on my way to start William’s route, but as for the other two…
official Ikemen Villains twitter posted templates and so I took used them, ehe. Minor route spoilers ahead, maybe, as I delve into some personal thoughts! You can click on the images for higher quality; I put content warnings for each route there too, though I may have missed a couple here and there.
Liam — key word: “tomorrow”
the themes in the story really add to the story’s poignancy, and I think it was interesting how they chose to make Liam an actor — as that part of his character played a significant role in the story and its themes.
I don’t have a very high sexy rating here relatively, and that’s not to say there aren’t sexy parts, but I think the presence of it feels a bit dampened by the fact I either didn’t purchase premium stories so it felt like the sexual scenes happened off screen in my personal experience or just that the story was overall so heavy with Liam’s mental struggles. Also, Liam was my first route, so I didn’t really have any other rating to compare it to. So I figured it was good to start somewhere in the middle and go on from there. Overall, I felt it was more romantic than sexy (especially if you look at, well… Alfons). To me, it’s not a bad thing! I’m just as alright with a story not having any sexual scenes as I am with one containing them.
honestly Liam’s route is probably the closest I’ll get to romancing Kate — because I related so much to Liam, he hit a bit too close to home sometimes lmao
Harrison — key phrase: “that doesn’t sound half bad.”
overall, I feel his story was solid. If you were to ask me between Liam and Harrison, whose route I enjoyed more, I would probably say Harrison. I enjoyed Liam as well for what it was, but I feel Harrison’s route is just more… fun.
to be completely honest he was really frustrating in the first few chapters. And the way the first sort of conflict ended between Kate and Harry still left me a bit frustrated. Even now, I sometimes wish it ended a bit differently, but I can understand as the story went on that Harry always had kind intentions toward Kate. He always had — since the beginning.
his romance definitely felt more subtle (and I loved that), since even if he has feelings for you, he always masks it with a half truth or a lie. And boy, is he good at lying 😂👌 at first they were really frustrating, but later there were a couple lies that are kinda funny that I can’t help but love him for his funny (and sweet) lies. Interpreting his half truth half lie words is like translating from another language lmao
reading Harrison’s route felt like reading a mystery and adventure novel at once. And I think if you want like to get a good taste of everyone else’s dynamics (without overshadowing Kate and Harry’s) in action and outside of it, it’s best to read Harry as opposed to Liam, in my opinion.
if you have any thoughts and opinions about the two, I’d love to hear!
I was originally writing something about IkePri routes but then Gilbert part became ridiculously long so just decided to make this a single post.
Sooo...
Gilbert's route looks like the whole combination of dark routes I've seen in Ikeseries.
I'll fix this damn world myself no matter what it takes(Vlad) + death wish(Dazai, Charles) + puts a fake smile as a mask(Shakespeare) + is aware of own sin and knows it's unredeemable(Licht) + @
Obviously not a fun route, relatively heavy plots, frankly there were many wtf moments, and I really do think Emma suffered way too much, but it was a good "villain" route. I mean, other villains I know... like Shakespeare and Vlad in IkeVamp who are supposed to be the villains didn't look much like villains tbh, they didn't do real bad things to Mitsuki(well, Shakespeare did tie her up but still). But Gilbert looks like a proper villain to me. He is weirdly obsessed with Emma, tried to corrupt her, threatened her and isolated her. He even nearly killed her. Yeah this is the villain. He had a tragic past and was actually doing stuff for what he believed to be a better world, but that doesn't justify his behaviors anyway.
Emma in this route has real great mentality, very brave and embraces everything(except violence) like a saint. Her love is almost in the level of agape aka god's love.
I also love the ways "sinner" LIs are written in this game, including Gilbert and Licht, and how Emma deals with those. Instead of trying to just reassure it's okay don't let that bother you, she's like "I know what you did cannot be forgiven, nothing can change that, but I'll embrace even that part of you and lead you to step forward"
And this is the best adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast" theme, Chevelier would come second(thought his route was the best in this category before doing Gilbert). A prince who was once a human turned to a beast, this beast has a limited time, a beauty decides to be the "hostage" of the beast herself, she and her love brings him a change.
I've seen some hates of this route, and yeah their relationship is not healthy AT ALL, rather twisted, but I don't think it's particularly bad in this case. I mean, he's the villain indeed, and not all romances should be like the happiest fairytale, right? Moreover, Emma was no shrinking violet. She never gave up on her ideals, didn't hesitate to state her opinion in front of Gilbert's threat, worked as Chevalier's spy, and whenever the relationship with Gilbert turned feeble she was the one took the lead and spoke up, renewing the relationship. And while it's true Emma looked like a victim of his behavior it's also said that she conquered him at last. She won.
"I want to make you a part of my normal life. ... ...and this time, I'm going to drag you into my world. ... So I'd like to start again. Prince Gilbert, will you be my friend?" (Emma)
Up until halfway through I was like hmmmmm, but when the route came to an end I couldn't dislike this bastard.
Nonetheless, irl this kinda guy should be in the list of someone to avoid, but he's more than attractive as a 2d guy.
P.S. Considering his physical state and what happened in this route, does this mean in all the other routes he'll be dead and only the fake would be left???
P.P.S. I like his blue eye, but seeing eyepatch for so long made me think him with both eyes look a bit off. Idk, I prefer the eyepatch version.
Help! I have a new fave!!! PLUST's MIKOTO AMAMITSU
Mik's story was so good. Freakin hilarious and cute but also involved sentimental themes and emphasized on not giving up your dreams and aspirations. And how much it's comforting to work on your goals together with your partner/friends.
I love this title. It looks very promising so far. After reading Mikoto, I'd recommend it and the guy to everyone who has a similar taste. I'll list some of my forever favs (from Love 365) below so you'll know what I'm into.
MPD CTY, ASA, FILA, RMD, TLH... and PLUST (safe to add now. I think) So you can predict the themes I like now ;)
It took me 3hrs 47 min to binge Mikoto's story which I managed to do during different hours of the day. Spent about 240 hearts to unlock every heart choice and the SHE plus bonus track.
The art and the OST are gorgeous. I wish there's a steam release where I can buy the whole thing in one package with the OST. The OST is that good. It's so worth the effort (in reading a long story with a slow burn plot.)
(Oh this is a slow burn plot, mind you. And I love the stuff lol) The MC is fair enough. At times I cringed a bit, wondered why she wosn't protest when the guys casually get touchy with her. (Oh she does at times but she could grow more strong).
The fan service thing sounded unrealistic but it was still hilarious and cute. I was laughing falling in love not just with Mikoto but all the guys as a whole. They are all amazing. I think I'm gonna read every route. tho at present I have my eyes set on Mik, Wataru alone.
Guys like Claude aren't my type but I'm curious about him. I think Kotoha is a sweet guy, a tsundere. And Ryogo. Well I love childhood friend trouples so I'm gonna read his MS. He was super sweet in Mik story but the guy who stole the show (when it comes to side characters) was: Zeus.
The ThrOne guys. At first I didn't understand MC's obsession, specifically as they described the group is cold to its fans, but then I understood. That's not the scenario. Zeus has me very fascinated. I'll say I like him already. And his attachment to MC means we MAY get to see sparks flying between him and Mik. (I'd love to see Mik getting jealous haha)
Now I ramble about Mik here: Mikoto is a charmer but he's not overbearing or commanding. I only saw a trace of the pushy guys I played and liked in him. Just a trace. He apologizes when he's wrong. He thanks the MC. He encourages her!?
I expected Mikoto to be like Guy or more like Ikesen Nobunaga (both my faves) but he isn't.
Mik is so refreshing, so chill. Just like TLH Suzu was, captivating, with just one main story! He's blunt but not condescending. He's cheeky but with a sweet awkward side to him. He tries to shoulder his burden alone. The slow reveal of his true personality was a treat. I was rooting for him and MC! There were so many moments: them walking the ramp, rehearsing lines... Watching the show a pop star acted in, with the guy, and sharing a highfive? Haha. That's freakin cute. I love Mik and his Ducky.
So by the End of the SHE I'm super content and looking forward to MC and Mik's budding romance to blossom more. Which I expect to happen in MS 2. And anticipating more of the guys while hoping this title wouldn't take forever to get updated. (Well I understand making games isnt easy. I'm willing to wait tbh. But I see some title updates getting rolled out quickly, so)
Ugh! I went into rant mode there. Will post more content tomorrow. (Not much tho and not many spoilers. Don't wanna hit the game's earnings coz... well that's what I do. Be moderate. I think nicely done posts/shared stuff actually boost sales and earn more fans. THAT is what I try to do on my blog. Share. Share. But be nice.)
I just finished my first route in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes and have some thoughts to share, so spoilers ahead!
I liked the main plot for the most part, seeing the new ways that characters growled, mysterious Arval, seeing Byleth in a new light, getting more depth about Duscur, etc but honestly the abrupt ending felt cheap. Apparently all the routes end vaguely because the writers didn't want to "undo" and of Three Houses endings but it felt lazy to me. I didn't get invested in the plot to have it just quit suddenly. This is a different timeline so nothing is invalidated. It's rather disappointing to just get us invested and then quit.
I love Arval, they're far more amusing than Sothis, but we all knew they were a suspicious entity, so while the ending didn't surprise me, it was still good since I watch attached to Arval. I hate the lack of information on Arval/Epimenides and how Shez got involved. For the amount of focus we get on Shez and Arval, we don't get much explanation for anything that happens.
Edelgard's victimization by Thales was painful but interesting. I know that Hubert was somewhere else when it happened but six months passed and nothing. If he died before he could help Edelgard then that should've been mentioned because he would not have been okay with this.
My favorite part has been the supports/character interactions. We get a lot of extra depth with the new supports. We miss out on a lot of old favorites but since we get a lot of new supports as well as some angles re-explored, I've been delighted. I'm a big fan and getting more world building and character dynamic is awesome!
The Blue Lions shine in their route: Healthy and supported Dimitri, Duke Felix, mature and cunning Sylvain, Ingrid who grows beyond her loss of Glenn and handles the racist stuff far better (actually all of her supports made her more likeable than the first game), Ashe finally getting a Yuri support, and Mercedes and Annette both get more interesting supports that dive into their interests and opinions, plus we get Annette songs 😂
I was sort of ambivalent about Byleth being an enemy, but once we recruit them, there's a lot more nuance to the character because we get to see new sides of them. I was especially thrilled that Jeralt and Byleth had a support and while it should've been in the original game, it was good to get it at all.
I've never played a musou/Warriors game so I wasn't sure if I'd like the combat, but it is fun, fast, and flashy. I think the speed is a little weird when you have to keep pausing for tactics but over all it's fun, though a little repetitive.
Over all I'd give Azure Gleam a solid B for it's excellent fleshing out of all the Blue Lions Characters, the exploration of the Tragedy of Duscur, and the intrigue of Shez and Byleth. The negatives are mostly that the plot feels wonky at the beginning and end like they cut off both ends of the story and gave us a weird middle section with a vague and unsatisfying conclusion and some OOC character bits like literally no one ever being suspicious of Shez ever.
A couple nights ago I downloaded Lovelink. I'm fascinated by the storytelling style, but quickly discovered I'm waaaay too demi-ace for dating apps asdfghjkl;'. My single confident and immediate Swipe Right was Captain Muffins:
Because who could say no to the kitty kat??
I started panicking about playing the game wrong, so I ended up swiping right on Jade:
Good thing I did! She's a cute patoot! By now we've gone on a first date to a bar and had a long chat at her swanky apartment. We both love the color purple and old fashioneds, haha.
More CGs:
Not wanting to miss out on 98% of the content, I did the sensible thing and changed my profile to that of the fictional character, so now I'm Wen Kexing from Word of Honor lol. Here's my current dating list:
This morning I was in hysterics over Jaden's idea of a first date. We broke into the police commissioner's McMansion and went skinny dipping LOL aldjfkajf
Bumped into two initial frustrations. First, there's not a lot of replay value. I can scroll up conversations to unlock CGs I initially missed, but I can't start the storyline over, change my choices, or redo "irl" dates. Second, the MC can be annoying. I thought Jaden's date was funny, but MC insists it was terrible. MC grills Sheng Zhao that he sounds like a catfish, and I thought that was hella rude. With any interactive fiction, there's going to be some points where player choice is an illusion more than a reality. For me as a player, that's easier when the MC is a distinct person from me, which is why I prefer visual novels where the MC has their own sprite. With Lovelink, there's a lot of emphasis that the MC and the player are one & the same. Times the MC and I disagree are REALLY apparent. A smaller gripe is the Lovelink MC can't have a consistent backstory across routes. In Jaden's route, I said was in post-grad; in Sam's route, I was forced to say I didn't ever attend college. It wrankled.
All that being said, my initial impression is pretty positive. Lovelink's Redditt has a majority of the CGs on file, so I can enjoy cute pics without spending $$$. Their beginner guide is super helpful. I actually unmatched with some people in hopes of getting their counterparts, before reading that locks you out of the storyline altogether (oops). There's no reference to the MC's gender, and little reference to the LI's either. You're like...Nonbinary or not nonbinary, haha. That's great. There's a WIDE variety of storylines, from college romance, vampire, werewolf/Baba Yaga, sex worker, and pregnancy (the LI is a surrogate to a queer couple), to infidelity, royals, sportsball gym rat, and enby punk rocker.
DISCLAIMER: This is my opinion, and this review is going to based on my experiences and biases. You may disagree or agree with me, and you do not have to interact with this post if you feel it wastes your time. In the words of the man himself in Chapter 4: Just because our perspectives are incompatible doesn't mean one is wrong and one is right.
Also this review will contain spoilers. If you want to see a non-spoiler version of what I think, read the review made by @vanilaamoursucrethings. https://vanillaamoursucrethings.tumblr.com/post/665836643377414144/lemme-just-take-something-out-of-the-way-before
TLDR: If you don't mind the insults that Chevalier will throw at you its honestly a great route. If you tend to be someone who calculates every move they make whether it would be in life, profession, social life, gaming life, etc (just like me), then I think you'll have more appreciation for this route than those who aren't as calculating especially when it comes to making difficult choices.
Alternatively if you suffer from verbal abusive experiences or you aren't comfortable with it, I'm not sure if this is the route for you. This also applies to those who aren't comfortable with potentially being harmed by said suitor. This is also more on the slow burn side so if you're not a fan of that then you have been forewarned.
I think a reasonable test is if you can handle Kenshin from Ikemen Sengoku. But imagine him with Nobunaga's perspective and vision. In Ikemen Vampire if you can handle Mozart with some of the "I'm going to make you/assure you by belittling you/disciplining you" of Theodorus (Theo calling Ikevamp MC "Hondje" is similar to Chev calling Emma/MC "A simpleton") then you can probably handle this route.
Before I go on further here are 10 things you need to know about my biases that may influence this review:
In Ikemen Sengoku my bias is Nobunaga and my bias wreckers (in no particular order) are: Kenshin, Hideyoshi, Sasuke, and Mitsuhide. And iIn Ikemen Vampire my bias is Arthur, my tentative bias wrecker is Comte de Saint Germain (we'll see by the end/after a few months if he will usurp Arthur), and Shakespeare (I just finished his route before starting on Comte's route. I love him but my real test is if I still care for him after at least 2 months) and my bias wreckers (in no particular order) are: Mozart, Isaac and Jean;
I am highly aware of the huge translation differences between the original Japanese story and what was presented in the English localization and that according to some tumblr users, it has made Emma/MC more cringey and less nuanced than her original Japanese counterpart. Having said that I didn't have any problems with her as a protagonist, but I am a bit upset that the love scenes were toned down;
I come from a previously colonized country and to this day we still struggle with the issues brought by colonization and current issues on imperialism by former colonizers that are still in power in the global stage;
I haven't played Midnight Cinderella since I only discovered Cybird's otome games because of Ikemen Sengoku. I also haven't played Ikemen Revolution because I only recently discovered it after Ikemen Vampire and I'm not the biggest Alice in Wonderland fan;
When I started playing Ikemen Prince, based on the prologue and the trailers that was released I was only really attracted to Leon and Chev, I still don't feel as much attraction with the other suitors. But this can still change later on and is not a major factor to whom I would end up loving. I was attracted to Napoleon and Leonardo and while their routes are okay I ended up forgetting about them after a few months. Meanwhile I didn't feel attraction to any of my Ikevamp biaswreckers and now I would eagerly buy their epilogues if I have farmed enough diamonds. Speaking of diamonds;
I am a free player, and I have not placed any money on any digital game (not just this series). Since I'm in law school I have to save money. So with the exception of the Premium scene in the Romantic/canon route I didn't spend any diamonds on him;
Like Emma/MC I am a book worm, I also have a preference for Romance Novels. Having said that there is also a distinct difference between reading for pleasure and reading for work or reading things that may be more technical or is outside the story or general literature genre (I may be a bookworm but textbooks and cases are another story);
Chevalier's route is the only route that I have played (and finished) so far. If I get anything wrong about Leon or Yves please don't be hard on me since I haven't played their routes yet (I abandoned Leon in Chapter 6 of his route because Nokto's route was released and I'm trying to get the freebies to the best of my abilities);
I have a strict matriarchal family background wherein my mother would say the meanest things behind my back while forgetting that the walls are thin and its the act of talking behind my back that really hurts. And its only when I am doing so poorly academically that she will confront me about it. If I'm lucky she would be consider some of the things I've said and consider my side of the story, but that's only in rare cases. What I really appreciate about Chev is that he is the reverse, he is upfront about his feelings and opinions towards anyone and as the story goes he becomes open to other opinions that differ from his own; and lastly
As previously mentioned in no. 6, I am in law school and there are some professors who are terrors who make it feel like they don't care what happens to their students (maybe they do care but it feels like they don't). Frequently students may have to choose between a professor who has a higher passing rate but said professor won't really teach and will even shout at the student or with a professor who has a lower passing rate but you are guaranteed to learn and is simply just strict so that they can control the quality of future lawyers. It's a tough environment, but we are being trained to be in a profession that could drastically change people's lives like whether or not they go to jail or whether or not they could receive money by suing damages. So I tend to be more understanding of some things when the consequences of your actions tend to be what affects your entire state.
For this review I will be referring to the MC by her canon name "Emma". Also I will sometimes abbreviate his name to "Chev".
General Route (Ch. 1-20)
"Are you wasting yourself?"
Is probably one of the most central questions that is asked in Chev's route. This is evident in both the dialogue and how the route is structured.
At the start of his route, you are immediately shown why he is a beast. It's even the context of his first CG in Chapter 1 wherein Emma runs away scared after Chev kills assassins who attempted to kill him in the rose garden. This follows the basic structure of the Beauty and the Beast storyline wherein the love interest is either scary, or intimidating to the "Belle" figure.
In the first few early chapters we interact a little bit more with Clavis rather than Chev himself since only Clavis knows Chev enough to know how he thinks and acts. He's a genius even as a kid, to the point wherein nearly everyone questions if he is human or if he is capable of feeling love. He is so intellectually talented that he has photographic memory and doesn't even need to read a book twice to recall its contents. He doesn't want to waste his time over things or people that aren't worth the trouble. His position bears too much responsibility for him to be as carefree as the other princes. Why waste precious time when you can do it by improving yourself especially for your own country. And one of the easiest ways to do that is through books, the storage of knowledge from people dead or alive. And because he is more than aware of how he views things (specifically through a bird's eye view of the state's problems), and how not everyone is comfortable with his decisions, he dislikes being with people who simply gets in the way.
If it isn't obvious already he is an introvert. And is calculating on nearly everything that is within his control. He does this so that he can be as highly prepared for things that are beyond his control. He becomes one of the best fighters and military commanders so that he and his troops can both defend and fight offensively for the state. He commands those in his faction which handles foreign affairs to gather enough evidence and research to convince Leon's faction of why going to war with Obsidian is the best option to take. We see that in the first proposal of going to war, Leon completely rejects the idea and no one was able to make an agreement on it. It's tempting to think that he is bloodthirsty for only the sake of violence. This is fueled by a minor rebel skirmish lead by someone who was a noble in his faction. Emma becomes traumatized by how he could brush off the death of a knight in the battlefield. But later we all learn how he visits their graves and memorizes their names so that their sacrifices will not be in vain.
To Chevalier, sacrifices are inevitable in the pursuit of a goal. Even if it means no one will thank you for it and you will be seen as the bloodthirsty villain rather than the storybook hero. Under ordinary circumstances (i.e. if there is no Belle system) he would be the sole heir to the throne as the only legitimate child of the King and Queen. And from early on he has understood that sometimes keeping Rhodolite safe means doing the things that requires great sacrifice that will make you unpopular. Towards the end of the general route he and Emma goes to an anti-war faction meeting lead by the same noble who has long betrayed him when Chevalier confirms that he's pushing for war. Initially he was going to "purge" them but at around this time, he and Emma have gotten close and she has enough influence over him to persuade him to hear the anti-war faction's side of the story. And it is here that it is revealed that the consequence of peacefully surrendering to Obsidian instead of going to war will lead to Rhodolite becoming colonized by Obsidian and Rhodolite citizens becoming slaves. It is here that Chevalier convinces many in the anti-war faction that while he cannot guarantee that all of their troops will survive, he can guarantee that their sacrifice will not be in vain and that they will have a chance to pursuit happiness free from Obsidian's enslavement.
As someone who lives from a previously colonized state, I could not express how this reminded me of some of my state's historical figures who have sacrificed so much for their country to be free from colonizers. And yet at the same time its ironically some of the businessmen who have sold out. It makes me wonder if there would be a difference if everybody would just put their egos aside and really listen to the other's perspectives. On the surface level, there was no massive bloodshed. But deep down there was unspoken bloodshed disguised in propaganda. And it only deepened the dehumanizing perspective that the former colonizer has on the colonized state. And even though on paper the former colonizer has left, the reality is that it still has influence over the former colony by the things it left behind, and by the things that it will support.
Anyway back to Chevalier, what I like is that even after he opens up and becomes influenced by Emma to talk things out first, he hasn't really changed or suddenly become human. Rather he was always human who didn't mind parading as the beast. What Emma did was to enable his human side to open up. Does he have different values than she does? Yes, as a matter of fact some of his values and beliefs are still taboo to some people today. I disagree with his belief that a worth of a person is what makes a person valuable. But given that at any point he could be backstabbed, assassinated, or could be doing something that was worth more of his time, then I could hardly blame him. Even Clavis the brother whom he is both the closest with and with whom he is a rival to, actively finds ways to kill him off or to be better at anything (which Chevalier ends up winning consistently). Its why he refrains from using Emma's name as long as she is Belle. She is a stranger arbitrarily picked to choose the next King, but as he explains to her later on, he views the position as useless because she will have no responsibility for how the Kingdom is run. The responsibility is still with the royal family and even if she chooses wrong, the princes are still beasts and are not simply going to follow the commands of someone inept. So even if he doesn't become a king through the Belle system, he knows that he could still be king behind the scenes (or this is my theory at least since I don't know enough about any alternative process of selecting the king). I think that he understands that no matter how much Emma as Belle studies in one month, she's not going to get everything and there are definitely going to be some things that she will miss. But nevertheless when Chev tell her to prove her worth to him after she first stands up to him, is what drives her to be the counterbalance in his route.
Emma, from what I've seen in tumblr in relation to Chev's route doesn't seem to be popular because of how she was written and how it seems she is inadequate to be either his queen or his lover. As a matter of fact vanilaamoursucrethings seems to be the only one who gets why she is a counterpoint to Chev in his route. To add to what vanilaamoursucrethings Emma after being given enough persuasion on how to best approach Chevalier again, stands up to him and he is obviously impressed. Once she gets over the shock of what he has done, she has little to no problem speaking to him about her perspective. But she does it in a way that's not forceful, but more of as a matter of fact. She thinks love is valuable because she has read many stories of how it can bind people together. She knows that compared to him she needs to catch up and doesn't mind asking for his advice on who is the best person to be her escort to get an impartial perspective. She keeps believing his human side even though it seems that he is only truly a beast. She even goads him to kill her after he gets her away from Clavis who almost kisses her (and just like Emma, he does it to goad him to act). If she wasn't the person she was by influencing him to talk things out and to prove to him that love does have value, he wouldn't trust her enough to open up to her on his own. You can't make people open up if they don't want to, otherwise they will just resent you even more.
Now some people wonder why she didn't just engage with him through their common love of books and engage in philosophical aspects of love. To this I counter, with a question from my own philosophy teacher in my undergrad years. "Is reading how to swim, the same as actually swimming?" There is only so much that you can discuss intellectually on something that you haven't experienced before. Chevalier doesn't know about love or if he has even felt it, romance novels and books discussing and philosophizing love are his research. And he is surrounded by people with whom he cannot completely trust because to do so would mean death through assassination, backstabbing, etc. Emma has not experienced romantic love before and like Chevalier can only read about it. She is more exposed to it than Chev, which is how she knows it has value, but convincing Chev who has probably read all arguments for and against the value of love, means having to explain why it is so valuable from the best teacher of all, experience. As an analogy, being a mother is not easy. You don't need to be a mother to know this. But no matter how much you read philosophically, medically, or no matter how many stories of being a mother you have read, any mom can tell you it is nothing compared to what its like actually being a mom.
People say how it seems so stupid that she forgets that Chevalier is a beast despite what happens in the first chapter and Chev himself consistently tells her that he is a beast. But Emma is a person who has not had to deal with people dying before she became Belle. And also no matter how much you think you know a person, if you're not used to that person killing a person right on front of you, I would honestly be more concerned if you didn't panic or react negatively. I highly doubt that many people wouldn't react the same way. Or maybe its because people forget that Emma is not desensitized to violence, its one thing to spar and train but to actually do it is another story. And also this is her first time seeing Chevalier in the battlefield. Many people would be acting differently when they are in a place where they could live or die compared to how they would be acting during times of peace.
It is a slow burn, but in my opinion it is a more grounded and realistic slow burn. How in real life, a lot of times it is the little things and the cumulation of all those little things that steers your life, even if there are some huge things like a war or being selected to choose the new ruler, that shakes up your world.
Some time back, I had an anon ask me about reviewing Oliver’s route. This took way longer than I intended to, but I hope you still see this, Nonny!
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I’m biased. Let’s get that out of the way right now. Oliver was the first guy I eyed in Ikerev, from the moment he rescues Alice in the rose garden and sweeps her away to safety in his own prickly way. I’m weak to any and all tsundere types, but especially weak to the snarky witty ones, and Oliver has that in spades. Or clubs, or hearts, or diamonds…
What this means is that I would have probably enjoyed his route no matter what, but fortunately I didn’t have to make excuses for it. Oliver’s route, while it has its own share of snags (which I will address in due time), is a bittersweet trek through Cradle different than anything else we’ve had up until this point in Ikerev - and that is partly due to the plot and partly due to the man it revolves around himself. (Mild spoilers below the cut!)
To begin with, right from the start Oliver’s story differentiates itself and reminds us this is one of the ‘neutral’ routes. Through a variety of circumstances, Alice finds herself working with kid-Oliver as his workshop assistant rather than falling into her usual role of ‘domestic help’ with the armies, spending her nights at the Black barracks and her days at Blanc’s home helping Oliver with his task of attempting to invent something that will neutralize magic. Alice doesn’t know the truth behind Oliver’s affliction at first, staying in the dark as she and kid-Oliver bicker during the day and adult-Oliver comes to her rescue more than once as the writers milk the ‘handsome mystery man swooping in to save the day’ setup as long as they can.
In the meantime, every eligible man in Cradle appears to make it his mission to woo Alice (usually in front of our frustrated, chronologically-challenged kid-Oliver) and we get to enjoy the tension of seeing him chafe against the constraints of his curse as his concerned friend Blanc looks on. It becomes clear that Blanc has been hoping for something along these lines to happen for awhile now, that he has been waiting for something or someone to come along that shakes Oliver out of his comfort zone. The impression we’re given is that Oliver is complacent and accepting of his situation, perhaps even welcoming of it for reasons that have a lot to do with his past, and that it has quietly pained Blanc to see what he claims is his ‘one true friend’ suffer for it - even if Oliver can’t recognize this for himself.
This lackadaisical attitude is given a final nudge into action when Alice is kidnapped right before Oliver’s very eyes, with insult added to injury when her kidnapper patronizes him for being a helpless child. Cybird themselves even makes this moment of transition very clear in the way that the portrait and voice at the top of Oliver’s story page change here, from kid-Oliver to adult.
At its heart, Oliver’s route is about duality - that of our nature and that of the world around us, and how we choose to embrace or reject it. Oliver’s very character represents this, not just in the dichotomy of man vs child but in the fact that he represents two characters from the world of Alice in Wonderland. There is the obvious character of the Mad Hatter, full of whimsy and wit and trapped in time...but there is also a nod to another character from Through the Looking Glass, the White Knight. The White Knight defends and escorts Alice on her way to becoming a Queen, and he also is constantly inventing a string of inventions that make little sense. It is no coincidence that Oliver’s surname is Knight, nor is it a coincidence when Blanc tells him that even children may become knights in his attempts to pep talk his friend. The concept of being a protector is something that becomes ascendant in Oliver’s route as he shapes himself into someone that is ready and willing to do whatever it takes to keep Alice safe - and like the White Knight, he is also left behind to watch as Alice moves on with her life, crossing the river to become the Queen in the book, and in more than one bittersweet way in his Ikerev route.
The area I hesitate most on when it comes to recommending Oliver’s route whole-heartedly is the complicated question of his appearance. There are scenes in which he behaves as an adult while presenting as a child, and while I don’t feel as if Cybird ever crosses any hard and fast red lines there were occasional moments that I could see leaving some uncomfortable. It will be interesting to see if they tame or alter these bits to appeal to a more Western audience when they localize the route for the English app, or if they leave it as is. (For those curious, I wouldn’t say the ‘lines’ crossed go any further than Oliver’s birthday story - flirtatious remarks and occasionally behavior, but no physical contact or anything overtly sexual)
As for Oliver’s personality, I wouldn’t say there is anything that we haven’t already gotten hints of from him in the content available in English. He’s witty and cutting, confident in his abilities and himself, stubborn at times and idealistic. He can be flirtatious, sensual, and a smooth talker when he chooses to be, and he delights in pushing Alice’s buttons to get a rise out of her. When he is an adult, he takes clear advantage of his ability to lord both his age over her and his greatly-improved stature - he picks her up and carries her around, or places her in his lap countless times, as if relishing the mere ability to do so that he is usually denied. And towards the end of his route he demonstrates great capacity for selflessness and courage, putting himself at great risk to try and resolve the problems facing Alice and his adopted home.
There are some fun, novel aspects to Oliver’s route as well. We get to see a great deal of how he and Blanc became friends, and tease out some of the connections between him and London and Alice. We get to meet some of Oliver’s family, even. There is less of a focus on the grand overarching concept of war and battles and more of a focus on personal struggles and the search for self, something that I found much more relatable as a reader and I think even Alice does as well. If the majority of the other routes of Ikerev so far have been a wide-angle view of the conflict between Red and Black, Oliver’s is much more telescopic and laser-focused.
There is plenty more that I could detail about Oliver’s route, or personality, but I have tried to keep spoilers to a ‘mild’ level here. If anyone is interested in the grittier, spoiler-chocked, RUIN EVERYTHING FOR ME version of things, let me know and I will write a separate post detailing some of the big twists and surprises his route took. I hope this was something of what you were looking for, Nonny...and I apologize for taking so long to reply to you!
This route was very very good. When i first started it i was very excited because arthur was my favorite since the release of the game. This route got its funny moment, cute moments, romantic moments but also very very dark moments. But overall i loved his route.
Arthur is funny, hot and so so cute and adorable. I prefer his soft cute side over his flippant side. Aside from that arthur suffer from a sever case of PTSD. (Yes i diagnosed him myself even tho it was never mentioned because i am a med student who wants to do psychology)
Arthur's mc is more assertive than the other guy's mc in my opinion. By the end of the route if we had to choose who had the "upper hand" in the relationship, it would be mc.
Their relationship is a lot similar to ikesen kenshin's relationship with the mc. Minus of course the yandere parts. Its always mc protecting arthur from his emotional dark last and trauma. (With a tiny bit of emotional dependency but this is an otome game so its forgivable)
Now to the only part i didnt like :
SPOILERS
The theatre part.....that was the biggest plot shield i saw in an otome game. Wth was that ! My friend even told be that that whole part was unnecessary but i disagree. I think that was what pushed arthur to be desperate enough to confess, kiss the mc and lose the bet. But it could have been written better than that.
END OF SPOILERS
Overall i think we can resume arthur with this :
"Look like a sinnamon roll that could kill you is actually a soft cinnamon roll that we have to protect".
