At the time of this article, I have played approximately 152 otome routes. This means I have read stories of 125 different heroes. And out of these 125 men, Sanosuke Harada is my all-time favorite! Ever since I played his route, a couple of years ago now, he has been at the top of my favorites list, with no end of his reign in sight.
And now with my 153th route completed, I am simply reminded of why I love Harada so much! This route isn’t flawless by any means, and I really dislike the power dynamic (that is not present in the historical games) that the writers created between Harada and Chizuru in SSL.
BUT EVEN SO.
Harada simply remains the best…to me anyway!
As always, character and plot analysis and spoilers after the cut! There will also be a few spoilers for Hakuouki: Kyoto Winds and Hakuouki: Edo Blossoms and, well…essentially all other possible Hakuouki content in general.
SSL isn’t a traditional otome game. Otome elements are there but, if anything, this game is an addition or a supplement to the main historical games, like the remake update: Kyoto Winds and Edo Blossoms (though not all the characters featured in those games are in SSL, because SSL was created before the remakes were made). This game makes the most sense, and has the most meaning, within the context of the world created by the historical games.
When you go into SSL with all the prerequisite knowledge, the game takes on a magic all its own. You can appreciate the modern adjustments made to the historical characters. You get all the references to the plot, characters, and internal relationships in the historical games. The fact that everyone is alive, healthy, and not fighting tooth and nail for survival warms your heart with happiness. Everything just means more, because you have the background knowledge from the historical games.
Now, I gave my general SSL game impressions in Okita’s route article. If you are interested in those thoughts, please read Okita’s article. I am not going to repeat them here. This article will be focused solely on Harada’s character scenes and how Chizuru is written in Harada’s route.
In Hakuouki SSL, Chizuru is a first-year high school student. She’s the first woman to go to Hakuo Academy, which has recently become co-ed. And Harada is the PE teacher, as well as, Chizuru’s homeroom teacher. And this really is my biggest problem with this route.
I’m not a fan of how Harada is Chizuru’s teacher.
I can understand why the writers did this. They wanted to create a story centered around Chizuru attending high school, yet they also wanted to stay true to all the age gaps between the characters from the historical games. And so, while Okita, Saito, Heisuke, Ibuki, and Yamazaki are all high school age, Hijikata, Shinpachi, Harada, and Sannan are in their early to late 20s and are too old to realistically be students. So, the writers made them teachers. However, as in the case with Shinpachi and Harada, this creates a power dynamic that is not present in the historical games.
In the historical games, there is no reason for Harada to not approach Chizuru as an available young woman. Neither of them is married or of different social status and they both are seen as adults in their society. There is no reason for him to not dote on and flirt with her. His tendency to put his hand on her head or shoulder isn’t really a problem. He can develop feelings for her and then pursue her with no thought to societal mores, because there is no societal taboo being broken. He is simply a young man who fell in love with a young woman.
And the same is true for Chizuru. In the historical games, instead of being a high-school student who falls in love with her teacher, Chizuru is a young woman who falls in love with an available young man. She can reciprocate Harada’s affections with no concern of if they are appropriate.
And in the historical games, Harada and Chizuru don’t really develop romantic feelings for each other until near the end of Kyoto Winds. And by that point, the two of them had been good friends for three-and-a-half to four years, (and by this point in the story, Chizuru is in her early 20s. She’s not a teenager anymore), and whatever power Harada held over her as a member of the Shinsengumi has been erased by the mutual trust they share with each other. So, by the time they are falling in love, they are each other’s peer following the same rules as dictated by Hijikata and Kondou.
Now compare that with SSL, where Harada and Chizuru fall in love during her first-year as a high school student, with Harada in an authority position as her homeroom teacher.
Yeah. This is barely the same relationship anymore.
It’s only in the modern context that there is a problem between Harada and Chizuru falling in love. And it’s the fact that Harada is technically an authority figure, who has all the “power” in the relationship. And I can see why this makes people uncomfortable.
And as someone who loves Harada and Chizuru’s historical relationship, it was frustrating to wade through all the forbidden relationship nonsense. Because none of that is an issue in the historical games. I really believe the writers did all the “teacher” characters a disservice. Reading about characters I love fall in love with a high school student (even if that student is Chizuru) is not my favorite otome experience.
Now, with all this said, I might have disliked the modern high-school context of the route, but I still love Harada as a character. And honestly, I liked Chizuru a lot in this route as well!
I, personally, find Harada to be the most charming otome hero. He’s suave and confident, but also subtle. He knows when to back off or change the direction of the conversation if a lady is feeling uncomfortable. Because while he’s good a flirting, he never wants to upset a lady. It’s not all about him being a stud. He genuinely gives compliments and tries to make the conversations about the lady he is speaking with. And, as always, voice actor Koji Yusa does a splendid job bringing Harada to life!
Honestly, Harada is just a good man. He’s the consummate adult that handles responsibilities and is dependable, but can also have fun with his buddies. He’s level-headed, calm, and has a strong sense of justice. He’s protective of those weaker than him, and would do anything to protect those who need protecting. He listens to those around him and is always paying attention to the needs of others. I honestly could continue this list of things I love about Harada…but I will spare you!
It was fun to see how the writers made references to Harada’s character from the historical game! So, many small moments, I could pinpoint where Historical Harada and SSL Harada did the exact same thing or acted the same way, just in different contexts. And those moments are so much fun to read!
I really loved the scene when Harada takes Chizuru to the beach on New Years Day, and says that it had to be the beach because he can’t take her overseas yet. Which to all the Harada Nerds, is a reference to the end of his route in Edo Blossoms where he takes Chizuru across the ocean to safely live their lives together! That moment made me squeal with happiness! Such small little moments!
I really thought Chizuru was great in this route! She’s flat out chatty and says some bold things to Harada. She enjoys drinking her non-alcoholic “adult” beverage, and appreciates Harada ordering her one during the water park chapter. She talks about how she’s growing up and can get married if she wants to (HAHA…Chizuru’s headstrong stubbornness made me burst out laughing). She made chocolates for Harada and was ready to confess her feelings to him on Valentine’s Day. I really felt that Chizuru was just more open with her thoughts and feelings and was permitted to be more assertive in this route. And I honestly think this might be the most agency Chizuru has ever had in a route. And honestly, the writers kind of had to. It would have been really icky if Harada had spent the route single-handedly pursing his high school student. Chizuru needed to pursue Harada as well, and in this route she did! The writers let her explore her own forbidden feelings for her teacher (in her thoughts), and let Chizuru WANT to be with him. The writers really let Chizuru break out of her shell, and I am here for it! I just wish the context for this breaking-out-of-her-shell had been different…sigh.
But this and of itself, is a nod to the historical games. Harada always allows Chizuru to be who she is. He doesn’t expect her to completely form to the demands of living with the Shinsengumi (in SSL’s case, attending a formally all-boys school). He doesn’t want Chizuru to deny her emotions. He wants her to be able to cry and express her feelings. He wants her to be in touch with who she is as a woman, too. And in the historical games, he is one of the only characters who has that kind of consideration for Chizuru.
There are some really great character moments that I enjoyed thoroughly! Harada and Chizuru made me laugh, squeal, and kick my feet. They are so cute together and I really enjoy their relaxed relationship.
And to some extent, all these great character moments make the unneeded teacher and student power dynamic all the more annoying! This drama about a forbidden relationship isn’t needed to make Harada and Chizuru’s relationship development interesting! All it does is make the story really cringey at times, like when both Harada and Chizuru internally and verbally contemplate their forbidden relationship. This has no historical game basis! This conflict was literally created for SSL.
And I desperately wish the writers had found some other way to structure their modern take on the Hakuouki story and stayed truer to the conflicts the characters face in their own historical routes.
What makes Harada’s route in SSL truly enjoyable is the historical context from the historical games. Honestly, the power dynamic between Harada and Chizuru is so different in SSL, that it’s not the same relationship you get in the historical games. And, to me, that’s just too bad! I really enjoy Harada’s routes in Kyoto Winds and Edo Blossoms.
So, in the end, I really enjoyed reading about Harada and Chizuru. But I just couldn’t come around on the contrived power dynamic between these two characters. Which is a shame! I prefer Harada and Chizuru’s relationship as peers and not as a teacher and a student. Thankfully, I have the historical games to enjoy for that very reason!
Otomes as Novels 