Hello, fellow readers! Sorry for my period of absence; between my university classes, my jobs and other obligations, I’ve been terribly busy. I’m glad to be back and writing about fun things, so please stay tuned for more goodness coming your way!

Anyway…I dub October to be…

🎊Otome Game October!🎊

With Amnesia: Memories having been released, and the much-awaited localisations of Code:Realize ~Guardian of Rebirth~ and Norn9: Var Commons coming this fall, along with other games (OZMAFIA!!) coming soon, this is something to be celebrated! So I thought: “Why not have a month to celebrate by asking fans their opinions on otome games, post up their pictures featuring their collections and talk about current titles we’re playing and how excited we are about future titles?”

To start off, I’ve made a survey for fans to answer, so we can see people’s insights on otome games. The answers I’ve gotten so far have been really interesting, so I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did! To kick off Otome Game October, we have my good friend Emi answering my survey. Let’s see what she has to say!

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How did you first hear about otome games?

Oddly enough, via Google Play with the “Shall we Date?” game series. If I remember correctly, I was absolutely addicted to one revolving around ninjas during a month when my depression hit mega hard and the whole romancey atmosphere with fun back stories just made me seek out others similar.

What was your very first otome game? What drew you to that particular title, other than perhaps it being the only one available at the time?

First proper title was Hakuouki: Memories of the Shinsengumi on 3DS or maybe Sweet Fuse on PSP. I think it may have been Sweet Fuse actually? Let’s say it was Sweet Fuse, as I’m pretty sure I played both around the same time actually but for some reason Sweet Fuse sticks in my mind. It was on sale and honestly the whole gimmick of being Inafune’s niece was quite hilarious and I just HAD to buy it. Also, cuties.

After your first otome game, how did you go about finding out about other games to try out?

I’m pretty sure I honestly just started googling for recommended otome games, some I still haven’t managed to track down due to being Japanese exclusive releases for PC. If we’re including Western released otome stylized games, I ended up playing RE:Alistair++ pretty quickly and then putting money down for the beta of Backstage Pass on PC (which, by the way, is fabulous!).

Are you part of any fan communities dedicated to otome games or do you have friends you share your otome game interests with?  What are the communities like?

I’ve had a bad experience with one otome community on Tumblr back when Hakuouki:Sweet School Life came out on Vita. I took it upon myself to upload screenshots/art and uuuugh, it kinda put me off the whole blogging thing but not connecting with other otome fans. Apart from you, I’ve also tried to convert my best friend Clara to the fold by getting her Hakuouki on 3DS, still waiting for a verdict since she had to move and didn’t get to play it. ;A;

What are your thoughts on mobile (phones/tablets) otome games?

Great, as long as you either have the choice of buying a complete route after a trial chapter/tease. If in the case of freemium, I like them not to be too game breaking/charging micro transactions otherwise I lose interest fast. I don’t want to have to spend a lot of time when it comes to freemium games but if they offer buying complete routes then I’ll take that option so I can play in short, sharp bursts rather than racking up log in bonuses!

Do you buy otome game goods (charms, plush, figures, etc.)? What types of goods do you like the most?

Plushies, keyrings and figures~! If you’d have asked me a few weeks ago, I’d have likely replied plushies or scaled figures but now I’ve honestly shifted my preferences to cute keyrings or mini figures which don’t take up too much space. I love keyrings, I currently have an adorable Yamazaki chilling out on my messenger bag besides my lovely Aigis and they’re so cute.

What are your thoughts on how otome games have been localized? Is there anything you would improve?

Honestly, I don’t have too much of an opinion on how they’ve been localized. The one thing I have to say is that I love the goofy trophy names for the PS3 localization of Hakuouki and if more PS3/PS4/Vita compatible titles come out that I hope they too have fun trophy titles as I will never forget unlocking “On my Toudou list” and “Ronin in the streets, Samurai in the sheets” as I laughed so hard I cried a little. Helped remove the sadness which I usually get when completing a route!

Which otome game that’s being localized this year are you looking forward to the most?

Is OZMAFIA still due for this year? Otherwise I’m kinda out of the loop, on purpose. Really don’t want the stories spoiled, which kinda sucks since I still haven’t convinced myself to play Amnesia: Memories yet. The joys of having a new kitten distracting you from cuties who want to hold your other cuties hand. He, Peeko, really doesn’t like me playing on my Vita around him so I’ll have to wrangle time before bed to play all the upcoming cute Vita otome games. ;A;

Which otome game would you want localized?

HAKUOUKI SWEET SCHOOL LIFE. I could so write a lot about how we, the western otome audience, need this game but honestly I’m a selfish being and just want Yamazaki.

What is your favorite otome game title? Why?

I should say Sweet Fuse since it got me “properly” into the genre but in all honesty? Hakuouki. I mean, aside from chasing cats around compounds… it just kinda clicked with me. There are so many archetypical characters with their own endearing personalities, especially Toudou. I’m not afraid to admit that I’m extremely biased. Toudou reminds me an awful lot of my partner Martin, so it’s kinda sacrilegious for me to NOT love Hakuouki.

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And there you have it! It’s pretty interesting reading about other people’s beginnings with playing otome games, and seeing the various games they’ve played since then. The future looks pretty bright for otome games, so more localized games will be available for us to play and enjoy! How exciting~

The following blog entry coming up this week will be quite special, since it’ll have my very first raffle. The prizes are pretty good, so please look forward to it!

Until next time, happy gaming!