Do you think Chizuru is boring?

[Huntok4r]

I've been a pretty big fan of the Hakuoki series for some time and I like to read reviews and forums at times just to see talking points with others and see other opinions.
I was surprised to see one not necessarily common but oft repeated opinion is that Chizuru is boring or annoying.
I never really felt that way, I do see how she wasn't necessarily a fighter or bold but I always felt like that a result of the time period and well she DOES fight in some routes or gets to being bold to aid whomever she is romancing or to tell Kazuma to back off or chill. I remember at least one being upset she never used her oni abilities but in her defense she never learned to use them nor was aware she was even an oni until recently. Others were frustrated with her talking habits though it seemed implied she didn't really have friends as a kid so she didn't seem to know how to socialize well.

I'm curious what others think.

[Dolraeth]

Chizuru is pretty good, certainly better than your average self-insert protagonist. I think this is a trait of "otome" games, the starring girls tend to have more substance to them than the main characters in games for male audience.

She does have a face, a personality and the stories detail how she falls with the different bachelors. Maybe it's not a masterpiece but it's definitely interesting.

Maybe it feels a bit... uncomfortable to watch the story from the eyes of the girl if you're male, but it's interesting too. The stories are about Chizuru AND the man she chooses. What if she doesn't fight? She does other things. The girls either didn't fight much in, say, Rurouni Kenshin, but they played other roles.

For a traditional man such as a 19th Century samurai, certainly it's shame that a girl should save their bacon, don't you think? That's too post-modern.

[Metalhen]

Originally posted by Dolraeth:

Chizuru is pretty good, certainly better than your average self-insert protagonist. I think this is a trait of "otome" games, the starring girls tend to have more substance to them than the main characters in games for male audience.

She does have a face, a personality and the stories detail how she falls with the different bachelors. Maybe it's not a masterpiece but it's definitely interesting.

Maybe it feels a bit... uncomfortable to watch the story from the eyes of the girl if you're male, but it's interesting too. The stories are about Chizuru AND the man she chooses. What if she doesn't fight? She does other things. The girls either didn't fight much in, say, Rurouni Kenshin, but they played other roles.

For a traditional man such as a 19th Century samurai, certainly it's shame that a girl should save their bacon, don't you think? That's too post-modern.

Yes but there are more and more people copypasting their post-modern views on old/historical stories. There was some stupid fight going on lately about rewriting the Carmen opera because the female heroine of the same name dies at the end and the feminazis couldn't stand it, saying that you can't have a story with a female character dying in the 21st Century.

It's a very dangerous way of thinking because not only will it multiply the historical inaccuracies in historical works but like in Carmen's case, this will end up in the destruction and burning of older works because "the values are not the same anymore". If nothing is done, we're running towards a world where even something like Lord of the Rings (where most females don't do much) will be re-written then censored then destroyed.

About Hakuouki or just Shinsengumi in general, I remember being both amused and disappointed when I stumbled upon a thread where people were sharing their thoughts over a very real translated account of the Ikedaya raid. One member of Harada's unit had gone to the house of the narrator (one of the kids Okita played with) to brag about their success. Lots of gory details and all ;) ! I was just loling my way down because... idk, that raid was so surreal and still, it happened ! But the comments in the thread were another thing : many were outraged that that Shinsengumi soldier would talk about such violent things in front of children, not caring if they ended up traumatized by these horrible stories.

That is a very biased and modern view of what children should hear and not hear. Let's be honest, back then, most of Japan was a hellhole (as a country readying itself for a violent civil war should be). Children of that time could go out to buy rice one morning and find their neighboor with their throat slit down the street. Adults didn't bother hiding things from them because there was nothing to hide, violence, murder, blood were everywhere. Shinsengumi and ronins roamed the streets in broad daylight, pretty sure that child saw his pal Okita kill more than one man coming to and from his house. They may even have dreamed to be like him, the way children today dream of being a pilot. It's just everyday life to you til you get the chance to know better. So these are not bad parents or men and no, I'm pretty sure the gory story of a raid is not something that would prevent these children from sleeping at night. Ours maybe, not theirs.

[Huntok4r]

Originally posted by Dolraeth:

Chizuru is pretty good, certainly better than your average self-insert protagonist. I think this is a trait of "otome" games, the starring girls tend to have more substance to them than the main characters in games for male audience.

She does have a face, a personality and the stories detail how she falls with the different bachelors. Maybe it's not a masterpiece but it's definitely interesting.

Maybe it feels a bit... uncomfortable to watch the story from the eyes of the girl if you're male, but it's interesting too. The stories are about Chizuru AND the man she chooses. What if she doesn't fight? She does other things. The girls either didn't fight much in, say, Rurouni Kenshin, but they played other roles.

For a traditional man such as a 19th Century samurai, certainly it's shame that a girl should save their bacon, don't you think? That's too post-modern.

It’s funny or maybe it’s because of the games I’ve played but I’ve seen characters in male oriented games actually have personality granted I haven’t played too many but Okabe of Steins;Gate definitely has personality imo. But I agree she has personality though she has fought in some routes.
And it is historically accurate that she doesn’t do too much. I have to agree with Metalhen here though I feel what the women do in the games is rather overshadowed by the men. Kimigiku and Sen both fight.
And I was just curious what others think on her. Chizuru used to get slammed a lot for being bland or not fighting for herself enough that as mentioned in this thread her merely going searching for her father alone back then was wildly bold.

[Metalhen]

Originally posted by Huntok4r:

It’s funny or maybe it’s because of the games I’ve played but I’ve seen characters in male oriented games actually have personality granted I haven’t played too many but Okabe of Steins;Gate definitely has personality imo. But I agree she has personality though she has fought in some routes.
And it is historically accurate that she doesn’t do too much. I have to agree with Metalhen here though I feel what the women do in the games is rather overshadowed by the men. Kimigiku and Sen both fight.
And I was just curious what others think on her. Chizuru used to get slammed a lot for being bland or not fighting for herself enough that as mentioned in this thread her merely going searching for her father alone back then was wildly bold.

Something else came to mind but there are the blood-sucking scenes too. These are the closest we will ever get to sex-scenes without having the ratings go through the roof. From a Japanese point of view, they already are sexy and erotic enough since blood is seen as something very intimate and even dirty and the body parts the guys suck (hand, ear and especially neck) were and still are considered in Japan as the epitome of "sexy parts". In short Okita licking Chizuru's hand and Hijikata licking her neck are the same as a guy sucking a girl's breasts.

Well Chizuru is very proactive during these scenes, being always the one to offer her blood while the guy is "no I can't do that to you", "no don't do that, I don't deserve your blood". And while in the act she is the one deriving pleasure from it, a sense of power and dominance, while the guy is all "I'm sorry, does it hurt ? We shouldn't do that.". And she's all happy and glowing and "shh it's alright". If that isn't a female character taking the lead, I don't know what is XD !

I can't remember everyone but Okita's path is one of the few that is very explicit about the parallel with sex (close to Yamazaki's irc). Especially since he starts with "I can't do that, I won't do that" then moves to "I swear to you, I won't drink anyone else's blood" to almost "You won't refuse me your blood now right ?". Just reread that with a certain S word ;p now...

Btw the reciprocated blood-sucking between Okita and Chizuru in Okita's bad ending IS the game's way of offering us a wild sex scene in the woods at night. And if you look closely at the dialogues, it is treated as such by... well, almost every character ? There's a double-entendre when Kazama rejects Chizuru after she tells him she drank Ochimizu. That she's tainted, not worthy to be his spouse and that she can get lost with the other fake (Okita) for all he cares. If that wasn't an unsubtle parallel to a girl's loss of virginity outside of wedlock, well idk what is XD... again !

In short, Chizuru is in fact sexually adventurous for her time and country. But I can't fault people for believing otherwise cause I noticed she is more shy and submissive in Saito's and Hijikata's routes (both popular routes)... and since the anime follows the latter... Imo she is simply more subdued with these two because they are very serious (she must not want to look like a fool in front of them) and in Hijikata's case, a good 10+ years older to boot !

Which in her country would be enough to have her act submissive and proper since you just don't want to anger your elders.

[Huntok4r]

Originally posted by Metalhen:

Something else came to mind but there are the blood-sucking scenes too. These are the closest we will ever get to sex-scenes without having the ratings go through the roof. From a Japanese point of view, they already are sexy and erotic enough since blood is seen as something very intimate and even dirty and the body parts the guys suck (hand, ear and especially neck) were and still are considered in Japan as the epitome of "sexy parts". In short Okita licking Chizuru's hand and Hijikata licking her neck are the same as a guy sucking a girl's breasts.

Well Chizuru is very proactive during these scenes, being always the one to offer her blood while the guy is "no I can't do that to you", "no don't do that, I don't deserve your blood". And while in the act she is the one deriving pleasure from it, a sense of power and dominance, while the guy is all "I'm sorry, does it hurt ? We shouldn't do that.". And she's all happy and glowing and "shh it's alright". If that isn't a female character taking the lead, I don't know what is XD !

I can't remember everyone but Okita's path is one of the few that is very explicit about the parallel with sex (close to Yamazaki's irc). Especially since he starts with "I can't do that, I won't do that" then moves to "I swear to you, I won't drink anyone else's blood" to almost "You won't refuse me your blood now right ?". Just reread that with a certain S word ;p now...

Btw the reciprocated blood-sucking between Okita and Chizuru in Okita's bad ending IS the game's way of offering us a wild sex scene in the woods at night. And if you look closely at the dialogues, it is treated as such by... well, almost every character ? There's a double-entendre when Kazama rejects Chizuru after she tells him she drank Ochimizu. That she's tainted, not worthy to be his spouse and that she can get lost with the other fake (Okita) for all he cares. If that wasn't an unsubtle parallel to a girl's loss of virginity outside of wedlock, well idk what is XD... again !

In short, Chizuru is in fact sexually adventurous for her time and country. But I can't fault people for believing otherwise cause I noticed she is more shy and submissive in Saito's and Hijikata's routes (both popular routes)... and since the anime follows the latter... Imo she is simply more subdued with these two because they are very serious (she must not want to look like a fool in front of them) and in Hijikata's case, a good 10+ years older to boot !

Which in her country would be enough to have her act submissive and proper since you just don't want to anger your elders.

HA! I always thought that! I was just worried people would call me kinky or weird for it! It seemed rather clear it was a stand in for sex (works well since Harada did get to sleep with her but he’s not a fury. Somewhat falls apart with Souma but still works for the most part).
It’s funny because while I’ll give you she can be shy or a bit submissive to them I never all that submissive to Hijikata, supportive yes but not the kind to bow down and let him do what he wants. I mean the first chance to net affection is to try to escape and one of the last chances is to reject his order to leave.

[Metalhen]

Originally posted by Huntok4r:

HA! I always thought that! I was just worried people would call me kinky or weird for it! It seemed rather clear it was a stand in for sex (works well since Harada did get to sleep with her but he’s not a fury. Somewhat falls apart with Souma but still works for the most part).
It’s funny because while I’ll give you she can be shy or a bit submissive to them I never all that submissive to Hijikata, supportive yes but not the kind to bow down and let him do what he wants. I mean the first chance to net affection is to try to escape and one of the last chances is to reject his order to leave.

No you're not kinky XD ! It's pretty obvious it's a stand-in ! What I found funny is that I thought she would be the one all embarrassed and shy and "hn yamete kudasai..." and... no XD it's the guys who're all red and so haha ! Meanwhile Chizuru is all "mm yes lick me my pretty". That's a very bold way to act "in bed" for a teenage Japanese girl haha !

Souma was depicted as someone very by-the-rule, shy and overly serious for his age (he is younger than Chizuru). Their relationship felt a lot like teenagers taking their time to discover each-other and take all the right steps. He was very shy about the blood thing, content with licking her hand while covering her eyes the whole time. It felt like someone who is okay to make out but still not ready to take the clothes off and I guess it was what was intended. It makes their real sex scene more meaningfull in the end. Plus, they finally had Hijikata's blessing at the time and considered themselves all but engaged.

Also I meant the blood thing is their way of showing on-screen sex because each time you have a "real" sex scene, it gets an ellipse, followed by some narration saying "well, that happened !".

Yes I'm kinda biased for Hijikata since he was my last route :D. After having Chizuru take the lead in some routes and not being really afraid of her partner, Hijikata felt a bit like a step back. I found her maturing more slowly in his company (because he takes charge a lot). From my point of view, she really became his equal when he started to loose everything, somewhere around Kondo's capture, and she really asserted herself once up in the north. Before that, she was either supportive but in a kind of discret way or walking on eggs around him... which I can completely understand because his breakdowns are... not pretty ^^"

(Won't forget when I choose a wrong answer on the subject of Souji and set him off. He completely flipped his ♥♥♥♥. I was like "omg omg I did it, I broke him". It honestly scared me so much I reloaded the whole scene to choose right. :'D)

[Huntok4r]

Originally posted by Metalhen:

No you're not kinky XD ! It's pretty obvious it's a stand-in ! What I found funny is that I thought she would be the one all embarrassed and shy and "hn yamete kudasai..." and... no XD it's the guys who're all red and so haha ! Meanwhile Chizuru is all "mm yes lick me my pretty". That's a very bold way to act "in bed" for a teenage Japanese girl haha !

Souma was depicted as someone very by-the-rule, shy and overly serious for his age (he is younger than Chizuru). Their relationship felt a lot like teenagers taking their time to discover each-other and take all the right steps. He was very shy about the blood thing, content with licking her hand while covering her eyes the whole time. It felt like someone who is okay to make out but still not ready to take the clothes off and I guess it was what was intended. It makes their real sex scene more meaningfull in the end. Plus, they finally had Hijikata's blessing at the time and considered themselves all but engaged.

Also I meant the blood thing is their way of showing on-screen sex because each time you have a "real" sex scene, it gets an ellipse, followed by some narration saying "well, that happened !".

Yes I'm kinda biased for Hijikata since he was my last route :D. After having Chizuru take the lead in some routes and not being really afraid of her partner, Hijikata felt a bit like a step back. I found her maturing more slowly in his company (because he takes charge a lot). From my point of view, she really became his equal when he started to loose everything, somewhere around Kondo's capture, and she really asserted herself once up in the north. Before that, she was either supportive but in a kind of discret way or walking on eggs around him... which I can completely understand because his breakdowns are... not pretty ^^"

(Won't forget when I choose a wrong answer on the subject of Souji and set him off. He completely flipped his ♥♥♥♥. I was like "omg omg I did it, I broke him". It honestly scared me so much I reloaded the whole scene to choose right. :'D)

Chizuru is a dom confirmed lol

Yes I found their route to be quite sweet even during the heart wrenching moments.

I can get that! He was actually my first route (funny since I was aiming for Saito at first) and I got his good end on the first try (I usually do my first run completely blind to see what happens) and ended up destroyed by his route lol. So he ended up a favorite quick for me. I think it works great to have her change differently for every character, if not I’d feel it be stagnate. Yes she grows a bit slower but it’s still the growth she needed and she grows more as she’s willing to rebuff her brother and Kazama and tries to understand her father. Every route brings out a different side to her and it all appeals differently to different people.
I’ll admit I’m a sucker for hurt/comfort themes like the ones from Hijikata’s route.

And I remember getting some bad ends for the sake of seeing them all
Oof needed to replay the happy endings after that
Kazama is an interesting character but WOW is he quite the ♥♥♥♥ in some endings

[Metalhen]

Originally posted by Huntok4r:

Chizuru is a dom confirmed lol

Yes I found their route to be quite sweet even during the heart wrenching moments.

I can get that! He was actually my first route (funny since I was aiming for Saito at first) and I got his good end on the first try (I usually do my first run completely blind to see what happens) and ended up destroyed by his route lol. So he ended up a favorite quick for me. I think it works great to have her change differently for every character, if not I’d feel it be stagnate. Yes she grows a bit slower but it’s still the growth she needed and she grows more as she’s willing to rebuff her brother and Kazama and tries to understand her father. Every route brings out a different side to her and it all appeals differently to different people.
I’ll admit I’m a sucker for hurt/comfort themes like the ones from Hijikata’s route.

And I remember getting some bad ends for the sake of seeing them all
Oof needed to replay the happy endings after that
Kazama is an interesting character but WOW is he quite the ♥♥♥♥ in some endings

Yes it's great Chizuru acts differently with each man. In the musicals, they kept that difference both in her songs and by changing the actress and it works very well ! In the musicals, Hijikata's Chizuru was the most active while Saito's Chizuru felt more mature. It was nice.

I played blind too XD ! I wasn't aiming for anyone in particular and I even thought for a while that I would end up on either Hijikata or Heisuke's routes because I usually pick the kind of answers these characters like. Plus, I trusted Heisuke a lot.

But since at first I was a bit lost with all the names and what was happening, I stuck with Okita. Like I said before, it was because he was the first voice I heard (Saito saves Chizuru from the Furies but Okita is the first to speak up and adress her directly).

Plus he has a very memorable face :3 !

Also during that tense first reunion (when everyone is wondering about what to do with her) he joked you know, about Chizuru having a bed-head. It was very welcome since everyone else was either cold, wary or sad at the idea of maybe having to kill a child. That's funny because I knew they would warm up with time and I already felt like I could completely trust Saito but right at that second, I kinda thought "oh thank god, one is obviously human underneath the threats" !

I had stumbled upon the movies one year before buying the game so I did remember roughly the main plot and that Chizuru was an oni... I also remembered one of them with green eyes having tuberculosis but I couldn't remember if that was Okita or Heisuke. I was praying "please don't let it be Okita, I'm just starting to gain his trust ><" and vlam, Okita it was ! My bad luck ! XD Even at that point I was still kinda friendzoning him though. I can't remember when I started to feel something, just that it was one of those days when they were outside and he was flirting a bit and I just realized I had this big goofy smile and was eagerly waiting to hear what he would say next haha XD !

Ah the bad endings, so sad T.T ! Don't get me started on Kazama lol ! As you know, his bad ending was my favourite <3 ! I didn't like Kazama until I got on Heisuke's route and realized that man doesn't so much want a wife as he wants friends. The side-stories show he wants to start some sort of odd friendship with the Shinsengumi, especially Hijikata and Okita because they left an impression. But Kazama being Kazama, he doesn't know how to do so except through stalking and fighting. And you know ? It's so endearingly pathetic ! He too was sheltered in a way and it shows. A good thing in Hijikata's route is that we see the relationship the two build over time. I'm so sad the one he builds with Okita is left to side-materials with little to no translations because it's funny. Kinda sweet too because they bond over women and love troubles. Oh and cats !

I never understood the Kazama in Saito's route Oo ! When you know him as the decent man he is, that monstruous oni bent on torturing, raping and killing feels like a completely different character ! Only explanation I got was in a side-story again where he has a talk with Amagiri who is warning (more like threatening) him about getting too close to the Shinsengumi. Kazama ends up confessing he doesn't like being an oni leader, he hates the pressure, he hates the secrets, stiffling code of honour, loneliness and so on... Amagari warns him that if he keeps associating with the humans from the Shinsengumi, he will be banished from all oni clans and may be killed as a result. Kazama looses his patience and is just like "to hell with onis and all" and, when Amagiri leaves, quietly panics about what he just has said and done.

I can only guess the Kazama in Saito's route is an incarnation who was driven to madness trying to reconcile his need for human contact with his duty as an oni leader. And it would make sense for him to go after Saito who has "duty" written on his forehead. He is sorta getting his revenge upon codes and hierarchy and honour by killing someone who represents all that while still having friends and a girlfriend.

[Huntok4r]

Originally posted by Metalhen:

Yes it's great Chizuru acts differently with each man. In the musicals, they kept that difference both in her songs and by changing the actress and it works very well ! In the musicals, Hijikata's Chizuru was the most active while Saito's Chizuru felt more mature. It was nice.

I played blind too XD ! I wasn't aiming for anyone in particular and I even thought for a while that I would end up on either Hijikata or Heisuke's routes because I usually pick the kind of answers these characters like. Plus, I trusted Heisuke a lot.

But since at first I was a bit lost with all the names and what was happening, I stuck with Okita. Like I said before, it was because he was the first voice I heard (Saito saves Chizuru from the Furies but Okita is the first to speak up and adress her directly).

Plus he has a very memorable face :3 !

Also during that tense first reunion (when everyone is wondering about what to do with her) he joked you know, about Chizuru having a bed-head. It was very welcome since everyone else was either cold, wary or sad at the idea of maybe having to kill a child. That's funny because I knew they would warm up with time and I already felt like I could completely trust Saito but right at that second, I kinda thought "oh thank god, one is obviously human underneath the threats" !

I had stumbled upon the movies one year before buying the game so I did remember roughly the main plot and that Chizuru was an oni... I also remembered one of them with green eyes having tuberculosis but I couldn't remember if that was Okita or Heisuke. I was praying "please don't let it be Okita, I'm just starting to gain his trust ><" and vlam, Okita it was ! My bad luck ! XD Even at that point I was still kinda friendzoning him though. I can't remember when I started to feel something, just that it was one of those days when they were outside and he was flirting a bit and I just realized I had this big goofy smile and was eagerly waiting to hear what he would say next haha XD !

Ah the bad endings, so sad T.T ! Don't get me started on Kazama lol ! As you know, his bad ending was my favourite <3 ! I didn't like Kazama until I got on Heisuke's route and realized that man doesn't so much want a wife as he wants friends. The side-stories show he wants to start some sort of odd friendship with the Shinsengumi, especially Hijikata and Okita because they left an impression. But Kazama being Kazama, he doesn't know how to do so except through stalking and fighting. And you know ? It's so endearingly pathetic ! He too was sheltered in a way and it shows. A good thing in Hijikata's route is that we see the relationship the two build over time. I'm so sad the one he builds with Okita is left to side-materials with little to no translations because it's funny. Kinda sweet too because they bond over women and love troubles. Oh and cats !

I never understood the Kazama in Saito's route Oo ! When you know him as the decent man he is, that monstruous oni bent on torturing, raping and killing feels like a completely different character ! Only explanation I got was in a side-story again where he has a talk with Amagiri who is warning (more like threatening) him about getting too close to the Shinsengumi. Kazama ends up confessing he doesn't like being an oni leader, he hates the pressure, he hates the secrets, stiffling code of honour, loneliness and so on... Amagari warns him that if he keeps associating with the humans from the Shinsengumi, he will be banished from all oni clans and may be killed as a result. Kazama looses his patience and is just like "to hell with onis and all" and, when Amagiri leaves, quietly panics about what he just has said and done.

I can only guess the Kazama in Saito's route is an incarnation who was driven to madness trying to reconcile his need for human contact with his duty as an oni leader. And it would make sense for him to go after Saito who has "duty" written on his forehead. He is sorta getting his revenge upon codes and hierarchy and honour by killing someone who represents all that while still having friends and a girlfriend.

It’s so good to know they went far to show how Chizuru changes in the musicals!!

I was actually convinced I’d get Saito because I hadn’t played otoges or romantic vns since I was 15 (I played Hakuoki when I was 19) and dropped the anime initially because I couldn’t find a stream site when I was younger. I went off of what my type used to be which was the calm quiet guy and didn’t realize I actually grew to like more take charge men like Hijikata XD

Yes! This is why I want more of the games in the US! I get Kazama is terrifying and problematic in some aspects but much of what his worst aspects stem from are from his upbringing and pressure.
It’s part of why I love SSL. I couldn’t understand much of it but running some of it through a translator and context from CGs and just understanding classic tropes it was easy to get what was happening. Kazama isn’t necessarily good but he’s got a strange rival like relationship with Hijikata but they’re still willing to hang around each other at times.
The cast is so fantastic and well written. Even Kazama is well rounded and not a bad guy. He accepts Chizuru doesn’t love him in Heisuke’s route and supports the two of them. He doesn’t try to drag her into a relationship like he had been before.

[Metalhen]

Originally posted by Huntok4r:

It’s so good to know they went far to show how Chizuru changes in the musicals!!

I was actually convinced I’d get Saito because I hadn’t played otoges or romantic vns since I was 15 (I played Hakuoki when I was 19) and dropped the anime initially because I couldn’t find a stream site when I was younger. I went off of what my type used to be which was the calm quiet guy and didn’t realize I actually grew to like more take charge men like Hijikata XD

Yes! This is why I want more of the games in the US! I get Kazama is terrifying and problematic in some aspects but much of what his worst aspects stem from are from his upbringing and pressure.
It’s part of why I love SSL. I couldn’t understand much of it but running some of it through a translator and context from CGs and just understanding classic tropes it was easy to get what was happening. Kazama isn’t necessarily good but he’s got a strange rival like relationship with Hijikata but they’re still willing to hang around each other at times.
The cast is so fantastic and well written. Even Kazama is well rounded and not a bad guy. He accepts Chizuru doesn’t love him in Heisuke’s route and supports the two of them. He doesn’t try to drag her into a relationship like he had been before.

Wish I could play SSL ! T.T I do the same as you when I find some untranslated story ! Get by with my little knowledge of japanese and all the rest through google translator or the likes XD. I also google translate some japanese threads when I stumble upon them because they sometimes talk about posts or interviews we have no way of knowing. And it's full of little details about the characters and plot.

Kazama can be kind to Hijikata, sorta. He is interested in his opinions even though he doesn't agree with him. At the same time, he can't understand how someone so poor got so far and he never misses an opportunity to remind him of his peasant background. He likes to spend time with him when they meet accidentally.
With Okita he acts like what he is deep down, a young virgin man in his twenties. They wonder about girls and how to seduce them. Again they don't agree but Kazama has admited he's envious of Okita's point-blank honesty when talking about his feelings and dreams. And Okita is sometimes surprised by Kazama's inexperience.

One little fun fact : the devs have used one of their exchange to explain how Kazama manages to sneak in the Shinsengumi HQ at every hour of the night/day. Turns out he comes and stays so much, even when Chizuru is away, that the guards have all but registered him as an acquaintance of the captains XD ! And oh god, the following dialogue (from memory) :
Okita : Then you should just join the Shinsengumi.
Kazama : *rants about the Shinsengumi being dogs blabla* I should, shouldn't I ? Pretty sure I would become a captain since I'm so much stronger than most of you.
Saito and Harada : Says who ?
Okita : Says me. I want him to join us. Would be interesting.
Harada : You can't do that, you need Hijikata's approval.
Okita : Kondou will approve, so we're good.
Saito : He would have to do things by the book. Is he able to ?
*Proceeds to quizz Kazama. The three end up agreeing he would be fit for the job.*
Kazama : Told you I was the best out there.
Okita : Ah but wait, being a captain would mean you have to obey Hijikata. Could you ?
Kazama : *Splutters indignantly* Can't I fight him and take his place instead ?
Saito : Afraid not.
Okita : Oh and I was just getting excited about having you with us :/
Kazama : No thanks ! I can't stand the idea of taking orders from Hijikata ! I'm going home !
Okita *pouts* : And off he goes... Now I'll just have to go to bed too.

[Huntok4r]

Originally posted by Metalhen:

Wish I could play SSL ! T.T I do the same as you when I find some untranslated story ! Get by with my little knowledge of japanese and all the rest through google translator or the likes XD. I also google translate some japanese threads when I stumble upon them because they sometimes talk about posts or interviews we have no way of knowing. And it's full of little details about the characters and plot.

Kazama can be kind to Hijikata, sorta. He is interested in his opinions even though he doesn't agree with him. At the same time, he can't understand how someone so poor got so far and he never misses an opportunity to remind him of his peasant background. He likes to spend time with him when they meet accidentally.
With Okita he acts like what he is deep down, a young virgin man in his twenties. They wonder about girls and how to seduce them. Again they don't agree but Kazama has admited he's envious of Okita's point-blank honesty when talking about his feelings and dreams. And Okita is sometimes surprised by Kazama's inexperience.

One little fun fact : the devs have used one of their exchange to explain how Kazama manages to sneak in the Shinsengumi HQ at every hour of the night/day. Turns out he comes and stays so much, even when Chizuru is away, that the guards have all but registered him as an acquaintance of the captains XD ! And oh god, the following dialogue (from memory) :
Okita : Then you should just join the Shinsengumi.
Kazama : *rants about the Shinsengumi being dogs blabla* I should, shouldn't I ? Pretty sure I would become a captain since I'm so much stronger than most of you.
Saito and Harada : Says who ?
Okita : Says me. I want him to join us. Would be interesting.
Harada : You can't do that, you need Hijikata's approval.
Okita : Kondou will approve, so we're good.
Saito : He would have to do things by the book. Is he able to ?
*Proceeds to quizz Kazama. The three end up agreeing he would be fit for the job.*
Kazama : Told you I was the best out there.
Okita : Ah but wait, being a captain would mean you have to obey Hijikata. Could you ?
Kazama : *Splutters indignantly* Can't I fight him and take his place instead ?
Saito : Afraid not.
Okita : Oh and I was just getting excited about having you with us :/
Kazama : No thanks ! I can't stand the idea of taking orders from Hijikata ! I'm going home !
Okita *pouts* : And off he goes... Now I'll just have to go to bed too.

My Vita will have to ripped from my cold dead hands lol and I paid SO much to just import a standard edition tbh. It was quite the cute game, a mini game filled high school AU where Kaoru is just a super tsundere brother and Chizuru is the first girl in a newly made co-ed boy’s school.
It was very sweet and tbh Hijikata being a teacher made me have to check it out and wow did his ending ever fit him, of course he waits for her to graduate so it doesn’t seem like he’s playing favorites.
The others are difficult for me to understand tbh but they’re all sweet. Heisuke is her childhood friend, Okita is a very teasing classmate who’s very attached to Kondo still and loves taking photos on his phone. I’ll have to try to translate more but it was worth the money for me!

I love that Kazama seems more naive than he appears! It makes his brashness and even semi misogynistic attitude to Chizuru seem more a product of his society or upbringing (likely upbringing as Sen leads her clan so oni while seeming willing to fight for women as they’re a rarity seem willing to let women lead) than himself. It’s like a guard for him. He’s so much like a brash angry Hijikata it makes their interactions so interesting. I always loved his naming of Hijikata at the end. It finalizes that while he has his reasons to dislike the furies he has a willingness to respect them, to his even almost befriend them in Heisuke’s route.
These characters are just so fascinating I love it.

[Metalhen]

Originally posted by Huntok4r:

My Vita will have to ripped from my cold dead hands lol and I paid SO much to just import a standard edition tbh. It was quite the cute game, a mini game filled high school AU where Kaoru is just a super tsundere brother and Chizuru is the first girl in a newly made co-ed boy’s school.
It was very sweet and tbh Hijikata being a teacher made me have to check it out and wow did his ending ever fit him, of course he waits for her to graduate so it doesn’t seem like he’s playing favorites.
The others are difficult for me to understand tbh but they’re all sweet. Heisuke is her childhood friend, Okita is a very teasing classmate who’s very attached to Kondo still and loves taking photos on his phone. I’ll have to try to translate more but it was worth the money for me!

I love that Kazama seems more naive than he appears! It makes his brashness and even semi misogynistic attitude to Chizuru seem more a product of his society or upbringing (likely upbringing as Sen leads her clan so oni while seeming willing to fight for women as they’re a rarity seem willing to let women lead) than himself. It’s like a guard for him. He’s so much like a brash angry Hijikata it makes their interactions so interesting. I always loved his naming of Hijikata at the end. It finalizes that while he has his reasons to dislike the furies he has a willingness to respect them, to his even almost befriend them in Heisuke’s route.
These characters are just so fascinating I love it.

I should have bought a Vita but I had no money at the time T.T ! What annoys me lately is that they announced a tons of ports and new games for the Switch but next to nothing for Steam and PS4 although they PROMISED they would if games like Hakuouki sold well (which they did) ! èoé Why can't they get it in their heads that, same as with Vita, not everyone has a Switch but almost everyone has some PC at home ? Well, doesn't matter, I've got some money and the Switch light is out so... Maybe for Black Friday or Christmas. *_*

Yes Hijikata as a teacher suits him so much *_* ! I wanted to see that so much ! From what I've heard on forums, huh...
Kondo, Hijikata and Okita still have a family bond of sorts despite not being orphaned, abandoned, kicked out by their families in this timeline. Still a bit dysfunctionnal.
Kondo is the head of the kendo club amongst other things but the club is having financial troubles and may close.
Okita wants to help him but Kondo would rather have him study and not worry so... he asks for Hijikata's help of course and Okita feels left out. :'D

Did you watch the OVAs ? The one where Chizuru spy for the Shinsengumi disguised as a geisha and hilarity ensues ? It's the adaptation of one of the DLCs we didn't get plus some of the side-stories thrown in the mix. Not only are they good (and lots of Hijikata ^^) but I found Kazama's scenes really well-done and emotional. And Sen did say he acts the way he does because he may have been sheltered and don't know a thing about women.

My only regret is that they adapted half of Okita's part out but I understand it was for pacing reasons. In the DLC he does get actively involved in Chizuru's mission. It creates a bit of a plothole since they discover HE is the reason someone is plotting against the Shinsengumi to begin with. In the OVA you end the mission with just "well, wonder why these guys hated us ?".

Oh well, we got nice scenes of Hijikata and him acting like loving brothers instead so I don't mind *__* ! I really liked Hijikata's part too, it really nailed his whole character.

[Huntok4r]

Originally posted by Metalhen:

I should have bought a Vita but I had no money at the time T.T ! What annoys me lately is that they announced a tons of ports and new games for the Switch but next to nothing for Steam and PS4 although they PROMISED they would if games like Hakuouki sold well (which they did) ! èoé Why can't they get it in their heads that, same as with Vita, not everyone has a Switch but almost everyone has some PC at home ? Well, doesn't matter, I've got some money and the Switch light is out so... Maybe for Black Friday or Christmas. *_*

Yes Hijikata as a teacher suits him so much *_* ! I wanted to see that so much ! From what I've heard on forums, huh...
Kondo, Hijikata and Okita still have a family bond of sorts despite not being orphaned, abandoned, kicked out by their families in this timeline. Still a bit dysfunctionnal.
Kondo is the head of the kendo club amongst other things but the club is having financial troubles and may close.
Okita wants to help him but Kondo would rather have him study and not worry so... he asks for Hijikata's help of course and Okita feels left out. :'D

Did you watch the OVAs ? The one where Chizuru spy for the Shinsengumi disguised as a geisha and hilarity ensues ? It's the adaptation of one of the DLCs we didn't get plus some of the side-stories thrown in the mix. Not only are they good (and lots of Hijikata ^^) but I found Kazama's scenes really well-done and emotional. And Sen did say he acts the way he does because he may have been sheltered and don't know a thing about women.

My only regret is that they adapted half of Okita's part out but I understand it was for pacing reasons. In the DLC he does get actively involved in Chizuru's mission. It creates a bit of a plothole since they discover HE is the reason someone is plotting against the Shinsengumi to begin with. In the OVA you end the mission with just "well, wonder why these guys hated us ?".

Oh well, we got nice scenes of Hijikata and him acting like loving brothers instead so I don't mind *__* ! I really liked Hijikata's part too, it really nailed his whole character.

It seems to be Aksys games is doing that! I love them they release excellent VNs, even my recent favorite horror series, Spirit Hunter. But I get it. Idea Factory just kinda got called out in the comments on an anniversary giveaway post on Facebook for constantly saying they’re bringing more otoges over but never doing anything past Hakuoki and Amnesia and not even getting Hakuoki’s other games. I love their games but they’re not releasing many over here despite constantly saying they plan to. Even their Apple store has english Amnesia and Hakuoki but there’s one (who’s title I don’t know but it has the subtitle Flower & Snow) in Japanese despite fans wanting that too.
We can hope and I know companies like Xseed are trying hard to release previously JP exclusives on PC, I wish Idea Factory would too.

Yes!! That entire part was so cute. I loved their dynamic, it definitely doubles down on a familial feeling! I wish we’d get the game in English or even the drama.

Yes! I have the bought but haven’t sat down to watch it. And that’s unfortunate but it’s good to know Kazama gets softened up a bit! I know the anime since it focuses a lot on its chosen route doesn’t have too much expansion on him.
Yeah I suppose by the end they didn’t feel the need to wrap up that part lol.

[Metalhen]

Originally posted by Huntok4r:

It seems to be Aksys games is doing that! I love them they release excellent VNs, even my recent favorite horror series, Spirit Hunter. But I get it. Idea Factory just kinda got called out in the comments on an anniversary giveaway post on Facebook for constantly saying they’re bringing more otoges over but never doing anything past Hakuoki and Amnesia and not even getting Hakuoki’s other games. I love their games but they’re not releasing many over here despite constantly saying they plan to. Even their Apple store has english Amnesia and Hakuoki but there’s one (who’s title I don’t know but it has the subtitle Flower & Snow) in Japanese despite fans wanting that too.
We can hope and I know companies like Xseed are trying hard to release previously JP exclusives on PC, I wish Idea Factory would too.

That exactly ! It's good other companies do releases too but I really love Idea's work and I wish I could play more of them. Even one of their much awaited new ones was announced as a possible Switch port despite them promising last year that it would have a Steam port too. Now we are left with no news on that front, it's frustrating. When they're called out, they're like "are you sure there are people who would play it on PC/PS4/their hand ?". Get your act together guys !

Yes I really recommend the OVAs. I watched them after completing the game without too much hope because OVAs usually bring nothing to the table except better animation... But I enjoyed all the work poured in it. It's in six parts, replaying the same day and mission from the point of view of each of the characters who had a role in it and padding it up with some of the non-translated side-stories (which is all good ^^). It's so funny it's not boring at all to relive the same day over and over. And they had the nice idea of changing the ending song of each part to reflect the feelings of the character who had the spotlight.

Kazama's part is the last one and imo the choice of music, scenery and dialogues made it a masterpiece in its own right. It could very well have been a stand alone. His two last scenes moved me and it was too much after Hijikata's bittersweet part T.T !

Did you see the movies too ? I may be biased because I discovered them first but I find them to be better acted and animated without being too rushed. Especially the fights between Hijikata and Kazama. There's so much emotion showing in their facial expressions you can basically read their thoughts. In comparison I found the same scenes in the anime stilted or a bit over-the-top. The director explained in an interview that even in Japan, they have ratings and censorship considering what they can show or not. They have to be carefull with an anime series but have free reign for the blood, gore, nudity with movies. So for him it explained the difference in quality and acting, especially for a story about samurais and civil war.

[Huntok4r]

Originally posted by Metalhen:

That exactly ! It's good other companies do releases too but I really love Idea's work and I wish I could play more of them. Even one of their much awaited new ones was announced as a possible Switch port despite them promising last year that it would have a Steam port too. Now we are left with no news on that front, it's frustrating. When they're called out, they're like "are you sure there are people who would play it on PC/PS4/their hand ?". Get your act together guys !

Yes I really recommend the OVAs. I watched them after completing the game without too much hope because OVAs usually bring nothing to the table except better animation... But I enjoyed all the work poured in it. It's in six parts, replaying the same day and mission from the point of view of each of the characters who had a role in it and padding it up with some of the non-translated side-stories (which is all good ^^). It's so funny it's not boring at all to relive the same day over and over. And they had the nice idea of changing the ending song of each part to reflect the feelings of the character who had the spotlight.

Kazama's part is the last one and imo the choice of music, scenery and dialogues made it a masterpiece in its own right. It could very well have been a stand alone. His two last scenes moved me and it was too much after Hijikata's bittersweet part T.T !

Did you see the movies too ? I may be biased because I discovered them first but I find them to be better acted and animated without being too rushed. Especially the fights between Hijikata and Kazama. There's so much emotion showing in their facial expressions you can basically read their thoughts. In comparison I found the same scenes in the anime stilted or a bit over-the-top. The director explained in an interview that even in Japan, they have ratings and censorship considering what they can show or not. They have to be carefull with an anime series but have free reign for the blood, gore, nudity with movies. So for him it explained the difference in quality and acting, especially for a story about samurais and civil war.

Aksys has been entertaining PC releases with 7’Scarlet but they’re not like Idea Factory International or Xseed International where they’re the non Asian branch of their company but actually just a localization group so they can’t release to PC if it doesn’t exist =C
Idea Factory MIGHT but they may follow the rule if it doesn’t exist in Japan it can’t in internationally hence only the new Hakuoki duology and Amnesia so far. But I’d still like them to release older games because that can’t be the only otoges on PC by Idea Factory.

That sounds cute! At least they took time for the story!

Ohh that’s sweet! It’s good they made sure to accentuate his sweeter side.

I own them! I was going to watch them a few weeks ago but ahh...displaced by natural disaster. Been using Steam app to reply since a couple weeks ago lol. But I can’t wait to properly watch them! I heard they’re fantastic and heard they have a marginally happier ending with Hijikata, at the very least he’s confirmed to survive.
It makes sense I managed to watch a few minutes of the first movie and it was already much more intense than what I remember of the anime.