Otome reviews~

Reviews of various otome games. Previously used wordpress lol

[spellweaverotome-blog]

Shuichiro Momoi: The Proposal Review (Finally, In Love Again)

Even as a Momoi fan, I found this story to be weaker compared to his main story and season 1 sequel. Don’t get me wrong though. It was still an enjoyable read with nice conflict resolution and a cute proposal scene. However, there wasn’t enough development for Momoi since it focused too much on the MC and Kanata Tachibana from the season 2 prologue. 

This route has very realistic problems in both career and romance. As a new pastry chef for French patisserie, Momoi quickly butts heads with the new, profit-hungry management as he tries to maintain his integrity as a chef who creates cakes for people, not money. Meanwhile, the MC becomes the new manager for Larme and has to deal with keeping regulars happy and designing new cakes. Both the MC and Momoi learn how to deal with their respective problems at the cost of their relationship. Momoi distances himself from the MC in fear of burdening her while the MC struggles to run a bakery on her own. This consequently creates a rift between them; Momoi says very insensitive things to the MC while she doesn’t understand the reason for his behavior (until Aki tells her later). 

However, I liked this conflict because it is really grounded in reality and serves as an important obstacle for them to overcome. After all, both the MC and Momoi are career-driven chefs so it’s only natural for this type of conflict to arise. Moreover, Momoi has a confident “tough guy” persona so it makes more sense that he chose to hide his problems. It is definitely worth it though since the scenes where they make up are very sweet and nostalgic; they bake a cake together and remind each other how they fell in love in the first place. It is really endearing to read!

Despite that, I felt like the route didn’t focus enough on Momoi and his professional struggle. It was more of a “tell, not show” thing where neither the MC nor we get to see the stress and trouble he was going through with the new management. I wished the MC had the chance to see firsthand what he was experiencing. It would have more for a more satisfying conflict resolution.

And Kanata! He’s a very interesting character indeed, and I like seeing his “friendship” with the MC blossom. His existence offers a realistic personal problem for the MC since it is only natural that she spends more time with him as she gets increasingly lonely and stressed due to Momoi. Despite this, Kanata isn’t a true love rival since the MC clearly explains that he’s just a friend and she loves Momoi above all else! I like how they made her faithful and strong-hearted. She knows what she wants and isn’t wishy-washy about anything. She doesn’t get persuaded by Kanata (even though he’s SO NICE to her) and does her best to reconnect with Momoi despite the problems. This MC is easily one of my favorites :)

The epilogue is really great too! It’s incredibly funny and we get to see a new side of Momoi. This story emphasizes just how much he has grown; he is less of the arrogant jerk from season 1 and now more of a bashful, caring boyfriend who will do anything for the MC. I seriously fell in love with him again LOL.

All in all, this route is nicely realistic but not as enjoyable as his season 1 stories. I hope the Wedding route redeems season 2! Happy playing~

[spellweaverotome-blog]

Akechi Mitsuhide Review (Samurai Love Ballad)

SUMMARY: Mitsuhide’s route is a nice read about a caring, devoted samurai facing the internal conflict of honor versus love. The MC and side characters were fantastic and memorable, but the story suffered from slow pacing, Mitsuhide’s absences, and an unsatisfying ending. All in all, Mitsuhide’s route was entertaining for its price (free!), but I think it is one of the weaker stories from Voltage Inc. I recommend playing it only if you absolutely love Mitsuhide and guys who are kind-hearted, well-respected, and intelligent.

PROS: In contrast to many of Voltage’s earlier MCs, this MC is smart, brave, and kind-hearted. She is headstrong and willing to sacrifice herself to protect her family and uphold her morals. I enjoy seeing her stand up for her beliefs. I also like how the MC is a talented chef and has a tremendous loyalty and affection for her family.

As for Mitsuhide, let me start by saying that he is such a sweetheart! He is very kind to the MC and treats her with dignity and respect. He always looks out for her and does what he can to make her comfortable. Sometimes, he would even speak back to Lord Nobunaga in order to protect the MC from his wrath! However, Mitsuhide is also a devoted samurai, and he is very passionate about achieving his goals and establishing peace. This strong sense of duty puts him at odds with the MC, but all in all, he is extremely caring to her and does what he can to help. 

Mitsuhide is also well-respected among the retainers in the Oda Clan. He is a brilliant strategist and does a good job keeping the peace in the castle. He knows how to speak calmly and analyze his situations. Mitsuhide also highly values human life and does his best to minimize casualties during war. Another defining characteristic is Mitsuhide's kindness and compassion. He always looks out for his comrades and puts on a smile to help those around him. I would recommend Mitsuhide if you’re into the kind-hearted, respectable, and intelligent types.

Another thing I liked about this route is the friendship between the MC and Lady Oichi. Their bond is very sweet and endearing. Rarely do you see a genuine and meaningful female friendship in Voltage games. These relationships are often shallow since the female characters are only there to give love advice. But in this route, I really like how both the MC and Lady Oichi were there for each other for things beyond love: life, family, and happiness. They even talk about food ^^

CONS: The story arcs flowed smoothly, but they didn’t stand out to me. At times, things were a little slow-paced and uneventful. This pacing is aggravated by Mitsuhide’s lack of screen time; there were many moments where the MC didn't speak to Mitsuhide at all! His absence in his OWN route really weakened the story for me. I sometimes used 5 chapter tickets without seeing him once.

Also, the ending and epilogue didn't tie up some of the story's loose ends. It was unsatisfying to see how certain elements were left hanging in the air...

The romance development, although sweet, seemed to come out-of-nowhere. At the end of the route, I still had doubts as to how Mitsuhide fell in love with the MC. He was nice and caring to everybody, so he didn’t really treat her like a special person. This was a downside for me considering how much I liked Mitsuhide as a character.