Monday, January 18, 2016

#DatingSimonth: Men of Yoshiwara

#DatingSimonth

Image from Chic Pixel
So apparently I missed the memo, but there's this really cool initiative going around for 2016 called Community Game Alongs. And this month, it happens to revolve around dating sims! How did I miss this?! Having just gotten into Otome, I've been devouring everything I could find, buying up any I could find on Steam with great deals, and generally building a collection so I always have one to play if I don't feel like playing on Mobile.

And looking at the rest of the schedule, I can see myself participating in quite a few more of them, especially after I buy myself a Vita in February sometime (and Chaide one in March). I'm kind of excited to have a way to tailor my game time outside of MMOs so I don't flounder. The problem with having so many Steam games (at least in my eyes--113 is a pittance compared to a bunch of other folks) is that I get overwhelmed with what to play and then just shut Steam off.

But back to the objective at hand--it is the month focusing on Dating Sims! So I'm going to take advantage of that, and play some more, and share my thoughts on them! Because why not? That's blog content gold!

Men of Yoshiwara


My first otome game (and visual novel) ever was Hatoful Boyfriend. Some would argue it isn't a true dating sim, and after playing some more dating sims, I'd definitely have to agree. Regardless, it's what got me interested in the genre, and with some amazing suggestions from the ladies on Cherry Blossom Heroines, I decided to pick up Men of Yoshiwara on Steam. It also helped that it was a great deal which left me more change to buy more otome! So far I've really been enjoying it, though some of the paths were definitely not my cup of tea, to say the least.
Hayabusa

For some reason I just decided he was a pretty character and I wanted to do his route first. I'm the most interested in Kagura and Iroha, but I wanted to save what I'm hoping is the best for last! I somehow ended up gravitating towards the "childhood friend" even though I don't think that's my type. Granted, I'm still discovering my type. I thought the story was super sweet, and it made me "aww" out loud a few times. I loved it. Probably my favorite so far of all the ones I've completed.

Kagerou

I know that the "child" type is one of my least favorites, so I figured I'd knock Kagerou out of the way next. Especially since he annoyed me to no end in Hayabusa's story. I thought he was whiny, self-centered, and in a way kind of scary like he was going to hurt me. And he definitely came across that way, along with entitled, when I first started his story. But as I continued his play through, he grew on me a lot, and he's definitely my second favorite of the routes I've played so far. The only thing that irked me a bit was the last bit of his story with the whole "trick" people play on the protagonist and Kagerou. It made me feel kind of put out.

Takao

I liked the "pretty boy" type in Hatoful Boyfriend, so I figured why not try it in Men of Yoshiwara. He was a little self-centered and a bit overzealous in the other stories, but I felt like giving him a shot. And oh my gosh. He was a big pile of NOPE! I played his entire route (both endings) because I wanted to know more about them, but definitely my least favorite. By. Far. And I'd go into details, but I think my twitter posts about it pretty much sum it up without spoiling it. Plus? He just seemed really abusive emotionally, and I wasn't a fan.

The only redeeming factor about his story? His dad is totally David Bowie. Honestly, I might go back and replay his story just for his father. Because RIP Bowie.


Tokiwa

Then I decided to play Tokiwa. And while I liked him better than Takao by far, he was, in a way, the story with the least "oomph" so far. I really have nothing to say about his story either way than he started to get annoying at the end, and I just wanted it to be over and done with. I was half tempted to fast forward since it was kind of boring.

Next, I'm going to be doing Kagura, and then ending with Iroha. Apparently there's a Mobile-only gentleman, but I'm hoping that one day he'll end up on Steam so I can try out his path.

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