Saturday, February 4, 2017

Geten no Hana with Yume Akari - Review (2)

下天の華 夢灯り
 Game: [Geten no Hana with Yume Akari Aizouban].
Genre: Otome game Visual Novel.
Developer/Publisher: Ruby Party / Koei Tecmo
Platform: PSP, PS Vita.
Release date: 2016-09-08

 I won't be bother to write much since I already said a lot in my review for the first game.
Yume Akari is the sequel to Geten no Hana which continues from the grand finale and since
 the individual endings didn't matter I decided to let it rest before going into this
but after four months and a depressing FD I decided its time to finish this! 
Like the prequel its not accurate to history to make it an otome game 
but they did a good job of sticking to some parts atleast.
 Anyway...
Hotaru continues to serve Mitsuhide and protect Nobunaga from outside threats as the shield of Azuchi.
 What is Hotaru's dream? she will surely have one more chance to find it closeby to her.

Pro's
- Plot is okay...
- Every guy is still likeable.
- Art.
- Individual ED themes (though only Hanbei and Kanbei are new)

Con's
- Short, after one play the rest of the routes will fly by.
- Some of the previous guys routes feel like new/alternative versions.
- Annoying card minigame to replace 50% of the battles.

Yume Akari adds two new love interests Hanbei and Kanbei since the new story is centered on them
and here comes the hard truth, without them there would be no sequel.
The two come to investigate the shield of Azuchi while crashing at Hideyoshi's place...
Ok since this is the spoiler free zone that all you will get out of me, this game plot is better found out on your own.
Everyone else gets a route as well but like I explained before everything is reset till a certain point
so for the old guys basically becomes an alternative take...a second chance or so to speak.

 There's also this card game thing and well you win by get matching cards...
this is actually to break the mold of having to only do the fighting minigame, its the only way 
to get flowers and incense now also unless you want challenge just play on easy
I doubt anyone wants to bother doing it on higher difficulty and waste even more time on it. 
Especially on Momoji's route, lol.
The old fighting minigame is still there for story fights but I can't help but question why
 the new one is needed for the kusumono(intruder) fights? oh well no use thinking about it. 
You can lvl up 3 stats, precog,kunai(more hits) and one that heals your health 
by using them in the new minigame, max lvl is 10 but there isn't much use for it unless you
 want to play it on higher difficulty which is not difficult just more annoying/time consuming.
The sequel like its prequel is a fairly short game, first play should take anywhere from
 8 ~ 10 hours at most which is roughly the same as its prequel, 2nd+ will be done in 4~5 hours.
 You can also use incense during conversations with characters, which leads to some 🔥 scenes.

Too be honest I wasn't sure whom's route to do first so I just followed the same playorder as before.
You can't do Nobuyuki on first play not sure about Hanbei but I do not recommend because spoilers.
For first play just go with normal end or someone you're familair with other than that order does not matter. 
Personally it would be better to save the new routes for last... unless you are really curious 
and can't wait that long till you've done everyone if I had to recommed anything at all please do
Momoji before Hanbei and Mitsuhide before Kanbei this'll be no problem if you save Hanbei and Kanbei for later.

  My play order:
Mitsuhide > Momojiji > Nobuyuki > Hashiba > Ranmaru > Ieyashu > Nobunaga > Hanbei > Kanbei.

For a guide just us Syrup26 and Choro for whatever Keywords you are missing.

In short for those not wanting to scroll down below, I recommend the sequel to Geten no Hana fans
but do not expect a true sequel but an extension of a story that couldn't be told back then.
Most of the original chara are just alternative routes anyway, the new after stories for them were nice though.
The sequel's story is okay but has some hilariously obvious things at times, I mean
who could that bamboo hat man be? he looks awfully familiar. 😕
This game has a lot of common scenes and like I mentioned 2nd+ play will fly by even quicker
than its prequel since there is less to do and stuff, regarding common scenes its honestly
not that different from the average visual novel since somethings will never change.
I still love how most Koei games have their own solution to the predicament at the end
even at Harutoki6 Gentou Rondo I enjoyed that(despite me headdesking at times).
Also remember how I said no one ever actively pursues the heroine in the prequel?
Haha... that didn't last long as it was obv Kanbei was interested in Kikyou(Hotaru)
but don't worry there's a plot reason for this to explain his behavior still while
Kanbei shows his interest, he atleast knows when to back off, so yeah its not bad.
Moving on I thoroughly enjoyed the new characters routes and sadly I think they were the most
worthwhile content? sure it was nice to help Nobuyuki or Ieyashu again or spend time with Ranmaru
but I'd honestly wish for a fandisk and get to see them under more relaxed circumstances.
Its really sad the stars of this game are Hashiba, Hanbei and Kanbei though everyone else did have
 an enjoyable route but to me it felt like most of the effort went into the new routes.
For score it gets an  9/10 from me, it gets less points from me due to me getting nostalgic of some
of the routes characters had in the prequel and the new route feeling like an alternative.
Maybe I nagged a little but I really did enjoy it overall... and still recommend this port
because no matter how you look at it the characters and plot are well written.
I'm a little sad its over though, Yume Akari is probably the last entry... and did a good job of making it feel complete.

There's spoilers below, some sections more than others but i'm sure you've
realized you can read the full summary and character background in detail at koei wiki
and so I won't bother to be detailed and will drop things out/ summarize it in my own way if at all.







Akechi Mitsuhide.
CV: Nojima Kenji.
  Since I felt obligated to stay loyal to onii-sama on my first play so I did his route first.
Too bad he tends to look like he has a migraine when there's a slight hiccup in his schedule.
Anyway their facade continues except this time most of the other generals like Hashiba know about it.
Onii-sama really is the perfect gentleman...even the court ladies are jealous of him 
taking Kikyou's hand when they were taking a walk around Azuchi
anyway Hotaru worries over him so much, Mitsuhide starts to notice her more.
Oh and he still tries to feed her food... leading to a hilarious scene. 😂
The scene near the end in which a sleepy Mitsuhide grabbed his unsuspecting little bird was cute~.
 
 Some parts were nice but after two routes with this guy I realize he's not my type at all
so the reason why every route ended up being better than him back then starts to make sense.
At the end he shows to care deeply about his little bird, not as his fake sister but as herself; Hotaru.
I loved how he took care of her injury she got at the Gozenjiai.
 His ending was pretty sweet,  Kanbei had the nerve to try and get Hotaru to choose between him
 or Mitsuhide still Mitsu won't hand her over to any other man no matter what.
 Mitsuhide's new? after story was pretty cringe worthy, some dudes are all into kikyou-hime
and want to propose to her, cue Mitsuhide's annoyance and on his side some marriage candidate
shows up, he saw right through her moves and turns her down but that's not the only thing he saw
through, Hotaru spied on them using her ninja moves and at the end kisses him like a true shinobi would. 😂
Overall Mitsu had a decent route even though I'm indifferent about it as a whole
but it wasn't bad also those who enjoy master and servant stuff may enjoy Mitsuhide's route more.
 Romance ★★★★☆
Plot ★★★☆☆
Enjoyment overall ★★★☆☆
~
Momoji Naomitsu.
CV: Hiyama Nobuyuki.
Momojiji is Hotaru's Shishou and something of a father figure to her, he has a soft spot
to those who grief such as Nobuyuki.
oh and since Nobuyuki shut everyone out Momoji frequently gifts him a special flower/plant in secret.
To be blunt I've never been a fan of student-teacher relationships esp if the guy has been
around her for a long time so yeah I didn't enjoy it that much.
Anyway... as per usual Momoji and this time Nobuyuki too have no page to check
event flags and to get his ending one needs to play card gaems, in other words
just keep training with him to trigger the rest of his events round 2.
However it seems Koei learned from last time and actually gave him talk topics so this time but not a lot.
So it was less boring besides you can also use incense on him... 😂 but that still felt wrong to me.
Overall his events were so-so, Momoji is not a bad character nor was the route as it revealed stuff
about the past and in turn had a pretty huge spoiler related to Hanbei which I won't drop here.
Momoji was great and I still remember how in the prequel I only saw how badass he was outside of
his own route this time however they fixed that since at the prequel it was very rushed
but sadly I still think it was much of the same, and let's just say the romance felt whimsical...
Somehow it played out much better  than in the prequel to the point I enjoyed it if only a little?
I mean atleast they got more time together than before and there was less of Momoji going
all muh mission but yeah he was still awkward and I still can't really see them as a couple. 😖
 Hotaru may have had a crush on him since childhood and its not that I am against it, since
its common for girls or even guys to have a crush on someone way older than them its just that
personally I just can't see them romantically even tho the route tried its best to convey it this time.
 Final verdict? Momoji's route itself was fine but sorry romantically I don't really care
but still I am happy it worked out for them because in reality it often doesn't. 😔
Atleast Hotaru is legal... yeah that's right Momojiji is a lucky bastard.
In my honest opinion I think Momoji is better off as a supportive character than a romantic interest
but that doesn't mean I do not want to see them together its just that i'd prefer it to be non romantic.
In the end the only memorial thing was the hint about Kageroumaru and how awkward 
Momojiji was but other than that I cannot bring myself to care about it.
 Romance ★★★☆☆
Plot  ★★☆☆☆
Enjoyment overall  ★★☆☆☆
 ~
 Ishida Sakichi
CV: Shouji Umeka
 No he doesn't have a route just four scenes and some of them aren't even 100% dedicated to him.
 Sakichi is a hard working and honest boy he often tells Hashiba to stop lazing around and get to work.
Anyway Sakichi found out Hotaru's secret when she fought a Kusumono at night, in short he looks up to her.
 Sakichi shows his affection but it didn't have much substance and felt random to me.😑
 The worst offender is that the Kusumono fights are random and I ended up viewing two of his 
events in one route and the other two in another because I missed the trigger for the 3rd event the first time.
I guess its nice for those who like him and its better than nothing... but I didn't really care.
Not to sure what to think of Ishida Sakichi's new events but atleast they brought us some amusing
scenes with Kanbei and Hanbei? The one with Kanbei and the cats was hilarious they even
 showed us how way back those two. As for the scene with the cat, Kanbei said he wanted
 to touch a cats paw or whatever and some people dropped catnip all over his room
so a bunch of cats showed up when he was working making him all go huh wtf. 😂😂😂
Be careful what you wish for you just might get it, I like how he's all like le sigh with his usual ಠ_ಠ face.
 It was interesting having Sakichi tell Hotaru about Hanbei and Kanbei but other than that... nope.
 Romance ★☆☆☆☆
Plot  ★★★☆☆
Enjoyment overall  ★★★☆☆

~
Oda Nobuyuki.
 CV: Okamoto Hiroshi.
 Nobuyuki confined himself his quarters ever since honnoji... he looks like a dead fish 
on the outside but filled with anger and contempt on the inside, he doesn't want to speak with
anyone when not necessary and avoids all unnecessary contact like a professional hikikomori.
One night as Nobunaga wants to help his bro so Kikyou invites Nobuyuki to see the lanterns(Toro Nagashi)
 since its not healthy to stay indoors and it pains Nobunaga to see his brother like that.
Nobuyuki tries to shun her away so she reads a letter from Nobunaga she had with her for
 him which makes him realize he's been forgiven and wants him to continue moving forward
but anger gets the better of him and tells Kikyou to get out and leave him alone.
Since Nobuyuki doesn't want to see her or anyone for that matter Kikyou decides to leave
flowers at his doorstep, Nobuyuki likes them but wonders from who they could be?
Eventually he finds out, he's not amused and sends her away, not to worry
Momoji helps her out when he hears her reasons and Hotaru reveals her true self to him and ends up
slapping him when he still tries to stop her from helping, after this Nobuyuki starts to
 appreciate her presence more and realized she was really super worried about him.
 The next time they meet, Hotaru was in her bird form when she visited since she was worried.
She transformed back when and ended up sitting on him there should've been a CG there but alas.
Nobuyuki even smiled and complained she'sheavy... ah yokatta, Nobuyuki can still
smile after all and after that the two hang out together more too.
 The last bit of the route dealt with the relationship with his brother and how Nobuyuki doesn't want
Nobunaga to die just like that when he was struck by an illness, Nobuyuki finally got over it all and
wanted to see his brother go through with his dreams, DON'T YOU DIE ON ME NOW.
 Too bad Nobunaga was faking it just so Nobuyuki could pour his heart out and tell his bro
 his true feelings, ofc Nobuyuki gets mad and leaves but Nobunaga reassures Hotaru that
she has saved him and that she must surely be in love with his brother too.
Nobuyuki sees them and realizes something... later he calls Shigure, Rekka and Momoji for a favor.

Its not what you think, after hearing the story from Mitsuhide its more of a way to get the true traitor
behind the incidents to show himself and for Hotaru's sake Nobuyuki helps out.
In the end he realizes Hotaru loves him and how she always was there for him... etc.
At the epilogue he plays a 🔥 game of Go with his brother and well Hotaru follows Nobuyuki for a
bit on his journeys of self growth or stuff like since some space is what he needs...
This all leads Nobuyuki giving Hotaru a full confession. 
 In the after story she goes to see him again on Nobunaga's orders but just as she is about to transform
from bird to human some guy came in to cockblock, oh well they got together at night when it rained
leading to an extremely cute scene and well let's put it this way there is more than one way to rome.
Hmmm he does look like his brother with his hair down. (It was so cute)
Nobuyuki's route was good, I loved how Hotaru decided to help him and since
he closed his heart off there wasn't much options for her, its just interesting how she tried 
to help him deal with his own inner turmoil that's eating away at him and you
 know it was hard because this boy doesn't make it easy for other people to reach him. T~T
Hotaru really was great in this route and I think overall it was handled better than in the prequel
which wasn't bad to begin with but I can't help but like it more here, though even if nobunaga's
intentions were good he did troll Nobuyuki making me go come on, don't mess with him like that. 😠  
Anyway I thoroughly enjoyed it also (lol) you can't use incense on Nobuyuki since his events are
straight forward but there's a side story for it if you wanted to see it that badly. 😏
Anyway compared to the other original guys Nobuyuki's route wasn't much of a remake 
 but a true sequel to the original Geten no Hana's grand finale, I am not even kidding 
but if you do not like him your viewpoint on that may differ...? which is fine ofc.
Its sad how Nobuyuki is a complete hikikomori in every route including the grand finale
 except Nobunaga's but really this route is great in everyway don't you want these
 brothers to make up? Nobuyuki shouldn't have to be mad at him 5ever. 
Romance ★★★★☆
Plot ★★★★★ 
 Enjoyment overall ★★★★★
 ~
Hashiba Hideyoshi.
CV: Morikubo Showtarou.
The typical flirty and genki guy however unlike others of the same type he's not annoying
in his advances towards the heroine outside of his own route, he knows his place.
Hashiba often gets lectured and dragged around by Sakichi for not doing his job e.g: lazying around.
 You know its bad when a grown man gets lectured by a kid. 😂😂😂
Anyway Hashiba stopped a bunch of people who were having an argument while crawling
from the bushes like the monkey he is, in truth he just wanted to nap and they were being too loud.😂
Uh yeah at first the route was pretty much shenanigans and some people were like are Hashiba and
the princess are together again? later some dudes were after him when they were together
so Hashiba carried Kikyou while trying to run from them, meanwhile she is like screw this and turns
into Shisuke to make the pursuers go in the wrong direction, still Sakichi finds Hashiba
and scolds him while dragging him off meanwhile I am like lol whatever.
There was also a part with his grandma who came to visit but almost got dragged off for being
suspicious but Kikyou stops them which let Hashiba and Hotaru talk more about the past etc.
Lmao there was also this scene were Hotaru transformed into a Jizo statue for him and
he started acting like a five year old kid by throwing it into the air and catching it... 😫
Another time he protected Hotaru disguised as a maid from some rough fellas... idek anymore.
Hashiba and Kikyou take a breather later, since he didn't get much sleep
and Hotaru was pretty stressed out,Hashiba tells her it doesn't matter what form she's in
 the inside that count which was super sweet and later some rumors came in after Kikyou
helped Hashiba wash his back, they all thought they two of them bathed together, lol.
Oh well in the end it was sweet of him to take responsibility for the incident with Kurogane/Iga etc
but I didn't like how he just told her to stay put(which she didn't do) and let him deal with it all.
Also in the after story its sort of is implied they did it...? maybe i'm just a pervert.
Despite some stuff near the end which drastically changed the tone of the route which was painful
Hashiba is obviously still mr sunshine so its all good~  Hotaru saved this route for me she was
determined to stop his mad advance towards Iga because of the events with kurogane the letter and
shet, really when he has his mind set on something he will go through with it and you don't want to
get on his bad side, this all is mostlikely because of Hanbei's past since he knew him for a while
there's more to his route and character but you can find it in detail in another place.
His route while different the first half was more or less the same as before, the route 
was okay but due to said first half I thought the route was a mess overall.
I really couldn't take it serious considering the character maybe
 that's a good thing? but then the second half comes in and hits you like a truck. 😞
Atleast his after story made up for it... but that didn't affect my overall score.
Romance ★★★☆☆
Plot ★★★★☆
 Enjoyment overall ★★★☆☆
Mori Ranmaru.
CV: Nobunaga Shimazaki.
Ran is still more or less the same but also 200% more gay for Shisuke... 
idk he's so happy around him but when it comes to Kikyou/Hotaru he's pretty distant still.
I was afraid the first half was spent bromancing it up... however Hotaru finds a way
 to make Ranmaru realize that Shisuke is a trap and one of her many forms she can take.
 Still Ranmaru needs a bit of time to take it all in... but Nobunaga helps out once again.
Later Hotaru/Kikyou demonstrates her ability and turns into a frog... without knowing Ran dislikes
frogs, Ran still mentally prepares himself and says he has to man up. 😂😂😂
 Oh well Ran realizes Hotaru has always supported him using her abilities and starts to accept her.
When they get together on the day of the lantern festivities(Toro Nagashi) some thugs show up and
Ranmaru rushes off on his own, Hotaru recalls Nobunaga's words that Ran's not alone she sets out to
help Ran as Shisuke, after that done he tells her to go to the riverside in advance while he takes care of the rest.
When Ran returns he formally accepts Hotaru as a friend whom he can rely on~.
After spending more time with Hotaru Ran gifts her a Kimono because he thought
it would look good on her and she wears it for real in the ending.
There were many enjoyable scenes and they all naturally came together, anyway near the end
Ranmaru realizes there's no way Shisuke would do something to hurt Nobunaga so who else could
have agitated Kurogane? Ran has a hunch and he was correct and helps Hotaru set things right.
Ranmaru is still the adorable moe cupcake we all know and love, he had a great route.
It was nice to see Ran's brothers too and his inner conflict on what it is he truly wants to do.
 Also in some other route the guy would tell Hotaru to stay put which she won't do but in this the two
fight together! which was awesome and made the route even better and it already was good.
Even if its an alternative I'm glad Ran had such a great route once again, I still remember 
most of it from before including the heartwrenching tsumi end... but I cannot choose between the two...!
Ranmaru is such an adorable moe cupcake... and can get quite stubborn/hot headed.
Sigh I have no complaints except that the after story was sorta bad, I mean it was too pure 
as for the CG while cute I want Hotaru's face not it getting cut off 😠 
One last thing, that feel when a character has a kiss CG but its not in the ending you want it to be...
which is in the prequels tsumi end but eh since Ranmaru always has such an enjoyable route I'll let it slide.😌
 Romance ★★★★★
Plot ★★★★☆
Enjoyment overall ★★★★★

 ~
 Tokugawa Ieyashu.
CV: Ono Kenshou.
 Still the same old shy Ieyashu, when Nobunaga notices he is still being awkward
around women he forces Ieyashu to interact with Kikyou saying it will do him good.
Before we know it one bright and sunny day Kikyou helps Ieyashu out making medicine.
Anyway one night Hotaru is out doing her job as the shield of Azuchi, she tries to fight
some assassin but runs into Ieyashu who suddenly grabs Hotaru and shields her like a badass
before Hotaru can go in and finish the assassin off, Ieyashu was surprisingly cool about it.
At the lantern festival(Toro Nagashi) he expresses his thanks for trying to help him with his anxiety.
Afterwards he talks a bit about his past, which we should already know.
Anyway Ieyashu is trying harder when being around other women for Hotaru's sake
and well they eventually help a lost child reunite with her mother.
The rest of the scenes were so cute and peaceful, Ieyashu's route truly had that healing effect.
Ieyashu worries when Hotaru's mind seems to be elsewhere and wants to help her. 😭😭🙏😌
Asbdfgfhdytbdfsdfda once again my precious babe has grown so much T~T
  The plot at the end of the route was good, I almost thought Kanbei was gonna die when he warned
 them since he was poisoned but then you remember Ieyashu's pro medicinal skills...
Ieyashu's after story was okay everyone came together for an utage(banquet)
and after they all left Ieyashu kisses Hotaru in the garden since he couldn't let the chance slip.
The route was okay but I think I prefer the original, idk the maturing part was just better there?
This ''alternative'' wasn't bad though but me thinks the original was more satisfying as a whole
esp when in the end Hotaru cut Ieyashu's bangs so he can't hide his face anymore, www.
 I enjoyed Ieyashu's route for what its worth since he's so adorable but nostalgia gets to me
but I am grateful for the kiss cg since Ieyashu is one of my favorite characters!
Due to nostalgia some of my enjoyment as seen below dropped but like I said it was still good
so in terms of ~enjoyment~ you should see it as a four and a half star. 
Romance ★★★★★
Plot ★★★★☆
Enjoyment overall ★★★★☆

~
Oda Nobunaga.
CV: Matsukaze Masaya.
Nobunaga continues to realize his dream of conquest... with the shield of Azuchi watching over him.
Well we all know how Nobunaga loves his wordplay...also he's a true wingman in other routes.😗
Did I tell you yet I freaking love how they portray Nobunaga as a good guy instead of an evil merciless warlord?
Okay so Nobunaga bought all the treats from a store cuz why not? but gave a dango's a little girl who came there as well.
We even see how Nobunaga visits his brother who bluntly tells him to go away but leaves a treat for
him, Nobunaga tells Kikyou he's genuinely concerned for his well being, he tells her
its their secret and leaves Nobuyuki in her hands (jokes on you but I already took care of him).
Anyway come the day of the Toro Nagashi, Nobunaga takes Kikyou with him to the riverside
while Ran and the others watch in awe of our two lovebirds, a day later after this romantic encounter
Hotaru follows Nobunaga & co on a hunting trip like the good shinobi she is and protects him when
Akatsuki his bird goes out of control this detour is unique to Nobunaga's route in others
it also happens but Hotaru never bothered to follow him on his hunting trip.
(Ah the bias is getting real once again)
Later some princess visits Azuchi and spends time with Nobunaga, leading to a bit of jealousy on
Hotaru's side and tries to stop her when she wanted to touch him thinking she's up to no good.
Nobunaga plays along and well Hotaru's hunch was right the woman did have a poisoned blade
eventually Ran takes the woman away and Hotaru expresses her worry over Nobunaga but ends up
conflicted about her feelings and runs away because she couldn't answer him what her true feelings are.
Hotaru goes to visit him after a day or so passes and tries to answer him honestly of how worried she
was when Nobunaga acted so carefree around that princess when something terrible could happen but
as soon as she notices that her voice trembles she tries to run away since she's just a shinobi but
Nobunaga stops her and apologizes leading Hotaru to say she was jealous which makes him laugh
but the two are even now and that its ok for Hotaru to behave like a woman too.
After plot happens Nobunaga tells the council to stop talking nonsense and later tells
Hotaru to go back to Iga. she protests but he's not one to go back once he's given an order.
Hotaru still vows to protect Azuchi no matter what and won't run away so Nobunaga tests her
but she won't back down either way since she's determined now.
Apparently Nobunaga realized whom was behind Kurogane's mad charge and just waits for him
to take his next actions, Nobunaga is not a coward and fights the hounds along with his subordinates.
Hotaru tries to do what she can and well ofc she's just in time to support him.
Nobunaga takes care of Hanbei but it seems that one of the hounds got to him... Nobuyuki
even visits him when Nobunaga is fighting for his life thanks to Ieyashu's care, Hotaru as a frog
stays with him after he leaves and changes into Kikyou after hearing Nobunaga call out to her.
She fell asleep but after she wakes up, Nobunaga seems to have recovered thanks to
hearing the sound of her crying heart and all's well that ends well even Nobuyuki
stops being a hikikomori to spend more time with his brother in this route.
The after story was hilarious, Hotaru couldn't change forms anymore... 😂😂😂 which caused
quite the predicament since she was stilll in Nobunaga's room since they slept together. 😫
She can't do her duties as the shield of Azuchi and is stuck as herself Hotaru for a while...
Turns out she was just fretting over problems she shouldn't concern herself with 😥
Oh well she may be a mother soon too... 😳 the CG was nice but I expected something more...
-
Well like Nobuyuki, Nobunaga's route was better than the rest of the original
boys routes in terms of continuation but other than that? saa.
I did enjoy it and the events were fine, Nobunaga is still badass and charismatic but still I think
the original route was better overall because nothing could top that, oh well it was enjoyable still.
Romance ★★★★☆
Plot ★★★★☆
Enjoyment overall ★★★★☆

Okay now its finally time for the new characters... spoilers abound and incoming wall o text
since I just had more motivation to write about them.
~
Takenaka Hanbei.
CV: Kakihara Tetsuya.
A person so beautiful one could mistake him for a woman but he's most definitely a guy.
 Hashiba is the one who gave Hanbei and Kanbei a place to stay since he's a nice guy or so it would
seem, Hanbei sees Hashiba as his master and will do anything to see his broken dream of
commiting a coup d'etat against Nobunaga and unifying the land come true.
Yep Hashiba, Hanbei and Kanbei knew each other from way back when.
Hanbei is a nice guy but a bit twisted, he's knowledgeable and in every route gave Kikyou advice
after the lantern festival, sadly in his own route they won't get together since he's busy.
 Hanbei also apologizes for Kanbei's actions during the night of Toro Nagashi since he's quick to act on his feelings.
As learned from Momoji's route Hanbei was that little brat named Kageroumaru
 who stole the ninponchou in the past from Iga, that aside Hanbei is pretty much
the antagonist of this game being the one behind the incidents and all.
Anyway Hanbei finds out from one of the assassins Hotaru fought that the shield of Azuchi
 is a woman... but nothing else he never finds it out who it actually is.
Hanbei kills him when he's done and later he mumbles that he too has a ninponchou
 he'll make Hashiba's broken dream come true because he's a friendand is loyal to him.
Later after that incident with Kanbei, Hanbei keeps it a secret from him Kikyou always visits him...
but wonders what she thinks of Kanbei (really she's not sure about that herself).
We also find out Hanbei also suffers from an illness this is made obv in other routes though
also considering his real historical counterpart one should expect it either way.
Hotaru is worried so she goes to look for some herbs that may help Hanbei of course Momojiji
notices and asks what's up, she ends up looking around and finds Hanbei with some hounds and
defeats it as Shisuke but Hanbei helps him out with the rest only for Hanbei to collapse right after.
When Hanbei questions if they've met before after a slip of the tongue Shisuke runs off. (lol)
Later Kikyou goes to see Hanbei since she's worried, a wild Kanbei appears in her path
telling her there's no reason for her to go out of her way, since Hanbei doesn't take any meds.
Yeah i'm sure you want me to do your route by now...
Kikyou goes to him anyway only to be told that while Hanbei appreciates it he won't take it since he
hates medicinecuz its bitter and bluntly tells her his condition is of no concern to her, one should
take responsibility for themselves and even if he died he won't hold it against her
and tells Kikyou to forget about it and that there's no reason for her to worry, Kikyou is like
screw this & takes the medicine and tries to get him to take it mouth to mouth.😙
Hanbei is like woah gurl chill and ends up taking it himself... but this is only the beginning
he'll needs to take it every day from now on which he doesn't like at all.
Later Hanbei starts to realize something has changed... and like he can't possibly be in love?!
There was a cute scene later in which the two hid from a sun shower... it reminded him of the past.
Later Kanbei demands answers out of Kikyou because there's no way Hanbei would've
 taken his meds on his own... so well now she's done it and told them the truth.
I could hear Kanbei's kokoro crumble into tiny pieces as he walked off into the distance.
Later on Hanbei tells her to stop worrying so much since its not like he'll just go and collapse
and tells her how soon they may not be able to see each other like this anymore
and tells him the real reason of his illness and a simple medicine won't cure it all, he keeps
telling his friends such as Hashiba its just a cold to stop em from worrying and he will
 do anything for Hashiba even if his body perishes in the process.
In the end Kanbei goes missing and Hotaru reveals herself to Hanbei which leads him to say
 that for a shinobi she is too pure and kind, so he knocks her out with incense since he's
decided to help Hashiba with his coup he once gave up on, Hanbei apologizes
and says that they're alike since they're both shinobi, as turns out he used to live in Iga but even
shinobi have some sort of caste system and Kageroumaru wasn't part
of a high class family so he lived in a different area.
He didn't have any friends, while he partly regrets not having killed that girl back then
when he stole the ninponchou from Iga he's also glad he didn't.
 Like every route Hanbei unleashes his hounds with poisoned claws to take Nobunaga's life.
Ofcourse Hotaru wakes up and sets out to stop Hanbei from making a grave mistake.
Before fighting her Hanbei thanks Hotaru for everything, the medicine... crying for and believing in him.
After Hotaru wins, Hanbei willingly stops the hounds and suddenly tells him to grant his last wish
to save Kanbei who much like Ieyashu's route lies somewhere in a shack in a forest...
Hanbei tries to make a dramatic exit by falling off the rooftop like a bunch of sakura petals.
😭😭😭😭🙏🙏🙏🙏😖😖😫😫
Hotaru tries desperately to save Hanbei so much like Nobunaga's route in the prequel and using her
ability she becomes a Sakura tree to catch him and ofcourse if she failed it would mean death.
Hanbei: i'm gonna fall like a sakura petal. Hotaru: i'm going to become a sakura tree and catch you.
Afterwards they go pick up Kanbei together with Hashiba... and all's well that ends well however
Hotaru has to make sure Hanbei takes the bitter medicine he doesn't like e-v-e-r-y-d-a-y. 😏
(Even if it barely helps...)
In the after story they act like a true married couple and bicker of the simplest things...
Like Hanbei going on about how her life is longer than his and there's
 this talk about marrying Kikyou off to Chosokabe. (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
Hanbei realizes he doesn't exactly want that and goes to get her b4 its too late...
and tells him how madly in love they are so he just can't let her go off because of some letter.
Ok before you get mad and rage hear me out.... wait for it... ahem.
It was all a ruse by Kanbei, Mitsuhide,Nobunaga others to get Hanbei to be honest about his feelings
for once since he was all muh life is short so Hanbei's honest speech was over heard by everyone.😂😂😂
(Actually the letter was real but they stopped the possible plans long before that...)
Anyway Hashiba formally apologizes with a gift for their future and you know
that day in the past? they met under the petals of a sakura tree... surely it was destiny.
At first I did not like him that much due to what he does but still was interested in what's up with him.
 Also its kinda sad how Hanbei cheers Kikyou on to pursue Kanbei every time... I don't mind but still.😖
Hanbei has this nice exterior but he definitely has ulterior motives, I start to care more
due to how the route went and I think Hotaru was really great too! I know it seems pushy
at one point but atleast the heroine in geten no hana doesn't mope around.
Its a sad fact this route alone was more interesting than... most of the previous ones
but man Hanbei deserves his own happiness, he had a shitty childhood and all the right to hate Iga
plus wanting to be useful to someone even if that person didn't want to go about it that way.
The events near the end of the route were magical I really liked it...
Hanbei's after story was hilarious though I mean PLEASE 😂😂😂 the end was bittersweet.
Really though Hanbei's route was hella biased story wise, good grief... don't get me wrong but I enjoyed it.
Romance ★★★★☆
Plot ★★★★★
Enjoyment overall ★★★★★

The smirk of someone realizing he is the only route left.
 ~
Kuroda Kanbei.
CV: Okitsu Kazuyuki.
The only speaks when necessary and quick to notice things type, gotta add that
 he's freaking hot and I feel genuinely attracted to this guy. >_>;
 Kanbei also has a habit of blending into crowds and incidently taking people by surprise. 😂
He quickly realizes something about Kikyou and literally can't take his eyes off of her
to the point as seen above that later after the lantern festival(Toro Nagashi)
 Kanbei on he toppled Kikyou because he wanted a good look at her
but backed off when he realized it wasn't working, Kanbei honestly thought it would
 move her heart or whatever and also says he likes her, atleast he's honest!
Kanbei suffers from love at first sight... additional scenes on 2nd+ play confirms this, though
Its sad how this guys feelings go unrequited like eight times... so I made him feel extra special. 😏
 I can imagine him sitting under a tree with a flower and going she loves me, she loves me not?😖
Okay let's get on with his actual events...which don't really start till chapter 3
this guy tries so hard to restrain his feelings and well we all know what happen
at the end of chapter two which happens regardless of route, well after that Kikyou overhears
some maids/lady in waiting talk about love which brings her back to his words when Kanbei
came on to her on the night after the lantern festival and tries to get her feelings straight before
meeting him again and when they do Kanbei gives her a Rhododendron flower, its meaning
is to beware of danger well geez thanks, considering his sudden movements it makes sense!
Hotaru decides its better not to visit him for a while but still decides to stalk him the next day to
find out more but he really doesn't talk much just replying with uhuh in conversations with Sakichi.
But he does say Sakichi will be a fine retainer... also I think Kanbei would be a great therapist. 😂
Since she didn't find out much she goes and ask him.. about the pocket with paper on his arm
Kanbei let's her see them... and suddenly starts to smell and kiss her hair while she's busy. 💦💦💦
The next day he gifts her a hairpin... because she has such beautiful hair, hum how thoughtful. 😕
Sometime later Kanbei excused himself to help Sakichi, Kikyou tries to get to a little bird in a tree
and when Kanbei came back he lifts her up and tells her not to push herself.
Kanbei realizes how much he treasures her and couldn't bear to see her get hurt if she fell, d'aww.
Another day Kikyou over hears Hanbei complain about his meds to Kanbei, Kanbei notices
her after Hanbei left but she pretends to have not heard, then some animal moves around
and Kanbei gets all protective of her like a true knight when it was just a bird. 😅
There was also a scene where Kanbei went on about a mysterious Jizo that could grant wishes...
Jokes on you but said Jizo is watching you now, Hanbei brushes it off as a stupid tale. 😂😂😂
Kanbei still offers a flower and an intense gaze while praying... Hanbei can't believe this either, lol.
Sometime later Hanbei finds that the shield of Azuchi is too troublesome and when Kanbei figures
those incidents are his work Hanbei says that Kanbei should just be quiet and follow along
with him like they've always have since Kanbei is indebted to him, Kanbei doesn't like
that Hanbei has changed so much and wants to save him before he makes a mistake.
 Later Kikyou follows the two and Hanbei notices her presence so she hides in a nearby shack.
They leave but Kikyou stays for a while longer not wanting to risk changing...
Kanbei realized something when they've returned and rushed back knowing she was there
because she was still worried about Hanbei's condition and opens the broken door, www.
 Kanbei carries her back to Azuchi... and he's grateful he was able to save her since a dark place
 like that doesn't suit her and mutters how a dear friend is still stuck in the darkness.
Sometime later, Hotaru was about to head out at night and spots Kanbei, as a bird she watches
over him as he fell asleep at a spot near the water. (Kanbei you're gonna catch a cold)
 She tries to wake him with some chirping since its no place to sleep which doesn't work
so she changes into a maid and overhears him mutter ...save him..
When he wakes up from his nightmare he finds the maid and thinks she's azuchi's shield
because there's no way a woman- let alone a maid would be here late at night
Kanbei wants it to be true because Azuchi's shield may help him in some way but let's her leave.
Well Kanbei continues to sit near the water till Hashiba comes up telling him something of the past
wondering how Kanbei got out of confinement... which was thanks to Hanbei but he won't tell
Hashiba yet who in turn is fine with it as long as he doesn't stir up trouble and helps out later.
Eventually Kikyou decides to have a talk with Kanbei and well he in turn wonders why
Akechi's sister is here in the first place since there should be no reason for her to be at Azuchi
especially with all the incidents and stuff, Kikyou replies its because of Nobunaga's ''dream'' and to find her own.
Eventually Kanbei confessess that the reason he fell in love was because of how full of hope her eyes were.
Afterwards Kanbei decides to tell Hashiba everything Hanbei and he himself was up too in the hopes
Hanbei will be stopped because he doesn't want to see him die, he wants to protect his dear friend.
Hotaru sort of doubts his feelings but is reminded by Hanbei's words that Kanbei is an honest cannot lie.
Hanbei even kisses Kikyou in an moment of weakness... captivated by her beauty.
   Its only before long that a certain bamboo hat man wants to desperately learn the identity
of the shield of Azuchi he thought he would surely meet her if he waited here once again.
BTW this happens in every route, he gives the kunochi a (fake) letter from Iga
and waits for her response... Hotaru tried to fight him but he always overpowers her.
Hotaru shows it to Momoji but yappari he doesn't trust it either and the two deduce the bamboo hat
man identity to Kanbei and on the other side Kanbei realizes that Kikyou is the shield of Azuchi.
 Meanwhile Hashiba will try his hardest to stop Hanbei's plans everything will be settled at the gozenjiai.
Kikyou is a bit conflicted about her feelings now that she knows who he is but still visits him
and he ends up telling her of his past how he used to live in some temple in the mountains
like a monk and the only thing he had was books, he admired a character from one of the books
he holds dear (its Zhuge Liang) ideally Kanbei wanted to be a kind and strong person that helps
others and prevent unneeded bloodshed, this didn't happen of course and his ideals were shattered, Kanbei
was imprisoned due to circumstances with the previous lord he served... after a long time
of solitude Hanbei freed him when he was trapped and about to die.
The bamboo hat personification is actually a remnant of his ideals.. or so I like to believe Hotaru respects it either way.
 At the gozenjiai Kanbei waits for Hanbei to put his plan into motion but as per usual things do not go as planned.
Shisuke throws the Kunai and later Hanbei reveals his true motives of why he controls the hounds
everyone starts to doubt the shinobi who is known as Azuchi's shield and you know the rest
The bamboo hat man(Kanbei) shows up at Kikyou's place and tests her determination
since his original plan is all in shambles and its too dangerous to try again with Hashiba
Kanbei also formally reveals himself and apologizes after she wins the duel, he then asks her to
follow him so he can explain what's going on and who Hanbei is(Kageroumaru from Iga).
In short Kanbei wants Hotaru's help to stop Hanbei before he pulls of his plan and also how the
council is being let into a trap by doubting Iga, Hanbei wants to let them leave Azuchi open
 so he can kill Nobunaga for Hashiba's sake, Kanbei truly wants to save Hanbei.
 Kanbei is super grateful that Hotaru believes his story and agrees to help him.
 Kanbei starts his plan by spreading some powder to create a fog in the mountains where
 Hanbei hides the hounds, this powder partially immobilizes the hounds.
Hanbei suspects Kanbei might be betraying him so he goes to check the forest... and he knows
its his work so now Hanbei tries to kiss up to Nobunaga saying Kanbei is a traitor instead to buy time.
 As per usual Hotaru sneaks *ribbit* into the council to  witness the judgement of Nobunaga.
 Kanbei confesses his crimes... even if he did not do it so Nobunaga tells him to commit seppuku.
Hanbei is shocked... he didn't want this outcome nor did he expect Kanbei to plead guilty for crimes
he did not commit so Hanbei pleads Hashiba to help him save Kanbei because he doesn't want
him to die though Hashiba realizes it was Hanbei that caused this predicament and says he shouldn't run.
 Hanbei deeply regrets his actions and when the time comes for Kanbei to take his life Hanbei
orders the creatures under his control to save Kanbei, truth be told Kanbei believed that Hanbei
 would stop him and Hanbei admits that Kanbei bested his strategies to kill Nobunaga.
When Hotaru notices Hanbei is about to take his own life, she jumps in and stops him.
The crowd causes a ruckus so Hashiba notes its the protector deity of Azuchi to calm them down
also Nobunaga announces the seppuku ritual is over and tells his men to bring them all
to the council and well like Ieyashu said a new path to the future has been opened.
Even though Kanbei, Hashiba and Hanbei have to leave for some campaign in Shikoku
Kanbei spends some last minute time with Hotaru sayng his feelings remain unchanged and that he is
still madly in love with her even if she's not really a princess and that he will never give up
since the other reason she is at Azuchi must surely be ''love'', he turns beet red from Hotaru's reply
that he's blushing, he tells her not to stare at him too much and promises to return after the campaign.
Hotaru continues her work as the shield of Azuchi and on a rainy night runs into the bamboo hat man.
Yep Kanbei has just returned and awaits her honest reply to his feelings and she can reply by
embracing him, he is glad his first love accepted him (and he'll never let her go).
The after story has Hashiba coming on to Kikyou only to be told by Hanbei to get out
since her heart has already decided on someone that someone being Kanbei.
It also has Hotaru angst about Kanbei because of her indecisiveness.😥
So... one night as they are about to... make out Oito comes into their room making them
having to abort however she reads the air quickly and leaves at the speed of light.
The next night Hotaru decides to try some moves on him... quite literally. (also dat ass)
They kiss in the traditional fade to black manner because this is KOEI.
Why does Kanbei look like he's high tho ??? ok maybe its cuz we never really see him smile. (lol)
They ichaicha all night... good grief youngsters back in the days. 
Holy shet doing this route last worked out in more ways than one... 
oh and im sorry for the wall o text maybe I shouldn't have wrote down so much lmao.
 Honestly I couldn't stop thinking about Kanbei even when it wasn't his route so I suppose he's just totally my type.
Despite that thing happening in the common route, Kanbei is actually a really chill guy who cannot lie.
The only other route were he acts differently is Mitsuhide's and its really better to do Mitsu first...
Kanbei sometimes acts on his feelings its good he knows to restrain himself? especially in other routes.
I appreciate him warning the Kikyou through flowers though... also his incense scenes were 💦💦💦
especially the side story one it had such a heavy effect on him... 😖💦
 I am not really a fan of love at first sight but if it done like in his case I don't mind since the theme
 of Kanbei's route really was love so it makes sense if Kanbei's affection is one sided at first.
I get he's a little weird at times but his feelings are genuine and he's such a sweet guy
and he most likely tries so hard in every route to stop Hanbei hench why was injured in Ieyashu. 😭
Also that letter he gives Hotaru in every route... and why he went missing in Hanbei's route  I want to believe. 🙏🙏🙏
Sadly I feel Kanbei's route had a lot of missed opportunities re:CG's because many times
I wished there was a CG in certain scenes but there were none. (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
The difference in treatment compared to Hanbei is saddening... especially if you like Kanbei more.
PS Kanbei's moe levels are definitely up there with Ranmaru.
Oh well I thoroughly enjoyed Kanbei's 🔥🔥🔥 route, his and Hanbei are definitely
 the better ones and I suspect they were written first and the returning boys after that also
even if he doesn't have a kiss cg I lost count to how many times they did kiss.
His ED theme was decent sadly I do not like it that much and I didn't know his seiyuu could even sing but did an okay job.
Romance ★★★★★
Plot ★★★★★
Enjoyment overall ★★★★★
I'm sorry (again) maybe I am just biased...
~

 Normal end (bad end).
You get the normal end by just completing objectives while avoiding character events.
 Everyone starts to doubt the shinobi known as the shield of azuchi after a kunai
was thrown when Kurogane, Nobunaga's horse went out of control little did they do know
Hotaru's intentions were to stop it from injuring Nobunaga instead they see it as an attack
the ninponchou they found didn't help either... sigh @ the antagonist of this game.
Hotaru decides to return to Iga because there's not much else she can do nor has anyone to help her
but try and warn her fellow shinobi of Nobunaga's intentions to possible come after them and they
did they set the village of Iga on fire, everyone got away in time thanks to Hotaru though.
In the end the only one who support her was Momoji who is never heard from again
and not before long she hears Nobunaga has died due to the poisoned claw of a beast.
Yep this is pretty much a bad end... Moral of the story is you try so hard but perhaps you should
have interact and have faith in others more? truth be told the guys always help out in their own way.
~ Grand finale ~
This is gotten after completing every route, normal and... some bad ends or else it won't trigger.
The most annoying bad end to get is the max doubt one... to make kusumono fights to show up is a
pain let alone ignore them, from what I gather you need to go certain places that day for it one to
appear just by defeating them on normal play as they appear makes it impossible to get it.
Other than that you just need the mission fail bad ends you get by sitting on your ass. 
Bad ends from selecting choice do not count because there is simple too many of them.
You can get special pair up scenes in chapter 3 by balancing which character events you see in
chapter 2, it makes sense to do them now more than ever since its not like Hotaru gonna end up
 with anyone so may as well harem it up, everything plays out the same till
 end of chapter 3 and the confrontation with the bamboo hat man aka Kanbei.
Hotaru realizes Nobunaga's ''dream'' is in danger and wants to do something about it even tho
Momojiji is like you better not, Hotaru decides to believe in Nobunaga and the others to find a way to
make it work and show the letter the bamboo hat man(Kanbei)gave her to Mitsuhide whom gathers
everyone and they will take care of everything, they all thank Hotaru for trusting them.
Hotaru also reveals herself to Kanbei and like his own route they have a duel...
After he is sure that her strength is real and decides to come along and tell the truth behind his actions
meanwhile Ranmaru gets mad at him for trying to go after Nobunaga but Ieyashu is like
he surely must have had a reason all while Hashiba goes to fetch Hanbei because he knows its him.
Hanbei admits that it was all for Hashiba's sake of wanting to unify the land through a coup
but Hashiba just says this isn't the way he wants to go about it, in the end Hanbei confesses
everything to Nobunaga who he is aka a former shinobi known as Kageroumaru
using the ninponchou he stole from Iga when he had enough of their shet.
Hashiba begs Nobunaga to let it slide and claims full responsibility since its partly his fault for not
seeing it sooner so Nobunaga just sents Hashiba, Kanbei and Hanbei on a campaign to shikoku
to show their loyalty to work under Nobunaga once more, after the credits
 at another Toro Nagashi and everyone goes to visit this time.
They all promise to work their hardest to make the dream come true and Ranmaru
bickers with Mitsuhide for having the same reasons as him, lmao.
Ofcourse Hotaru's dream is to work with them from the shadows like always and Nobunaga will rely on her.
 (Nobuyuki you damn Hikikomori... this scene would be perfect if he was there, iirc he just watches the river from his room.)
Everything was resolved in a manner that gives you a satisfying result for completing the game
personally its better than the grand finale in the prequel too... since that felt rushed.
For what its worth it was more a lot better than a certain other grand finale in a certain sequel
 I recently played maybe its because no time travel wtfbbq deus ex machina.
Romance ☆☆☆☆☆
Plot ★★★★☆
Enjoyment overall ★★★★☆
~
There was also a side story for this but its more of a thank you for fully completing and its more
of a gag scenario than anything else... everyone was OOC because of body switcharoo.
Ranmaru is Nobunaga, Mitsuhide is Hashiba.... Ieyashu is..... Kanbei😂😂😂 Hanbei is stuck in Ranmaru.
The shenanigans do not end... Kanbei is stuck in Sakichi(WHY), Nobuyuki is in Momoji and
Momojiji is stuck in Hanbei. Oito is stuck in Hashiba, Sakichi in Nobuyuki and... Nobunaga in Oito.😂😂😂
This madness is all the fault of a magical? globe...and I laughed my ass off throughout this side story.
Good grief i'd like to know what the writers were smoking cuz it must've been good!
Not that it matters because that was all a dream... a damn good one if I may add.
Oh well atleast we got a nice CG with the forms Hotaru can take...
 I'd wish itwas a group shot but I cannot complain.
...Same also dat plat couldn't pop in a better place.







Fav route:
Kanbei / Hanbei > Nobuyuki > Ieyashu > Ranmaru> Nobunaga > Hashiba > Mitsuhide  > Momoji.
I am honestly disappointed the original guys routes just felt like an alternative(Hi hi Ieyashu)
but they weren't terrible or anything and I did enjoy them except Momojiji's.

Fav character:
Kanbei > Nobuyuki > Ieyashu / Ranmaru > Hanbei > Nobunaga > Mitsuhide> Hashiba > Momojii > Sakichi.
There's not much point since I like them all but I guess some update in order is necessary...

Kanbei... is a genuinely good guy who wouldn't hesitate to give his life to save a his dear friend...
I really liked him in more ways than one even if his route was far from perfect.
Nobuyuki's route was great and his after story was really cute.
He's a difficult character to like to begin with and I'm glad he got even with his brother.
Ieyashu is still a cinnamon roll and Ranmaru a moe cupcake, they're still the same as ever
both routes were very enjoyable to me even if it was like an alternative take. 
Hanbei... before his route I didn't like him that much but that all changed and he grew on me.
Story wise most of the bias in this game went to him but sadly he gets.... wait for it, no kiss cg.
Nobunaga is still the same charismatic guy as before... nothing has changed my feels for him.
Mitsuhide is an okay character and definitely likeable, still I'm not a fan
 of this sort of master and servant relationships, so welp super sorry dude.
Hashiba is one of those guys who'll make you laugh a lot and make you feel safe.
Character wise his situation was never simple to begin with but his route was a mess...
 The lighthearted first half and the serious second half of the route hit like a truck
which was just too much and this really lowered my overall enjoyment greatly.
Momojiji? he's a great character but romantically how about no? I like my ossans but not
 when the dude has been around the heroine since she was a child as a shishou/father figure
and honestly once again i'd rather see him as a father figure than a romantic interest.
 Sakichi is last I guess, another great supportive character but his new events added for the port felt
 random and didn't have much substance but I liked the new scenes with Hanbei and Kanbei.
(After that last statement go figure, i'm sure he'll be a fine retainer... but this imo was wasted potential.)


~Final Thoughts~
Its an okay sequel, or more like addon to the original as its a story about two characters that could not
be told as is back then, yep the main point of attraction to this game was obviously Kanbei and Hanbei.
When you get to their routes it becomes obvious they're the main content the other boys?
they're just an alternative side dish and not as good as the routes they had in the prequel.
For what its worth I enjoyed Ranmaru and Ieyashu's new routes but I get nostalgic about
what they had and then you realize this new route is not all that great, Nobuyuki is another
matter because for some reason it flowed more naturally after the happenings in the previous game.
To be very honest for some it worked out but I didn't really enjoy sitting through most of the original
boys routes even if I did enjoy a few of my favs my general opinion on them hasn't changed
at all because in reality its the same except with a different wrap cause this is a sequel.
Still i'm grateful for the new after stories set after their routes in the sequel but
I would like a real fandisc and not another version of their routes and I guess it could happen
 if this port sells well enough but then again i'm honestly satisfied with what I got.
The overall plot was okay-ish but it still had the same level of writing as in the prequel
 it started up slowly but not as engaging as before good thing there was less of Hotaru angsting
 about her misson, she still had her moments but it annoyed me less this time. 
I can recommend ''yumeakari'' for Kanbei and Hanbei... most of their events were fresh
and it was interesting learning more about them unlike the original cast which we already know and love.
(本当に ごめん...)

Of course Koei is still inconsistent re:kiss cg's but you know even tho I complain about it all-the-time
but really, I think everyone got fair treatment in this game, a kiss on the hand or cheek is fine too.
  Oh well the only characters in this game who got as a kiss cg that in my eyes passes for one
or like almost were Nobunaga, Mitsuhide, Ieyashu(after story) and Momojiji(😞).
Still i'm said about Ranmaru's treatment but he has one in the prequel...  just not the ending where I want it to be.
(I honestly think harukanaru is way more inconsistent...)
For what its worth I really enjoyed the sequel and I think this series doesn't get half the
recognition it deserves which is such a shame, the characters, gr8 plot, romance etc.
Really if you still haven't tried the geten no hana games now is a good time
to buy the recently released vita port if you're still not sure about it try out that demo
on the japanese PSN i'm sure that may change your mind for better or for worse.
Also if Hyakka Hakyurou can get localized surely Geten no Hana or Ken ga Kimi for that matter
is not impossible its just that Koei doesn't seem to care yet and no one bothers dealing with rejet.

Final score is 9/10, the secret side story added a small % to my original score because it was just that great.
I'm a little sad the story of Geten no Hana is probably over with this... 
However I wouldn't mind something similair from Koei in the future 
they shouldn't give up on new IP's because this one was really good.
 
Characters ★★★★★
Scenario ★★★★☆
Music★★★☆☆ (Its okay...)
System  ★★★☆☆ (New card game is ass...)
Enjoyment overall ★★★★★

1 comment:

  1. Glad that you enjoyed it but its a shame some of the routes with
    the old cast are like alternatoves... but still good to hear Geten no Hana
    is yet another good otomege series that goes unnoticed partially because
    its from koei and they have zero presence in the west in terms of otome.

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