So, Radiant Tale was my most anticipated otome release for 2023. I was very excited about this game, even with my bumpy history with Radiant Tale’s creative team and writers. This is the same team that created the Code Realize franchise and Café Enchante. And if you asked me to tell you what I thought of these games, it would take a while. There are things I love about Code Realize and Café Enchante and there are things I absolutely hated. There is no simple answer.
But, even with my measured expectations of Radiant Tale, I was still sorely disappointed with the common route. Not even sweet Paschalia (VA: Yuuichirou Umehara) could save the route for me.
My expectations for this game and the reality of what it is, just didn’t match up. It doesn’t make this a bad game. This just might not be the game for me.
And that’s okay.
As always, character and plot analysis and spoilers after the cut!
I want to preface my article with this: Radiant Tale’s creative directors and writers have every right to craft any story they choose. Just as readers have every right to enjoy the stories they enjoy. I’m not begrudging or belittling anyone from enjoying what they enjoy. I’m merely sharing my thoughts and sharing how this route made me feel.
The story begins with Tifalia who is a typical sixteen-year-old girl on the verge of adulthood. She works as a waitress at her aunt’s restaurant and inn. Tifalia is dependable, kind, smart, and enjoying her quiet life at home. Deep in her heart, Tifalia would like to go on an adventure. However, due to the untimely death of her parents, that affected Tifalia deeply, she is scared that if she ever abandoned her normal life of the status quo, she could lose the rest of her family: Aunt Spirea and Radie.
Well, Aunt Spirea is awesome and gives her frightened niece a much-needed pep talk! Aunt Spirea points out that choosing to live and work at Liber after experiencing the outside world and knowing all your options is different than choosing to stay at Liber because you’ve closed all the doors of your life to begin with. Aunt Spirea wants Tifilia to choose what she does with her life, and not just stay at Liber because she is scared of ever leaving.
Well, Tifilia chooses to accept Jinnia’s offer and goes off with the circus troop. Where she meets the most perfect men ever written.
Radie, Zafora, Paschalia, Ion, and Vilio are the very definition of “Loyal, Brave, and True.” These men are the perfect “Fairy Tale” heroes. They are kind, compassionate, considerate, honest, trustworthy, dependable…the list could go on. Even Zafora, who is incredibly prickly to the others, has a good heart and cares about people. Yes, these men may have flaws, weaknesses and secrets, but they are all good men, and it shows in how they interact with the world around them. These men fight for the weak and the marginalized. They support each other through thick and thin. They do their best each and every day. They never let anything stop them and they care for the people around them.
Honestly, this otome game is filled with lessons on compassion, empathy, kindness, the value of human life, being honest with one’s self, and how to never give up when things look bleak.
So, how can an otome game with these admirable characters and life affirming messages be a disappointment?
Well to me, the common route was horribly repetitive and predictable which made Chapters 1-4 tedious to read.
Chapters 1-4 have the same plot format. They arrive in town. They learn about the town. Tifalia has a town-information-gathering “date” with the chosen hero of the route. They recognize the problem in the town and realize how they should structure their show to appeal to or help said town. They promote their show and/or look for local talent to help in show. They have the show. They have a scene after the show (usually a “cast” party of some sort to celebrate a successful circus performance, not the successful resolution of the town’s problem). They learn about the new town (for the next chapter). They are concerned about the probable problems in the new town. Vilio says something encouraging. Their spirits are raised. They travel to the new town.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
I’m not kidding, when I say that except for some very minor variations in some parts, the four chapters play out exactly in this order. And I don’t understand why. Why did the writers limit themselves to this formula? The chapters could have been unique and original. Instead, you get copy and paste. This is supposed to be an adventure story! How is it an adventure when by the end of Chapter 2, you have figured out exactly what is going to happen, and in what order, in the following chapters? There’s no mystery.
But hold on. It gets worse.
It’s not only the same plot format in each chapter, you get the same base conflict in these four chapters. I kid you not. In Chapters 1-4, the main problem for every town is that some group of people (or Feys) are being mistreated and marginalized by others in the community. In Chapters 1 and 3, it’s the Feys being mistreated by humans and in Chapters 2 and 4 it is humans mistreating humans.
Now, I am all for having compassion and empathy and helping those who need help. And I love that these heroes and heroine want to help people. They are setting a wonderful example and I appreciated their continual compassion! More of this, please!
But do we need the exact same plot conflict in four different chapters? Is there some other type of conflict we can try? Can’t we find another way to demonstrate the compassion and dedication of our characters? Well, according to the writers, the answers to these questions are: “No. Not until we get out of the common route, at least.”
Sigh.
And if the “copy and paste” aspects of Chapters 1-4 wasn’t enough, to top it off, our heroes and heroine have the same conversations about their observations of the town and civilians over and over again: Tifalia talks with the whole group; Tifalia talks with the chosen hero; once again with the whole group.; and finally, once again with the chosen hero. And this isn’t an accumulation of the same conversations over Chapters 1-4, this is number of conversations that happens per chapter!
LIKE I GET IT!
“The people of this town have “insert said problem here,” and it’s terrible. Someone is being victimized (someone is ALWAYS being mistreated in every chapter), and how can we help the downtrodden? Who is at fault, and what can we do to help the situation? I mean, we do need to get that Flora to bloom!”
These “observation” conversations happen over and over and over again! I think the repetitiveness was the writers going to great lengths to explain every plot point thoroughly. I genuinely felt like they were trying to hold my hand, lead me through the route, and personally make sure I did not miss anything. Which, okay fine. I don’t like that, but whatever.
What really frustrated me is that the plot isn’t hard to figure out. I ESPECIALLY noticed this in Chapter 2, which is Zafora’s common route chapter, I predicted everything that happened before our characters meticulously explained the situations with their repetitive conversations. I will get more into this critique, if I read and write-up Zafora’s route.
I also felt like the sheer number of these “observation” conversations (which fit in the plot format) took the place of time we could have spent getting to know the characters. So, besides Zafora, Radie (who Tafalia learns has a human form), and Ion (we get his backstory, but we don’t get to know him better as person) we don’t really get to know any of the characters on a deeper level. Now, I learned about Paschalia because of his character scenes, but if I hadn’t picked him to read first, I would have learned next to nothing about him in the common route.
Tifalia keeps saying how she’s gotten to know everyone better and the troop becomes close, but we the reader, don’t get to SEE them get closer. Because all the possible day-to-day life scenes where you witness them getting closer just aren’t there. All that time is relegated to plot and conflict conversations. You do have the “humor” moments where characters crack jokes or when a funny situation happens, but I felt the funny situation moments were few in far between, compared to what could have been.
In the end, I feel the strict adherence to the rigid plot format and repetitive “observation” conversations in Chapters 1-4, really limited the writers. I would have been completely okay with the chapters being longer and more “grand.” But, that’s not what the writers gave us, and it just disappointed me.
One of the few respites from the repetitive conversations and plot format was the character scenes I chose to watch. And I chose to read Paschalia’s story first.
Paschalia is such a sweet guy, and I could totally get the “rural, small-town boy-next-door” feel they were going for with him. This man is a dream. He is considerate, kind, quiet, contemplative, observant of those around him, and principled. A total gentleman, with a hint of mischievous humor. I really liked him.
Now this calm, level-headed, soft man has a secret. Paschalia has a congenital disorder (Vastitas) that gradually saps water from his body. With Vastitas, paralyzing his body over time, it wasn’t expected for Paschalia to reach adulthood. And since there is no cure, Paschalia accepted that his life expectancy was not long. He knew he was meant to die young. And he had accepted that reality.
Yet, as a young child confined to his home, and later bed, Paschalia still dreamed of having an adventure. He made friends with the water spirits, who would visit him regularly. Over time, the water spirits came to love Paschalia and they didn’t want him to die. So, the water spirits visited the “highest” (oldest and strongest) water spirit in the area, Vita. They asked Vita to cure Paschalia, so he could go on his adventure.
Well, Vita couldn’t cure Paschalia, but she could extend his life. Vita arrives just in time before Paschalia died and circulated her water around his body so he could speak to make a contract with her. To do this Vita had to perform a forbidden act: synchronization. Synchronization means that Vita had taken over Paschalia’s body. Without this, Paschalia would return to near death.
Synchronization is dangerous for Vita. She can’t replenish her natural energy in Paschalia’s body. Her power will wane over time, and she will disappear. But if Vita leaves Paschalia’s body he will die. Paschalia realizes that the synchronization is just a stop gap. It is not the ultimate solution to the problem. Once Vita is depleted of power, she will die. And then without Vita’s power Paschalia will die.
Well, Vita points out that now Paschalia is half spirit. So, the more permanent solution would be for him to act as a spirit and forge a pact with a human who has stronger water magic. Then there’s a chance he will be cured. Paschalia agrees to try to find someone to contract with.
So, Vita and Paschalia agree to head to bigger cities in search of a human with strong water magic (mana). Paschalia gets to go on his adventure and try to save his life. He desperately wants good friends to bond with and to travel to different cities. He wants to face danger, join forces with his friends, and take all the foes down. He wants to have fun. And while in the capital city of Artheir, Paschalia meets Jinnia. And his adventure can begin in earnest.
Paschalia knows his life has a time limit, and he appreciates the journey he has with the circus troop. This man doesn’t take anything for granted. He embraces every new experience and wants to learn all that he can. Being confined to his house, and later his bed, made him very inexperienced in the big cities. But he always did his best to explore and to be a part of the group.
But ultimately, Paschalia is a pessimist, who doesn’t want to be a burden or bother to his friends. So, he hides his condition from everyone. Gradually Vita gets weaker as the common route and Chapter 6 go on, which causes Paschalia to become weaker as well.
Now, I’m not gonna lie. By the time I entered Paschalia’s route, I had zoned out of the story. Chapter 6 started out with more of the same circus travel and shows, only with adorable Prince Colivus tagging along. THANKFULLY, the writers did not revert back to the Chapter 1-4 plot format completely! And as Paschalia slowly coached up the young prince, I became somewhat invested in the story. And honestly, it was the relationship between Paschalia and Prince Colivus that really drew me in. I love this relationship.
The scenes with Paschalia teaching Colivus were very sweet! They reminded me of a dad (Paschalila) teaching his child a new skill with the high-strung mom (Tifalia) wringing her hands in the back. Paschalia was just so calm, level-headed, and confident that he just seemed cool (for lack of a better term) to me! I really liked how the scene highlighted Paschalia’s growth in using his water magic.
Colivus was just so shy and quiet, that he probably would have had a much harder time learning his magic if he had been paired with someone like Vilio or Zafora. Colivus needed Paschalia’s calm and reassuring approach to teaching. Colivus came to rely on and trust Paschalia, treating him as a beloved mentor and friend.
I LOVED the moment where Paschalia rushed in to save Colivus during the circus performance. He reacted exactly how a dad would react if he saw his child in danger. Paschalia, with no thought of himself and his precarious situation with Vita, used his magic to help Colivus finish his performance and maintain his confidence. Paschalia is such a sweet hero! So, it’s no wonder when Paschalia’s life is in danger, that Colivus is desperate to help his mentor and friend.
After Paschalia uses his remaining magic to save Colivus’s performance, he collapses on the stage. The troop rush him off, and backstage they hear Vita’s voice telling them to get him home to Ruthe and drink from the spring. The troop gets Paschalia to Ruthe and the spring and he drinks the water. Then Vita proceeds to explain the whole situation to the troop. The troop is appropriately concerned for their friend and immediately wants to find ways to help.
Well, Paschalia momentarily wakes up and in “Eeyore” style basically tells the troop: “I don’t want to be a bother.” Paschalia is quitting the troop, so he can die as expected. Paschalia has had his adventure and has essentially given up hope of living. He believes that it is impossible for him to defeat what nature intended for him. Paschalia is accepting death.
Now, I can totally understand Paschalia’s mindset. He has lived his entire life with death hanging over his head. And I don’t think he ever really believed that he was going to change his fate. There was a kernel of hope alive, but he never really believed it. So, it makes sense that after he accomplished his goal of adventure that he accepted death. I think that was what he had always expected to happen. He didn’t have a truly greater goal than having his adventure, because ultimately, he didn’t believe that survival was possible.
Well, the troop says: “To hell with that!” They refuse to give up on Paschalia.
So, our young prince steps up (with Jinnia’s help) and says that he will contract with Paschalia. Colivus wants to use the magical power of the Lacrima (core item of the city of Oriens) to save Paschalia. The power of the Great Spirit of Water, Leve dwells in the Lacrima, and it’s filled with water magic. They believe Paschalia can still be saved, without a contractor, if he has the Lacrima with him. They have the king’s approval to make Paschalia the mayor of Oriens, so he can keep the Lacrima with him at all times. So, Colivus’s plan is to contract with Paschalia (Colivus has crazy mana magic powers) until they get to Oriens and then try to save him with the power of the Lacrima.
All it takes is getting Eeyore Paschalia to agree to live. And it proves to take a lot of convincing.
Once again, Paschalia doesn’t want to be a bother. He has already accepted death, and, honestly, I think, he doesn’t want the pain of hoping and it not working out. It’s easier for him to simply accept what he believes nature intends for him.
But our circus troop doesn’t give up, and eventually get Paschalia to admit that he doesn’t want to die. He loved his time with the troop. He loved his time with Colivus. And Paschalia admits that there is more that he wants to do with his life. Yay! Good for Paschalia!
Now, admitting that you don’t want to die and actually believing you can live are two separate things. So, when Tifalia confesses her feelings to Paschalia he rejects her by saying: “You deserve better than me.” He was happy to hear she liked him, but he still believed that he was not the one for her. And rejecting her was the best for her. Paschalia believes he will cause Tifalia nothing but pain.
Our sweet Eeyore Paschalia is the most caring, deep thinker in the world. But with that comes his pessimistic outlook on life. So, even if he begins to think about living instead of dying, every negative possibility flies through his mind. If the plan with the Lacrima succeeds, yes, he will live but at what cost to Tifalia?
Paschalia does not believe that he can make Tifalia happy, because the questions of his life span will always continue to haunt him. Without the Lacrima he will die relatively soon. With the Lacrima’s magic power he will probably live for centuries. And Paschalia doesn’t want to leave Tifalia behind or be left behind, if he essentially becomes immortal and lives forever. So, he continues to push her away, even though he is in love with her.
Whew. Our Man has a LOT of worries…that he keeps bottled up to himself.
I really wonder if I have ever come across a deeper thinker than Paschalia. This man is thinking all the time, for better or for worse. When he is finally cornered by the troop, Tifalia, and Leve, the torrent of thoughts and fears finally cascades out of his mouth. This man has so many concerns that he never shares with anyone because he doesn’t “want to be a bother.” But that makes sense. He has been alone for so long, that he wouldn’t know how to rely on anyone else. He’s never had the option to rely on others, because there was never anybody there.
For years, Paschalia has lived with death right over his shoulder. He’s never had a reason to be optimistic about his future. No one thought he would live as long as he has, and he has had to contend with the constant deterioration of his body. There is no cure. What hope would anyone have, as they watch they body deteriorate before their eyes?
It’s Paschalia’s kindness and gentle, thoughtful spirit that save him. His hometown water spirits love him and want to help him. Vita comes to love him and wants him to live and succeed too. The circus troop members love Paschalia for who he is, and they want him to fight for his future. Because they believe he deserves to be happy. Colivus loves Paschalia, who with his quiet, calm support, helped give the young prince confidence to move forward. Tifalia traveled with him and saw what a wonderful man he truly was.
Paschalia goes from being all alone to having wonderful friends and allies who would do anything they could for him. He is worth their time. He is worth their effort. He is worth their love and support. Especially Tifalia, who puts it all on the line to prove her love for Paschalia.
But it’s not until Leve, the Great Spirit of Water and the Founder and Guardian of Oriens (That is quite the title) proceeds with a test of love that Paschalia is FORCED to put all his fears and insecurities aside to save the woman he loves. What finally spurs Paschalia to action (and not more wallowing in “what-ifs?) was the thought that Tifalia could lose her life.
And EVEN THEN, with Tifalia’s life on the line, Paschalia almost gives up hope! This man is so pessimistic and scared about wishing for something and then having to deal with the despair of failure that he almost quits! All he is concerned about is protecting his weak self. And as he’s in the water, searching for Tifalia, he knows this about himself!
COME ON, EEYORE PASCHALIA!
Thankfully the troop works behind the scenes to support their pessimistic friend! They are friends that will always support him to the best of their ability, because they believe he is worth supporting!
FRIENDS, PASCHALIA! YOU HAVE FRIENDS WHO BELIEVE IN YOU!
Now, save your girl!
And in the NICK OF TIME (like you couldn’t cut it any closer), our hero saves his girl. Paschalia finally showed the resolve that had been missing all his life and saved Tifalia.
Leve keeps up her end of the bargain and heals Paschalia’s body. He now has the body of a healthy human, and is no longer required to rely on the magic of others to keep him alive. And, yes, Paschalia not only had Tifalia’s life on the line. He had the future of a perfectly healthy, normal human body and HE STILL ALMOST GAVE UP!
Eeyore Paschalia’s fear and insecurities ran deep.
Tifalia and Paschalia get married and return to Liber to work at the restaurant. Tifalia traveled the world and chose to come back to the restaurant and family that meant so much to her. And they both lived happily ever after.
-Final Thoughts-
Okay. I know that Paschalia’s pessimistic nature nearly gets his girl killed. But even with this EXTREMELY close call of nearly losing Tifalia, he does find the resolve within himself to save what matters most to him. So, for me, Paschalia was a good hero. What can I say? I was cheering for him to succeed. This was clearly his story, and he had the most character development. He did get on my final nerve, with how long it took him to have the resolve to save Tifalia. Like Dear Heavens! The writers did not let up with Paschalia’s pessimism until the last possible moment. However, I did like having a deep-thinking hero, who, at the same time, isn’t a ray of sunshine, but also not a brooding ass. I think Paschalia walked the line of melancholy negativity and caring thoughtfulness really well.
Tifalia was fine. I mean, she was there. Tifalia decides to go on an adventure in the prologue, and then her character development just kind of stops until maybe the last chapter. This is clearly, not her emotional story and that is fine. She just didn’t make a very big impact on me. She’s not the worst heroine, but certainly not my favorite.
So, the common route was so annoying. I did not like it. Now, that doesn’t mean it was all bad. I liked the characters. The setting and lore were interesting. I just hated how the writers executed the common route plot. And honestly, I said everything earlier in the article. I’m not going to hash it out all over again. This common route was not for me.
Paschalia’s character route chapters were more on the average level for me. But I still didn’t love it. I never got invested in Paschalia and Tifalia’s romance. I cared more about Colivus and Paschalia’s growing mentorship and friendship. I was invested in Paschalia’s emotional growth and I wanted him to succeed. But Paschalia just took too long to turn the corner with his emotional growth. It was frustrating.
I, unfortunately, have to play the common route again if I want to read any other routes. Thank heavens for the SKIP button! I will never read all of Paschalia route again, but maybe I will revisit scenes? I don’t know. In the end, this was an annoying route for me. Definitely not a fan.
Otomes as Novels 