[Spoiler Free Review] Hanayaka Nari, Waga Ichizoku
All images were taken from the official website.
Since I really enjoyed writing my first review, I’m back with another one~ This one will be a bit shorter.
General information
Title : Hanayaka Nari, Waga Ichizoku (華ヤカ哉、我ガ一族)
Developer : Ichi Column & Vingt-et-un. Systems Corporation
Publishers : Idea Factory & Otomate
Platform : PSP
Release Date (MM/DD/Y) : 07/01/2010
Length : +50 hours (slow reading)
Age Rating : Cero B (+12)
I think there are still people playing this game even if it’s quite old since Otomate keeps porting it to different platforms (PSVita and Nintendo Switch). I got myself the PSP version.
Story
Our protagonist, Haru, comes from a poor background and starts working as a maid at the Miyanomori mansion to support her family. She meets the six Miyanomori brothers – each born from a different mother.
It does sound pretty fun at first for Haru who used to work at a factory. However, she quickly understands that it is not going to be an easy task - especially with those brothers who treat her like garbage.
A short while after she starts working, the head of the family, Genichirou, announces that he’s going to retire and therefore needs to chose the next head. He challenges all his sons to entertain him and collect points: the first one to reach ten points will be chosen...
(Check vndb for another summary)
The characters
About the heroine
Her personality was pretty common : she’s a clumsy airhead, and an idiot (to be very blunt) One might think that this is the ultimate combo to make a character annoying. Nonetheless, I found her very cute. Her design also meets my taste (I love braids hehe). I love characters who try their best no matter how hard they are struggling. Moreover, her personality was a great contrast with most LIs’, and allowed funny and adorable dynamics.
Miyanomori Tadashi : (34) Serious megane dude x ore-sama x oldest son
(CV : Miyauchi Atsushi)
He lives to work and works because he likes working (this man HAS NO LIFE).
I’m usually not into those guys who look stuck up because I want spicy development. However, he was unexpectdly awkward, which resulted in hilarious relashionship development with Haru, especially in the good ending (I swear I cracked on my bed like a psycho).
I!! Like!! Dense!! and!! pure!! Ossans!! (hey Nanase Izuki ⊂(･ω･*⊂) )
He was kinda harsh with Haru at first and didn’t trust her at all but he gradually opens up and listens to her troubles as a maid.
His route dealt with themes such a friendship and social status. It didn’t reveal anything about the Miyanomori family...
Tsundere rating : 1.5/5
Is this character dense ? yes / no
Mom rating ; Sumida Sanae : 0/5 I didn’t like her :((
Isami : (31) military x tsundere #1 x idiot
(CV : Tasaka Hideki)
Heyyy it’s the first tsundere!! His relationship unfolds almost the same as Tadashi : tough at first, sweet by the end.
It was hilarious how his personality did a 180 : from tsundere to absolute idiot sweetheart. However, I have to say that I was sometimes bothered by what he was saying as it was borderline manipulative when he wanted to sound sweet... HMM...
Except that, his route was well balanced.
Tsundere rating : 3.5/5
Is this character dense ? yes / no
Mom rating ; Honjouin Toki : 2.5/5 (She was okayish?)
Shigeru : (26) crossdresser x carefree x teenage crisis
(CV : Maeda Takeshi)
I’ll go straight to the point : I don’t like him (；⌣̀_⌣́)
This might be a bit spoilery but I found him very childish even though he is 26. His relationship with his dad is terrible but that doesn’t justifiy how annoying he is. He also had a lot of “what is this feeling?” trope during his route, and I felt like it wasn’t handled the way I like it. The two previous bros also took quite a long time before noticing how they felt about Haru but at least they were cute trying to figure out...
Tsundere rating : 0/5
Is this character dense ? darn yes / no
Mom rating ; Yasuda Shizuko : 2.5/5 (I honestly have no opinion about her so I’m just going to give her a the average mark)
Susumu : (22) good boy x dense x angst
I liked him since the beginning because he is the only guy who has always treated Haru like a humain being, unlikes his brothers!!
I thought he would be a good boy whose route wouldbe fluffy and tame... I’ve got it all wrong. He is not that kind... He’s willing to make huge sacrifices for the sake of his beliefs.
I think he has quite a weird relationship with his friend, but no complaints since all the drama was necessary for Susumu to realize his own feelings.
I can’t say anymore because of spoilers huhh
Tsundere rating : 0/5
Is this character dense ? HE IS DARN DENSE / no
Mom rating ; Ariyoshi Fumiko : 4.5/5 (she was very supportive but a bit of an airhead)
Hiroshi : (18) childish x creative x growth
He’s that cute and happy guy in otome games who likes playing pranks on others...
He’s only 18 and yet, I feel like he has grown so much in his route (unlike SHIGERU). He was very pure and assertive. I was glad that there was finally a guy open about his feelings. His childish side didn’t bother me at all since it was to be expected from the previous routes.
I loved how the ending and his decisions showed that he had grown to be a fine man. His character development was the best imo.
That glow up five years later tho...
Tsundere rating : 0/5
Is the character dense ? yes / not really / no
Mom rating ; Saeki Yoshi : 4.5/5 (!!!spoiler!!! : I liked the fact that his mom accepted his relationship with Haru)
Masashi : tsundere #2 x sharp tongue x clever
What a brat. What a smart brat. I have mixed feelings about this character. I like and hate him at the same time XD stop insulting me
Although he keeps calling Haru an ‘idiot’ (because he’s such a tsundere), he grows fond of her (´･ᴗ･ ` ) He knows nothing about love, and because of some minor *incident* he thought that he had to take responsibility and marry the heroine lmao
Anyway, the latter half of his route is drama with his father (actually, everybody got drama because of Genichirou, that prick) that he handled pretty well despite the fact that he’s the youngest. Playing him last before the secret character makes a lot of sense, as it completely exposes the character’s identity and objectives).
Tsundere rating : 5/5 (I’ll give him a Tsundere Award)
Is the character dense ? yes / HE IS DARN SHARP??? (I was impressed during that one scene where he carefully used his brain to understand what was going on, unlike his older bros)
Mom rating ; Imura Chiyoko : 0/5 (worst mom ever)
Secret character : (???) double-faced x and no more tag because I can’t think of non-spoilers
I can only say I liked the secret character, even though I would have liked to see less angst... That will probably come in the fandisc...
My character ranking : Hiroshi > Susumu > Secret Character > Tadashi = Isami = Masashi > Shigure
I really liked them all though ;;; (except Shigeru *coughs*)
Cons
Long common route, which feels tedious to skip when changing routes.
Bad resolution on PSP
Each route follows more or less the same pattern
Pros
Animated backgrounds and lip-sync (even though this game is from 2010 ?!!!)
Large cast of suitors, you’ll eventually find one you like
Very cute optional “quest” system
The bottom line
I kinda regret not getting the Vita port for high res CGs *cries* Since I started playing on PSP, I’ll probably buy the other games on PSP. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Anyway, I can positively recommend this game to anybody. I think it has everything: plot, fleshed-out characters, funny moments, action, mystery, angst… and romance of course. I was pleasantly surprised by the dynamic between the brothers since I thought they would be at each other’s throat to become the heir. Turns out I was wrong (phew!) and it is actually the complete opposite. Their bickering was truly heart-warming ~