How important is an otome game's seiyuu cast to you?

Topaztan wrote:Ah, yeah... "avoiding threads on games you haven't finished" that's
probably the only reason we haven't dominated the BWS thread yet. xD I
do try using the spoiler tag, but some stuff just escapes those tags
here and there. My backlog has grown in the last few days because of
this forum. Oops...

Light Novel authors name stories the same way ones on Quizilla are named. I wouldn't be surprised if native Japanese speakers still got tongue twisted with titles like that.

LOL, true, true. I find that conversation about the game itself rarely lasts long, or the thread just "dies". I'm glad these forums aren't strict about going off-topic. I think that specific-game threads are a great way for fans to come together and become buddies.

LMAO, the scary thing is that it's true. Maybe that's where Japan fetches these "authors"? Srsly, can somebody please explain to me how Toradora is supposedly a better rom-com than the others? I sometimes get confused with Japanese names where the first and last names can be swapped around. E.g. Akemi Homura. Homura (written in a different kanji) can easily be a last name, and Akemi is much more common as a first name. So yeah, I was confuzzled. Speaking of tongue twisters... [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]! Doesn't screw up the tongue twister a single time. *Swoons* (●♡∀♡)

Topaztan wrote:I think they're substandard by everyone's opinion, ever. But... who
knows, right? Anyone who achieved 100% on Ijiwaru should get like a
prize, or seal showing your OCD about completing games dedication/determination.

I haven't met many non-Japanese people who have played Toiro Komachi. That game is just... ヘ（。□°）ヘ Oukyuu Yasoukyoku (by the same company, Gekka Hyoujin) is supposed to be excellent, though. So a lot of Oukyuu fans that played Toiro were disappointed. As for Ijiwaru My Master, I couldn't even like it for the "so bad, it's good" factor. It was just BAD. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], Ijiwaru My Master is "good", but of course, that's such a small sample of people who have played the game.

eigengrau wrote:Ahahaha yeah that first BL game I tried is Lucky Dog~ \o/

I wish
I had your patience! ;A; Even for games I like I usually don't
completely finish it... It's just that halfway I lose patience and I
have this weird thing that when I get too attached to a character, when I
play for another route I feel like I'm cheating (it's okay, you can
laugh, I'd laugh at me too xD) and if it's isn't as "good" as the
previous character's route I end up quitting xD

orz orz orz

Awesome! Glad you got to play it. It really is the best BL game out there, I think. Omerta is pretty good, too, though.

Haha, when it comes to games, I have a lot of patience. However, 100% completist patience comes at a price- your sanity. I don't know if you've ever played a Mirai game, but they have a percentage counter for the amount of CGs, memories and endings you've unlocked. Plus getting 100% for all of them bear little rewards. So I lose my marbles trying to find the last 1~3%. Plus, Mirai games are loooooong. However, since I'm stubborn as all hell, I feel "defeated" if I don't 100% complete a game. When I get really stuck, I finally consult a walkthrough.

LOL, me too!Especially if I really liked the character. I foolishly did Miyaji's route in Starry Sky first... so when I was going after Homare and Azusa, I felt so sorry for and disloyal to my Tsukiko's Ryuu-chan. Also, especially if it's a dark game, where the love interests have really terrible problems and "you're" the only one that seems to be able to help them. It feels kinda crap to know that they'll go under one day when I'm prancing off happy with some other dude.

That's why when some games have 3P endings or routes, I feel like a total cheater. I can never empathise with a character that leads people on, purposeful or not. I'm totally in love with Ozmafia!! and can't wait for it to come out, but I still can't wrap myself around its love triangle routes. But... such is the life of a 100% completist, and I must do it or I'll go mad.

spicy_diamond wrote:I put 'Somewhat'. But really? If Akira Ishida is in it, that's enough to bump an 'I don't know' into a 'Yes please'. There's a couple other seiyuu I've started to keep a heads up on, but he's the only one who will push me into buying something.

THIS IS EXACTLY ME...........

^ LOL, I think the "Skeens" part was the giveaway, hee hee.

Laramie Castiel wrote: LOL, true, true. I find that conversation about the game itself rarely lasts long, or the thread just "dies". I'm glad these forums aren't strict about going off-topic. I think that specific-game threads are a great way for fans to come together and become buddies.

If it was strict we would probably be in a bit of trouble! Haha, but I really enjoy how no one here is really high strung. Everything is pretty chill and just happens naturally and that's probably why I enjoy posting with everyone here. I agree that it basically helps whoever has played said game just become friends with other people who have also played it.

Laramie Castiel wrote:Srsly, can somebody please explain to me how Toradora is supposedly a better rom-com than the others? [...]Speaking of tongue twisters... [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]! Doesn't screw up the tongue twister a single time. *Swoons* (●♡∀♡)

Taiga is a unique Shana Clone, that's how. That is talent, it took me 10 seconds to realize that was actual Japanese.

Laramie Castiel wrote:

eigengrau wrote:It's just that halfway I lose patience and I have this weird thing that when I get too attached to a character, when I play for another route I feel like I'm cheating (it's okay, you can laugh, I'd laugh at me too xD) and if it's isn't as "good" as the previous character's route I end up quitting xD

orz orz orz

LOL, me too!Especially if I really liked the character. I foolishly did Miyaji's route in Starry Sky first... so when I was going after Homare and Azusa, I felt so sorry for and disloyal to my Tsukiko's Ryuu-chan. Also, especially if it's a dark game, where the love interests have really terrible problems and "you're" the only one that seems to be able to help them. It feels kinda crap to know that they'll go under one day when I'm prancing off happy with some other dude.

That's why when some games have 3P endings or routes, I feel like a total cheater. I can never empathise with a character that leads people on, purposeful or not. I'm totally in love with Ozmafia!! and can't wait for it to come out, but I still can't wrap myself around its love triangle routes. But... such is the life of a 100% completist, and I must do it or I'll go mad.

I'm also one of those people who feels that way about "cheating". XP ALSO, I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE. Leading people on is horrible it makes it really hard for me to like a character like that. If I get attached to a character that I finished the route for in the beginning I will go back after 100% completion and just play his route so I can be like, "This is what really happened, the end~" I can't play any otome games where the main idea or a main storyline involves cheating on your lover. (and there are a couple out there.) I either avoid them at all costs or if it's one route I try to get through it quickly.

I'm OK with the 3P endings if it doesn't feel like anyone in the relationship is being ignored.

Well, If your a seiyuu lover then its definitely a factor~ Otome games are more livelier if there are voices (especially when it your favorite seiyuu then sometimes you can't help but fall in love with that character just because of the seiyuu)

Favorites: Nobuhiko Okamoto, Tetsuya Kakihara, Mamoru Miyano if only they an otome game together~

I'm not that much of a seyuu fan o:

I care more about the plot of the game than the seyuu x3. If it has seyuus in it, I just consider it a bonus :3

I don't really mind who the seiyuus are, or even if there are seiyuus (in the case of many English otomes).

That being said, if I play a game with a character I really really like, including their seiyuu, I usually go and look at what other characters they voice.

Topaztan wrote:I'm also one of those people who feels that way about
"cheating". XP ALSO, I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE. Leading people on is horrible
it makes it really hard for me to like a character like that.
If I get attached to a character that I finished the route for in the
beginning I will go back after 100% completion and just play his route
so I can be like, "This is what really happened, the end~" I can't play
any otome games where the main idea or a main storyline involves
cheating on your lover. (and there are a couple out there.) I either
avoid them at all costs or if it's one route I try to get through it
quickly.

I'm OK with the 3P endings if it doesn't feel like anyone in the relationship is being ignored.

I'm glad I'm not the only one, too! However, I just convince myself that my favourite character's ending is canon and leave it at that. In cases of darker stories, I just try and forget about the guilt, LOL. I want my man harem, but at the same time, I don't like the idea of spreading myself around. Contradictions, anyone? :S

The upcoming (and delayed) "Butterfly Lip" centres around a possible route to "cheat" on your current boyfriend. Given it doesn't have anything else interesting going for it (well, except for Hirakawa Daisuke AND Kishio Daisuke), I won't be playing it. I hear mixed opinions about the R18+ "Gin no Kanmuri, Ao no Namida", where the protagonist is a wife in an unhappy marriage that ends up cheating on her husband. There is supposedly a route for you to "try and work it out" with the husband, though. I'm interested, yet sort of hesitant.

My philosophy on monogamy is screwed up, so I don't stick to it when playing games that are clearly targeted towards people with a "normal moral compass" on this subject matter.

Like I've mentioned before (or somewhere else), I'll still give Ozmafia a shot. I'll hope that they'll handle the love triangle/possible cheating thing a lot better than other media.

Laramie Castiel wrote:
I'm glad I'm not the only one, too! However, I just convince myself that my favourite character's ending is canon and leave it at that. In cases of darker stories, I just try and forget about the guilt, LOL. I want my man harem, but at the same time, I don't like the idea of spreading myself around. Contradictions, anyone? :S

The upcoming (and delayed) "Butterfly Lip" centres around a possible route to "cheat" on your current boyfriend. Given it doesn't have anything else interesting going for it (well, except for Hirakawa Daisuke AND Kishio Daisuke), I won't be playing it. I hear mixed opinions about the R18+ "Gin no Kanmuri, Ao no Namida", where the protagonist is a wife in an unhappy marriage that ends up cheating on her husband. There is supposedly a route for you to "try and work it out" with the husband, though. I'm interested, yet sort of hesitant.

My philosophy on monogamy is screwed up, so I don't stick to it when playing games that are clearly targeted towards people with a "normal moral compass" on this subject matter.

Like I've mentioned before (or somewhere else), I'll still give Ozmafia a shot. I'll hope that they'll handle the love triangle/possible cheating thing a lot better than other media.

I like to pretend end the game with my favorite character being the "canon" end as well. Otome games are full of contradictions, of course the players will have contradictions too. I just tell myself it's okay in otome. You know it's true when it rhymes.

Butterfly Lip doesn't sound like something I'll be picking up, but I'd be interested in hearing how it works out though once someones played it. I've heard of Gin no Kanmuri, Ao no Namida, I think that Aromarie makes the names of their games too long. Apparently the make the heroine's husband a real jerk so she's somehow "justified" in cheating, but in his route the husband is "justified" in being a jerk. There is also a 3P ending. That's as much as I know.

I'm not sure I can say I have a "normal moral compass" when it comes to anything, but I place a lot of importance on loyalty, but I'm also somewhat okay with a three-way relationship, as long as everyone is equally loyal. I-I'm not sure how that works exactly though.

Honestly, I'm looking forward to OZMAFIA, apparently there were only two people working on the game this whole time. .___. We will just have to wait and see... (I have the need to spell the title in all caps, ignore me.)

Topaztan wrote:I like to pretend end the game with my
favorite character being the "canon" end as well. Otome games are full
of contradictions, of course the players will have contradictions too. I
just tell myself it's okay in otome. You know it's true when it rhymes.

If I have more than one favourite, I just move onto the next game and pretend it all works out for everyone. It took me some reading over to look for the rhyme, but I realised it was a pronunciation thing. Not trying to sound like a dick- I read all Japanese words in my heard without putting a Western spin on it, so yeah. And yes, if it rhymes, it's true.

Topaztan wrote:Butterfly Lip doesn't sound like something I'll be picking up,
but I'd be interested in hearing how it works out though once someones
played it. I've heard of Gin no Kanmuri, Ao no Namida, I think
that Aromarie makes the names of their games too long. Apparently the
make the heroine's husband a real jerk so she's somehow "justified" in
cheating, but in his route the husband is "justified" in being a jerk.
There is also a 3P ending. That's as much as I know.

Yeah, I wonder if it's gonna be a bit like "School Days". School Days was such a mediocre game, and had 21 endings (I think) so it made my head spin. To make things worse, there aren't any memorial sections! I played the older release, though, not HQ. Haha, sorry if you haven't played School Days before; this would make little sense.

LOL yeah, Aromarie is heading dangerously close to nukige territory in terms on naming. Nukige love to make super-long titles that pretty much shoves everything it's about in one fucking long sentence. Well, this is a shorter title (mature content):

Spoiler:

Seiyuus are not that important to me because when I when I play an otome game, I tend to base it more on the art and the plot because those seen more important. For me, if a seiyuu I like is in it, I consider it a bonus.

Laramie Castiel wrote:If I have more than one favourite, I just move onto the next game and pretend it all works out for everyone. ;) It took me some reading over to look for the rhyme, but I realised it was a pronunciation thing. Not trying to sound like a dick- I read all Japanese words in my heard without putting a Western spin on it, so yeah. And yes, if it rhymes, it's true.

I don't know what I would do if there was ever a game where I liked every single character. Too difficult to make decisions. FFFF, otome games are not for the indecisive.
You don't sound like a dick, you're not as mean as you think. xD I had a few issues with that rhyme when I posted it,in the end I was like, "screw it, songs warp words to make them rhyme all the time." But I won't blame you for being confused.

Laramie Castiel wrote:Yeah, I wonder if it's gonna be a bit like "School Days". School Days was such a mediocre game, and had 21 endings (I think) so it made my head spin. To make things worse, there aren't any memorial sections! I played the older release, though, not HQ. Haha, sorry if you haven't played School Days before; this would make little sense.

LOL yeah, Aromarie is heading dangerously close to nukige territory in terms on naming. Nukige love to make super-long titles that pretty much shoves everything it's about in one fucking long sentence. Well, this is a shorter title (mature content):

Spoiler:

Nah, I've played School Days as well. I mean it's one of the most popular VNs, I could only ignore it for so long. Gonna admit I was disappointed with the story and the characters. But for an eroge that came out in '05 it wasn't that bad.

I wonder who comes up with names for nukige, and then I wonder who actually approves them!? Japan, stop getting ideas from Quizilla.

Spoiler:

Typically It's just a bonus for me if a seiyuu I like is in the game. Although I have to say I got UtaPri primarily because I love Takuma Terishima and went after Kanato in DiaLovers first because of his Seiyuu >.>

I do have this though, where If I hear a voice actor I like is in a game, I'll want it when it comes to English VAs. Anything with Mona Marshall in it gets a buy from me. Its sad though since I haven't seen anything from her recently... Fact I'm replaying P3P just so I can hear her voice Ken... I'm also like this with Yuri Lowenthall and Todd Haberkorn, but not to the point I buy everything they're in. If they ever play in something like Rune Factory or Persona though, I'm on that like butter on toast. I'm sorry for being a VA dork... Especially since I seem to like VA's everyone in most community's ive seen hate ;A;

I put not at all because I know maybe two seiyuus by name and while I do know more English voice actors, I won't spring on something just because they're in it.
Also in the US there are several states where voice acting is done. Texas houses Funimation and Sentai Filmworks, California holds many video game companies, and I think New York has some places up there as well. This somewhat divides the small talent pool. There are a few voice actors who travel between states to do voice overs, but not everyone does. There is also union versus non-union voice actors.

Topaztan wrote:Nah, I've played School Days as well. I mean it's one of the most
popular VNs, I could only ignore it for so long. Gonna admit I was
disappointed with the story and the characters. But for an eroge that
came out in '05 it wasn't that bad.

It's by no means bad, but it's totally overrated. I ended up getting very disappointed. The only reason why I played it in the first place was because of the endings. I just don't understand how the obsession with Makoto cultivated. Out of everyone, Sekai is probably the most understandable (given that she actually spent time with him). The novelty of it being animated certainly helped. I'm sure it wouldn't have got half the interest if it wasn't animated.

Topaztan wrote:I wonder who comes up with names for nukige, and then I wonder who actually approves them!? Japan, stop getting ideas from Quizilla.

LOL. I'm sure the mentality that "the boys are just playing this for the smex" applies here. Just tell them everything they need to know in the title, and you're good! Since, you know, they're too busy wanking to actually read plot summaries, of course! ;P LMAO, yeah, I'm half-considering playing the DL Site one because of the hilarious title. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] (possible NSFW) has people posting pretty funny titles.

SunshinexKite wrote:Typically It's just a bonus for me if a seiyuu I like is in the game.
Although I have to say I got UtaPri primarily because I love Takuma
Terishima and went after Kanato in DiaLovers first because of his Seiyuu
>.>

I like Kaji Yuuki, too! He seems to get divided opinions, though. It's either you like him or you don't.

SunshinexKite wrote:I'm sorry for being a VA dork... Especially since I seem to like VA's everyone in most community's ive seen hate ;A;

Dude, it's totally cool here. I'm easily the biggest seiyuu dork on this forum. You should see my stalker lists if in doubt~

Shymel wrote:Also in the US there are several states where voice acting is done.
Texas houses Funimation and Sentai Filmworks, California holds many
video game companies, and I think New York has some places up there as
well. This somewhat divides the small talent pool. There are a few
voice actors who travel between states to do voice overs, but not
everyone does. There is also union versus non-union voice actors.

That was an interesting read, since I'm not too familiar with how voice acting industry in the Western world operates. In the US, it seems to be spread around, but in Japan, Tokyo is where it's at. Of course, the other provinces have agencies, but 90% of the big stars operate in Tokyo. Tokyo is the "otaku" hub, after all!

Am I the only one who chose the first choice? Ehehe~~

Yes, seiyuu is the most important thing to me along with the story plot to decide will or not play otome game. I'm still open to new seiyuu, but if there's no one who recommend me a game with seiyuu I don't know, I will play game based of my favorite seiyuu. The second is music and then the art

Let see, so far I will play Otome game which have Sugiyama Noriaki, Hino Satoshi, Yusa Kouji and Kaji Yuki (my current bias) xD But, right now I'm playing Eikoku Tantei Mysteria (I don't know all the casts in this game).

So it turns out I'm one of the 4 people who couldn't care less about the names behind the voices, haha.

Now before you jump and strangle me to death, I need to explain myself: I'm the type to almost never (want to) remember the name of the person behind the voice. I don't really need to, frankly. Sure, I'm amazed at the people who know all of them by heart and can recognize each and every voice upon hearing it. But that's not what I'm looking for. 

For me, the voice is the character's, what I want to hear is his or her joy and sadness, relief and excitement. I want to hear that character, and not the voice actor. If I were to be specifically aware of an actor's identity, it would come to the inevitable fact that I would be comparing the voices he made in various works. Which is fine for some, since I know they listen to the voice specifically for that, but not for me. I'm here for the plot and the characters. When I read something, I want to be immersed in the story, I want to plunge in all of its depths, to be moved by it and believe it-- for that limited time that I'm reading-- to be real. And sadly, a lot of the time... I wouldn't be able to do that knowing the man/ woman behind it. It's like in a movie or a TV show, when you see a ridiculously well-known actor, say Bruce Willis. You're not really focusing on the character, you're not really focusing on the story, but more on the fact that "it's Bruce Willis". 

That is not to say that I do not care about the voice acting. I care A LOT. It's just that as long as it's a GOOD and heartfelt portrayal of the character, as long as I can be moved by his emotions, I couldn't care less if it's a newbie or a well-known actor. Name doesn't matter. Even great actors can portray a character horribly simply because they didn't fit it or they couldn't connect with it well enough.

So yeah, I usually don't even bother with reading the names of the seiyuus. That doesn't mean that it doesn't happen that some names still stick around in my memory. If during the course of my anime watching/game playing/ CD listening, I happen to come across a particular voice that I enjoy very much and I start recognizing, chances are I WILL Google details about that specific voice actor/actress. Or if some character had such an exceptional voice portrayal, one that moved me so much I forgot it wasn't real (that is however very rare, since it would have to be an exceptional one, one that would be kept fresh in my memory for a long time), I would, again, Google that actor.

I am sometimes hit by curiosity and search to find out who did "this" or "that" voice and then Google what other roles he/she did (and occasionally gape at how impossible it is that he voiced two polar opposite characters O_o )

But even so, I will not buy or be influenced to buy a game that doesn't perk my interest in terms of plot/setting/characters in any way simply because it has a seiyuu that I've liked in the past. To me, that is not a guarantee that I would like that game. For that, I could just buy some Drama CDs or something that features only that actor, if it's the voice that interests me :p

I chose the first one, but mostly because most of the exposure I get from otome games are from their seiyuu events anyway (Otomate Party, etc). Hence, often find out half their cast before I know what the story about. 
When I pick up games, a lot of the times, the cast is literally the only thing I know (as well as what their characters look like), so it's not like I have anything else except their voice cast to base my decision upon. 
However, if I do find a game with a potentially awesome storyline, or great music or art style or whatever, I will definitely play it regardless of voice actors (as long as I can get my hands on it). 

Though I think this tumblr post also puts it very nicely: [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]