you still mourned your actions and were prepared to never see her again. You let her go. You were willing, and did accept your punishment.

I’m sorry for judging you, I think you’re a great guy, and you weren’t given enough screen time by the writers, so it’s really not your fault things were rushed.

Sincerely,

Jay

Good, now that’s done, Toma is actually insane. He deserved to be punished. He needs jail time. He needed a redemption arc he never got. I do not like Toma. He’s lucky I can’t beat him up, and give him a taste of his own medicine. I can only hope Shin gave him a though beat down, and not just a punch to the face.

Ukyo

I think Ukyo was a very interesting character. I got the vibe from other routes that he was aware of the other parallel timelines and worlds. That he seemed to be more aware than the others. My initial guess is that he was a spirit or god, perhaps he was even Lord Nhil, since Orion kept mention him. To be fair, I wasn’t too far off.

I think characters like Ukyo are always very interesting. Where they break the 4th wall a little, and they are a bit unsettling. I think it’s such a cool concept he’s lived through every possibility of her timelines, and one of them always has to die. It’s such a cool and intriguing concept. I was genuinely hooked to learn more. I think he also works really well for a True Route, which typically I don’t like, but I think his route was done very well.

I loved that his route addressed who was Lord Nhil, why Orion got stuck in her, and why the weather was always so cold. The weather especially, because it kept mentioning how cold it was for August, and as someone who lives in an area that’s usually still in the 90s to 100s in August, I could relate to being confused by it being cold. So I like how it was a consequence of a god interfering with the worlds and time. This also confirmed part of my theory, my initial thought was her true world she came from wouldn’t be cold, and that was kind of true, so that was cool.

Overall I liked his route, it made me genuinely pretty emotional at some points. He was pretty cute, and was a very cool character. But I think I liked Ikki and Shin more than him. But that’s just a personal preference thing.

Amnesia: The Anime

Since I played the game, I thought I might as well give the anime a second chance. Especially since I’ve now played the game, I thought it’s be really fun. I’ve never gotten to watch an anime version of a game I’ve played, or vice versa before (I wanna play Diabolk Lovers so bad since I used to love the anime, but there are no English versions of the game T^T). So immediately after finishing the game, I forced my husband to watch the anime version with me. Here are my thoughts on the anime, and the differences between the game and show.

Okay, so rewatching the show, idk where I got that hospital scene from. I guess I misplaced it, or maybe got it confused, but I swear I remember that being a thing! I actually enjoyed the show. I know a lot of people don’t like the anime version, but I think they did a great job with it. They had to fit like a 30 hour game into 5 hours, you also have to adjust the story for each of the guys to have their moment, and it be cohesive. I think I like the changes they made. While I think the game is better, I think they did a good job showing the highlights of each of the LIs, and it’s a good thing to make you interested in playing the game. Plus, that opening song is SO GOOD! I liked that Orion wasn’t as prominent, as he can get a little annoying, and it lets us see MC’s personality more. I also really loved the ending, where she gets to choose which is her “real” world, much like the beginning of the game. I think it was a fun watch, and it was cool getting to see the game in an animated format! I think they did make Toma not as bad as he is in the game, which kind of made me mad lol. Like it was way more tame in the show, which I guess had to do with the rating. But other than that, I think overall it was pretty good. I really liked the transition from Shin to Ikki’s routes in the show too! Overall, I thought it was fun.

Overall Thoughts on the Game

I ended up liking this game a lot more than I thought I would. I had heard some people say the game can be pretty boring, or slow to start. Personally I didn’t really have that issue, like I thought I might. I think while the game has its moments where it can be slow or repetitive, typically the hook of each guy and his plot has enough intrigue to keep things interesting.

I can really see why this game is so iconic and such a classic among otome players. I think one thing I had mixed feelings on was Orion. I get that he’s kind of important to the game, because it drives the plot, but I don’t like that he replaces MC’s internal voice. I think it’s kind of a bummer, because Orion can be funny, and is a fun character on his own, but because he’s replacing MC’s thoughts it makes MC harder to know, and you can’t really see her own thought process, which I don’t like. I guess I wish there was more of a balance between the two. However, I know this is probably to make the MC easier to self insert into, and for plot reasons she’s lost most of her personality so I guess that could justify it too.

I really did enjoy this game. I’m heavily considering trying to get all the endings, which I don’t typically do. I’m also excited to play the sequel Later X Crowd, which I already own. So I’ll probably play that next, and I may or may not write a quick review on that too. But I hope you enjoyed, this was a lot more of a tangent than I originally planned. Until next time, bye!

[mousyjay]

First Double 5-Star Pull

Yesterday I pulled two 5 star cards in one pull! This is the first time I’ve ever gotten more than one! I was so shocked! It was also my 100th achievement.

[mousyjay]

i love you all

[mousyjay]

Sympathy Kiss Review

I’m finally playing Sympathy Kiss, I bought it about a week after it came out but didn’t end up playing it right away. But I’m excited to get started, from what I know it’s an office romance and more slice of life. Which honestly I’m stoked for, I’ve really been in a slice of life mood lately, so I’m excited for a more grounded game (hopefully). Not to mention I just started my corporate job, so I can fully immerse myself in the game. When she describes her daily routine, that’s me right now, only enough time to really work and the bare minimum of life (eating, chores, hygiene, and sleeping).

My initial thoughts after playing the prologue, is that it was much shorter than many of the others I’ve done. Cafe Enchante, and Bustafellows had VERY long common routes. So this shorter one was a welcome change of pace. I like the art style and how there’s animated bits, plus I love the looking over the shoulder sprites, it feels very dynamic. One thing I’m not sure how to feel about, is that MC doesn’t actually have dialogue. So it feels like this game is heavily catering towards people that self-insert (which I do), since you can change her first and last name, she doesn’t have a sprite, and even to the extent she doesn’t have real dialogue. Which I’m not sure how to feel about, especially after playing so many games with MCs that have very defined personalities. Maybe it’ll be different once in a route, and maybe I’ll like it after a bit, but it’s definitely throwing me off that I don’t actually know word-for-word what she’s saying.

Just off of the intro I think I’m most drawn to Mistuki, Kohei, Nori, and Rokuro. Mistuki reminds me of Mineo from CxM, just very outgoing and bubbly, low-key puppy vibes. Kohei has probably my favorite out of looks, although I think Nori is a close second. Rokuro I’m mainly interested in because he reminds me of a cowboy lmao, he wears a bolo tie and rides horses, I know the girls say “prince type” but to me (as a Texan) it screams cowboy and that intrigues me. Overall pretty excited to play, although I’m still not 100% sure on what to except lol.

Mitsuki Saotome

Up first is Mitsuki for two reasons, first being as I previously mentioned he’s caught my attention, second he was the first guy I met in game. Like I said, he gives me similar vibes to Mineo, so I think I’ll enjoy his route. He just seems so upbeat, a little eccentric, and kind of puppy-like. I also tend to like LIs who are close in age to MC/me, and he’s about my age and only a year older than MC. The prologue being short means I don’t have much else to say, but I think it’ll be fun.

Honestly after playing I really don’t know how to feel. I think the game is pretty easy to play, and it’s pretty short (probably the same length as a Voltage game). But I just kinda felt like something was lacking, I’m not sure if it just because I ended up not liking Mitsuki that much or what. I thought I’d really like him, but he was just okay. I didn’t really have any moments where I was giddy or felt anything really. I think the MC having no dialogue is making it really hard for me to get invested. I also feel like the writing just isn’t the best, like some scenes it’s really good, but others I just feel like I couldn’t get into it. But maybe it really is just that Mitsuki wasn’t the best fit for me. I really want to like this game, so I hope I like the next route, but this one just didn’t do it for me.

Yoji Kobase

I’ve decided to do Kobase next mainly because I’m kinda of unsure how I’ll feel about him. I kind of think his route will be fun, although I’m not sure if he’s my usual type. I think from what I’ve seen of him he seems to at least be a considerate and kind person so hopefully his route will be a nice change of pace from the first one I played. Also I know all the guys in this game are shiny and have extra-shiny lips, but his in particular keep catching my eye 😅 so idk what that says about my subconscious, but he’s got very glossy lips I can’t look away from lol.

Okay, so thankfully I actually really enjoyed this route! I think it was super interesting and much more fun to play than Mitsuki’s route. Yoji is your classic serious guy, with a heart of gold. He’s just a very sweet and considerate person, very reliable and loyal. This route also had a semi forced proximity trope which is nice. I also enjoyed the plot of this route a lot more. Overall it was very good, and gives me hope to play the rest of the game.

Kohei Minato

Next on the list is Kohei. I really like him looks wise, and from the prologue he seems to be a kind person. He’s definitely more reserved and quiet, but I think he’s one of those characters that just takes time to open up to others. He’s probably the kind of tsundere I like, kind of like Ryuki from Cupid Parasite, where he’s not excessively mean he’s just passionate and reserved. So I’m looking forward to his route, hopefully they do him justice and it’s not boring like Mitsuki’s was.

Kohei, my beloved 🥹💕. This route was so up my alley, oml. I think I really related to Kohei’s character in a lot of ways, like the way he loves and wants to support his family. Not to mention I also have a very large age gap with my two youngest siblings so I could relate to his relationship with his. I think my initial thoughts were kind of correct, but he also really reminded me of parts of 707’s route, where it’s very self-deprecating and he tries pushing her away. I feel like him and 707 share a lot of character traits in that aspect and how they care and protect their families. But honestly this route had a lot of stuff I’m a sucker for. Not to expose myself too much, although I’ve mentioned these in past reviews, but I love that he’s a little possessive, I love the teasing, it had a scene where he licked her wound, plus he’s into biting, I mean really say less, matches my freak ngl. I also enjoyed the plot for this one, and I liked getting to see his family and their dynamics. I think the ending was also good, I’m glad they didn’t totally force him to forgive his dad, because I know in other games I’ve played that’s been a problem, but I know it’s partially a cultural thing. But overall I really loved this route, and Kohei is definitely my favorite by far right now!

Shuya Usui

To be completely honest, I think is the route I’m looking forward to least out of all the main route. I just really don’t like the older characters or ones with large age gaps, typically. Which is twofold, one I’m in my 20s and I’ve never really been super into older guys, secondly I feel like most “older guy” routes make it really weird. Like instead of making the age gap feeling like it’s not a big deal, it’s usually all both people think about which weirds me out. There was also a whole scene in Kohei’s route where Usui talks about how young Kohei seems to him, and Kohei is two years older than, MC so I just do not like it. Plus looks wise he’s not my favorite. I really worry this is just going to be like a non-supernatural version of Rindo’s route 😣.

Okay, as I suspected, this was not the route for me. I’m so sorry, but I’m not a DILF girlie. Sure, there are attractive older guys, but I’ve never been romantically drawn to older guys 😅. Not to mention Usui is 45 years old. 45. The MC is 23. Yes, they are both consenting adults, but I’m 23 and my mom is 45. That’s literally all I could think, he could actually be her dad. To make it worse the age gap was THE MAIN CONFLICT. Like their age gap was the focus of the game. Like I already don’t like large age gaps, but I especially don’t like when the older person constantly talks about how young and naive the younger one is, and how inappropriate it is. Because if you think she’s not mature, or is too young for you, THEN DONT DATE HER, LIKE WHAT?!?! I just hated this one, it was not for me. I really like him as a mentor supporting character, but as a LI I cannot get behind this relationship. I will say I did kind of like the ending, but I was definitely speed reading it at that point because I just wanted to be done 😭. So sorry, if you love Usui, or want a DILF, go for it, but I just can’t, so sorry.

Nori Tainaka

So I took about a week off playing this game so that I could crochet my (irl) husband a birthday gift. Plus, after that last route I just needed a little break lol. But I’m back and excited to play!

Up next is Nori! I’m very excited for Nori’s route, he’s so cute. I love his hair, beauty mark, piercings, and his tattoo. He seems really sweet, plus I personally love the house husband trope. I think if I played this game blind, I probably would have gotten him first, solely because I’d feel bad leaving him alone 😅. But I think his route will be very interesting and I’m very excited to learn more about his past.

Oml 😭 I love him💕. Genuinely he is so cute and so sweet. I absolutely adore him so much. Like he’s such a puppy, it kind of reminds me of my husband is some ways. I think this route was one where I love him, but MC made me sooo mad at times. Like she should treat him better lol. Like he can do no wrong. Nori is perfect. The world has wronged him, but he’s an angel who deserves better. I don’t think the plot for his route was as strong, but my love and adoration for him kept me going 💕💕💕💕. Genuinely not sure if I love Nori or Kohei more, they are both tied in my heart rn.

Rokuro Yoshioka

I’ve said it before and it’ll say it again, they may call him a prince, but to me he’s more like a cowboy. He wears a bolo tie and rides horses, that’s some western country boy energy lol. I think his route will be fun, I hope there’s the trope where everyone sees him as a prince, but in reality he’s the opposite (but hopefully not mean since I don’t usually like that). I also hope the horse and horse riding plays a role in the story. I think this one has a lot of great potential!

Shut up 😭 why was this route so cute. This literally had me kicking my feet and squealing. I’m so sorry to my other boys, but I think Rokuro just shot up to my favorite so far. He’s just such a sweeting and such a genuine and kind person. He also gets blushy so easily, and him and MC have such a sweet and wholesome relationship. He’s also maybe the first guy that actually respected her wishes and boundaries. Oml I literally love him so much 🥹💕. His route has some tropes I didn’t love, but I think it did it in a way that it was still fun to play. Honestly some of his route reminds me a lot of Ray from Empherial, although he’s a lot nicer than Ray lol. But yeah, I adored this route! Super cute!

***SPOILERS AHEAD - SECRET ROUTES***

Oops, I stopped playing for like a month 😅 I had full intentions of playing it sooner, but I started streaming again, had my birthday, and overall life got crazy. Plus Otome games are just one of my hobby and I was reading and crocheting more lately, so it kind of fell to the way side. But now I’m going to finish it! Secret Routes here we go!

I already know who the two guys are going to be. It’s pretty obvious from the prologue and other routes. One will be YOFY the program guy who is most likely also Rokuro’s younger brother. And the other, will be Higa, Rokuro’s co-worker. With that said, let’s play secret route 1!

Secret Route 1 (YOFY/Soh Yoshioka)

I was pretty excited going into this route, since I liked his brother’s route a lot. Plus mysterious programmers are always fun. But I’m definitely glad I had a break between him in his brother, because otherwise I’d feel a little weird about going from one to the next so soon lol.

Not going to lie, I have no idea how to feel about this route. I really liked YOFY as a character, he’s very cute and I don’t mind the “younger guy”/ “little brother” love interests. I think the story was engaging and fast paced (as well as actually being shorter). But *spoiler alert*, he’s kind of a yandere. Which don’t get me wrong, I LOVE yanderes. I think they are super fun, and I love exploring the unhealthy obsession and possessiveness of yanderes in a fictional setting. But I think it just feels so jarring because his route is shorter, and it all happens in the last chapter, so there’s not enough time to really resolve things naturally. Plus with this game being more slice of life, it feels kind of out of place. I think honestly, I would have enjoyed it more if his route was longer and they made him a main route, not bonus route. Also I think seeing the younger guy/cutesy guy he a yandere is a more interesting approach, I personally haven’t seen done very often (other than Yandere Yoosung). I think I did enjoy the route, but I just wish it was longer so it could have been even better. As a character I really love YOFY.

Secret Route 2 (Tsukihiko Higa)

To be honest, going in I wasn’t sure what I’d think. Higa seemed pretty nice the few times we see him. And he kind of looks like an older version of Makoto from Free. Going into now, I’m quite excited as it seems he has a kid, which is totally new to me. Not only that, but I’m definitely a pretty maternal person, I love kids, and want to be a mom, so getting a route like this is very exciting. I can’t wait to see where it goes!

Well, I won’t lie, I didn’t really like this route. I really wanted to like it, but something about it just didn’t work for me. Not sure if it’s just because I was tired, or what, but it just wasn’t that good. I feel like the story was too all over the place and the ending really dragged. It kind of feels like a waste, since the single parent idea has so much potential. But it felt like they rushed and slacked on the romance part, just to shove in a story B plot that wasn’t even that good. Definitely disappointed.

Overall Thoughts

I think this game is a real mixed bag. I still don’t think I like that MC has no dialogue, it’s really weird and can make parts of the story confusing. You do adjust to it, but I really feel like it takes away from the story.

I think a lot of the routes were fun to play, and had a fun plot. But honestly not sure if I’d recommend the game, I’d say this is one that’s better to get on sale if you can. The music is okay, and the visuals are great, voice acting was pretty amazing, but the stories weren’t great. A lot of the plots struggled in some aspect which sucks.

I think if you like slice of life games, and you’ve played a lot of mobile and self insert games, you’ll probably like Symapthy Kiss. But if not, this would probably be a skip.

Overall if I had to rank the guys I think I’d go Rokuro as my favorite for both plot and character, followed by Kohei (plot and character are great), Nori (love Nori, the plot is just okay), then Yoji (really fun plot, and good character). The rest I could honestly do with out. The two other main guys just were not fun at all to play, and the two secret routes both struggled with pacing but for opposite reasons. I think the game might have been better if they just stick with my top 4 guys, and gave them a more detailed story.

I think I did enjoy the game, and might even replay some routes again, but it’s not in my top games. I’m pretty disappointed given how much I’ve been wanting a good slice of life game, and I feel like this just kind of missed the mark. I almost feel like I would’ve been better off getting the Oops! I Said Yes?! on the switch 😅. But no hate, I think this fans has some good points.

I hope you enjoyed this review, so sorry it took me so long. Now that I’m working full time, it’s definitely hard to find the time to juggle all my hobbies, and binge games 😅. I think I’ll probably be play a bunch of Voltage games and Love and Deepspace for a bit since they are easier to fit in my schedule. So I may do some occasional posts about them. I also finally got Amnesia, so I may do a less detailed post on that. Not sure yet when my next big post will be, but it will most likely be on Olympia Soirée. Until then bye!

[mousyjay]

Rafayel is actually the cutest 😭💕

Like he’s so freaking cute 🥹💕 literally don’t understand how he’s not everyone’s favorite, but hey, more Rafayel for me ig lol💕💕💕

Ignore the bad blocking out of my name lol

[mousyjay]

I’ve finished all of Sympathy Kiss except the two secret routes, but life has been so crazy it’s been almost a month since I finished the last route, and I still haven’t started them 😭 I just need a little free time and I can finish it, but oml 😫

Anyways, here’s to hoping I can finish the game in the next week or so 🤞

[mousyjay]

It’s my birthday!

I finally get to experience the birthday event, I know a lot of people have posted about it before, but I’ve been avoiding spoilers, and I finally got to experience it for myself! It was super cute!so here are my thoughts!

First, Rafayel getting blushy singing happy birthday, is so freaking cute. He’s also the only one that says “my dear girl”, which could be because of my affection level, or he’s just the only one that says that, either way, I love it 💕💕💕

Secondly, Ayo?! 👀 I see you LADS dev team, I’ll gladly take some of that gold level up sand, thank you very much!

🥹💕

My beloved. There is a reason my LADS bio says “totally smitten for Rafayel”, this man has my whole heart 😭💕

Overall, it was so cute and fun! Sylas also says happy birthday, I thought it might only be the original three, but it’s cool to know new guys will be included in birthday festivities going forward. I think it’d be cute if the birthday event changes slightly year to year, but if not I’m still happy! It was very cute and sweet, and I definitely was fawning over Rafayel a lot lol.

[mousyjay]

[mousyjay]

I fully ranked up his new card 🫣 no clue how this happened. I think it was half luck (pulled him 2 times), part desperation lol (used one wish token to pull him, and used the crate to get another). Ngl I was fine, and wasn’t going to try to rank it up (I usually don’t with these limited ones to avoid overspending), but when I pulled him that second time, and I was so close the the box to get a third, I had to at least try lmao. 😅💕 I did spend more than I should have tho so that’s a bummer 🥲

[mousyjay]

My Favorite Otome Husbands

There was a trend going around some of the otome community where people asked what their favorite otome LIs said about them, or it shows they have a type.

Out of curiosity I decided to think of some of my favorite otome games I’ve played, and pick my favorite from each game (decided to not do multiple per game or it’d be too much lol). Honestly, looking at them all I don’t think there’s an obvious connection between them. Other than most of them being blushy boys (which I definitely love me some blushing/shy/embarrassed otome guys). But I think the biggest thing to me is personality, I love when they are passionate about their job and or hobbies. Most importantly, I love when they have fun banter with MC, and can make me laugh or giggle irl.

But yeah! What do you think? And feel free to show me your favorite otome husbands as well!

[mousyjay]

It’s been one year since I started this Tumblr! That’s really crazy to think about. I feel like it’s been a good year, I’ve played many games in that time, and have enjoyed sharing my hobby with others!

Shout out to Mystic Messenger and Voltage for making me want to jump down the otome rabbit hole again!