This route was…something.
And by something, I mean this route was…a lot.
And by a lot, I mean this route was…too much.
Character and plot analysis and light spoilers after the cut! Per the game developer’s request, I will keep this article focused on my thoughts of this route.
Let me start off with saying that I didn’t hate Helvetica’s route. The production value of the game and my love of Teuta and all the main characters totally holds over into Helvetica’s route! Please read the first half of Shu’s article if you are interested in my thoughts about these elements of the game!
When I say, too much (in regards to Helvetica’s route), I mean the writers tried to cram too many character revelations, heavy plot points, and shock value moments into the length of route they decided to dedicate to Helvetica’s story.
This route is heavy, without (in my opinion) time allotted to let all these elements properly breathe. And, for me, this created a sort of whiplash as the route jumped from one shocking revelation or twist to another.
Without going into too many spoilers, Helvetica’s backstory included three or four revelations that I think were meant to be surprising and shocking. I mean, Helvetica’s inner conflict is coming to terms with who he is as a person. After so much suffering in his youth, Helvetica has to accept his past and how it relates to his future. So, it makes sense that Helvetica’s backstory played such a key part of the route.
But the way some of these revelations about Helvetica’s past were revealed, did not match the seriousness of what was being presented. And when you stack the sheer number of revelations upon one another, it becomes overwhelming, because the reader doesn’t have the time to digest the history of what Helvetica had to go through to survive.
This man’s life was horrible. Absolutely horrible. And I don’t think the care was taken to responsibly cover the topics being presented to the reader.
And since, Helvetica’s backstory was such a key component to the route, the antagonist of the route was a person from Helvetica’s past.
Now, I am not a huge fan of flashbacks as a narrative tool to tell a story. Some games rely far too much on flashbacks or simply overuse them to make sure the story is clear to the reader. But I really think Helvetica’s route would have benefited from some flashbacks of his past relationship with the antagonist.
Because, good heavens, this antagonist was deranged.
And I’m not saying that the antagonist doesn’t have good reasons for being the way they are. It makes complete sense. But this person goes from being able to have fairly normal conversations with a third-party person to beating Helvetica senseless and then begging him not to die (once they realize what they have done), within a few interactions.
This was all too much, too fast.
The antagonist’s situation is horrible. But, since we didn’t see this person and Helvetica’s relationship in earlier times, it was hard to see this person sympathetically when they became completely deranged and tried to destroy Helvetica, Teuta and Mozu’s lives. There simply wasn’t enough time in the route to become attached and connected with the antagonist. When this person goes crazy, the reader doesn’t feel the loss of a character they came to know and sympathize with. All you know is like yeah, this person’s life sucks but they HAVE TO BE stopped.
To top it all off, this route had drug overdoses and purges, kidnappings, hostage scenarios, and near-death experiences. And, yes, I was surprised every single time one of these many “twists” happened. But there were so darn many!
I mean, I get it. This route takes place in a world of horribly treated illegal immigrants, drug dealers, and violence. This is not a world of sunshine and rainbows. Many of these characters lead very hard lives, and I wouldn’t want a game that sugarcoats this reality.
BUT.
It was extremely difficult to meaningfully process any of these plot points. This was simply too much sensitive content for the time allotted to Helvetica’s route. So, rather than dig deep into any of these harsh realities, the game simply skims over them. Which I believe, does a disservice to these topics.
Another element I didn’t love about his route was Helvetica being voiced by Hiroyuki Yoshino. Let me be clear! Yoshino did a TREMENDOUS job voicing Helvetica! However, for me, I will forever associate Yoshino with Heisuke, a character from Hakuouki. And there were just words coming from Heisuke’s mouth (I know, I’m sorry) Yoshino’s voice that shouldn’t have been. Heisuke is my pure, sunshine boy, and some of Helvetica’s snarky or sleazy lines just didn’t work for me when coming from the same voice as Heisuke. Honestly, this is just a case of severe voice actor association with a single character, that I couldn’t get over. Hiroyuki Yoshino will always be Heisuke to me, and I just couldn’t appreciate Yoshino’s voice as Helvetica.
Now, there were some things about Helvetica’s route I liked!
I really loved the scene where Professor Sauli (who is Helvetica’s father figure) kept pressing Helvetica on why he is alive and how he accomplished all that he had. Helvetica is usually one of the smartest people in the room, so seemingly there is no limit to his knowledge and confidence. Most people would never want to go toe-to-toe with Helvetica. However, Professor Sauli cuts through Helvetica’s bravado and pride and forces his adopted son to face harsh topics and realities. And Helvetica really needs that kind of person in his life. He needs the safe and loving accountability that Professor Sauli provides.
Helvetica’s witty and mischievous sides were entertaining. But I’ll be honest, I don’t like the make-the-heroine-carry-the-heavy-bags-so-I-can-protect-my-hands type of heroes. I don’t like the making-the-heroine-squirm-for-their-own-entertainment type of heroes either. I do love intelligent heroes (and Helvetica is certainly intelligent), but I hate it when heroes use their intelligence to belittle or overwork the heroine. To me, this is not romantic!
And there were moments in the route, when Helvetica made me roll my eyes and he dipped into “unlikeable” territory for me. I found it difficult to enjoy Helvetica as a “romantic hero.”
It was his earnest and genuinely vulnerable moments with Teuta and Professor Sauli that made him endearing as a character. And, for me, those moments made him non-romantically likeable.
I could relate to Helvetica’s inner conflict of whether he could truly rise above who he was in the past. As someone who has had to work really hard to deconstruct everything my parents have taught me, I can relate to the fact that I am not the person that I was, but I can’t deny who I used to be. And it is really hard when the people around you, refuse to recognize how you have organically grown and changed as your worldview expands. There will always be people who don’t want you to grow and change because of how it affects them. Yes, they are just being selfish and self-serving.
So, I wanted to cheer for Helvetica when he accepted all he had accomplished in improving his life and becoming a healthier person! This man is strong! He made the hard choices and moved forward with his life the best way he knew how! He never quit and his happiness was hard earned!
So, honestly, Helvetica was a mixed bag for me. I didn’t enjoy him as a love interest, but I could appreciate his journey as a character.
There wasn’t much more that really stood out to me about this route. Like I said, it isn’t horrible but I would certainly never say it’s the best.
-Final Thoughts-
Helvetica was an average hero for me. I really connected to his vulnerable moments, however, his “romantic” scenes with Teuta really turned me off. I just don’t like men who use their intelligence as a weapon to fluster and embarrass the heroine. Also, I don’t like men who treat women as their butlers and have them carry all the stuff. Come on, dude. Just be kind.
I liked Teuta in this route as well! She wasn’t intimated by the antagonist (though I would say she acted a bit recklessly!) and I thought her time traveling ability was well utilized in this route. Teuta continues to try and understand the world around her, and takes the time she needs to fully process what she believes. Once again, I felt she was well written!
This route levels out to average for me. I didn’t love it; I didn’t hate it. I thought the underpinning of Helvetica’s emotional journey was well done. However, there were simply too many character revelations, heavy plot points, and shock value moments that became tiresome by the end. Which is a shame! The route could have totally stood on the emotional journey of Helvetica alone.
It wasn’t a bad route. Just not for me.
And that’s okay.
Otomes as Novels 