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Yo. All I have to say is what the hell... Like, in the best way possible. Yosuke is. Well. Wow. My sister played Yosuke’s route before I did, several months ago, and for some reason I thought she told me I wouldn’t like it. Therefore, I went in a little apprehensive, but I was completely blown away by this story. I don’t even know where to begin. I thought, honestly, like his personality would be similar to that of Ota Kisaki from Kissed by the Baddest Bidder (sorry, I know I keep comparing all of them to KBTBB characters, but they remind me a lot of KOP...).

It was not.

Before I get too far into my own feelings, I would give this route a very generous 9/10. Eventually I’ll be through with characters from Kings of Paradise, and then I’ll move on to other titles. :) As I said, I was COMPLETELY blown away by this story. I was a little sad at first, considering Yosuke refers to MC as “merchandise” on more than a few occasions, and it’s a little sucky that he doesn’t start realizing her worth until clients of his start giving him little bonuses because they enjoyed her company so much. He’s got weird baggage, much like the rest of them, but he’s so clumsy about his emotions. It was so cute to watch him develop his feelings and struggle with things that were unfamiliar to him. I really loved it. The whole premise of Yosuke’s route is that MC is his “merchandise,” as in, someone he is going to train so they know how to act in higher society, in the business world, etc. I wrote down some notes while I was playing his route. I thought that he was a little misguided in the way he treated MC and viewed the world at large, but that he had genuine intentions of wanting to find her a man that would make her happier than anyone else. While I would say that he definitely views her as more of an object in the very beginning, he very quickly starts seeing her potential and the character that lies beneath her “boring” exterior and past. I know that the story needs a premise, but it really bothered me that he viewed her as property in the beginning, or an extra special bargaining chip to con the rich out of money. (Hence the 9/10.) However, I loved watching him try and change his tune, trying to make her happy, and just generally keep himself in her good graces because he cared what she thought of him. 

He is weirdly detached, almost alien, in the beginning. (Side note: please play his POV. It’s wonderful.) In the first chapter, he starts his training by trying to see how she reacts in more sexual situations, and she is not having it.

There’s no better way to get a feel for the kind of guy she likes without making a move on her, other than, you know, maybe asking her what she looks for in a man. Maybe. But what do I know? I thought this part was hilarious, and I love MC in Yosuke’s route. She’s very feisty and outspoken for a Voltage MC. Yosuke is also very flippant. If you’re into anime, which you might not be, that's cool, his attitude reminds me of Kisuke Urahara from Bleach. Flippant, noncommittal, hiding a deeper seriousness and pain, that sort of thing.

I also wrote down that he’s awkward and doesn’t really know what he’s doing, but that he’s trying his best. (For instance, when he’s in a really good mood, he likes to give people extravagant gifts, including a rather pricey antique pearl necklace once he starts falling for her but doesn’t realize it yet, but also amazing gifts to the other Paradise members.) Throughout the majority of his story, he keeps trying to set MC up with rich, powerful men (who are all crazy about her), but all her feedback on them are things like “He was nice,” or “He was a gentleman.” It’s very funny because they’re giving Yosuke crazy approval and desire to actually date her seriously. All the while, Yosuke and MC are falling for each other and not realizing it because they both have very different things on their minds. Somehow, romance is on neither of their brains so they can’t see the brewing chemistry. I like that MC is the one to kind of kick-start his heart again. However, it’s very frustrating that he really doesn’t listen to her. She says repeatedly that she’s not ready to jump from one marriage to another, or that she’s not looking for love, but he refuses to hear it, more concerned with making money (in the beginning) than whether she’s ready for whatever he has in store for her. The one who has the most promise as her future partner is a Chinese billionaire by the name of Yanghua Lee. He’s very sweet, accommodating, genuine, and gentlemanly--but the more time she spends with Yosuke, of course, the less she cares about other men. Not that she really cared about them in the first place...

He just doesn’t get that she’s not interested, and that almost makes him more adorable. Frustrating, by god, but adorable nonetheless. It’s when he and MC make love on a “training” trip to the Maldives that he starts falling hard for her, and as I said earlier, you can see it in the way that he starts buying expensive presents (like that necklace) for her to try and show his appreciation (that he’s confusing with romantic feelings). I adored watching this love grow, and watching Yosuke slowly realize his own emotions. He is awkward, and he is clumsy, but I also said that his emotions and his intentions and feelings were genuine ones. I really feel that. He’s a bit...childish, but more in the way that he doesn’t know how to convey what he’s feeling in words, or without giving something extravagant. (Also, I just have to say that the sex he and MC have? Absolutely choice. He and Shun are on the same level, but express it differently. I’d say Shun’s is a pure, passionate loving, while Yosuke’s has those qualities, but it’s also a little more teasing.) 

Final verdict, do I recommend? YES, MA’AM. I’m having a bit of a dilemma here, because I adore Shun, and he will always be my favorite in KOP because his kind of love is my absolute bias, but Yosuke. My dude. This route? The SEX? Phenomenal. I loved this story line. I loved Yosuke’s character development, especially because you could really see him struggling with his own emotions and predispositions. Taki is one of the ones who speaks to Yosuke about his spending habits when trying to genuinely give someone a gift because he cares about them, and it’s sweet as hell because Yosuke’s so bashful. 

In the Bodies on Fire ending (I think?), he’s still so awkward with expressing what he wants and his feelings, but it’s very him. He’s really such a sweet man, and someone who needs practice expressing his love in words, but he’s a pleasure to read. Also, Yanghua is one of the best side characters Voltage has ever created--at least in the love rival department. He concedes loss to Yosuke amicably, expressing remorse that he couldn’t be the one to make MC happy (because he had developed real feelings for her), but that, ultimately, Yosuke was a good friend, and he wanted to see him and MC happy. I appreciated that more than I think Voltage would understand.

If you get the chance, and you feel so inclined, please read his story. It really is something I haven’t yet experienced in a Voltage game. (As another aside, I love that KOP is extremely mature for what Voltage usually puts out. I’ve been very impressed and enthralled with the content of these stories since I started the game.)

They look soo hot ₍₍⚞(˶˃ ꒳ ˂˶)⚟⁾⁾

*note: it is the Home Screen of the game, but it’s still nice.

Alright, first of all, welcome to my blog! I hope to update semi-regularly, but I genuinely make no promises. I go through spurts of binging stories, so I might end up reviewing older stories rather than newer ones. With that out of the way, I’ll get on to what you give a shit about and quit blathering!

Let me begin by saying that I wasn’t sure what to expect from In Your Arms Tonight 2. Having played the first IYAT, and absolutely loving that title, I was pretty excited that this one came out.

My overall rating would be 9/10, ONLY because of one reason, and it was something crucial to the story. I can’t control that, but man, it was hard to get through the first five chapters. If you’re not into controlling and oppressive men, you’re in for a ride. I wasn’t at all prepared for how much I would loathe MC’s husband... Koichi Natsukawa, MC’s husband in the original title, while loathsome because he was a cheater, is completely different to Kazuya Seto. (Apologies in advance, you won’t catch me playing him or writing a review for him. I almost had an aneurysm playing through Fumitaka’s whilst dealing with him...) 

Kazuya comes across immediately as the ideal husband. He’s kind, showers MC with compliments, enjoys bragging about her to his coworkers, etc. If you’re wondering why I’m talking about Kazuya instead of Fumitaka, it’s because he’s a HUGE part of his main story. After winning a writing competition with her submitted children’s novel and attending the award ceremony, MC decides that she finally wants to start pursuing her dream of writing. This is where the her perfect little marriage comes crumbling down around her. She brings up her desires to her husband, beaming and gushing about how excited she is that she won and that she’s finally got the opportunity to pursue what she’s always wanted, and Kazuya just...gets angry. “MC won, now the fame’s gone to her head. There’s no need to pursue that career, I’m providing for you, that’s enough, end of discussion.” It’s so completely shocking, not just for the MC, but for me, as a writer myself. I couldn’t at all understand why the man who claims he loves her more than anything would deny her something that so clearly brings his wife joy. If you haven’t gathered yet, he is the reason I couldn’t give this story 10/10.

Fumitaka is the only one who seems to support this dream. They meet at the award ceremony, where she finds out that he will be her editor. Downtrodden, she calls up Fumitaka and declares that her husband has denied her request to continue writing. I do mean it when I say that it was truly a struggle to finish Fumitaka’s route because Kazuya evokes the kind of hatred from me that I haven’t felt toward a character in a long time. It’s Fumitaka who manages to convince her to write and convince her husband that it’s amazing, so she can show him who she truly is. This is where I really started to love this route. When it seems like Kazuya has finally given in to what his wife wants, he suddenly declares that he’s leaving and filing for divorce, to which MC seems to go catatonic for a month. Fumitaka is the one who brings her back to herself.

THIS is where the romance truly begins--the beginning of chapter 6. And let me tell you, this is the best route I’ve played in a long time. I feel like IYAT is one of the few titles that brings a sense of realism to Voltage. Yes, sometimes it’s a little hokey in terms of dialogue, but the emotions Fumitaka’s route ripped out of me made me cry literal tears at some points. He’s got his own emotional baggage, too, and it’s a startlingly long time before you even know what it is. His route brings back the drama that I really feel is missing from some of the newer titles. This game, from what I’ve seen thus far considering I’ve only played Fumitaka, was written with care and a real desire to provide a good story geared toward older women who have gone through this kind of heartbreak. The budding romance feels believable. It’s gradual. It hurts a little and it’s real. And goddamn, it is so satisfying to finally watch MC and Fumitaka both have a second chance to love and be happy. It’s not completely smooth sailing between them, because she feels like she’s sticking her nose where is doesn’t belong, and he’s held back by his past. When she tries to overcome that, he snaps, but she expected it might happen and is resigned to his outburst. 

So, overall, do I recommend Fumitaka’s route? Hell, yes. I couldn’t recommend his route more. Aside from having physical and personality traits that are my biases (the guy with a cool, perhaps aloof demeanor, but who’s genuine and kind and gives a damn), the story was new and unique, in a way. We get to see the MC become famous for once instead of dating a famous man, and while she doesn’t have as much backbone as my favorite MC (how you doin’, Metro PD?), you can see character growth, albeit small character growth. An aside, he reminds me a lot of Kippei Ebihara from the first game.

I’ve finally gotten around to playing Kings of Paradise after several months of just...sitting on stories. Having the monthly access pass for Love 365 is great, because I kind of just collect stories to play on a rainy day since my typical way of playing is to binge for a week and then not play again for months. BUT, I have to say that this is one of my new favorite titles. It’s sensual, definitely romantic, and I love that the MC finally decides to have some courage when it comes to her horrible ex. I’ve yet to play anyone in this title but Shun, but I’ve had Taki and Kiyohito purchased for forever, and I had to write this review!

Let’s see, I’d give this story a solid 8/10. Shun’s route was simultaneously heartbreaking and wonderful. Not as heartbreaking as some other Voltage games/routes, but it had my chest aching at a few points. In the beginning, I thought Shun was great. After MC catches her husband cheating on her, and declaring then and there that they’re getting a divorce (way to go!), Shun is supportive kind of how one of your girlfriends might be, in a “Hell yeah! Dump that schlub!” sort of way. This is in the prologue, so of course the other guys are, as well, but I really appreciated Shun’s easy smile and supportive words. (Yosuke’s, too, but that’s for another time.) Fast forward to after MC’s divorce and moving out, she’s looking for a job, and who should call her for an interview except the men from Pandora? They want her to be their housekeeper, and while they probably don’t need her specifically for the job, they’re definitely all very kind. Especially after they witnessed her getting divorced at a party they all attended. 

Fast forward again to after the character selection, and this is where I rethought my purchase of Shun. I am someone who definitely has a type when playing any sort of otome game, and generally speaking, Shun isn’t my type personality-wise at all. I don’t really go for the merciless flirt all the time, (though maybe that’s a lie because I’ve played--and loved--Baba from Kissed By the Baddest Bidder, Saeki from My Forged Wedding, and Nomura from Metro PD: Close to You....), but as of late, they’re not my go-to. In fact, this point was driven home for me when Shun kind of gets ahead of himself in the first chapter. It was a little much for me to have him come on that strong, even though it’s because he’s a bit of a womanizer, that quickly after quite literally just telling her what her job will entail while she lives with him.

The fastest way to heal from a gut-wrenching divorce and betrayal, apparently, is to drown your sorrows in a random man’s pleasures. Now, I’m not shading anyone who copes this way, you do you, boo-boo, but it’s not my cup of tea. And the MC evidently feels the same, considering she does refuse his advances, albeit with much internal struggle because her husband neglected her for a year plus. This is about where the flirting stops bothering me, too. This was within hours of being hired, so I wasn’t thrilled, but the rest of it was great. I like build-up to my romance, personally. Once hired, Shun tells MC that her duties will essentially be cleaning, etc. around his penthouse and cooking, and “some other things,” which he adds after she agrees to the position. (It’s not a bad deal for $6000/month.)

Now, the job he dubs as “other,” and the reason he was the one who wanted her (which you find out if you read his POV story), is because he needs her to “train” an actor he’s been working with. He apparently needs to know the “appeal of a divorcee.” MC doesn’t understand what that means, the actor (Kento) doesn’t know what that means, I still don’t even really know what that means, but it’s fine. I honestly just kind of ignored that, focused on her training him, and him developing mad feelings for MC. I don’t love the weird love-triangle thing, but I don’t hate it, either, and it gave the route something else to focus on to give the story more depth. My favorite thing was that MC just did not care about Kento at all, and was in fact kind of put off by his personality--demanding, bossy, kind of fake because he gives off the princely persona to fans and the film crew. Even after MC and Kento’s first encounter, when she’s still not really sure what the hell Shun wants from her, Shun does this thing where he repeatedly just stokes her fire, whispering sensually about her sex appeal and encouraging her to use her charms by telling her what she does to him. I really loved that, despite being someone who gets secondhand embarrassment like nobody’s business.

Honestly, I love his repeated dialogue and thought pattern of wanting to “dye you in his colors.” I think it’s very romantic and very sexy. Ultimately, I loved the entire route. I loved learning about his own heartbreaking past, and I love that he’s so thoroughly enthralled with MC’s reactions and opinions to his movies. You find out that he had a girlfriend for which he made a movie–his first movie, to be exact–and she didn’t understand the raw emotions he put into the movie just for her. They ended the relationship shortly after, but it really messed Shun up, so to see MC sobbing at the very same movie and telling him that it was beautiful and she loved it struck him to the core.

So, do I recommend? Absolutely. It started off a little rocky for me, and there were certain times where I was really annoyed with how Kento was behaving, but it was really great. I love the direction Voltage has been going with their recent games (that are NOT “Love Choice,” ick.) with more mature content. They’re growing with their fan base, it feels like. I loved Shun’s genuine desire for pure love, and his insecurities about seeming “needy” or “clingy,” as his ex mentioned, make him feel real. Real people who have real insecurities and doubts and fears about love and genuine human connection. This game has been out for a little while now, so maybe I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know about Shun Randoh’s route. But, maybe I am, and I really hope that if you decide to read his main story, you feel even half of what I felt for Shun. I also highly recommend taking a look at his POV story. I have a weakness for the POV stories in general, because I really love to see the moment that the guy falls hard for MC. This is a great game and I can’t wait to play some of the other characters. 

I’m just gonna start off by saying that “imperious” is a good description. I was completely disappointed in this route, in many ways. If you’re someone who likes the arrogant, domineering types, then you won’t agree with this review at all, and that’s okay. But I’m giving my honest opinion here.

I’ll cut to the chase, my rating is 5/10. I don’t mind the cold types at all. They’re generally aloof, they’re mysterious, which, in my opinion, makes them interesting. However, I draw the line at cold and mean. Cold and pointlessly cruel. Taki isn’t like this in the whole route, but the first six chapters had me wanting to tear my hair out. A little personality background on me, I’m a prideful, independent, outspoken woman. I don’t like being bossed around, talked down to, or looked down upon, and I’ll make that known if any of the former points occur. Knowing this, I avoid character routes that I know contain characteristics that do not mesh well with me--but I didn’t realize that Taki would be this way at all. I really wanted to like Taki. Truly. I love the idea of rekindling a flame that almost went out because of extraneous circumstances, and I thought he’d be more like Soryu Oh than Eisuke Ichinomiya. (Full disclosure: Eisuke is one of my least favorite characters in existence.) Taki Kozaki has an admittedly a crappy past, but that doesn’t give anyone the right to be rude and awful to everyone else. The route starts off well enough. I was still open to Taki’s romance, and I was eager to see what kind of feelings he was hiding behind that aloof facade. But that was rather quickly squashed by his attitude, which was, as I said before, pointlessly bossy and rude.

When Shun said this and was accompanied by Yosuke’s quick agreement, I was so happy that someone else in the route thought the same as I did. This bossy, pushy attitude continued for a while, even after you help him with a number of things related to his business, mainly by pretending to be his fiancee. Come to find out, ten years ago, when MC and Taki were supposed to meet at a local festival to watch the fireworks together (and he stood you up), he saw MC “kissing” another guy when he arrived and just...didn’t bother asking her about it. He created an entire narrative in his head about what happened, convinced himself that she was unfaithful, and even though he was still hopelessly in love with her, cut ties and moved on. It wasn’t this misunderstanding that bothered me, it was the way he treated her when they met again. Cold and uncaring I can take, but mean and telling her that she was the reason her husband cheated because she was too stupid to see through his lies (essentially what he said) was crossing a line that I was not okay with in the slightest. Especially after playing Shun and being so thoroughly smitten. 

Not okay. He also says, and I’m quoting directly, “You have no right to talk back to me.” The hell I don’t. I really, really hated the first six chapters. After that, though, he did get better. After talking about a few things and MC helping him with a business party and getting connections, he starts acting warmer to her. He’s actually nice, and you can start to see him smile a little more. I thought, “That was a bumpy ride, and while I’m definitely not okay with how he treated her because of a misunderstanding, I have a little more hope for his route.” I do mean it when I say he was exponentially better throughout the rest of the story, and I started to enjoy it. He opens up about his past more, and tells MC about how his dad ran out on him the night of the festival, and that all he wanted was to see her to make him feel a little better, but then he thought that she betrayed him, and he went to a really dark place for the foreseeable future. I know there are going to be a million people justifying Taki’s earlier actions, but it’s my personal opinion that no amount of trauma gives anyone the right to treat another person like they’re less than human or like they’re garbage. It’s his blatant disrespect that really does it in for me, and I rated it 2/10 at chapter 6 preemptively. 

Eventually, MC’s gross husband shows up again, because he does business with the Kozaki Group. It’s shortly after this that Taki starts being nicer to her and basically says that she doesn’t have to deal with him until she’d ready--which was sweet. Tomohiro (husband) doesn’t buy for a second that she’s really engaged to Taki when he tricks her into meeting him alone, tries to convince her and Taki that she’s better off coming back to him, and Taki flat out vetoes that ish. He passionately kisses her to “prove” their engagement, then they go back to his condo and make love. Not bad. I was finally having a good time reading the story, but it was still tainted. Sorry. Then, more drama. Because Voltage, and drama is great. Not sarcasm, seriously. Later, it comes out that Taki and the other guys were involved in glorified “prostitution” and “human trafficking.” Not true, by the way, but MC doesn’t know that--even after Taki explains in detail what was actually going on. I got so frustrated with her because she didn’t just not understand--she refused to understand. She still thought that Yosuke’s bride brokering service was somehow immoral and wrong, even though 1.) all parties were consenting and were fully aware of the service they were training/applying for, 2.) absolutely nothing illegal ever happened, and 3.) that facts written in the gossip article that she read were either incorrect, twisted, or interpreted incorrectly on purpose to cause a scandal. Girlfriend. Get off your moral high horse and read between the lines. It’s not that serious, it’s not bad, and I genuinely couldn’t understand what she wasn’t getting. Yosuke and Co. were glorified matchmakers, period. They just charge exorbitant fees because their clientele is rich. 

The final nail in the coffin for this route was the long, drawn-out, and boring love confession. I was really trying to keep my frustrations from Taki’s earlier behavior and MC’s ignorance from influencing my later opinions, but I just didn’t feel like the confession and mutual understanding of feelings (finally) made up for any of that. It was lackluster and dull. The love scene afterwards wasn’t even that great for me.