Which Reflection will you choose? -The man with eyes as dull as cinders
Create Save File 1 here
HAPPY ENDING:
-Ask Kaguya to help
-Say “I’m sure he has a good heart under all that ash.”
-Teasing him
-Yes
-Suggest re-branding the cafe
-I’m impressed
-No
-Yes
-Neither
-A bird
-Yes
-Yes
-Very yes
-Smile wordlessly
Yesterday (June 14, 2018)D3Publisher released yet another otome game for the Nintendo Switch console.
I remember purchasing one route of this game on mobile and I’m happy to repurchase it again (the whole game, this time) on the Nintendo Switch.
Click here for a list of D3P games available on the switch. Click here for Pub Encounter’s downloadable content (Nintendo Eshop).
About this game It’s a romance game where you can fall in love with one of several middle-aged men. All of them are experienced in life and have their own stories to tell. They may not be young, but they can love as deeply and passionately as anyone.
It’s an odd choice for an otome game to port for the Switch this early but I’m hoping they’ll be able to port more of their Steam otome titles after this one. Some I’m particularly rooting for are:
Gakuen Club
NIGHTSHADE
Destiny Princess
Well now that my DANDY SHOT download is complete, guess who’s jumping on the OJISAAAN bandwagon tonight!?
NOTE: This guide is for the SUPER HAPPY ENDING. To get the HAPPY ENDING CG,simply start from Chapter 13 (likability should be at 0%). It shouldn’t matter what your last two choices are.
Chapter 1 -Do you need some help?
-I’m not a crybaby anymore
Chapter 2 -I was thinking about the past
-Will we meet again?
Chapter 3 -I want to call you Hayato
-I could never laugh at you
Chapter 4 -You’re a jerk
-I will
Chapter 5 -I wish I hadn’t gone to sleep
-I remember too
Chapter 6 -I’m sorry
-No
Chapter 7 -Takao’s such a good person…
-Do you want to go to the mainland too?
Chapter 8 -I’m sorry, Hayato
-I wouldn’t know
Chapter 9 -Hold onto his kimono
-Do you have any candy with you today?
Chapter 10 -He’s lying!
-You’re not mad at me?
Chapter 11 -Do you think Hayato’s like that too?
-Panic and move away from Hayato
Chapter 12 -He’s not scary
-I’ll do something for you
NOTE: This guide is for the SUPER HAPPY ENDING. To get the HAPPY ENDING CG,simply start from Chapter 13 (likability should be at 0%). It shouldn’t matter what your last two choices are.
PART 1
Chapter 1
-I-I’ll do my best!
-Introduce yourself
Chapter 2
-Because it’s Iroha-san
-Why did I disobey mother?
Chapter 3
-We kissed
-Please get used to it
Chapter 4
-I want to see you
-Do you feel that way to?
Chapter 5
-Grab his clothing
-I have a bad feeling about this
Chapter 6
-For you too?
-I understand
Chapter 7
-Slap Iroha-san’s cheek
-I was happy
Chapter 8
-Yes
-Do you make fireballs?
Chapter 9
-W-Why…?
-You can’t hide anything
Chapter 10
-I’m not like that
-I’ll be waiting…
Chapter 11
-Isn’t it painful?
-I wasn’t expecting this
Chapter 12
-It will get warm soon
-Don’t hold back anymore
-I’m the same
Chapter 13
-The truth is that I want to be next to you
-Kiss his chest
-Super Happy Ending-
PART 2
Chapter 1
-I want to be a family with you
-No means no
-That’s horrible
Chapter 2
-You said too much
-Watch him
-You talked in your sleep
Chapter 3
-I felt dizzy
-I trust your words, Iroha-san
-It’s better to believe you
Chapter 4
-Do you think it will go well?
-He predicted this, didn’t he?
-What are you saying with such a serious look?
Chapter 5
-I’m well aware of that
-Stare at Azusa
-I’ll explain myself
Chapter 6
-…Please dress me
-Will he become an adult?
-Seems like it might be difficult
Chapter 7
-Stare into his eye
-What happens after this is important
-Something fun? What’s that?
Chapter 8
-I’m pleased
-It’s about your own safety though
-You’re sly
Release Date: March 29, 2018 (North America)
Developer: OperaHouse Publisher: D3Publisher Platforms: Steam, Nintendo Switch, Mobile (iOS and Android) ESRB Rating: M+17 Mature
STORY (From Nintendo Eshop Page) “Our heroine, Amane Kosaka, was living a simple yet happy life in the countryside until one day she was suddenly taken away to live in the empire, summoned by her brother Soshi Amazaki — the current ruler. Though she was unaware of the underlying circumstances, she finds herself brought to this lively and palpable central city. Living in the immaculate royal palace, our heroine comes to learn that the empire might not be as joyful as it seems.
Her brother is no longer the gentleman she once knew… A corrupt organization secretly runs things behind the scenes… The heroine’s fate guides her down the path of love.”
ART
The Charming Empire’s artwork was done by the artist, Fuji Mitsuya, a well-known mangaka responsible for most of the beautiful art covers of popular JP Drama CDs (e.g. Midnight Jiangshi, Majestic Crown). If you admire her works, you’ll definitely love the CG’s for this game. Although they fall rather short as expected due to the game’s plotline, they were all undeniably beautiful.
MUSIC AND VOICE ACTING
I like how catchy The Charming Empire’s intro music was. Their BGMs were pretty good too, an improvement from what they had with the Yoshiwara series. But what initially attracted me the most was the game’s voice acting from top-ranking seiyus in the industry.
ROUTES AND CHARACTERS
While playing the game, I noticed how each route mostly follows the exact same story pattern: Get whisked away to the capital – become a royalty – romance with the guy you choose – a rebellion occurs – conclusion.
All of the routes were short that it barely gets you that connection to the guy you’re romancing. If it weren’t for their profound voice acting, the stories would’ve fallen quite flat and somewhat boring due to zero character development.
Characters
The only recurring characters of the game are Sochi Amazaki and Kagemitsu. The rest of the guys only appear in their routes alone.
TOKI TANBA – Bad boy, Robinhood, Best Cook, Baumkuchen!
Toki is the handsome cafe owner you bumped into one day while you were secretly strolling off town. You became acquainted with him due to his friendly & flirtatious personality and eventually tried to help him out in his cafe by waitressing and washing the dishes (lol the things you do for a handsome stud). He is rather popular in town and is loved by his customers. He appears very kind towards you but actually has hidden motives which you’ll get to discover in the middle of his route.
KEI YOSHIMINE – Hot tutor, Smart, Talented, Tsundere as hell, Prince Charming, Pinky Swear, Best Boy!
Kei would have to be my favorite route in this game. Kei was a prince abducted from a land which Soshi’s family conquered and destroyed. He became a prisoner in the capital after the said incident and now he’s currently living as your private tutor with a fiery grudge against your own brother. Unlike the other main characters and their respective routes, Kei was probably the only one that developed a realistic romance with the heroine. His story didn’t feel too rushed and the intimate relationship he had with the MC was more believable. Kei’s story is also a good choice as your first route in this game.
KOICHIRO SERA – Silent, Cold, Serious, The Bodyguard, Samurai, Best Soldier, Sketchy af
Sera is your faithful bodyguard who will watch you 24 hours a day and will never leave your side, ever! In his route, he was appointed by your brother Soshi, as your trusty guard who needs to be with you wherever you go. This man is very devoted when it comes to his job. His bushido code is prioritizing your protection 24/7. I felt bad while I was playing his route mainly because of how Sera was starving himself just to watch over you (the guy eats one riceball every meal)Sob! During his story, it was revealed that he was part of the rebellion group who plans to overthrow your brother’s regime.
I didn’t quite like how it felt as if he was only using you so they can put an end to Soshi’s dictatorship. In the end, It feels like Sera’s feelings for you weren’t really genuine because he was way too distant to even develop a relationship with the heroine during his story’s transition of events. Oh well! (shrugs)
Kagemitsu is your childhood friend and also your brother Soshi’s best friend and right-hand adviser. I was kind of interested with this character at first but was surprised at how bland his story turned out. Since you’ve always known him and liked him for the way he was, his route poorly falls into the typical childhood friend trope cliche. Again, the romance felt too forced. The only interesting part about Kagemitsu’s route was how involved it was with Soshi’s underlying story. It may be better to play this character prior to Soshi since their stories felt somewhat connected.
SOSHI AMAZAKI – Has Trust Issues, Cold, Cunning, Bipolar (but not really), Incest (but not really)
Soshi probably has the most interesting story among the main characters. Mainly because he was considered the bad guy in other routes. By playing his route you’ll get to discover his side of the story. Soshi also offers a little bit of character development as he starts cold towards the MC (you) but then, later on, develops warms feelings as he tries to open up to the heroine. I kinda like Soshi’s story. It had a couple of plot twists and I was satisfied with the way it ended. The only downside in his route was how pathetic the heroine was in this story that it gets overly annoying playing her character. (Rolls eye)
TRAILER
OVERALL THOUGHTS?
I really couldn’t say anything more other than how simple this game was. Perhaps if you’re looking for an easy short read that’s not too engaging (you can literally finish one route in an hour), this game is a good candidate.
Personally, I love the voice acting best as well as this game’s art style. But story-wise, it’s painfully predictable that it gets boring at times to a point where you literally don’t care how it ends. I really don’t think it’s worth the full price. So if you’re concerned with getting your money’s worth, I don’t recommend buying this game unless it’s on sale. Despite the mediocre story writing, the game had a few pros up its sleeve such as having very little typos, and I did enjoy two routes (Kei and Soshi). On a side note, if you’re a fan of the seiyus: Tetsuya Kakihara or Kenjiro Tsuda, this game won’t be so bad as you think it’d be.
MINEO ENOMOTO Visual Novel:Collar x Malice Age: 23 Hobbies: Reading books about Toshizou Hijikata and “100 Heart-jerking Love Confessions” Likes:Sengoku Period,Field Work, Pudding♥ VA: Soma Saito
Click for his walkthrough here. Click for Collar x Malice game review here.
Character Background
Mineo is the comical relief of the bunch. He’s often seen butting heads with Sazasuka and is sometimes treated as an errand boy for both Aiji and Takeru. He may be considered to have the weakest aptitude when it comes to the X-Day investigations but he has the knack for pursuing cases until the end, once he’s made up his mind about it. Before he quit his job as a police officer, he was previously assigned in Shinjuku ‘s Field Operations Team and was considered one of the best in their department due to his speed and audacity. A promotion was in line in his career prior to his resignation.
His Trademark: He wears an eye patch to resemble his Sengoku warlord idol, Date Masamune.
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Personality
Mineo tends to be very shy and unsociable when it comes to women. He is honest to a fault and is able to charm and befriend people very quickly. He demonstrates his likability when he befriends Hanako Kobayashi “Hana” (in his route) and Kazuki Hoshino, Ichika’s brother (both in his route and Shiraishi’s). Mineo can also get a little clumsy when it comes to his social cues as he has the tendency to blurt out his thoughts without meaning to and sometimes ends up saying too much.
Relationship with the Heroine His romantic exchange with Ichika is as light-hearted as his route. Mineo’s story was filled with a couple of adorable instances where we see him blush because of Ichika’s straightforwardness. It’s very cute. He felt like a high school sweetheart.♥
It was also because of Ichika that he was finally able to pursue the April and May X-Day cases. This guy needs a little push for motivation.
ENOMOTO’S ROUTE
Mineo is the perfect first route to take in Collar x Malice for the reason that his story offers very few spoilers of the game’s underlying plot line. There were very few revealed information regarding the X-Day cases as a whole in his story, that it almost felt like it was literally shrugged off at the end (this cliffhanger however, was explained in Aiji’s route). His story pacing was also very slow when comparing it to others.
Although, I personally enjoyed Enomoto’s route as a whole, there were a few pros and cons that were notable during his events.
Positive Points ＼(＾▽＾)／
The fact that Enomoto knows and accepts that he’s the least useful guy around in the group when it comes to the X-Day investigations.
The sibling relationship between Ichika and her brother Kazuki in this route was very pragmatic that it felt so real. One of my favorite highlights in Enomoto’s route was the ups and downs of Ichika’s bonding with her little brother.
Mineo greatly respects his superiors and always have this genuine faith in them no matter the circumstances.
Enomoto is a true gentleman for offering Ichika a piggyback ride when she twisted her ankle running after him.
He has the strongest bond and is the closest to Kazuki, the protagonist’s little brother compared to the other guys (in their routes).
Mineo profoundly appreciates and respects Yanagi as his “senpai“. He also praises him all the time for Aiji’s exemplary cooking skills.
His love for pudding and how he gets excited to have some is just too adorable for words.
Him losing it, when the thugs attempted to make Ichika strip in public. I find it sweet when~He wanted to beat them up to a pulp.
His unconventional sense of style~ He’s the only one who wears a printed shirt inside. He wears an eyepatch and carries a paper fan as his trademark. He also wears a standard yukata in his (extra) story.
Negative Points ┐(︶▽︶)┌
It took him a while to put his trust on Ichika that half of his route was spent on the heroine stubbornly pursuing to become partners with him.
He easily loses his temper when provoked, humiliating himself in the end.
If it wasn’t for Ichika’s determination, Mineo would’ve never pursued the X-Day Investigations seriously.
He can’t say ‘NO’ when his masculinity is in question. Because of this, Okazaki ended up tagging along on his supposed-to-be lunch date with Ichika.
Dwells a lot on self-loathing.
Why is he living at Aiji’s apartment/office, doesn’t he have a place of his own?
Some Thoughts
I kinda feel that Mineo was a well fit match for Ichika since they are very alike in personality. He also doesn’t have too many issues, he’s not a jerk to her and he already has Kazuki’s approval. Both their tenacity and unwavering sense of determination is a perfect common ground. It’s a cute relationship, one that can last long as I see it.
Character Song I think Mineo’s character song is as jolly as his personality, don’t you think? It’s so fitting! ^^
For this route’s sexy meter, I’ll give it an overall 7/10 score. Although it was the least appealing/sexy route compared to others in Collar x Malice, I still enjoyed his story to the fullest. Mineo is a very sweet and loving character. His honesty was his winning factor, but he needs improvement(not to mention, will power)when it comes to making women swoon. Perhaps he really needed his “100 Heart-jerking Love Confessions” book after all.
Toki is the handsome cafe owner you bumped into one day while you were secretly strolling off town. You became acquainted with him due to his friendly & flirtatious personality and eventually tried to help him out in his cafe by waitressing and washing the dishes (lol the things you do for a handsome stud)
. He is rather popular in town and is loved by his customers. He appears very kind towards you but actually has hidden motives which you’ll get to discover in the middle of his route.
Kei would have to be my favorite route in this game. Kei was a prince abducted from a land which Soshi’s family conquered and destroyed. He became a prisoner in the capital after the said incident and now he’s currently living as your private tutor with a fiery grudge against your own brother. Unlike the other main characters and their respective routes, Kei was probably the only one that developed a realistic romance with the heroine. His story didn’t feel too rushed and the intimate relationship he had with the MC was more believable. Kei’s story is also a good choice as your first route in this game.
Sob! During his story, it was revealed that he was part of the rebellion group who plans to overthrow your brother’s regime.
Soshi probably has the most interesting story among the main characters. Mainly because he was considered the bad guy in other routes. By playing his route you’ll get to discover his side of the story. Soshi also offers a little bit of character development as he starts cold towards the MC (you) but then, later on, develops warms feelings as he tries to open up to the heroine. I kinda like Soshi’s story. It had a couple of plot twists and I was satisfied with the way it ended. The only downside in his route was how pathetic the heroine was in this story that it gets overly annoying playing her character. (Rolls eye)
