Dairy of Hazuki

On Voltage Inc. Apps- March 2016

After reading @http://reinasescape.tumblr.com/post/140410990343/chiapeto-otomebear-chiapeto-you-know-i 

I agree with all the above statements. I remember when the good old ones were put aside for new ones, such as Seduced in the Sleepless City (brought back as Sleepless Cinderella), Pirates in Love, A Knight's Devotion. I even remember when Gree shut down. I love the new stories, and the new guys. But, and I don't know if this is just me, I feel that the love stories and plots themselves are becoming... more shallow. Not shallow as in fake, but shallow as in forced, not natural, or rather lacking in depth. I remember reading the stories of Knight's Devotion and Pirates in Love and creasing my brow in worry, or yelling back at the characters. Now, not as much. It could also be that my experience playing Voltage has caught up with me and I'm becoming able to predict more and more of the writing styles. But I feel that in many ways the spark has... gone. Of course, Knight's Devotion and Pirates in Love are high fantasy settings, as opposed to the more modern and increasingly metropolitan settings.

I enjoyed Class Trip Crush, First love Diaries, Dreamy Days in West Tokyo, and Kiss Me on Clover Hill, however there is only so much that can be written with school themes. Kiss Me on Clover Hill was a little fresher as it centered around university instead of high school. It also brought more mature themes such as thinking about one's future and career. However, not only was the setting limiting, but the characters too. There is the popular guy #1 good at sports, popular guy #2 nice guy, the quiet guy with a cool hobby, the cutie with a mischievous streak, and the bookish/smart one who teases our MC about her intelligence (lookin' at you Homare). With restricting setting and cast, there is only so much diversity possible for plot lines, which is quite a shame. The newest app, After School Affairs is another school setting, but this time with a twist. It's from the teacher point of view.

While it does provide a new point of view, it still feels somewhat recycled. Once again, while this does provide ample setting for embarrassing, awkward, or comic situation, the cohabitation becomes dry. Accidentally walking in on someone in the shower will always be comic gold, but when reused in many platforms it goes from 24 karat to 20 karat. Many apps have been successful without the need of cohabitation, and recently it has been appearing more and more. I believe a certain physical distance is healthy for a budding relationship, and provides plot diversity. In reality, while living with people allows you to become closer, it also can make you hate someone. Anyone who has ever had a bad roommate can relate. The idea of living together is also, in my mind, and important and big relationship step or rather leap, that should be taken seriously and when a couple is ready. I like the living together setting, but I feel that it has been overused in most recent apps, and many readers can relate more to saying goodbye and goodnight to a lover at the door, rather then the hallway.

The dramas of In Your Arms Tonight, Be My Princess, My Sweet Bodyguard, and Love Letter From Thief X I think are what contribute to the continued interest. It is not only the development and beginning of relationship, but these settings also allow for the story to be continued. Of course all four of these are seeing less and less activity which pains me greatly, but I believe that with proper attention, these and more could be brought back to the spotlight.

However this does not mean that the new ones should be pushed aside either. New settings add spice to what is known, because even being a princess can become routine. I personally would really enjoy more crossovers. If Voltage could create an app that outlines/maps the entire Voltage universe, I would be very happy to pay. By this I mean, it would show where/how each of the settings are located in relation to one another. For example the newer ones can all likely be clustered around Tokyo. But Pirates in Love and Knight's Devotion could be located on another dimension together. Perhaps in the past, along with Sakura Admist Chaos (being the MC's Island of Yamato). Then if the app were to release short stories, somewhat like Sweet Cafe but more regularly, in addition to events (often holiday themed) I think it would be very successful. It would also be successful if it allowed users to interact with one another somewhat like a social app. Oops. That was a tangent from the assertion, in fact a very large tangent... Sorry, but anyway my main argument is that as a fan base, we are not necessarily looking for new material, in fact and I feel confident speaking for many of us, we already have characters we love. What I would like to see is even more gradual stories of love, not just strangers to dating, dating to marriage; but how love grows and changes as time passes. That is the reason I often invest in sub stories on the side of seasons and sequels.

Overall I would simply like to see voltage not only establish, but take effort to develop relationships between us and our guys. I would like to feel the fluttery heart and cold sweats again. I like the dramatized plots because, the point of fiction is to create another world, to allow the readers/viewers/consumers to immerse themselves in. In conclusion, the summary of this long ramble is that i hope that Voltage Inc. continues to supply us with wonderful material (plot and guy) to squeal and fangirl over, and I hope they revisit the "good ol' classics" and bring them back with a zest.

~Hazuki T.