To wrap up my playthrough of Hakuoki: SSL, I saved one of my favorite characters for last! And when combined with one of my favorite story troupes, Heisuke’s route had my FAVORITE RELATIONSHIP OF THE GAME!
Out of Chizuru’s twelve bachelors, her relationship with Heisuke is my favorite! I simply adore these two as a couple and I believe they have the best chemistry!
Be prepared for unabashed gushing!
As always, character and plot analysis and spoilers after the cut! There will also be a few spoilers for Hakuouki: Kyoto Winds, Hakuouki: Edo Blossoms, Hakuouki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom 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 updates: Kyoto Winds, Edo Blossoms, and Chronicles of Wind and Blossom (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 Heisuke’s character scenes and how Chizuru is written in Heisuke’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 Heisuke is a second-year student who is a member of the kendo club and loves playing video games.
And I was so happy to see Heisuke enjoying life! Reading about his sweet boy being able to go to kendo club, play his video games, and complain about high school classes was so gratifying! Especially considering his fate in the historical games, where he is the second member of the Shinsengumi to become a fury.
No Murder. No Water of Life. No Guilt and Self-Loathing. No Blood Sucking.
Heisuke just gets to be happy!
And I am here for it!
And my feelings for this route are encapsulated in the work of voice actor, Hiroyuki Yoshino! Every time Heisuke said “Chizuru,” my heart melted! My gosh! The pure joy, excitement, and love emanating from Yoshino’s voice when he said Chizuru was perfect! No one says Chizuru with more emotion than Heisuke (…Yoshino, I mean Yoshino…) and for Heisuke to embrace his feelings for Chizuru in this route was a treat to read!
Heisuke’s route centered around the childhood friends troupe. The two of them had been next door neighbors and friends for over a decade and they knew each other inside and out. Heisuke was the one who encouraged Chizuru to apply to Hakuo Academy and the two of them regularly walked to school together.
Well, as in most childhood friends stories, Heisuke comes to the point where he realizes that his relationship with Chizuru is going to have to change. They are growing up and they can’t expect to be best friends in the same way forever. And it’s seeing the attention and interest Chizuru gets from their all-male classmates, that makes Heisuke realize he has more than “friend” feelings for Chizuru. So, around Christmas time, Heisuke starts probing Chizuru’s view of their relationship, with this continuing on into New Years.
And much to Heisuke’s exasperation, Chizuru, being our sweet oblivious heroine that she is, doesn’t seem to get what Heisuke is implying.
It’s not until right before Valentine’s Day that Heisuke straight up tells Chizuru he likes her and he can’t accept her friend chocolates (that she makes for him every year) because, this year, his feelings for her go beyond friendship.
One thing I like in this route is how Harada helps Chizuru process Heisuke’s denial of her chocolates and her own feelings for Heisuke. Harada doesn’t give her any answers. He just asks her questions that help her think more deeply and critically about her feelings for Heisuke, and Harada helps Chizuru organize her thoughts.
I thought this was a really sweet scene! But of course, I am biased…Harada is the best (to me, anyways)!
Chizuru makes her chocolates for Heisuke and gives them to him in front of his entire homeroom class (VERY bold of Chizuru)! I laughed out loud at one of Heisuke’s classmates bemoaning the curse of childhood friends! Heisuke grabbed Chizuru’s hand and they finished their confessions in private on the school roof! This scene was so sweet and was the perfect representation of a wholesome, innocent, enduring first love!
I really loved the cultural festival (Chapter 3). Heisuke was so desperate to help an overworked Chizuru at the café with a maid (I love this specific wording, so the class didn’t get accused of false advertising!), that he spent his break delivering food at Chizuru’s class café so she wasn’t serving the guests all by herself. Then, later, Chizuru returns the favor by using her break to help organize the guests at Heisuke’s class program, while he is super busy making food! Heisuke would never think twice about helping Chizuru and Chizuru feels the same way towards him. The care and consideration these two show towards each other is simply the best!
Chapter 4 was also really sweet! Heisuke sees a stuffed animal similar to one that Chizuru saw when she was a child. She wasn’t able to buy the stuffed animal and Heisuke wasn’t able to get it for her. So, when Heisuke come across a similar stuffed animal, he decides to buy it for Chizuru as a Christmas present! Obviously, Heisuke’s thoughtfulness touched Chizuru’s heart (and mine!). He remembered something from their past that meant a lot to her and worked to give it to her in the present! Such a perfect gift!
I, also, thought the CGs were lovely and, to me, were some of the best in the game! I especially liked his New Years CG, with him and Chizuru sitting on her front porch watching the stars, with cups of hot chocolate and a shared blanket around their shoulders! It was such a cute CG and I just loved seeing Heisuke and Chizuru being happy and relaxed together!
Obviously, Heisuke’s story and romance with Chizuru hit all the right notes for me!
I just love the idea of two friends who know each other backwards and forwards deciding that they want to be together forever! To me, there is something so romantic about the deep knowing of someone else and choosing to grow and learn with that person as you walk through life together.
For me, this route epitomizes the magic of Hakuouki: SSL! Heisuke and Chizuru’s romance in the historical games is beautiful. but at the same time, bittersweet. So much tragedy and heartache becomes the obstacle that Heisuke and Chizuru have to overcome to be together in their happy (yet bittersweet) ending.
And while, I do love their story from the historical games, SSL gives me nothing but sweet, romantic happiness that I love to see for these two characters!
SSL is a fun companion to the historical games! And, while not perfect, this game did make me smile, giggle, and swoon! I enjoyed it! And I know I will revisit this game, especially when I’m in the midst of heartache in the historical games!
Otomes as Novels 