Nightshade – Hanzo ~ Plot & Character Analysis

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To me, Hanzo and Enju’s story is not a romance.

And I’ll be upfront. I didn’t start enjoying Hanzo and Enju’s relationship until I realized it was essentially a mentor/mentee type of story.

You know the trope:

Yoda & Luke Skywalker

Mr. Miyagi & Daniel

Mickey Goldmill & Rocky

Herb Brooks & the entire 1980 U.S. Men’s Olympic Hockey Team

Philoctetes & Hercules

Hanzo & Enju

You get the picture.

And once I realized this, I was actually invested in this story…until Chapter 11.

Damn you, Chapter 11.

That is when the narrative and Enju’s character arc fell apart.

And why, do you ask?

Let’s discuss!

As always, character and plot analysis and spoilers after the cut!

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Him, the Smile & Bloom – Tenya Minami Route ~ Plot & Character Analysis

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I started out really invested in this route. Unfortunately, my excitement waned the longer the route went on.

For me, the miscommunication trope took over the route.

And while the miscommunication was rooted in the characters’ personalities and insecurities (so it does make perfect sense), for me, it just dragged on for too long.

This wasn’t a bad route. It just wasn’t for me.

And that’s okay.

As always, character and plot analysis and spoilers after the cut!

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Top 5 Otome Love Interests ~ Year 2

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Well, my blog made it another year! To commemorate my two-year anniversary, I thought it would be fun to make a Top 5 favorite Love Interest ranking with all my “Final Thoughts” paragraphs for each guy! Mostly, this allowed me to go back and revisit my favorite heroes from this past year!

Every one of these Love Interests was either a “Great” or “Good” ranking! I omitted the two guys from Hakuouki; SSL. The game was so short and my love for them all was established in the games Kyoto Winds and Edo Blossoms, which I did not play this year.

This is all meant in good fun, and obviously just my personal favorites!

Okay! Here we go!

Character and plot spoilers after the cut!

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Genso Manege – Crier Route ~ Plot & Character Analysis

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I started this route in late February and I never finished it.

A big part of this was that playing Crier’s route on my switch was the last thing I did before my body finally succumbed to the Norovirus (Stomach Flu) that, to that point, had already been in my home for two weeks.

So, honestly, picking up my switch and playing this route was just inviting reliving some bad memories. But as time passed, I realized I had no interest in picking the route up again. And this feeling had nothing to do with terrible memories.

See…even before my body gave up and I threw up eight times in five hours, I wasn’t really enjoying the route. And the distance of these past three months, hadn’t changed this feeling.

There are many narrative related reasons, why this route did not resonate with me. And rather than force myself to complete a route that I obviously have no interest in, I just decided to write up my thoughts and leave it at that.

So, full disclosure, I did not finish Crier’s route.

And here is why.

As always, character and plot analysis and spoilers after the cut!

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Him, the Smile & Bloom – Wataru Tori Route ~ Plot & Character Analysis

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I really wanted to love this route, but I just couldn’t get invested.

This isn’t a bad route, per se. So, I don’t feel right belaboring such a wholesome, sincere, and lovable route. There were just key components that I didn’t connect with, which overall gave me an impression that skewed more neutral.

Wataru’s route wasn’t for me.

And that’s okay.

As always, character and plot analysis and spoilers after the cut!

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Genso Manege – Hugo Route ~ Plot & Character Analysis

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Well, I was smitten right off the bat!

I hadn’t played a “fairytale-esque” otome game in quite some time and, as I played through Hugo’s route, it lowkey surprised me (though honestly it shouldn’t have) how much I had been craving an otome game of this type! 

Now.

If you are looking for a game with an eight-chapter common route that establishes superb, air-tight world-building and has believable answers to every question you have about this fictional world, you might find this game lacking.  

Also, for me, Hugo’s route suffered from the popular otome construct of “canon & finale” routes. There were multiple instances of information being withheld, which I assume will be reveals in other routes.  

But, as someone who is not a fan of long, laborious common routes, I thought the fun, sweeping, romantic tone of the game was well done!   

As always, character and plot analysis and spoilers after the cut!

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Him, the Smile & Bloom – Hokuto Ichige Route ~ Plot & Character Analysis

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I can honestly say that I’ve rarely read a route more tailored to my interests! I love the slice-of-life vibe, the characters, the story troupes, the voice acting, and how flowers feature within the story!

But most of all,

I love how our hero and heroine have weaknesses and faults!

Yes, really!

Weaknesses and faults are the fertile soil in which well-written character development and character arcs can flourish! And my favorite part of this route is how Hokuto and Fuuka are written as good people, who are still allowed to have flaws that lead them to do questionable and selfish things.

No unattainable perfection…and I am here for it!  

As always, character and plot analysis and spoilers after the cut!

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Sympathy Kiss – Secret Route #2 ~ Plot & Character Analysis

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After reading approximately 178 otome routes, I am thrilled to say that Secret Route #2, my final route of Sympathy Kiss, was a completely new experience for me!

Seriously!

If you are burned out of the stereotypical otome troupes and you want to experience something new, give this route a shot!

I can’t promise you’ll like it.

But I can promise it will be different!

As always, character and plot analysis and spoilers after the cut!

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Sympathy Kiss – Kohei Minato ~ Plot & Character Analysis

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Well, this was a marvelously average route!

And I don’t mean that in a bad way.

This route was fine. And while it didn’t really make an impact on me, there were things about the route that I really liked!

So, this is what I’m going to focus on in this article. I’m going to write about the things that stood out to me and what I enjoyed most about Kohei. With only a slight mention of the things that didn’t work for me.

We’re going to, overall, stay positive about this route!  

As always, character and plot analysis and spoilers after the cut!

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Otoko Yuukaku – Kagerou ~ Plot & Character Analysis

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I honestly delayed coming back and playing Otoko Yuukaku for ten months because Kagerou’s personality was so off-putting to me. And yet, somehow, this arrogant, cynical teenager won me over…mostly.

Kagerou’s character arc centers around his stubborn pride, which makes sense for a young man struggling to assert himself. But, unfortunately, what could have been a compelling coming of age story was undercut by writing decisions that ultimately hindered Kagerou from developing the personal autonomy needed for character growth.

All that said, in the end, I enjoyed this route…mostly.  

As always, character and plot analysis and spoilers after the cut!

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