#finally get to play my boy kennyo's route

[bulundu]

Hell yeah, now that I have a new phone I can download games again! Ikemen Sengoku, I do not remember how to play you, but I'm back, baby 😎

[thezestyone]

The Curse Of An Ikesen Antagonist (Rant Post)

I will try to keep this as spoiler free as possible, but it might breach that territory:

Ah, yes, the IkeSen antagonist. They are what up the stakes in the story between MC and her chosen LI. They are a fundamental part of the overall general plot, and their contributions to the overall drama is very well noted.

There is just one tiny problem…

All the antagonists, save for the shogun Yoshiaski, are LOVE INTERESTS.

The man using you as bait to reel in your current LI to kill him? Yeah, in another life- Er, route, he’ll be YOUR boy.

Which raises a problem…

How would they be appealing, besides their looks, for many fellow princesses out there, if they are such jerks in certain routes, with certain routes making them out to be akin to the devil while others keep them rather mild in comparison?

Ah, yes, nothing is more romantic than the man who in another route prior threatened my life in explicit detail! Let me just forget that ever happened-

Kennyo was the OG antagonist of Ikesen before Act 2 came out, the one many would grow to dislike just because he played his role well for the plot. So, when his route finally comes out, is it really a surprise to anyone that he wouldn’t be the most popular of characters when he many of times kidnaps MC, threatens her, scares the living daylights out of her, etc in so many routes prior? Kind of a difficult road to romance, ain’t it?

Kennyo, out of the three LI antagonists, is the most sympathetic when you learn of his full story, and how he was once a gentle man who couldn’t harm any creature. However, since he is one of the chosen antagonists, he can be cruel, depending on whose route you read. If I could recall correctly, he makes it a point to make it known that none of it is personal in many a route, and it’s just a case of vengeance for his fallen brethren.

Okay, sure, I’ll bite. Misunderstood monk who is broken. He’s seen as human most of the times, albeit very misguided. I get that.

However, with Motonari and Kicho, the main antagonists of Act 2?… Oh, boy, here we go…

Depending on the route you read depends on just how HORRIBLE they will be… And I am saying that as a huge Motonari fan!

I happened to have heard of many complaints concerning Motonari and his route and his overall character development, and I could see and sympathize with some of those points. I personally happen to like types like Moto, so it’s usually not that big of an issue for me when he is a bad boy, but the fact he is an LI and can be so cruel in other routes makes it at times very uncomfortable for me as a big fan of his.

We all have our types in Ikesen, and we all want our types to be seen in as positive a light as possible regardless of their role to the plot.

However, if your LI is an antagonist, get ready to have to spend many a route having to brush off the terrible things they do because they have to being an antagonist.

The one who has it absolutely the worst though is Kicho. Not only is he a very difficult character for me personally to get my head around, but he is so contradictory, and depending on the route, can be pure evil incarnate.

I am not talking being cruel to the obvious enemies, like Nobunaga, oh no no.

I am talking being cruel to YOU, the MC. The one who will one day read his route with him as an LI, with him trying to romance you.

It is kind of hard to get interested in a man who routes prior treated you absolutely like garbage and had no sympathy whatsoever for his actions or any pity to the terrible things he personally does to YOU.

Most times previously, the antagonists wouldn’t harm MC, which is a boundary I feel should be respected in all the routes with all the characters since there are some fans out there who love them, and they shouldn’t be put in that uncomfortable of a position. The antags’ beef should be with the other LIs, period.

It is absolutely gut wrenching to have your favorite in another route treat you like absolute crap when you care so much about him, and it makes it very difficult to love them genuinely compared with other characters.

This is Ikesen, it is not impossible nor hard to create characters with flaws that make you a feel a bit skeevy, but have other amazing qualities that make you overlook those flaws. Look at popular characters like Nobunaga and Kenshin, it CAN be done.

So why are the Ikesen antagonists, as LIs themselves, treated so bad and at times, even a bit out of character themselves?

If you have read Masamune’s sequel, you will know what I am talking about. It has to be the most worst example of the IkeSen antagonist curse I have seen yet. Let’s just say if you are a Kicho fan, I would give it a pass for your own heart’s sake, just like I would skim a few parts at the end of Keiji’s route if you are a Motonari fan.

(I love Masa’s sequel from a pure story perspective, but the way they characterized Kicho and had him treat MC… check a previous post for my thoughts on that if you like.)

So, to conclude my very fuddled up rant… the antags of Ikesen are bad guys, but they don’t have to be bad guys, especially to MC. They are her LI’s for crying out loud, there has to be a clear boundary they won’t cross to not make reading their routes uncomfortable, and making their fans uncomfortable.

How far should they go in their bad with MC depending on the route? Use her like in other routes as a pawn, scare her a bit like other characters have done due to a conflict where they were left with no other options. Don’t just jump the shark without any chain mail, and cause her actual harm! That crosses a line, and what if the one reading at the time was a fan of theirs? Again, awkward at best, heartbroken at worst!

Kicho fans, you have my sincerest sympathies. Though he is one of my most disliked Ikesen chars, I always try to be as cordial as I could be regarding chars I dislike, or at least be comical and theatrical with it, not taking it to heart. (Hell, I wrote about Kicho many a times! No Ikesen character is off writing limits on this page-) However, I can’t stress enough to y’all… If you are a big fan of his, you see him as your husband, all that, give Masamune’s sequel a skip. You’ll thank me.

[bmpmp3]

SO I FINISHED SASUKE'S DRAMATIC ROUTE well most of it, I'll read the epilogue tomorrow~

Anyway it was So Good my guys, I think? It might be my favourite route? Hideyoshis used to be my top one but sasuke's had everything it had plus time travel nonsense and Absolute Baby Ranmaru Mori so I think it beats it out just by a hint qwq still adore hideyoshis route tho shdhshs

I'm gonna talk about it now! It was so good, Sasuke was written so well and Ranmaru and kennyo broke me, I liked Yoshimoto way more than I expected, and Motonari is everything I hoped for

yuki was also baby in this route, plus I really liked how they wrote Yuki's and MC's banter? I adore yuki and I really loved his route, but you can kinda tell it was one of the earlier written ones, cause one thing I always thought was a shame was how his route always said they argue in like a loving friendship banter way but never showed it? It was so good in sasuke's route, yuki Sasuke and MC are the Squad(TM), they gotta have sleepovers and gossip, Ranmaru can also come, he is the ultimate gal pal after all

I was surprised that yuki was the love rival tho, I was expecting Ranmaru? Cause there was so much focus on him, but I guess that's just cause he's a new character. I really wasn't expecting it to be yuki tho, like I thought since Sasuke was the love rival in Yuki's route they wouldn't wanna double dip like that? But it worked fine so that's alright~

Can't stop thinking about the otsuta thing tho, like I know she's just a plot device but usually named plot device characters have like...a conclusion? Where did she go after she met up with motonari and told him about MC..I guess I have free reign, shes my character now cybird

Also sasukes so horny my guys

Anyway yeah I really liked it! It gave me lots of au and fan character fodder sbdgshsj and it was really well done! I like the cgs too, I might actually finally go back and play a route a second time for the first time in my life to get the romantic ending, I just love....my boy sasuke...so much