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i'll probably get into this in more depth when i finish v route but i think that chrtz's biggest failing is their unwillingness to truly--
deviate from established otome game patterns. there's a phenomenon in gaming sometimes where gameplay or gameplay conventions work against--
the story or message of the game in question (eg. some shooter games have incredible dissonance with their plots bc you're riddling--
literally EVERYTHING with bullets)
main route in mm is mostly plagued by flat otome stereotype side characters like the evil girl love--
main route in mm is mostly plagued by flat otome stereotype side characters like the evil girl love--
rival. (which one you ask? yeah) plus an incredibly weird an unnatural separation between the plot and character interactions (not to--
mention the sloppiness of the plot in general...)
you can prioritize character over plot without making the plot a house of cards. you--
you can prioritize character over plot without making the plot a house of cards. you--
can have conflict in a story without scapegoating a cardboard cutout of a girl. you can make a person with mental illness sympathetic--
without torturing them, i promise.
and to get back to v route: the entire premise of v route is incohesive because v's characterization--
and to get back to v route: the entire premise of v route is incohesive because v's characterization--
is incompatible with having a good end with him. it simply doesn't add up. everything about the way he's presented in his own route--
is a staircase leading up to the conclusion that he doesn't know how to love someone properly. anyone. he's horrible to his mom, his--
best friend, his other friends, his fiance and doesn't own up to any of it for years. HIS OWN FLASHBACK MAKES HIM LESS SYMPATHETIC. why--
do i want a 'good end' with him again? oh right, that's just how these things go. that's the way these games are 'supposed' to work.
v has to 'fall out of love' with rika to love mc in the end but according to his own characterization, he can't. so ergo: he never loved her
im undecided whether chrtz was always going to make his characterization quite this extreme from mm inception, but they chose to lead it--
in this direction so fine. gone is my perception that he's a generally well-meaning man that made a lot of dumb choices. instead he's a--
dude that tried to find the meaning of life through a mentally ill woman, encouraged things to become codependent, and then refused to--
disclose the truth when things went to shit and did nothing to get saeran out of the crossfire.
THERE WAS A WHOLE CULT!! OF PEOPLE!! BEING TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF!! AND HE TOLD NO ONE!!
his best friend is jumin fuckin han you can't tell me that even if he didn't think he could go to the police that nothing could be done
anyway, all that to say.....chrtz doesn't really gift-wrap this guy for you. they don't sweeten him up, in fact they seem to bitter--
him up. which on one level i really respect, but again, they're trapped by otome convention. you HAVE to be able to get a good end with--
this guy or....i dunno riots happen i guess. because people are boring and expect the true end--->making out with hot boy, end of equation
essentially, the core of what i'm trying to get at here is that...chrtz's story defeats itself in v route. does it want to be a straight--
up otome game? then make v less awful and more appealing. does it want to be a tragic deconstruction of rika and v's relationship? then--
COMMIT YO. have all of them be bad ends don't fuck around. bad ends can be the most interesting shit you know? don't ducktape flowers to--
the corpse son. don't do that. it's not making it smell any better.
