Unpopular otome opinions, drop them here!

[Doglo]

this is not shoujo unfortunately WW IM SORRY its seinen with quite a bit of ecchi.. but if you look past that its like, genuinely good........ but if not i totally understand..............

LOOK ITS OKAY...A LITTLE BIT OF DELUSION NEVER FAILED...

 

[MariPZ]

I hate the self-insert. I think the lack of voiced MCs is also due to this. Don't make me talk about old games, like the mobile ones. It wasn't uncommon for the MC to have no lines. She would just nod, make gestures, or you'd follow the flow of the conversation based on the guys' reactions and responses.

Well, I get that the target audience is japanese, but it feels weird to think that 2D characters are speaking directly to you. That's just my personal opinion, not a big fan of yumejoshi content.

For this very reason, I was put off when I saw Sympathy Kiss. Beautiful art but the eyeless MC is a big no-no.

 

[nyao]

I'm not into femdom at all, but I-- I can't be the only one to find highkey homophobic the idea that submissive men can't possibly be straight? What are these writers even implying T.T

Pulling up to beat a dead horse. As someone who does like femdom, I recently replayed an amare game, and it's so clear to me that 'submissive' immediately means 'bottom' to the majority. I played with the fem MC this time since I went with male MC last time and was surprised to see an LI still make bottom jokes despite topping this version of the MC (＠_＠;)

If the fem MC was pegging him, I wouldn't bat an eye at this, but he's really just a submissive top in this case. Now I love submissive tops, so I'm not complaining about that, but how people attach the 'bottom' label to anyone remotely submissive. Hah… It really sucks when even in straight content you're more likely to see pegging than a simply submissive man.

I recently listened to a femdom NSFW audio and suddenly in the middle, the guy mentions being with other men before… I'm literally gay but this is not the content I was looking for—seriously giving untagged NTR (ㆆ_ㆆ)

I went off on a whole tangent or two oops…

100% agree on the Virche opinion as well (°ー°〃)

 

[ringring677]

i don't knw why but most drama cd adaptation of josei comics have female vas..
i mean the circles do give out the versions with or without female vas so you can choose, but i just don't get why they do a recording with female vas in the first place. I mean if you think about the cases with the male centered works, they never do ones with male vas, so why do they include female vas for works targeted for females?
I also don't like the parts where they include listeners giving out blow jobs unless it's bdsm or dominance related works.. just don't get the appeal and the reasoning
Last thing, i hear the vas imitating female moans in drama cds and it's a huge turn off, but somehow it's a recent trend haha
(i'm just dropping my opinions here)

 

[nerim-w]

Some people might get mad here but my opinion is as follows: I find it VEEERY weird when otome companies create LIs that resemble small women/boys as love interests - but even weirder when people like them. Because...what's going on here...

*cough cough* Himuka from olympia soiree. I love the game itself but why would you like someone who literally resembles a child but is "hundreds of years old" to justify the fact that they look like a child. Someone call chris hansen

No i actually agree but i fear many people will disagree with this. With characters tokisada i can excuse because he looks his age and he's only 1 year younger than olympia, but himuka genuinely has the body of a child!! And the fact that he's hundreds of years old is really giving off the same energy as "looks 12 but is actually 1000 years old" loli girls that men will defend with their life

 

[Doglo]

No i actually agree but i fear many people will disagree with this. With characters tokisada i can excuse because he looks his age and he's only 1 year younger than olympia, but himuka genuinely has the body of a child!! And the fact that he's hundreds of years old is really giving off the same energy as "looks 12 but is actually 1000 years old" loli girls that men will defend with their life

Legit thank you so much! Especially the himuka bit - Tokisada I think is maybe for younger fans but even then he's grown a little in the Orasowa sequel (still too young for me imo but understandable) but Himuka's case is legit what lolicon anime fans use to legitimize interest in younger girls while finding some legal loophole...would be a bit of a double standard if we ignored that because it's otome

 

[lorca]

Bad ends, partially

I'm fine with those as long as they feel properly built up with dedicated writings. What I can't stand are those end out of nowhere or twist characters completely out of personality just to force a tragic ending. (leadership man turns into Lv.100 yandere all in sudden etc) If they're required for the true route, I'll usually just force skip them. (っ'-')╮=͟͟͞͞ throws

 

[Megha]

I agree with most of the comments here actually. But, I don't know if it is popular or unpopular, I just really really hope that Otome games will finally stop making the MC a damsel in a distress almost all the time. Like the MCs are so weak and not capable of thinking when it comes to the male leads or love interests. And somehow, those LIs fall for these people with almost no backbone most of the time. Like why make the MC like that? I'm not saying every Otome is like that, but the majority is sure like that.

 

[Yumehara_raito]

Today's otome games with fantasy settings are really boring—they're not even as good as slice-of-life games. There are just so few otome games that manage to write good scripts with fantasy settings.

By the way, I don't think having voice acting for R18 heroines has anything to do with the male gaze. Besides, in many games, you can turn off the heroine's voice acting, right? It's just that these heroines tend to have stronger personalities, and voice acting helps flesh out their characters more fully. Of course, players who can't play the game from a third-person perspective might not understand this, but the intention definitely has nothing to do with the male gaze.

Of course, some might think I'm perpetuating the male gaze myself, since I find some purely female-oriented R18 games relatively boring (the depictions and art style aren't intense enough; they're too artsy), whereas some otome games that incorporate a bit of the "male gaze" are actually more interesting. That said, I don't really dislike galgames that much—if there's a galgame with a handsome male lead, I'll play it. People who really hate galgames probably wouldn't be able to accept that, though? I can understand that.

 

[ninnikuryona]

By the way, I don't think having voice acting for R18 heroines has anything to do with the male gaze. Besides, in many games, you can turn off the heroine's voice acting, right? It's just that these heroines tend to have stronger personalities, and voice acting helps flesh out their characters more fully. Of course, players who can't play the game from a third-person perspective might not understand this, but the intention definitely has nothing to do with the male gaze.

i meeeeannnnn there are strong heroines in sfw otome too, but theyre mostly unvoiced, unless its a title that doesnt call itself otome (bustafe or jj for example). nsfw otome however, no matter how small of a budget they have, always seem to put a voiced heroine as their priority. sure, you can disable it, but why is this even an option in the first place is what i personally wonder about. like, is there a point in having voice acting in a succulent (controversial but whatev)/kalmia8 title over something like dialovers? both are dark/deep, both have complex heroine(s), but only one of them is unvoiced. i wonder why?

and its not like i hate malegaze or bishoujoge! in fact, i have found myself to enjoy joseimuke manga with clear depictions of female body in erotic ways, since reading manga with zero focus on the heroine's body is just too boring to me.. if that makes sense lmao.. but its a little different with otome i feel like, since this is the genre aimed at self-inserting/self-projection and whatnot. so wouldnt it make more sense to cut the costs by not hiring a seiyuu for the heroine? especially when the seiyuu is a veteran in the industry, or otherwise a very popular person with tons of roles

i guess it all boils down to companies/individuals throwing a wider net in hopes to gather as much audience as possible, even if this audience is male (aka the opposite of the target audience for otome), and the main female audience potentially feeling ostracized or even excluded because of it. i mean, some doujin titles allow themselves to have some absurd settings like "heroine's boobs bouncing". is that not the most blatant malegaze in history lolol? on the other hand we seem to be losing parts of otome that are actually appealing to women. this makes me anxious because i dont want otome to go mainstream and change the definition to include anyone other than women, since this is the only genre we have left, but it is still being constantly attacked left and right. and before my words get misinterpreted, im not saying only women can play otome. obviously target audience is not enforced in any way. im an avid reader of every vn genre in the universe, so i would know WW still though, i dont think its bad or absurd to be bothered by malegaze in female-targeted works

sorry for this little rant im just trying to explain why people might have an issue with malegaze in joseimuke/乙女向け aside from the obvious "aaa sexualization"

 

[satory]

like, is there a point in having voice acting in a succulent (controversial but whatev)/kalmia8 title over something like dialovers? both are dark/deep, both have complex heroine(s), but only one of them is unvoiced. i wonder why?

I'm sorry for intervening, but I saw "dialovers" and "deep and complex" in one sentence and couldn't stop myself

As for voice acting here is my unpopular opinion - let's leave MC voices as it is, after all it can be turned off for everyone who doesn't want to listen, but instead let's add voice acting for male MCs in nukige. I'd enjoy Rance series much more if his voice was not only in battles, but in vn elements as well

 

[ninnikuryona]

I'm sorry for intervening, but I saw "dialovers" and "deep and complex" in one sentence and couldn't stop myself

which is why i also said "dark"! besides, the lore in dialovers is vast enough to give someone a mindfuck:p

 

[Yumehara_raito]

i meeeeannnnn there are strong heroines in sfw otome too, but theyre mostly unvoiced, unless its a title that doesnt call itself otome (bustafe or jj for example). nsfw otome however, no matter how small of a budget they have, always seem to put a voiced heroine as their priority. sure, you can disable it, but why is this even an option in the first place is what i personally wonder about. like, is there a point in having voice acting in a succulent (controversial but whatev)/kalmia8 title over something like dialovers? both are dark/deep, both have complex heroine(s), but only one of them is unvoiced. i wonder why?

and its not like i hate malegaze or bishoujoge! in fact, i have found myself to enjoy joseimuke manga with clear depictions of female body in erotic ways, since reading manga with zero focus on the heroine's body is just too boring to me.. if that makes sense lmao.. but its a little different with otome i feel like, since this is the genre aimed at self-inserting/self-projection and whatnot. so wouldnt it make more sense to cut the costs by not hiring a seiyuu for the heroine? especially when the seiyuu is a veteran in the industry, or otherwise a very popular person with tons of roles

i guess it all boils down to companies/individuals throwing a wider net in hopes to gather as much audience as possible, even if this audience is male (aka the opposite of the target audience for otome), and the main female audience potentially feeling ostracized or even excluded because of it. i mean, some doujin titles allow themselves to have some absurd settings like "heroine's boobs bouncing". is that not the most blatant malegaze in history lolol? on the other hand we seem to be losing parts of otome that are actually appealing to women. this makes me anxious because i dont want otome to go mainstream and change the definition to include anyone other than women, since this is the only genre we have left, but it is still being constantly attacked left and right. and before my words get misinterpreted, im not saying only women can play otome. obviously target audience is not enforced in any way. im an avid reader of every vn genre in the universe, so i would know WW still though, i dont think its bad or absurd to be bothered by malegaze in female-targeted works

sorry for this little rant im just trying to explain why people might have an issue with malegaze in joseimuke/乙女向け aside from the obvious "aaa sexualization"

I understand what you're getting at, but R18 otome games are a niche genre to begin with. From their inception to the present day, there have been fewer than 80 commercially released R18 titles. Actually, current commercial R18 otome games aren't that over-the-top, are they…? As for doujin circles, that's just a reflection of the creators' personal preferences—because, to be honest, I actually prefer depictions with a bit of the "male gaze" over the more dry and matter-of-fact ones.

As for the issue of player immersion, I actually think the creators themselves treat the female protagonist as a character. From the creator's perspective, the goal is to craft a compelling story, which is why some include voice acting. Since R18 otome games are such a niche genre, if the goal were purely to make money, developers wouldn't be creating R18 games from a commercial standpoint—they'd be making all-ages games instead. In reality, it's more likely that the creators are simply doing this because they enjoy it.

 

[ninnikuryona]

I understand what you're getting at, but R18 otome games are a niche genre to begin with. From their inception to the present day, there have been fewer than 80 commercially released R18 titles. Actually, current commercial R18 otome games aren't that over-the-top, are they…?

so in the end, it all boils down to r18 otome titles trying to get not just women, but also men, on board. i guess it makes sense, since men dont seem to enjoy visual novels if they have no erotic content.. i just wish they (titles/companies) didnt try to pull same thing with sfw games, like crazy chain,,

 

[fr4pp3cinn]

i meeeeannnnn there are strong heroines in sfw otome too, but theyre mostly unvoiced, unless its a title that doesnt call itself otome (bustafe or jj for example). nsfw otome however, no matter how small of a budget they have, always seem to put a voiced heroine as their priority. sure, you can disable it, but why is this even an option in the first place is what i personally wonder about.

Giving my two cents (lol) but I wonder if that's less of a male-gaze problem, and more of a difference in consumer preferences in male vs. female spaces in Japanese fandom. When you look at popular doujinshi works in DLSite, most joseimuke doujin have beautiful, sexy, big-breasted heroines; on the other hand, danseimuke doujin mostly has plain, silent protagonists. To me, it seems like female audiences prefer to see themselves through the MC, while male readers like to see themselves as the MC; so joseimuke readers like it when the MC is an ideal type of woman they'd like to be, while danseimuke readers like it when the MC represents them as they are. And at first I thought that could be a recent development (after all, reader preferences are influenced by the spaces they're in, and those mixed preferences are popular on social media right now), but I read a bunch of ladicomi & teen love from the 1990s through the 2000s, and even old Petit Comic/Sho-Comi titles have these types of female MCs

Strong, successful MCs are also popular in Western romance books and movies, although a bit different than the ones I've seen in Japanese works. I think women are just more likely to identify to MCs without really seeing ourselves as them, since many grow up consuming male oriented media (from cartoons to movies, etc)

I'd say independent circles probably add voiced MCs in R18 otoge as an extension of that, as female consumers like the MC to be attractive, and like it when she sounds cute during h-scenes

I wonder if R18 otoge with voiced MCs also has something to do with female players also likely playing male-targeted eroge. Most otoge players aren't really into eroge titles, but the ones that like it are usually into male demographic eroge as well, so they're used to voiced female characters

I won't comment on female voices in situation audios as I'm just mildly familiar with them, but I do think it's weird to include it in those type of media, as the point of these works is seeing yourself in the story. Unless it's a plot-heavy, long series, female voices seem like a weird choice (and even in those cases, I'm not too keen on them)

I'm just blabbering though lol this is something I started thinking about when I noticed the extremely attractive MCs in doujinshi, but it's just a thought ;b I have no numbers about this "identify as the protagonist"/"through the protagonist" theory, hope it makes sense haha

 

[ninnikuryona]

Giving my two cents (lol) but I wonder if that's less of a male-gaze problem, and more of a difference in consumer preferences in male vs. female spaces in Japanese fandom. When you look at popular doujinshi works in DLSite, most joseimuke doujin have beautiful, sexy, big-breasted heroines; on the other hand, danseimuke doujin mostly has plain, silent protagonists. To me, it seems like female audiences prefer to see themselves through the MC, while male readers like to see themselves as the MC; so joseimuke readers like it when the MC is an ideal type of woman they'd like to be, while danseimuke readers like it when the MC represents them as they are.

pretty much that yea! otome culture and doujinshi culture seem to be different, because while sexy girls in doujinshi are praised and encouraged, on the otome side, even heroines with a strong personality are seen unfavourably. either that, or i just curated my feed wrong:"3 cant say i disagree with them though, because i personally dont like heroines whose personalities are too strong (heres your problematic opinion of the day)

I'd say independent circles probably add voiced MCs in R18 otoge as an extension of that, as female consumers like the MC to be attractive, and like it when she sounds cute during h-scenes

:0 thats an interesting view! i guess it makes sense in a way.. so for sfw otome, its all about selfinserting/yumejoshing, but with r18 otome, its more on the observation side? i know there are some fights between "wall girls" and "yumejoshi" in jp otome community, but ive never seen them discuss actual r18 otome, commercial or not. hmmm i wonder..
thats probably also why with voiced doujinshi, joseimuke have versions with and without heroine's voice, but thsi is never the case for danseimuke doujinshi, and if it is, its usually a shota and hes usually voiced by a woman. so, the exact same thing as galge

 

[ninnikuryona]

fuck i misclicked sory

I wonder if R18 otoge with voiced MCs also has something to do with female players also likely playing male-targeted eroge. Most otoge players aren't really into eroge titles, but the ones that like it are usually into male demographic eroge as well, so they're used to voiced female characters

thats it i think. men dont usually read otome at all, since, as i mentioned earlier, they mostly seem uninterested in titles that dont feature erotic scenes. so i guess r18 otome throw a bone to both audience in this case? like, handsome males for female (main (at least id hope so)) audience, sexy women for male (secondary (at least id hope so)) audience? after all, there are men on jp side that have the audacity to demand more danseimuke contents in joseimuke erotica.. which i feel like is not their call to make, but who am i to tell..

I won't comment on female voices in situation audios as I'm just mildly familiar with them, but I do think it's weird to include it in those type of media, as the point of these works is seeing yourself in the story. Unless it's a plot-heavy, long series, female voices seem like a weird choice (and even in those cases, I'm not too keen on them)

if i remember correctly theres a difference between "dramacd" and "situational cd". dramacd is, like you said, a "genre" thats more focused on plot and characters, so i feel like having female voices is a good thing for them. and even then, there are some exceptions like dialovers' initial dramacd, which came before the game got released. on the other hand, im not sure about the order of things (as in i dont remember what came first, the game or the cd. but seeing how ive seen girls express their dissatisfaction with this, id assume the game came first. feel free to correct me though), but i heard that prince of stride has the heroine's voice in its cds
on the other hand, situational cds are called that because characters speak directly to YOU, the listener. this is why many people feel uneasy about even the slightest possibility of having a female voice, since this is not a "wall" genre so to speak
(coming back to the topic of otome, i wonder if this is the reason why girlies have mostly switched to situational cds lately..? because otome heroines are being more and more established/present in latest titles, with some of them even gaining official birthdays, while in situational cds you are the heroine therefore you take direct part in the "story" and all the sugar is directed specifically at you. hmmmmmmmmm)

 

[osanajimimi]

Honestly, there are new jp otome games that are pretty average in terms of writing, yet they still get localized and build a fandom. I'm glad people support them because it increases the chances of more stories being brought over.

My issue is that it often feels impossible to review them honestly or point out their flaws. I understand liking a game, but that doesn't mean you can't admit it's just average.

This is especially common on otometwt, where saying something different can attract negative attention and make people perceive you in a bad light.

I just wish there were more diverse reviews instead of mostly biased recommendations.

 

[fr4pp3cinn]

pretty much that yea! otome culture and doujinshi culture seem to be different, because while sexy girls in doujinshi are praised and encouraged, on the otome side, even heroines with a strong personality are seen unfavourably. either that, or i just curated my feed wrong:"3

I think the fandom overall has mellowed a bit regarding sexy/strong MCs in the last few years, at least with more casual fans. I do think the more dedicated otaku part of the fandom still has pretty strong beliefs regarding that, but mostly as an attempt to protect the genre (since it has been heavily criticized by Western fandom and some male otaku trolls). Pretty sure in Twitter you'll mostly see the side against it being louder as well, as the neutral/in favour girls usually have locked accounts (in my experience lol)

:0 thats an interesting view! i guess it makes sense in a way.. so for sfw otome, its all about selfinserting/yumejoshing, but with r18 otome, its more on the observation side?

When I look at female targeted R18 works, it does seem that way for me! I believe it may have something to do with a lot of them being into BL as well? Many girls into R18 stuff (outside of audio!!) seem to be BL fans too, at least when I think of the popular author and illustrators for those works

so i guess r18 otome throw a bone to both audience in this case? like, handsome males for female (main (at least id hope so)) audience, sexy women for male (secondary (at least id hope so)) audience? after all, there are men on jp side that have the audacity to demand more danseimuke contents in joseimuke erotica..

Tbf most male players I've seen talking about it online are just trolling... but I agree with you on that. Female players of R18 titles are fine with voiced MC (and some even like it), so it doesn't hurt to add it for the few men that roam around these spaces (and you usually don't see the female players of those games complaining about it online)

if i remember correctly theres a difference between "dramacd" and "situational cd".

Yeah, I'm not too familiar with situational audio (I've listened here or there, but I'm mostly used to traditional drama cd lol), and it makes sense that in the "situational audio" side of things, audiences would prefer to be part of the situation lmao!! (Also pretty sure the DiaLover Do-S drama cds came out in late 2011, and the game in late 2012!)

(coming back to the topic of otome, i wonder if this is the reason why girlies have mostly switched to situational cds lately..?

I can see that! There's also the matter with all titles being exclusive to Switch and not on PC, as well as many long time fans migrating to the more otaku soshage/gacha titles. Since VNs as a whole are on a down recently, popular titles mostly focus on wide appeal to casual fans, so they read more like romance novels than otome games (although Otomate always had MCs with more personality I believe, compared to like Rejet, Hunex, or even honeybee)

 

[muragaki]

Honestly, there are new jp otome games that are pretty average in terms of writing, yet they still get localized and build a fandom. I'm glad people support them because it increases the chances of more stories being brought over.

My issue is that it often feels impossible to review them honestly or point out their flaws. I understand liking a game, but that doesn't mean you can't admit it's just average.

This is especially common on otometwt, where saying something different can attract negative attention and make people perceive you in a bad light.

I just wish there were more diverse reviews instead of mostly biased recommendations.

i feel you. i don't get myself involved in most otome spaces because i feel that i'd get judged for not liking recent popular games. i greatly dislike virche, for example, and played mostly because i'm a simp por Yomi's art, but it's such a liked title that i have even questioned if i was the crazy one wwwww

i believe that not having diversity in reviews may be due to having limited experiences in the genre, idk. perhaps by not having played many, the judgement bar might be different, so that in my opinion could be why most comments have a tendency to be biased.

 

[ninnikuryona]

I think the fandom overall has mellowed a bit regarding sexy/strong MCs in the last few years, at least with more casual fans. I do think the more dedicated otaku part of the fandom still has pretty strong beliefs regarding that, but mostly as an attempt to protect the genre (since it has been heavily criticized by Western fandom and some male otaku trolls). Pretty sure in Twitter you'll mostly see the side against it being louder as well, as the neutral/in favour girls usually have locked accounts (in my experience lol)

i wonder about that! i know western side always bashes otome for having "weak boring useless wet paper" heroines, which is why they prefer either bl (which is so fundamentally different from otome, since otome is focused on selfinsert and bl is not. which is why most bl have voiced mcs as well. and this point is usually even pointed out by reviewers, who often ask for the mc to be voiced!) or amare, since theyre more "progressive" and stuff. but like some smart people in the "gender selection" thread said, it just reads as performative activism.. that, and total blindness regarding target audiences and crowd's favourite tropes. after all, if meek/"""useless""" heroines were unpopular, there wouldnt be that many games featuring them, no? and its not like loving meek female characters is misogynistic or anything.. not to sound like that "let men be masculine" post LMAO, but i believe all heroines are good heroines.. and instead of putting down games with heroines you hate, why not try to lift up games with heroines that impressed you instead? (now i sound like a toxic positivist fuck)
the part about locked accounts is so real.. now i feel lucky i managed to follow one girl after grmn stuff exploded, because she eventually locked her account. but she has many grievances about the genre of otome as a whole, and i love having the ability to cry and whine alongside someone else LOL

When I look at female targeted R18 works, it does seem that way for me! I believe it may have something to do with a lot of them being into BL as well? Many girls into R18 stuff (outside of audio!!) seem to be BL fans too, at least when I think of the popular author and illustrators for those works

hm perhaps! there are some artists that work for both otome and bl, but with the grmn fiasco, i feel like girlies became more sensitive about that..;
also somewhat related, but i made a mistake in my original comment, because i for some reason put an equal sign between "handsome men for women" and "sexy women for men", when the difference between malegaze and femgaze goes deeper than that.. the deeper in question is women liking loving/caring/doting male characters, unlike men liking cute/sexy/moe girls. physical vs psychological and all that. this is the reason why joseimuke hentai is still being heavily criticized in western fandoms, because they believe femgaze should be the same as malegaze. i dont blame them, but if you dig deeper, it does seem like there is a difference between the two..

Tbf most male players I've seen talking about it online are just trolling... but I agree with you on that. Female players of R18 titles are fine with voiced MC (and some even like it), so it doesn't hurt to add it for the few men that roam around these spaces (and you usually don't see the female players of those games complaining about it online)

true. guess that was my own "western opinion" moment LMAO ill make sure to reflect on that since thats a very interesting point of discussion....

I can see that! There's also the matter with all titles being exclusive to Switch and not on PC, as well as many long time fans migrating to the more otaku soshage/gacha titles. Since VNs as a whole are on a down recently, popular titles mostly focus on wide appeal to casual fans, so they read more like romance novels than otome games (although Otomate always had MCs with more personality I believe, compared to like Rejet, Hunex, or even honeybee)

this is somewhat related, but otomate, among its other faults, seems to fumble the bag in this regard sometimes as well. i remember tengoku struggle's rin being labelled as cool and strong, but then i read jp reviews, and shes described as too trusting/"whiny", which might be first case of calling the heroine overly whiny making sense, because shes supposed to be portrayed as some massive misandrist "girlboss". but alas..(?)

 

[Yumehara_raito]

so in the end, it all boils down to r18 otome titles trying to get not just women, but also men, on board. i guess it makes sense, since men dont seem to enjoy visual novels if they have no erotic content.. i just wish they (titles/companies) didnt try to pull same thing with sfw games, like crazy chain,,

Actually, as mentioned below, Japanese female gamers tend to prefer cute female protagonists—and I'm no exception. I, too, prefer characters with figures that highlight their cuteness and cute voices. These titles might not necessarily appeal to more male players, but they might earn praise from female gamers because the female protagonists are so well-developed… If you don't like them, is it mainly a matter of personal preference…? There's really no big reason—it's really just a matter of personal preference.

 

[ninnikuryona]

Actually, as mentioned below, Japanese female gamers tend to prefer cute female protagonists—and I'm no exception. I, too, prefer characters with figures that highlight their cuteness and cute voices.

yup, same same! cutesy heroines are precious<3

 

[dogiwall]

As much as I like to read, I wish otome games to have more variety than just being visual novels, but that might be budget issues since otome is a niche lol

And maybe for there to be a variety in asethetics, both in art and setting. Like, I've seen a ton of asethetics in a wiki dedicated to showcasing them. Would like to see something like frutiger aero, surrealism, vaporwave, etc.

Today's otome games with fantasy settings are really boring—they're not even as good as slice-of-life games. There are just so few otome games that manage to write good scripts with fantasy settings.

Yeah, I'm also bored of the fantasy settings as well tbh. I can accept slice of life stories or even mundane modern settings since they can focus a lot more on the writing and relationships. When it comes to fantasy, the writers have to do other things such as some world-building so the writing in the script itself might suffer a bit there.

And I honestly wish their fantasy settings were more creative since there's a lot one one can do with them. Just look at the fantasy subreddit and you'll see that there's more to it than just medieval/olden times and fairy tale stuff lol.

 

[Rosellia]

I kinda wish there were more otome games based on anime series. I played vampire knight and prince of tennis on the DS and now with the switch port of prince of tennis being released soon, it definitely got me thinking of certain anime series as an otome game