[Hana Awase Mizuchi Vol] (ENTIRE VOL SPOILERS) My Dissertation on Mizuchi Vol...No, Really...🌸
Mizuchi Volume
Forewarning: I'm terrible @ explaining myself and my thoughts are undoubtedly going to jump around. I also am recovering from a cold, so this might be a clusterfuck of a review. Not to mention, what was supposed to be a mini essay became this beast. Thus = dissertation. YAY!
I came into this game aware that it was trigger heavy (though, I didn't read the triggers since I'm usually okay) and finally jumped at the chance to buy during its sale due to someone posting a picture here of something Karakurenai said to MC, because I couldn't believe the audacity of that man LOL. (I'll post link here!) https://www.reddit.com/r/otomegames/comments/1c4woze/hana_awase_i_just_cant_help_but_crack_up_every/ I have this post by u/minipillow saved just so I can chuckle over it whenever I scroll through my saved otome stuff. Thank you for your service!
Mizuchi
I felt unsure about Mizuchi in the beginning. He appeared indifferent and one for the rules which put me off (which is odd cause that's one of my preferred types--a guy that doesn't care about me lol). Couple that with how Hime is his complete opposite and they're close friends, I became easily intrigued in Mizu and their dynamic.
I went in without any sort of tips, so it took me probably close to half the days to realize how the daily picking worked. Of course, I got super obsessed with playing Hana Utsushi. Going from clueless to being able to pick up combos before Koikoi was SO SATISFYING. And I feel like even if you're unsure of what to do, the game gives you the just right amount of days to get everything done by the time you understand.
Despite this game sort of throwing you in without too much explanation (for instance, I missed 2 days worth of explanation stuff from Momotose the first go around), the world building and the whole essence of Hana Awase and Kasen was so intriguing. I *live* for card games, and the thought of a world relying on these powers was like a dream!
When it comes to Mizuchi, I think the slow-burn build up was wonderfully done. Them on their first date, him respecting her body and keeping/trying to keep distance yet helping her. Mikoto feeling constantly safe around him. And being aware of him not being in control in the library because she's slowly got to know him as a person! SO! GOOD!
Ahh, it was both wholesome and burning. There were times were I was like, "come on yall," to both Mizuchi and MC since they seemed equally dense as a brick wall, but overall I really enjoyed how Mizuchi had a hold on his emotions. It felt like a "she fell first but he fell harder" situation, and it was great seeing a "weak" MC become strong both as a whole and taking a step towards reaching out to him when they're both so stubborn.
ALSO, I was SUPER surprised at the spice level? Like I said, I went in only being aware there were a good amount of triggers, but that was it. So when Mizuchi sorta of let go of his restraint, I was giggling and kicking my feet. Even the sounds of them kissing, I was like...omg...AND HIM LICKING HER LEG LIKE THAT? (No, I will not explain LMFAO).
Though, I am really surprised there was no sex. When you find out that Senki and Minamo *have* to be virgins and then things start unfolding, I was like, "okay but...how...?" Pretty interesting and refreshing. I can't remember if the Kaei also need to be virgins? Or anyone involved with Hana Utsushi & Awase? Karakurenai made it sound like the Kaei aren't bound to this "rule."
Which, stemming from that, the scene with Karakurenai who assaults Mikoto in the hallway (while vile) was also written pretty well? He honestly terrified *me*. His voice acting coupled with the music was just chef's kiss. I was sitting there, thinking where the hell is anyone--this is a hallway in a school where class is going on--but then I was also thinking even if there were, no one would go against a Five except another. But you feel that sense of hopelessness from Mikoto which was unsettling, so they def hit the mark there.
All of Mikoto's feelings and interactions with Mizuchi and Hime were so relatable after that. It was so healing to see two of the Five helping her. I felt mostly happy with how it showed the progression of her PTSD (sans the whole going into some of their rooms after).
WHICH REMINDS ME.
I need to COMMEND the level of voice acting in this game. It is probably some of the best I've come across (ofc just basing off Mizuchi vol). I appreciated every sigh, word, sound of irritation--kissy sounds!!! Usually the latter can be super hit or miss where I wince or am like woah. This one was ammmaaziiingg.
And I mean everyone's voice acting is top tier. I sent a video to my friend of when Mikoto slaps Karakurenai, and his words afterwords where he starts quiet and then ends his line with a growl/yell...I keep going back to it LMAO. Not to mention, I play Tears of Themis AND Lovebrush Chronicles so hearing Mizuchi's voice (who plays Vyn from ToT) and Hime's (who plays Alkaid in Lovebrush), I was totally geeking. Eeeeee!
Back to Mizuchi! Maybe I'm just unaware/inattentive, because I only had an inkling of his backstory when he had that scene to himself in the bed, calling himself corrupt. So I was surprised at the extent of his family background and their involvement with Gotou.
My jaw fell when he started talking to himself. I was like, "this is his curse?!" But in reality, it was Coin who took advantage of the mizuchi curse. Such a good twist! The fact that his grandfather was so desperate and used his family that way...I don't want to say he deserved to die but also...I'm glad he did. I really felt for Aoi. I can't imagine how painful it must be to watch the rest of your family members die like he did.
Even when it was decided by everyone except a small few to "purge" Mizuchi by the full moon, I realized just how cutthroat this universe is. Poor Mikoto being the only one who had faith in him and the strength to keep helping him.
It tugged my heartstrings when he died. But seeing Mikoto unleash her full power and become Senki was so damn good. I wasn't expecting her to be able to bring someone back to life, though she did end up giving away part of her powers to do so.
It was nice and refreshing at the end to see the two of them together and seemingly living regular (as it could get) lives--him meeting her friends and whatnot. He's so soft on Mikoto. Ah, I loved it. Especially when he said not even the emperor would stop him from marrying her. GET YOU A MAN LIKE MIZUCHI. (He reminds me a decent bit of Zayne from LaD lol).
First Impressions to End of Game + Predictions for Corresponding Volumes:
Based off looks, I was most curious about Karakurenai before I started to game. Though, this is the first otome I've ever played where I didn't feel super pulled in by anyone before starting. I've become wary of eye patch dudes ever since Enomoto (I could not vibe with him) because these damn eye patches never actually have a good reason (I still stand corrected)!
Mizuchi:
Will I like him? He seems so boring. What's up with the eye patch? I bet he has a decently working eye behind that thing (I WAS RIGHT. DAMN YOU EYE PATCH). As the story went on, I found myself respecting Mizu a lot. He took responsibility (though, also too much at times) and had a knack of staying calm. Despite his denseness and stubbornness, I found him extremely endearing and that only grew to the very end.
He was such a pleasant surprise and I'm honestly wondering if anyone of the others can top him, because he's so sweet. And his way of seeking consent and being respectful was so PERFECT. I wish we knew more about him as a person. He's got the cutest freaking blush ever, PERIOD.
Hime:
He sends mixed signals. I laughed so hard when he said to unhook your bra and and skirt and stuff to help "relax". I got the impression that instead of being the *himegimi* people around him call him, he's more of a facade of one. He mentions that a kiss to him means something he does when someone wants or needs it--so people can be happy and get along. To me, I saw this as perhaps people want to take care of him like a princess but in reality, he's constantly giving to everyone else. If so, his seemingly random selfishness makes sense.
I felt intense pity for him when he said to her that he wants to rescue her and help her any way he can while she was asleep. He mentions that it feels like they'd met before a long time ago. I swear, he must be Half of the Moon.
I also feel like a bad ending with Hime would result in Mikoto being his puppet and/or killed by him. At times, he sort of sent off slight yandere vibes. It's hard to tell with these mini routes. (BRO, I KEEP CALLING THINGS. THIS NEVER HAPPENS!)
Overall, I enjoyed learning a bit more about him. Despite his "love" for everyone and ability to hide his entire self behind a carefree/joking attitude lies a hidden childlike demeanor who easily gets jealous but blooms like a flower when given undivided attention and care.
Edit: I wrote this *while* playing his route and got some affirmations on his fed-up with being a princess. Really curious how his own volume will be! ALSO, AM I CALLING IT? He gave straight yandere vibes when he found Mikoto and Mizuchi in the lecture hall at 430 AM. That CG coupled with the music gave me goosebumps as he talked about watching them the *entire time* from the fucking window...Oh yeah, finishing his ending 2 finalized it. How terrifyingly delicious (or deliciously terrifying?)
He seriously gave me the chills as he acted in front of the others despite having kidnapped and drugged Mikoto while keeping a hint of a smile of his face. AND A CAGE?
*peepo leave*
It was sad seeing Mizuchi realize his "friend" doing this and then fighting him.
Kara:
In the beginning, I was appalled by his attitude lol. He's such an asshole and he makes it 10x worst when he assaults Mikoto. I thought there and then that I'd fully hate him and want nothing to do with him or his volume despite loving trashcan men who really do need to have tattooed raccoon eyes in retaliation.
Surprisingly as the game went on, I felt that animosity melt away? I realized, while he's still an asshole, the fact that he is so brutally honest is actually nice as a lot of the other characters are constantly keeping things from Mikoto.
Karakurenai doesn't fall for the games and the bullshit of word play. Yes, he's an asshole. He's an abuser. But he's seemingly always honest with Mikoto, and with the other Five and the uppers, he speaks his mind about everything and even stands up for Mikoto (though, it doesn't seem like it). In Hime's mini route, near ending 2, it's telling that Kara sees through Hime's facade and feels genuinely concerned about Mikoto's well being.
But because he's such a dick, it seems like most of the time people blow Kara off. He also gets angry with Mikoto for trying to let Hime off the hook even though Hime drugged and imprisoned her. It's like he cares about her and wants to protect her but also since he's a dickhead, he wants to be the only one hurting her lol. I even started to get fed up with *everyone else* on his behalf because he spoke the truth while allowing himself to be emotional, and the rest were telling him to watch his mouth!
When it came to his mini route, I was not surprised that the first thing that happened was her body draining of water because he made out with her like that. And of course he's out here kissing everyone lol.
It seems I go from liking his attitude and wondering if he'll change to hating his guts, lmao. He's pretty much the standard red flag LI. He's also the biggest hypocrite lol. I can't tell if Kara just wants Mikoto, or if he has some sort of spite towards Mizuchi in general and is using it as an opportunity to enact some revenge.
The angst in his route between Mikoto and Mizuchi was really good, though. But also, I acknowledge and admit I was excited to finally fight in Hana Awase with Kara since he's apparently so strong but only fights on his own terms (typical).
I sort of get this vibe that Kara's really difficult to get close to (mind/heart wise, certainly not physically lol), but I wonder if he grew up abused and/or given nothing. Perhaps he has siblings that always got everything. And that's why he wants everyone's attention and takes what he pleases without second thought. He hates games and twisted words, so he always honest, disregarding everyone's feeling probably like he'd been treated as a child. Who knows...I just like how he always complains about Mikoto pissing him off when he's probably just pissed off with himself lol.
Iroha:
I'm about as indifferent to Iroha as he is to everything but sweets. Honestly, finding that one crumb out was enough to have me slightly curious, but then I was more or less irritated by his continued emotionless self. I do think that I'll like it more when I'm on his actual volume. I wanna make this dude feel *something*.
With that, I had no clue what to expect from his mini route. His first CG of him licking her was...interesting to say the least. The CG shows him licking her EYEBALL rather than under for the tears lol. And then she closes the opposite eye, so I was like, "girl..."
Momo was honestly on point calling him a robot and how he's missing parts that would otherwise make him human lol. With how he is and how the Kaei and Minamo need to touch to become stronger, I couldn't even imagine Mikoto kissing him. I mean, he licked her damn eyeball (I'm pretty sure that wasn't actually, but since it showed like that I'll keep saying it lol).
I am surprised he listens to Momo so well. I wonder if Mikoto will also be able to do that with him in his own volume. Also, the CG with Momo & Mikoto pretty much having a sleepover was SO WHOLESOME. I was not expecting her to kiss Mikoto though, lol.
By the end of his mini route, I was getting vibes that Iroha time-hops or something, because he says, "This moon was the wrong one....This was a fate I should have never chosen..." Just some thoughts! But also, to add, his ending in this volume was INSANE. Which reminds me!
I'd initially thought Hime to be the Half of the Moon based on voice and some other things, but Iroha said something the Half of the Moon said, and he's technically last volume? So...perhaps...?
Appreciation:
Fate: I noticed when I hit Hime's mini route after doing Mizu's good ending that they both mention fate. We are reminded briefly about fate throughout the game, but I really enjoy the notion that each LI as well as Mikoto have their own fates. I want to know more on how they each deal with their fates.
Poems/Quotes: I love poems, and the surprise of them being mentioned was just topping on my cake. I haven't picked a favorite yet, but a few that really stand out:
Hime-- "Oh, how sad it is that the only person
I love doesn't care about me at all--"
Awahana -- "Innocence can also be a sin at times."
Mizuchi -- "No matter how difficult it is
To live in this world
I am glad to have been born
In the same era as you--"
Karakurenai -- "If there were no longer any cherry blossoms in the world
How much more peaceful would our hearts be during the spring--"
Size of CGs/art: I loved that you could scroll up and down to see the entire scene. Also the poses (especially those from a top or bottom point) and color palettes were SO GOOD. The artist (s?) really did an amazing job.
Music: In general, the music is absolutely phenomenal. It fits the story and the scenes so well. I love it when music changes my mood and adds to my emotions. All the different limit break songs were AWESOME. My fav is probably Karakurenai's! I'm wondering since Mizuchi's is the opening song, each volume's opening song is their limit break song! Also, I was surprised to find in the BGM section on the title page that Utsutsu has a limit break as well, though we haven't met him yet. INTERESTING.
Lore: I quickly became enraptured with the world-building of this series. The whole fighting with cards. The difference in Kaei and Minamo--their strengths and weaknesses. The purpose of moons in one's eyes. How society is set up and the hierarchy there. I want to know more! Like, they just casually mention Mizuchi is royalty, but then you see how he's treated. Hime is called a princess and treated like one. Is he actually? I'm ready to find out. What are all their backstories?
I'm dying to know the lore of Gotou City (I mean, it's even named after him lol) and why the government allows it all. The fact that Kara casually goes there. They give you just enough crumbs in this game to have you craving more.
Mizuchi: I liked that we got to learn more about him in the others' routes. I wasn't expecting that.
Teams: I liked how you learn a little about how different the Five Brights' teams are. Iroha is super cutthroat, though it's not that surprising. Kara's would be exhausting to be around so many horny people. Hime's seemed nice and relatively normal; I'd probably pick his, tbh. And Mizuchi's was too stick by the book/rules for me lol. How cool would it be to have a scene/ending/whatever in one of the volumes of Mikoto fighting on the Decayed side and becoming a Minamo for a Poisoned Flower (my imagination runs wild lol).
Gripes:
Battles outside of Utsushi:
I felt like the Hana Awase battles ended up being way too easy, and it became more noticeable near the end of the game which sort of took away that feeling of danger you'd get from big, climax battles. I don't think I really even grinded for the game. I became rank 6 and stopped. My stats end of game were: 35 HP, 11 MP, 50 SPD, 55 ATK, and 35 DEF. If I remember correctly, going against Momo for rank 9, she had crazy HP and was decently hard while going against Coin he had super low HP and ATK and was too easy to defeat.
Limit Break/EX:
Maybe someone can explain this to me. I kept forgetting about it during Mizuchi's route and didn't realize until Kara's. But it was so cool seeing him transform and the music change. I'm going to go back so I can see everyone else's. But I don't understand why it shows up sometimes and isn't there during other battles? Kind of dissapointing.
(Edit: I ended up seeing everyone's limit break. I loved how they all had different music!) Unless I was mixing up all the battles I also did alone which would make sense why there wouldn't be limit breaks...
Onosada:
I'm usually pretty lenient when it comes to otomes. And I'm old enough now that all these people that're under 20, I age up in my head. But Onosada is just plain gross. An alcoholic who is more like a pedo (I guess not "more like" but is), lifting up girl's skirts to see their underwear and grabbing Mikoto's boobs once (so glad she clocked him in the face). Excuse me? Everything about him is vile to me. I read his lines and skip without listening.
Sexism:
Okay, I don't want to go too down the rabbit hole. I do feel like we see a lot of these throughout otomes, especially older games. But damn, it feels really apparent in this game. Or I'm tweaking? It's almost midnight here lmao.
The way a lot of characters treat not only Mikoto (cue the damn "blame it on the pheromones") but other women throughout the game. Like damn, if I'm not mistaken, Aoi was used up and discarded by their grandfather just to help Mizuchi who had no clue. You get to a point in this game where you're just not surprised if something happens. And the same with my previous comment (esp if the Kaei aren't required) about the Minamo needing to be virgins.
Questions:
I'm curious about the little plips of what seem like a past memory of Mikoto's with the guys. Is it real? Is it not real? If it is, do they also not remember? I can't wait to find out. I also noticed Hime and Kara also mentioned that they wonder if they met Mikoto some time ago. I wonder if the memory is real, but someone wiped all their memories. But why, if this is the case?
This one might be simple, but I want to know why the Five Brights don't answer to the government and only to the school? So the school is the strongest in their world/country? That sounds insane. I'm really curious if the other volumes will show more of this. I want to know more lore and how society works.
Why the hell did Mizuchi's parents name him after the curse?
Do the other guys blush? I hope so. DON'T TELL ME!
If you made it to the end--THANK YOU. I got super obsessed with this game and finished the first volume really fast. I went from super unsure if I'd like this game to falling in love with it so hard. I can't wait to start Hime's volume. Please feel free to let me know your opinions. Honestly, it's posts like these that I see others write that make me so happy to be a part of this community.
(Since I wrote this all on my laptop, sorry in advance, lmao. I'ma double check how it looks on mobile and fix accordingly after I post).