Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom

I have started a new Otome game, and this time it's a classic - Enter Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom! When I saw the limited edition preorder pop up a while ago, I bought the game on a whim.

Sure, dating ninjas in Nightshade was fun, but now the time for dating samurai and a subsequent Japanese history lesson is in order.

The love interest cast is massive! So many options to choose from. My fiancé certainly knows quite a few of the familiar names from the Shinsengumi. I wasn't sure who to pick, but as with other game of this nature, I do an organic playthrough with the choices I want first before focusing on the routes of the other love interests.

In my first ~natural~ playthrough, I managed to get ensnared by... Hachiro Iba!

To be honest I wasn't sure who I was falling for - but MC's first encounter with Iba-san at the sweets shop and her description of him made him stand out among the rest. He has a very... Simeon-like quality, and a the same sweet smile and soft-spoken voice.

AND WOW I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED! I ended up getting a demon-armed boyfriend... Ibaraki-Doji style? 

Hahaha, well, I'll update as things progress.

NIGHTSHADE - Chojiro-niisama

T___T I struggled to get motivation to write this, but I want to complete the series review so I will.

I think this route was my least fav. I'm glad I played this route before Hanzo's so that I have something to redeem the game after this, ahaha...

Introducing, MC's freakin' cousin - Chojiro. She admires him, she respects him, she... wants to marry him... guh...

Looks: ★★

Chojiro is not my style. SO much purple... Although his long hair, chest window, and green eyes give him an extra star.

Storyline: ★

They really do be making you date your cousin!! MC's mom is his aunt... a fact that I could not shake throughout his story. 

He's unbearably keen on killing you in this route. The most memorable scene for me was the emotional fight where MC gives her all to fight him, but accepts her death at his hands because she is no match for him. He stabs his sword into the ground and proceeds to choke the life out of MC... she reaches up as she's suffocating and grabs his sleeve like she did when they were children... She only escapes due to Kuroyuki (best boyo) coming to the rescue. 

Your childhood friends also all die in this route, save for Kuroyuki (thank goodness). You bury GEKKAMARU (sob) Ennosuke, and Kyara in the dirt and that is described in a needless amount of detail. Kasumi cream puff baby dies too. Somehow, in the end, Chojiro decides killing you is not as important as loving you...somehow... and this guy still musters up the courage to ask MC to be his wife... 

Dude, you tried to kill me and all my friends are dead, what the heck is romantic about that!!! And people complain about Kuroyuki being manipulative/yandere, well at least Yuki would never harm MC on purpose.

I did enjoy reading the twist at the end and the final duel they were to have. However, asides from the action scenes, this route was tragic and I can't support any route where MC's childhood friends die.

Dokidoki effect: ★

He's MC's cousin, and they DO NOT let you forget for a second. Multiple scenes reminded us that they are "teacher/disciple and cousins" with a lot of respect and love for each other... romantic love... erm... not my cup of tea...!!!

FINAL GRADE: ★

I would rather bleach my brain than date cousin Chojiro again...

Hey, at least the Iga blood would run EXTRA strong in their children.........

NIGHTSHADE - Goemon

Ahhh I am so tired. I took quite some time to fall asleep last night, even though I was tired. 

The weather has been cloudy and cool this week, not too warm for mid-June. I have been enjoying that, as the room my home office station is set up in gets the hottest out.

I HAD A DREAM about going on a mission with anime ninja Hanzo Hattori in the modern world, which was really enjoyable because MC had to pretend to be in a relationship with him for the mission but secretly has feelings for him. That sort of drama is fun. Her two friends try to take her away from him because he's "not a good person" for her. I can see Hanzo really wants his route played and won't be taking a skip for an answer! Well, he's the last one before the Nightshade saga is over.

Next up for review is Goemon-san aka Goro-san ahaha which is a route I really liked overall. He's a fun character and completely deserved the happy ending we got.

I loved his easygoing nature!

He does touch MC the most out of all the boys so far, except maybe Kuroyuki.

Taken out of context, these screenshots are naughty! It's all above board, unfortunately!

Pet pet

Pat pat

The only character who uses these ~SPICY~ lines...

...BUT HE'S ALSO serious about a relationship!

At the end of the game when your childhood friends (still alive!) are seeing you off, MC and Goemon make a happy pair.

The twists and turns in Goemon's arc were done well. I felt the storyline reflecting his easygoing nature and after Gekkamaru's SAD AND TRAGIC arc that the fluff did not deserve, Goemon lifted my spirits. TO THE FINAL SCORE!!!

Looks: ★★★★ 

Oh damn well I wasn't going to score him so high but his expressions and HIS NINJA OUTFIT with the full mask and hood hit me some kinda way. I mean look at it:

Alternative art aside, his look is a pretty generic one. It's the narrowing eyes and cheeky smirk that get me, though...

Storyline: ★★★★★

I'm thoroughly satisfied with this route, you get rescued by him and whisked away on a journey where Gekka-nii and Kuroyuki join in as well. And, you get a feast with ALL your friends the night before the finale!

Goemon is superb at planning his schemes. The way the plot twist happened and he released you from a life on the run wrapped up the storyline neatly like a present. So, so good!

Dokidoki effect: ★★★★★

He's a flirtatious womanizer but is it bad that the lines and his attitude worked on me? Takes MC for dessert, buys her presents, compliments her, protects her no matter what, etc. His interactions were more mature than Kuroyuki's. Goemon is a man who freely lives his life, is gentlemanly, and knows what he wants. MC will be smiling for the rest of her days with this master thief! Happily ever after.

FINAL GRADE: ★★★★★

The chillest storyline so far, and felt the most natural. I had nothing to complain about and went along for the ride. The ending where everyone runs through the village streets throwing gold into the masses while escaping was a great touch. The devs did NOT skimp on Goemon Ishikawa/Kotaro Fuma/Goro-san!

NIGHTSHADE - Gekkamaru (aka Gekka nii)

Ooohhhh boy did they do our boy Gekka DIRTY! At one point I actually thought I got the bad ending... (Yes I know, it was that surprising) Which is such a shame because LOOK at his character design, he's such a charming cinnamon roll of a character. Standard anime protagonist, but hey. Why mess with prince charming! 

WE REDEEMED OURSELVES! (You know, since he got zero points in our initial organic walkthrough with Yuki)

I guess we can't shake Kuroyuki, and I'm 100% fine with that!

FINALLY, this is what I've been trying to tell you all along!

Hug the girl~

Kiss the girl!!!

What to say, what to say... oh dear there's a lot. I feel like the devs failed our dear Gekka. Why do I feel that way? Well, because the route was tragic -- SPOILERS! 

All your friends from Koga die, seriously. Ennosuke is Gekka's best friend and gets slain by him ;_; WHAT THE HECK right? Kyara dies a bit more valiantly but it was still sad, and even baby cream puff otouto isn't spared. 

Compared to the happy endings where everyone is alive and well, this change in the storyline didn't do it for me and docked major enjoyment points from my playthrough. In the end, it's only Gekka and you visiting your friend's scattered graves aimlessly. Sure, you're in love and supporting each other, but all your childhood friends/family died before your eyes (except Kuroyuki which, well, yay!).

Let's explain more in the ranking system... GEKKAMARU'S SCORE!

Looks: ★★★★ 

He gives off some Shiro from Fire Emblem vibes with his colour palette. He's the "main" poster boy so of course we expect him to be handsome.

Storyline: ★★★ 

Too sad and tragic for me, the ending with the "curse" was a great addition to the plot but there is so much more they could have done to enhance this route. It's like they didn't care to give Gekkamaru a true "happy" end, but I suppose not every story has all rainbows and butterflies.

A big highlight in this route is that you get to travel together with Gekkamaru and his younger brother Kuroyuki - and that Yuki actually supports and cares for his older brother, instead of the hostile attitude in his own route. As someone who likes Kuroyuki (duh), this was a redeeming boon.

Dokidoki effect: ★★

He's not very romantic. He's your dependable, skilled, bodyguard boyfriend. From the other routes, I honestly hoped that his devotion would be enhanced or viewed in a different way when romancing him, but as someone else mentioned, his behaviour is much of the same. There's a lot of hand-holding, until he feels guilty for being in love with MC (as her servant) and pulls back, but literally nobody forced him to put labels and restrictions on himself. I'm glad he realized that in the end, anyway.

** Points for Gekka being able to cook well.

FINAL GRADE: ★★★

I'M STILL not over it! They did our boy dirty! I can't believe the yandere brother's storyline had no friend deaths but in Gekka's, all your friends die. What a twist, eh?

NIGHTSHADE - Kuroyuki

Ooof so being sick and covided has allowed me to stay home and rest lots, but was also the perfect time for me to pick up playing a juicy otome game and that game is about dating ninjas - certainly a genre I am very familiar with. Japan makes a lot of these huh? The dating oni/youkai and ninjas boys in feudal times kinda deal. 

This one was actually on the nintendo estore which was super surprising. It's also fully voiced (apart from MC) and the VA's are amazing so far! They put so much work into it.

I started off with my first organic playthrough and ended up with Kuroyuki WAY ahead in the leads for points... I guess I do have a type, BUT I wasn't intending it to be this way! Everything fell into place on its own. This little ninja is a yandere ahahaha but still so sweet and I really enjoyed a lot of him and MC's interactions.

G-G-GOLDEN DEER? Devs please, I already like him!

Probably the ONLY otome guy who held hands and DIDN'T lose a whole person

NAUGHTY! He says a lot of this naughty stuff throughout the game HAHA

B-but we're both kiddos...!

Cute traumatized bean T_T Darn people were right, I do have a thing for these "younger brother" types...

In any case... his VA is amazing and the voice is a perfect fit for this character. I find it hard to create a ranking system for characters I like but I'll try it... OK! Making a final score for Kuroyuki!

Looks: ★★★★ 

I mean he's the standard otouto type that makes you wanna squeeze and protecc him (despite his yandere tendencies) and his character poses are, from what I've seen so far, the best out of all the guys. I always was a sucker for the dark hair/red eyes combo...

Storyline: ★★★ 

DUDE we were on the run as fugitives! But it wasn't his fault in the end, which made things better; he didn't actually frame MC. Aww heck he was so cool with using Kagehemi in fights and protecting MC so I'll give him an extra star damn ★

What I liked best about Kuroyuki's storyline is that the majority of the chapters were only MC and him, giving ample opportunity for romantic/sweet scenes. Sure, he whisked you away and perhaps some people disliked the problematic aspects of the route, but this is fiction. I enjoyed spending time with him, the strongest ninja and assassin in the game due to his ninjutsu skill.

Dokidoki effect: ★★★★

His VA really made my heart melt, and the playful way he flirts with MC is my style. (Cute boys who tease are my weakness, huh?) After learning about his tragic backstory, one couldn't help but want to hold and comfort him. 

FINAL GRADE: ★★★★1/2

WELL... I ENJOYED his route... and he's a cute lil mischievous bean! Would play again o___o OR ELSE...???

He's my fav so far and best of all, at the end none of your Koga friends die. Which is more than I can say for Gekka-nii...

Baby's Birthday

Simeon's birthday is on Feb 10th!!! The week long event celebration started yesterday and I am OVER THE MOON!!! MC and Simeon get matching teacups because Simeon asked for his gift from MC to be "something matching" that they could use together. AND THEY SHARE THEIR FIRST KISS EVER LOL!!! OOOOOOF it was rather unclimactic OVERALL but my heart still exploded. it was a big deal. i'm hoping that the Devilgram stories carry me a little further into my fangirl fantasies haha.

My beautiful, beautiful babe Simeon. ;www; He's such a sweetie. LOVE HIM AND HE DESERVES THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!!

Ferris Wheel

I've finally unlocked the Ferris Wheel background from Stan's birthday card devil tree. Quite happy with myself as it reminds me of the carnival fanfic, hehe. 

Come And Get It!

Today I finished the last exam for the semester. I should be feeling happy, but I don't. Usually us students can't wait for the semester to end, but I actually enjoyed listening to the professor and cracking jokes with my classmate Lilian. "Earbasher" and "The guy who spent all his money on tattoos so he couldn't afford Tim Hortons" and the long lost "Fauxberry"!!! I'm terrible for making fun of my classmates, haha--☆

I picked up the package containing my first ever Antique beasT headdress and another AP blouse. I have quite the blouse collection now, but I think I need more accessories. I am an occasional lolita, but I'm proud of that and I don't want to give that up for anything. 

I've actually been looking into purchasing from some indie brands. I missed out on Baroque's "Pearl Drops on Dry Flowers" and also Haenuli's "Royal Kitten", but hopefully something will catch my eye soon. In the meantime, I'll be patient.

That's all on the school and lolita front, but on the Be My Princess front, there are new developments. I finished off Joshua's story and started playing Wilfred's... I wasn't too impressed by his storyline actually.

For one thing... He's kind of a pervert... 

N-N-NOOOO PRINCE WILFRED, THAT ISN'T PROPER!!!
Why did he drag me into this hotel room anyway?!?

And... he doesn't know how to take public transit...

Are you sure? Really? ...Okay.

He also likes to eat girly ice cream flavours...

...??!

He looks like Cloud. LOL.

They all look the same, don't they? Not that I'm complaining!!! Just the way I like 'em!

Anyway... Wilfred's storyline is pretty weak compared to Joshua's. Joshua's storyline had political issues between countries, a rival prince, and a butler that was actually nice. Claude is a little b*stard!!! And I guess I preferred how stiff and formal Joshua was, even though that was borderline rude -- at least he behaved in a proper way. Wilfred just seems pretty lonely and... I don't know, too forward!!!

Well, I did enjoy the cute moments from his route. He's basically another prince that envies the regular life, and acts all formal and expressionless because that's his job and swallows all his inner feelings and junk. He's more touchy-feely than Joshua, and definitely more polite at first.

...Why am I analyzing his personality, anyway? Maybe because this is fun for me, haha.  A lot of my princess mates like Wills, but I definitely prefer Joshy-poo!

Thanks for visiting, you should definitely play BMP if you're into otome games, because you won't regret it. I don't. (Haha!)

Be My Princess: Joshua

For the past couple days, I've been playing a game on my phone called "Be My Princess".  This is an otome game and somehow this has become my guilty pleasure to pass the time...

Basically the storyline goes as follows: you are an aspiring young designer, and you miraculously got accepted into a famous fashion label house; I think the designer label name is "Jean Pierre". This somehow leads to you designing outfits for a big fashion show in which six princes from six different countries attend. You somehow become a designer for one of the princes of your choice... because your designs are just that good.

I think I butchered the storyline there, but the jist is apparent! And although all the characters are charming and I was stuck between Prince Wilfred and Prince Joshua, of course I ended up picking Prince Josh because he's so cute, and because his name is Joshua!  He's the prince of Dres Van Kingdom.

Actually, the blond-haired Prince Will is also very charming, much more polite and charming than Joshua. All Joshua really does is insult the MC and... act all pompous and annoying! But slowly he becomes more and more sweet, until he's so attached that he's practically your little puppy dog. Ha-ha...! Tsundere characters like this, I never really liked but I suppose one every once in a while is good.

Can't wait to play Wilfred's storyline but I think for many obvious reasons, Joshua will remain my favourite for sure. 

My little house is so crappy but~~ even these tiny sprites are so cute. (I have visitors whenever Joshua is over, for some reason. These are other princesses playing the game~)

Hope more people can play this adorable game with me, but I understand only a particular type of character would enjoy games like these (laughs). Here are some screenshots:

C-cute...

"What do you plan to do as a volunteer?" XD

Apparently, adding the person's initials in front of their birthday makes it "not [their] birthday" anymore for his phone's password...

Self-explanatory screenshot. :'D ///