opinion on Luna from TOT/AP? or Kai if you're not as familiar with TOT/AP.
I’ve read a lot of fic taking place in Tree of Tranquility/Animal Parade, but I haven’t played the games. Unfortunately, I haven’t read much fic on Luna, so I wouldn’t have much to go off of her besides looking at a wiki. I do, however, have a lot of experience with Kai, so let’s talk about our favorite summer visitor!
As the main competition in the swimming festivals, I feel compelled to say once more:
Let’s dive in!
How I feel about this character:
Harvest Moon 64:
Kai is humble, hardworking, and loyal to a fault. He thinks very highly of his boss (I don’t recall if they actually refer to Gotz by name in this game) and puts Karen on a pedestal. He’s raising money for his family, and if the vineyard isn’t restored and Karen leaves, Kai ends up leaving as well. This version of Kai leaves me a little uncomfortable in the way he doesn’t seem to stick up for himself at all. We can all talk about the elephant in the room as well - one of the few non-white characters referring to his boss as “the master” doesn’t feel very comfortable, although this looks like a translation of master being an owner of a business based on Popuri’s comment to Jeff, who runs the bakery:
Still, when I see Kai leave comments like this, I can’t help but raise my eyebrows a little.
This Kai deserved so much better, and I’m glad that they gave him some confidence in later incarnations.
Mineral Town:
Depending on what game and version of the game you’re playing, Kai can come off as simply charismatic and playful to snarky and a bit womanizing. For example in HM for Girl, Kai will ask Popuri to watch the fireworks with him solely to get a rise out of Rick. In the GBA games, Kai feels very laid back and happy with his on the go lifestyle. He doesn’t want to cause a rift in Popuri’s family despite not getting along with his own family. Rick is dealing with his own abandonment issues from his father and sees Kai as a threat, although I really feel that it’s not so much Kai himself as it is the fact that he travels and won’t be around (like Rod).
All the people I ship romantically with this character
HM 64:
Kai x Elli?: I’m a little unsure about shipping Kai with anyone in this game, as I don’t think the pedestal he puts Karen is on is healthy. If I shipped him with anyone, they’d need to be very down to earth and help him with his confidence. Elli would be my main candidate for him, but it’s possible she’d worry about him working too hard and he’d ultimately feel like he has to choose between Gotz and Elli.
Mineral Town:
Kai x pretty much everyone: As I’ve discussed with @friendofbats Kai is such a versatile character in Mineral town and he has this charisma about him that makes him a good match for a lot of characters. Popuri is the one who makes the suggestion that they travel the world together, and Kai only wants to do it if Lillia agrees. Only Rick is opposed (but one could easily theorize that Kai and Rick are ex-lovers based on some of Rick’s dialogue) and Kai still handles the situation with dignity. Kai is a people-pleaser for sure, and this shows up in his post-wedding event where Popuri begs for a necklace and he finally breaks down and buys it for her despite the high price tag.
So, I guess I could list some of my favorite ships here, even though I feel like Kai would be great with most characters:
Kai x Karen: Now this version of Kai is fantastic with this version of Karen. They both have confidence and would raise each other up while still remaining playful and romantic.
Kai x Gray: These two are best friends in the game, but they’d be really cute lovers, too. I can see Kai helping Gray with his frustrations about Saibara, and Gray being one of his number one customers.
Kai x Cliff: I could see Cliff really admiring Kai for the way he can support himself with his own business and they would have a lot to talk about regarding their families. I think that Kai would be able to help Cliff come out of his shell a bit, too.
Kai x Ann: They both love cooking, they’re both playful. I could see them teaching each other new things in the kitchen and having picnics on the beach. I love this rare pair, and honestly, it’s one of my favorites.
My non-romantic OTP for this character
HM64:
Kai/Farmer: Kai would be a good friend for the farmer. They’re both from humble beginnings and work hard. They’d have a lot to relate to each other about. I can see them spending evenings at the bar regularly.
Kai/Harris/Jeff: I think after a few drinks, these three guys would easily bond, boosting each other up and as they try to overcome their low self-confidence.
Mineral Town:
Kai/everyone but Rick and all the men insecure in themselves who project onto Kai, such as Duke.
Kai/Gray/Cliff: I absolutely adore the dynamics of these three and wish it was touched on in the game. I headcanon them interacting quite a bit as they share a room. Even if it were BTN where there are two rooms, I still feel like the three of them would see each other enough that they’d bond pretty quickly.
My unpopular opinion about this character
While I do think that Kai works well with a lot of characters, I do feel like him and Popuri aren’t the best couple in the Mineral Town games. There seems to be a lot of tugging from Popuri, and I feel that she has this idealized view of what traveling the world would actually be like, versus Kai, who has actually done it and knows it’s a lot of work.
One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.
HM64 Kai:
A retranslation of the dialogue to keep him from calling Gotz and Karen “The Master” and “The Master’s Daughter” would be appreciated. I’d also love to see some development from him, becoming more outwardly confident in the way he carries himself. He’s clearly happier when the vineyard is doing better, but he seems more focused on the fact that Gotz and Karen are happy than expressing his own feelings on the matter.
Mineral Town Kai:
I wish that Kai ended up being a year-round guest if you completed some sort of requirement for him after maxing out his friendship level. Like, maybe you’d need to help convince him by going around town and having high friendship with people who would be potential customers. I liked the idea of the beach shack, and it gives me more of a reason to visit the beach.
Also in both games, I would love to know more about his family. There’s so much untapped potential!
Thank you for the ask! Kai is such a fun character, and despite only being around a season out of the year, he leaves such a great impression on me. I hope you have a wonderful day! <3
Was low-key upset that my daughter in SOS:FOMT didn’t look like Kai when we had her so of course I took it upon myself to edit my sweet baby I named Leilani to look more like her dad.
