I am overexaggerating to say old good PSP games don't have english translation, but this one specifically does have one now. I am not here to scorn Luca x Felicita. I want to make it evident that the game has no adult content, the worst thing that happens is kissing... But the power dynamics, in my opinion, are kind of different how I've heard polls make them.
Anyways, to me Luca is such top choice as a reader from get go. Now one might say I am influenced by manga adaptation. That... might be so. But it is good choice out of all available routes. However, again, I haven't really fully read it and this decision was stuck in my head for a while for probably 3 years or more, so by now I would of course say that. The thing is the english remaster only came out this month. Before that, playing Arcana Famiglia was not possible without dumb txt file that you can install here on Tumblr. The idea was you read the text file real time, that is so goddamn stupid. But when programming is lacking, people take it to themselves to find best fix... Even if it is pretty broken. A lot of people do that in VNs, they try desperately to translate it and "play" it, but it's like your uncle telling you that his honda civic is memento he ddoesnt want to live despite the fact that riding it is like operating a falling barrel downstairs anyway, luca is awesome okay and i am here all for him. I am Big Luca Stan in Arcana Famiglia and have been so for years since when anime got released.
However, I would lie if I denied that manga route influenced my decision making and so I will read the game and maybe look at it it less biasedly (lie) next time. But from otome princess here are my evaluations.
First
okay I am honest to you, as I write this I have stuff so I'm in this kind of path where like I can't exactly concentrate and lost some track of my thoughts however, I will try. To . Make it make sense. Because if you know me, you know how much I think- YES: let's start with paraphilia. of course, the elephant in the room. Remember, game has nothing except kiss scenes. That's as "edgy" as it can get. There is no adult content in Arcana Famiglia, Luca basically is still "weird", right?
But the way story reads it requires anyone to read it from the idea of true love and not idea of fetishism. Because it is literally a different circumstance that'd fail miserably if it wasn't for demonstrating real love. But if the main character, or the reader, if like you look at paraphilia, right from that angle things get bad. The entire gimmick is what I think of is when I think of sugarcoat, what that mean? Like, think of person who is like living such sugarish soft existence, that is tropes that you associate with pedophilea, and ni this case it is paraphilia that is opposite but same thing entirely. The term that I saw is Gerontophilia, which is like a "love for older people" but I couldn't find the right specific word for fetish of "love older men" which is pretty common central pair with pedophilea. The problem with this logic, its that this form of paraphilia heavily relies on control and safety. Ironically, it is exactly why its so impossible, a pedophile and "gerontophile" cannot exist together since both technically want to outsource suffering. I mean the point of this fetish is that same as gold digging, it's to feel comfortable and secure from another's work, it's a form of parasitism. I'm not gonna go further thinking i will write good therapy lesson. Just get the idea this paraphilic identtiy views others as exploitable resource, not as person. And that it has "infantile" like structure of the brain that makes pedophilea so attractive to sexes. If you look at it from that perspective, then Luca is basically Felicita's fetish in disguise, it basically is "eternal comfort" (Luca always spoils Felicita and does things for HER) and zero responsibility (on her part). The element of giving your body away as gift for someone's hard work is a part of her fetish and therefore if you look at relationship this way, it has so much fetish potential that it completely outdones other character. I mean, I want to explain to you why this is horrible and wrong, but I didn't write the beginning antithesis properly because of losing train of thought and so it sounded like this is what the novel is about when what I mean is that this is how it can be viewed from perverse reader not how it actually is in book. So everything you read is me showing how people view it, not what the story depicts their relationship as, which is why it sounded weird as hell.
But I will go on to explain more about the idea of how readers view it. Because, even though it is disgusting and leads to disaster (ruin of love), I want to still explain that even if, Luca would still defeat Dante, Jolly or Debito. 'Cause I am pervert and I analyzed it from every angle, so I know intellectual advantage over Luca than other partners.
NOW, ALL OF IT IS BAD. And disclaimer, this is disguting that some people unironically enjoy this kind of relationship. BUT, I want to explain that Luca is better even then. You see, Luca is Buttler. Buttlers are hot. He took care of Felicita all her life, while also taking care of her work. When he can. He has so much experience in the famiglia and is direct advisor to her father before being employed to look over Felicita. If the "gold digger" idea is what a reader thinks about, then Luca can over most safety and comfort possible in the story. Maybe, by quantity Dante or other big character, but by quality and variety of comfort Luca would have far more things: he can cook, collects herbs, knows alchemy and can do fireworks plus other things... He probably knows a lot of different work and being buttler allows him to have some artisan skills that can be learnt with love and free time hobbies. So he probably can sew for you too. His arcana temperance, from what I remember allows him to nullify anyone's ability. So, if you can't physically beat him in combat and barely anyone can in narrative, you are fucked.
If we look from it from a spicy perspective, you have basically so many things going that can be fetishized. Like okay, its hard to even say those fucked up thoughts out loud, but you can think of them in free time if you're a weirdo too.
The point is this: From Pervert perspective He wins, From Pragmatic Slut who just wants money and safety at expanse of male partner Perspective Poor Luca Somehow Wins, and from Pure Love, he... more importantly than anything, wins.
Apologize for being rude and talking without explaining the philosophy of my speeches, but i was just wanting to explain that he wins in that department. However, in reality Luca would suffer horribly if that was the kind of woman he got. For if his girl turned out to just want him because he is "older man", he would have faced absolute suffering and torment without a single redeeming mercy to the high risk low pay relationship. Felicita however is not paraphile and isn't gold digger, she does not pick him because he makes your feel safe nor does she need him. For Felicita, true love with Luca is genuinely real and that is one thing that really is important for them to love each other.
You see, if a paraphile reader pushed fetish on Luca, this relationship wouldn't work. IF felicita wants comfort and safety, then 1. it pushes Luca in shit position where he can't reject harassment from a Princess of higher status than him. (remember, in the story the possibility is normalised by her father) 2. It will push all of his face being thrown into mud while felicita would be fine and can easily "transform" into victim whenever she wants and 3. it would disgrace Luca's own work and caretaker role by assigning to it a weird fetish making him nothing more than a toy not human being. IT's ultimate spit to the face to Luca's struggles and hard work he has done for the family by being looked on as fetish material.
IT would be a horrible parasitic relationship, in which luca would eventually break. But its important to realize it happens only because the original contamination came from the Reader who enforced his own fantasy on a nice guy like Luca, which eventually leads to realistic disastrous ending where Felicita and Luca both suffer.
That is why, even though it is fiction. Still, it must be considered how unhealthy those fetishes are and lack of a single good payoff from victims of those parasitic relationships. I can understand 100% what kind of feeling that kind of thing feels, but I don't consider any of them naturally plausible without ruining and hurting person that is a cinnamon roll.
The love between Felicita and Luca is pure. And if you look at how the story plays out, evidence is everywhere. Felicita does not depend on Luca, that would make power gap imply she might try to parasitise of his affections and comfort he offers, instead Felicita becomes independent and powerful despite Luca and even stronger than him.
The fact that Luca is her servant plays a role, because it puts Luca in weaker position in hierarchy so again if you use math and remove all impossible possibilities, Felicita's love again cannot be called fowl even by chance. The way it works is that Luca is pure cinnamonroll and Felicita is the leader of mafia who will have to rule with iron fist, (basically). Luca is basically no longer her care taker and she loves him for who he is, for someone who was always pure in her eyes from the beginning to adulthood, to Felicita, Luca is without doubt same person she likes who didnt change, he didnt have a mask or try to deceive her.
He never tried to hunt her, it is her own decision and it comes with understanding things that only true lover could. The importance of her own ambition and her confidence, to protect Luca. If from paraphilic perspective, luca is ultimate resource for parasite while he is "useful", by which his life will be destroyed in pyramid scheme-like fashion by the reader, then from true love perspective the one who does heavy lifting in relations is actually Felicita and not Luca, protecting him from others. Putting your own neck is something, that only true love does and in that regard Luca has a lot of work cut out for Felica, because he's very pure and good boy. But he isn't by no means weakling.
I can see some problems in that kind of partner, probably, luca isn't very good with sarcasm but he is too pure to insult or harass people. So even small remarks that are "jokes" would look to him as disrespect to the famiglia, its one of his sides. Saying Felicita would be the man of relationship is half-truth half-lie. It is funny to say it that way to emphasize it.
So now I established that Luca is a very good partner. But it's important to note simple raw history annihilates alternatives too. If I wrote this shit with a little better pacing, it would take away some oddball questions but i think if you feel my heart you'd get what I was expressing in all the paragraphs.
Yes, other characters have their own strengths. But if you look at Debito, he is fucking like yeah sucks and Pace is the second best likely.
What's important is that some characters technically don't "love" Felicita, and it is from Felicita's point where she starts a spark between them, these are Luca, Pace, Jolly and Dante, at least these characters technically don't love Felicita in romantic way in start. So reader is kind of forcing them to have romantic feelings by awkwardness, but it works out somehow in pure romance. Although, I want to warn not to do it in real life this is not how irl works at all. But this story shows only pure love without manipulation.
Of course, Felicita's isolated upbringing by her mother and Luca play major role too. I think I will finish writing idk im sorry. I wanted to say Luca route is best but I disappointed a lot of Luca x Felicita stans by weak prompts. I want to stay true to my opinions, anyway thank you for reading this and goodbye ദ്ദിʕ •ᴥ•ʔ
