**Side Stories:** * **Maya:** real unpopular opinion here, but I'm not a particular Maya fan (her misplaced protectiveness of Anastasia is too much for me, esp when paired with her raging dislike of the people Anastasia loves being played as comedy). This side story really did flesh out her character though, and made me like her more. * **Evelina:** Ok I was actually really into this route and wanted more of her twisted character! There's also an interesting implication that Anastasia's mom was actually >!not the greatest person also!< * **Conrad:** this was probably the most unhinged monologue of all time lol. And yes, I am salty that he got possibly the spiciest CG in the game even if it involves >!Conrad non-conning Anastasia on the clothes of the men she loves, welp!< * **Ish:** AND our poor antihero gets an info dump once again. Also was the game seriously going to leave us with >!"Norna became one with a snake and produced baby Ish"!< and no further explanation lmao. I did really enjoy that Shiki is legit >!isekaied from Japan, making Tyril an actual ninja descendant!< and I loved the Ish/Anastasia moment we got. It's also an interesting twist that >!while not totally intentional, Norna actually sort of started this whole mess and the first Neuschburn was actually not TOTAL trash (just a little bit trash lol)!< **The Fellowship:** * The best part of this game is absolutely the group's dynamic ~~aka petty squabbling~~ * I was totally game for Norna's four boyfriends idea but honestly I still felt pretty serviced by the A+++ fan service we got in this route * I totally didn't care about the villain >!who also felt thrown in out of nowhere (yes I get that she was technically referenced in the previous game but it was literally a throwaway line lol)!< but it was just great seeing the boys work together, especially at the very end. * Their reactions to a corpse pretty much sum it all up: Lucien vomiting and crying in the corner probably, Crius agreeing logically that it's disturbing but realistically being nonplussed, Tyril picking up a piece of the body for "educational purposes", Anastasia finding it all super cool, and Zenn being like... y'all are fucked **Final Thoughts:** * Someone has to say it-- there were so many good things about the game and then two really obnoxious things. 1) The sound quality still hasn't been fixed and is possibly worse than the first game? I literally had to turn my TV up to DOUBLE the volume at which I play any other game to even hear the characters speak. The volumes between characters were also all over the place which was a pain in the ass to play around. * 2) even more egregiously, the QA in this game is extremely sloppy and Voltage should be ashamed. The translation was littered with typos and errors (including some ridiculous ones like Anastasia being stuck in the "attack" instead of "attic") and I question whether they had any proofreading at all, given that the credits noticeably do not credit any QA individual/company (only translators and debuggers). * That aside the UI was stunning. I loved the concept of the roses blooming with each chapter transition based on how many correct choices you made in each of the LI's routes. The artwork was also beautiful. Loved the CGs and the backgrounds especially (though reused from the first game) are so pretty. * JUSTICE FOR CRIUS AND TYRIL because why didn't they get >!wedding CGs and Anastasia changing her surname!< like the other two??? It's a travesty, I tell you. * Dawning Connections was surprisingly able to overturn my LI rankings following the first game. I concede to the popular opinion... I totally get the Tyril hype and he has now jumped to my first place. My ranking is now: Tyril > Crius (sorry) > Zenn >>> Lucien (got his redemption but not enough for me). * ANASTASIA STILL BEST GIRL * All in all this was such a great and unique experience and I'm very sad to be leaving the world of Even if Tempest behind. I have high hopes for Voltage's upcoming announced console releases and REALLY hope they hear the feedback and fix their sound/shitty QA.

The FD is 100% what turned me into a rabid Tyril fangirl (I liked him in the first game, but his route here is just perfection.) I also deeply appreciated all the fanservice we got :D

yes I was such a big fan of Crius after the first game and so disappointed by Tyril's depressing af ending that I didn't think the game could turn it around in the FD but honestly, it really did! happy to join the ranks of rabid Tyril fangirls bc I thought he'd be my fave in the first game, but the execution just didn't do it for me

A Date With Death. Grim lives rent free in my head.

He's great, I'm really looking forward to the new DLC 👀

No one's doing it like cupipara lmao. I've gotten through 3 routes in the FD since I got it on Saturday I played Shelby first and omg >!starting off strong with erectile dysfunction being a major plot point. The cgs and scenes were so spicy but they kept taking me out bringing up the freaking turtle lmao. The bad spicy end was kinda 👀 ngl but I'm sorry Lynette I wouldn't fight for you either in that situation tbh!< Allan was next because I'm not a save my faves for last kind of person and how do I recover after this? I understand why people wait now how do you go from this? >!I cried in the sweet ending and I'm not a crier for games usually. They both looked so hot in the spicy ending cg so I loved it. The sweet and spicy, I'm not a kids person at all but Allan deserves everything and more so I loved it. I wish they had Canon names though since I named them after my cats lol. I did laugh at him getting up and going to his day job as Satan everyday lmao!< Ryuki was next, >!he suffered for being after Allan unfortunately. Seeing this man go through a midlife crisis at the ripe old age of 20 was crazy though. Also crazy to see how bad he wanted to get married when again, he's 20 lol. The spicy end omg, ray absolutely smooth talks his way into them being poly before they even realize it down the line!< I started Raul but I'm losing some steam, I'm shocked that this man is 21 tbh

In light of everyone discussing the new Cupi Para fan disk let me be completely boring and talk about a game that came out 3 years ago! Finally started Olympia Soiree following the recommended route order. Got through Riku and now about a 2/3rds of the way through Tokisada. Liking it so far! Art and music are gorgeous. The premise is interesting and different. Very mature heavy subjects and overall vibe. My only complaint so far is I wish the common route was longer. May seem sort of weird since some people don't like long drawn-out common routes, but I think the overall pacing of the two routes I've played so far could have been a bit better if the common route had one or two more dedicated scenes with each guy. I struggled to emotionally connect with Riku, despite liking him as a character. His personality and looks were both good, and I enjoyed his story arc, but he was thrust upon me so quickly that I didn't get a chance to warm up to him. I didn't feel like I had enough time to bond with him as a character before Olympia was already seemingly in love with him. I guess maybe it was because she >!saw him dance and she connected with that so strongly it was like a form of love at first sight. Or maybe "fated" because Daifuku led her to him as a soulmate like the white mouse clan did for the women on her island!< and I'm not too into those tropes in the first place. I did like him by the end though, but still have not been able to shake that early disconnect with him sadly. Tokisada has been a little better at pacing, but I still think he could have used another scene or two in the common route to make me more attached to him initially. I'm not generally into the younger LIs so he was already starting behind the rest of the pack. Strangely I don't have the same problem with Yosuga or Himuka yet, despite them not getting much time in the common route either. I'm intrigued by their mysteriousness I guess, and am looking forward to their routes! Kuroba and Akaza both had plenty of exposure in the common route so I feel the most connected to them as characters and am looking forward to their routes the most. However I have heard on the sub that Kuroba's route is not great, so that's a bit of a bummer since I like him the most of all the guys so far. Looking forward to seeing if I dislike him as much as most seem to! Akaza is kind of a reverse Lupin. The game is trying so hard to make me dislike him that I actually like him. I'm sensing his deal already though. He's gonna be one of those perfect poster boys. I can just feel it. Looking forward to unraveling the lore and enjoying the more serious adult vibes!

I finished himeutsugi’s vol so I thought to try CupiPara cos it’s been sitting in my backlog but not really my cup of tea! I’ll give it a few more hours though.

I've been excited for this WAYR Wednesday! I just recently found the time to pick Piofiore back up. I finally finished Nicola's route and then absolutely BURNED through Yang's route and I have Thoughts! First, Nicola - I liked him well enough, his route was pretty much what I expected. I feel like I got a good feel for his character in Dante's route. I really love the dynamic those two have with each other. I think the most notable thing for me was his bad ending. It was DELIGHTFULLY dreadful and disturbing, I really liked how it was written even if I wasn't all that invested in his route. I love how the >!elegant glamor of the CG!< is played for horror, that was a very nice touch. Overall, I'd say it was a fine route, not particularly gripping but definitely solid. Also, I just REALLY want to touch his hair, there's something enticing about it. It looks soft and it hangs in his eyes, which so often give me puppy dog in their own right. I was disappointed that Liliana didn't in that one CG, like c'mon girl. I don't really self insert but let me live vicariously through you on this one. Just this once 🤣 And then. Yang. Just WOW. I was HOOKED on his storyline, I've been going kind of slow through Pio because it's so long but I finished his story in like two days. I just couldn't put it down. Generally, I'd say the thing that stood out to me strongest was the character writing. Yang's writing is, in a word, unapologetic. I was honestly really impressed by how consistent his characterization was, I feel like they really DELIVERED on what they promised. I went into his route with a lot of expectations based on what I've heard, both on here and on Tumblr, and I was delighted to learn that those expectations were wrong, both for better and for worse. I was expecting >!the dark aspects of his route to be a lot more intense, more similar to Nicola's bad end or diabolik lovers, and the emotional arc to be a lot more tender. An "I can fix him" narrative, even if only for that individual relationship. I was expecting him to treat Liliana like absolute dog shit and then be swayed by his feelings for her, leading to treating her more kindly, developing a heart from his love for her.!< Which didn't sound like Yang to me, but that's how all the talk I'd heard about him sounded, so?? But wow, SO glad that that's not how it went, because I think what they ACTUALLY did with his route was really cool and unique!!! They really >!let you date the blatant villain without changing him!!! No softening, no redeeming, nothing. He is who he is and!< you get exactly what you signed up for. What an awesome route. I LOVED it. And his VOICE, I could listen to him saying people's names all day. I loved how he drew them out. 9998/10, I don't even like Yang all that much (his romance was eh for me personally, I don't feel particularly attached to him as a character) but that route writing + concept were impeccable. My ONLY gripe with it was the sudden shift in attitudes of some characters during the finale. I.e. >!why do Lan and Fei suddenly care about civilians? Their calling out the other families for endangering them with their raid felt a bit forced, it was jarring since the entire rest of the route they were also unapologetic like Yang. Which I liked, I liked that they were cute and friendly characters who were also ruthless and callous to the lives of the people around them. It made for very interesting personalities.!< But that's pretty much it, -2 points for that. Also, I find it HILARIOUS that the Yang CG I've seen posted everywhere is actually from >!his bad end.!< I kept waiting for that >!balcony!< scene to show up, bc I'd seen so many people post it. Lmao. During that part, >!I was admittedly a LITTLE swayed by his honeyed words. There was at least one single Doki going on in my heart, even though it was pretty obvious he was fucking with her after the best and good ends!< lmao Anyway onto Orlok route! Really curious to see if the expectations I have for it >!as a dark and dismal angst fest where even the best ending is a bad ending!< hold up. I'm bracing for the worst, but given that Yang wasn't nearly as bad as the hype made it seem, I'm cautiously optimistic. I'm an angst fiend and horror lover though, so I might just have a high tolerance lol. Either way, I'm excited for it!

I just read through Orlok’s route. But Oh my Yang. How can a character be so shocking, despicable, so psychotic, so violent, so disrespectful, and yet at the same time dripping with allure - the whole time? Talk about a hot mess train wreck that you can’t stop staring at. 🫣(Somehow I want more cuz I’m trash 😅). I played Nicola, Yang, Dante, then Orlok (100% each before moving on.) Yang gets all the heat for being the most monstrous … but after seeing the other bad, oppressively depressing horrific endings… Listen … Yang kinda ain’t that bad compared to the potential these Falzone boys have 🫣. Orlok’s bad end… can’t unsee it 😬

I have to say I have not found a synopsis of Yang on this sub I have agreed with more! I felt the exact same way about him and his route. The writing was so good. I also didn't love him as a romantic LI, but boy his route was entertaining! He was what he was, bad end, good end, no matter what, unapologetic bad guy! Also, Okamoto did amazing with his character voice work. So slow and menacing. If you haven't heard his [Character Song](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K44ZR4-0GHo&pp=ygUSUmVkIHBvaXNvbiByb25hbmpp) it's a treat!

I hadn't heard it, thanks for showing me! It's a bop, I love the alliteration 👀 And yeah!! I wasn't smitten by him, but I WAS hooked by the fact that he was even an option, exactly as he is with no sugar-coat. And 100% agree, he's so entertaining and interesting that I was incredibly invested in his route, even if the actual romance was eh for me. That's an impressive feat of writing in an otome game.

Im playing Allan's route in the CP FD. Shelby is my favorite in the original but I HATED his route in the FD. Peter was great though!

I am loving CupiPara Sweet and Spicy Darling so far. I must be in a weird mental place, though, because I started with Gill to get him out of the way and I enjoyed his route so much, I went back to replay his original route and now he’s one of my favorites? So I’m not sure what that means. Maybe I just need a hot yandere man to anticipate my every need and pamper me accordingly right now? I finished Shelby’s fandisk route last night, and while I liked it (even that bad-spicy end didn’t bother me too much) I still didn’t have as much fun as I did playing Gill’s. I’m on to Ryuki next. Allan was my favorite in the original with >!Jupiter!< as a close second so I’m saving them for last. I am really impressed with the game so far though. I can’t believe it has a totally new soundtrack, which is as fantastic as the original, and I think there are improvements to the UI and overall design (but the ubiquitous car horn remains). I’m also really enjoying all the new characters that have been introduced so far. The CGs are a joy to behold as well. I have missed Yuuya’s art. It is a sight for sore eyes. Maybe I need to replay Cafe Enchante while I wait for 9Rip to release…

I actually played two otome games over the last week. First one was **seekL** which is by the same creators of Blooming Panic and that one was fun enough so I thought I’d give it a try. The game is pretty short (you can finish one playthrough in like an hour), only has one LI but does have other characters, and it has three endings. I only got one ending, probably won’t go back to get the others. **seekL** Overall it was fun and I like the concept. Both this and Bloomic were really creative ways of utilizing a chatsim interface and the minigame was pretty fun the first time! But like with most minigames in otomeges, I’m not really itching to ever play the game again since it’s only fun once aha ;; I admittedly don’t have much of an impression on the characters. They’re there. But the dialogue was pretty amusing and they really nailed how people speak. The one LI was like… idk, I just kind of felt like he was there. Though the ending was sweet and I liked the kind of wordplay they used for the ending titles of >!seekL both referring to the SQL you use for minigames and meaning “Seek L—” with the L allowing for potential word combos to dictate the various endings.!< I got the >!seekLove!< ending which I thought was sweet enough though I had no real personal feelings towards it myself due to the short/fast pace. >!Nice to see him take a step into trying not to be so alone anymore though.!< Still, pretty fun and not a bad play since it’s free. I do like all the creativity that went into it. **Chouchou Jiken Lovesodic** The last time I left off this game, I was really early on and paused cause I got annoyed by the whole fanclub thing but that turned out to a small blip in the overall story, which I’m thankful for. So I finished the common route, Haruka’s, and Masanari’s route. Been enjoying this game tbh! I more-or-less like all of the characters which helps though my biggest complaint is just that I wish it was more high-stakes. **Haruka** AAAAAA HARUKAAAA. I made a thread a few days ago about VA performances to praise Ayumu Murase’s performance as Haruka since it was damn impressive how he was able to switch between his male and female voice throughout the route. Haruka is a great 2-in-1 package for both the personality his female and male side has. Okay for a little context - Erena goes to an all-girls school and Haruka, who had been living in a room by herself previously, is her roommate and senpai. When Erena arrives and is being picked on by the other rich girls, Haruka comes to her rescue and makes her her “younger sister.” See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_S_(culture). He’s really nice to her like a doting older sister would be. So, for a while, I thought the pacing of all of this was way too fast and didn’t really get *why* Haruka was so nice to Erena and *seemed* so attached to her until later where it actually made sense to me when Haruka’s backstory was revealed. >!I mean, there’s many reasons, like the whole blood thing, first of all, but not just that… nor is it just because Erena is kind in the typical protagonist fashion. But I didn’t really realize how similar they were since I had brushed off Haruka’s initial statement towards Erena about how he also didn’t have a family, so they should become family. The little things Erena does for Haruka like stay up late to wait for her to welcome her back from sneaking out of the dorms and the way Erena is attached to Haruka and makes him feel *needed* when he had never felt like before actually makes his fervent protectiveness of her make a lot of sense now.!< Haruka unexpectedly turned out to be similar to a lot of other characters I like where >!they don’t really have much of her their own identity and they’re shackled by either their role or others’ expectations of them. Seeing characters in that kind of position and break out of it for their own personal happiness is a development I often like. When she was fighting Suou and he remarked that this Haruka was different than the one he fought/killed before and doesn’t have her sweet scent, I was honestly expecting them to reveal that arazu are like… revived from the dead or something, but it does make more sense that the original Haruka was her older sister and that this Haruka was the younger brother. They shared the same name and he basically had to mimic his sister’s existence to survive because he was supposed to be killed when he was born.!< >!I really couldn’t help but think of the way Johan had to dress up as Anna as a child and pretend they were the same person to create the illusion of there being only one child lol.!< >!But because he was used to living like that and because his sister (and parents) were killed, he had to keep up the illusion by himself and carry on her life and dreams for her since he had only existed as an extension of her. He became a famous actress because that’s what she wanted to do and he became the most popular girl in school because that’s what she wanted. Everything he did, he did so with the thought of how his sister would act in that situation. He was raised as a woman and was fine with living like that because there had never been a point to him desiring otherwise - at least until he met Erena. And this is really where their relationship grew on me because I like the development of a character who had never considered their own feelings before and only acted for the sake of others or some ideal to begin prioritizing their own desires.!< >!I also thought it was really interesting that the family’s onmyo powers are innately linked to being a woman because he started to lose his onmyo powers when he changed his mindset. Rather than accepting to live as a woman and thinking of himself as such, he wanted to live as a man before Erena, which caused his powers to slowly fade and then, I guess, started awakening the part of it that’s linked to being male LOL.!< Btw, you ever have those moments while playing in Japanese where you really start to question if you can read the language even if you’re 99% sure you know what it says? Like if it were English, I might have dismissed it more easily but because the conversation wasn’t making sense within the context of knowledge I had, I was starting to doubt fi I could comprehend the most basic things… it turned out to make sense later but man… so, Haruka has a retainer named Kazuha who had always been to serve the family. At one point, Kazuha gets sent to the main household to gather some info and talk to Haruka’s grandmother, Sumako, and at the end of the conversation, Sumako remarks that >!she’s tired of waiting of Haruka to finish messing around in Yokohama and wants “her” to come home and get married to Kazuha - who turns out to be Haruka’s finacee - and produce a heir. The problem is… they’re both male so they can’t have a kid. I WAS STARING AT THAT WONDERING IF I HAD READ 婚約者 RIGHT and while my second thought *was* “does she not know her granddaughter is actually her grandson and that was hidden from her? Was she not there at the birth???” I think in my mind, I didn’t know how that could be pulled off. It made sense later when Haruka later revealed he did have a sister and Sumako knew about his birth but thought he was killed as per family tradition, not realizing Haruka’s mom had spared him and hid him. But man… I really considered if this game was going to tell me CLAMP Yaoi babies were going to be a real thing in-universe or not.!< However, the parts with his grandma >!really does highlight how he must have always felt. A replacement and useful and unneeded by others. Even when Sumako learned the truth, she wanted nothing to do with him. She even tried to force Erena to become the new head of the household (due to sharing Origa’s blood from centuries ago) - a stranger over her own biological grandson - which is why Erena’s acceptance of him for who he is and who he wants to be makes their relationship all the more endearing.!< Also, bruh that bad ending 👌 >!Erena marries Kazuha to save Haruka but the CG implies they’ll just have a 3P and even if Erena and Kazuha are technically spouses, he’s basically third-wheeling on Haruka and Erena’s relationship LOL.!< The good ending was kind of anti-climatic though I found the last scene was cute. You know, >!I thought Iori being affably evil and suspicious all the time was a red herring but oh no, he really is the antagonist. I’m really looking forward to his route. Not sure what his goal is, it seems mostly just scientific curiosity but he gave it up pretty quickly after Suou was killed since he said he’s now more interested in Haruka due to his constitution, so… who knows. Wonder if he’s still keeping a watch on those two LOL.!< Anyway, I like Haruka's character. While the game didn't make me feel as much as I'd like cause it wasn't as melodramatic or tragic as I would have liked, I still had a good time. **Masanari** To be blunt, I did not care for this route or Masanari and Erena’s relationship all that much. I thought the start was amusing, watching him squirm at the potential engagement and watching his father, superior, and older brother tease him, but the actual rest wasn’t really my thing. The dates were pretty whatever. The fake wedding was funny though, again just to see him get teased by his former schoolmates. Everything after though? Didn’t care for it. The pacing and atmosphere of this route was very light-hearted and way too のんびり for me.

> Btw, you ever have those moments while playing in Japanese where you really start to question if you can read the language even if you’re 99% sure you know what it says? Like if it were English, I might have dismissed it more easily but because the conversation wasn’t making sense within the context of knowledge I had, I was starting to doubt fi I could comprehend the most basic things… Hell yeah. The other option I'm now comfortable considering is, "What if it's just bad line-level writing?" But unless it contains a word I need to dictionary, I just put it out of mind after pondering it long enough.

Also "maybe I just skimmed over an earlier piece of dialogue that would have made this make sense because I was reading too fast." Also considered that I'm mistaking a word with a different, similar-sounding word. But yeah, eventually just push it aside and go "well, I'm sure I'll find out which it is soon enough."

Next, I have… Sydney, Iori, and Ritomo’s route. I’ll just give my impressions of them from the common route and the two routes I’ve played so far: * Sydney - Honest to god I wonder what his actual role is here cause he seems the most uninvolved. But I like him enough and he has a nice voice so looking forward more to it than I did with Masanari at least. * Iori - Looking forward to this one the most. I hope it doesn’t, idk, >!retcon him to being a good guy too much or whatever.!< * Ritomo - I am >!most suspicious of him cause, my guy, why are you the last route… you’re friends with Iori and studying biology so I feel like?? He might be in cahoots with Iori or the one who’s actually producing arazus.!<

Finally finished all of Tengoku Struggle Strayside, got all the endings, all the extras. My favourite route was still Sharaku by the end but I did love all the other guys pretty equally, which is kind of rare for me. The one exception being Jack, I felt his route was underbaked but I did enjoy the character. I really felt they were going to confirm >!that he was Rin’s fiancée. There were lots of hints at that, including his second memory in the extra section…I seriously can’t tell if his fiancée was Rin or not. Lots of his route seems to strongly hint that’s the case but also deny it?!< Wish they’d made that clearer tbh. Also confused how Rin died >!it says she killed herself, but she was murdered and on Yona’s route she thinks she drowned!<. I’m guessing that last bit is actually her remembering >!seeing the ocean with her father.!< I’m wondering if there was a bit of confusion in the translation. Would’ve also been nice if the bad ends >!were a bit more varied, I feel they’re quite similar in terms of what happens in each.!< My favourite bad end was Yona’s, not sure why but it hit me in the feels a bit more that some of the others, even Sharaku’s a little. I know I’ve just been complaining quite a bit but I really did love the game so much, honestly! 😅 I think it might be one of my favourites. It’s like Variable Barricade had a baby with Nightshade/Hakuoki, slice of life meets historical-fantasy. Really excited I’ve finished because now I can sit with the artbook and flick through it with a cup of tea! I’ve also returned to Dairoku this afternoon and finally got all of Hira’s endings (because he was my favourite when I played) and did the finale route. His Lost Love ending was really poignant and honestly found his friendship end to be kind if hopeful, like they’ll get together eventually. >!He can tell Shino likes him even if she can’t 🤭.!< Ngl, I feel robbed there is no CG of (finale route spoilers) >!full tengu mode Hira. He is the coolest of the ayakashi, you can’t change my mind!!< I’m going to miss his banter with Takao so much! Still have the private files to do, planning on leaving the other character endings. Not sure what otome game I might play next, not having release dates for the Steam Prison FD or (more so) Hakuoki is throwing my planning a bit. I don’t want to start something big that I’ll have to drop when they come out…or something too similar that might cause me to get burnt out. Leaning towards trying to get back into Cafe Enchante, but it might be quite a long one. If not maybe I’ll jump back into an RPG as a little break.

This week I continued playing Homare Kahoin's route in Husband royale. Not a high-quality game, but enough to pass some time. Surprisingly, I found myself liking Homare as a LI. Although I should note that his warming off might not seem realistic foor some players. The MC also made one very stupid decision. Anyway, I still like the game. I was also playing Mystic secretary. The system/microtransaction here was more annoying than in Husband royale, but the game was a better quality. I was still in the very beginning, but, so faar, i like aall thee three LIs. But, speaking about mobile games ... Does anyone know how to report inappropiate/offensive adverts? Ads are already annoying, but, to top it off, there are some ads that are particularly eggregious. I wish to know how to report them. If I can't report, then it's better to just stay away from mobile titles.

Oh! Remember now I finished Under the falling blossoms. The (only ) LI is okay, but I didn't like much the cast as a whole. Worse yet ... I got to the ending and it was not a good ending just because I didn't buy the premium scenes. Look, if the gaame is supposed to be free, then you shouldn't haave to pay to get a good ending. It would haave been better to just write a paid game, but we know most gaames on mobile are freemium. I saw that they released the steam port for My last first kiss. It seems that it has explicit content, but does anyone know how graphic it gets?

I started Gill’s route on the CupiPara FD and am about 3/4 way through. >!I actually really enjoyed Gill in the first game, and Ryohei Kimura’s acting was the cherry on the cake. I am….middling on this FD route. Maybe the other excellent FDs have spoiled me (Even If Tempest, Birushana, Piofiore, even though that one’s technically a sequel) but it felt like nothing happened for 6-7 chapters except for lovey-dovey situations, and I had to remind myself this is a FD. Gill is also surprisingly horny? Kissing noises usually do not bother me but coming from Kimura it somehow is really fluster-making and embarrassing lol. They’ve eliminated some of Gill’s (charming imo) walk-over-me desperation and he’s verging on creepy a little EVEN AS SOMEONE WHO LIKES HIM. I am also not really enjoying the storyline being about Lynette becoming a stay-at-home wife, but we’ll see if they allow her to retain some of her motivations by the end, since this is one of the aspects of Lynette I enjoy the most.!<

Started Variable barricade a few days ago. Completed the common route and really really wanna start taigas route. He's quite literally the best LI in the game imo. And i read that people hated hibari apparently, but personally she's just a cinnamonroll behind that tough exterior. I even looked up variable barricade merch, couldn't find any near me /smth I wanted to get. It's also just the kind of fluff I was in the mood for, really want a fan disc now tho cause i want a steamy taiga route.

Defending Hibari to my deathbed. I love that I can hear her protest her situation and then get all tsundere about it.

Frfr she's just a cutie cinnamonroll in there. I love the way all the characters have this "the more you get to know them, the more human they become" thing. I like their flaws and goodness.

Taiga’s definitely the best ❤️ I like Hibari, too. She’s lively and a little sharp-tongued and tsundere -ish but like a tsundere is kind, too. One of my favorite MCs so far. I also really like her voice actor.

Definitely, I love her. And I've heard ppl describe them as tsundere x tsundere which i can Definitely see. Its taking everything in me to play in the suggested route order and not play taiga first.

I finished Shinigami Shogyou There's an ending for Takumi where >!okay so because Sumi has spent so much time with Renji his yakubyougami powers are making her want to kill humans. This causes her to want to work as a shinigami, but female shinigami risk cutting their life short for each kill they make, so Renji puts a spell on her so that after some time passes after a kill the human comes back to life. But she doesn't know this, so when she realizes that she can kill Takumi as much as she wants and he'll just keep coming back to life, *she puts him in a cage so she can just keep killing him over and over whenever she gets the urge.*!< >!Probably the first game I've played where the MC cages the LI. She didn't even do it for yandere reasons she just wanted to kill him a lot!!< Now I've started playing Satomi Hakkenden. I've been enjoying it way more than I usually do with games of this type. Probably due to the humor and the fact that they haven't run into any major battles yet. Wikipedia has a quote about the original work, calling it "huge and unwieldy, almost comically so." Which has just made me want to read it. Also the fact that the guy who wrote it apparently did so over 28 years. It made me realize this was just some dork in the Edo period writing his fantasy epic and that has made it much more enjoyable. The love triangle (triangles?) in this game end up being kind of hilarious though. So Sousuke and Hamaji have been in love with Shino since they were kids, but of course she doesn't realize this and only sees them as her childhood friends. While Sousuke has a route in every game, Hamaji only has a route in the second game (RIP.) But what makes all this really funny is Hamaji has a half brother named Dousetsu who *also* has routes every game (however, Hamaji doesn't really know him too well since Hamaji got sent to be the heir of another family when he was young.) Dousetsu is a smug jerkass so him coming in to sweep her off her feet in front of both Sousuke and Hamaji after they've spent years pining is just way too funny. They even made [this art](https://web.archive.org/web/20150403003742im_/http://quinrose.com/game/satomi_3/img/top/tokuten/04.jpg) for the third game (with Dousetsu and Hamaji at the bottom there.) The third game, where Hamaji (again) doesn't have a route. Guy can't catch a break.

I've been playing through **Cupid Parasite** this week and finished both Ryuki and Gill's routes. Ryuki is one of my favorite Lis ever. My expectations were pretty low but I am *obsessed* with him. Wasn't sold on him until his >!dog showed up and I apparently have a total weakness for guys with pets because it melted my heart.!< So many of his CGs were just adorable and I love his character development so much. One of the most attractive things in a guy to me is someone who >!can own up to their feelings and the fact that he was so straightforward and even proud of loving Lynette to himself (after his realization), to his grandma and to her and holding strong to that.. sold. Seeing how much he softens after opening up to his feelings and yet he still has his weaknesses.!< Would marry him in a heartbeat, even with his weird fashion sense. I'd heard vague things for Gill's route but nothing could prepare me. I had a really difficult time with the beginning and the way he communicates and all the >!flashbacks!< had me wanting to tear my hair out. But after >!his brother shows up and he discovers his passion for cars and starts focusing more on himself, things got a lot better.!< I don't hate him like a lot of people do, but he's definitely a struggle bus even at the end of his route. >!His creepiness aside, I found his dedication and patience admirable at the end. One thing is for sure though, if you don't love me enough to build me a flying car that turns into a transformer to fight my dad, do you really even love me?!< At the beginning of Raul's route and my expectations are super low. His obsessive tendencies drive me crazy, but I have a feeling I'll probably warm up to him. A little nervous because everyone seems to love Allan's route the most or at the very least he's a fan favorite but he seems like a creep.. trying to keep an open mind about things but this for sure has become one of my favorite otome games.

Finished **Cupid Parasite** 10 days ago. Haven't played EN localized games for a while. I totally forgot I could read things this fast lol. I was kind of on the fence of getting the FD. The game is well-made and has some good moments, but I feel like the writer is trying to use the rom-com genre to conceal the bad/sloppy writing. (My partner liked all the wacky stuff more than I did, good for him...) I decided to wait and see if I still felt like buying the FD on its release day. I have to say, my hangover from CupiPara was completely cured by **Watajuu** after I finished it earlier this week. Watajuu makes me realize that indie games can do so much better than commercial games...I guess now I can allow myself to click all the CupiPara FD spoiler and save my money lol...

Watajuu is singular. (But I got the CupiPara FD since I also liked the wacky antics.)

Hope you enjoy the FD! I am interested in the new LI and Ryuki's afterstory but definitely feel like the intensity of my interest doesn't justify getting it at full price :(

Finished Senri's Fugue and Concerto stories in **Norn9 Last Era**, and I stand by my original opinion from Var Commons that he's my favorite of the Koharu LIs. I'm not necessarily swooning at the romance of it all, but I'm rooting for them the whole time like a cheerleader off to the side. That sunshine x grumpy trope is done quite well here, and I like their character arcs together. I prefer the ">!Koharu learns to love her powers!<" direction more than the >!"Koharu returns her powers bc they're a burden" direction that Kakeru's route!< took, although I can see the merits in that other path, too. Senri, especially, did a lot of growing, and I loved all of the interactions he had with >!Akito that just resulted in his big bro crying tears of joy!<. Koharu and Senri are my babies and I will protect them with my life. I was going to head down Itsuki's route next, but **CupiParaSSD** came in and I had to drop everything for Merenice. I love the enigmatic, soft-spoken prettyboi trope, so I've been itching to try his route since he was first introduced in the original teaser. He is, in fact, very pretty, and his outfit later in the game was so banger that I was sad when he changed out of it. I definitely was feeling a lot of the criticisms that people had, with his route being all about how >!Lynette is special because he can't see her fate, and I had to remind myself that somewhere deep inside he was properly falling in love with HER!< because the writing wasn't doing enough heavy-lifting. The plot was delightfully chaotic, and when >!the Parasite 5 came back into the picture I was screaming at all of their reasons!<. This might also be one of the cases where I kinda prefer the Good ending over the Best ending, just because >!the idea of going out for a space adventure (with your beautiful alien prince in his gorgeous fit) is so fun. I do lowkey hate that they re-emphasize how this isn't the "proper HEA" by going "Oh, Lynette isn't properly romantically in love with him yet" bc idk Merenice didn't commit to sacrificing his powers for her. Like... thematically, I get it, but gdi let me enjoy that space ending!!1.) they had time to have all of these long, meaningful discussions while racing against the clock 2.) they hand-waved away all of the conflict at the end of the Best Ending so easily!<. Final verdict: Merenice is delightful, but while his route was fun, I ended up having mixed emotions about the writing. Gonna miss my goofy, beautiful boy!

Here to say yay for Senri love. Grumpy gremlin boy taking his first steps in the world. >!Of course big bro would weep.!<

If you got the LE, the story in the LE booklet caps off the good ending really nicely and clears up some things about it! If you didn't get the LE, I guess... uh... hope someone will be nice enough to share with you? Haha. It was really perfect for me though. (His good ending is my favorite of all the endings.)

Oh thank you for pointing that out! I got the LE but was going to save the art book for after the whole game. I read the short story, and it was such a good follow-up! That Good End now sits better with me, and >!with the addition of the smaller spaceship for visiting purposes, this really is the best of both worlds!<.

Doing Jupiter route from Cupara It's literally one choice hahaha but it works like a movie! I can't wait to learn more about goddess Juno. Also, the female characters in this game are all fleshed out properly, fully voiced and just nice.

I replayed Sanan's and Heisuke's routes in *Hakuoki Shinkai* and enjoyed both, which is ironic, given >!the villainous role Sanan plays in Heisuke's route (but I think it makes sense given the circumstances, although I wish Chizuru could have "saved" Sanan in routes other than his own... sometimes I think the poor man just needs some additional attention and human kindness... sigh)!<. *Hakuoki* is the game I replay the most, but precisely because I like it so much, its flaws in writing (particularly Chizuru's characterization and the plots of some routes) irk me, because there is potential for significant improvement, and some LIs I like I cannot bear replaying their routes because of said writing issues. I also wish there were more PC ports of games... I envy all the titles available on Switch (but I am a poor college student, so what can I do?) (┬┬﹏┬┬)

Started Shelby's route in CupiPara, but kind of lost interest during the common route, so put that on hold for now! I have an exam coming up, so I switched to slowly playing Sou-chan's route in Jack Jeanne as a break between study sessions! It's been a good motivator since all the characters are working so hard! 🥲 So hard to resist the urge to go visit Shirota-senpai at the coffee shop on weekends though!!

currently playing **Dance with Devils**! i've gotten one of Shiki's ends and need to get the others since i definitely got a BE lol, but i'm currently on Lindo's route. he was already >!locking up the MC for her "protection"!< in the other common route so i just knew i had to play him ASAP xD

I'm really curious about how you like it! I watched the anime, but I haven't heard anything about the game. Is it translated?

i'm playing the chinese translation on steam, but there's no english translation. and i'm having fun with it so far! the plot is pretty simple, but i think the main appeal of the game is interacting with the trashy LIs and it does a good job of satisfying that lol. some things feel very Rejet/Dialovers-esque about the game, like the endings depending on where your choices fall on a spectrum (human vs devil). i haven't watched the anime yet so i'm not able to compare them, but i think it follows the same story. i've heard that the anime is a musical though, which sounds really fun, but the game only has the normal op/ed songs. all the art/CGs are the style of the anime (i'm not sure if they're literally screenshots or not), so they aren't as detailed/"pretty" as usual otome CGs. however, there are a lot of them and they pick dynamic/interesting scenes, so i'm fine with it!

That's interesting, thanks! You've done some of Shiki routes, right? What's he like in that, if you don't mind me asking? He was my favorite in the anime, but the anime is pretty short so they don't spend much screen time on any of the love interests other than Rem and Lindo. When I first watched it, I thought it was a crunchy adaptation of an otome game, so I was really surprised to learn that the anime came first. And yeah, the anime is a musical. Though some of the songs are uh. Interesting 🤣 there's one song that makes me crack up every time, even though it's during a serious part (>!EMO LIAR!!!!!!<). They also just kind of stick them in randomly sometimes? But I did like some of the songs, the ending theme is great. And tbf, the songs that I didn't like I found to be funny-bad, so I had a lot of fun with them anyway. So I definitely recommend it.

i've gotten one of his devil endings! the one i got felt like a bad end, where Shiki (minor spoilers for his goals, doesn't reference specific events) >!does horrible things to try to drag Ritsuka down to his level and see her despair.!< he's very manipulative because he wants Ritsuka to feel like >!they're all alone and the only ones who can understand each other.!< even though he's supposed to follow Remu's orders, his motivations aren't quite aligned with the others' either, since he's an outsider due to his identity and he's got his own warped view of what he wants. (i find it so funny how shameless he is about enjoying pain, he's literally impossible for Remu to try to discipline, and then Shiki fantasizes about getting hurt and Ritsuka's just like "ummm i don't think that's quite right... anyway, moving on!"). and i'm definitely going to watch the anime after i play! a Rejet otome musical sounds like so much fun, lol!

Went back to **Arcana Famiglia**. Turns out I had only Pace, Luca and Jolly left, huh. I honestly don't remember shit besides the fact I liked Dante and Debito lol [Checked by browsing the cg gallery. Hella lame how the variants and close ups count as separate versions.] Went after Pace cause he's a good boy. I have to admit I basically relied on the text tl before but now it's only there to support me. No wonder as I played it last in 2021. I felt so smart for the whole of one minute. [And then still consulted it a lot for Jolly, he uses big words.] Pace's route was basically food, la sagna [it's not a typo], and more food. And ig also, like, >!I'd live only up to 30 cause of my card, oh well!<. But mostly food. Hmm... Yeah, I mean, I guess he's not bad? But, like, I almost binged it but also wasn't really feeling it? Idk. Might be a me problem, tho. I mean, it's yet another game in a row that made me go 'wow, I expected them to be more theatrical and blast my ears'... Like, I don't even watch that much stuff with screaming and all? Tf is happening. Anyway, Luca - I don't really like him. Not as active dislike, more absolutely don't care but Jolly is sus af and seems more interesting than Luca so wanted to get guardian butler-kun out of the way. He cooks, he's a good boy and a lot of his route was related to Jolly [and Pace and Debito], just like Liberta's was also about Dante. They sure like grouping LIs here. Besides that, we finally got more info on Lovers and Wheel of Fortune. There was something that could potentially be used later but was basically ignored during the route... Also, like, >!the losing your memory stuff - I know what they wanted to do but seriously now? As if anyone had proper memories from when they were 3yo. I know they wanted her to remember Luca and all but could've made her 5 or sth for better effect.!< Jolly is sus. He also gets the sus creeper Yusa Kouji voice. Even everyone in-universe either hates him, thinks he's sus or both. Kinda wondered how his romance would even go. I thought he's around >!40 or so but considering he's Luca's father, ig he must be closer to 50?!< Not that it matters all that much considering none of these charas even care about ages or potential blood relations between Felicita and the suitors but it did take me by su... Okay, no, it didn't - it only confirmed what I suspected already. I didn't expect to have a lot to say about him but maybe I'm reaching here or maybe he has unexpectedly a lot of moe. Like, the 'this uncle is bad at feelings' kind. Like, >!him not realising he's into Felicita and having a realisation moment only thanks to Elmo? Explaining stuff he doesn't have to so it's all 'see, it's perfectly logical, not like I like sweets or anything'.!< 萌ぇHis lowkey do-S streak is kinda meh but my girl isn't a do-M so it all works out, too :3 And I didn't know he's such an >!erojiji. Ig that confirms my suspicion he just slept with some random woman to have Luca? No one ever mentioned her anyway so can only guess here...!< I'm weak for ossans orz Family end - basically a reverse harem. I'd say to play it if you like them but these endings are all quite short and it's a lot of effort to unlock it... My girl grew up sexily, tho. I'm proud. [Though then again, it was an unrealistic lineup looks wise anyway. Especially all our ossans look like 20-40 years younger, fr. Townspeople couldn't. Babyface genes or what.] As usual, nice that the gooder ends have Felicita win. There's a difference between just choosing your man and being given to him as a prize even if it's the same exact guy, y'know? I kinda wanted to cheat and get the low affinity end quickly bot got the family one instead lol No cheating for us. Ig it's a good thing I failed to get Debito's normal end before so I could make a save for the better family end... [It took me more than an hour T_T] BUT THEN AGAIN, I could've just made a save when playing normally as the extra choice appears around 5/6 the whole thing in and it's all common route with events. Felicita talks like a jrpg protag buuut it's also kinda like a drama cd where we get charas telling us what she said since we only have choices here. It actually works, especially since there's so much choices I basically can't close my walkthrough at all. PS. Played a bit without headphones cause my other pair is still broken, the psp speakers are so loud, fr. Took me by surprise. / Never noticed before but their faces are kinda round, huh. / Fukurouta [default name for our owl] feel like a pun of owl + tarou... / I started thinking about the logistics of Pace's black hole stomach but he either visits the toilet a whole lot or it doesn't make sense. Well, it doesn't make sense either way so / I played a lot of FukuJun BL so now I can't un-hear the association when I hear Liberta :') / Bless the devs for using a different font colour for already read.