How’s it going, everyone! It’s your resident catgirl, otome-connoisseur, Chlo here! And today, I’ll be showcasing, as well as reviewing the ever so beautiful Otome Gamer Pin brought to us by the lovely artist, Allison C.M.

These lovely pins started as a Kickstarter campaign back in April 2021, and through the campaign’s success, not to mention its high demand from the otome community, has become a regular item of Allison’s online store.

Before we jump in on the review, let’s first get to know the artist and creator behind these incredibly cute pins.

💟 GET TO KNOW ALLISON C.M.

Allison C.M. is a Haitian-American Illustrator, Graphic Designer, and Publisher from South Florida. She’s developed an interest in drawing at a young age, and her love for storytelling led to working in publishing, where she garnered skills in layout, cover design, illustration, and marketing. She also sells and showcases her works at comic book conventions. She can speak two languages (English and Haitian Creole) and is currently working full-time as an educator while obtaining her second Master’s Degree in Library and Information Sciences.

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💟 MINI INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST

What are your hobbies?
I love collecting physical copies of manga! I have a bad habit of just buying the first 3 volumes to save space in my room! During the pandemic, I became curious about knitting and made a few creations myself. During the same time, a wonderful friend gifted me a Cricut machine. So I’ve been busy experimenting with designs. I started a fitness journey this month (August). I’ve been finding different opportunities to get moving!

Experience as an Artist/Merch Creator
Being a con attendee since 2014, I finally mustered the courage to participate in artist allies in 2018. With the support of family (especially my mother) and friends, I became more invested in turning my hobby into a small business.Ever since I was a child, I knew I loved illustration because of the countless hours of marathoning through episodes of animated shows and volumes of graphic novels. With my love of drawing and storytelling, I worked in publishing for about 5 years. I illustrated and edited a book of poems called “Crossing the Bridge Together.”

What got you into Otome Games?
In college, I managed a club that attracted many anime, manga, and video game enthusiasts. The club members and I often shared suggestions of what shows or video games to look out for. A couple of members mentioned otome games several times. Being not familiar with this game genre, I initially believed otome games were a bit odd. I couldn’t wrap my mind around the concept of romancing fictional characters. Nonetheless, I set my judgment aside and downloaded the Voltage games, “Be My Princess” and “My Sweet Bodyguard”.

I watched anime based on otome visual novels like “Amnesia” and “Uta no Prince Sama”. I finally grew a better understanding by seeing how it presents interesting, complex storylines. However, I never set aside time to play otome games as much as I do now because I was in the middle of completing my bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Fast forward to the lockdown, I found time to dig deeper into the fandom and purchased a Switch! Otome Kitten’s website helped me gather all that I needed to be an Otome gamer! 

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💟 WHERE TO FIND ALLISON C.M.

Portfolio | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | Big Cartel | Etsy | Tumblr

WHERE TO BUY?

REVIEW

The pin’s size surprised me! I didn’t expect it to be bigger than the usual enamel metal pins 😍 (read: bigger is better!). The pin’s metal is also thick and sturdy and is definitely of high quality. As for its design, I absolutely loved it! The blend of light pastel colors, especially the glitter-pink coat of the switch controller was so perfect, and it matches (my nails haha) and my usual go-to otome aesthetics 😚 so I was pretty pleased with it, to say the least!

The pin’s attachments at the back are cute little clouds, which I find adorable. It’s a lovely addition to its already cute design. The video below shows the front and back of the pin!

For the affordable price of $9.00, this pin is a total bang for your buck! Definitely worth every penny imo!

It’s honestly rare to find “Otome” inspired merch (outside of Japan) nowadays, so finding out about these pins was quite refreshing to me. It’s also important to note that this item is made by an otome fan, for otome fans, so not only we’re assured it’s of high quality, but I trust that it’s also made with 💓TLC in mind.

I’m definitely recommending this product to all otome gamers out there who love to collect cute little otome-themed merchandise (like yours truly😄). It’s also a perfect gift to get your family, friends, & girlfriends who love and enjoy playing otome games. If you want to get this lovely pin for yourself or your loved ones, head over to Allison’s store and order your otome gamer pin badge today!

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