I completely respect your review and opinion, even though I have a completely different view of the themes in Matsurika. It's always so interesting to me to listen to other people's reviews of romance media because it's such a subjective genre. For instance, the way you described some of the plot lines are completely different then the way I'd describe them. Zebenera and Seirin's routes in particular felt to me like they were challenging the misogynistic views of the historical setting in a way that I haven't seen before in an otome game, which felt really refreshing. It really goes to show that one woman's trash is another woman's treasure
I've just finished the game and I agree. I'm not a fan of how the game executed some things, but not for the reasons put out here so I'm disappointed that the review was made in such a way that now ppl who haven't played the game are now going to come away thinking this game is disgusting and deplorable without even thinking for themselves as shown in the comments. No matter how you might feel this is not the way to present it, and viewers in turn should either try the game for themselves or find further reviews for a balanced view.
Thanks for comment! It is indeed so subjective! I personally liked Zebenera's route the most, I think he's a perfect loving husband 😍 I guess for me Enrai was the most progressive?
Maybe they found and commissioned a really good artist, artists in Japan don't get to live it up in Japan very much, any project is a welcome opportunity for the next 3-6 months
Maaaaaaan. Weirdly enough, in ancient Sparta, where they were REALLY focused on making strong offsprings, EVERYONE was subjected under that rule. Apparently women were encouraged to do sports, to keep fit. And older men with wives were adviced to let a young, fit man sleep with their wives, in order to make strong children. Like. Yes, a little weird, BUT it makes sense for their goal. And mind you, Ancient Greek was pretty misogynistic. AND IN ALL THIS, women weren't just "passive". Another thing that rubs me the wrong way about this secluded village, why would a woman be reduced to that? Throughout history, peasant women had more freedom than noble ladies. They all had to work! Do business, sell things, do work. Like yes, children are important too, but no one can just stay still. Everyone needed to work to survive. You also always had rebels who don't always adhere to the current society. So having this secluded village work like this, when they should need everyone to work, it's sooo weird. Sigh I really liked the art of the game, so this is disappointing... Thanks for the indepth review!
@@gilliantoh4658 No. It's true that ancient Chinese society were so misogynistic that female infant murder was a norm for thousands of years, but humans are still humans, even back them the idea of women being only baby making machines for men was seen as a shallow world view and frowned upon. Noble families took pride in having well read, talented daughters, collected their works and published for them. And peasant women were even more involved in the farm than men, women like 黄道婆 were worshiped for years for technology inventions.
Hate to tell you that it’s not that deep. It’s an Otome game for women who like to be looked down upon by men. it’s not supposed to be an accurate retelling of how these sorts of things went down in history. The backdrop is just an excuse for the events happening.
@@manggold8946The story depicts a command to pass down the bloodline of a queen for a certain power. This command got corrupted along the way. The part with the nobles was that way bc of madness and a curse.
@@pathetic2399the game was also transparent in saying some routes are for players who want to be protected by strong men. But nope nobody reads the staff blogs no one and then surprised.
I don't mind misogyny in the world building either, but the fact that this goes unchallenged is too much for me lmao Is the message of this game unironically "make babies!!! It's a woman's duty to pump out babies and have no life outside of baby raising and husband caring!" yikes 💀 Why adress the societal and systemic problems that lead to lower birth rates when you can just tell women to "shut up and do their job"...
Yes like in Olympia the LIs and the MC are in a sexist and racist society but they are all striving to improve it and fix things in their own way which is why it makes that game so good for me.
@@gilliantoh4658 Unchallenged as in the narrative itself seems to agree with this worldview. For a story to challenge something, literally having the mc end the patriarchy isn't necessary, a story can be critical of aspects of society without giving the characters a magical solution. Also, it's a story with magical fire, but the misogyny has to be 100% accurate? It's a modern game, meant for a modern audience, it will inevitably be judged through a modern lens. It's ok to like this type of story but people are allowed to be critical of it too.
@@shinjimatou6778 I think it is a subjective opinion then, because DL for me is a huge joke. But this game scares me, because it tries to appear serious.
@@shinjimatou6778 at least DL pushes that good morals are important and healing (for Yui to escape the vampire trying to takeover her body) while this game straight up delivers the message misogyny is ok 😂
@@aureliaavalonno it never promotes that. There are even some routes where Naaya does things her own way but standing out is sure fire death, like it or not. They’ve lived in a village with corrupted values and that’s what the whole game is making you aware of, it’s not saying it’s okay, it’s shown as horrible and cruel.
I'm speechless.... In a bad way... Thank you for the review, I'll never play this game now. Why create so interesting world and then do nothing about it in the game??? That's so sad.😢
misogyist in world building i dont mind, because history is icky. and you could make good plot about it to. But if the the main theme of the game and saying that it is misogyny is okay that a huge no for me. Seems like this game is base on olden days writing . Kinda remind me of old shojo where i always get mad of the gullible mary sue mc but there always a guy out of nowhere to save her. usually the guy is a red flag. I'm sad though, the art is so nice.
@@gilliantoh4658 i am not fluent in english and i know how hard it is to write in english But if you are gonna try to defend misogeny i am not gonna try to defend your bad english
How is it the best guy for her was her friend but he literally dies. Then he is reincarnated as someone else and the dude wipes her memory like wdf kinda plot is that.
Thank you for warning me about this. I thought the art was gorgeous, so I was thinking of getting it if there's a localization, but after coming off of Jack Jeanne, I don't think I have the patience for a story or characters like this.
@@navii7923 In Jack Jeanne, the subject of gender is dealt with really well imo, so it kind of spoiled me and raised my standards when it comes to how otome handle relationship dynamics.
Girl. Women suffer more I a country with low birth rate than men. Women usually earn less, and work less than men. Inflation will go up when there is no replacement young workers. Men can keep up with inflation but most women can't. Don't talk about low birth rate as it is men problem. It started when women started to enroll in the job market.
Yeah Anagoue A Hate Story has a misogynist setting but a feminist outlook, it’s amazing. It shows the horror of misogyny but also shows that love survives even in such dystopian worlds… only to rip apart that love at the hands of misogyny once you’ve become attached to underline the message of how scary misogyny can be.
If you actually played the game one of the messages of the story was that the world is the way it is because people and instructions were corrupted along the way. This village was asked to be fruitful and multiply to carry on a special magical factor and keep the bloodline pure, but 1000 years later they became draconian about it and no one realized. There’s some routes where that duty is abandoned, but I’d admit they didn’t do that properly in some.
Sometimes it feels like these games are made by old men who have no idea what women actually want or seek from romance games... either that or people who are so used to reading the male POV in all forms of media that they're unable to think outside the box and provide an interesting and different perspective for women. I don't want to play a "average experience as a women in the olden days" simulator when I pick up otome games, I want to romance cute and unrealistic anime boys in a fun/unique setting. Meanwhile eroge and VNs for men are filled with tropes they love and barely any misandry, while we have a huge company like otomate churning out low-effort games filled with misogynistic tropes.
It just makes me sad that because these games sell well in Japan, those old men don't realize that these stories are actually so damaging to women and likely don't even care.
@@------........................ Yeah sadly as long as there are people willing to buy it, they will continue to make it. The opinion on matsurika in japan seems to be split 50-50 with some otome gamers making similar points to Lin, while others are the usual otomate consumers who enjoy most of their stuff. Idk. Its just frustrating because otome is our corner for women to really enjoy something catered to us 100% but even then old men can't help but contaminate it with their shit views
yep there was a recent interview with some (mostly male) directors from Otomate where they mentioned how they try their OTOME games to appeal to men just as much as to women. which wouldn't be that big of an issue if their idea of appealing to men wasn't mysoginy and other weird stuff
@@yukikurosu260 i never said that women cant enjoy dark romance/noncon or that romance should only be cute, i enjoy plenty of dark tropes myself. Please do not put words into my mouth.
That would be a really good story idea; a transgressors becomes the villainess of this otome game because of her radical views. She is able to navigate the world to best suit her needs thanks to her knowledge of the events in the game. And also taking down the male leads a peg!
PLEASEE this sounds EXACTLY like those stories the main character reads before mysteriously getting hit by a truck or fainting in their room and waking up in the story in the villainess' body 💀💀💀 if someone gets transmigrated into this game they'll probably start an uprising for the women's rights lol that sounds way more interesting than whatever this game is.
it’s exactly the type of game where the first thing they think upon realizing is “I’m fucked” and try their hardest to avoid every single route or escape to an unknown county.
I feel like this concept could work more for a yuri wlw oriented game, maybe making it about the protagonist falling in love with a girl despite everyone around them being against it because it breaks their "propose", having the two girls slowly accepting their feelings, it sounds more interesting to me.
Why did they even gave her special powers with her eyes if they are not gonna utilize it story wise 😭 I'm so disappointed, the art is so good and I heard it's spicy so I was really looking forward for this one but those premise are so horrible, I'm probably just gonna skip this if it ever get localized.
thank you for the cool review. gotta admit for the range of otome games, this one is very extreme in the traditional department; a bit disappointed that the focus is so extremely on baby making but not even in a sexy or interesting way... the bit about the liquor given to her by a friend; as well as her having no knowledge or power is also very disturbing.
It is 😅 Right? It could have been a sexy setting, but they went too far in too many aspects... Yup, at the liquor scene I was already very weary of what to come...didn't disappoint
Technically, this is extremely rare game, I hadn't seen like this before until now, it's focus is very creative, and I'd like too see game that was an opposite of this game.
Noooo I just realised I was eyeing one of the characters (the blue haired pretty man) I hate when media I dislike has the prettiest art (looking at you Diabolik Lovers) Thank you for making otome videos, your channel is such a safe space ♡
@@SorarikoMotonesome hate it some love it. I've been in it for so long and its lost its touch now, but i can see where its charms are. Just take it as targeted towards a specific audience than bash it
I think it's more woman who have traditionalist fantasies. I dont know gow common it is for otomes but something like this at least represents an ideal for someone. Honestly going in with thr thumbmail snd themeing i thought it be an eroge
Aren't all otome games like this where there is heroine and harem of pretty boys ? They are often genius or with high position and sometimes ordinary and sometimes not heroine pique their interest. It is high fantasy made for women where they have power to decide which men that are often above their standarts they want to be with. Art is pretty good. I don t understand how it is different compared to other games.
It is an Otome game made for women, and there are women out there that bought and enjoyed it. Contrary to popular belief, some women have these fantasies, and that’s why games like this exist to cater to them specifically. If it’s not something that you enjoy, move along.
I thought the red haired childhood friend's design was nice, and when you said he actually respects the main girl I got excited, maybe this route would actually do something interesting and make up for the other poor writing decisons! And then I find out he dies in the first chapter and gets replaced with a weird fairy guy??? That sucks
It's not 'weird fairy guy' they just tried to do the reincarnation thing but they stopped short of exploring the question of We're different people now and the separate souls should have their own lives. This plotline had happened before but in this one they just didn't go through with it properly so yeah it was a different guy for half the route with bare conclusion.
NOOOO!! YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE!!!! I remember you showcasing this game a few month ago and i fell utterly in love with the wolf character and now you tell me its a terrible game? 😭
Wolf boy was the best boy I think 🥰 he was generally the most caring and gentle - still the set-up and world view is the same in his route, but at least I felt loved by him
The step up honestly doesn’t sound too bad, but the fact they don’t try to expand it or say anything is a problem. Like I’m surprised they didn’t at least try a route where a prince doesn’t want to marry her and have kids and just dose so out of obligation. Like would it have been so hard to write a character who isn’t obsessed with baby making?! The best friend route ending sounds like something out of a horror game. Naive protagonists can be done right, ex: Cardia from code realize. But what makes her work is the fact she’s not just learning about the world, but how to be human, she goes from not caring if she dies to wanting those she cares about and wanting to live. They could have very easily made the protagonist of this game overly curious because how sheltered she was which gets her into trouble.
Take this gorgeus art and designs into another plot TwT thanks for the review, i am not up to read this. Saved me money for another Otome deserving my money :)
After watching this video, it's safe to assume this game will not get an English localisation. The rampant misogynistic premise would cause a lot of controversy in the West, especially given the rise of the childfree movement over here and general intolerance towards misogyny among younger women. IFI and Aksys would be foolish to localise this as it would damage their brands (even if the license is cheap). Instead, they should use this as an opportunity to finally localise one of the legacy Otomate titles we've been waiting on instead. Thanks for taking one for the team by covering this game Lin! 🥰
I would probably hate this game if i play It. I agree with people in the comments, this game was not written by women, or at least they're not in charge to decide the plot
"x couldn't possibly have been done by a woman!" I despise this statement and how prevalent it is because of the many times where, yes, it usually was done by a woman.
When a Otome game is mysogynist like this it keeps reminding me of the Would you rather meet a Man or a Bear in a forest. Its like the only reason a girl would get with any of these men is for survival and not because they're actually worth your time. ( I say this as someone that has never played this game) Like when its only about survival its not love, its stockholm syndrome at best and that is not how a healthy and equal partnership works. It almost always ends in abuse. Meaning that it would probably consist of mostly Bad Endings. An if not then it will most likely be glorifying abusive relationships or coerced relationships and THAT is just NOT OKAY. That just makes this game a trauma bonding game at best and a cautionary tale at worst. And I get the feeling that that is not what the production team had in mind when they made it I'm almost sure. (I could stand corrected) If they made it like this to be "Original" or "Groundbreaking" or "Different" or "Quirky" then I think I'm not getting it. Sorry for the rant but this kind of trend in Otome is worrying but maybe I'm the one overthinking it.
I think from a realistic perspective you're right, the MC doesn't know she has a choice but to do her 'duty as a woman' In the game they meant to make them fall in love, but it wasn't very relatable to me .. In which ways did you notice a trend? From the games I've played this rather seemed like a rare exception to me
Most are made with a different kind of culture and preferences in mind. The real only way to deal with this is to have more variety of stories and maybe reach out to non commercial titles, bc commercial ones will always reach the majority.
@@gilliantoh4658 that's what I don't get. Like I know the term otome comes from Japan so a lot of them are therefore targeted more towards Japanese women in the first place but it's just like... It's a cultural thing to be okay with having your agency removed? Your consent ignored as the "love interest" is forcing you to have sex with them at worst and just treating you like shit at best? And to be clear here, I'm not talking about all otome games being like this, there's lots of great ones out there, I'm specifically talking about the misogynistic ones. These games are supposed to be, on some level, fantasy fulfillment for young women but even in the good ends like in the video, you'll have some pretty heinous stuff. So culturally speaking, it's hard for me to understand companies targeting this demographic saying that these women want x misogynistic scenario where they are put down and degraded without their character's consent. With all the talk about low birthrates and women's rights movements against this over there, it tells me that that's not the case which just leaves me doubly confused on why there's so many otome games like this.
@@kattz9051sometimes people play to not bother about consent, and in playing it gives people control rather than in real life. This is a choice of enjoyment. Its why some ppl like dubcon and noncon and dangerous situations, horror etc. This also varies from person to person.
@@kattz9051no it's okay we are all weird and we have our tolerances, there's just no need to say something is bad just bc we personally feel its abhorrent. I think that's what matters.
Thank you for your service and playing this game so we don't have to! It's giving Olympia Soiree but an even worse female protagonist. The artwork is gorgeous, and that's probably the only thing going for it.
You're welcome 😁 I also feel they tried to be similar to Olympia Soirée, but failed miserably 😅 because they forgot Olympia Soirée is actually about love and not about making babies...
Have you played 'My vow to my liege' on steam? I think that is a game where the heroine is very strong in a Ancient Chinese setting and the plot is very cool.
I think that sheltered characters can be written well, like Fiona from Black Wolves Saga, who learn about the outside world and has a good character growth. Really glad I decided to not buy Matsurika no Kei though ,D The art was tempting, but the setting seemed "eh" to me. Thank you for the review!
@@LinLinLavender exactly! They were done really well, and I enjoyed both of these games. Haha, I definitely will! There were a couple of jp indie games that caught my eye, so maybe I'll try them 👀
I'm a dude so I'm no otome expert but...I just think you're not the target audience of this particular work. Don't forget that while you despise the idea of being a weak female protected by a strong man, a large number of women fantasise about it, especially in regions like Asia. I really don't think this is misogynistic, more of just a roleplay for girls who want to live the "being cared for and protected by big strong intelligent man". If that makes the girls happy, then so be it. Besides, for the majority it's fantasy, not a realistic dream. I've seen people play vns where the male protagonist is abused, insulted, and ridiculed for being a male but the reason I won't call it misandry is because that's doing something for the male target audience if you get what I'm saying
I’m a woman and I agree. A lot of the people who are complaining about this game are not in the target demographic and therefore assume that every other woman thinks and feels the same way as them, not realizing that there are plenty of people who enjoy this sort of game. Just because it’s an Otome game does not mean it’s for “you”, or even all women. Not everything is for everyone, and there exists things in every genre that not everyone who enjoys said genre will like. Instead of taking a moral grandstanding or trying to pin the blame on sexism, or even men for these sorts of things existing, I feel like people who don’t enjoy these sorts of games should just back off and look into the things they like. Leave people to their weird, delulu fantasies.
I think the difference is that the world actively reinforced sexist beliefs and then just did nasty stuff and nothing really got fully resolved, I also like the damsel in distress trope usually, but this doesn’t feel well executed at all
Perhaps it is their way to increase natality? But, if that was the goal.. I think a dystopian futuristic setting will work more: -By law you donate sperm and ovul to the country so the population grows or decreases in a planned manner. Every child is born in a lab without the parent knowing their offspring, being part of a cog machine that has lost the concept of family as we know it. -Then you could add the characters that will be the exceptions: to make a connection with a partner, and be a _family_ like the old times. That still pushes the idea of having kids as the ultimate goal in romance, but still is rewarding by being a rebel to the system. Because when the setting is so _cold_ the little things we take for granted (and maybe don't care for) have more value. At least... that is what I think, I could be wrong about it xD Thanks for the review, and sorry for my rambling.
Part of it is just a way to keep the village insulated. They can't intermarry outside though, there was a factor they had to keep pure. Another is a dying clan. Another is bc there were only daughters and a curse driven into madness The way things may go about may be off putting but I assure you its the least of the problems with this game. The whole pressure to have children is something any body under old confucian upbringing here is very familiar with, and none of us are excusing it, but its part of our life already even tho its fading out.
There’s a lot of these in otome/shoujo/bl as well as actual western novels targeted towards certain female demographic, just the sort of toxicity that exists only in a fictional setting. It deserves to be studied tbh. Like there will be people who will judge it for its morals and stance, but it’s so popular.
Its simple and there's been studies for years already. Ppl just like to look at the depraved and controversial in art for decades in a safe and controlled space. Art is meant to do that. Expecting correct morals in art can go south into censorship.
Eh, i dont know sis. Enchanted by the Moonlight still exists. So, as far as I'm concerned, that game _easily_ takes the cake for the award of "If Misogny Was A Game"
Thank you so much for persevering through this whole game to report on it for us! ❤ I think a lot of Otome games have a bit of misogyny in them. But the beauty of a GOOD Otome is how the female protagonist defies that in some way. Sadly not happening in this one apparently
Unlike what some other people are saying, I quite enjoy the misogyny trope in fiction so I enjoyed this game a little bit, although I wouldn't rank it high due to other reasons.
@@LinLinLavender Mainly the decision making and execution of things in most of the routes, I feel like they could have done the writing more justice in that aspect.
And the artwork is so gorgeous! The heroine looks absolutely beautiful and cute! I doubt it would ever be localized unless they drastically changed literally everything 😂 Too bad the art seems to be it's only redeeming feature
Ngl they should've just made it a hentai breeding kink game or at least leaned more into kinky dom/sub stuff like Diabolik Lovers does. It sucks that the character designs and art style look so good
Dialovers doesn't even have dom/sub stuff, any of these kinds of things are not allowed on console due to censorship laws, and otomate is a company that only deals with SFW. Also the whole 'breeding kink' is nothing but old asian grandmother stories to get hitched faster.
I waiting for your thoughts in this gamer 😂 love your review. To be honest I’m not a fan of this game since it’s announcement, because I’m not in to the ‘finding hubby and making babies vibes’ type of game (yeah Olympia Soire). I’m not good at English sorry.
Randomly stumbled about this and can't believe i watched it in it's entirely... the way you describe it is so funny 😭😭 the art is gorgeous, and the prince is so pretty, shame his route is about fighting off his father?? 😭
Thanks 🥰 not everyone noticed I aimed at a funny exaggeration At least the prince is a really gentle character 😊 and the second half of his route features some really nice plot for him!
it's incredibly disappointing when they had all the tools to make a great game only to throw it all away. The art style looks superb plus the sci-fi setting could've made for a very interesting game.
I guess they're appealing to those who like dark fiction? Dark kinky stuff is catered to a specific type of audience, so I understand why its frowned upon. To me, its just another game so it doesn't phase me one bit.
Its not even dark and kinky...yeah some ppl may not like the whole you must have children to pass down certain traits and mob mentality but this isn't dark at all
Ah yes, another game where a girl is completely under the mercy of her """"LOVE"""" interests and is constantly manipulated, thrown around, etc. With a horrible story disguised by beautiful, eye-catching art. In case we don't get enough misogyny in our lives and don't already get treated like objects and babymakers.
It is super chinese dramas lol, there's always stories about whether or not being able to beget an heir or pass down their bloodline whatnot that much of the things here that I played, albeit kind of weird at some points, are not all that uncommon.
6:23 im so angry at this game having the best art like ever. Why is the white haired woman so hot?? I want her! What's wrong with you, game?? (Dont mind me im just hella gay)
this is so interesting since on diff platforms I've seen a lot of people having varying perspectives on the game so if Ill prob still give it a shot and give my own take once it is localized I believe in 2025? Art and character designs r just too good I'm afraid but I would like to see how some routes attempt to challenge gender roles, norms, and societal structures bc I heard world building is good and maybe it is at least somewhat addressed? the childhood friend route seems insane tho but I appreciate diff reviewers perspectives bc I heard from some ppl his route was the best so who knows
@@loventaes always good to get some more opinions! Yes, I think there will be a Chinese localisation Perspectives are so different! Hope you'll enjoy it!
I'm pretty desensitized when it comes to Otomes and even I find this disgusting. A shame, because the art is very pretty. Some writers need to keep their fetishes to themselves.
I can't believe this was recent. Whole set-up reminds me of Diabolik Lovers and Amnesia, which was outrageous for most despite the gorgeous presentation, and there's why "Otome" (basically harem genre but focused on female with multiple male love interests) genre didn't really take off (given that they portray the protagonist as submissive very often instead of having their own agencies). Also in a slightly unrelated note for a month and half i went into a racing game binge and i see that most (if not all) of the Western (Notably Tokyo Xtreme Racer and Burnout didn't, and Ridge Racer is pretty tasteful) made games (excepting Burnout) of the last decade or two tends to view woman/female as scantily clad, sexualized "support character" kind of way. Only Juiced 2 managed to improve marginally by having a female playable driver, but that's it, the whole thing might not take off in the PS4 era, let alone today.
"genre didn't take off'' because the majority gaming community keeps looking down on otome games for being 1)targeted to women 2)being mainly visual novels 3)being primarily romantic. There's a growing niche with a great variety and we're fine with that, it'll never be mainstream. There's also a large variety of player characters, saying they are often submissive is lack of understanding that there's something for everybody, and there's different ways good characters are shown. Also please don't compare bigger, general or male oriented games with otome please. That's a different can of worms and we are NOT associated with that.
@@gilliantoh4658 perhaps for otome genre the only notable thing i ever knew is "all routes lead to doom" or something (and that's an anime) because the main protagonist there has her own agency and basically act as the leader for the entire group as a whole (it helps that the main protagonist is supposedly a reincarnated girl that took over the role of a villainess in the otome visual novel she played and took a massive change in personality that nobody, even in-universe people, realized).
@@meyers0781hamefura is part of the Isekai tensei villainess which has barely anything to do with the actual otome genre(well aside from the fact it did get a real otome game but its nothing more than turning catarina into the MC). Don't use this as an example because it is not meant to be a 'wow otome games should be like this'. The villainess tensei trope just uses otome games as a backdrop, but when ppl try to find it in real otome games they don't find it. Its a separate genre.
@@gilliantoh4658 i mean, thats why its OTOME, romance is a main part of it. if you dont want romance - that would be just joseimuke. Touken Ranbu is a joseimuke, for example. No romance, some character do clearly have certain.... pining towards saniwa (the nickname for the mc), but mc is undefined and there's not indication of reciprocation. Also largely lacks a plot besides collecting more sword men.
@@SorarikoMotoneI know all that but that wasn't the point, I just was pointing out why otome games didn't 'take off' is bc the genre, even joseimuke games is looked down upon in the gaming world.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 79 | คู่เอก "ก้องชัย vs อาเมียร์"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/WfPSA1A0NHc/mqdefault.jpg)
I completely respect your review and opinion, even though I have a completely different view of the themes in Matsurika. It's always so interesting to me to listen to other people's reviews of romance media because it's such a subjective genre. For instance, the way you described some of the plot lines are completely different then the way I'd describe them. Zebenera and Seirin's routes in particular felt to me like they were challenging the misogynistic views of the historical setting in a way that I haven't seen before in an otome game, which felt really refreshing. It really goes to show that one woman's trash is another woman's treasure
I've just finished the game and I agree. I'm not a fan of how the game executed some things, but not for the reasons put out here so I'm disappointed that the review was made in such a way that now ppl who haven't played the game are now going to come away thinking this game is disgusting and deplorable without even thinking for themselves as shown in the comments. No matter how you might feel this is not the way to present it, and viewers in turn should either try the game for themselves or find further reviews for a balanced view.
Thanks for comment!
It is indeed so subjective!
I personally liked Zebenera's route the most, I think he's a perfect loving husband 😍
I guess for me Enrai was the most progressive?
okay.... but why is that art so good?!!! that is absolutely unfair
I know! One of the reasons I thought it is necessary to make a spoiler review...so you know what's behind the art
ITS HOW THEY TRY TO TRICK US
Maybe they found and commissioned a really good artist, artists in Japan don't get to live it up in Japan very much, any project is a welcome opportunity for the next 3-6 months
ikrr, also i the thumbnails and art looks a lot like hyanna nasty and u should check them out, i don’t think they made these though
most otome titles are like that see Diabolik Lovers and Amnesia
Maaaaaaan. Weirdly enough, in ancient Sparta, where they were REALLY focused on making strong offsprings, EVERYONE was subjected under that rule. Apparently women were encouraged to do sports, to keep fit. And older men with wives were adviced to let a young, fit man sleep with their wives, in order to make strong children. Like. Yes, a little weird, BUT it makes sense for their goal. And mind you, Ancient Greek was pretty misogynistic. AND IN ALL THIS, women weren't just "passive".
Another thing that rubs me the wrong way about this secluded village, why would a woman be reduced to that? Throughout history, peasant women had more freedom than noble ladies. They all had to work! Do business, sell things, do work. Like yes, children are important too, but no one can just stay still. Everyone needed to work to survive. You also always had rebels who don't always adhere to the current society.
So having this secluded village work like this, when they should need everyone to work, it's sooo weird. Sigh
I really liked the art of the game, so this is disappointing...
Thanks for the indepth review!
In china its like that lol.
@@gilliantoh4658 No. It's true that ancient Chinese society were so misogynistic that female infant murder was a norm for thousands of years, but humans are still humans, even back them the idea of women being only baby making machines for men was seen as a shallow world view and frowned upon. Noble families took pride in having well read, talented daughters, collected their works and published for them. And peasant women were even more involved in the farm than men, women like 黄道婆 were worshiped for years for technology inventions.
Hate to tell you that it’s not that deep. It’s an Otome game for women who like to be looked down upon by men. it’s not supposed to be an accurate retelling of how these sorts of things went down in history. The backdrop is just an excuse for the events happening.
@@manggold8946The story depicts a command to pass down the bloodline of a queen for a certain power. This command got corrupted along the way. The part with the nobles was that way bc of madness and a curse.
@@pathetic2399the game was also transparent in saying some routes are for players who want to be protected by strong men. But nope nobody reads the staff blogs no one and then surprised.
This game feels like a clean up and stanized version on hentai plot, for mass publication
Lol, I was just about to comment that
Why do childhood friends always get the shortest end of the stick lmao
Real lmao
I don't mind misogyny in the world building either, but the fact that this goes unchallenged is too much for me lmao Is the message of this game unironically "make babies!!! It's a woman's duty to pump out babies and have no life outside of baby raising and husband caring!" yikes 💀 Why adress the societal and systemic problems that lead to lower birth rates when you can just tell women to "shut up and do their job"...
You should see the reverse in the Black Jewels trilogy. It's dark sh*t but the retribution swift and satisfying.
Yes like in Olympia the LIs and the MC are in a sexist and racist society but they are all striving to improve it and fix things in their own way which is why it makes that game so good for me.
Its ancient china. It obviously goes unchallenged. Look at the chinese court dramas its the same thing. Defiant women get shown in a bad light.
@@gilliantoh4658 Unchallenged as in the narrative itself seems to agree with this worldview. For a story to challenge something, literally having the mc end the patriarchy isn't necessary, a story can be critical of aspects of society without giving the characters a magical solution. Also, it's a story with magical fire, but the misogyny has to be 100% accurate? It's a modern game, meant for a modern audience, it will inevitably be judged through a modern lens. It's ok to like this type of story but people are allowed to be critical of it too.
Probably that's the narrative choice they're going for, it's surely off-putting if you're not into it.
So you are telling me it is worse than DIABOLIC LOVERS? Holy shit.
It's not. There's so much exaggerated here. Please supplement with other reviews than this.
Exaggerated review. DL is much worst
@@shinjimatou6778 I think it is a subjective opinion then, because DL for me is a huge joke. But this game scares me, because it tries to appear serious.
@@shinjimatou6778 at least DL pushes that good morals are important and healing (for Yui to escape the vampire trying to takeover her body) while this game straight up delivers the message misogyny is ok 😂
@@aureliaavalonno it never promotes that. There are even some routes where Naaya does things her own way but standing out is sure fire death, like it or not. They’ve lived in a village with corrupted values and that’s what the whole game is making you aware of, it’s not saying it’s okay, it’s shown as horrible and cruel.
Girl what on earth 😭😭 it's crazy how rancid every single route manages to be? Who greenlit this??
I guess they were so enamored by the art🌚 but I want to throw up now. That onetime I'm glad spoilers r good for us
I'm speechless.... In a bad way... Thank you for the review, I'll never play this game now. Why create so interesting world and then do nothing about it in the game??? That's so sad.😢
You're welcome ☺️
Honestly it makes more sense in the true route, but still ...turned out very different than expected
Just don't play it
@@chithiennguyen1371 Thanks for the unnecessary advice, nice human.:3
misogyist in world building i dont mind, because history is icky. and you could make good plot about it to. But if the the main theme of the game and saying that it is misogyny is okay that a huge no for me. Seems like this game is base on olden days writing . Kinda remind me of old shojo where i always get mad of the gullible mary sue mc but there always a guy out of nowhere to save her. usually the guy is a red flag. I'm sad though, the art is so nice.
I agree! Those setups still can be fun for me, but then I don't want the MC and LI be totally ok with the world building...
@@chithiennguyen1371you write like a 10 yo
@@miigi-p4939I don’t agree with how the person is saying it, but bro, not everybody is fluent in English
@@gilliantoh4658 i am not fluent in english and i know how hard it is to write in english
But if you are gonna try to defend misogeny i am not gonna try to defend your bad english
@@miigi-p4939then don't even do it. It makes you the asshole.
what a shame, the art is so pretty.
Exactly...😔
The way my jaw dropped with the childhood friend story! I kept saying wtf through the whole video
I know, I was so excited for. The character (because of my favourite voice actor) and then they did that...
How is it the best guy for her was her friend but he literally dies. Then he is reincarnated as someone else and the dude wipes her memory like wdf kinda plot is that.
Tragic reincarnation plot, full of it in chinese xianxia
Thank you for warning me about this. I thought the art was gorgeous, so I was thinking of getting it if there's a localization, but after coming off of Jack Jeanne, I don't think I have the patience for a story or characters like this.
You're welcome! Oh yeah, I believe it would be a shock after JJ 😅
What happened in JJ?
@@navii7923 In Jack Jeanne, the subject of gender is dealt with really well imo, so it kind of spoiled me and raised my standards when it comes to how otome handle relationship dynamics.
@@fairfarren38 thanks for the explanation
Is this the best plan the developers came up with to help japan with the baby crisis ?😂
Oh, that's why! 😂
Girl. Women suffer more I a country with low birth rate than men. Women usually earn less, and work less than men. Inflation will go up when there is no replacement young workers. Men can keep up with inflation but most women can't.
Don't talk about low birth rate as it is men problem. It started when women started to enroll in the job market.
Lmao I know youre joking but this could very well be true 😂
@@SemekiIzuio who knows 😉
69.....
This feels more like a fetish game than an actual game that aims to have a story
Its not a fetish game, it’s sfw, theres a lot of things exaggerated in the review too in spite of personal distaste.
For me the plot also felt like an adult game 😅
There actually is a story though as well (but I never care about that)
A misogynistic setting is not necesserally a bad thing as long as the heroine is allowed to challenge it even if it's a little bit.
Yeah Anagoue A Hate Story has a misogynist setting but a feminist outlook, it’s amazing. It shows the horror of misogyny but also shows that love survives even in such dystopian worlds… only to rip apart that love at the hands of misogyny once you’ve become attached to underline the message of how scary misogyny can be.
If you actually played the game one of the messages of the story was that the world is the way it is because people and instructions were corrupted along the way. This village was asked to be fruitful and multiply to carry on a special magical factor and keep the bloodline pure, but 1000 years later they became draconian about it and no one realized. There’s some routes where that duty is abandoned, but I’d admit they didn’t do that properly in some.
Sometimes it feels like these games are made by old men who have no idea what women actually want or seek from romance games... either that or people who are so used to reading the male POV in all forms of media that they're unable to think outside the box and provide an interesting and different perspective for women. I don't want to play a "average experience as a women in the olden days" simulator when I pick up otome games, I want to romance cute and unrealistic anime boys in a fun/unique setting. Meanwhile eroge and VNs for men are filled with tropes they love and barely any misandry, while we have a huge company like otomate churning out low-effort games filled with misogynistic tropes.
It just makes me sad that because these games sell well in Japan, those old men don't realize that these stories are actually so damaging to women and likely don't even care.
@@------........................ Yeah sadly as long as there are people willing to buy it, they will continue to make it. The opinion on matsurika in japan seems to be split 50-50 with some otome gamers making similar points to Lin, while others are the usual otomate consumers who enjoy most of their stuff. Idk. Its just frustrating because otome is our corner for women to really enjoy something catered to us 100% but even then old men can't help but contaminate it with their shit views
yep there was a recent interview with some (mostly male) directors from Otomate where they mentioned how they try their OTOME games to appeal to men just as much as to women. which wouldn't be that big of an issue if their idea of appealing to men wasn't mysoginy and other weird stuff
That's why I don't buy otome games made by men, they don't know what we want !
@@yukikurosu260 i never said that women cant enjoy dark romance/noncon or that romance should only be cute, i enjoy plenty of dark tropes myself. Please do not put words into my mouth.
It's crazy cause this sounds like the original story for villainess transmigration manhwas 😭
That would be a really good story idea; a transgressors becomes the villainess of this otome game because of her radical views. She is able to navigate the world to best suit her needs thanks to her knowledge of the events in the game. And also taking down the male leads a peg!
PLEASEE this sounds EXACTLY like those stories the main character reads before mysteriously getting hit by a truck or fainting in their room and waking up in the story in the villainess' body 💀💀💀 if someone gets transmigrated into this game they'll probably start an uprising for the women's rights lol that sounds way more interesting than whatever this game is.
it’s exactly the type of game where the first thing they think upon realizing is “I’m fucked” and try their hardest to avoid every single route or escape to an unknown county.
I feel like this concept could work more for a yuri wlw oriented game, maybe making it about the protagonist falling in love with a girl despite everyone around them being against it because it breaks their "propose", having the two girls slowly accepting their feelings, it sounds more interesting to me.
Why did they even gave her special powers with her eyes if they are not gonna utilize it story wise 😭
I'm so disappointed, the art is so good and I heard it's spicy so I was really looking forward for this one but those premise are so horrible, I'm probably just gonna skip this if it ever get localized.
Well, in two routes it actually gets utilised, but in very minor ways I think 😅
Same! I had hopes...
Yeah, save the money for another game ☺️
It's sad that this game is so misogynist, the art was so beautiful and the lore sounded really interesting... T.T
You played through so we don’t have to.
It's my duty as a woman 🤪
thank you for the cool review. gotta admit for the range of otome games, this one is very extreme in the traditional department; a bit disappointed that the focus is so extremely on baby making but not even in a sexy or interesting way... the bit about the liquor given to her by a friend; as well as her having no knowledge or power is also very disturbing.
It is 😅
Right? It could have been a sexy setting, but they went too far in too many aspects...
Yup, at the liquor scene I was already very weary of what to come...didn't disappoint
Yeah it is a shame. and fr the liquor scene kind of emphasises that these husbands dont take good care of the wives, its sad
Technically, this is extremely rare game, I hadn't seen like this before until now, it's focus is very creative, and I'd like too see game that was an opposite of this game.
Noooo I just realised I was eyeing one of the characters (the blue haired pretty man)
I hate when media I dislike has the prettiest art (looking at you Diabolik Lovers)
Thank you for making otome videos, your channel is such a safe space ♡
Blue hair isn't too dangerous, I think he's one of the nicer characters!
It's mean, I know 😅
Thanks for being part of it 🥰
ugh, dont remind me. Diabolik Wifebeaters is a bane of existence of a lot of us otome girlies
@@SorarikoMotonesome hate it some love it. I've been in it for so long and its lost its touch now, but i can see where its charms are. Just take it as targeted towards a specific audience than bash it
It is like this otome is not made for women. I mean how deeply you can misunderstand your core audience
I was actually thinking the same! It seems so much like a male fantasy at times...
I think it's more woman who have traditionalist fantasies. I dont know gow common it is for otomes but something like this at least represents an ideal for someone. Honestly going in with thr thumbmail snd themeing i thought it be an eroge
Say that millions Japanese women who will buy this game
Aren't all otome games like this where there is heroine and harem of pretty boys ? They are often genius or with high position and sometimes ordinary and sometimes not heroine pique their interest. It is high fantasy made for women where they have power to decide which men that are often above their standarts they want to be with. Art is pretty good. I don t understand how it is different compared to other games.
It is an Otome game made for women, and there are women out there that bought and enjoyed it. Contrary to popular belief, some women have these fantasies, and that’s why games like this exist to cater to them specifically. If it’s not something that you enjoy, move along.
I thought the red haired childhood friend's design was nice, and when you said he actually respects the main girl I got excited, maybe this route would actually do something interesting and make up for the other poor writing decisons!
And then I find out he dies in the first chapter and gets replaced with a weird fairy guy??? That sucks
It's not 'weird fairy guy' they just tried to do the reincarnation thing but they stopped short of exploring the question of We're different people now and the separate souls should have their own lives. This plotline had happened before but in this one they just didn't go through with it properly so yeah it was a different guy for half the route with bare conclusion.
Omgg i never expect you will drop ur review about this game this soon🥺
She gets ”saved”… aka kidnapped 😀👍
Such a waste as the art is beautiful and the love interests have interesting designs. Thanks for the great review! ✨
NOOOO!! YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE!!!! I remember you showcasing this game a few month ago and i fell utterly in love with the wolf character and now you tell me its a terrible game? 😭
Wolf boy was the best boy I think 🥰 he was generally the most caring and gentle - still the set-up and world view is the same in his route, but at least I felt loved by him
The step up honestly doesn’t sound too bad, but the fact they don’t try to expand it or say anything is a problem. Like I’m surprised they didn’t at least try a route where a prince doesn’t want to marry her and have kids and just dose so out of obligation. Like would it have been so hard to write a character who isn’t obsessed with baby making?! The best friend route ending sounds like something out of a horror game. Naive protagonists can be done right, ex: Cardia from code realize. But what makes her work is the fact she’s not just learning about the world, but how to be human, she goes from not caring if she dies to wanting those she cares about and wanting to live. They could have very easily made the protagonist of this game overly curious because how sheltered she was which gets her into trouble.
I love Japan and it’s culture however they are behind when it comes to sexism and misogyny. Thank you for this review
Its a chinese period inspired game. This is something common, its not meant to be progressive.
@@gilliantoh4658 They never said it was. It's simply an astute observation of Japanese culture.
There are otome games with strong female lead atleast nowadays. Play love and deepspace or tears of themis
Take this gorgeus art and designs into another plot TwT thanks for the review, i am not up to read this. Saved me money for another Otome deserving my money :)
After watching this video, it's safe to assume this game will not get an English localisation. The rampant misogynistic premise would cause a lot of controversy in the West, especially given the rise of the childfree movement over here and general intolerance towards misogyny among younger women. IFI and Aksys would be foolish to localise this as it would damage their brands (even if the license is cheap). Instead, they should use this as an opportunity to finally localise one of the legacy Otomate titles we've been waiting on instead. Thanks for taking one for the team by covering this game Lin! 🥰
You're making a good point!
I think it sold quite well, but also don't think it would be a good choice for a localisation 😅
Haha, you're welcome!
I would probably hate this game if i play It. I agree with people in the comments, this game was not written by women, or at least they're not in charge to decide the plot
Totally feels like a male fantasy I agree..
If you look in vndb the writers are women.
"x couldn't possibly have been done by a woman!" I despise this statement and how prevalent it is because of the many times where, yes, it usually was done by a woman.
@@vivil8005 Interesting.
@@vivil8005'everything I don't like has to be done by a man' fr, we ask for equality yet these stereotypes still pop up
When a Otome game is mysogynist like this it keeps reminding me of the Would you rather meet a Man or a Bear in a forest. Its like the only reason a girl would get with any of these men is for survival and not because they're actually worth your time. ( I say this as someone that has never played this game)
Like when its only about survival its not love, its stockholm syndrome at best and that is not how a healthy and equal partnership works. It almost always ends in abuse. Meaning that it would probably consist of mostly Bad Endings.
An if not then it will most likely be glorifying abusive relationships or coerced relationships and THAT is just NOT OKAY.
That just makes this game a trauma bonding game at best and a cautionary tale at worst. And I get the feeling that that is not what the production team had in mind when they made it I'm almost sure. (I could stand corrected)
If they made it like this to be "Original" or "Groundbreaking" or "Different" or "Quirky" then I think I'm not getting it.
Sorry for the rant but this kind of trend in Otome is worrying but maybe I'm the one overthinking it.
I think from a realistic perspective you're right, the MC doesn't know she has a choice but to do her 'duty as a woman'
In the game they meant to make them fall in love, but it wasn't very relatable to me ..
In which ways did you notice a trend? From the games I've played this rather seemed like a rare exception to me
This game is Andrew Tate's wet dream
@@liandoaethend2403rude
It's really weird how so many otome games are misogynistic despite the fact that they are literally targeted towards women.
Most are made with a different kind of culture and preferences in mind. The real only way to deal with this is to have more variety of stories and maybe reach out to non commercial titles, bc commercial ones will always reach the majority.
@@gilliantoh4658 that's what I don't get. Like I know the term otome comes from Japan so a lot of them are therefore targeted more towards Japanese women in the first place but it's just like... It's a cultural thing to be okay with having your agency removed? Your consent ignored as the "love interest" is forcing you to have sex with them at worst and just treating you like shit at best? And to be clear here, I'm not talking about all otome games being like this, there's lots of great ones out there, I'm specifically talking about the misogynistic ones. These games are supposed to be, on some level, fantasy fulfillment for young women but even in the good ends like in the video, you'll have some pretty heinous stuff. So culturally speaking, it's hard for me to understand companies targeting this demographic saying that these women want x misogynistic scenario where they are put down and degraded without their character's consent. With all the talk about low birthrates and women's rights movements against this over there, it tells me that that's not the case which just leaves me doubly confused on why there's so many otome games like this.
@@kattz9051sometimes people play to not bother about consent, and in playing it gives people control rather than in real life. This is a choice of enjoyment. Its why some ppl like dubcon and noncon and dangerous situations, horror etc. This also varies from person to person.
@@gilliantoh4658 I guess that makes sense I'm a weird way sorta. Thanks for taking the time to explain
@@kattz9051no it's okay we are all weird and we have our tolerances, there's just no need to say something is bad just bc we personally feel its abhorrent. I think that's what matters.
God, the art is so good though. They really catfished us
No they artfished us😂
My jaw dropped 👀👀 who thought of making such a game
Thank you for your service and playing this game so we don't have to! It's giving Olympia Soiree but an even worse female protagonist. The artwork is gorgeous, and that's probably the only thing going for it.
You're welcome 😁
I also feel they tried to be similar to Olympia Soirée, but failed miserably 😅 because they forgot Olympia Soirée is actually about love and not about making babies...
Have you played 'My vow to my liege' on steam? I think that is a game where the heroine is very strong in a Ancient Chinese setting and the plot is very cool.
I think that sheltered characters can be written well, like Fiona from Black Wolves Saga, who learn about the outside world and has a good character growth.
Really glad I decided to not buy Matsurika no Kei though ,D The art was tempting, but the setting seemed "eh" to me. Thank you for the review!
Totally! Or Olympia or Lili in Piofiore!
You're welcome 🥰 have fun spending that money on another game!
@@LinLinLavender exactly! They were done really well, and I enjoyed both of these games.
Haha, I definitely will! There were a couple of jp indie games that caught my eye, so maybe I'll try them 👀
I'm sorry but your elegant English accent makes this analysis sound even more judgmental 😂😂😂 It's fabulous
Well thanks 🤣
It feels like I’m reading an essay
I love it😌💗
Thank you! It's the first time I made a spoiler review, so I deeply appreciate the feedback 💕
Thanks. I'm adding it to wishlist now!
Get well soon.
I'm a dude so I'm no otome expert but...I just think you're not the target audience of this particular work. Don't forget that while you despise the idea of being a weak female protected by a strong man, a large number of women fantasise about it, especially in regions like Asia.
I really don't think this is misogynistic, more of just a roleplay for girls who want to live the "being cared for and protected by big strong intelligent man". If that makes the girls happy, then so be it. Besides, for the majority it's fantasy, not a realistic dream.
I've seen people play vns where the male protagonist is abused, insulted, and ridiculed for being a male but the reason I won't call it misandry is because that's doing something for the male target audience if you get what I'm saying
I’m a woman and I agree. A lot of the people who are complaining about this game are not in the target demographic and therefore assume that every other woman thinks and feels the same way as them, not realizing that there are plenty of people who enjoy this sort of game. Just because it’s an Otome game does not mean it’s for “you”, or even all women. Not everything is for everyone, and there exists things in every genre that not everyone who enjoys said genre will like.
Instead of taking a moral grandstanding or trying to pin the blame on sexism, or even men for these sorts of things existing, I feel like people who don’t enjoy these sorts of games should just back off and look into the things they like. Leave people to their weird, delulu fantasies.
Fr that’s what I’m saying. Some women like the princess treatment.
Woman here!
One woman's trash is another woman's treasure!
Women here!!! I agree with you!!!
people are getting into spaces that aren't for them. The game looks fun so might as well try it out
I think the difference is that the world actively reinforced sexist beliefs and then just did nasty stuff and nothing really got fully resolved, I also like the damsel in distress trope usually, but this doesn’t feel well executed at all
oh geezuz, i was attracted to the art but omg the story would have made me vomited. Thank goodness for u linlin i avoided a landmine ^^
You're welcome 😁 same...the art tricked us
Thanks for the heads up and sorry for enduring this for everyone's sake 😢
It's ok, it's my duty as a women 🤪
I was like damn if a yang enjoyer finds this game problematic it must be really bad
Haha, I know 😅
Difference: Lili has a character and a brain
Both know they have a twisted relationship
Perhaps it is their way to increase natality? But, if that was the goal.. I think a dystopian futuristic setting will work more:
-By law you donate sperm and ovul to the country so the population grows or decreases in a planned manner.
Every child is born in a lab without the parent knowing their offspring, being part of a cog machine that has lost the concept of family as we know it.
-Then you could add the characters that will be the exceptions: to make a connection with a partner, and be a _family_ like the old times.
That still pushes the idea of having kids as the ultimate goal in romance, but still is rewarding by being a rebel to the system.
Because when the setting is so _cold_ the little things we take for granted (and maybe don't care for) have more value.
At least... that is what I think, I could be wrong about it xD
Thanks for the review, and sorry for my rambling.
Part of it is just a way to keep the village insulated. They can't intermarry outside though, there was a factor they had to keep pure.
Another is a dying clan.
Another is bc there were only daughters and a curse driven into madness
The way things may go about may be off putting but I assure you its the least of the problems with this game. The whole pressure to have children is something any body under old confucian upbringing here is very familiar with, and none of us are excusing it, but its part of our life already even tho its fading out.
Okay.. but why does this sound good to me? (Not irl ofc) What is wrong with me? 😭 Send help!
There's nothing wrong with you. Many women enjoy this sort of thing in fiction.
7:20 - Okay... what the heck....? 😓😰
The art is so good, such a shame everything else is so bad 😢
Exactly...it's a waste..
Well. Shit tons of babies was how civilizations survived.
you’re not the target audience clearly
I wonder how did the sales go to this lol.
It sold quite good well actually, but not exceedingly well
If I got money every time a game was misogynistic, I'd be beyond rich.
There’s a lot of these in otome/shoujo/bl as well as actual western novels targeted towards certain female demographic, just the sort of toxicity that exists only in a fictional setting. It deserves to be studied tbh. Like there will be people who will judge it for its morals and stance, but it’s so popular.
Its simple and there's been studies for years already. Ppl just like to look at the depraved and controversial in art for decades in a safe and controlled space. Art is meant to do that. Expecting correct morals in art can go south into censorship.
@@gilliantoh4658 an updated study and today’s political climate and social justice stance deserve a second thesis
@@liszst what that's doing is hounding actors for portraying villains in a villanous way and harrassing fans who like darkfic.
@@gilliantoh4658 nah, nothing wrong with an updated study on an old thesis topic.
Eh, i dont know sis. Enchanted by the Moonlight still exists. So, as far as I'm concerned, that game _easily_ takes the cake for the award of "If Misogny Was A Game"
Thank you so much for persevering through this whole game to report on it for us! ❤
I think a lot of Otome games have a bit of misogyny in them. But the beauty of a GOOD Otome is how the female protagonist defies that in some way. Sadly not happening in this one apparently
Any time 🥰
Totally! Those set ups can be super fun as well, but I agree, they need a grain of criticism from the MC or LIs...
You get used to misogyny once you play enough otome games.
Unlike what some other people are saying, I quite enjoy the misogyny trope in fiction so I enjoyed this game a little bit, although I wouldn't rank it high due to other reasons.
Happy to hear you were able to enjoy the game!
Which parts would you criticise?
@@LinLinLavender Mainly the decision making and execution of things in most of the routes, I feel like they could have done the writing more justice in that aspect.
And the artwork is so gorgeous! The heroine looks absolutely beautiful and cute! I doubt it would ever be localized unless they drastically changed literally everything 😂 Too bad the art seems to be it's only redeeming feature
Damn sound so mysgonist
and f up. But the art so beautiful
Ngl they should've just made it a hentai breeding kink game or at least leaned more into kinky dom/sub stuff like Diabolik Lovers does. It sucks that the character designs and art style look so good
Dialovers doesn't even have dom/sub stuff, any of these kinds of things are not allowed on console due to censorship laws, and otomate is a company that only deals with SFW. Also the whole 'breeding kink' is nothing but old asian grandmother stories to get hitched faster.
WHY DO YOU SOUND SO KIND?
I waiting for your thoughts in this gamer 😂 love your review. To be honest I’m not a fan of this game since it’s announcement, because I’m not in to the ‘finding hubby and making babies vibes’ type of game (yeah Olympia Soire). I’m not good at English sorry.
Thanks!
Totally get that! I think I wouldn't mind but it very much depends on the execution 😅
No worries 🥰
Randomly stumbled about this and can't believe i watched it in it's entirely... the way you describe it is so funny 😭😭
the art is gorgeous, and the prince is so pretty, shame his route is about fighting off his father?? 😭
Thanks 🥰 not everyone noticed I aimed at a funny exaggeration
At least the prince is a really gentle character 😊 and the second half of his route features some really nice plot for him!
7:20 LMFAO IM DYING
My honest reaction:
The mental disturbing game
Also thx to u for giving alert abt this game
Honestly diabolik lovers is WAY worse i still have nightmares from the fork scene ,NEVER pick kanato’s route istg
Dialovers is SPECIFIC. From the start its been tailored to ppl who want to be bitten and dominated by fictional vampires.
@@gilliantoh4658 y’all are crazy asf and im living for it
@@yuimico5574there's stuff crazier than dialovers out there lol shit is nothing
I trust ur opinion cause of your Yang poster 😭
Haha, thanks 🤣 but it's a super personal matter, so I can only recommend to check out other reviews as well 😊
it's incredibly disappointing when they had all the tools to make a great game only to throw it all away. The art style looks superb plus the sci-fi setting could've made for a very interesting game.
DIABOLIK LOVERS MENTIONED :00000
It’s not thaaaaat bad lol I’ve seen worse
I guess they're appealing to those who like dark fiction? Dark kinky stuff is catered to a specific type of audience, so I understand why its frowned upon. To me, its just another game so it doesn't phase me one bit.
Its not even dark and kinky...yeah some ppl may not like the whole you must have children to pass down certain traits and mob mentality but this isn't dark at all
Crazy how just laying down with multiple different men for babies is the only main thing of this game😧
There's at least 2 routes that don't focus on that omg
Im just saying 🤷
@@SharkiSharkiii mean if you haven't played and rely only on this review then
Yes, I haven't played the game I just saw this video and was curious to watch it
wtf was the fairy route WHAT 😭
Oh my God😮, Urgh I was so looking forward to this. The routes just sound horrible 😂
That's why I decided to make a spoiler review...I also was let's say surprised 😅
Ah yes, another game where a girl is completely under the mercy of her """"LOVE"""" interests and is constantly manipulated, thrown around, etc. With a horrible story disguised by beautiful, eye-catching art. In case we don't get enough misogyny in our lives and don't already get treated like objects and babymakers.
Is there goona be english or mandarin localisation for this, i wanna play for the artwork😂 the storyline does reminds me of chinese dramas thooo
it's getting a mandarin loc i think? no news for english yet
It is super chinese dramas lol, there's always stories about whether or not being able to beget an heir or pass down their bloodline whatnot that much of the things here that I played, albeit kind of weird at some points, are not all that uncommon.
6:23 im so angry at this game having the best art like ever. Why is the white haired woman so hot?? I want her! What's wrong with you, game?? (Dont mind me im just hella gay)
She's is one of the more impressive female characters in this game! You'll love her ☺️
this is so interesting since on diff platforms I've seen a lot of people having varying perspectives on the game so if Ill prob still give it a shot and give my own take once it is localized I believe in 2025? Art and character designs r just too good I'm afraid but I would like to see how some routes attempt to challenge gender roles, norms, and societal structures bc I heard world building is good and maybe it is at least somewhat addressed? the childhood friend route seems insane tho but I appreciate diff reviewers perspectives bc I heard from some ppl his route was the best so who knows
@@loventaes always good to get some more opinions!
Yes, I think there will be a Chinese localisation
Perspectives are so different! Hope you'll enjoy it!
Doesn't this game have the same director as Cupid Parasite? Am I wrong? How can it be this bad? 😭
You're right!
..maybe they wanted to try something different?
Really? I loved Cupid parasite but they really screwed this one up 😬
I feel like this girl hasn't played Crusader king 3
Holy shit it’s worst than daibolic lovers, im playing it now
I'm pretty desensitized when it comes to Otomes and even I find this disgusting. A shame, because the art is very pretty. Some writers need to keep their fetishes to themselves.
Well.. it's pretty normal for the ancient times 💀
It doesn't sound bad at all for visual novel standards 💀
Good review! I can only imagine you review Mashou Megane 😅
I can't believe this was recent.
Whole set-up reminds me of Diabolik Lovers and Amnesia, which was outrageous for most despite the gorgeous presentation, and there's why "Otome" (basically harem genre but focused on female with multiple male love interests) genre didn't really take off (given that they portray the protagonist as submissive very often instead of having their own agencies).
Also in a slightly unrelated note for a month and half i went into a racing game binge and i see that most (if not all) of the Western (Notably Tokyo Xtreme Racer and Burnout didn't, and Ridge Racer is pretty tasteful) made games (excepting Burnout) of the last decade or two tends to view woman/female as scantily clad, sexualized "support character" kind of way. Only Juiced 2 managed to improve marginally by having a female playable driver, but that's it, the whole thing might not take off in the PS4 era, let alone today.
"genre didn't take off'' because the majority gaming community keeps looking down on otome games for being 1)targeted to women 2)being mainly visual novels 3)being primarily romantic. There's a growing niche with a great variety and we're fine with that, it'll never be mainstream. There's also a large variety of player characters, saying they are often submissive is lack of understanding that there's something for everybody, and there's different ways good characters are shown.
Also please don't compare bigger, general or male oriented games with otome please. That's a different can of worms and we are NOT associated with that.
@@gilliantoh4658 perhaps for otome genre the only notable thing i ever knew is "all routes lead to doom" or something (and that's an anime) because the main protagonist there has her own agency and basically act as the leader for the entire group as a whole (it helps that the main protagonist is supposedly a reincarnated girl that took over the role of a villainess in the otome visual novel she played and took a massive change in personality that nobody, even in-universe people, realized).
@@meyers0781hamefura is part of the Isekai tensei villainess which has barely anything to do with the actual otome genre(well aside from the fact it did get a real otome game but its nothing more than turning catarina into the MC). Don't use this as an example because it is not meant to be a 'wow otome games should be like this'. The villainess tensei trope just uses otome games as a backdrop, but when ppl try to find it in real otome games they don't find it. Its a separate genre.
@@gilliantoh4658 i mean, thats why its OTOME, romance is a main part of it. if you dont want romance - that would be just joseimuke. Touken Ranbu is a joseimuke, for example. No romance, some character do clearly have certain.... pining towards saniwa (the nickname for the mc), but mc is undefined and there's not indication of reciprocation. Also largely lacks a plot besides collecting more sword men.
@@SorarikoMotoneI know all that but that wasn't the point, I just was pointing out why otome games didn't 'take off' is bc the genre, even joseimuke games is looked down upon in the gaming world.
The last one is soooo messed up HELP ME
ok but male characters hot asf. Hell yes rescue helpless weak ol' me, long list of attractive anime men.
Just one word:
Dafuq?!
After I watched the video, the story reminded me kind of Olympia Soirée, but OS has the better writing.
Same honestly 😅 but OS didn't forget it's actually about love...
@@LinLinLavender exactly!
Absolutely disgusting, time to play the game. Thanks for letting me know.
why is the art so good like this is either wasted talent or its an artist being held hostage to draw all this 😭
Well, it sounds like a ride! I'm curious over wolf guy, ngl--
I liked wolf guy! He was actually super caring and the only one who honestly seemed concerned about her
He redeemed the game for me 🥰
@@LinLinLavender oooh! I’m very curious to meet him. Thank you for the heads up, and the great review!
@@yeollierancher thanks 🥰
On a side note visual novels are not video games they are picture books with music