#its in the otome category but if you ask me its a mix of a romantic mystery visual novel and rpg combat

[annbourbon]

Content ≠ Reality

Can I say this? Just because I love yandere content doesn't mean I'm into toxic behaviors. Fantasies and reality are two separate things.

I love breaking things or exploding things as a performance. That doesn't mean I'm gonna explode something, I don't even know how to create bombs besides the mixing shampoo with toothpaste and add water. What I mean with liking bombs is that I want to be inside of a set, while the bomb explodes behind me and I act all cool while my hair looks perfect. Maybe adding some glitter to make it look even better and my cheeks and lips to look like Lucy Liu's in Charlie Angels. And no, that doesn't happen irl lol

So while I love reading things or playing games that fall into "weird categories" for some, that doesn't mean I want to reenact them. People scare me: They go into roleplay mode but never stop playing. I go into roleplay and at some point I'm crying and terrified because I believe it, I ask them to stop and they don't. Then they pretend that I'm an idiot because I don't understand the differences between roleplay and real life.

Fortunately for me this has been mostly through text. It still terrified me. Because roleplay is something you do to have fun. Not to terrify others. And because it's shitty to do it like that. I want to call out on people who do it like that.

Listen, I was threatened by a guy, who was "roleplaying" and then he actually moved to the state I live while threatening me and my parents. Since then I only say the country I live and not the state where I live. Can you blame me? I don't care how many people call me out for it. Crazy people live everywhere and unfortunately, I'm the one who always stumble into them. I'm taking precautions and also, I don't think I'm interested into roleplaying with anyone anymore because of such behaviors.

What I am, is interested in yandere fanfics and otome games that happen to have stuff like that. I don't want any yandere irl. Or any BDSM community, or DD/LG things. It sickens me. But as someone who defends freedom of expression, you won't see me against it. I'll even go as far as defending your community if it's threatened. I'm just against the idea of me participating into that. To each its own. And that is not my cup of tea.

[natsspammityspamspamham]

Random List of Anime Recommendation:

This is mostly directed for @caratheillustrious but I figured posting it wouldn’t really be that much of a problem anyway. I’ll divide these up into categories in terms of mood.

Feel Good Stuff – Some stuff that leaves you feeling good about stuff. Whether the majority of the series or film is lighthearted or it’s just laidback, both will be included here.

Tokyo Godfathers: one of my favourite anime movies and far more light-hearted than Koe no Katachi (warning though for slurs used in this movie towards transwomen – she’s still the best character in the movie and the movie makes a point to let her know that she’s the best human on this very planet because Hana is a treasure)

Gin no Saji: If you've watched Fullmetal Alchemist, it has the same creator except it's slice-of-life on a farm. I found it to be touching because it squares in on student experiences and connections. Also has sage advice.

Barakamon: Has children actually voiced by children. I watched it during a really important period of time for me. It centres and hits points that a lot of artists have.

Kimi to Boku: I can't remember why I enjoyed this anime. I just know that I did for some reason. It was really simple.

The Boy and the Beast: I have mixed thoughts about this movie, but at the end of the day, I really enjoyed it.

Zombieland Saga: I just find it nice to find an idol anime that doesn’t focus on the whole “the girls all have to be cute”. One is a biker chick, one is indicated to be a former prostitute, one is a verified transgirl.

Those Movies That Have to be Mentioned – I’m legally obligated to mention these.

Anthem of the Heart: sounds like a crack premise ("girl gets cursed by an egg to never speak again after seeing her dad cheat with another woman in a love hotel like a castle") but ends up being really good.

Your Name: practically everyone has watched that.

Koe no Katachi: A lot of people have watched this already. I always recommend it, but it's very emotionally heavy and deals with suicide, bullying, and disability. It's ending can make you cry from happiness though.

Wolf Children: Well, only if you're okay with crying (at least on the inside)

Hotarubi no Mori e: It's only 40 minutes. Probably won’t make people cry, but yeah, I can’t say that much.

Shounen – crack open one of these, and the boys and girls are sure to come

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic: It was my first anime. It has a lot of shonen crap, but it's also dialogue-heavy.

Seishun Buta Yarou: Drew in fanbois for the "plot" (bunny girl - what else can I say) and made people stay for the actual plot. It ended up being really quirky and funny. It was like the Monogatari series (which I tried and didn't like) but better and more "legal"

Yakusoku no Neverland: If you've watched Chicken Run, imagine that with people. It's a farm that farms children so they try to run.

Kimetsu no Yaiba: Shonen Jump doesn't have that many misses.

Noragami: The gags resonated with 14-year-old me

Assassination Classroom: Underdeveloped cast? Yeah, but it was still a really good Shonen Jump adaptation.

SKET Dance: The romance is too... canonly ambiguous for me to really put this under “romance”, it’s a comedy but can be serious, so I decided to put it under here. It’s quickly become one of my favourites. 

Comedy – The stuff that’s not quite conventionally “shounen or shoujo” but still tries to make you laugh, no matter how hard they try or how hit-and-miss they are

Mob Psycho 100: The second season is amazing. I found it to be a really good solid show.

Hinamatsuri: If you like Mob Psycho or if you just like the idea of an adult adopting a kid and teaching them stuff along with the kid teaching them, this is the one for you. I was laughing and crying (from tears of laughter) at this.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun: I can’t label this a romance because the romance doesn’t go anywhere. We start at square one and we finish at square one, but the stuff that happens in the meantime makes it all worth it.

Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou / Nichijou: Hit-and-miss, but there are a lot of iconic moments here.

Hataraku Saibou: I think this fits the best here. It’s just a good solid anime about cells in your body.

Shoujo/Romance – In case you need some fluff to fill the dark times; cheese levels vary.

Fruits Basket: Shoujo at its best.

Kono Oto Tomare: I don't know how this got produced by Shonen Jump SQ because it's like a cliche shoujo that would make even shoujo manga readers throw up flowers

Toradora: It's a hit-and-miss for people just because the main character is a tsundere (played by the queen of tsundere herself)

Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi: this ended up being a guilty pleasure for me – not quite a direct romance but direct enough

Haikara-san go Tooru: Technically a movie and only has the first part, but the manga is from mid-70s is a shining example of the feminist boom in Japan after WWII

Gamers!: This was best explained by a comment I read somewhere going “I love this anime, but it makes me want to bang my head on a wall repeatedly”. Misunderstandings: The Anime. Everyone has a hard time.

Kaguya-sama: It was a huge hit in the 2019 Winter season of anime and for good reason. It’s getting a new season coming up too.

Wotakoi: Two adults falling in love. It’s funny and a little bit niche and directed towards otaku.

Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo: Technically a shounen, it was a harem anime that ended up being pretty good? I was so side-tracked by the idea of that, especially since I found the premise mildly interesting. The manga gets extra points for being really cute with that last chapter. I mean, it has boobs, ass, and a lot of kissing, but the female mangaka was taught by the creator of Fairy Tail so it’s really runs in their roots.

Shigatsu no Kimi no Uso: Ultimately included this one in romance, but many would say this belongs in the next category.

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime: This is so heavy on cheese that I had to pause at times and go “what am I doing? Is this how I die? How will my family react to me watching this?” (the last question is one I ask of myself often)

Hamefura: Have you ever wished for a harem with GUYS and GALS?! Have you ever wished for a bisexual harem with a protagonist is dumb, and literally everyone but her knows it?! Look no further!

Araburu Kisetsu no Otome-domo yo.: I found this to be a very empowering anime. It tackles the sexuality of women, and it does it in a very... unique package.

The Horror! The Horror! Some Dark Stuff That Belongs in a Cauldron, and those onion-cutting ninjas. – Honestly, it’s not my favourite genre, but some of these ended up being among my favourite anime?

Death Parade: It wasn't in the genre I usually watch (no comedy at all), yet I was moved every time? That last figure skating scene was *Canadian-French Accent* C’est Magnifique.

Shinsekai Yori: I watched this anime feeling SOOOOO UNEASY. Nothing was even happening that was “scary”. It was just the mere ideas behind it as the eerie world-building led me to go “WAHHHHH” over my computer. It’s one of the best anime I’ve watched, but I can’t recommend it to everyone.

Mousou Dairinin: It’s Satoshi Kon but sane. You actually get a conclusive ending. It has a surprisingly current message behind it though. It’s like Satoshi Kon continues to influence.

Perfect Blue: Now to the less sane Satoshi Kon work that confused me. Western movies literally copied one of the scenes from this movie. 

No. 6: I can’t list this anywhere else, but it was the first anime to depict a really, really, really sweet gay relationship. Even though it was a complete fail adaptation-wise, it also gave Hosoya (voice actor) inspiration to keep going. It’s a gift. 

Anohana: *ahem* I was recommended the anime by someone I’m no longer close with, but the memories that I had watching this and the message was probably the closest an anime has brought me to actually crying in a non-depressive fashion. 

Gakkougurashi: Cute girls doing cute things with zombies that are about to eat them and destroy them all.

Erased: Okay, compared to other great series that I’ve yet to watch (Steins;Gate and Monster), it’s probably trash, but I remember really enjoying it when I first watched it.

And that ends my TED Talk. 

[serenity-writes]

Collar x Malice Spoiler-Free Review

My first review of a VITA game~ Thank you to @himiko-kaze​ for the suggestion :)! I’m a little late to the handheld since I just bought one a few months ago for all the gorgeous otome, so I’ve been playing catch-up. This one I picked up because I really love the art style, and I’m so glad I did. So, if you’re still on the fence, let me attempt to convince you to give it a try ;) *This review will contain details of the prologue/basic premise, and all CG’s are taken from the prologue/product page, so there will be no/very minor spoilers.

So, what is Collar X Malice?

Dystopian feelings run amok in a fictional creation of Shinjuku, Tokyo. You play as Ichika Hoshino (name changeable, will be referred to as MC from now on), a rookie cop. Currently, a series of terror attacks have been plaguing the city, all leading up to “X-Day”, a day that the terrorists Adonis promise will purge all sinners. One day, MC is captured by the mysterious Adonis; they lock a collar on her that will poison her if she doesn’t do as they wish. Our dear MC is rescued by the LI’s, and she begins to work with them to uncover the truth behind these attacks and to hopefully prevent them all.

OVERALL RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♡

PRODUCTION QUALITY (ART/MUSIC/VOICES): ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

STORY: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♡

STEAMINESS: ♥ ♥ ♡ ♡ ♡

SUSPENSE/DRAMA: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

MC LIKEABILITY: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♡

DOES MC HAVE EYES: YES!

Let’s break it down.

If you’ve read any of my other reviews, you know by now that the production quality of a game is very important to me. CxM really hits all the sweet spots in that aspect. I’ve never really seen a game with this much uniqueness and style. It’s really in a category all on its own. Don’t ask me why, but the words that spring to mind when I think of the art are ‘edgy’ and ‘sharp’. This is some of the promotional art:

The CG’s are drawn with a slightly softer tone, but it’s not nearly as romantic as, say, Code:Realize’s art style. It very much suits the themes of the game. The eyes of the characters are a smidge unsettling to me, especially Takeru’s with those snake-like ones, but I don’t mind it too much.

This background and many others are done in this vein to really perpetuate the dreariness that is Shinjuku under rein of terror.

The music does a fantastic job at contributing to the suspense and intensity of it all, as well as the voices. They all seem to fit with the characters, and the actors did a fantastic job with displaying emotion, especially during tough scenes or cute scenes (especially during Mineo’s route <3).

I also really love the way the text is stylized. Dialogue lines aren’t just in the text box on the bottom, they actually jump around depending on the speaker’s location and are color-coded, like this:

And sometimes characters come on the sides instead of having full sprites appear:

They’re such unique touches that I never thought I needed, but ended up really appreciating throughout. With Vita otomes from Aksys in general, I’ve come to expect a very high production quality regardless of story quality, and CxM definitely doesn’t disappoint.

This story is unlike any other otome I’ve ever played. It’s definitely more of a plot-driven story, with romance being more of a side dish rather than a main course, if you know what I mean. It definitely has its sweet, adorable moments full of team bonding and flirty flirting. But if you’re looking for a story that focuses fully on romance, better look elsewhere. Our characters got shit to do, like saving their city first haha. I feel that the main mystery of X-Day and Adonis is interesting on its own. I wouldn’t say it interested me enough that I would play a game strictly with the story and none of the romance, but it was definitely well-crafted and incredibly unique. I was genuinely baffled by the mystery sometimes. I really like that the game takes the time to force you to think about the case and draw your own conclusions.

Of course, I can’t not mention the love interests:

From left to right, it’s Takeru Sasazuka, Mineo Enomoto, Aiji Yanagi, Kei Okazaki, and Kageyuki Shiraishi. They’re all representatives of the typical tropes you can expect to find in an otome, but they didn’t feel overdone and they all had their unique quirks that really made them memorable in my mind. This game, like Code:Realize, forces the player to play through four routes before unlocking the final “true” route. I did the recommended route order of Mineo -> Takeru -> Kei -> Kageyuki first, then Aiji was unlocked. I think this order allows the story and mystery to be unlocked piece by piece, which was the intent. This progression felt much more natural than it did in Code:Realize, for it’s an actual mystery with cases.

There was little in terms of steaminess in the game. The furthest they really get is kissing, with some implications of something more. But it’s sweet all the same, and I don’t think more would have improved the game much in terms of enjoyment. The suspense was ramped up allll the way and I was really left guessing throughout the entire thing. Maybe I’m just bad at these games haha…

In terms of a main character, I really like Ichika. She’s rather outspoken and unafraid. She tries really hard to be a good sister and a police officer that helps the citizens. She has her own sense of justice. She even admits when she’s wrong, and makes efforts to repair things and apologize. I really like the proactive role she takes in these cases, and she actually tries to solve them instead of only relying on the expertise of those around her. Sometimes I felt she was a little naïve, but hey, nobody’s perfect. However, one thing that I could not get over was ICHIKA’S HAIR! It’s this random mix of short, cropped hair at the back, accompanied by scattered long strands at the side that seem to go on forever. It’s pretty much the epitome of anime hair and makes no sense whatsoever. I’d show you a picture but the CG’s that show it are spoilery, so I won’t. Play the game and you’ll know what I’m talking about, haha…

One more shot of some of the boys:

Overall, this game gets a solid four from me. If you can get it on sale, absolutely do it. There were definitely some routes I enjoyed more than others, but I think there’s something here for everyone, no matter what type you’re into. My favorite ended up being my first route, Mineo, though Yanagi is a close second. I know others really loved Kei and Shiraishi, but eh, they weren’t for me. I’ll hopefully be doing a route by route review as well, so look out for that ^_^. Thanks for reading~