Have you ever played otome games? Enjoyed a romance anime? I want to bring it back to 2020. Global pandemic. Stuck inside 24/7, single, starved for companionship and romance. Oh, it was BAD for me.
I won’t lie, I wasn’t that privy to world of otome games at the time. I was just a lonely girl with a Funimation subscription scrolling down the entire Romance category. Chasing a high if you will. I watched the following titles without knowing the source material. And trust when I say I QUICKLY caught on to their common traits and wondered why they affected me differently than the romance anime I was used to.
As a fan of Reverse-harem anime, the idea of a female protagonist with 5-13 suitors sounded right up my alley. But these were no ordinary reverse-harem… they were OTOME reverse-harem. Perhaps it’s because the story doesn’t translate well from dating sim to singular plot line (i.e having a canon endgame couple). While it didn’t give me that dose of wish-fulfillment I was looking for, it did become one of my guilty pleasures for entertainment.
Here is my list of the most memorable Otome game based anime I watched during that time period, and why I still think about them to this day. There WILL be spoilers, because I need to talk about the outrageousness of some of these storylines.
1. Meiji Tokyo Renka
Okay, I will start with a more positive one. Meiji Tokyo Renka was actually a very enjoyable series- plus I had a thing for red-headed anime men at the time. A modern girl gets transported through time to the Meiji era, meets handsome historical figures, discovers she has ghost-seeing powers, and of course gets romanced by every man she encounters. The protagonist was really likable! Felt less like a self-insert (although I know now that that is the point) and more like a character with substance and motivation. There are about 8, yes 8, love interests that she only gets about 5 minutes of screen time with each. And in true otome fashion they all have different hair colors, distinct personalities, and fall in love with the protagonist at first sight.
I won't spoil the ending for this one because I think it's still worth checking out if you haven't yet!
2. Code: Realize - Guardian of Rebirth
While scrolling Funimation, I clicked on this thumbnail simply because the male lead looked like a shoujo-fied version of Dazai from Bungo Stray Dogs. Set in a steampunk London, his story is about a girl who is cursed with a poisonous touch, seeking asylum from being captured by the British army.
I won't lie to you, if I watched this today I'd call it a snooze-fest. But the 2020 version of me was foaming at the mouth for hot anime men, so I persevered. While the tragic premise of a girl who is unable to physically touch those she loves was intriguing, the execution fell flat in almost every aspect.
The protagonist is very one-dimensional. The love interests didn't sweep me off my feet. It's saving grace is that you do get an actual conclusion. I've heard that the Visual Novel is a far better experience than it's anime adaptation. Why include this title in the list? Well, simply for scale. Meiji Tokyo Renka is your above average otome adaptation. Code Realize being your average. The next two? Buckle up.
3. Dance With Devils
Oh, Dance With Devils. One of my all-time FAVORITE hot garbage anime. I tell everyone I know about this one. My first week at my new job I told all my co-workers about it. Any time anyone brings up romance anime I ask if they've seen this. It's so bad, and yet, I wish this watch experience on everyone.
First of all, IT'S A MUSICAL. Like, a full-blown musical. Did the description give any clue it was a musical? No. I sat through the first song thinking it was the opening. Then the opening played. Then a few minutes of dialogue later, another song. I caught on eventually. Oh, and I forgot to mention, I WATCHED IT IN DUB. Don't get me wrong, I love me some dubbed anime. I'm not an expert on localization and translation, but the lyrics sounded CORNYYYY. I wanted to shut it off after the first couple songs, but once the plot started moving, the musical numbers were like a car crash I couldn't look away from.
Second of all, the protagonist is just way too oblivious. All the "love interests" are literal demons who treat her TERRIBLY, yet are all in love with her?? And of course her life is constantly in danger. All these demons are after a super powerful grimoire-- which just so happens to be inside the protagonist this whole time.
Last but not least, you see the red-hair character? Yes, he is also a love interest. But, he is also her brother. I'll leave it on that note. Seriously, as critical as I may sound about this anime, I think it's a very fun cringe watch. If you're looking for anime girl's night with cocktails, I think this is a great choice.
4. Brother's Conflict
On the topic of brothers... Last but not least, I will be mentioning Brother's Conflict. The protagonist is a young girl who's father re-married and her new step-mom comes with THIRTEEN sons. All of course of various ages, personalities, and hair colors. They all live in a big ass mansion (because how else will you have several instances where they "bump into" each other in the hallways).
Does the "conflict" in brother's conflict represent the protagonist dealing with THIRTEEN love interests? Or could it mean that each brother seems to dramatically struggle with moral implications of their love for their step-sister? There are thirteen of them. Some range from wayyy too young for her, to wayyy too old for her. And the ones her age-- Twin-cest. Not to mention the queer-coded brother that seemingly uses his "femme presentation" to his advantage to lower her guard.
Oh and I did I mention she has a pet squirrel that talks to her? And that the squirrel has a personified fantasy where it is ALSO in love with protagonist?
Y'all, this anime is HOT garbage mess. But like I said, this list is all about guilty pleasures. Every adaptation I've mentioned, I watched every single episode. And I recommend anyone who's looking for a good time where you don't need to take things too seriously, you may enjoy them as well!
Stay tuned for a list of my *actual* FAVORITE reverse-harem anime coming soon.
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