Genso Manège - Nintendo Switch

In all the years I've been playing Otome, Genso Manège is still one of my absolute favorites and I was thrilled to learn it was being localized. This game is magical and whimsical, with an interesting and often quite thought-provoking plot that focuses on one of my favorite themes: going for your dreams.Despite the lighthearted presentation, this game deals with some serious topics in that all the characters have something to tackle from their past. I thought it struck the perfect balance, and with the enchanting theme, it never felt too heavy for me. It's also rare that I didn't dislike any of the love interests (though I definitely had my favorites). Everything about the story and aesthetics suited my tastes perfectly, and the experience of playing it was truly enchanting, even with its serious tones.I have written my thoughts about all the love interests in hopes it may be helpful for those deciding on whether or not to purchase this game. While I did my best to keep my comments vague, they may be too much for those who prefer complete surprises in their games. A few routes have trigger warnings for those who want to be warned about potential topics, which are more detailed. All of these are at the end of each of my comments about the characters, and can be skipped by going to the next paragraph discussing the next character. (Note: I haven't played any of the bad ends, but based on the routes' happy endings and the feel of the rest of the game, I imagine they'd just be a sad version of the happy ending rather than disturbing? But this is merely a guess.)Overall Plot:The plot centers around the heroine, Emma, who is secretly a witch who has lost both her powers as well as her childhood memories following a mysterious accident. Her life changes when she finds herself involved with the arrival of a traveling amusement park in her small historic French town, La Foire du Rêve—a place of magic, dreams, and a dark secret not only about the wondrous park but all the employees trapped there. Emma must reawaken her lost magic in hopes of freeing them, which will require her to recover her repressed memories and untangle the threads of her forgotten past, all while forging bonds with the employees trapped in Rêve.Love Interests:* Crier ~ The love interest for all tsundere lovers! His character is unique amongst the others trapped in La Foire du Rêve because he's the only worker who isn't kept bound to the amusement park by the curse, thus he can leave freely, yet remains at the park for his own reasons that helped me feel an immediate affinity for him. His plot has Emma working as his performance assistant and has a slice-of-life feel that is quite sweet. His romance features a fun trope that I found especially cute and amusing to watch unfold with his tsundere personality. Crier's conflict was more internal than plot-focused like some of the other routes, and I really enjoyed his journey of growth as well as this route's themes. Crier was a delightful love interest to start out with as he and his route turned out to be quite sweet. My only regret: there is no kiss CG! I have been robbed of seeing my tsundere boy actually expressing his affection! (Thankfully his other CGs make up for it in cuteness. On that note, all of the art in this game is just lovely.)* Lyon ~ This tender boy is Rêve's mascot. The nature of the magic trapping him works similarly to the concept found in a famous story that I have always loved, so that made his route all the more fun for me. Lyon turned out to be a precious cinnamon bun who adores picture books. I absolutely adored this sweetheart so much and wanted to protect him at all costs! I loved how he and Emma bonded through dealing with a similar trial and were able to be a support for one another. Their relationship development was so incredibly sweet, and the theme in this route as quite inspiring to me. Lyon is adorable and precious, with a story filled with many tender moments. He is definitely one of my favorites. (Potential Warning: his route took a tragic turn and his ending was perhaps the most bittersweet.)* Serge ~ A rather serious character whose moments of gruffness made me wonder whether I'd like him. While he ended up being my least favorite love interest in the game, I did not dislike him by any means and grew to even like him as his story unfolded, especially the more we came to discover his hidden soft side and his awkward uncertainty about how to treat women as he and Emma grow closer when she helps him in his work. I did find it interesting learning about the circumstances that led him to end up in Rêve, but halfway through the plot took a more serious and dramatic turn, which will be welcome for those who like more plot-heavy stories where the heroine and hero must work together to overcome the events stacked against them. (Trigger Warnings, skip ahead to the next paragraph if you don't need them: Serge is a bit older than the heroine, but the age gap didn't feel creepy in its presentation. Serge's route also features a witch hunt that took the form of human trafficking where women were captured for their magic, though there were thankfully no indications of sexual enslavement. The route also features off-screen torture, an unjust arrest, multiple instances of capture, and betrayal. However, none of these triggers were performed by the love interest, only by the route's villain.)* Luciole ~ He was a surprise for me. He didn't capture my interest in the common route, but I ended up liking him and his route much more than I thought I would. He is a sweet, quiet loner mechanic whose background causes him to be bitter towards magic and anyone associated with it...which includes our heroine, Emma. As such, he is against the goal of freeing Rêve, which makes for an interesting dynamic for the romance. Their romance had a really sweet progression, very befitting for an introvert love interest, and all very organic and satisfying. I personally related to Luciole's personality and really felt for his tragic backstory. I did have a minor complaint about this route in that we never really found out an essential part of Luciole's circumstances that we learned about in the other love interests' routes, at least in the good ending (again, I don't play bad endings, so perhaps this loose thread was resolved there.) (Trigger Warnings, skip ahead to the next paragraph to avoid if you don't need them: mentions of a family member's suicide, though details are kept at a minimum; mentions of persecution against the heroine.)* Hugo ~ The love interest who may arguably be the game's poster boy, and as expected I adored him and his route. There were so many things I loved about it, including the way their romance developed; because of their shared background, the romance with Hugo had more context than most of the love interests, making their relationship progress naturally. His story was quite plot-focused, and included a lot of interesting world building as well as revelations about Emma's own background. (Potential Trigger Warning: Hugo has moments of being secretive and a little deceitful "for her protection", which might be off-putting for some. For me personally it didn't go too far, and overall he is a very kind and gentle man with good intentions, and I still loved their romance. Their ending was also a little bittersweet for those who prefer to be warned about that, but also quite touching.)* Arnaud ~ The locked route with all the reveals concerning Emma's past. I fell in love with Arnaud the moment I met him so was quite excited to finally play his route, especially as this dear boy was the “wingman” in all the other routes—his constant loyalty in his friendship, protectiveness, and support as Emma found love outside of himself meant he fully deserved to finally have his own happy ending where he finally gets the girl! I quite like the childhood friend trope, as well as a love interest who is very loyal and devoted no matter what comes, so Arnaud's route was very satisfying to me. His route ended up being quite the adventure, with many twists and turns as Emma finds herself in quite the predicament, with Arnaud being forced to make some difficult decisions. For those who like angst, there is plenty of that in this final route. His epilogue was perhaps my favorite, as well as the most spicy...though I use that term loosely as it is mild; overall this isn't a spicy game by any means. (Potential Trigger Warning that includes Spoilers, skip ahead to the next paragraph to avoid: Arnaud has moments of displaying jealousy towards Hugo and Emma's relationship with him, though I personally never felt it was taken to an unhealthy extreme. A larger potential trigger that delves into spoiler plot details: Emma is captured so that her powers can be abused, and Arnaud is forced to work with her captors in order to do his best to help her, which makes it appear like he betrayed her for part of the route, though this is a charade on his part. No matter what comes, his love and devotion hold true, and his friendship and care with Emma allow them to develop a very satisfying romance.)* Emma ~ I personally found her to be a strong heroine. While her strength is not one might consider in a traditional sense, she is strong of character and will. In addition she is sweet and charming, yet is also proactive in being actively involved in the plot. She has done her best to rise above her circumstances with a positive mindset in that she has built a new life for herself despite her forgotten past, chooses to step outside her comfort zone in the common route to get a job at Rêve, works hard with her goal to rekindle her magic, and is very caring with a strong desire to help those around her. In each route, I felt she took charge of her romance in unique ways befitting each route and love interest, and in some she went to great lengths and in some instances was willing to make quite large sacrifices to protect those she loves.** Love Interest Ranking (very difficult to determine as the love interests were truly all likable in their own way): Arnaud > Lyon > Hugo = Crier > Luciole > Serge** Route Ranking: Arnaud = Hugo > Lyon > Crier > Luciole > SergeNote that the game also features a "Grand Ending" that ties everyone's stories together.

I admit that it's a simple otome game. However very sweet. The art is cute and I liked the stories. Cried a few times. My favorite guy is Serge but Lylon is a close second! The story, simple but does a decent fleshing out for the characters.I think some could have used a little more development time. Looking at you Luciole!It's a little heart wrenching but still enjoyable. The kiss CG's feel slightly off but still nothing awful. I would recommend it but at a sale price. I did enjoy my time at the Genso Manege but at the same time, I think it's an adventure that you can take your time to get to.If I could describe this otome in a few words, it would be a simple slice of life anime placed into an otome!7.9/10 from me.