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valhala90 · 2 years

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Shall we date? Love Tangle, Timo and Paul routes review, part 1

I played Love tangle for several years and I completed all of the routes, so I decided to write my thoughts about some that I replayed during pandemic. Reasons differ, naturally, and it is said that we often remember the bad better than the good. I chose this one since it delivered both the bad and the good.

I was hopeful for both routes when they were introduced. Was eager for the good "friends to lovers route" (Paul) and got a reminder to considerably lower my expectations. Timo was a great surprise, and I don’t regret buying premium content.

Brief thoughts about Paul’s route - Paul's route quickly turned into a cluster of red flags for me. And believe me when I tell you that I suffered through a lot of questionable, brain-rotting otome content, which developed a list of red flags, and when I spot even a tiny hint of it, I nope the fuck out. But since I had time, I decided to go through the same torture again. The guy is aggravating and wasted potential. Started out great, but turned into creep around 3rd or 4th chapter in the common route, only to get even more peculiar because of the all-over-the-place plot. It’s like 2 different writers wrote it and they didn’t bother to check each other’s work, which resulted in Paul being 2 different guys. The same treatment happened with the plot and his motivation- his main mission was to get out of the friendzone, only to say fuck that in the last chapters of his route and change his tune. It could have been so much better since the material was there. But they went like this: cute => creep => psycho => stop, please => what the fuck => what the actual fuck => are you fucking kidding me? All in all, I think Paul’s route was irredeemable in terms what would I do to fix it, since the odd and toxic behaviour starts in common route and to do it some justice you would have to re-write the entire thing. I gave it my two cents in the extended edition below the line.

Brief thoughts about Timo's route - To me, he was a realistic character which I could relate to and understand his process of thinking. Timo is introduced as someone hard to get along with, but he's in fact, misunderstood. He respects MC's work and later on, as the chapters progress, starts admiring her work ethic, warming up to the fact that he might have found someone of a similar mindset. Timo is socially awkward and he doesn't bother to dissuade his coworkers from the image they created of him being a grumpy and hard-headed person. He doesn't bother with customary pleasantries and pattern behavior that is expected out of people when they work in teams/groups of people. This is rooted in the fact that Timo got burned when he trusted his co-workers in the previous work which resulted in animal suffering. Therefore, he decided to do everything by himself which is a tremendous burden to carry. He's also very passionate about his job and has worked his ass off towards his dream which he shares with MC. I think some of you may find the romance part lacking or very slow since Timo is socially awkward because he isolated himself in a way, living only for his job. I really didn't mind the slow-paced romance, since Timo relies on logic and common sense, and developing feelings for MC is like a shock to the system. I wished there were a few more chapters to sort things out better since the last chapter is a bit awkward. In the normal ending (it's called happy ending, actually but normal makes sense to me) he chooses job over love, and I found that so realistic and in his character. He does regret it later, thinking how he squandered his chances with MC, but what would you do if your dream job/position was finally at your grasp after working your ass off? Remember, job = safety and familiar turf for Timo while love is unexplored and uncertain territory. The story had flaws, mostly the undeeded drama and plot inconsistency.

Paul: 2 ⭐

Timo: 4 ⭐

Below the line are the spoilers and my detailed review, which is very long. I divided it into two parts. This part covers the common route and Paul's route. Timo’s route detailed review here

Major spolers below!

-Common Route summary-

The story starts with MC (Julia Darwin) going to work (Kaleido Animal National Institute). As soon as she arrives, a crowd of people is gathered in front of the building, and upon closer look, she sees that a K. leopard is brought to the institute because it is injured. She quickly concludes that it's the work of poachers and that his paw was caught in a trap. She asks around to figure out what happened and introduces herself as a new employee. One of the researchers tells her that the best people are on it, one being Timo and the other being a new vet. They praise the new vet a lot and comment on how they will be a great combination for the protection and preservation of fragile K. leopards. MC can't wait to meet them. She is stunned when she recognizes one of the people to be Paul, her childhood friend.

As she enters the institute, other researchers greet her and warn her about the man she's going to work with, because he's known for not getting along with others, and sure enough, Timo snaps at the man who summons him to greet Julia. He also cuts through her "nice" introduction, briefly introducing himself and telling her about her workspace. He quickly elaborates that introductions aren't necessary because they have a lot to do and that he's familiar with her background. Also, no orientation meeting because he thinks that's a waste of time especially because of the pressing problem that occurred with the leopard in the morning. MC is nervous and shaken by such behavior, but focuses on the leopard and asks questions. She immediately proposes a rehabilitation plan, to which Timo is surprised and says that he likes a practical mindset. He also softens his frown and Julia comments on how people might misunderstand him. MC can relate, because he's focused on the leopards with such passion, and doesn't like pleasantries or other gestures that waste time.

When they get to the leopard area, they find prince Henrik, but here he's a mysterious guy since his identity was kept hidden until his route came out. He likes to observe K. leopards and greets Timo and MC, calling Timo "the leopard man." He asks about commotion from the morning since the leopards seem restless (because he can read leopards lol, you should see how ridiculous his route is), and Timo says they had a situation. MC makes an observation about Henrik, saying that he's handsome but also is surprised by the ease he talks with Timo, 'cause remember, here they want to convey how Timo is an impossibly difficult person and emphasize how nobody can get along with him.

A coworker interrupts them, saying that the new vet calls for him to discuss the injured leopard. They go to the examination room, and surely enough, the new vet is her childhood friend, Paul. They greet each other, and he starts with a tacky flirting about how it must have been fate that brought them together. He will later have the obnoxious claim that he manages to carry not just through the entire route but in other routes as well. He calls her his fiancee, because, and I shit you not, he interpreted something she said when they were kids as a marrige proposal. I encountered that in other otome games I played, but it wasn't nearly as tiresome as Paul's behavior, because he gives you the vibe that he really wants to get out of friendzone with Julia, which I respected, until I played his route.

But, before he starts with that shit, Timo interrupts them and says to focus on the task at hand (this is where I really started to pay attention to Timo since he seems like the only real person in this otome). He also adds not to act so laxly on their first day of work, and Paul is quick to counter his move with the statement there is a reason he's so lax. No shit, then why did you send a coworker running to fetch them if everything is okay? Anyway, he says that the leopard's condition was stabilized, but it will require surgery since the trap shattered the bone in his leg. The recovery process will be difficult and long, and he wants Timo and others to form a team so they can have different inputs on how best to rehabilitate the leopard. He also says that he wants Julia to be his assistant, to MC's surprise.

One of the researchers is against it since she's new (a valid concern), but Paul states that he's also new and he will operate on leopards. Any further discussion is dismissed by Timo who speaks up and praises Julia's track record. He also says that she's a great researcher and that he will back her up if they are concerned with her lack of experience, but Timo wouldn't be Timo if he didn't say how they are squandering time instead of focusing on what's important.

When she's done with work, she encounters Timo who offers to walk her home since she's new. She politely refuses, but Timo counters her with a reasonable thing like, you're new, don't you want someone to navigate you through the dark streets? MC can't argue with that and accepts. On the way home, Timo is blunt as usual and inquires about her relationship with Paul. MC is reasonably surprised by his question but Timo just repeats that they should separate private life from work. MC puts two and two together and asks if he thinks the reason for Paul choosing her was because they know each other, and Timo says it's obvious. MC then asks why he backed her up, but he quickly answers he did it because of her achievements and body of work. She thanks him and offers her research to him for reading and he gladly accepts. Julia notes again how dedicated he is to his job and is impressed.

As they get close to Lilac Court, Paul calls out to them from a car. Yeah, he's so valuable that they gave him a car and a chauffeur. He exits the car and sends it away, but MC is too slow to realize that he lives at Lilac Court too. So they both escort her and she's still like what is going on? when they find Mr. C who tells her that Paul is the new resident. While people party and drink, MC observes Timo in the corner, thinking how he's uncomfortable. Paul starts with the obnoxious it's fate, we're coworkers, neighbors, and starts with fiancee speech. Ofc everyone is shocked since they think they are actually engaged, and Paul doesn't make an effort to clear that part up and MC for some reason stays quiet instead of telling him to shut the fuck up. I mean even if you decided to go with Timo's route she stays silent until the next day. Timo interferes by saying what Julia told him earlier, and other L.C. guys have comments which imply they like Julia too because she's the main chara, so you know, she's everyone's ideal girl.

Paul is obnoxious again by saying his fiancee is charming and that he would gladly take on the rivals... Just.. why? You had a great start and this is yucky and cringe.

She wakes up the following day pissed off at Paul (she's slow I guess), after she had a dream that Timo and Paul were fighting over her (aren't you a fucking Nostradamus) and decides to tell everyone how Paul was joking. She talks to Joy, clarifying that Paul is just her childhood friend who shares the same dream and goals as she, and Joy mentions that perhaps Paul is in love with her, but Julia brushes it off (if you decide to go with Timo's route, she's more adamant in underlining that there was never attraction between them). She then contemplates some more about people believing that they were actually engaged and feels dejected. Timo interrupts her train of thought to talk about plans to take care of the injured leopard after surgery. She's fascinated by how he was able to gather a lot of research material in a short time, realizing that after the party he came back to work and so did Paul. MC is ridden with guilt for not helping Timo out but he says some rational things like you're new and you don't know shit about how things work here. She also admires Paul for his dedication, despite being new as well.

Paul asks Julia to visit him in the lab when she finishes work, and when she does, he says he wants to discuss their engagement so they can clear the air between them and go into the surgery and later rehabilitation with an unburdened mind. She confronts him about the misunderstanding he created to which he says he didn't create one and takes her hand. MC repeats what she told Joy about remembering that they have similar goals and dreams but nothing was said about marriage.

He cages her with his body and says that he will keep the promise they made regardless of her remembering or not. MC can't remember and says that she would definitely remember if it was something serious like marriage. I mean, this scene is awesome if you don’t know about the creepy ass promise he’s clinging to. But, I’m fair, so I’ll praise it.

There is tension, chemistry, and great writing/script. He's really persistent at getting his feelings across but respecting the boundaries and separating personal life from work. Based on that, I expected great things.

So, Julia is shocked, because she saw him as a friend for all those years. She asks if he's teasing her to which he replies he's dead serious. MC starts to think about him in a different way and is floored when he said he already asked her father for her hand in marriage, and he agreed. I did have an issue with that when I played it for the first time, but now I find it hilarious. MC snaps rightly so, but her father wasn't like yeah go ahead, he actually said if she was fine with it they have his blessing, so that's okay.

It's a shame writers didn't bother to introduce her parents to the routes and flesh them out for a bit even as shadow characters (charas who don't have depiction and are just shadow figures). Her mom is mentioned once or twice to the point I even forgot about her having a mother, while her father is mentioned as a distinguished, popular researcher in the prologue and is conveniently tossed around when the plot needs it. But he influenced a lot of stories, so at least he could have made an appearance as a shadow chara.

Anyways, Paul gets carried away and proclaims himself to be her fiancee for real, and Julia pulls "the work" card by saying that the job comes first to her and that she wants to fulfill her dream. Paul doesn't lose his enthusiasm, agreeing to back off and not call her fiancee for the time being, but doesn't intend to give up (and he won't because he'll be so pushy that I started to loathe him). He asks her to join him for dinner adamant about becoming her boyfriend first and working his way up (I wish). He admits that he expects her to be his assistant during surgery because he trusts her as a researcher. MC agrees (if you want to get points for Timo, she agrees only if Paul promises not to discuss engagement further and he reassures her he will be a professional) and values his trust in her as a researcher. He then again warns her when everything is done with the leopard, he will talk about engagement and marriage, to which MC says that he shouldn't get carried away since she still sees him as a childhood friend. Basically, it's beating around the bush a lot since the common route needs to be "opened" for both Timo and Paul.

A few days go by, and MC finds out that the new neighbor moving in is Timo. She wants to help him carry things but Timo doesn't have a lot of stuff. Though, if you're playing for Timo's route, she says she's excited to have him as a neighbor, and he blushes adorably. Most of Timo's stuff is books and MC is amazed by his devotion and the lack of personal things. She offers to show him around, but Timo's like- didn't you just move in? Carlo conveniently pops out and gives them the map of L.C. and while they roam around, Timo expresses his worry for Paul (but tries to deny it), since he's constantly in the lab and he fears that he might collapse before the surgery. MC is glad to hear that since she discovers how Timo is actually a really considerate person. Reading between the lines, she realizes he's interested in her too, and when she asks he blushes and tells her how she's talented and how he has the advantage to be able to read their works and research, books in their library, etc. MC is charmed and proceeds showing him the rest of the L.C. Along the tour, Timo meets some of the L.C. residents and ofc ignores them completely when he encounters Lucas, petting him and telling him he's a good boi. I really think you can say a lot about a person/character by the way he treats animals, so that's how this story got me interested in Timo. He's not a people person, but he really loves animals which I found quite relatable. Also, Timo and Naoki would have an awesome friendship, too bad it's a missed opportunity.

Joy ofc, has no boundaries but she's a stylist so I can understand somewhat, and starts giving Timo suggestions about hair and tells him to show his face more instead of hiding behind long bangs. She attempts to brush his bangs aside and he's like- nope lady, I just met you. But Joy is a force to be reckoned with and really intrusive, so Timo asks help from MC and she comes to his rescue when he says they need to talk about some article. MC guides him to her apartment where they spend hours reading stuff. Timo falls asleep and MC tries to cover him with the blanket when you guessed it, Timo wraps her in his arms and I always find those scenes funny since it's really random like, here comes the blanket, and what, he starts swinging his hands and grabbing air/ catching people? And because she doesn't want to wake him up she stays like that? Hm... I think they should have described this scene better but it's cute I guess. So, they sleep together and it's awkward in the morning, and Timo asks her to come to the lab with him so that he can show her something as an apology. Then, there's a random moment where she's like what should I wear and he's like let me choose?

Yeah- it's time for Timo's premium moment.

He takes her to the dolphin center because dolphins make peculiar noises in the morning and he wants her to hear that. MC focuses on Timo when he pulls her closer to him and she notices how handsome he is barely focusing on what's he telling her. She mentions for the umpteenth time how he's warm and kind and cherishes animals. He says she shouldn't look at him but instead observe the dolphins. She gets fascinated with him not just as a researcher but as a person too. On their way back, they spot Paul with a reporter (Andrea).

Several days later, MC and Paul dine at Carlo's, and he mentions the fiancee subject, you know the thing he said he won't because he's patient. 🙄

MC repeats that she's not ready for it or marriage because she wants to focus on work and at this point, we're running in circles to fill the writing space/chapter. During their walk, Paul is again persistently flirting, and all of a sudden he hides her behind his back and says to someone that he's invading their privacy. Andrea steps out of the darkness like a psycho killer and MC quickly realizes that it's the same reporter she saw Paul with that day. Paul confronts him and Andrea ultimately leaves, saying that he will be careful not to be spotted next time. He wants to follow the reporter but changes his mind, not wanting to leave MC alone. On their way home, Paul receives a phone call from Josh, and he tells him not to come to L.C. because of the reporters. He plays innocent, unsure why reporters would be interested in him, and proposes to MC to find someplace to lay low for a few hours. One would think he wouldn't pick the most prestigious hotel for hiding, but this is otome so the plot happens conveniently. MC is in awe about how luxurious the room is, and Paul doesn't miss the chance to flirt some more but constantly asks if she's relaxed. Julia doubts him and thinks he knows what's going on. And she's right about that.

He denies it and you're faced with a choice either to believe in him or doubt him. The right choice for Paul's route is that she wants to believe in him and he states that she should, cupping her face. But, later we find out that he lied and that's brushed off and played as if he was doing that to protect her. We'll talk about that later, since there were plenty of better ways to do this, especially with the knowledge we obtain in the last few chapters, that kill the "I desperately want you to marry me" plot. Even if she picks the doubt option, he kisses her forehead content that she feels something for him, whether it's concern or suspicion.

He keeps pulling her to him even though she's trying to have a normal convo and he's like you can't get me out of your mind which I found exasperating and too forceful, dude, calm the fuck down. He confesses that he loves her and pushes her onto the bed- seriously, that doesn't give you the right to do such things, but this is otome. So he leans over her and she's tense because the mood is shitty and MC can't break free, so the usual stuff. She reflects upon everything that happened and is uncomfortable that he's displaying his feelings so strongly, meanwhile, Paul just proceeds with it like he has consent, kissing her and touching her and I found it extremely icky and a huge red flag.The phone interrupts his attack basically, and MC feels relieved when he answers.

How the fuck is this a build-up toward his route? What am I supposed to think after this scene? How am I supposed to feel? This scene ruined Paul for me, and I noped out of making him my premium choice. Writers realized that the scene was rapey so they quickly justify it as MC being shy, her heart about to burst at the feelings blah blah, and the story tells us that she's torn between feelings of friendship and taking the next step. Wow, just wow. Shut the fuck up. Just when I thought that she was having a semi-normal reaction she says that shit.

Timo is on the phone and requests to talk to Julia since he doesn't have her phone number. He asks her if she's all right, because he heard from Josh about some trouble, and he clumsily expresses his worry under the guise that he doesn't want her to miss work. The calls end up with him calling her urgently to the lab. Julia is quick to accept the offer since she wants to escape the tension with Paul (her words, and again, what the fuck am I supposed to think of the guy after that). She says to Paul that she needs to leave, but Paul stops her. She proceeds anyway silently apologizing and somehow blaming herself for not having her feelings sorted out? The fuck? It's not your fault, girl. If he wants to court you there are different ways and not the rapey stuff, jesus. Timo informs her about data missing and that someone pried open the leopard's cage. After checking that all the leopards are there, they conclude that someone stole the data and wanted to take a leopard too since they are very valuable on the black market. Timo admits that he shouldn't have called her because he could have done everything by himself, and apologizes for interrupting her and Paul. She says they are not together and that he's not her fiancee, and that's when Timo makes his move. He steps closer and asks, with the usual expression, if Paul would be upset if he makes a move on her. He leans to trap MC between his body and the wall (a classic) and when MC is freaking out thinking he's going to kiss her, he tells her he's joking and was told that she makes funny faces when teased. MC explodes, telling him that his sense of humor is not very funny and that she almost got a heart attack. They get interrupted by a leopard approaching them and that's when Timo starts to violently sneeze. Julia asks him what's wrong to which he replies that his medicine wore off. We find out that Timo is allergic to all animals and MC is baffled. He explains how it doesn't hinder his work as long as he takes his medicine and asks her to keep it a secret. Julia thinks to herself how life is unfair to someone who has such a deep love for animals. Timo quickly changes the subject and starts discussing the theft attempt and stolen data. They talk for a bit, and Julia mentions how her dream is to work for the World Animal Guardianship Group, which coincidentally (not really) is Timo's dream as well. They bond over the same dream and their passion for animals and he calls her by her name for the first time which makes MC surprised. They come back to L.C. in the morning where Paul awaits along with Carlo and he immediately jumps at Julia who's clearly avoiding him. Let the drama begin.

Timo steps in and says that she needs to rest because she's been up all night and that the talk can wait. Paul ignores Timo and smiles like a creep and asks MC why she was awake the whole night, but Julia doesn't want to say any confidential information in front of Carlo, so Timo steps in again saying that they finished some work and talked about dreams. Paul gets triggered by the word "dreams" and starts attacking Timo for dragging Julia away for stupid stuff, but Timo says calmly explains what happened without mentioning the real reason since they are in public. Paul then turns to her with a creepy smile still plastered over his lips and asks her if she made some promises to Timo too, and at this point I would slap the shit out of him. I gotta mention the reason right now just so you can understand how hillariously bad the plot is - as I said, he's keeping a child/teen accountable for promising to marry him. MC doesn't remember ‘cause she never did such thing, lol. He interpreted her words as a proposal.

Anyway, instead of a slap, her heart skips a beat, because why not make a complete shit-show out of this scene? He's been a creep to the point that MC says that she's scared of him because he insists on knowing the details of their conversation. Then, we get a quick contradictory opinion of MC who, just a second ago mentioned she was scared of him, now thinks it's somehow her fault for his behavior, and when you look at it, it absolutely is, since she should tell him that he's a fucking psycho. But, we can't have realistic behavior in this story, you see, because it would fall apart. She continues to justify herself to a man that's not her boyfriend or anything since he doesn't want friendship anymore. Paul doesn't believe anything she says, and Timo steps in again, but if I were him, I would walk away because those two are a toxic mess. Again, he cannot do that because it's his route too, so he has to stick around. Timo and Carlo explain to the fucking psycho how they were talking about career goals and that he should calm the fuck down and Timo insists on Julia going to rest.

But this fucker is on a fury road and doesn't intend to slow down.

Instead of two men acting like sane people and knocking this fucker out or at least shield her, Carlo's like you have to make a choice, either Paul or Timo, presenting the fork in the road which leads to the route you want.

Paul’s route

So, Julia decides on a psycho, who picks her up in a princess style to carry her to his room. Timo, the sane person, tells him to stop, but Julia's like it's fine don't worry.

As I mentioned briefly in the beginning, I knew this route was gonna be annoying. To put it simply, this borderline obsessive behavior is portrayed as cute, hot, and seductive even. Rather than getting the job done properly when describing an ugly feeling as jealousy, they gloss it over with MC interpreting it as wow, he's hot and he likes me so much. Nope. I'm not opposed to including jealousy, but she should have confronted him about acting like a mad man, and telling him that if he wants to be with her, he shouldn't do such shitty things and act in front of other people like a jealous shit-head. She should also tell him that she's not a moron, and while other guys can make advances on her she will say no if they are dating or smth. It comes down to trust, but what can you expect from a guy who holds so firmly to something a child promised? Also, remember when I mentioned in one of my reviews how MC takes the personality of LI so they can get along better? Since Paul is chaos and Jekyll and Hyde, so is she. Her thoughts make no sense and literally accommodate Paul's random acts of jealousy.

After such an uncomfortable dialogue, I fully expected this to happen:

The writers attempt again to sell it as something cute because they remember childhood memories, and then he's like sweet dreams and instead of leaving her alone to rest, he lays behind her.

Thankfully, MC is not a complete chair, so she sneaks out of bed when her captor- friend, and love interest, falls asleep. She's like: poor guy he's exhausted, but we're not kids anymore, so I won't be in his bed, and goes to her place. At this point, a glimmer of hope appeared for me but was swiftly snubbed out. The thing is... and this pissed me off further, turns out that Paul is not hired for the long term, but rather just to save the leopard. And that's only a bit of truth. There’s an uncomfortable finger-sucking scene, and I explained in Cody’s route how I don’t find it attractive just distasteful, especially when the route has no ounce of chemistry. Anyways, he's desperately trying to charm her, pulling out every single move, and if I wasn't so creeped out since the common route, maybe I would warm up to it, but I read all the "romantic" moments as if someone was forcing me to and as if I was paid to write this 😂

The detail, that I found weird is how they kept mentioning his stamina. They mentioned it twice in the common route, so I didn't give it much of a thought since the writer(s) are more "tell not show" type, and I was like, okay, they want us to know how Paul is working hard. In his story, however, it's mentioned in every chapter, and he also boosts about it so yeah, they are hinting at the sex thing I guess. Also, you can pull the reverse card at his concern about MC pushing herself too hard with the speech if she falls the work will suffer, yet he does the same shit but for him, it's somehow fine. I also find it hard to believe that he's the only vet in such a large animal institution and that he has no assistants. And since they're trying to create cheap drama where MC has to see him as a man, not as a friend, they threw in the jealousy when she sees him talking to some other woman. Like for real? Why are you jealous? He's literally pestering you about how he likes you every damn second and now what the fuck? Toxic as hell! See what I mean when I say MC has the same personality as the love interest? They are making her lose her shit as Paul did in the common route.

By all means, take this walking piece of mental work ladies, you can change him. Also another shining example of otome logic- if a guy escorts you home you're in love and dating him. Oh, Joy. You’re the same idiot as Amelia in the Wizardess Heart, especially in the Pigeon guy’s route.

MC is a huuuuge piece of work. She has the sort of duality that mimics Paul’s for the reasons I mentioned already. First, she claims that Paul is her childhood friend and that she can't see past that. So, you expect the story to change her view gradually. Even after all the groping, jealousy tantrums Paul exhibited, at least three more proposals, and random talks about marriage, she's repeating the same damn shit and we're more than halfway into Paul's route. To sum up the same damn shit: a) she's uncertain if he's interested in her for real... Hm, I do not get this in the slightest since Paul already said that he loves her and proposed to her and did all the weird shit the writers of this work call "romance and love" b) she claims to see him as a childhood friend, yet she already mentioned how she thinks he's a handsome man, hot and felt up his muscles and the usual shit. She even walked out of bed when he fell asleep by her side because she said they aren't in the same friendly relationship as before; c) she's becoming jealous of other women around him, but she still says he's her friend, and if the writing was better I would understand the denial, but we're not given the good old "show, don't tell" and they want us to believe that she’s shy rather than delusional.

As usual, Timo's the voice of reason in this route as well, and while MC and Paul avoid talking like adults, he mentions the real shit that's been going on at work. Someone is trying to sabotage Paul, Julia, and the whole institution. First was the minor stuff mentioned in the common route, but now someone's been sabotaging preparations for leopard surgery and spreading rumors about Paul, how he's actually there to ruin their credibility so someone can buy out the animal sanctuary. MC heard that but she kept quiet not to hurt Paul's feelings or refused to fess up to Timo. What an idiot, and if Timo wasn't preceptive and careful, everything she ordered for surgery would have gone down the drain. But no, Timo is hard to get along with and is grumpy, oh what shall we do? Paul steps in as a hero to work out the order cancelation with surgery supplies because we can't have Timo in the spotlight, and MC is worried about how he took yet another workload on his already packed schedule since he sleeps in the lab.

Don’t worry, he has incredible stamina, remember? 🙄

On a side note, Andrea is such a creepy character, yet nobody bothers to report him to the police. Again, Paul is seen with him exchanging something. It's the red herring of the story since the main guy cannot be the bad guy (there's an actual awesome story but that's for Oliver's and Carter's route). Near the end of the route, Paul does 180 and is no longer interested in Julia and is doing some shady stuff. As usual, instead of confronting him, MC does absolutely nothing, purely speculating what's going on and deciding to trust Paul, but still having doubts that make her lose focus. Now, if Paul was just someone she met like Timo, I would respect her decision not to meddle in his affairs, but he's not and, there's a genuine concern and threat for her workplace, their credibility, and the endangerment of animals, so borderline crime. She justifies doing nothing with "I trust him" and we're supposed to clap at that, when in fact it's not called trust. She is held in the dark by the person who wanted to marry her just a few chapters ago. Awesome foundation for marriage, guys. And when she finally decides to talk to him, he's like don't talk to me unless it's absolutely necessary. Dafq? The suspense and mystery should have been built from the friggin’ start not this late.

MC continues to think about him as if he's a martyr and attempts to put her brain to use by asking why Andrea shows up around not just Paul, but her too. The story is trying to desperately convince you that Paul is protecting Julia and give you the easiest feasible justification for his behavior... But there is none. Nothing can save this. MC has "the same damn shit" doubts I mentioned, but this time, she states that she loves Paul. How the fuck did she come to that conclusion? And as soon as she has that glorious epiphany:

Moving on. MC learns that bad rumors are not just about Paul but her too, because someone wants them to fail. All of a sudden, people stop talking around her and are giving her the cold shoulder because the story needs them to, not because the plot worked in the favor of it. It takes them forever to figure out that Timo is in their corner, and he suggests that they should focus on the success of the operation as it will shut everyone up. MC is concerned and wants to step down as Paul's assistant for the surgery, but Paul reassures her not to worry because he'll succeed. All of a sudden, there's a random scene where Paul tries to shake off the car that was following them and just... I turned off my brain for this and instead thought about some plot points that would actually work. If the plot is about sabotaging the operation, some of the options should be: a) beat Paul up or break his arm; b) do the same with MC; c) forge some evidence that would make them look bad or something to strip off their credibility; d) make the bad publicity that would explain why Andrea would chase after them since he's paparazzi.

Anyhow, Nolan saves the day, and I don't know why he didn't turn to him in the first place and the police. So, Timo is tailing a suspicious acting co-worker and he's meeting Andrea. As soon as Timo calls out to him Andrea flees and the co-worker turns into a nervous mess. The team is divided, things are looking dire, and the surgery needs to happen. Paul manages to unite the team with Nolan's help. Timo joins in and announces he found out who canceled the order of surg. supplies and it turns out it was the researcher who was against Julia in the common route, if it wasn't too obvious already, the guy runs away as soon as he's accused. Everyone apologizes for their treatment of Julia and Paul and agrees to work together to make the surgery a success, and they later do. Their relationship should have made it to the next stage, but it didn't make sense since the build-up was weak and weird so the scene when they are finally relieved that things got cleared up and Paul mentioning how she was by his side despite him pushing her away was meh for me and didn't evoke emotions in the slightest.

The main plot is weak, non-relatable, no reality and common sense. Paul demonstrated how unreliable he is as a partner, and MC showed how clumsy and passive she is. The people who actually came through are Nolan and Timo.

Another, absolutely creepy portrayal of Andrea here, and I know he's paparazzi but I was really uncomfortable later when he got his route and was given permission to live at L.C. Yeah, they played it as if nobody knew that, but I found it hard to believe. That's a review for another time. Final thoughts about his involvement- they should have made him a wildlife reporter or something who investigates poacher's work and is following the lead that someone is doing shady business at the institute. His personality, appearance, and stalking would be much more palatable.

What was the no-face researcher's motive? Jealousy always works and I mean 90% of the time when you look at all the plots in all of the stories. He was jealous of Paul and MC and wanted to sabotage them, because fuck the animals. That's the only real thing here when idiotic people like that guy managed to work at the place with animals and he doesn't care about them, suspiciously reminding me of how things work in the real world, and people having jobs they don't deserve.

Paul and MC head to the beach where he confesses that he can't stay long in one place because he inspects sanctuaries.

Ah, there it is. The collateral of the chain reaction car accident this story was, and the main reason why I was so pissed off. Paul, this makes no sense with what you've been claiming in the common route and most of your route. So, how did you plan to marry her if she said yes? Ask her to leave her work and move around with you when you knew Kaleido/working there was her dream? From the point when he did 180 up 'tll the end, gives me the impression that the story was continued by another writer, who didn't bother to read what was written up until that point. Then, they are to receive an award from the King (insert meme *this boy can fit so many cheap soap opera moments*) and Julia doesn't have anything to wear, oh no.

They could have used this space for something else and attempted more meaningful development. She's sad she can't be with Paul cause he's leaving so she decides to dress up for him.

and I don't want to pay for that.

So they are at the party/ceremony and Paul receives a phone call saying that he immediately has to go to the airport.

Supreme ending and Happy ending

Supreme ending Julia comes with him to the airport. He says he has some business to attend to and that someone wants to see her. He talks to the man in black (just.... I... can’t).

It turns out that person was the King of Kaleido. King called especially for him to do the surgery and he wanted to thank him personally since you know, that's what Kings do. He explains that the K. leopards are very important to the Kaleido and are considered a national treasure. I'm surprised he wasn't knighted at the airport.

So ofc, King requests that Paul stays in the country to take care of the leopards since he's such a VIP surgeon-vet. MC is ecstatic because she will continue to work with Paul and finally hook up with him.

He chartered a small plane so he could bring MC to some beautiful secluded island, and thankfully they tone it down by saying it's Mr. C's since I wouldn't have bought it (like many things in this story) if he did it with his vet paycheck.

I’m laughing at my own comment because, at that point, I was so done with bullshit that I started to settle with little crumbs on normality

They enjoy to the fullest partying as if they saved the friggin' world. He confesses again, for the 4th time I think, and MC is still acting "shy" after all the melodramatic internal thinking. The moment is dragged on ridiculously long, until she finally accepts his feelings and kisses him back. What the fuck was this, then:

Paul's like I knew you were going to fall for me. Yeah buddy, if this was in any way realistic you would get a slap and a restraining order. He finally reveals what the promise was- when they were kids she literally said they are going to achieve their dreams and stick together, so he interpreted that as a proposal.

He also says they have to go back in the morning to have another party at the L.C. and if he can make an announcement that they are engaged for real to say to everyone back off because she is his. 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

In the happy ending, they reach the airport and he says to her that he was called to immediately return to the headquarters to wherever he works, and give the report. As soon as he’s done with that, he has to go to another sanctuary to handle the emergency. MC is upset because he did all sorts of things to make her fall for him and now he's leaving, my point exactly, but he's like I'll be back, don't worry. She says that she loves him and he's like I know...

My brain was so numb that I skipped outburst at referencing the iconic SW scene in such a shitshow.

He asks her to wait for him and consoles her when she starts crying. A few weeks go by and we're expected to believe he couldn't even text her, so MC is concerned. Mr. C appears and tells her to go on his private island along with other residents because he's throwing a party, and MC and others are like sure, yeah fuck the daily routines and work.

So, they get to the island and everything reminds MC of Paul even the friggin' lobster because they ate it together. Paul appears and she jumps into his arms, and everyone continues to party. MC is concerned about not being able to see Paul every day and before they can talk, Mr. C interrupts by saying Paul is the man of honor, because he got a new job, and Julia starts crying because she can't bear being separated from him and asks him where he is going next. He's like you're too cute and says he's working with her again because he asked the King of Kaleido to make the arrangements. Oh, brother, it pains me to write this with a straight face. He doesn't miss the chance to announce his engagement to Julia and ofc now it's fine and not toxic at all.

Final thoughts: this started interesting, and they had chemistry in the beginning until his looney act in the 4th chapter which hinted that his story is going to be shit. From that point on I read it just to get the rewards and didn't enjoy it at all. The story/plot could have been miles better than what they delivered, and as usual, lacks realism which is required to some degree when writing romance and slice of life. Paul's personality often changes, as if he was two different persons, which I addressed earlier. Also, if he was working undercover, it could have been handled better and instead of his secret meetings with Andrea, he could have had mysterious calls, MC could have caught him snooping around, checking the background of researchers, and in the end, he should have been the one to sniff out the corrupted researcher and not Timo. He should have also been the one to manage the whole operation, and call the men in black since he has them at his disposal, because of his connection to the King and Nolan wouldn't have to get involved at all. The proposal also doesn't make sense considering he knew he wouldn't stick in Kaleido for long since his job is to travel around the world. The story would have worked better if that was on his mind instead of being casually mentioned and forgotten. His whole attitude should be changed because of that, and he shouldn't have been pushy. He could be one of the best tropes in the romance- push and pull because despite knowing that he has to leave, he can't help being close to Julia, and angsty writing would elevate this story so much more.

Timo's story will be addressed in part 2 of this review. If you read it this far, I thank you!

#shall we date #shall we date love tangle #love tangle #paul morgan #otome rant #otome review #otome games android #valhala90 about otome #valhala90 analysis #my posts

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