Which one would you say is a disappointing poster boy?

[Lynettee]

This is a topic my friends and I often discuss. Some games really do have poster-boy routes that are disappointing, or at least not the best in the game by a long shot (at least in my personal opinion). In my case, one of them is definitely Dante Falcone from Piofiore no Bansho. His route was very difficult to complete and incredibly boring. I understand that if you put him on the cover, that route should blow my mind, but it didn't. Other examples are Shin from Amnesia Memories or Gill Lovecraft, who appears on the first cover of Cupid Parasite (although he shares it with Allan).

 

[usagi-k]

it feels weird to call him disappointing since he's still my second favorite love interest in the game but i think i'd vote for yanagi from collar x malice </3 he has such a good personality and very fun dynamic n chemistry with ichika but i didnt really enjoy the way they paced his route (the adonis plotline had me so much interested than yanagi's own story) and i also didnt like the constant talk about him being an old man even though he's literally in his late twenties ... like be so serious rn there's also that whole thing about how him and ichika had met before which i liked !!! but i wouldve enjoyed it alot more if there'd been buildup or hints of it in the previous routes too

i'll mention edward from mistonia as well not because i didnt like his route but more so because i dont really understand why he's the poster boy? i think someone like john maybe makes more sense since he's locked and also a way more supportive role for aprose, idk i just had a very different expectation from edward since he was the poster boy so playing his route i was just like huh ... i had a good time but i thought it'd be more intense

 

[shironyan]

This is just a hot take, it's Yves from Virche.
I'm sorry, but Hugo is ruining his character for me.
If you play Virche, you know what i mean....

 

[Yuunari]

All the poster boi route I played so far have some disappointing aspects but I still get that some of the LI moments have to subdue to the plot to wrap up, and I still like them to some point.

The one I truly dislike is Waltz from Cinderella phenomenon. His chemistry with Lucette is zero and I don't like his trope, his curse, his looks, his true route syndrome either (sorry Waltz fan )

 

[MariPZ]

Hazuki Kei.
I suffered a lot trying to reach his standards.
He may have a polite demeanor, but it comes across more passive-aggressive than anything else.
Maybe that's part of his charm as a cold guy? but rather than being fun to catch, I got tired fast.
The reward wasn't worth the effort for me.

 

[甘味鎮痛剤]

Fey from Matsurika no Kei.
I played the game mainly because of him, but in his own route, he actually ends up dying — and someone else replaces him. I don't even know how to explain it, but it left me confused....

 

[Lynettee]

Fey from Matsurika no Kei.
I played the game mainly because of him, but in his own route, he actually ends up dying — and someone else replaces him. I don't even know how to explain it, but it left me confused....

I forgot about him! That cover is definitely a trap; I don't even think there's a route for him.

 

[fr4pp3cinn]

it feels weird to call him disappointing since he's still my second favorite love interest in the game but i think i'd vote for yanagi from collar x malice </3 he has such a good personality and very fun dynamic n chemistry with ichika but i didnt really enjoy the way they paced his route (the adonis plotline had me so much interested than yanagi's own story) and i also didnt like the constant talk about him being an old man even though he's literally in his late twenties ...

Yanagi for me as well! I thought it was a weird choice to have him as a locked route, since Shiraishi's route is way more intense... I thought many of the plot points they bring up in his route could be distributed better between the other characters to avoid the huge info dump and almost no romantic development (the age gap comments were pretty silly for me too). His route was pretty weak compared to the other LIs, I think

I also disliked Misyr as a poster boy in Cafe Enchante... his route started pretty strong, but I really didn't like how it ended. I liked the conflict in both Ignis and Il's routes, and Il specially had a pretty good thing going on, just for me to get to the last chapters in Misyr's route and end up being disappointed. His bad ending was the better one for me, but it still felt like a letdown after such a strong beginning!

 

[甘味鎮痛剤]

I forgot about him! That cover is definitely a trap; I don't even think there's a route for him.

Yeah... the sequel added an "if" route for him, but in the main game, he was definitely a trap.

 

[satory]

I also disliked Misyr as a poster boy in Cafe Enchante...

His route was disappointing in terms of romance, but I can see how it's a good way to complete the game. MC romances monsters as a human, and in Myser's route a human romances MC (a monster). It was a good duality (but a bad romantic story)

 

[fr4pp3cinn]

His route was disappointing in terms of romance, but I can see how it's a good way to complete the game. MC romances monsters as a human, and in Myser's route a human romances MC (a monster). It was a good duality (but a bad romantic story)

Yeah, I do get how the route tied into the themes of the game, but I thought it was a bit weak compared especially to Il's route, which had a better romance and emotional payoff, without neglecting the plot (to me, at least). I'd also prefer if the route explored a bit more about Noah, but that's a matter of personal preference lol

That's a problem with many poster boy routes, they focus too much on the overall plot and end up sidelining the romance, which is very underwhelming when the other routes have good romantic moments. Very often the poster boy ends up as a lore dump route, and their relationship with the MC feels underdeveloped :(

 

[O cha]

Fey from Matsurika no Kei.
I played the game mainly because of him, but in his own route, he actually ends up dying — and someone else replaces him. I don't even know how to explain it, but it left me confused....

I completely feel the same way. Fey caught my eye during the common route, so I was really taken aback by how things turned out... I ended up closing the game and had to take a break from it for a while.

I haven't had a chance to play the FD yet, and while I'm super happy to hear that Fey finally has a route, I have somewhat mixed feelings. It kind of feels like a cash grab from the company. It's just my personal opinion and I don't mean to criticize them for wanting to make a profit, but it definitely leaves me feeling a bit conflicted..

 

[Lynettee]

I completely feel the same way. Fey caught my eye during the common route, so I was really taken aback by how things turned out... I ended up closing the game and had to take a break from it for a while.

I haven't had a chance to play the FD yet, and while I'm super happy to hear that Fey finally has a route, I have somewhat mixed feelings. It kind of feels like a cash grab from the company. It's just my personal opinion and I don't mean to criticize them for wanting to make a profit, but it definitely leaves me feeling a bit conflicted..

I definitely think it's as you think; it was a strategy. Proof of this is that in the FD they don't include the stories of "THAT" character, or they simply thought that type of story would work, and surprise, it didn't. I haven't seen any reviews or comments about Matsurika no Kei that mention that route being well-received, simply because it wasn't a Fey route, and that's what they were selling you. I haven't played their route in the FD yet, but I hope it's good enough to make up for the anger I felt in the first game.

 

[Doglo]

Its gotta be yanagi from CxM, or Dante from Piofiore. Compare them to someone like Akaza from Olympia Soiree and you start understanding why a true route/poster boys exist

 

[Vita5193]

Ikki(Amnesia), On the surface, he's a successful, popular, and gallant man, an idol for hundreds of girls. But as a role model, he's completely inadequate: Iki is completely helpless in the face of his fan club's aggressive behavior. Instead of setting firm boundaries and protecting the man he loves, he cowardly allows the fans to bully the main character.

 

[Fruitcup]

yanagi from collar x malice compared to the other routes in CollarxMalice it felt lackluster; it felt like it was missing something. I mean the overall story was alright but the main troupe of his route feels worn out and lazy

 

[totallyamanda]

Hazuki Kei.
I suffered a lot trying to reach his standards.
He may have a polite demeanor, but it comes across more passive-aggressive than anything else.
Maybe that's part of his charm as a cold guy? but rather than being fun to catch, I got tired fast.
The reward wasn't worth the effort for me.

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I 100% second this. o(｀ω´*)o

Besides, TMGS3 & S4, the poster boys of the first two games seem to just...not like MC (in my eyes) they seem to only put up with MC but the romance really lacked in comparision to the other love interests in each game.

The wholesome feelings were few and far between for a feeling of this guy is just not interested in you to be the main focus. (´-ω-)

I like a warmer love interest than one that feels like I'm bothering whenever I interacted with them. The cool guy who remains cool is just not my type one bit, but I loved their designs. o(TヘTo)