Remember the How I Met Your Mother series finale backlash? Fans who had watched the show for 9 seasons felt betrayed by the ending. To them, it felt like the creators and writers had been stringing them along, completely invalidating the original premise of the show.
And who can blame them? The writers were building to something for 9 seasons, just to throw it under the bus in the literal final moments of the final episode of the series. To the fans, it wasn’t a “fun” twist. It was a betrayal to the time they had invested in watching a show with a certain premise.
Now, technically, the writers did deliver on the premise of the show, but for many it wasn’t in the spirit of what the premise was. Fans were left asking, “If you (the show’s creators and writers) wanted a certain ending to the show, why did you use this original premise to begin with?”
You see, the How I Met Your Mother writers weren’t interested in crafting an ending that kept to the spirit of the premise. In their minds, they “fulfilled” the premise on a technicality, and then finished the story in the way they wanted.
The premise of how Ted met his kids’ mom was of no importance to the writers. Ted telling his children about how he met their mother was simply a unique narrative device to have a television show about Ted’s life. Robin not being the kids’ mom after that memorable first date was the hook in the pilot episode to get the viewer interested in the story.
The problem is that the story the writers wanted to tell (Ted and Robin’s on and off again relationship and finally ending up together) ended up being in direct conflict with the established premise of the show.
And this is the writers’ fault. They are the ones who used the hook of Robin not being the kids’ mom in the pilot episode. They wrote themselves into a corner. And they didn’t have the guts to commit to this writing decision. Instead of honoring the premise of the show being about the kids’ mom, the writers tried to write themselves around the Robin conundrum on a sheer technicality.
And many of their viewers didn’t buy it.
I say all this, because after my third playthrough, and I’ve figured something out: this is the problem with Winter’s Wish: Spirits of Edo.
The writers created a premise that centered around heroes with no emotions. The emotionless heroes are the “hook.” It is something to make the game stand out and be different. Yet, for the writers, this hook must of become a hindrance to the story, making the routes messy and inconsistent. Because the emotionless heroes hook doesn’t work with the characters the writers created or the stories the writers decided to tell.
So. I’m left asking the Winter’s Wish writers, “If you wanted to write certain stories and create certain characters, why did you use this original “hook” of emotionless heroes to begin with?”
Because the results of this game are an absolute mess.
As always, character and plot analysis and spoilers after the cut! There will also be spoilers for Kunitaka and Kuga’s routes and Riku’s route from Lover Pretend, as well.
I have read and written articles for two other routes in this game. But it wasn’t until this point that I really understood what the writers were doing. If you read my articles on Kunitaka and Kuga, you will find someone who (back in July) was struggling to understand the writing choices and inconsistencies that were found throughout these two routes. At first, I was able to brush these questions about the writing inconsistencies, somewhat, aside. But now a writing decision at the end of Yoichi’s route has happened that I can’t ignore.
So, here I am writing this article to soothe my discontent…
Buckle Up!
In my humble opinion, what I believed happened was that Winter’s Wish: Spirit of Edo’s writers wrote the characters and the stories however they wanted and slapped the label of “heart sealed” and “can’t feel emotions” and “having no emotions” on the love interests to give the game an interesting “hook.”
The reason there is no consistency within the storytelling is because the writers molded the characters and plot however they wanted. In some routes, they tried to work within the “no emotions” hook they created, but most of the time they bastardized their own worldbuilding rules to tell whatever story they wanted at the time.
This leaves nothing but messy, inconsistent, contrived routes, because the writers couldn’t stick to their own premise, rules, and story hook that they created. Which makes me genuinely question whether the writers were truly interested in having love interests with no emotions to begin with.
As I spoke with my husband about this, he pointed out that if the love interests genuinely, from the very beginning, had no emotions, they would all be the same and would be robotic. There would be no empathy, no kindness, no thoughtfulness, no compassion, no comradery. They would all be like vessel Kyoshiro Kawamura. But this is not how the game starts.
As in all otome games, each love interest had his own personality and they all possessed the attributes of empathy, kindness, compassion, thoughtfulness, and comradery (unlike Kyoshiro who just sits there being mind-numbingly logical until it’s time to fight). Which okay, makes sense. Like I said in Kuga’s article, love interests with no emotions would be a hard sell.
But. Winter’s Wish’s creative team and writers choose to market this game as one with “heart sealed” and “no emotion” love interests. But, in my opinion, they didn’t write that.
These men have emotions.
Don’t believe me?
There is nothing unique about Yoichi that differentiates him from other otome love interests. The writers can tell us all they want, that Yoichi has no emotions, but it doesn’t change the fact that they wrote a character that does. Their label doesn’t mean anything.
You want a lazy at home, but a diligent worker “at the office,” who also knows when to wear his different facades to appease people, and when speaking, gives people the responses that he knows they want, AND asks you to participate in a fake relationship to fool somebody they know?
I give you Yoichi…and…Riku from Lover Pretend.
You want the guy that can be kind, but chooses to be a snarky ass just because he can?
I give you Yoichi…and…Sasazuka from Collar X Malice.
You want the guy that at one minute is kind and friendly to you and the next minute treats you like you’re not worth his time? You want the guy that dismisses your ideas out of hand, but then later uses your ideas and essentially claims them as his own, and then to top it off, condescendingly questions why you are having a hard time figuring what is happening as you are processing the fact this man claimed your ideas as his own? You want a guy that is clearly the smarter person in the relationship and has to help explain how interpersonal communications and relationships work?
I give you Yoichi…and…every hot-and-cold CEO, idol star, or hedge fund manager type of character from your favorite J-Drama or K-Drama shows.
(ON A SIDE NOTE: I’m not really quite sure how our heart sealed and no emotion Yoichi (VA: Seiichiro Yamashita) has a better handle on interpersonal communication than human Suzuno, who lived in her village with her dad for the majority of her life before she was sent into exile…I’m just chalking this up to bad writing. I mean, how does making your heart sealed LI better at interpersonal communication than your human heroine, figure in to the “vessel” characteristics you were going for?)
In fact, just combine Riku and Sasazuka together, and add a heavy dose of a hot-and-cold CEO-type, and you’ve got Yoichi.
The only difference is that Yoichi has the writer given hook of “no emotions” that’s supposed to explain his apathetic behavior and his indifferent treatment of those around him. But this is a lame excuse.
Why does Yoichi treat Suzuno so poorly? How can he manipulate his behavior to be so sweet and loving to Suzuno when other people are around, and then return to his blunt, rude self when people aren’t there to observe him?
Winter’s Wish’s writers say this is the fault of Yoichi having his heart sealed. He doesn’t understand what he is really doing to Suzuno’s feelings and why this might be unfair to her. He’s just being objective and sticking to the plan of trying to perpetuate the belief of his relationship with Suzuno, even though he’s not interested in her as a woman at all and the romantic relationship is fake. I mean, whatever plan it takes for Yoichi to get all the neighborhood girls in love with him off his back, right?
Lover Pretend’s writers say that Riku (who does the exact same thing to Chiyuki in Lover Pretend, only it’s to get his dad off his back) is just being a self-centered ass. Riku knows he’s being unfair to Chiyuki and he doesn’t care. It doesn’t take having his heart sealed to act in this manner.
How do the vessels learn to successfully communicate with humans and Formfolk? Well, in Yoichi’s case, he’s learned to read people’s expressions and give them the response that they want him to give. He doesn’t feel anything towards anybody. He is simply logically and objectively responding to people in the way they want.
Okay, so you mean he does the exact same thing that Riku does with people in Lover Pretend?
Once again, Yoichi’s special “vessel” way of communicating with people has nothing particular to do with having no emotions. Okay? So, he’s learned to read people’s expressions and anticipate the response they want? And then he gives that desired response?
Well, the writers of Lover Pretend had Riku doing the EXACT SAME THING! And guess what?
Never in the story, did Riku not have emotions. Wearing his façades and giving people what they wanted, was a way for him to simplify his life and make communicating easier on him. He was doing a very human thing.
BECAUSE NEWS FLASH: EVERYONE ON THE PLANET has at some time, given another human the response that they want to hear! This type of communicating has nothing to do with a lack of emotions!
And it is stupid that the Winter’s Wish writers tried to pass off Yoichi’s seemingly apathetic communication style as a consequence of his sealed heart. Nothing about this supports Yoichi not having emotions.
Characters like Sasazuka from Collar X Malice know how to treat people kindly, yet they don’t because they don’t want to. Sasazuka can be kind and he picks and chooses those moments. The writers don’t say that Sasazuka has no emotions. They don’t blame his assholery on having his heart sealed. It’s just a fact that 95% of the time, Sasazuka chooses to be an asshole. No lack of emotions required.
There are times when Yoichi is kind and thoughtful towards Suzuno. He combs her hair; he trains her in martial arts and knife work. He acknowledges her contributions in fighting the blightfalls. He gives her food that he knows she wants, but is too polite to ask for. He cooks food for her and they speak pleasantly about recipes and cooking techniques. Yet, when Yoichi is done being “kind,” he reverts back to being an “objective,” snarky asshole.
By making Yoichi act kindly, thoughtfully and with compassion The Winter’s Wish writers create a problem here:
- The very fact that Yoichi treats Suzuno with empathy, kindness, compassion, and thoughtfulness is in direct conflict to the premise that Yoichi has no emotions. None of these attributes are possible without a heart and emotions!
But the Winter’s Wish writers contend that all of Yoichi’s behavior is built upon his lack of emotions. He doesn’t have empathy for others. He strictly relies on logic and is objective. He doesn’t understand how to treat others well and can’t be expected to do things for others without being ordered to.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
Do the writers not see the direct contradiction in what they are writing?
Yoichi could not treat Suzuno kindly without a heart. He can’t do it without empathy. He already has these attributes. He’s not a snarky ass because he doesn’t have a heart. He’s a snarky ass because he chooses to be one.
And the writers for Collar X Malice understood this concept. Sasazuka didn’t need to have no emotions and his heart sealed for him to choose to be an ass to everyone around him. This is who he was.
And can I take a moment and say: BEING OBJECTIVE, LOGICAL, INDIFFERENT, AND BLUNT DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE NO EMOTIONS!
And the Winter’s Wish’s writers inferring that these are the main vessel traits that are a consequence of having no emotions is an insult to any person who is objective, logical, indifferent, and blunt. Yet, this is the main argument the writers use to demonstrate Yoichi’s sealed heart.
These traits don’t prove Yoichi’s heart is sealed. This is just his personality.
The writers of Lover Pretend and Collar X Malice didn’t use the lack of emotions to explain the behaviors of Riku and Sasazuka. Because lack of emotions isn’t required for this kind of behavior as proven by the examples above.
So, I ask: what was the point of having “heart sealed” love interests if they are just like the standard otome love interests you can get in other games or media?
Yoichi is supposed to be have no emotions, but he is NO DIFFERENT from other otome love interests. The label of “no emotions” has done nothing to mold or change the character in a way that would truly be emotionless.
Yoichi’s indifferent treatment of everyone around him isn’t because he is emotionless. It’s because he is a self-centered ass, who has moments of kindness and thoughtfulness…just like how a J-Drama, hot-and-cold CEO, Riku, and Sasazuka start out in their routes and stories.
But these characters don’t stay this way (except maybe Sasazuka, who marginally becomes softer with Ichika as his route goes on, but still retains his snarky asshole personality). It’s called character development! You know. When a character starts one way and over the course of the story, they grow and mature into something healthier.
But the writers of Winter’s Wish would have you believe that Yoichi “improves” because his heart sealed is lifted, not because of any self-reflective, internal character development.
HOWEVER…in Yoichi’s route, the heart seal does not have to be lifted for Yoichi to “have emotions.” (Winter’s Wish’s writers can’t even stick to their own convoluted worldbuilding rules!)
Putting aside the fact that Yoichi has had emotions throughout the entire route, so his heart seal being lifted is nonsense anyways, the writers have Yoichi magically have emotions even though his heart seal is left unbroken!
To put this another way: According to the writers, by the end of the route, Yoichi has emotions and feelings, with his heart seal still intact.
Ummm…but, according to the worldbuilding rules created by the writers, how can Yoichi love and have feelings for Suzuno if his heart seal is still intact?
Yet, apparently, according to this ending, if Yoichi loves Suzuno with his heart seal still intact, it doesn’t matter if a vessel’s heart is sealed or not. They can have emotions no matter what!
Which, if true, this ending invalidates the entire importance and purpose of the heart seal!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
I mean, at least they tried in Kuga’s route to stick to their convoluted worldbuilding rules and “no emotions” hook. Kuga already had kindness, diligence, and thoughtfulness. But his route had him exploring, and feeling for the first time, frustration, stress, and fear. Like there was a moment when his fear for Suzuno’s safety shattered the seal and from that point on, he experienced every emotion known to humanity.
Okay, so the “no emotions” hook was still bogus, because Kuga had emotions from the very beginning, but at least the heart seal actually played a role in the story.
In Kunitaka’s route, I really had to rationalize the existence of the heart seal. From the beginning of the route, Kunitaka has fully functioning emotions with fantastic people skills and compassion and empathy galore. I had to rationalize that the heart seal was actually “mental denial” that Kunitaka had about having feelings in the first place. And it wasn’t until the mental denial “seal” was broken that Kunitaka fully accepted having his feelings.
Okay, so once again, the “no emotions” hook was completely bogus. And in this route, Kunitaka did not change at all once his mental denial “seal” was broken! He was the exact same person! Because he always had emotions. It was just after the mental denial “seal” broke that Kunitaka accepted the emotions that he had always had.
But I thought, okay, maybe Kunitaka was the exception to the rule and he had a weak heart seal hanging by a thread, from the very beginning, and that’s just his story.
No.
I really question if the “no emotions” hook was nothing but a marketing gimmick, the creative team and writers used to differentiate their game from other historical games on the market. Because, to me, this is what seemed to have happened. None of these love interests have “no emotions.” In my opinion, the writers wrote whatever the heck they wanted and just slapped on the labels to technically meet the premise and hook of the game.
For a final time, I have to ask the Winter’s Wish writers, “If you wanted to write certain stories and create certain characters, why did you use this original “hook” of emotionless heroes to begin with?”
Because this is a shame. The premise of the story can completely stand on its own. We don’t need emotionless heroes to make it work.
Such a missed opportunity.
-Final Thoughts-
So, I didn’t like Yoichi. In the end, he’s annoying to me. And it wasn’t even because of the inconsistent writing. I don’t like snarky asshole love interests like hot-and-cold CEO types and Sasazuka to begin with. So, even if this route had been written in a competent way, the chances of me liking Yoichi are slim. You should always choose to be kind, and love interests that choose to be assholes just because they can, are unlikeable (to me, anyways).
I’ve never had an otome experience where each consecutive new route makes the previous routes retroactively worse. But this is what happened. The game didn’t get better as I continued. More plot holes. More problems. More of a realization that the writing team had absolutely no interest in following their own premise, story hook, and worldbuilding rules.
So, Winter’s Wish: Spirits of Edo is joining OZMAFIA! and Steam Prison as games I have dropped. I just can’t stomach wasting my time reading any new content from this writing team. In fact, I will never again buy another game from this writing team. It is just that bad.
Now, that’s not to say I won’t visit Kunitaka’s route again, just how I visit my love Axel from OZMAFIA! on occasion. But what will draw me back to these two games are the characters themselves not the routes.
I had mediocre expectations for this game when I got it. And somehow it still managed to disappoint me. Oh well.
At least it gave me Kunitaka.
Otomes as Novels 