TL;DR Do you need at least two hearts to win? If so, ALWAYS GAMBLE!!
Honestly, I haven’t had the time to play The Arcanamuch at all, but I think its Heart Hunter mini-game is super cute. It’s also deceptively complicated! You’ve got six turns to chase around these little characters and collect at least four hearts from one of them, right? But midway through, NIGHT FALLS, STAKES RISE, and all of a sudden you have the opportunity to go all-or-nothing, getting either 2 or 0 hearts from your target character in one spin! So should you go for it??
The answer: YES (assuming you need more than one heart, that is). But how do I know this, you ask?? I asked my boyfriend, who, despite being hundreds of miles away currently, somehow managed to both understand what I was asking AND write a computer program to answer the question (!!).
Let’s say you’re on turn 4 or 5 and you want at least 2 hearts from someone after two turns (this turn and the next). And, you’ve walked to the same spot as them! Here are the four ways you can “win” (aka get at least 2 hearts in the next 2 turns):
You don’t gamble this turn (and get 1 heart), and the next turn you manage to travel to your target’s location (nabbing another heart)
You don’t gamble this turn (and get 1 heart), and the next turn you travel to Faust’s location and she gives you your target’s heart
You try to gamble this turn and WIN (getting 2 hearts, yay!)
You try to gamble this turn and LOSE (getting 0 hearts), and the next turn you manage to travel to your target’s location, gamble, and WIN (getting 2 hearts).
Turns out, it’s possible to write a computer algorithm that can pretend to play millions of instances of Heart Hunter and guess the percentage of times you’ll successfully get two hearts! ^_^ Without further ado, here are the estimated percentage rates of “winning” if you DON’T gamble:
And here are the percentage rates of “winning” if you DO gamble:
You see what I’m seeing, friends?! Apparently you’re almost twice as likely to get two hearts in two turns if you DO gamble! I’m also kind of surprised that your chances of winning are a little smaller if you’re in the center. I always thought that was the best location!! Haha.
To summarize, basically, you should always gamble if you need the hearts. Guess this is one instance where the house doesn’t always win! 💕
Disclaimer: everything in this post assumes:
Faust has a 25% chance each of giving you an Asra, Julian, or Nadia heart, or seeing a Goat??.
Faust has an equal chance of showing up in any location.
All other characters move 1-4 spaces in a turn, with equal chance (except they never walk backwards).
If you gamble, you have a 50% chance of winning/losing
Ah, Kyohei. One thing you should probably know about me before I get started is that I have been stanning kpop boyband EXO hardcore for years and there is album art on both my phone and my computer, haha. So to say I was thrilled to learn Voltage Love 365 app has a boy band otome would be a MASSIVE understatement! But how was the route, you ask? Read on to find out!
The world of Scandal in the Spotlight is uh… pretty cut-throat, to say the least. Aspiring MC starts out getting blacklisted from the industry after rejecting Harvey Weinstein her creepy, powerful boss. 😦 Then her coworker/secret member of popular boy band Arashi Revance, freaking STEALS poetry she wrote for a screenplay and adapts it into Revance’s latest hit (!!!). And then Kyohei, band producer/member and subject of this review, strong-arms/threatens MC into ghostwriting erotic lyrics for their 10th anniversary, in exchange for getting her un-blacklisted afterwards…!!
…Yikes. Poor MC (I hope she got paid for the plagiarism and she’s getting paid for the ghostwriting?! Super important 💰). Anyway, at first glance Kyohei definitely comes across as your typical scary/aggressive and demanding alpha male (“I make the rules here. Anyone who gets in our way will be dropped, no exceptions”). He might not be the official leader of the group, but he sure acts like he is. Kyo is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure Revance’s continued success, including using his professional clout to stifle an up-and-coming rival group (which I found very confusingly attractive, lmao). And with MC, he’s just as bossy, but also SUPER FREAKING FLIRTATIOUS like you have no idea (“If you don’t have enough experience…perhaps we can fix that”). And of course the guy has to claim it’s all in the name of inspiring MC to write sexier lyrics and he couldn’t possibly be attracted to MC, lmao.
But much like his giant adorable mop of a dog (named Little Yamada!! ^_^), when it comes to MC, Kyohei is all bark and no bite. From the start, he’s nice to MC his own bizarre, super extra way. When MC’s feeling down about her skills, he doesn’t hesitate to buy out massive amounts of ad space from Shibuya Crossing just to prove a point, lol. And after the turning point in the story, Kyo becomes downright protective of MC, keeping his manager and the other members off MC’s back while she struggles with writer’s block! Aww.
TBH, domineering types tend to be really hit or miss for me. But in Kyohei’s case, it’s a hit (mostly! more on that below). For starters, once Kyohei starts caring about MC he’s never mean ever again (even if he still loves teasing her) and I am so super weak to otome guys who pull off that transition well. I liked his tragic backstory/motivation, cheesy as it was. And finally, Kyohei plays into your typical diva-ish pop star romance fantasy really nicely. It’s all about expectations: a bad boy-type pop star is WAY more interesting than a super nice pop star imho, and this is one of the rare cases where I think a completely nice character wouldn’t be nearly as compelling as someone like Kyohei, who does turn out to be vaguely nice ish, but also has a bit of an edge to him.
Speaking of pop fantasies, I generally enjoyed the plot progression, which was one giant, unbelievably cheesy wish fulfillment fantasy. Poor, sweet MC’s struggles to come up with sexy lyrics tie in really nicely with her growing relationship with Kyohei, and I always do love it when the external plot and romance get intertwined. But one thing that I didn’t like as much is the plot’s main villain, who at once wants to produce for Revance, poach MC, and get in MC’s pants…?! It’s too much!! I personally think the story’s conflict would’ve been much cleaner if his creepy romance subplot were completely removed.
Also, this isn’t really a critique as it is a commentary, but: parts of this story were kind of sad/infuriating to read from a post-#metoo perspective. MC’s screenwriting career was completely screwed through no fault of her own, after all! And much as Kyo did grow on me, he did initially force MC into the whole ghostwriting gig. So, this might sound kind of weird, but I think an AU of Scandal in the Spotlight featuring Kyohei as a villain type would’ve been EVEN COOLER while satisfying my never-ending thirst for revenge against evil guys? Imagine: MC turns down Revance flat, and goes straight to rival group Grenade, romancing one of those boys instead. Her and Boy work together to start a viral internet campaign to take down both Harvey Weinstein and Revance. It becomes an epic tale of MC+Boy vs the world, and in the end Revance and Grenade resolve their differences IkeSen style (though Grenade wins), while former boss gets sent to jail. Now wouldn’t that be satisfying to read. 🙂 (…okay maybe this is why I was rejected from creative writing class in school lmao)
And while we’re talking about #metoo, there is one specific scene with Kyohei that I didn’t like! Early on, he smacks MC’s butt (flirtatiously??). I secretly kind of enjoyed all the other sexy, aggressively flirty things he pulls, but that one’s just straight up harassment! 😦 Fortunately, later in the route, Kyohei makes it clear that a) he’ll quit the flirting if MC tells him to stop, and b) he asks for consent before actually getting it on with MC. So there’s that… Anyways, this incident is one of the reasons why, mid-way through Episode 2, I was certain I was going to hate Kyohei with a fiery passion and that this review was going to be an extended rant about celebrities. But it really speaks to Kyohei’s character evolution that I ended up forgiving him for his transgressions, mostly.
Overall, if you’re willing to accept a party size helping of cheese in your romance stories (or, if you have ever had a crush on any of 1D/NSYNC/The Beatles/etc), I think you’ll like Kyohei. His route is definitely not perfect, and it certainly isn’t high literature, but it provides some super satisfying wish fulfillment and is generally a fun, sexy read!
Choice quote:
“Kyohei…I think I’m starting to get the wrong idea…” “You don’t have the wrong idea.” 💕
Personality: 8/10. I really wouldn’t call Kyohei a nice guy in general, and I have beef with how he acted in the beginning, but Kyohei post-turning point in plot is pretty awesome. The guy manages to be nice to MC and super mega sexy at the same time. Also I love how extra he is. It’s perfect for a pop star.
Appearance: 8/10. This guy’s hair is simultaneously the most and least necessary thing ever, lol.
MC: 6/10. I like how self-aware and determined MC is. However, she was too passive for my personal tastes, especially when it came to the asshole men in her life. (Also girl really needs to learn how to digitize/password protect her lyrics…)
Plot/Payoff: 6/10. I generally enjoyed how gloriously cheesy the plot was, especially with regards to MC’s lyric writing and her relationship with Kyohei, but I do think the main villain ended up trying to do way too much. Also, I really wanted to see the creepy screenwriter get his comeuppance in the story, and I would LOVE confirmation that MC’s getting paid for her troubles! 💰💰
Personal enjoyment: 7/10. I started out really disliking this route because MC gets screwed over way too hard in the beginning, but Kyohei himself really makes this story more enjoyable than it has any right to be! ^_^
TL;DR MC is a horrifyingly busy princess. Here’s a list of all the things that MC and company had to organize for the annual “open day,” during which ALL citizens of Wysteria are invited to traipse through the castle:
Flowers: There are supposed to be pretty flowers everywhere in the castle. You know how huge a castle is?! Yikes. (Byron’s route)
More flowers: MC’s supposed to hand make corsages for literally everyone who walks through the door. Because tradition. (Sid’s route)
Party favors: If the corsages weren’t already enough, MC and the staff have also decided to hand out special handkerchiefs to everyone. Thank goodness MC doesn’t have to hand make those, lol (Giles’ route)
Speech: MC has to give a speech, and the bureaucrats may as well have gotten an underpaid intern to ghost write the damn thing for her given how many demands they made. But nope, MC has to write it herself as well (Robert’s route, Louis’ route)
Ceremonial crowning: A lucky orphan gets to ceremonially place a tiara on MC’s head during a cute ceremony. This might actually be MC’s easiest obligation of the day, haha (Louis’ route)
Fancy banquet: There’s a fancy banquet, with foreign dignitaries and such, during which MC has to smile and be polite (Byron’s route)
Fancy party: After a long and exhausting day, there’s a fancy party, considered the biggest event of the day. With dancing. I hope MC’s got some comfy flats on under that poofy dress! (Byron’s route, Sid’s route)
Sounds like the overworked castle staff should invest in an event planner next year, doesn’t it? ^_^
Overall, I thought this event was cute enough, but pretty repetitive, and not super interesting in terms of plot. In other words, it was par for course for MidCin. Based on sheer cuteness and whether or not MC got her suitor a gift (in exchange for the jewelry that’s always given to her), my favorite routes from top to bottom: Sid > Louis > Robert > Byron > Giles. Sid really shined well above the others, imho (“Of course I know what suits you, and what best highlights your charms. And that’s because I love you more than anyone in the world”). I just might have to put aside my dislike of his silly hair and give his route a whirl!
What happens when it’s time to celebrate the local brat’s birthday? Utter hilarity, that’s what. Here are my quick thoughts on Jonah’s birthday stories:
Red Army Surprise Party
Jonah drops the world’s least subtle hints regarding his upcoming birthday, and the entire Red Army proceeds to ignore them while planning a secret party for him! And meanwhile, MC, who’s been feeling like she doesn’t quite fit in, gets a great chance to get to know the Red Army boys, to Jonah’s simultaneous glee and jealousy. This guy is just too much, but I’m glad he’s open and communicative about it, haha. I enjoyed this story quite a lot. My favorite parts:
Poor Zero, who senses in MC a kindred spirit, different from all the other Red crazies. “Say, is that a beautiful, golden halo shining above your head?” Lmfao can’t wait for this guy’s route.
“I’ve never been particularly good at this sort of thing” – Lance. “This sort of thing” being basic fundamental people skills ^_^
“I’m a mess because I have no outlet for my jealousy!” Classic.
Brotherly Love
Jonah gets summoned to a birthday party hosted by his snooty Clemence relatives, who have a history of throwing him awful parties (they forgot to invite Luka once and gave Jonah crap for being sad…!). So MC conspires with Luka and Sirius to hatch a jailbreak/escape plan for Jonah, and it is glorious. Two words: Mary Poppins. I liked this story with its sexiness and silliness, but it definitely revealed some of Jonah’s character flaws. Route highlights:
Sirius hating on Jonah in his absence, calling him “Clingy Clemence” and “Cling of Hearts.” Savage! Didn’t think he had it in him, lmao.
Jonah hating on Sirius! “I can’t believe you and Luka were plotting on secret with that pied-piper jerk!” I am SO CURIOUS what the backstory is between these two. AFAIK it hasn’t shown up in their main stories!
MC laying down the judgement at the Clemence party. “Not only is your dessert table missing mille-feuille, I can’t see a single strawberry anywhere!”
Overall, I thought both stories were really fun to read! Jonah is a super entertaining fictional character. But he’d be such a pain in the ass IRL! This is really highlighted in Brotherly Love, given his obsession with always looking good for MC and his fixation with “being cool.” Jonah honey, you look like cotton candy, stop trying to look cool, lmfao.
Okay I am admittedly having a little trouble writing this given my excitement over YAHIKO UNEXPECTEDLY SHOWING UP in Ninja!MC’s story, but here are my quick thoughts on the second pair of karacters from Kai!
Let’s start off with Saizo. Boy starts out sleeping the days away Genya-style, but after getting badgered by Yuki and little Sasuke for training, he sets up a challenge for them: find and read a “book of secrets” that he and MC safeguards, and he’ll agree to training them. Except, of course, said challenge itself is a training session. Very sneaky! Some of my favorite bits:
Kiyohiro getting roped into this nonsense
Saizo “teaching MC some ninja moves” (it’s just an excuse for him to get all up close and personal, lol)
Yuki and Sasuke getting flummoxed after MC shoves the book down her chest, and a cameo by Shingen (“What is with you two? If you’re afraid of touching a woman’s breasts, you’re going to run into problems later on”).
I’m not generally a huge fan of Saizo and I wasn’t really expecting much out of this route, but overall I thought the story was surprisingly good! It’s not every day we get to enjoy a totally angst-free Saizo route, after all. I really wish we got to see this side of Saizo more often (although I guess he’d be overlapping with Gen a little too much, haha).
Personal enjoyment: 9/10
And then, there’s Nobuyuki. His ES features a classic instance of the Mistaken for Cheating trope – not one that I’m super fond of, tbh. You can’t blame MC though, because the signs are strong: he 1) drops a woman’s handkerchief, 2) is hard to find at odd moments, and 3) gets followed by a beautiful woman into a secret house. I don’t know about the rest of y’all, but I did not see the true reveal coming at all! I actually thought N might be secretly meeting (and rejecting) women that his dad was trying to set him up with, given the pressures of being the eldest son of the Sanada clan at all, but, nope. Nobuyuki the “unsung domestic hero,” as MC puts it, is so much cooler, haha.
So yes, I did like the final reveal, trope-y-ness and all. But I have to admit, I was hoping for more of his personality to be displayed/revealed! We already know that this guy is nice and a little flirty. What craziness is he secretly hiding behind that handsome smile of his? Is this actually the extent of his personality?! Here’s to hoping future ES’s will shed more light. ^_^
Personal enjoyment: 6.5/10
What did y’all think? And whose main route are you all doing first: sassy thief, or teenage firefly? Lmk!! 🙂
PS. did any of you run into this hilarious bit of text midway through? 😂
Shingen and Yukimura…can anyone say best event pairing ever?!
In Yukimura’s ES, he and MC haven’t been a couple for all that long, and they’re still adorably shy around each other ^_^ The bulk of this story revolves around some old letters from Yuki to a penpal that MC finds. She and Yuki embark on the cutest quest ever to find out who the penpal might have been! They travel all across the castle and all across town, and eventually, MC convinces Yuki to leave one more letter for his penpal. The response is just too sweet: “…I will be watching over you, Lord Yukimura, forever proud of the fine man you have become. Yours, Sanada Nobuyuki.” 💕
So not only was this ES an incredibly charming tale of new love, it was also a touching story about a protective older brother trying to cheer up his lonely younger bro! I loved how the writing itself was innocent and happy, just like our lovely couple. Overall, this is probably my favorite Yukimura ES to date! Really shows how a slice-of-life type event story can be just as amazing as an epic wartime adventure. 🙂
Personal enjoyment: 11/10
Shingen’s ES is a lesson in communication and understanding. Here, MC and Shingen are also still in the getting-to-know-you phase, and it turns out, they’re both super eager to get to know each other (and not just physically ;))! In an effort to better understand how MC’s mind works, Shingen heroically goes through many efforts, on the advice of others:
He helps her cook (and promptly destroys all the eggs in the process with his epic strength, lol)
He helps her hang laundry (he sucks at it)
He takes her on a tour of the town at a frenetic pace (she gets over-exhausted)
See a pattern? I was totally swooning over this guy’s willingness to try things even when he’s not good at them. But my absolute favorite part of this route comes at the end: when Shingen finally learns why MC was so happy over an old fan he gave her (tl;dr b/c she cares about him), he immediately asks for something of hers without skipping a beat. Like a boss.
This is pure personal bias speaking, but imho after reading through countless different otome characters, there’s simply nobody quite like Shingen: at once magnetic/larger-than-life, yet somehow down-to-earth. There’s a reason why Shingen is my absolutely favorite otome character of all time, and routes like this really highlight why. 💕
Personal enjoyment: 11/10
Saizo and Nobuyuki are out. Haven’t read their ES’s yet, but I am wildly excited to read about Yuki’s sexy older brother! 😀 Anyway, what did you all think about the first part of this event?
Is it just me or was the timeline of this event super short?! I was barely able to finish all six events, but maybe I just wasn’t paying enough attention ^_^ Anyway here are my quick thoughts on this batch of warlords, and what we learned about them:
In Kojuro’s event, we get to “enjoy” his one-sentence negotiation with the Oda clan from his perspective. With the added context, things make way more sense: Mitsuhide had many run-ins with Kojuro before their official negotiation meeting, and that’s why Kojuro was able to confidently his equal-footing alliance thing. He trusted that Mitsuhide wouldn’t backstab the Date’s. …Okay. Not the most fantastic explanation, imho, but I’ll take it! SLBP’s certainly thrown less plausible things at us, haha.
So what did we learn about Kojuro himself? Not much, imho. It was kind of disappointing to learn that Kojuro’s inner monologue is so boring. He comes across as kind of immature, which ruins the whole sexy older man thing he’s got going for him, yanno? Also, I can’t believe that this guy, who’s supposed to be a monster in the sack, slept through his wedding night! Lmao. 😂And finally, why weren’t Kojuro’s awesome siblings shown on screen?! I generally really like Kojuro, so I’m honestly kind of sad that this ES didn’t live up to my personal hype. It wasn’t an absolutely terrible read, don’t get me wrong, but I’m just gonna go ahead and ignore this specific characterization of the guy. ^_^
Personal enjoyment: 4/10
If Kojuro failed to live up to my personal expectations, boy did Inuchiyo and his route surpass them! My personal enjoyment of these routes might kind of work like the stock market, lol. Anyway, maybe it’s because I’ve yet to do his ES, but I was completely shocked to learn just how much self-doubt this dude has. It’s not something I’d been able to pick up on thus far at all!
In terms of plot, I absolutely adored the additional insight on not only Inuchiyo’s complicated relationship with his older brother (aka his dad’s favored son), but also the origin story behind how Inuchiyo grew to become MC’s family friend. This event from MC’s perspective touched on the dude’s status as prodigal son, and I think this version expanded on that beautifully. Overall, I think Inuchiyo’s ES was absolutely fantastic. Even if you might not like him as a romantic partner, you can’t deny that this route shed a ton of light on him as a character!
Personal enjoyment: 10/10
Last but not least, we have Ieyasu. This route provides a unique look into an abuser’s mind, and boy is it a doozy! There are no surprises with Ieyasu’s internal monologue. He’s just as much of a douche talking to himself as he is out loud! His thoughts on MC after she witnesses (and enjoys) some good ol’ Western PDA, for example: Gods, you are mind-numbingly stupid. What is interesting is that he’s just as hard on himself as he is on others! This guy doesn’t really have delusions of self superiority, the way one might assume just looking from the outside in.
I should’ve seen it coming, but Ieyasu’s hatred of (and resulting monologuing against) Nobunaga et al. was strangely satisfying to read. As for the rest of the plot, it was honestly kind of fun comparing Ieyasu’s pessimistic narration to MC’s idealistic one from several months back! So overall, I thought Ieyasu’s POV event was pretty terrible from a romantic/datability perspective (as usual), but it certainly was an interesting read!
“You really are…the most insufferable little dullard, aren’t you…”
What better way to celebrate IkeSen Mitsunari’s route release, than by talking about his SLBP counterpart? Honestly, I think it’s kind of hilarious how different the two Mitsun’s are. To date, SLBP Mitsunari has consistently been one of my least favorite characters given his verbal asshole-ness and r/iamverysmart vibe, so I was really curious how the SLBP folks were going to sell him as a romantic character in his MS.
Anyway, the first time MC (disguised as Yahiko, Ieyasu’s poison tester) meets Mitsunari in his story, he’s exactly as rude and abrasive as his ES’s suggest he’d be. Unlike his sister, Saki, who is kind and gentle (and pretty). After MC helps Saki out with a manju emergency (no you didn’t read that wrong), her bro does feel obligated to help MC get away from a murderous Ieyasu (long story, lol), and that is how MC ends up temporarily crashing at Hideyoshi’s castle for a few weeks.
MC spends her days helping out with the cooking, and getting to know Saki and Mitsun’s retainer Sakon better. And then one day, Mitsunari walks in on MC changing as a woman, and they both freak out (“S-stop screaming like you have something to scream about! They’re not even impressive…”). Seriously though – even though nobody else really minds, Mitsun is pissed(“Vile succubus…to put on the guise of masculinity in order to get close to Hideyoshi without suspicion…”). It’s kind of hilarious.
And kind of hypocritical. Because remember Saki? That kind, beautiful, gentle woman who MC’s been befriending!? Saki is Mitsunari in disguise. I can’t even imagine how physically painful it must’ve been for Mitsunari to be polite while masquerading as his sister 😂. Anyways, the reason why M dresses up as a girl is pretty sad (TL;DR he’s the child of a rape and his dying mother has trouble dealing with men). Doesn’t explain why Mitsunari’s such an ass, though. He never does drop the “dullard” nickname for MC as the rest of the route progresses, seems super eager to get rid of her until around Episode 10, and even yanks her violently onto a horse at some point (her poor shoulder sockets!). Blehhh not attractive.
That said, Mitsunari definitely has his moments. Route highlight: this dude ruthlessly cutting down new retainers from Nobunaga after they try to rape MC, and shrugging off the consequences/fallout. Also, towards the end of the route, Mitsunari shows amazing strength in the face of tragedy with MC’s help, and the final war/conflict ends up being pretty satisfying to read. Mitsunari is definitely at his best in war genius/military mode. …Not that he ever really softens up as a character, mind you. Even his final love confession to MC is unique, to say the least (“I’m glad that I met you! I’m TRYING to tell you that I want you to stay with me!! There!! Get something in your head for once, you…you insufferable little manju-girl!!”).
So, did Mitsunari’s route change my impression of him as a character and romantic interest? To be honest, this route only cemented my utter lack of attraction to the guy. Socially stunted rudeness just isn’t sexy. But did I end up liking/respecting him a little more as a character after reading the route? Absolutely. Mitsunari’s willingness to crossdress/murder/etc for those he loves is commendable, and overall, he comes across as an earnest and loyal dude.
Objectively speaking, I thought Mitsunari’s route was nicely done. He turned out to be a surprisingly nuanced character, and the plot was decently interesting. If you’re someone who’s actually reading SLBP for the articles plot and not just the sexy smut, you might end up enjoying this route! (…But prepare to feel not very romanced ^_^)
Choice quotes: “What are you grinning at? Hideous…” “Relax. I would never make the mistake of making you think I wanted you. By heaven, earth and Hideyoshi, I swear it.” “It was blooming…around.” – Mitsunari’s attempt to give MC flowers
Personality: 5/10. I feel for poor Mitsunari after reading his backstory, but that certainly doesn’t make him more dateable! Even if he’s a sympathetic character, he’s still rude af. Bonus points for surprise murderous/protective tendencies.
Appearance: 2/10 he looks like a Q-tip cosplaying as a monk. (Ok but when his sprite doesn’t look like he has a giant stick shoved up his ass he’s a solid 6 or 7)
MC: 9/10. Although the sassy dialogue choices didn’t always lead to the best result, I appreciate Voltage giving us the option to respond to Mitsun’s rudeness in kind (and yes. I always went for the sass option, lol)
Plot/Payoff: 7/10. The romance did feel a little rushed, but the plot itself was solid enough – especially the war stuff. Also, Sakon and Hideyoshi were great side characters!
Personal enjoyment: 7/10. No, still don’t want to date Mitsunari. But nonetheless, I enjoyed reading his ridiculous route! 🙂
You have no idea how thrilled I was to finally be able to enjoy an IkeSen event with everyone’s favorite angel! I love him so much ^_^ Anyway, here are my brief thoughts on the two stories we were blessed with:
Facets of Love
MC tries to hide her (small, reasonable) feelings of jealousy as Mitsunari’s star power rises and his female fanbase grows. And she’s maybe a little too successful about it, too, because poor Mitsunari gets all sad that MC isn’t getting jealous the way he would if their roles were reversed! This is a relationship “conflict” that literally only Mitsunari could pull off while still looking good, lol. Seriously, pouty Mitsunari is too adorable for words. Other highlights:
“What’s wrong is you’re not at my side. When would you ever need to step back, MC?” – when M gets mobbed by fangirls. Model boyfriend ❤
“I already love MC an incalculable amount, so I fear ‘plenty of affection’ would be a step down.” 😂
“Are you enjoying this?” Trust our resident strategist to be able to pull off enthusiastic consent sexily, no problem!
Showdown at Sawayama
MC and Mitsunari plan a birthday getaway at Sawayama Castle. But run-ins with Shingen/Kenshin and a potential peasant uprising add a little more drama/adventure than expected! Luckily, M manages to diffuse the situation with Shingen/Kenshin – and that farmer rebellion turns out to be fake news, lol. So you could say things ended up actually being calmer than expected, but that’s ok, because that’s just the way Mitsunari and MC like it. Highlights:
“We already do everything that husbands and wives do. Like-” Only to be shushed by MC ^_^
Mitsunari busting out some unexpectedly smooth lines! “…My heart and the rest of me is yours and yours alone.” “If so, can I have you now?”
Overall, I really enjoyed reading both event stories, although I have to admit that some of it might’ve been due to just how Mistunari-starved we’ve all been up until now, haha. But IMHO, Facets of Love was definitely more interesting than Showdown at Sawayama, because the scenario felt more “realistic” (even if Mitsunari is an unrealistically perfect love interest… ;D). Anyway, which story did you all prefer? 🙂
It’s election night, I’m trying to queue up a post for tomorrow on this blog, those projections are all over the fucking place, and we are all abut to find out how coherent I can be while drunk as drunk can be!!! Let’s goooo 😀
This batch of ESs from the dude’s perspective has my top three favorite routes from the original non-dude’s perspective so there’s no point in revisiting that. Instead! Lets talk about what we learned about the boys themselves.
In Nobunaga’s route we learn that this guy is basically constantly horny. When he’s not dreaming about raking over the whole world, he’s lusting over MC’s body while calling her brazen both in his head and out loud. This route has two sex scenes, and they are amazing. N might be an asshole like 50% of the time, but he’s definitely a hot one who knows how to please his girl (“I watch her as my fingers tease what waits for me, her expression changing subtlye with every stroke”). You go, Nobunaga 🙂
I also love love lovedddd how this story focused more on Nobunaga’s warships! We learn that he actuall repurposes a ship that he wanted to use as a tour bus for him and MC into the ironclad used to defeat the Mori clan. Damn, son. I can’t get enough of pirate!Nobunaga. With all that swagger and arrogance, he actually fits the bill better than eyepatch Masamune, lol.
Anyway, this ES made me really wish they wouldn’t fuck up Nobunaga’s character every so often. Because in stories like this one he is 100% amazing and swoon worthy and in a different world this little asshole was my top bias.
Personal enjoyment: 10/10
We learn in Masamune’s route that this guy is low key constantly thinking about MC. Even when he’s in the middle of battle, lmao. I also noticed that he seems way less hung up about his bitch mom than MC seems to think he is in the ES from her perspective. Which is good because I fucking hate that woman. I’m in the middle of reading M’s MS route right now and hoo boy does she need to go (too bad MC is too much of an idiot to push for it).
Anyway, back to the ES. IMO the ES from Masamune’s perspective was weaker than the one from MC’s perspective, because it didn’t really give us too much new information and was less dramatic. But it’s still very good, and I really like the bits with Kojuro and Sigezane (“Once…you asked me if you would ever be able to surpass me, as a man. You have become a far greater man than I have ever been, Lord Masamune”). Bromance for the ages ❤
Personal enjoyment: 8/10
One of my favorite things about Hideyoshi’s wedding story from MC’s perspective was how they tease at Hideyoshi’s wavering loyalties to Ghengis Khan Nobunaga. this ES takes it to a whole new level by introducing a new subplot: Nobunaga gives him a fancy wedding tea set…and so does MC’s mom. Which tea set will H choose in the end?! I loved . it.
In terms of actual plot I think Hideyoshi had probably the single best story out of all the wedding stories, and it’s still the case, even from his perspective. Ever scene with Nagaharu was extra gut wrenching since we the reader know what comes next. And we learned so many little facts about Hideyoshi’s entourage. Kanbei is ex Mori?! Damnn. Also, Mitsunari’s giant man crush on Hideyoshi is truly a spectacle to behold. I ship it
Overall, I’m not sure if I learned anything about Hideyoshi that I didn’t know before, but still, this was such an amazing perfect read.
Personal enjoyment: 100/10
What did you all think?1 Did you love this event as much as I did?
Otome Reviews 