Because I’m currently obsessing over Love and Producer (Mr Love Queen’s Choice), I HAVE to rant all about it, and what better place than here lol. I never really thought I’d be this into it as I saw waaaaaay too many ads for it prerelease. I was actually like “mehhhhh I’ll think about it”, until my friend mentioned she liked it and I was bored.
Love and Producer is a Chinese game that has blown up quite a bit in the Chinese community. The taiwan ver was released late last year, approximately a year after the initial release in China, and is also the version I’m playing. You can choose VAs of all versions in the settings, currently there’s Mainland Chinese, Taiwan and Japanese. The Japanese release of the game is actually slated for 2019, but you can already choose the Japanese VA. And despite me usually liking Japanese voice acting, I SWEAR you’ve got to go with the mainland Chinese ver for this game. It simply is a lot more natural and flows a lot better. And note, the music is AMAZING in this game, I’m utterly obsessed. And the card illustrations and CGs are glorious.
Unlike quite a lot of otome games, the charm of Love and Producer for me is the plot. Like Mystic Messenger, L&P is quite plot heavy. In fact, there are 21 chapters released thus far in the Chinese ver (14 for the TW ver) and the first 10 still feels like the prologue, though I’ve heard it gets quite angsty later on.
The plot revolves around you as a producer of TV shows. You’re in charge of the production company that your father has left behind, and it’s steadily loosing viewership. Through various events you come to meet 4 men and they all seem to be interested or know you. You have dreams that you can’t explain and some parts of your memories are obviously suppressed. Eitherway you come to learn of Evolvers, humans with the Evol gene which makes them super human, and that an organisation is trying to capture and harm these people.
There are only four date-able characters, and they each play a significant role in the plot. Rather than say that the game is for you to “date” the 4 guys, occasionally it feels more like a story about people with super powers. In fact you learn more about the characters through side dates with them than the actual main plot line. Though I’ve heard later on you do get to choose whose route you want to play, but as of ch 14 you are still on the main route with all 4 guys. And it’s quite interesting because I do occasionally feel like the asshole that’s stringing 4 guys along as you jump from guy to guy in each chapter lol. But like previously mentioned, it’s because each guy actually does have a role to play in the plot and you need them to push it forward. Though you jump between guys, it is to let you have an initial grasp of these four people that are involved in the conspiracy around Evolvers. And for once I still haven’t managed to pick out my favourite character yet, I just love them all.
So now onto the guys:
First is 許墨 Xu Mo aka Lucien
He’s a director and assistant professor of the local university. He’s basically the mysterious guy. Very kind and gentle to MC but you know that he’s definitely not all he seems to be. He’s the kind guy you first meet when trying invite him onto the last episode to save your show. He always seems to know a bit too much and you some how end up as neighbours. Xu Mo is the warm but reasonable and the scientific person who helps you a lot with ideas and suggestions for your shows. He’s also the guy that will leave subtle hints for you even before events happen to you. He’s the kind that’s warm but you definitely feel he’s got a barrier between him and everyone. Though you are naturally much closer to him than others, there’s still a distance. Everything about him is mysterious and there’s an underlying sense of danger around him. Out of all characters, he is the only one who’s Evol is still unknown.
Next guy is 李澤言 Li Zeyan aka Victor
His japanase VA is Tomokazu Sugita, the same guy who voices Oda Nobunaga in IkeSen. And what can I say, he’s the typical rich CEO who basically is the guy who funds everything. He’s mean but always helping you, calls you an idiot, teases you and refuses to admit that he cares. You actually call him out on his tsundere attitude on dates lol. He’s basically the Han Jumin of the game, but not as competely out of the loop as Best HusbandTM is. He seems to have a fondness for animals, esp Chibas. He’s also a great cook, sharing memories in regards to pudding with you. He definitely knows you from before though details still aren’t exactly revealed yet (or I haven’t gotten there yet lol). His Evol is related to Time Control.
Side note: His assistant is the best.
Third is 白起 Bai Qi aka Gavin
Baiqi was your senior in high school. The rumoured bad boy who got into fights all the time and with atrocious grades. You were actually afraid of him during high school. However he suddenly transferred away and you never saw him again until the events started happening. Currently he’s working as a police officer at the local Police station, though everyone thinks he doesn’t care about his job. But he’s actually a secret agent working against the organisation targeting Evolvers. He’s the special forces guy that has always liked you but is not good at or used to expressing his emotions. Despite being the guy with the clearest and most direct connection with you, he never tries to push that on you. He also doesn’t try to correct the assumptions you used to have of him. His Evol is Wind/Air related, as he straight up tells you “As long as you are in the wind, I will know where you are.” He is also the one who clearly displays his protectiveness over you.
Side note: His self proclaimed sidekick and best friend is always trying to make you realise he’s always liked you.
Extra side note: I was so shocked when I discovered who his Mainland Chinese voice actor was. As I hadn’t looked up anything before the game, I was halfway through the released chapters before I found out. I was so shocked. With Japanese seiyuus you tend to be able to recognise them if you’ve watched one too many anime. But here? I even went back to listen through the story portions again and I couldn’t (and still can’t) link up the voices lol.
Lastly is 周棋洛 Zhou Qiluo aka Kiro
He’s an idol superstar. Basically he can act, sing and model. He’s the most popular celebrity and he can attract fans from all walks of life. He’s the typical bright bubbly guy who lights up your life or tries his hardest fo cheer you up when you are down. He loves snacks and calls you Miss Chips as you met over a bag of chips at a convenience store I wish it actually were that easy meeting celebrities. You both love to eat and bond over food. You gradually discover more sides to him and he definitely knows more, but he’s still a bright boy at heart (at least from where I’ve gotten so far). His Evol is Absolute Attraction.
Side note: If you thought I was shocked when I found out who voiced 白起 Bai Qi, I was utterly floored when I discovered who voiced this guy. The difference in characters of the roles the VA played in a previous show is too shocking. I still can’t link up the two and was literally flabbergasted when I found out.
There’s also a unique feature of this game called “By Your Side”. It’s basically an ASMR recording of the characters speaking to you softly as he lays beside you and lulls you to sleep. It’s definitely very soothing though I haven’t tried to fall asleep to it. However only one segment of one character, 許墨 Xu Mo, is free. You’d have to pay if you want to unlock the rest.
