Incest in Otome games- Love, Hate or Neutral?

[laidy]

This is kinda a weird topic lol but I genuinely have an issue...

What's y'alls opinions on the "brother" or some sort of family relation route in otome games? Is it affected by your life experience? I don't have a brother so whatever I see in an otome game I take unusually seriously. As soon as the brother thing drops I start thinking about their parent's, how tf are they gonna get married, inbred babies...

I do not like the "brother/cousin/step-brother" route in most Otome games. MOOOOST. I hate when it's played serious and also kinda- ignored? Like the characters don't really resolve the issue (it's an issue to me ;;) of them being siblings or pseudo siblings or whatever, like in Shin and Toma's routes in Amnesia. But I wanna like them SOOOO BAD UGH. How do I get over it? Am I missing something? Has anyone gotten over this kinda thing or is it just a preference you're stuck with?

I like when it's either played straight, like in cinderella phenomenon when the MC finds out one of the LI's is her cousin, in that ending they hide their love from the world. Or when it's sorta comedic it's good too, like Onii-chan from Otometeki Love Revo being obsessed and overly supportive of his little sister.

I'm fine with basically all other topics so I feel like my particular hang up on this sucks the enjoyment out of characters I would've otherwise liked.

 

[vitanchlo]

Most aren't written to my standards but there's something I dislike more than that. I hate when MC isn't related to the love interest but instead it is him having a fixation on someone else; a brother, sister or his mother typically. They also happen to be the worst written routes in their respective games.

Edit: A proper answer to the title: I love the idea of it but it often doesn't work out for me.

 

[Daisy Magnus229]

I don't hate this type. I can survive a trash male lead, a yandere, or older guys, so of course I can survive this route too, lol. I mean, I have a brother myself, but never once have I thought of him or let it affect my experience when playing. Game and reality shouldn't be mixed.

how tf are they gonna get married, inbred babies...

They could elope, right? Parents sometimes give up after many failed omiai attempts, too. Like in Otometeki, where the brother turns down a marriage proposal and throws away all the photos of guys their mother wants to set Hitomi up with.

If the brother is a yandere (like a mastermind type), he can manipulating the parents too, like in Death Game Manga no Kuromaku Satsujinki no Imouto ni Tensei shite Shippai shita. This one features a stepbrother, but dear lord, combining pseudo-incest with a yandere is wild.

 

[MikuMikuni]

Really interesting topic for discussion.

It is hardwired into human nature to dislike/have a repulsive reaction to incest and the idea of it, so your issue with it is literally natural. This is because of evolution and genetics. Our brains fundamentally know that inbreeding offers zero reproductive benefits and actually harms the survival of our species,genetic diversity is what keeps future generations healthy. In psychology, there's even a term for this called the 'Westermarck effect,' which is our natural instinct to feel a sexual aversion toward people we were raised in close proximity with. That biological defense mechanism is exactly why incest is universally recognized as morally wrong across society (and it is). So your brain is doing its job.

That being said... I actually kind of enjoy the taboo dynamic in fiction. Like you, I don't have a brother (I'm an only child) and I think that makes it a lot easier for me to digest. Plus, I had a very accidental, early exposure to the trope when I was young (stumbled onto Yosuga no Sora), so the initial shock value wore off a long time ago. Also I'm not sure if this has a correlation, I enjoy friends to lovers dynamic and obsessive characters (but I personally feel it kind of ties in with my enjoyment as it's kind of like the most extreme end of these)

I strictly only prefer sibling/cousin dynamics though, nothing else. For me, the main thing that fascinates me is intense inner turmoil and the heavy backstories that usually come with this taboo. A lot of the time, the siblings have a tragic backstory where they literally only had each other to rely on to survive. Or, you get a dynamic where one sibling (usually the older brother) wasa conditioned to prioritize and protect the other, and that pressure twists into an unhealthy obsession. Kind of like a 'us against the world' bond. Although don't really encounter it being done well in most otome games that have it.

And honestly, to answer your question..no you aren't 'missing' anything. You don't need to force yourself to get over it. Bc if it sucks the enjoyment out of the route/LI for you, it's just a hard (normal biological and moral) preference you have. But also if you truly want to give it a try to stomach it, remember that this is fiction. Sometimes we gotta turn off our brains to enjoy something (but it can really be hard though).

And lastly...let me quote the hardest line from the most goated LI, "You will love me as your brother, and as your husband! You can give all your love to me!"

 

[satory]

Here is a take from a person who has siblings - it doesn't matter at all I'm not a huge fan of the trope itself, but when I do happen to read something with it, I don't imagine how would it be in real life (eugh >< just writing it was disgusting, but reading about fictional characters is fine).

If it is in the story, I'd prefer it to be explored a little, so the ending would be a logical conclusion, not something that happened out of blue. Many already brought up Love Revo!, but in this vn they hardly even scratched the topic. I was waiting for a parent talk and it didn't happen, they just quietly got together.

And everyone has preferences, and everyone is missing on things they don't like and don't touch. There maybe good incest stories thet you may like, but there are also good stories that match your preferences better. I don't think it's possible to like everything, unless you have some serious reason for it.

 

[maya_chan1]

Neutral, I think! I don't have any siblings, so I'm not sure if that influences how I see it, but it doesn't really bother me either way. I think I'm pretty good at separating fiction from reality, just like there are plenty of things I enjoy in otome that I would never want in real life.

Even if the route involves an actual "forbidden love" aspect, I can find it really interesting when it's written well and the story actually explores the complications instead of just ignoring them.

 

[vitanchlo]

Neutral, I think! I don't have any siblings, so I'm not sure if that influences how I see it, but it doesn't really bother me either way. I think I'm pretty good at separating fiction from reality, just like there are plenty of things I enjoy in otome that I would never want in real life.

Even if the route involves an actual "forbidden love" aspect, I can find it really interesting when it's written well and the story actually explores the complications instead of just ignoring them.

I agree, even though I have siblings. The only thing I get a bit iffy about (but that's on me) is twincest. Because of a reason I'm sure can be easily guessed. I'd never judge anyone who likes that content of course.

 

[Marrychan]

I happen to have siblings—three of them, to be exact. Personally, it has never bothered me, nor does it influence my preferences in any significant way; I actually enjoy reading it when it's well-written.
I think that, as someone who writes a lot, I appreciate the literary aspect more than anything else. Not that it's an excuse, but historically, this was quite common across various cultures.
I like it when the story involves more than just the incest itself—when there's something else driving the plot. Overall, it doesn't bother me; in fact, I find it quite interesting.

 

[Cyna23205]

Yahh I've been waiting for someone to make a post about incest in otome games for SO long. I was kinda scared people here just weren't into that kind of thing.

As a BIG incest enjoyer myself (siblings, parent/child, etc, I'm pretty much down for every flavor) there's one thing I've noticed: in most games I've played, incest is usually just used as a kink/fetish rather than something that actually contributes to the story.

People are naturally drawn to things that are taboo or "wrong." The more forbidden it is, the more exciting it gets. It's not exactly a coincidence that things like yanderes or problematic age-gap relationships are so popular. So sometimes I feel like the reason incest gets treated so superficially in games, and even in drama CDs, is because it's basically just another forbidden tag used as a kink to get people attached to the game or the character. Which is kinda sad

Since I'm such a huge fan of incest, I've also been part of quite a few communities for people who are into this kind of plot. One thing they seem to have in common is that they actually want stories where incest is treated as a genuine social taboo rather than being romanticized or justified.
And usually, we prefer stories with a bad ending where the two characters don't actually end up together lol

 

[motyu]

I think it's a theme that may not appeal to everyone, and my impression of it would depend on how it's handled within the story.
Personally, I don't have a problem with the premise itself as long as the relationship between the characters is portrayed in a way that feels believable and makes sense within the context of the story.

 

[Qiangwei]

I'm neutral also about it. If it's well written and not in your face in every chapters, I don't really mind!

 

[caducus]

A lot of times - in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean games - I've seen it where two characters who are close from childhood will refer to each other as brother/sister, brother/brother, or sister/sister (sometimes with "older" or "younger" mixed in for flavor). More a cultural thing, not actually related by blood, and I feel like that kind of romance is actually pretty common. Completely indifferent that, if I'm being honest.

(unless it's a hyung kink. I am always down for a hyung kink)

For blood-related incest, I don't mind the taboo as part of the story, but I do agree with @Cyna23205 - if it's in the story, make it IMPORTANT. I don't really care about it as a fetish, but I'm interested in the psychological aspects of it. I want to see the difficulties the two people involved face. I want them to fight their feelings because from a social and biological standpoint, it IS considered wrong. I want the nature of their relationship to be DIFFICULT, something they have to overcome. And yeah, I certainly don't mind a bad ending because that's going to make the most sense, realistically.

I also don't mind the obsessed/yandare-brocon/siscon trope, but I do tend to like those when they are written specifically as a bad end and not a true romance route.

 

[SmallEagle]

It's a big no for me, even if it is not blood related, I cannot even imagine seeing someone I consider family in a romantic way, even in fiction. But I will not complain if a game has it, I will just ignore it.

 

[Leviathan_01]

It really bothers me. I don't like it, and it actually makes me feel uncomfortable. Everyone has their own tastes, and I don't judge people who do like it—it's just not for me. I have two brothers and I'm extremely close to them, so close that relatives have commented on how funny it is to see us getting along and being such good friends lol. I consider them my best friends, even though they can be dumb, lazy, and annoying, and they gang up to tease me, they're cool and I can trust them. Even when I play otome games without doing a self-insert, I feel unsettled and get a bit of a sick feeling in my stomach if a Love Interest turns out to be the MC's brother. Even if they aren't blood-related—like if it's an adoptive sibling situation—I struggle to finish those routes. It was a real struggle to finish Taisho x Alice, I only forced myself to play the brother route because the plot really hooked me up . And I temporarily dropped Butterfly's Poison because of Mizuhito. I'll go back to it eventually because I'm intrigued by the plot and really like the theme and the MC, but I have to mentally prepare myself first—even though I've been "preparing" for months now XD

 

[star light]

As long as the story is solid, there is no problem.
It is neutral.

 

[adlo]

I'm pretty neutral about it I will say though sometimes these kinds of stories have to be read with a suspension of disbelief because they leave out the complexities of being in that kind of relationship and it's kind of goofy to not address the elephant in the room. I definitely prefer them to be written darker, like I want the angst and the drama LOL

I don't think it's something you should 'get over', I understand the feeling of wanting to like them but sometimes it really just doesn't click with you. You gave it a chance, found out that you didn't like it and that's okay.

If you want to keep trying those kind of routes then I don't see anything wrong that either, there are different stories out there and you might find one or two that you may like. Just remember that you can always back out anytime if you're not enjoying it, it's really not worth it to push through if it's not fun to you anymore.

 

[SweetTranq]

I have siblings myself, and I can clearly separate reality from fiction, so none of this really bothers me. That's why I actually enjoy brother routes in stories.

These routes often carry a sense of taboo — the characters have to break societal norms, both mentally and physically. It creates a lot of conflict and tension, which makes the story more compelling.

As for the implications beyond that, I don't really think too much about it — after all, it's just fiction.

If these kinds of routes make you uncomfortable, you can always skip them or drop the game entirely. There's no need to let something that doesn't suit you ruin your enjoyment.

 

[RedLipsSourApples]

Not a fan, shit creeps me out but I'll still play the route.

 

[chuubiey]

I'm neutral, not a big fan of it

 

[retsuyasan]

I have no idea what's with the idea that if you have siblings you must hate this trope, but I'm not playing these games with respect to my real life relationships in mind.

I'm more neutral to it bc when it's good, it stretches into the psychological side of things bc there's always some kind of guilt, but there's also commitment to the bit.

 

[nerim-w]

Yahh I've been waiting for someone to make a post about incest in otome games for SO long. I was kinda scared people here just weren't into that kind of thing.

As a BIG incest enjoyer myself (siblings, parent/child, etc, I'm pretty much down for every flavor) there's one thing I've noticed: in most games I've played, incest is usually just used as a kink/fetish rather than something that actually contributes to the story.

People are naturally drawn to things that are taboo or "wrong." The more forbidden it is, the more exciting it gets. It's not exactly a coincidence that things like yanderes or problematic age-gap relationships are so popular. So sometimes I feel like the reason incest gets treated so superficially in games, and even in drama CDs, is because it's basically just another forbidden tag used as a kink to get people attached to the game or the character. Which is kinda sad

Since I'm such a huge fan of incest, I've also been part of quite a few communities for people who are into this kind of plot. One thing they seem to have in common is that they actually want stories where incest is treated as a genuine social taboo rather than being romanticized or justified.
And usually, we prefer stories with a bad ending where the two characters don't actually end up together lol

Wow, as someone who isnt a fan of this trope AT ALL you really changed my view on it. Although I dont think i will ever like it myself i feel like I understand yall alot better. Now that i think about it, i feel like all the "incest" routes ive reluctantly played in the past just didnt actually address the incest or provide any interesting tension or social commentary on it.

It would honestly be such an interesting thing to consider and challenge your morals. like, can you really forbid two people to be romantically in love? Is it really okay to banish them from society because of that? Is attraction to someone something built into you that you cant escape, and if so, why do some people have to be punished for it just because that person happened to be related to them?? Like I mean obviously irl its so wrong but it would be really interesting to explore these feelings in a fictitious space where its safe to do so

And obviously if you like the trope without all this heavy commentary thats completely fine too, we're all grown people who know fiction is different to reality, but this perspective really did make me see it in a new light!

 

[Megha]

why are people being so weird? Ya all like your own siblings or what? How can 31% like it, while 36% be ok with it. I'm sorry, but this is a disgusting trope. I can still tolerate distant cousin or suddenly becoming adopted sibling trope. But close relatives or their own siblings or even step sibling from one different parent? Hell No.

 

[MikuMikuni]

why are people being so weird? Ya all like your own siblings or what? How can 31% like it, while 36% be ok with it. I'm sorry, but this is a disgusting trope. I can still tolerate distant cousin or suddenly becoming adopted sibling trope. But close relatives or their own siblings or even step sibling from one different parent? Hell No.

Other replies have mentioned this already, but we're talking about fiction and understand how to separate fiction from reality. Everyone here understands that this is a serious and disturbing issue in real life, that's why I understand that it's a hard no for most people and extremely difficult to stomach. That said, some people engage with the trope in fiction specifically because of the dark themes and psychological character study it can explore. The extremely closed-off environment, where the characters essentially only have each other and know that society would never accept their feelings, can create some actually genuinely interesting psychological dynamics. Exploring that in fiction doesn't mean people actually want it to happen in reality, nor does it automatically mean we believe it's acceptable in real life. Maybe it's hard to believe that what someone likes in fiction doesn't necessarily equal to what they like in real life, but that's simply the case for some people.

I do agree that a lot of the content surrounding this trope is primarily fetish material (as also mentioned in a previous reply), which can be frustrating when the psychological aspects of it (feelings of isolation, conflicting emotions, denial, dependence, and how the characters rationalize or cope with their situation) are the most interesting things to explore in my opinion and I imagine for some of the others as well.

 

[b3rryb3rry]

I'm honestly not into it at all, but if I really like a character/game I just kinda look past it.
Especially since I don't self insert as the main character, I don't see the love interest as MY brother.
But yeah I just ignore it lmao

 

[Teylin]

I'm neutral about it. Then again, there really aren't many otome games that feature real incest. Usually, it's stepbrothers or just close friends who view the main character as a sister. So I can't take it seriously.