Developer/publisher: love&art/mages.
Platform: Switch,mobile.
Official Site: https://gensomanege.com/
VNDB: https://vndb.org/v25993
Release date: 2020-01-30.
I saw this was on sale at the jpn eshop for 30$ and since I had considered playing it
a while back plus the fact these VN rarely go on sale especially otomate/koei let alone
this low I was like why not? this is also by the folks who made meikoi which I really enjoyed.
This was also one of the first few new otome games on switch but back then I didn't have one yet
so I had to sit out on it till now as I took advantage of the golden week sale.
This game also has a soft/fluffy colour scheme which really helped anyway
I don't know much about this game and went in relatively blind.
Also the title of the game would be something like Carousel of dreams or Dream Carousel.
I am not a professional translator but that is what it simply what it would translate to.
Pro's
- Cute & Comfy with an okay plot! but need to do all to fully understand it.
- Interesting characters.
- Gorgeous art and the backgrounds are very well done.
- BGM fit the mood most of the time.
Con's
- Kiss CG's could leave to be desired (but still ok).
- Character design can be a bit colour-coded.
- Could've benefited from a slightly stricter play order.
OP is cute but not the stuff I felt like watching everytime I booted it up.
Gensou Manege ended up being more or less a light-mystery otome game hench why
I won't write too much here except some prologue bits below! this game seems perfect if you're
in the mood for cute and fluffy things but still want to enjoy a little bit of plot to go along with that.
--
The heroine Emma lost most of her childhood memories and she has some weird magic powers...
as well as a miniature carousal she inherited from her late father, she really treasures this.
One day she goes to the amusement park and meets Hugo someone who claims to know her.
Hugo asks Emma to work with him because the people who work at the park are stuck there
so he wants her to help release them with her magic. After thinking about it and acknowledging
her magic powers might be of help she ends up joining their troupe! most of the time
she's been teached to not let anyone know of her powers as well. What could come of this?
The setting is french themed, not sure when its supposed to take place but they had electricity
anyway it is entirely a work of fiction so its best not to think too hard about it.
--
This game does have a common route but its more of a get to know
everyone a little while getting used to working with them kind of thing. It didn't feel like
it was too long and its also there to decide which route you'll end up on.
Art is really good, the backgrounds are very detailed and sprite work is pretty good! once more
I will say I really love the colour-scheme even the user interface...and most of the time
I don't really care about the latter so I think that says something.
Music is fitting enough... but it didn't stand out too much and its just okay.
Seiyuu cast... they're all relatively well known maybe some a little less though some of
the voice actors I hadn't heard in a long time so it was good to hear them again.
System wise its just standard stuff, a little common route to check flags to get on
the preferred route! there's only two endings one good and one not so good.
It does have a minigame but its nothing too hard or annoying.
The weird part about this after the first minigame there is an option to skip it anyway
which gives you an auto A-rank(still need to fail it for the other end though).
After the first playthrough I decided to skip every minigame because while cute it got redundant.
As for play order... the guide I used said if you care for the story that its better to save
Hugo's route for later as it contains the most revelations and he unlocks Arnaud.
My order ended up being: Luciole > Crier > Lyon > Serge > Hugo > Arnaud.
If I had to recommend any order it would probably be this:
Serge / Luciole / Crier > Lyon > Hugo > Arnaud. Because Lyon is where some
revelations start rolling and it start making more sense, the way it works
is Serge/Luci/Crier do have hints about what's going on but you won't really get it
till you do Hugo nor will it fully make sense till Arnaud's route. So the order of the first
three or four routes doesn't matter that much as its hard to see how it fits into the big picture.
This game has a certain bittersweet feel to it, there is still some comedy to be found
as expected from the dev's of meikoi but comedy is not really the focus.
All the backgrounds were so detailed and helped with the setting the game
and made it more immersive. The heroine Emma also had a sprite!
She's cute and was pretty pro-active as well I couldn't dislike her at all.
The music always helped to set the tone/mood of the scenes but like I already
said above its not that great either. Romance wise it was good it just that
some routes may seem to not have much going for them but still all connect to it in some way!
Now I am personally wondering... why does this one go so under the radar?
is it because its not from otomate? by some other dev and not in english?!
or maybe just bad marketing? idk... maybe most just weren't interested
cuz they didn't have a switch yet at the time it came out, I know I had to pass.
Anyway this was like such a feel-good otome game and I could tell they tried with it.I definitely recommend checking this one out if you're in the mood
for something cute and fun that still has an underlying plot to figure out!
even if its not on a sale and at full price I think its more than worth itjust be careful with your play order,there are routes that do have more revelations than others!
I think this game is also good for beginners just trying out the otome game genre as the plot
in most routes is not too heavy but its there and you're just mostly in for a good time!
7,7/10
As for language difficulty its easy to follow its plot, it might be good as a test
if you think you have a good grip on your japanese.
Okay that ends the non-spoiler section and the rest is all just character rambles and CG
there's probably a better digest of it by now but I still wrote some stuff down I remembered.
SPOILERS BELOW HERE
Luciole.
CV: Shirai Yuusuke.
spelling this guys name as LuciWHOLE or god forbid- nvm i'm just gonna call him LUCI.
Anyway maybe this is why its a good idea to do him first cuz he has not much presence and he
mostly just keeps to himself, the gang literally has to ask him to join up and stop being a hikikomori.
The plot in this route was err well they end up trying to fix the carousal.....
Luci slowly opens up to Emma too cuz something interested her mostly of him
being such a recluse which just leads her to telling him of the outside, also
hey're not that different and by different I mean their situation albeit partly.
Apparently his mom was a witch and she lost her life to a mob his dad was err did not help.
not much of this made sense to me but he came to live here in this town cuz circumstances
and he ended up working with the troupe cuz there's no other place for him to go.
and he's more willing to potentially go along to break the curse than in the beginning.
Everyone is surprised he came out... of hiding, so early in the morning too.😂
Anyway shy boy is pretty cute! can understand why people like him! at this point I wasn't too sure
on the overall plot BUT they tried to make it very clear witches are hated cuz people fear
what they don't know aka their magic, Luci also has some abandonment issues
and gets easily jealous😅 which considering his past was understandable.
There was some weird stuff about dreams and Emma got knocked out for a good portion
but Luci stayed by her side and got her back to reality??? idk it was some weird shit.
At the end the townsfolk found out about Emma so they tried to hunt her down
but Luciole confronted them saying he is a son of a witch as well
so he doesn't want the same thing to happen as with his mom.
Some guy ends up saying he was saved by magic once and they all change their tune
and are willing to listen to Luci. All's good as ends well! she helped them break their curse
but Luci ends up going away for a while..... but they did meet again.
was a bit unstable, she ended up tying Luci's soul to hers and he'll be with her forever.
Even if this was kinda like a bad end... it wasn't super bad, Luci sure was glad
he was still with her in a way but he was a bit creepy about it.
Was doing this route first a mistake...? not really but it made me go wtf is this all about?
there was obviously more to it but that's for us to find out at another place and time.
Honestly the plot here wasn't that interesting it only seems to hint at stuff
its a bit confusing even, the romance was still cute but yea...
that plot at the end of townsfolk trying to witch hunt was so random?
I suppose it was in line with Luci's personal plot of him having his mom hunted.
Unfortunately his kiss cg wasn't the greatest but it was also not the worst...
and atleast he had one! oh well that was a nice route. Depending on the other guys
I am not sure if he'll end up being my fav but me thinks he gets pretty close.
~
Crier.
CV: Shimono Hiro.
Clara who is his sister.... that aside he's a bit of a tsundere brat and the errant boy of the troupe.
I keep reading his name as clear because of how they spell it aloud in game.😓
Also he can't stand it when Emma is too polite.... reasoning its tiring, lmao.
Honestly I think the siscon thing is what's gonna make or break this route for you....
buuut if you really like tsundere's you're in for a treat! romance was pretty cute or should I say
his tsun was cute? because of him being such a siscon it seemed like he was at times
more interested in his sister and he even admitted to not wanting to get that chummy with Emma.
I swear I was gonna breath fire because of this guy... good thing is Clara
was nicer to Emma than Crier was and Clara catched on quickly cuz Emma
was pretty down over the fact Crier didn't wanna be get along more than needed.
Clara figuring out Emma liked him and cheering her on was what pretty much saved the route for me. ALSO ITS NOT LIKE I HATE YOU or anything. Turns out him being at reve is all for
his sisters sake, he's trying to save her because one time she collapsed and was so out of it
something like her soul was detached which is kinda why they have a chain for some reason
Crier can be away from the park more so than the others, perhaps because they're twins.
He's working so hard and doesn't want to be happy if his sister can't so he can't
get along too much with Emma. Basically he has his reasons and blames himself for it all
so he is taking all the responsibility on himself. Clara is like wtf why when she finds out
and it upsets her greatly that he isn't thinking of his own happiness.
Clara ends up encouraging her brother to date Emma... I say encouraging but it felt
more like coercing him into it. Guess Clara's a shipper on the deck now huh?
Crier is like huh whatever >///> I'll do it we're going out now! Hugo's all for it
cuz it will work in favor of the troupe too. The gentle coercion meme springs to mind!
Oh man, sisters are powerful indeed.😨 The rest was pretty cute, they go out
and he ends up getting her a pretty hair accessory. Slowly growing closer...
our boy now got a genuine dream to chase! all because he went and date Emma.
He even made her into an assistant... all goes well nd they get to perform at a hospital
children's ward some noble noticed them, afterwards they get to hear they got a week left before
they're ready to release them. Clara is mostly happy cuz her bro's dream is coming true!
and wants to make even more people smile, not just at the park or a hospital.
Clara ends up surprised but heh her bro's pretty cool now, btw when're you two getting married?
After she leaves Crier is actually a bit uncertain cuz if they succeed Clara might die and there's
also the fact that he might not be able to fully realize his new dream. He still puts up such
a brave front as tomorrow is the day... they go through with it to release them.
Emma can't help but hug him cuz she really likes/cares about him and tells him it'll be okay.
just before she is about to go she said she forgot something and she teased them both
hoping next time they meet they'd be real lovers making Crier all embarrassed.😂😂😂
Afterwards Crier confesses that he wants to be with Emma and because she's his assistant
he knows he'll be away and not sure if she'll be happy with him chasing his dreams
but still he needs Emma in his life, if possible he'd like her to come with him.
In the best end they receive a letter of Clara having fully recovered, all's well that ends well!
while they're out she's pretty much cheering them on.
Reve end: Emma was a little hesitant and Clara ends up not surviving which upset Crier a lot
even so Emma tries to be there for him but he is quite depressed and doesn't care that much.
Crier blames himself for dreaming too big... he ends up wanting Emma to erase his memories
cuz he can't bear it anymore. He does love Emma but yea... she ends up granting his wish.
Next day he does recognize Emma but he doesn't remember why the hell he woke up in a graveyard.
Either way he tells Emma they should get going and practice for the performance....
without any memory of Clara. This is sadder than I expected but still kind of happy?
idk how to explain but yea its better than him being depressed and unable to continue on.
I thought the plot in this route was much better and more engaging
than the route prior, Crier is a cutie-pie i'm willing to let the siscon bit slide.
Honestly the plot,romance and chara development was pretty good, despite Crier
being a jerk he had his reasons and the sibling relationship was handled well.
All in all a good route in many ways, it also was very romance oriented while not
forgetting the plot of you gotta help break the curse with your magic thing.
Luciole's route was nice and all but it barely managed to get a reaction out of me
other than well that's nice, meanwhile Crier has me breathing fire one moment
to being oh he's such a cutie afterall! So yea this route was much better imo.
His kiss CG was well better than nothing I guess? Also Shimono Hiro, its been a while!!!
definitely haven't heard him as much in these types of games but that's okay
he like used to be in everything a while back and it drove me crazy, funny how
a bit of a break from a seiyuu can make you enjoy his acting again.
Lyon.
CV: Suzuki Yuuto.
Honestly out of all this guy interested me the least... Lyon is really kid-like which combined
with the fact that he is in that suit most of the time was kinda jarring, They try to find out
what he likes and they end up with children's books, he is making one. I figured he's shy but
not sure why or how Emma fell for him... but I suppose he's really nice and tries
to make sure people are having fun. When they were chilling in the late afternoon
and he dozed off, it got dark his weird suit disappeared. Lyon confirms that only
at night he is in his human form and during the day he is a mascot.
Lyon knows Emma is working here because she's trying to release their chains
and the only one who knows about his condition was Hugo and now also her
also he's the only one without any memories of his time before joining reve.
Because he's shy about it he wants her to keep it a secret.
When they're out one day a cat didn't exactly like this weird bunny mascot man
yet Lyon still tries to calm it down. Emma noticed Clara and her bro who helped them
take the cat away from here. Lyon is stumped but figures the cat hated his appearance.
and Emma is interested in it as well! So at night Lyon invites Emma to some sort
of secret library that Hugo told him about. Basically Emma tries hard to figure
out what's up with Lyon's missing memories and they eventually find a lead
of his last name ''Orange'' and his Mom Melissa Orange and that he's from Chelsey.
Lyon worries of his mom and that she's looking for him, he wants to go to her but
as is he can't leave the park. So they get the idea that maybe he can write a letter instead.
Emma couldn't deliver the letter so when Hugo finds out of this he decides to come clean
about some facts of the reve troupe this being: They're souls disconnected from their bodies
which is why they're trapped at this park, their bodies asleep elsewhere.
They delivered the letter but the mom was like don't bother us again
because saying Lyon died 3 years ago. Emma is a bit shocked by this
and everyone tries to take care not to hurt her feelings anymore
cuz if she goes through with this Lyon may die right? Later Lyon
ends up encouraging Emma to continue to help them all out with her magic
and continue to work on the picture book, because it might make people happy
if its finished and that's enough for him. Uhm this is where it gets a little weird
she ends up using her magic to bring his picture book to life. O_O;
because it is so like Lyon was. Emma ends up finding a suspicious book
that could be of benefit to helping Lyon be revived. Hugo catches her
and when it becomes obvious she wants to learn of it he explains its origins
and that while it is tempting magic isn't some form of miracle work
and if she goes through with it, Emma will lose her memories
worst case scenario she will die too. Hugo really wants her to think about it.
Later Lyon ends up confessing his feelings... at this point its all but mutual.
Arnaud finds out that she got wrapped up in something but he has her back
and will be there if she loses her memories. Unfortuntely Emma's magic went out of control
so there wasn't much time but Lyon decided he wanted to save her no matter what.
the only thing is Lyon doesn't know Emma. >_>; Guess it kinda turned into
it was fate for us to meet again? oh well all's well that ends well!
Reve end: Lyon managed to save Emma but he didn't get released, she also remembered him.
Lyon can be in his human form during the day time too... he'll be with her forever.
Turns out she is dreaming all that and is not waking up... no matter how Arnaud wants her to.
I wasn't really feeling this route the only thing it had going for it was figuring out
about his memories and it making more sense of some of the overall plot threads
which at this point we did not know much of! romance wise I am just not sure about it.
I guess it was cute but hmm maybe he's just not my type... the story was heavier
than I'd thought it would be and while pretty good it felt like this route
solely exists is to make the overall plot easier to understand
besides it felt like the best end was only just the beginning for them.
Serge.
CV: Umehara Yuuchiro.
and doesn't really talk unless necessary atleast that was my initial impression.
Serge is a bit serious of his work and at first didn't like Emma being noisy.
Not much going on but Arnaud starts blabbing about the Hamelin incident
something about one of those persons is around the reve amusement park
and how the park is related to the incident and some folks are wary of it.
Arnaud doesn't fully believe the rumors but does believe there is some truth in it
and tells Emma to be careful while he is investigating it. Some automation
started acting weird but Serge came in to save Emma just in time, he got injured
but he says he isn't like normal people. He's sorry for hiding that fact but he's
more worried if Emma was hurt or not. What a sweetheart?! still he worries
if he's not good enough and thinks he's pathetic? bruh you were pretty cool.
Anyway Emma ends up becoming his assistant and works together with him
but its pretty hard stuff oh well two is better than one right?
Emma ends up trying to spoon feed Serge some sample and he gets all embarrassed...
he ends up getting the ingredients for it in order so she can prepare it.
basically saved his life by using some automaton parts. Ever since then Serge only answers to Hugo
but he can't leave the park for long because his automaton parts will stop working.
Serge gets so on edge turns out he's blaming himself over running away
but Emma talks to him and he let's her support him more. He even invites her for tea...
Some french police officer comes checking out the premises, his name is Jill? or was it Gill?
him and Serge know each other and they worked together during the Hamelin incident.
Serge explains that reve got mixed up in it back then too and that they used the park
as a temporary place of relief for the souls of the dead before they moved on.
Later Serge ends up gifting Emma flowers as gratitude for working with him...
but he didn't notice what the flowers meant, he just bought them nvm they were roses.
Arnaud reports to Emma about his findings as she was staring lovingly at the roses in her room...
he's willing to help her get to the bottom of this, man what a wingman!
Some officers come in and everyone from Reve is under suspicion and they take Emma...
Serge's comes in and he's like wtf mate? and cause a ruckus so they run away. He came here
knowing he could pass out but still went to go and get Emma cuz he cares a lot about her.
Gill while sorry he had to do it was here on official orders to tell them to go pack their bags
cuz there are rumors or whatever of them involved with some witch and murders.
Serge almost collapses but thanks to Emma's magic he managed to extend his time outside of the park!
He decides he doesn't want to bring her along and wants to leave her with good old Arnaud...
Emma ends up yellig at him though how he doesn't get it at all... it really upset her
how he just came without caring about himself and would rather straight-up die than do nothing.
and probably didn't realize that either. Serge is convinced to take her along now
to the bottom of this mess while she keeps giving him first aid before he goes into some ruins
who are invested with military goons huh why would they be here? could they be the ones
responsible for the whole mess? Serge runs into Gill and some soldiers and gets captured...
they start asking questions like where the other reve members are. Emma is waiting outside
but she gets anxious so she went on her own. They try to escape later as Emma used more
of her magic on Serge making him stronger than the soldiers around him.
Gill tries to explain witches are bad the only reason Gill is going along with the orders
to arrest folks is that they have his brother even though he knows Reve is probably
not involved in the rumors anyway. Serge can kinda see why he did it and they end up
making a deal, all's well that ends well! felt like most of what the fuzz was about
got resolved off screen. Anyway Hugo approves of Emma as Serge's partner
and she goes to release them all from their chains... for some reason Serge comments
their souls might still be trapped but not to fret cuz they're happy with this outcome.
Serge finally confesses his feelings to her as well... and wants to spend the rest of his time with her.
as he's about to settle it with Gill. They end up running away and they hear that someone
who was responsible for the hamelin incident has been caught. Which are
the people working for Reve... Serge blames himself for running. Later he tells Emma
to return to her hometown but he won't be coming with her and says she should let him die.
Emma's like nope and she stays with him.... he tells her not to cry as he's waiting
for death to take him saying he was happy to be with her, sigh.
Hmm... I thought this route was okay, Emma was pretty great. I think it ties with Luciole a lot
unfortunately the romance was all it had going for it maybe its best to do this guy first
because it doesn't add much we didn't already learn elsewhere, it might have had
some suspense but looking back it wasn't that good. Anyway Serge's was cute
and definitely husbando material. Maybe its just me but I wasn't that invested in this route
but that reve end was too sad. The best end was really nice but it
felt a little rushed and too much got solved off-screen.
 |
| Husbando material alright... |
~
Hugo.
CV: Hatano Wataru.
The leader of the troupe of lost souls... we don't know much about him but he's always
cheering Emma on. Let me start by saying he's nice and I mean really nice. Seeing Emma
work hard already makes him very happy! its not love at first sight is it?!
to learn how to work with her magic... most of the early parts was relaxing she becomes
his assistant and she learns new ways to use her magic to entertain, nothing scary about it
there was some anxiety because Emma's parents have told her to hide her powers.
After work's over Hugo invites Emma to ride the carousal... he's so sweet?
Unfortunately there was a case of friendzoning... and the mood in terms of romance got awkward
because they've met in the past when she was little and Hugo was as an engineer
even then Hugo saw good things in Emma powers whom was very anxious about them.
Eventually Emma wants to learn what happened 7 years ago... because it seems important
to them all being stuck in at the park. Turns out that the orgel she got from her father
wasn't made by him but by Hugo and that she shouldn't care about whatever happened......
Arnaud explains what Hugo don't and apparently Hugo's been asleep in a hospital in paris
all this time so basically its like astral projection and he is in a coma (Why does
this remind me of Kanon 2006?) ends up accompanying her to get the truth out of Hugo.
If they end up releasing him he won't wake up like the others... because he is sure he died back then.
Hugo reiterates there's no such thing as a bad witch and he's definitely been saved by being here
but he's already dead. Then he says something that if he put it differently she might not help them
with her magic so he had to play nice, he did feel a little awful about it though.
Hugo finally tells her more and the military ended up destroying the park in the past...
the place where he tried to make it possible for Emma to use her powers for something good.
Despite Hugo begging to spare the carousal he took a shot from the gun. Emma's magic went out of control and he doesn't know what else happened other than one day finding himself bound to the park.
Emma does think its her fault afterall... so Hugo has to tell her again its not the case
and tells her he is definitely grateful things turned out this way, he can't bear it to see her sad over it.
Thinking on it... Emma obviously doesn't want Hugo to die, he says she hasn't changed much at all.
Emma really wants to try and save Hugo, he's like seriously? but he can't win against
her determination so he will work with her to see if she can make it happen which
leads to him confessing his feelings. Emma does have feelings for him as well so it all mutual
so she says he is like a wizard, which leads him to say he wants to be with her tonight and well the
magic words worked. Leading to a steamy scene NO NOTHING HAPPENED besides sleeping.
Emma goes through with releasing them, trying to make sure Hugo doesn't die...
the carousal vanishes into another place, a necklace from her mother changed colour
and then Emma goes to the hospital Hugo stays at. He appears to be dead already so she tries
to use her magic on him by focusing on the necklace. IDK but all's well that ends well
Hugo will never forget how he was saved TWICE by Emma and her magic.
Reve end: Emma fails the procedure of releasing them, Hugo ends up calling out to her
but now she is also trapped in the park like him. Still Hugo says she did her best...
Hugo didn't know this outcome was possible somehow he is happy cause
they can be together even she's part of the illusion with him. So this was a bad
outcome there was still some bittersweetness to it.
Well... if I was Emma i'd definitely would have fallen for Hugo... nevermind the fact
he lied to get her to help them get released. They really did make it a point that it was a good lie
more or less to protect from a harsher truth. Also... his VA is wizard boy from Tai-ali
though not that much alike I did see some similarities between the two.
It was a nice route... I do think this game is very lenient on order of play
maybe cuz it is very feel-good that they don't want players to care much about it.
I didn't know Hugo's age till I looked at the profiles section but he is 25 not sure if this isfrom 7 years ago or current but that means he was 18 or so when he met Emma
anyway it is fiction and they both like each other which is more than enough.
~
Arnaud.
CV: Abe Atsushi.
known better I would have done him first, oh why must you be plot relevant?
tbh... NGL Arnaud was kinda SUSpicious, even if just common route
his events were more romantic than all the others... its like there is a bias?
well he has known Emma for a while and it was too obvious he was into her
so it didn't surprise me he said he liked her, too bad he has to get cockblocked 5 times.The route was oddly romantic right from the start... so its not disappointing
if you were waiting to get to this route! he is still doing his investigations
anyway Arnaud can't contain himself no longer he has been in love ever since they met
and is worried she might have been seeing someone else the last bit was a bit cute.
Arnaud really wants to be with Emma and he's very desperate in getting it across...
but he will try to respect whatever Emma's answer is. She doesn't reject him outright
but things did get a little awkward, before deciding to go out on a holiday.
 |
| Thirsty boi is thirsty.... is actually a good way to sum up this route. |
Going on dates is all fine and dandy but... if it wasn't slightly hinted at Hugo route
it should be obvious someone in Arnaud's family was in the military or atleast I thought.
This Daniel ends up being interested in Emma cuz of her powers so he ends up taking her along
one fine evening while Arnaud was not around asking her all sorts of questions he thinks people
who posess magic are dangerous and should be taken away for everyones safety.
Emma ends up running back to the park cuz she knows this is bad...
Hugo ends up finding her and eventual Daniel comes along too who says he's
been deceiving Emma and tries to explain what happened 7 years ago.
For a fact he knows another side of the story... basically someone was against their plans back then
so at the very least Hugo wanted to protect the Carousal which they put the most effort into.
A young Emma got caught in it all... it was thanks to her magic Hugo survived and eventually
gathered other lost souls to help out in the park like Serge,Clara, Luci and Lyon they're
all astral projections separated from their bodies cuz the park is a place where souls go
before they move on. Hugo blames it on Daniel firing his gun... what we don't know is
that Emma's dad tried to protect her at the very end, Emma comes to the conclusion
Daniel killed her dad and its true. Hugo is pretty pissed when he finds out.
Arnaud overheard the talk too... we also find out through Daniel
that Arnaud has been interested in Emma since 7 years ago, a childhood crush?
he tried to get along with her but it didn't work out that well thanks to Hugo
who didn't even know of Arnaud back then. It starts to seem like Daniel used his own son
in his plans but his dad still took some responsibility. Emma wants it to not be true...
but then starts to remember that she did met him as a kid who wanted be friends with her.
Arnaud also worked for his dad, meaning he kept tabs on Emma and the witch hunting situation
though he his heart is in the right place because he does support Emma in other routes.
Now that Emma knows more Daniel once more tells her magic is dangerous and tells his son
to arrest her while. Oh no! Arnaud is part of the militairy too? They locked her up in their mansion.
Emma starts to remember and has a lot of time to think about it. Emma decides she doesn't want
to eat anything to hinder their plans so Arnaud is like but you like Macarons?
she is still like nope so he tries to force her. Not my kink tbh. >_>
Actually it pains him to see her this way and he doesn't wanna do it like this eventually
Emma is like ok i'll have a bite. Gentle persuasion at its finest.
Emma's adoptive mom comes along to check on her but Gill can't let her in because of orders
even if not connected by blood she knows her rights and wants to see her kid.
Serge and co are trying their best to let the truth come out about the army being responsible
for witch hunting, much like what was hinted in his own route. She ends up using her
necklace to stun Gill and then make her escape from the mansion to reunite with the others.
Arnaud tries too hard to be a good boy... he really doesn't want anything bad to happen to her
then starts blaming himself that its his fault if she ends up crying also he has been
trying to find a replacement/scapegoat to get his father to leave her alone, even get with her.
All this weighs heavy on him and he can barely go on with it.
Emma ends up losing control of her magic in the middle of town... Arnaud ends up
finding her too and tries to calm her down. Sigh he really loves her doesn't he?
Arnaud ends up telling her a little more of the past and how he was a coward when Emma's
magic went out of control after his dad fired his gun. He also tells her how jealous he was
of how Emma was around Hugo all the time and he told his dad this. Wondering
how his dad met his mom so he can turn this around so he can end up together with Emma.
Which is how Daniel ended up working against Emma's dad and Hugo... basically everything
came from Arnaud's jealousy of not being able to be with Emma. Arnaud didn't do it himself
but it lead to his dad pulling the trigger when he found out about the magic. What a shitty situation.
After everything he couldn't help but try to be nice even if he had to lie and hide the truth
cuz he still loves her like he did in the past. Arnaud is fine with it if she can't forgive him
but he is sorry for it turning out the way it did. All because he was jealous.
Anyway Emma ends up saying its not all his fauult and has faith in Arnaud, he ends up
defying his dad and is no longer going along with his witch hunting crap.
Arnaud does have some last minute anxiety when they go to meet his dad
cuz what if they fail to negotiate to release her? Emma has faith in him though!
Arnaud figures it wasn't about him and his dad just was thinking of himself. its about half right
Daniel didn't care of his son's crush but he did care about the magic the girl had
like it could be of use to the military which is why they did some tests on her.
Daniel goes on a rant and basically amount whether you take a life with a
knife,gun or magic there's no difference it all the same to him.
Arnaud still tries to get through to him cuz his dad wasn't always like this and once
believed in justice and the end doesn't justify the means or whatever.
Arnaud has more than made up his mind Emma isn't some ''thing'' the army can use and tries
really hard to get it across he is not going along with his dad's plans so he points a gun at him.
He asks Emma to have fate in him... probably so it doesn't end up like in the past.
After it is over he asks her to stick with him for a bit longer before he fully claims
his responsibility for everything. He doesn't mind if she's gonna hate him for it all.
They return to the troupe so Emma can go and help them out as she promised.
So she releases them all, but Hugo might not come back as he has more than had his fill
being trapped in the park for these seven years. Arnaud does wish there was a way
and still apologizes to Hugo for causing the whole mess. Hugo does tell him
that he was still a kid and his dad his own person too and to not blame himself too hard.
Emma released them all and all's well that ends well... Emma is too kind
and can't hate Arnaud cuz she catched some feelings for him too.
This guys loves her just as much as he did back then... sigh.
was helping with keeping her powers in check who now run amok.
Emma gets knocked out and she wakes up in the mansion... but she has lost
some of her memories again while she can remember her own name but not Arnaud's.
He tries to reassure her its okay and he'll talk more later. He's a bit sad...
yet still tries to smile and he'll try to get along with her AGAIN.
 |
| He's trying so hard... omg. |
smile and optimism gone his self-loathing is now stronger than ever
because he really believes it is all his fault when it fact it wasn't.😭
Hhmmmm.... I don't mind the childhood friend tropes but man... this did turn out to be
darker than expected with him having such a simple crush leading to well everything?!
Honestly every route did have a little hint or two about the whole plot but you
really can't piece it together till you do Arnaud which is why I believe order
doesn't matter much except for Lyon > Hugo > Arnaud at the end.
I don't like childhood friends that much cuz there tends to be too much bias for them
and at the end of the day that bias even has me going I don't mind if he's canon
which is probably why he's locked too also cuz of the plot... doing him first would make me
feel bad for choosing literally anyone else because this guy redeems himself very nicely.
ANYWAY CHILDHOOD FRIEND CURSE STRIKES AGAIN... despite everything
he's trying in his own way and I'd like to believe that in every other best end its him
that keeps the army away cuz he sort of accepts like oh well guess she likes someone else huh?
Arnaud is a good boy and I don't think he's that bad at all. He did nothing wrong!
#ArnaudApologist.
 |
| Arnaud was extra horny in his after story... also LMAO the only acceptable kiss CG. |
Grand Finale.
There are no choices but it goes into how Emma's mother Emily tried to teach
her to control her magic with her necklace and maybe one day she could save
the people she cares about with it. This is basically showing us what happened
seven years ago of why Emma tagged along with her Father Florence who
worked on the amusement park. He wanted to make it a place everyone
can have fun commoner and noble alike. As of now it only for nobles...
It is his dream to make it accessible to anyone. He does reiterate to Emma
that she shouldn't use her magic unless its absolutely necessary.
Anyway this is nice if you still didn't get wtf happened 7 years ago because during the routes
it was only told from fragmented perspectives of Hugo,Daniel and Arnaud plus what it
is Florence wanted to accomplish with the park, a place for everyone which was his dream.
Unfortunately Arnaud ended up having a crush on Emma... and told his dad Daniel about it
which leads him to take action after finding it out. They were so adamant on protecting
the manege cuz it is what is what gave the souls of the dead peace before they moved on.
After Daniel shot Hugo, Emma lost control of her magic... Florence gets butt mad
at the soldiers for not understanding a single thing about what gives people joy
Daniel got annoyed at that and then shot him too while his son watched.
Daniel put out a squad to hunt witches lead by Gill... which is related to all
the disappearances and such. It skips forward to the time Arnaud tried to talk to Hugo
about making amends but he gets told to stop and that he shouldn't blame himself
then it turns into some true end in which it all is resolved without much fuss
Emma remembered and Arnaud worked with her to fulfill her fathers dream
nor does she blame Arnaud for anything cuz it was his father that pulled a trigger.
Emma wants to use her magic to make them all happy which is possible because
she finds a letter from her mom explaining it has the power to revive....
which is probably why Lyon and Hugo were able to come back in their routes.
from their chains and they wait for the others to come back in the place the park used to be.
Crier mopes around that his sister isn't coming but then she appears...
and eventually Luci and Lyon come back as well. Then finally Hugo finds his way back
to the carousal somewhere in the woods, all's well that ends well!
They all become the reve troupe once more... but this time for real.
SPOILERS ABOVE HERE.
Route enjoyment:
Arnaud > Crier > Hugo > Lyon > Serge >Luciole.
All was enjoyable in some way but yea in terms of plot Luciole is probably last
even when you know more of the overall plot his route was just too whack and confusing
but it isn't wasteful either cuz it does fit in with the general themes explained elsewhere.
Arnaud had the best route hands down both in terms of plot, romance and personal development!
the others just kind of follow, I think Crier's route was pretty good too. As for Hugo....
I think he's okay and his route is nice if you just happen to like him more.
The grand finale was a nice way to finish off the game with as well
but it was too good to count with the other routes.
Fav Character:
Arnaud > Crier > Hugo > Serge / Luciole > Lyon.
I don't dislike Lyon I just wasn't interested that much and romance wise it felt weird.
Serge and Luciole both tie with each other so between those two
I can't make up my mind who I like more, lmao.
I think Crier might be my favorite if I don't let the bias for Arnaud get to me...
for Hugo he's okay but its basically Crier OR Arnaud > Hugo > the rest for me
there's barely any difference between route enjoyment and fav char, lol.
Final Thoughts
much in the way of bad ends either and what could classify as bad fit well with the story.
TBH certain aspects of this game reminded of Kanon 2006 Uguu~
and its not even that far off, it may as well be an otome game version. Anyway I think
its nice if you're looking for something light and are tired of some of the heavier
themed otome games out there, yet still want something with a good enough plot.
This game also wasn't too long, it sits on the fine line of not too short but not too long.
Most of the times it was more focused on individual character and romance than overall plot
which leads to some routes not really going into it, but it all did have something to tie into it.
At the end of the day after some of the other otome games i've sat through recently/last year
I can appreciate something like Gensou Manège cuz sometimes I could just
want something cute and comfy without fear of a bad end at every choice.
Also i'm sorry but I have a massive bias for Arnaud... which is funny cuz it went from
not my kink to I can choose almost no one else after finishing his route?!😂
Even though Crier or even Hugo got pretty close!
The characters were kind of colour coded some of them like Luciole,Lyon and Hugo
but Emma, Crier and Serge and some other weren't. To be honest I can't
really find much else to dislike or complain about.... Oh yea about those
kiss CG's they're there but can leave to be desired I guess?
I do think this game would have benefit from a slightly more restricted order of play but
really it shouldn't matter too much in the end cuz everything will only start to truly make sense
in the final route so they did a pretty good job without stressing the player in terms of order.
I already gave you a recommended order of play but here it is again:
I already gave you a recommended order of play but here it is again:
Crier / Luciole / Serge > Lyon > Hugo > Arnaud.
All in all it was a nice otome game, it was also pretty well-rounded
some route here and there may not have done it for me and its easy to hit a route
that might've reveal more than others but it was still a good time.
This game probably won't need a FD cuz it already has after stories/extended epilogues
as a bonus for clearing on the character profile pages, though half of it was a monologue.
TL;DR I can recommend this otome game if you just want something
cute with a nice story to go along with and isn't that long.
Gonna add here that if there was an otome game to reignite my love for the genre it is this one.
For score it gets a 7,7/10 from me which is still an 8/10 on vndb which means ''very good''.
I'll try out Radiant Tale next but... that's it in terms of otome games
at the moment I'm not really interested in Tengoku struggle but maybe i'll bite
it also got delayed so it conflicts with another game I wanted to get. >_>;
I think its more important to focus on the games you really want to play
instead of buying everything and not having any time to play it...
For other games i'll be getting xenoblade 3, Monochrome Mobius and Kuro no kiseki 2
but because Monochrome Mobius is a midquel I am not prioritizing it.
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