Mascot characters in otome

[fr4pp3cinn]

What do you think about mascot characters? They're fairly common in Otomate titles, and I have to say, I'm not too fond of them lol

Some I can think of the top of my head are Juli from BroCon, Daifuku from Olympia Soiree, Poyo-Poyo from Period Cube and Chii from CupiPara. Does Orion from Amnesia counts as a mascot (lol)?

One mascot I did enjoy was Kororo from Cafe Enchante, he was pretty cute (maybe because my favorite route was Ignis haha)
Now Poyo-Poyo... he was driving me insane the whole game. On one hand, I liked Shiki's route a lot when Poyo-Poyo was not there anymore but everything before that? I was so fed up with him. Everytime I heard his "poyo" I wanted to give up on the game.

Now into more spoiler territory:

Spoiler: Brocon, CupiPara, Period Cube

Some games have mascots that turn into guys (or routes), like Poyo-Poyo and Chii from CupiPara. Juli also has that human form (that I thought was a bit weird honestly...) What are your thoughts about it? Chii was one character I disliked as a mascot (he's not even cute...) but I did like Jupiter!

 

[Yue9832]

I actually think they're pretty cute! Well, the idea of one atleast. Sad to say many otome titles make them either too much, or so irrelevant to the plot the game would not change if they were not there. I think mascots are a hit or miss, honestly.

I also don't really like the cute mascots turning into handsome guys.

Spoiler: BroCon, Period Cube, CupiPara, Radiant Tale

Juli (Brother's Conflict), Poyo-Poyo (Period Cube), Chii (Cupid Parasite), Radie (Radiant Tale)... it adds a weird touch to their romance route that I don't like. It doesn't mean I don't like the characters or their romance, I just do not like how they started as.

But I do like some mascots though; Daifuku (Olympia Soiree), Kororo (Cafe Enchante), Tamao (Tengoku Struggle)! I liked how adorable they are and how they add to the game imo. TLDR; I like otome game mascots if they're done right^^

 

[satory]

If they are relevant to the story - why not, Kororo was done great in that aspect. But if they exist only to voice main character's thoughts (like Orion) - honestly, it's a waste of screentime. Go talk to guys or advance main plot instead ><

The most buffling one was mascot from Jack Jeanne. What was that thing, and why did it appear, and where did it go? So many questions, so little answers.

 

[Leviathan_01]

Kororo is super cute, it makes me want to jump into the game and pamper him, squeeze and hug him tightly like I do with my cats! I love mascots in otome games even if they don't do much, the cuter they are, the more I love them! I really like Orion, he's so friendly with the MC in Amnesia Memories. Although I didn't really enjoy his route, I really like Radie as a mascot too, it was super adorable (and hilarious) when he tried to cheer Tifalia up by imitating the guys, lol, it's one of my favorite parts of the game. The same can be said of CupiPara's secret route, I may not be a big fan of the route itself, but he's super adorable in pet form! Right now I'm playing Otome Daoshi and I simply adore Mimi (⁠´⁠∩⁠｡⁠•⁠ ⁠ᵕ⁠ ⁠•⁠｡⁠∩⁠`⁠) she's so cute and tiny, and adorable and pretty.... and I love pandas!! I think she's my favorite pet from otome games. Now my favorite mascot, one of all the fictional mascots, is Captain Barbossa pet Jack from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie, he's so cute and cheeky!

 

[Cove]

Oh wow I don't think I've actually payed attention to mascot characters in Otomes, would Orion count?? lol

 

[tf_charge]

Everytime I heard his "poyo" I wanted to give up on the game.

Spoiler

So do you just find a lot of mascots annoying/unbearable?

 

[fr4pp3cinn]

View attachment 97784

Spoiler

So do you just find a lot of mascots annoying/unbearable?

Not really, but something about Poyo-Poyo just makes me dislike him a lot lol I'm not sure why myself :') he's the only one I find particularly annoying. Most of the time I just find them a bit random tbh

 

[AmnesiaArya]

In some Otome games, mascot characters are basically like accessories or charms—they're there to boost the protagonist's cuteness or act as a game assistant to offer advice for moving the plot forward. My feeling toward these types of characters is that they're pretty much "take it or leave it."
However, it's a completely different story when a mascot character can turn into a male love interest! Having a fluffy, adorable little creature transform into a stunningly handsome guy is just fantastic—like in Cupid Parasite which you mentioned. Radiant Tale has this too. Honey Vibes also has one, though unfortunately, he isn't a romanceable character.

 

[fr4pp3cinn]

Kororo is super cute, it makes me want to jump into the game and pamper him, squeeze and hug him tightly like I do with my cats! I love mascots in otome games even if they don't do much, the cuter they are, the more I love them!

Kororo really is such a delight! One thing I found very adorable was his relationship with Kariya, so fun to see the two playing around in the Cafe lol
And he's so nice to Kotone too!

Right now I'm playing Otome Daoshi and I simply adore Mimi (⁠´⁠∩⁠｡⁠•⁠ ⁠ᵕ⁠ ⁠•⁠｡⁠∩⁠`⁠) she's so cute and tiny, and adorable and pretty.... and I love pandas!! I think she's my favorite pet from otome games.

I haven't got to Otome Daoshi yet, but a panda mascot seems fun! (in Fullmetal Alchemist, one character has a little pet panda, and I did think she was pretty cute)

In some Otome games, mascot characters are basically like accessories or charms—they're there to boost the protagonist's cuteness or act as a game assistant to offer advice for moving the plot forward. My feeling toward these types of characters is that they're pretty much "take it or leave it."

I think some games with heavier plots use mascots to get more lighthearted moments. I prefer when mascots don't talk, many titles have talking mascots and I don't really like them... although Orion was a decent compromise for Amnesia's plot.

However, it's a completely different story when a mascot character can turn into a male love interest! Having a fluffy, adorable little creature transform into a stunningly handsome guy is just fantastic—like in Cupid Parasite which you mentioned. Radiant Tale has this too. Honey Vibes also has one, though unfortunately, he isn't a romanceable character.

I actually prefer some of these characters when they're not in mascot form! In CupiPara I just wasn't interested in Chii at all, but I liked Jupiter well enough

 

[YummyYum]

I generally think they're cute. I don't give much thought about them, because usually they tend to be used as someone for the MC to talk about their feelings to, and don't have a lot of significance.

 

[Fitorja_200010]

For me it would depend on the role of the mascot. Some mascots are great in giving the main character someone to talk to in an honest and open way. I know for daifuku for example she often voiced her worries towards him and gave us a look into her thoughts. They're also cute, and I like cute.

 

[Fitorja_200010]

I generally think they're cute. I don't give much thought about them, because usually they tend to be used as someone for the MC to talk about their feelings to, and don't have a lot of significance.

Totally agree. It's also nice to see the MC speak to someone that is not a love interest so frequently.

 

[Nihilistic]

I actually really enjoy mascot characters, I love Kuma (Teddie) from persona 4 for example. I just adore those sort of loveable but interesting dynamics between a protagonist and someone not human (or are in secret routes) sometimes they are the voice of reason in certain routes too which I enjoy.