monkeybanana4

Kazuki (ex-Screw), other than doing random support gigs, is now a bar owner in Tokyo. And Manabu (ex-Screw) is still around doing support gigs as well. Other than K, I'm not sure what the other members of Born are doing.

コドモドラゴン (Codomo Dragon) will release a new single titled  "アノニマス " (Anonymous) on 2019.10.30. 

Limited Edition Type A - 1,980 yen (tax included)

CD

1.アノニマス (Anonymous)
2.楽曲A (Track A/TBA)

DVD

1.アノニマス (PV+メイキング) [Anonymous (PV+Making)]

Limited Edition Type B - 1,980 (tax included)

CD

1.アノニマス (Anonymous)
2.楽曲A (Track A/TBA)

DVD

1.アノニマス (マルチアングルPV) [Anonymous (Multiple Angles PV)]

Regular Edition Type C - 1,650 yen (tax included)

1.アノニマス (Anonymous)
2.楽曲A (Track A/TBA)
3.楽曲B (Track B/TBA)
4.アノニマス (inst)
5.楽曲A (inst) (Track A instrumental/TBA)
6.楽曲B (inst) (Track B instrumental/TBA)

They will also hold their tour final at Tsutaya O-East on 2020.01.05.

Hi! Welcome to MH! Hope you have a great time on here ^^ And nice to meet another Gazette fan  What's your favorite release/song(s) by them?

19 minutes ago, spockitty said:

Well, that's just a crying shame. I gather you meant some version before the Steam release? Just how many versions does this game have o-o 

I will let the Wikipedia answer that one xD (Just follow the Japanese/Kanji titled ones, I think. It's kind of confusing ^^; There's also a random spin-off game in there. It's completely unrelated to the main game, but has the same characters [from the original version] and a very different story.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakuoki#Video_games

(A lot ^^;)

20 minutes ago, spockitty said:

Yep! He also gets some redemption in one of the new routes  Also, he's not the only one with a gun anymore ❤️ 

What? o.o I need to see this... soon, lol.

21 minutes ago, spockitty said:

Yeah, I get that, but the cynical part of my brain is surprised that they didn't just go like: add the additional routes for the existing characters and then sell the new 3 as a DLC or sth. Though I suppose with the way they're interwoven into the plot, it'd have been difficult to do hmmm. I've seen some complaints about the game being divided in two parts but I honestly don't mind. Maybe it'd have been more immersive to play the whole route at once, I did have to at least go through 1st part's CGs to remind myself what the route was about. BUT on the other hand, you don't get spoiled the later plot right in the first route. And I feel the divide was pretty organic in it's placement.

 

And honestly if it's about the price, complaining about that would be just ridiculous, both of them combined are cheaper than a lot of lesser otomes.

 

I didn't know there's an action game LOL is there manga? because then they'd have all bases covered XD

Interesting. Well, the game is "technically" broken into two parts for every guy's route. But I guess most people are used to having otome games released all in one. Hm, I'd have to play it first before forming an opinion on that. 

I just checked, and wow, you are right. The two games together are much cheaper than a majority of full-priced otome games. I remember otomes games used to cost me a fortune, lol. Damn, I'm tempted to buy it now and play it X'D

Yes. There is a manga for it 😂 Actually, I should say there is two manga series. One is a short series that shows two of the endings in the game, and then there's another full on series, I think. I haven't read either one, so I don't know for sure. So, yeah, Hakuouki has neatly covered all bases XD

Vo. KEKE

Gt. takuma

Gt. つかさ

Ba. 銀也

Dr. MINAMI

11 hours ago, spockitty said:

In some?! He was an asshole in every other route but his own I feel like. In some reviews I've read prior to playing the game people were recommending you play Kazama the last, and that's what I did, and let me tell you I was not looking forward to his route before I started LOL I could seriously not imagine how I could feel for him anything other then the overwhelming urge to punch him in the face. Sincerest kudos to the writers for making his my favourite route srsly. 

 

On the topic of The Trinity of demons, what did you think of Shiranui? Because similarily to Kazama he was an asshole in most of the routes, but in some of them, I actually really liked him. Also, hell yeah guns & tattoos! 8D 

LOL I-I was giving a generous description of him XP But yeah, on a serious note, he was a serious bastard in every other route but his own. After seeing him act like a psycho in some of those routes, I was not looking forward to romancing with him. (Although, I thought he still looked cool despite being half-crazy >,>) As a random comment, in the initial game, Kazama's route lacked the most details and felt rushed for the most part. Thankfully the newer versions fixed that problem and managed to flesh out his route.

Haha, yes~ He looked super cool in those tattoos! Not to mention, he was like an ace with a gun when everyone wsa using swords XP I grew fond of him during Harada's route. It was completely unexpected for me, but I liked his character development in that one. Not to mention, he had amazingly beautiful long hair  In other routes, well... Yes, he was a big douche 😅

11 hours ago, spockitty said:

WhooOoOo girl. There were only 6 in the original? There are 12 in the PC version (as I've mentioned somewhere before lol).  So aside from Sakamoto, Iba and uh that third one I didn't like.....Souma!, we've established Nagakura and Sanan, and I guess the last one is....Yamazaki? 

 

Bottom line is, you gotta play the Steam version XD 

 

I wonder why did they decide to extend the universe quite this much. I think people would have bought, and be happy with, the original anyway. Or maybe just the additional routes for the already existing characters. NOT THAT I AM COMPLAINING. 

Yamazaki is dateable, too? O.O Wow... No guy is off limits in this game! LOL Yes, I must play the Steam version ASAP X'D 

I guess because it was super popular? X'D I mean, they made so many versions of it (that I lost count, lol) with each game adding something new whether it be an additional gameplay mechanic or added scenes/plot threads. Did you know they also have an action game for Hakuouki? (Don't play it. It's bad.)  Hence why they also made two movies for Hakuouki despite already having an animated series for it  

Wow, this is crazy and sad to hear 😕 I used to shop a lot at Osaka Zeal Link, too. I remember they (Zeal Link) had some of the best pre-order privileges. I'm going to miss getting stuff from there =\

1 hour ago, YuyoDrift said:

Ya see, the thing studios never seem to understand is: Once an anime has made it to timeless status, you DON'T go and make another season. Since Shonen Jump stuff is always doomed from the start, I can't defend them, but a series like FLCL was never supposed to have a sequel, let alone 2 wtf.

This has always confused me. Why make another season of something as timeless and classic like FLCL (and other anime series)? It doesn't need to be touched and be potentially ruined by another season/spin-off/sequel/etc., lol. I know there are instances where another season/sequels/remakes/etc. could actually work in the franchise's favor. But more often than not, it tends to ruin said series/franchise.

9 hours ago, spockitty said:

I meant the good  endings :'D Like, even though you've ended up with the guy of your choosing, why must the rest of them get killed off almost every time T-T I still cared about the gang even when focusing on one of them. Like, poor Yamazaki I think died in every single route. In one of the new guys' route, every single one of them dies AND ITS A GOOD ENDING?! who needs bad endings when you have good ones like that~

Oh! Oops, I completely misunderstood again ^^; (I think I need new reading glasses...) Yeah, that was super sad. In each guy's route, all the other characters died or disappeared ;w; Ugh, and yes! Poor Yamazaki! He was sacrificed in every route, which made me so sad because he was a kind and nice guy. What? o_o; Uh... wow. Those new routes sound like I'm going to need some big tissue boxes oAo 

9 hours ago, spockitty said:

I actually don't remember at all what kind of personality she had. Probably none. Though maybe if I don't have any positive nor negative memories of the MC's personality, she was actually the perfect RP vessel? Either way, I think I'm more curious about the Amnesia anime than I was for Hakuoki. Maybe I'll check if out if I have some free time (ha!).

Haha, yes X'D She made the perfect RP vessel, lol. If you end up watching it, I'd love to know what you think about it xD

9 hours ago, spockitty said:

He was not a bad character, I actually liked him just fine, I just feel that the relationship between him and MC was underdeveloped and kinda lukewarm. Maybe it's just me.... As for Saito, I get the appeal of the 'cool' guy, but Saito seemed almost robot-like >.> And I feel like he was married to those principles, not much space for romance

Hmm, yeah, I agree with you there. Hijikata's overall route felt a bit lackluster when compared to some of the other guys. Saito's character is super attached to those principles X'D Especially the way he talks about the sword, the bushido code, and 'orders'. It's like... that's all there is to his life  Although, I did like how he eventually warmed up in the end X'D Also, I always thought it was interesting how Kazama, in some of the other routes, went full on Mr. Menacing Bad Guy. It crushes me a little on the inside when I see him act so insanely evil, lol.

9 hours ago, spockitty said:

Whaaa, ok, I think we need to stop and compare notes. Which ones were romanceable in the original release? 

In the original, it was Hijikata, Saito, Okita, Heisuke, Harada, and Kazama. People like Nagakura and Sanan were important, supporting characters to the story, depending on whose route it was. There was no romance involved with them. I know the new versions has the three new guys, but there's even more than just the three of them? My head is spinning a little from all the available choices o_o;

On 7/20/2019 at 8:35 AM, spockitty said:

Welllll, I'm lame and I use walkthroughs from the get to. It just brings me so much anxiety that I could not make the right choice, that it's taking out of my enjoyment lol especially considering that it could cost you hours O-O I wondered if it's frowned upon among the genre enthusiasts, to just go along with a walkthrough. 

 

I also often speedrun through the bad endings .///. Hell, Hakuoki made me cry enough in the good  endings, that I don't think I'd have survived the bad ones >.> 

Hmm, I don't know if it's frowned upon. To me, I don't think it matters whether you use it or not. As long as you get enjoyment out of it, then that's all that matters ^^

Ahhh, the bad endings ;__; Especially Okita's endings? Or any of the other bad ones? 😭 Some of those were super hard to sit through. So I don't blame you~ Bad endings in VN never make me feel comfortable or good ;w;

On 7/20/2019 at 8:35 AM, spockitty said:

I didn't know there was an anime?!?! Is it actually worth watching contrary to the Hakuoki one? XD 

Um, well... I mean, it's nice to see the guys talk and move around X'D Although, I guess it was interesting to see the way the anime tries to connect each 'route' with the bigger plot thread. But uh, yeah, I think it's better to play the game because the anime is kind of confusing (especially if you haven't played the game before) and the MC comes off even more boring and flat than she already is in the game ^^; The quality of most otome animes is subpar at best when compared to their game counterpart >,> So yeah, I don't really recommend touching otome animes 😅

On 7/20/2019 at 8:35 AM, spockitty said:

Ken maybe? Ah, Kent! Yeah, he was the most harmless one among the selection, from what I remember X'D 

Yes, Kent! That was his name! Haha, yeah, I think he was the least... douchey? X'D Shin also wasn't that bad either. Some of those other guys, though 👀

On 7/20/2019 at 8:35 AM, spockitty said:

Ohmy, it's easy to choose when there are 5, but 12????? excluding Kazama duh, Harada was my first choice (he's flirty but genuine and funny and tall and I think fighting with a spear is sexy lol I love him), then the two new guys, Iba and Sakamoto (not gonna spoil you here ^.~) and maaaaybe Okita. Other than that, I was very surprised to like Heisuke as much as I did, Nagakura was like a brother, I had 0 interest in romancing him lol, Sanan was a mistake. I don't really get the hype over Hijikata and Saito o-o if you do, please enlighten me. What about youuu?!

Haha, omg, yeah! Harada is so funny and sweet. Despite his flirtatiousness, I loved how he had a big heart underneath and really cared for the Chizuru (the MC's canonical name)~ It was just so cute and adorable  Also, it made me smile when he said that his ultimate dream was to marry a girl and settle down. Like that was unexpected, but so sweet, haha. (And hell, yes. That spear made him look so good ^_~) Okita was such a strange one. Like he constantly threatened to kill Chizuru in a joking manner but then ended up liking her, lol. I did like his personal growth throughout the game. I guess since Hijikata is the 'main' guy, so he's bound to be popular. And Saito comes off as the 'cool' type so maybe that's why he's got lots of fans? (At least from my perspective.) Wow, you can romance Nagakura and Sanan in the new game? o_o Okay... Interesting X'D Ahhh, now I feel like I have to play the new version asap to learn about those new guys  My curiosity about them is bursting at the seams XP Ahhh~ Not going to lie, but I really loved Kazama because I am a sucker for guys with red eyes X'D (It also helped that his route was pretty good, too.) Aside from him, I actually liked Saito 'cause I thought his purple hair was cool, and I admired his steadfast principles. But now that I think about it, he can come off as a semi-boring character because of his stubbornness 🤔

(Also, sorry for taking so long with this response. I literally went back to watch the Amnesia anime because I totally forgot how it was like LOL >,>)

4 hours ago, spockitty said:

Yeeeeah, that's why I rely heavily on reviews, there's not enough hours in a day to plow through all of it, and as I get older I value my time more lol XD It's too bad that there's probably not much overlap between the titles you and I played, I'd love to compare notes some more! ._.

 

I have one burning question though. How do you play your average otome, do you check on walkthroughs or do you just choose the answers organically? 

Haha, honestly, I did the same thing. Even when I was drowning in otome games, I read other people's reviews because time was everything. Now that I'm older, I'm definitely going to take a peek at those review XD Even if we haven't played many of the same titles, I'd still love to do that~ Since there's probably a ton of similar elements used in all the games  

If I'm playing it for the first time, I usually play it blind to experience failing and seeing the bad ending, or getting the normal ending, haha. For games like Hakuouki where I've already played it multiple times... I cheat and use walkthroughs 😅 How about you?  

4 hours ago, spockitty said:

Yes! The amnesia part was what made the story exciting; you never knew who to trust or what to say, and that godling-or-whatever-he-was guy was not making things easier at times ^.~ Please, I don't think I'd have dated 75% of the otome guys in real life, which funnily enough makes it so interesting to experience those routes. Morbid curiousity, a guilty pleasure here and there and none of the consequences lol 

Haha, he tended to make things worst, didn't he? Especially with that 'split' personality ^^; Have you watched the Amnesia anime? 

4 hours ago, spockitty said:

I honestly can't recall what was Ikki's route about.  I remember all of the rest and this one escapes me uhhh There was something about his eyes having hypnotic powers or sth? Wait, I remember! That fanclub he had and the heroine pretending she's nothing to him, and him treating them better than her? Omg that pissed me off so much >.< Maybe that why I decided to forget it lol

Yeah, he had eyes which could make any girl fall in love with him. Haha, his route was something else ^^; I mean, they're a couple, right? You would have sworn by the way they were treating each other that they were anything but. I also really like Ikki's friend (I forgot his name). Even though he was the 'brainiac'/'intelligent' type, I found a part of him kind of sweet  Honestly, all the guys weren't so bad (minus the weird elements, lol). I forgot to ask, how did you feel about the guys in Hakuouki?  (Aside from Kazama, haha.)

4 hours ago, spockitty said:

I haven't had the chance to play a Chinese one yet, but Korean ones do feel different than Japanese. In subtle ways though, if you have both some Japanese and Korean culture knowledge, you will be able to tell, but otherwise, it's just another story in the same format. The meaningful difference is the medium, while in Japan PS Vita is the go-to platform for otome, in Korea it's just mobile phones, so there are a lot of Korean otome for Android. Basically Korea has their lightspeed internet and Japan has the nostalgia  The art style is subtly different also, like a difference between manga and manhwa.

 

Now western releases are a mixed bag or everything and anything, and you can never know what to expect X'D 

Ah, I see~ I'm now tempted to get a mobile phone with an Android OS to see how it plays, lol.

Haha, Western releases are either a hot mess or a fun rollercoaster  

Received some Verxina's goods~

- Both photoset types

- Keychains of Kaie and Mar 

13 hours ago, spockitty said:

The thing with Steam is, tbh there are heaps of visual novels on there. 90% of them are tiny, indie ones though, a lot of them are kickstarter projects, some are outright porn, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, English, hell weirdly enough Russian. I have like 40 VNs on my wishlist but I'm trying to pace myself and maybe finish the 20 I already own first???? I'm also an achivement completionist =.=/ I know some publishers make polls to gauge the interest of bringing certain titles to the Steam/western market but I honestly don't know enough about what's out there to participate.

Yeah, I just had a look around on Steam since I was a curious. Wow, there are a ton from a billion makers o.o My brain was having a hard time computing just how many hours I would need to spend playing every game X'D Ah, I didn't know there were polls. Sadly, I've been somewhat out of touch the recent otome game scene, so I'm not sure I could participate in those polls either.

13 hours ago, spockitty said:

Dogenzaka is (at times a beautiful) trash pile. I played through their Destiny's Princess, got bored (and slightly uncomfortable) halfway through and made a speed run out of the rest. I mean, one of the guys was her brother, another her FATHER (there was some reincarnation/other dimension stuff included so they were not TECHNICALLY related IN SPIRIT but the dudes didn't know that????) and one was a really abusive asshole. Neither of these facts is unique in the genre, hell, what's-his-name in Nightshade was heroine's cousin and that one crazy dude that locked the heroine in a cage in Amnesia? whooboy~ The point is, it can be done.... I hesitate to say "tastefully" but in a way that you can swallow those facts. This was not  The story was nothing to write home about either.

Erm, wow. Yeah, stories in otome games can be really bad, and sometimes the artwork, too. Wow, though. I should be shocked by those elements in Destiny's Princess. But playing a bunch of otome games has (sadly) made me realize how common those kind of odd/unsettling factors can be. It's a weird pill to swallow since it can make me feel uncomfortable. Ah, yeah, Touma in Amnesia... He is his own story ^^;

13 hours ago, spockitty said:

I've attempted to play this game two times and uninstalled it after maybe half an hour each time =.=/ The premise is, all the love interests are basically (not entirely willing) high class courtesans and the heroine is this poor, shy, virgin waif that stumbles into the brothel and gets showered with (not entirely consensual) sexual advances every 5 seconds from 5 different guys. Could have been some quick, cheap fun, don't get me wrong! But if the lack of consent, forced nudity and coersion didn't put you off, the quality of the translation/port will. It's atrocious. And I had to play it in a window half my monitor size because otherwise I ran into multiple weird UI issues. AND IT'S NOT CHEAP EITHER. The prize is the same as both parts of Hakuoki on Steam. Thank fuck I got it on sale.

Eesh =\ All together, it sounds like an unpleasant experience. I remember seeing when that game first came out in Japan, and thought the artwork looked great. But then I saw the story, and I was like... What? Oh boy. But wow. That pricing. Hakuouki is definitely a better investment, lol.

14 hours ago, spockitty said:

Phew, onto a more pleasant topic. Amnesia! It was the first otome I played I think (aside from that Russian one). I really really liked it! I liked that the story was interesting outside of the romance lol and yes, the art was great ❤️ My 13-year-old emo ass would plaster those guys all over my wall LOL Toma's route though ^^;;; I did not expect it, I was kinda disturbed and didn't know what is up and what is down after I was done with it  I liked Shin the most, surprisingly ^^

 

On the topic of getting thrown into cages, I've been playing Mystic Messenger (it's a Korean mobile otome, REALLY GREAT) and apparently one of the routes has similar tones in the bad ending... so I guess it's A Thing™.

Yeah, the story I thought was really interesting outside of the romance! I also kind of liked the premise that she had 'amnesia' and had to pretend to be dating some guy that she apparently loved in order to regain her memories. Haha, what an experience that would be, though  Yeah, not going to lie, Touma's route left me disturbed. I had no idea what to make of it other than that I would never date a guy like that in real life ^^; And the fact that it's a common element... Oh, otome games. I love you, but sometimes I question the elements in it ^^; Oh, and those girls in Ikki's route. That also left a weird taste in my mouth, too. Aw, yeah, I love Shin even if he's the 'poster boy' for the series XP Sometimes, I find it hard to choose a favorite when the guys are all cute dorks in their own way, lol.

14 hours ago, spockitty said:

Oooh so you haven't played the reworked version? I'm not sure how you will feel from the perspective of someone who knew the original, but I think they're worth it! ^^  

 

Yeah, that was my reaction also! XD I mean, both Miki and Takeda are pretty tasty but yep, both antagonists. Not even really a spoiler since you can tell from the first time they open their mouths ^.~ 

Unfortunately not yet ^^; But that's awesome to hear~ I actually don't mind the additions. If anything, I'm super curious as to how they're incorporated into the story because of how good the original game was. I'll definitely have to play it when I get the chance. 

Lol, I love how otome games let you know from the get-go who the 'bad guy' is  But still. What a shame X'D 

14 hours ago, spockitty said:

~le gasp~ why didn't I think of emulators???!!  I need to get on that!

Haha, yeah XD If you do decide to emulate, I can recommend some good (or bad, lol) PSP otome games  

14 hours ago, spockitty said:

Aaah yes, but it was over 10 years ago and only for a couple of years, my knowledge is pretty basic and rusty ^^;; I do get your point though, I think with a bit of extra effort I could get through an otome. I could even undust my ancient denshi jisho, though tbh these days google translate has reached a pretty good level, even with japanese, so it might be obsolete at this point.

Ah, I see. I didn't know! Many apologies for my incorrect assumption ^^; But yeah that's pretty much what I did when I played it. I cracked open the jisho to look up the words as I played it  Although, I guess, as you've mentioned, with google translate you don't really need one these days ^^; Times have really changed, lol.

14 hours ago, spockitty said:

Hell yeah there are!  The only one I could find on short notice is Lost in Secular Love, which is about romancing monks?  Actually I think, there are more Korean then Chinese otome. There's Nameless, Dandelion that are pretty big in scale, I think they're from the same developer as Mystic Messenger I've mentioned before. 

Haha, wow XD One can romance almost anyone even monks, lol! But it's nice to see that otome games have expanded outside of Japan. I remember it was mainly a Japanese thing, lol. How do the Korean/Chinese/etc. ones compare to Japanese ones? I've always been curious if it's any different or how the quality is. Although, it sounds like it's similar based on your comments~

14 hours ago, spockitty said:

My mind went into an entirely different, far dirtier direction lol halp

 

At this point I'm kinda worried someone will come along to kick us off this thread for barely clinging to the topic  

OH XD Haha! The things one can do with a Wii controller >,>;

Um, well, we're talking about games we're playing, so I think we're okay, right? ^^;

11 hours ago, spockitty said:

Well, to start of, that's very sad news that there might be no otome on par with Hakuoki atm. Now I kinda wish I didn't stumble upon it quite so early on in my otome journey, so maybe the B-rate games would have seemed like masterpieces without that comparison. I was hoping you would magically provide me with some hidden gems and my thirst could be finally sated, but alas I shall settle for everthing and anything available on Steam I suppose ^^;; I think the only other Otomate game that's on Steam is Amnesia: Memories, which I really liked also, but is much smaller in scale. Everything is smaller in scale comparing to Hakuoki geez, I think it took me over 100 hours to finish, which is like an AAA RPG game scale. 

Ahh, I'm so sorry  I didn't mean to put a damper on your desires to play more otome games >w< There are definitely some great ones other than Hakuouki (artwork and story-wise). But I don't think any of it can beat Hakuouki in terms of game time. Hakuoki, compared to most otome games, is a beast as you've already mentioned! Unfortunately, many other otome games are shorter.  But that doesn't make any of them horrible/atrocious. (And the ones I know of are on the PV Vita =s) Ah, Amnesia is pretty good, too. Not going to lie, but I like the artwork in that game, haha. How did you like it?  It's such a shame more otome games aren't available on Steam 😕 They really should put more on there especially since PC gaming is gaining more popularity. I haven't played any games made/released by Dogenzaka Lab, but Otomate is pretty good. There's another good maker, Rejet, but I don't think any of their games have been made available to the West =\

11 hours ago, spockitty said:

Ah yes, the main character is kinda ridiculous if you look at her from certain angles. She's supposedly a badass demon with healing powers, has some sword training and enough of a brain to disguise herself as a dude and travel alone AND on foot to another city, and all of those facts get barely any screentime. I wish she would have stayed in some sword fight for more than 5 seconds. That's why Kazama's route was one of my favourites, at least she had some spine SOMETIMES. 

Haha, I agree with you there. They give her all these cool and amazing qualities... But that's about it. A lot of it, as you've mentioned, gets glossed over quickly, and in the end, she never gets to showcase any of it. She ends up becoming the damsel in distress for the most part, and I think that makes her character/personality suffer quite a bit. Sometimes, I wished they would have focused on her and how she grew as a person, too. (Haha, more reasons to love Kazama's route X'D)

11 hours ago, spockitty said:

When I think about it, it must have taken some serious work to rewrite the entire story to fit 3 more characters and not make them seem like a slapped on afterthought. And each of them got a fairly original storyline too, which after dozens of hours with the same story from different angles, was a breath of fresh air. 

As for the new artist, I really don't understand the drama, but then again I'm not a longtime devoted fan or anything, so I'm not as invested I suppose. Before I even knew those 3 were drawn by a different person, I did notice that they're kinda more....shiny? XD As in, frankly, they're prettier (to be clear, not that they art is more pretty, just that they were drawn as prettier men?). I'd wager that Takeda and Miki were also drawn by the new artist? They pretty shiny too. And oh that lucious hair.

 

Yes I saw that an anime exists lol I was wondering how does it work, does it follow one route or something, do you know? Probably Hijikata if so.

Ooh, I see  I feel like I should play it soon to re-play the old routes and experience the new ones. 

Ah, yeah, it was (or still is maybe?) a huge thing for longtime devoted fans. I actually didn't know at first until I saw someone write all about it on their blog. Personally, I thought the art looked fine, and well, I thought the new characters looked really good X'D Yeah, both Takeda and Miki are drawn by the new artist. But I think they look great as well. When I first saw Miki's character (without knowing anything about him), I thought, wow... is he going to be dateable? XD Too bad he seems to be an antagonist in the story.

Yes, there are several, lol. Yeah, it pretty much follows Hijikata's route in every iteration they've made. I think there's also a manga for it, but I haven't read it yet. And there's also a prequel game and anime series for Hakuouki called Hakuouki Reimeiroku. It's more of a visual novel game rather than an otome one (if you play the game). But I guess it's interesting to watch/play if you like more screentime for the characters. I haven't watched the anime for that one, so I couldn't tell you how it compares ^^;

11 hours ago, spockitty said:

Thank youuu for that handy link of this guy's work, it's quite lenghty lol and wow aside from the games and animes, there are some interesting roles : Castiel in "Supernatural" (Live action), Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) in "Fifty Shades of Grey", Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) in "Black Panther", Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi". Kinda want to hear those FOR SCIENCE.

Haha, honestly, I chuckled when I saw he voiced a character from the movie, "Fifty Shades of Grey". A part of me is somewhat curious to hear him LOL

11 hours ago, spockitty said:

HAHAHA so you're saying there's no escape from this money sink? Damn but are some of those so expensive. 

 

Yeah, they've stopped producing the PS Vita a while back from what I remember. So maybe I should just bank on all those otome porting to something different sooner or later, as the consoles will eventually die out. It's a moot point anyway, since I really couldn't afford that at the moment lol Thank you for your opinion though ^^  You're right, I'm probably not quite as obsessed yet as to get a dedicated console just for this one genre.

Yeah, it's why I stopped buying imported games and relied as to whatever came out here in the West 😕 Well... I was half-joking? ^^;

Ah, okay, I didn't know they stopped producing the PS Vita. They'll probably port it to PC or somewhere else sooner than later. I can't imagine that they wouldn't with the existence of the otome market  If not, I think you could emulate the PSP games, at the very least. There's a lot of good ones on there as well. 

11 hours ago, spockitty said:

So, do you speak Japanese then, if you play those in Japanese? I've seen some people playing the Japanese or Chinese releases without knowing the language and it's mindboggling to me o-o how? 

I don't speak it super fluently, but I can read it since I've studied Japanese before ^^ I don't think you would have a problem either since you mentioned majoring in Japanese language? For the most part, the language (unless you're playing a game like Hakuouki steeped in complicated history) usually isn't too difficult to read and/or understand.  I had no idea there were Chinese ones? Wow, I have been living under a rock o.o

11 hours ago, spockitty said:

Pleeease, your brain? I was confused about the Switch because in my drunken brain I was thinking of Wii and was wondering what kinds of moves would you have to make to play an otome game LOL

Haha X'D Maybe it would have the player shake the Wii controller to say no LOL

11 hours ago, spockitty said:

Seems like we're just two peas in a pod there ^^;;;

Yes, it seems so as I've written another long post ^^; So sorry about that~

11 hours ago, spockitty said:

Dude I was so drunk writing this, I barely remember even doing it. Sorry in advance for...everything I guess ^^;;; 

 

From what you're saying, it's kind of amazing how Hakuoki is holding up through the years with the art and quality of the story. Taking aside the encyclopedic content of feudal japanese history, it's a pretty compelling story that I've yet to see surpassed by another otome (translated into english). 

 

So, Hakuoki-veteran-san, seems like you've been trough hell and back with this game, I wonder how do the previous releases compare to the Steam thing. Is Iba, Souma and Sakamoto's route a thing in the previous versions? I've seen some reviews criticising the art for these routes, because they were drawn by a different artist than the whole original content. And while Souma may just quietly die in a corner, Iba and Sakamoto? YES PLEASE.

 

Also, let's go back to Kazama's voice actor, could you point me to any other otome/project he stars in? Because YES, that VOICE.

 

 

Otome bringing me back to VK is pretty simple if you consider I used to major in Japanese language/culture in college, AND what brought me to that major is VK ^^; It just reminded me that I used to love all things Japanese. If you want to be precise, the first otome ( that's not really an original otome) I've stumbled upon was Sounds of Verity, which is a Russian anime visual novel that I bought for like 1$ on sale and once I realized it's a whole genre, the rest is history. 

 

So is PS Vita still a thing? Do you think it'd be worth acquiring at this point, solely for the purpose of playing otome games not available for the western market? 

 

As for Steam otome releases, it's a slowly growing genre but it's pretty hit and miss depending largely on the amount of funding? Like the Dogenzaka Lab's releases, they are B rate otome at best, but the translations drag them even lower geez........... I feel my brain melting reading those stories T-T 

 

Switch??????

How do you play otome on switch? does not compute~

 

 

No worries~ I was half-tired/sleepy writing my own post, so I apologize since I made some mistakes in my own explanations/sentences (as you will see later ><;)

I think, from all the different otome games I've played (which compared to some hardcore fans is barely much, lol), Hakuouki stands out as being one of the better series for the artwork and the quality put into the writing (for the most part), although characterization of the main character is a bit lacking. I guess that's why even though it has been created so long ago, Hakuouki still remains popular. Aside from the plain main character and the typical 'blood'/'vampire'/'demon' element/trope, I think the characterization of the guys were great and seeing how the game isn't afraid to deal with the complicated history of that time (with some liberties taken, obviously) fascinates me.  A part of me wishes, though, that they'd stop milking the series at this point ^^; I love the series, but I'd love it even more if Ideal Factory/Otomate could create another series with just as much quality and thought. I think they've put out some decent ones afterward, but somehow, I don't really see anything beating Hakuouki in terms of popularity. 

Haha, not sure if I'm not a veteran, I just love the series a little too much, lol. (I even own a wall scroll of Saito and Hijikata standing together ^^;) Ah, no. Souma, Iba, and Sakamoto were not a thing until the Steam/PC version. They were specifically added for this latest release. (In Japan, I think this version of the game was released on the PS Vita.) Originally, it was just the original Shinsengumi men and Kazama. Also, Kazama's route was lacking quite a bit in the original versions if I remember correctly. Yeah, the original artist, Kazuki Yone, got laid off or left the company. I'm not exactly sure what happened, although, it seems her and the company are on bad terms. I remember she had once made a finished sketch of Harada and showed it off on her social media, but she had to take it down due to Otomate/Ideal Factory getting on her butt about it. So yeah, there's some definite bad blood, but as to the exact reason why; I'm not sure ^^; (Fun fact: The company likes to hide the fact that she's not really drawing the series anymore even though it's not really a secret at this point.) So they had to get a replacement artist to replicate Yone's artwork for the later releases. (I've read that the artist's name is called Ikemeda Go or something along those lines on some random otome blog years ago, so I'm not sure if it's correct or not). I always thought it looked fine, but as you've seen, many people were unhappy with it. If you're curious, I think the replacement artist draws other Otomate/Ideal Factory games. (I'll have to get back to you on the name of those games because right now it's escaping my mind. Many apologies~ ^^;) Also, as a random note, there's lots of anime series/spin-offs for Hakuouki. But I wouldn't recommend watching it since the quality is not on par with the games. Well, unless you like to see your beautiful 2D characters move and talk in 'real time', lol.

Yes, I thought his voice actor, Tsuda, starred in many other otome games aside from Nightshade. (I was wrong. Blame my dysfunctional brain for trying to work during the wee hours of the night 8']) Other than Nightshade and Hakuouki, I don't think he's played as the main character in other otome games. He has been a side character for some, I think. Not sure about the mobile games he's taken part in, though. However, he has been in other videogames like Tales of Berseria and the recent game, Sekiro: Shadow Die Twice. He has also voiced a lot of characters in various anime shows. Here's a more thorough list of his career than I could ever provide, lol: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=39751. But yes~ I love his voice in the game ❤️ It's a part of what made me warm up to Kazama.

Ah, that's cool to have majored Japanese language/culture in college! I feel once you get into your first otome game, there's no going back ever x) Once you're in, you're in for life  

Hmm, I guess it depends how much you're (general usage of the term here) willing to spend on the games (in terms of time and money)? Cause, as you've mentioned, most are not released and/or translated in the West. And, as far as I know, most otome games in Japan still get released through the PS Vita or mobile/phone. If I'm not mistaken, some ports/versions of Uta no Prince-sama (and other lesser known otome games) are still stuck on the PSP, lol. Also, not all games are on the same level of quality like Hakuouki. Some otome games can be quite... um, the slough, to play through (depending on your tastes/opinion, though). So, I guess if you want to spend many hours on end playing imported otome games, then yes, I'd say it's worth getting a PS Vita. (Although, I think they've translated a few otome game for the PS Vita in the West.) If you want to casually play a few, then I think it might not be worth it since the PS Vita seems to be a dying handheld system. But that's just my humble opinion ^^; 

Ahem, yeah, I've seen the English translations for the otome games. Phew whee. It's, uh... something else very special, lol. It's one reason I try to avoid playing otome games in English, but it's a lot cheaper to buy the games once they're in the West @_@

Apparently, otome games on the Switch only exist in Japan, I think. (Oh, what was my brain thinking?? Maybe the beautiful pictures killed my brain cells ^^;) I agree. My brain. Can't comprehend this. (Here's the article talking about the picture hidden by the spoiler: Nightshade on the Switch in Japan)

Also, sorry for the insanely long post. I have no life when it comes to otome games ^^;

1 minute ago, spockitty said:

I only play on PC (fortunately/unfortunately?), so I only played Hakuoki on Steam in two parts that they have. From what I gather, there are some new routes on Steam, comparing to the previous releases? Maaaan, the Kazama route. I was like, are you crazy, game? this dude? and then it turned out to be my fav route ^^;;;  (the same seiyuu's on Nightshade otome as Hanzo, just sayin'). 

 

Discovering the genre came like a revelation to me really (I'm a long time RPG/manga fan and it pretty much combines both), I even briefly considered acquiring a PS Vita even though It's pretty much a relic at this point. Fun fact, otome's what brought be back to vk after that 10-year hiatus.

 

How did you play it Hakuoki??? Also, do you have any recs, pretty please?? I have dozens of questions really. There's not that big of a selection on Steam for otome games and I'm afraid that I've experienced the peak with Hakuoki and it's only downhill from there 😭a

Ah, okay~ Haha, yes, you're lucky! It originally started out on the PSP and has been remade like a bajillion times before the Steam/PC version XD Yes! I felt the same way about the Kazama route. At first, I remember thinking, hell no. And, in the end, his route became one of my favorites >,>; Honestly, I have replayed his route more than once and I never get bored of it. I need a life ^^;) I played it on the original PSP as well as most of the remakes/re-releases including the PS3 and 3DS. (Yes, I'm a bit gluttonous for the series. Can't help it when the character designs are so darn good ) Although, I actually still haven't played the Steam/PC version X'D (Oh, I had no idea. I know Kazama's voice actor stars in a lot of otome games, but I haven't played Nightshade yet. That voice though ^_~)

Funny, I originally bought the PS Vita for Persona 4 Golden (and some other games), but now my poor PS Vita pretty much only gets used for otome games, lol. (Ooh, how did otome bring you back into VK?  Just curious~)

Oh, no, that sucks to hear~ Sure, I don't mind answering any questions  Although, I'm not familiar with what's on Steam/PC as far as otome games go (so I'm not sure what games you've finished or not ^^;) I've mainly played on the PS Vita since most otome games get released on there as well. I had no idea otome games were coming out for the Switch, though. (I need to get one soon now... )   

I love the Ghibli movies; always gives my hearts the feels. I think one of my first Ghibli movies was Princess Mononoke, which I still quite like. I also highly recommend Kiki's Delivery Service. It was a heartwarming, cute movie (with some bittersweet elements). 

2 hours ago, spockitty said:

I'm usually rotating between 4-5 games, depends on what I'm in the mood for.

Atm:

Divinity: Original Sin 2 (I'm stuck on that fcking final fight jfc), Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire (when I'm in the mood for reading), Borderlands (when I want to mindlessly shoot at shit, also trying to finish them all before the 3rd one comes out XD), a random otome of the day (tho after Hakuoki all of them seem cheap and boring) and Hexcells Plus (a numbers puzzle game, when my brain needs a tickle).

 

I'm also trying really really hard not to fall into an MMO hell again, because I finally kinda have a life now and mmos are NOT conductive to maintaining a life outside of them... 

Otome games are always nice to play when I simply want to stare at some bishounen characters and read some text  Have you played the re-release/remake for Hakuouki? (I think it's the one on Steam right now.)

7 minutes ago, Kuro said:

I'm very careful when it comes to my stuff from Japan (but actually also for books, so it's not just this).

And yeah, I also keep everything inside, stickers, those tiny flyers for upcoming tours, even those stamp cards shops like Brand X sent with the order. 😅

Haha, same here! I kept every stamped Brand-X point card they sent to me, hoping I could use it one day (which can never get used sadly ^^;) and the random free magazines/flyers. Receiving packages is kind of like a treasure box, lol.