This is the fandisc for Birushana Senki that includes ‘after stories’ for the main routes and ‘new routes’ for the sub characters. The main routes take place after the main game story (they are also noticeably shorter) but the sub routes actually continue off of the beginning of the main game’s story. If you’re more interested in the main characters and not the sub characters, be aware this game puts more focus on the sub character’s routes and the main ones are much shorter!
After stories
Taira no Noritsune (CV: Kawanishi Kengo)
Shanao and Noritsune are living as a married couple in a small village after the both of them abandoned Genji and Heikei with their “deaths”. Since Shanao has to essentially hide her identity of being Yoshitsune, she no longer uses her sword and has to try and spend her time more leisurely. One day they decide to spend their day off in the grass fields and Shanao makes Noritsune a flower bracelet. He tries to make one too but fails miserably so he vows to someday master it ((lol)). On their way back, it starts to rain so they head back home and dry each other off while also basking in each other’s warmth to stay dry (with Noritsune being firm on wanting to help Shanao dry off 😂).
Unfortunately, Shanao starts getting insecure about her and Noritsune ‘s intimacy because each time they kiss and cuddle it ends there. So Shanao tries to confront him about it and he of course confirms he’s in love with her but she wants more from him. This causes Noritsune to passionately push her down on the floor but just as he’s about to make love to her he just suddenly stops and says it’s too early for them to do that. The next day, their awkwardness is cut short by the fact Shigehira and Tomomori suddenly appear. They apparently just randomly started searching for Shanao and Noritsune cause they just had a feeling they may be alive.The two of them start flirting with Shanao who is now dressed as a woman which severly pisses Noritsune off. After they leave, Noritsune’s jealousy just fuels his need for sexy kiss times. Shanao actually likes seeing him jealous because it’s proof of how much she means to him. So after this they hear about Heikei warriors becoming bandits after losing to Genji. Noritsune and Shanao become worried about them attacking their village so Noritsune decides to try and stop them. Meanwhile, Shanao still has to hide the fact she fights so she can hide her identity. Because of this, she holds herself back from helping in battle and goes hunting with Tomomori and Shigehira.
The two of them can already tell she hates not being able to use a sword but more than that there’s clearly something else on her mind. So Shanao actually confides in Tomomori and Shigehira the fact she and Noritsune are having intimacy issues ((LOL)). They try and help but asking if she’s tried leading him on first but when she says she has, it shocks them 🤣. They tell her to try it on them for practice but she tells them to bug off already. Noritsune suddenly dashes to her rescue and gets pissed they’re teasing her again. Shanao tells him it’s fine and that they didn’t really do anything. She tells him that she merely wanted advice from them on how to get closer with him.The next day a kid goes missing so Noritsune and Shanao go out looking for him with some other villagers. When they find the boy, they’re suddenly ambushed by the rumored bandits. Noritsune manages to defeat them but one of them try to attack Noritsune from behind so Shanao is quick to pick up a sword and protect him. The fact Noritsune and Shanao, a woman, are so strong makes the villagers suspicious. However, Tomomori and Shigehira arrive and when they see what’s going on, they defend them since it’s only because of them the villagers are alive. In addition, Tomomori decides to fabricate a story that Shanao was an escort who used a sword along with Noritsune.Although it’s a white lie, Noritsune and Shanao can now live without hiding who they are. Meanwhile, Shigehira and Tomomori are being trolls again by asking why the heck he hasn’t gone all the way with someone as lovely as Shanao. Noritsune gets extremely embarrassed and annoyed they’re talking about this and didn’t realize exactly what Shanao was referring to until now. Apparently there’s a reason why Noritsune never went further in their relationship and he tells Shana the next day. He had the villagers prepare a mochi for him for some sort of marriage tradition he wanted to do first. Well, apparently he did it wrong anyway so it didn’t matter!!! In the end, the two of them finally bang.
Thoughts: I feel like Noritsune is a fan favorite among english otome players which I totally get because he was definitely one of my favorite routes in the original game. Unfortunately, because this route was so short I was kinda left wanting more esp since Noritsune was so insecure most of this route lol. I really wanted to see more sweet scenes like when they were making flower crowns but ah, well… all of the routes were pretty short so what can you do!! Still a cute route nevertheless.
Benkei Musashibou (CV: Umehara Yuuichirou)
Shanao and Benkei have been living at the Kurama temple while Benkei has been recovering from his injuries from their last battle. They decide it’s time they leave since Shanao is a woman and can’t stay at a priest’s temple. They decide to go to Hiraizumi to talk to Hidehira and reveal that Shanao is a woman but keep their relationship a secret since a servant and a princess of Genji would be unapproved of. So Benkei and Shanao make their way to Hiraizumi while making stops on the way to rest (and make out lmao). They eventually help a man who’s stuck near the mountain top and after saving him, he allows Shanao and Benkei to stay in an empty hut since it’s getting dark. The two of them almost get it on while they’re kissing but Benkei stops himself before he goes too far (ig lol). After they leave, they take shelter from rain in a cave. Because they get too wet they have no choice but to take off their clothes and they cuddle to keep warm with Benkei being as gentle as she can with Shanao. After this, they finally arrive in Hiraizumi and confront Hidehira. Shanao reveals that she was actually a woman and apologizes for deceiving him. Fortunately, he’s okay with it and doesn’t intend to punish her for it. They decide to have a feast to celebrate Shanao’s return and reunite with Shungen and the others. Everyone, except Shungen, is surprised to find out she’s a woman and exclaim how cute and beautiful she is.The constant comments of them make Benkei jealous but he has to hold his tongue since they’re keeping their relationship a secret. That night, Tadanobu suggests they show her around the city which she agrees to. Unfortunately, Benkei is nowhere to be seen. After Shanao hangs out with everyone, she visits Benkei’s room at night and asks where he’s been since she’s missed him all day. She tells him she doesn’t want to leave him and insists she stays in his room but he tells her they can’t since they’re keeping their relationship a secret. Shanao agrees and almost leaves but Benkei stops her because he can’t take not being with her any longer. He makes out with her and admits he avoided her because he’s been thirsty for her all day and wouldn’t be able to resist lol.
The next day, Benkei and Shanao hang out with some kids they met before but now they see Shanao is actually a woman and not a man. After playing with them, they realize they too would like to start a family and decide they’ll tell Hidehira they intend to leave the next morning. Unfortunately, Hidehira calls Shanao to speak with her and suggests that she marry his son. He’s against this but Hidehira believes it would be in the best interest of keeping peace and strengthening their relationship. Shanao doesn’t know what to say since she obviously doesn’t want this but then Benkei suddenly speaks up saying he won’t allow it and reveals Shanao is his wife.
[idk if its the angle or what but why does Benkei’s head look so small here???]
This shocks everyone but Hidehira is surprisingly okay with it because he ultimately just wants Shanao to be happy (because he likes being a father figure to her lol). He decides to prepare a small wedding ceremony for the two of them where they dress up and celebrate. Shanao and Benkei officially make their vows to each other and after that they plan to leave Hiraizumi to start their life together. Tsugunobu and Tadanobu are jelly as per usual so they playfully duel with Benkei to see if he’s worthy of being Shanao’s husband. After that, Shanao and Benkei leave and Shanao has a dream she’s pregnant with Benkei’s baby. After she tells him about that dream he tells her well let’s make it a reality and so they bang.
Thoughts: Again, these routes are really short so its hard to really give my opinion on them but I guess it was okay?? I mean, Benkei is kinda ok to me but hes a bit too ‘daddy’ material for me. Ig if you really like Benkei you’ll enjoy the spiciness in his route but it doesnt last very long. I feel kinda bad too cuz Benkei felt like he needed the most redemption after his route in the original game.
Minamoto no Yoritomo (CV: Furukawa Makoto)
Shanao is gradually recovering from her injuries with her last battle at Yoritomos’s residence. The rest of her servants all know she’s a woman now since she told them after the battle with Heikei. After Shanao visits the town for the first time in a while, she’s called back by Yoritomo who literally doesn’t say a word until they get back to his room and he just starts making out with Shanao ((omfg horny, aren’t we???)). Shanao cuts things short and asks if there’s something wrong. He admits all he can think about is her and he doesn’t want her going out on patrol. Shanao assures him she’s fine but she also wants to help him rebuild Genji. Yoritomo finally complies to her being on patrol duty but eventually has the problem of the imperial court pressuring him to find a wife to improve their relations.In order to distract them from this, the two of them decide to take a trip together in the mountains. Shanao dresses as a woman and Yoritomo also wears normal non-war clothing so the two of them just look like a normal couple. They visit a waterfall after some old guy tells them a story about it. Yoritomo literally carries Shanao across and before he lets her down he jokes about carrying her all the way home ((😂)). Shanao reminds him that he never responded when she told him about one of her patrol stories and he tells her just because he doesn’t say anything doesn’t mean he isn’t listening because he remembers everything she says 🥺.
They go to the waterfall and Shanao feeds the water to Yoritomo but after doing so he grabs her hand and kisses it. After they have another make out, they go to the beach and walk around it with their feet in the water. Eventually Shanao gets her kimono wet so they sit down but of course Yoritomo gets horny so they bang on the beach. Afterwards, Yoritomo suggests the two of them just run away and abandon their title but she tells him he’s got a path and she intends to follow him on it no matter where it takes them. So Yoritomo has no choice but to settle this marriage dilemma once and for all. He visits the emperor again but this time brings Shanao and Hidehira.
Yoritomo goes on to explain that he intends to marry into Hidehira’s family to strengthen their ties and in doing so he’ll marry “Shanao” who he claims to be Hidehira’s daughter. In addition, he reveals Shanao is actually a woman and not related to Yoritomo. The emperor already calls him out on his bullshit but Hidehira is happy to say that Shanao is his step daughter now. The emperor decides to go along with it so now they can properly have a marriage ceremony. That night, Yoritomo gets upset at Shanao for not trusting that he would do whatever it takes for them to be together. Shanao starts crying and makes sure he knows he’s the most important person to her. They make up and make out — and then sexy times ensue.
Thoughts: Yoritomo was so damn horny in his after story omg. There was definitely plenty of spicy time for the both of them LOL. I actually really enjoyed his route because seeing a really Yoritomo that finally opens up is the best part of a quiet kuudere. It was also really sweet to hear that he always listens to what Shanao is saying even when he doesnt say much back. He clearly never ignores her he just sucks at responding I guess lmfao.
Shungen (CV: Saitou Souma)
Shanao and Shungen are now living peaceful lives after faking their death but continue to travel and conceal their identity by changing names. They go fishing with some kids and manage to catch some for dinner. Shanao wants to cook for Shungen even though she’s not as good as him but ends up making a subar meal thats too salty. Shungen doesn’t care though and eats it all. But because it’s so salty she wakes up seeing he’s chugging down water LOL. She feels bad about it so he suggests they have sexy time to make up for it. The next day, a traveling performing troupe suddenly appears and Shungen suggests they join so he and Shanao can easily get around without anyone getting suspicious.Shungen and Shanao eventually travel to a town where they perform for the first time with Shanao doing her dance and Shugen playing the flute. As they continue to perform, they gradually get fans and one of them seems particularly interested in Shungen from what Shanao can see. One evening, Shanao spots Shungen talking to this same girl who confesses her feelings. Shanao doesn’t want to see anymore so she runs away not sure of what she just witnessed. After that, this girl sends a love poem as well so Shanao feels weird being around Shungen because she misunderstands him liking this random girl (idk why she would though…). Eventually, Shanao gets distracted when she spots her again during one of their performances and accidentally falls down.
When Shanao wakes up, she’s visited by this same girl. Well, turns out the girl was only interested in Shanao because she’s a lone aristocrat who lost her family and her husband who actually looks similar to Shanao so it put her at ease ((lol okay??)). After that they make out because Shanao is glad no girl is after his man. The next day they’re invaded by a war lord to perform in front of a person claiming to he Yoshitsune. Shanao and Shungen know for a fact this person isn’t Yoshitsune so they come up with a plan to pretend Shanao is being possessed by the real Yoshitsune after performing an exorcism because supposedly Yoshitsune is giving bad vibes from the grave ((LOL)).
Yoritomo and her other servants all hear about the rumors about this too and basically know that she’s still alive ((I love how they all love Yoshitsune still lol)). Shanao and Shungen leave the troupe and decide to go off on their own again. Finally Shungen gets some alone time with Shanao so no surprise they finally get to bang it out alone in a room together.
Thoughts: I’d be lying if I said I cared about this route and I honestly really didn’t. Childhood friend tropes are my least fave and I wasnt really fond of Shungen in the first place so I didn’t really care much for his after story. It was a bit boring imo anyway; I hate dumb misunderstanding drama and the romance felt rushed anyway. Meh.
Taira no Tomomori (CV: Jun Fukuyama)
Shanao is now married to Tomomori which is a symbol of peace for Genji and Heikei. Shanao has been cooped up inside for the most part because Tomomori loves keeping her all to himself 😍. Unfortunately, he can see that she wants to go see her friends but he can’t help but admit he’ll be jealous if she does that. He even turns the question on her and asks if he was going to see a bunch of women how she’d feel about it. He can already tell she wouldn’t like it so he grabs her and takes her back to her room. Eventually, he does let her go see them though because her happiness is what is most important to him.When Shanao visits everyone, Tomomori constantly makes it clear that Shanao is his by saying things like “she’s my beautiful wife” LMAO 😂. They eventually visit Yoritomo who essentially threatens to reveal that Shanao isn’t actually Genji but Heikei so marrying him would make more sense. Tomomori gets annoyed and takes Shanao back to his mansion. Tomomori apologizes for it later though but Shanao admits she’s not mad. After this, Shanao has dreams about Rengetsu and so Tomomori comes to comfort her and help her eat since she’s been lacking an appetite. Unfortunately, she starts to avoid him and Tomomori because uneasy because he doesn’t understand why.Tomomori ends up sending Shanao to his villa so she can have some alone time in hopes that being less clingy will make her want him more when she sees him again. When he does see her, she acts fine but whenever he suggests staying longer with her she avoids it. Tomomori visits Shanao again and tells her he wants to know more about her so his world can be even more vibrant than when he was alone. Shanao reassures him he’s not alone anymore and wants to make new happy memories with him. That night, Tomomori meets Shanao in his dreams and when Shanao basically admits she wants him to touch her more — he appears in reality when she wakes up (lmao).
Tomomori tries to bang Shanao but before they can go any further Shanao stops him and says she needs more time. Tomomori is just confused at this point but accepts it. The next day, Tomomori finds out that Shanao is sending letters to Yoritomo and barges into his manor after he learns that Shanao set up a meeting with him. Apparently this was all so Shanao could meet with Touko’s son who she left behind when she died. When Shanao meets with him, Tomomori joins her and they teach him how to write. Apparently Shanao wanted to meet with him because she heard him crying for his mother in a dream and she also wanted to confirm whether or not he inherited his mother’s power.
Shanao admits the reason she didn’t want to bang Tomomori is because she’s worried their future child will have their powers. Shanao starts crying because she feels bad that she hurt Tomomori by avoiding him but he tells her it’s fine since he misunderstood the situation in the first place. He tells her that while it’s true their children probably inherit their powers, Tomomori reassures her that they’ll be loving parents that protect them. After that, they finally bang because Tomomori is Tomohorny. A few months later, Shanao feels sick and believes she’s pregnant.
Thoughts: Its funny you really think Tomomori would be super possessive of Shanao and just keep her locked up all the time but in reality, he’s actually very accommodating to her. He pretty much treats her like a queen and loves to show her off lmfao. Overall his route was enjoyable… def left me wanting more. Although I didn’t really expect Tomomori to be so eager in having kids with Shanao esp since he doesn’t give ‘good dad’ vibes at all but ig according to him hes gonna treat his kids good LOL.
Sub-Character Routes
Tadanobu Satou (CV: Konishi Katsuyuki)
Shanao is living in Hiraizumi peacefully while trying to decide what path to take (in terms of fighting for Genji or not). While Shanao and the others go on patrol, Tadanobu apparently got dumped by a girl who wasn’t interested in him because he’s too much of a himbo (LOL). He goes on about he loves girls and tries to ask if everyone else feels the same but they all just shrug it off as something they’re not really interested in. Tadanobu quickly compliments Shanao for being the only nice one to him unlike his brother ((😂)). After this, they patrol a town that has it’s supplies constantly stolen by people of Emishi and decide to deal with it before going back to Hiraizumi.Shanao can’t sleep at night so she goes out for some fresh air. She meets Tadanobu there and tells him she admires how seriously he takes his job. He thanks her but notices that she seems troubled and she explains she feels like she’s running away from the path she should take. Tadanobu tells her that’s not true and she’s just taking a detour to figure out what she wants. Tadanobu admits he wasn’t sure how to feel about her and the others before because he never met anyone outside of Hiraizumi, but he admits he admires her a lot and even jokes about it being love at first sight even though she’s a man ((so he thinks LOL)). Shanao hopes they can reach an understanding with the Emishi since they’re people as well.The next day, Shanao and Tadanobu end up separating from everyone else to chase down Emishi attackers. They chase them until they reach their village where Shanao has to stop Tadanobu from attacking since ther are women and children present. An older man tells them they stole supplies only to get someone from Kyoto to come to their village. They tell them they no longer wish to fight and have no men left to do so and just wish to live in peace. They literally beg Shanao to stop the fighting and so Shanao tells them she’ll try to make it happen. When they leave, Tadanobu apologizes for dismissing them so soon just because they were Emishi.When they get back to Hiraizumi, they report this matter to Hidehira and he agrees they should end this pointless conflict. He says he’ll let them have land to live on so as long as they’re supervised by someone. Shanao offers to do so since she feels it’s her responsibility now. They don’t think someone from Kyoto would make sense so Tadanobu and the others step in to accompany her as well. After this, the Emishi people move to a better warmer area where they can easily catch fish for food and live peacefully. Shanao and the others help them build homes so they can live there and Tadanobu admits to Shanao he’s really glad they gave the Emishi people a chance thanks to her.Since they’re all working so hard, Shanao ends up overworking herself and falls off a ladder. She injuries herself slightly so everyone recommends she takes the day off. One of the people there recommend she bathes in a natural hot spring he found in the mountains and so she agrees to it. She figures no one will come since no one is around. Unfortunately Tadanobu comes running and yelling out her name when he heard she got hurt. Right when he arrives he goes speechless to see Shanao is actually a woman. She tells him to leave and so he leaves in an embarrassed panic ((omfgg 😂😂😂🤣)). Shanao figures she’s gotta address this so she tries to talk to him about it.
Tadanobu says he had no idea and immediately apologizes. He tells her he’ll forget the whole thing. Shanao also apologizes for hiding it but asks if he’ll keep it a secret. He agrees to do so but unfortunately he just can’t act normal anymore and keeps being super overprotective around her. Shanao finally talks to Tadanobu privately about this and asks him to act more normal. He profusely apologizes for it but Shanao knows he’s not doing it on purpose. Shungen then appears because he could tell Tadanobu knew Shanao’s identity and tells him he needs to stop acting so weird around Shanao because it makes everyone else suspicious.Tadanobu asks why she was raised as a man in the first place and Shanao tells him it’s so she could fight against Heikei. Tadanobu doesn’t like that she can’t live as she is, but agrees to try and act more normal. Meanwhile, Yoritomo is getting ready to send troops out to fight Heikei so they send a messenger to Shanao to let her know. Unfortunately some Hiraizumi soldiers that have been watching Shanao and the others as they work don’t want to risk Hiraizumi getting caught in the middle of the battle between Genji and Heikei. For that reason, they lie to the messenger and say they’ll tell Shanao themselves. They don’t actually intend to tell her and want Shanao to stay with the Emishi people.Shanao and the others continue to help build the small village and eventually they finish. It’s then they hear from a soldier that Yoritomo has already gone to battle against Heikei. All of them are shocked and immediately go back to Hiraizumi and explain to Hidehira they never got the message. Either way, Shanao decides she’s going to fight Heikei. However, Tadanobu doesn’t agree that she should fight because of how risky it is. He almost reveals she’s a woman but Shanao stops him and tells him that this is a decision she made for herself not because she has to. Tadanobu immediately apologizes for disrespecting her decision and asks if he can be her vassal to help fight alongside her. Tsugunobu agrees to this idea and asks her to make him and his brother her retainers. With Hidehira’s approval, Shanao agrees to it.When they make it to Kyoto, Shanao explains her situation to Yoritomo and he agrees to let her join his army. He’s still cold towards her though and has high expectations which puts more pressure on Shanao. Tadanobu wants to cheer up Shanao so he decides to have a duel with everyone. He claims the winner gets to have one wish granted by Shanao so everyone is eager to win so he doesn’t wish something ridiculous. In the end, Tadanobu wins but asks Shanao to hang out with him for a day. They visit the mountains where Shanao grew up and she visits the monk who raised her. After this, Tadanobu can tell this cheered her up and tells her he’s glad to see he smile again since it suits her best.Shanao realizes he did that whole competition to get her to come outside with him and thanks him wholeheartedly. He gets super embarrassed seeing her smile like that and can’t help but call her cute. This annoys Shanao since she doesn’t believe that word suits her but Tadanobu tells her he’s not trying to tease her and he really does think her happy expressions are beautiful ((he’s such a fucking charmer just end me)). He respects her for wanting to live as a man and still thinks she’s super strong but he can’t help but want to protect her regardless. He then grabs her hand but she instinctively pulls away. He remembers that she did this before and asks why.
Shanao tells him it’s because Tadanobu says he loves how small and beautiful women’s hands are and she thinks hers look dirty and rugged from using a sword all her life. Tadanobu gets annoyed at himself for saying that in the first place and grabs her hand gently. He tells her that she she always uses her hands in order to help other people even when they get dirty. To him hey’re the most beautiful hands he’s ever seen and that he loves them 🥺. He tells her that even though she’s living as a man who’s strong, she doesn’t want her to forget she’s a woman. He won’t let anyone hurt her and will always rush to her aid. He intends to support her both as a woman and a man.Finally, Shanao goes to battle with Yoritomo and the others. Since Tomomori hears that Shanao has joined the battle, he decides to join as well. Shanao ends up encountering Tomomori who was looking forward to seeing Shanao again. He fights her alongside Tadanobu who gets furious when he hears his name since Shanao told him about how Tomomori tried to capture her. Unfortunately, even though they get the upper hand by working together, Tomomori activates his power. He overpowers them and injuries Shanao since he believes she looks more beautiful covered in blood and scars. Before the battle can continue, Tomomori retreats after realizing Genji will win the battle. Tadanobu then carries an injured Shanao back to their camp to treat her.
Tadanobu feels terrible since he intended to protect her but couldn’t. He also realizes he was jealous of Tomomori because he has feelings for Shanao. After treating Shanao’s wounds, Yoritomo suddenly appears after looking for Shanao. Since Shanao had to remove her kimono for Tadanobu to help her, he immediately finds out she’s a woman and demands answers. Shanao explains to him her circumstances and tries to plea with him to allow her to continue to support Genji in battle. Unfortunately, this gives Yoritomo the idea to use Shanao as a tool for Genji ‘s gain. He intends to have her sent back to Kyoto in order to have a political marriage arranged for her. This is because he’s been speaking with the emperor on strengthening the ties with the imperial court.Shanao soon reveals this plan that Yoritomo has set up for her with everyone else. Tadanobu is furious that both him and Tomomori just want to use Shanao for their own gain instead of letting her do what she wants. Everyone is against it, including Shanao, but she feels she has no choice in the matter since her brother’s word is final. For the next few days, Shanao is stricken by the sadness of being unable to see her friends or Tadanobu again. But suddenly Tadanobu appears at her door and tells her he can’t bear to see her sad anymore and says he plans to kidnap her in order to take her away from this painful fate of hers. Shanao can’t resist crying any longer so she takes his hand and he pulls her into a hug as she cries about how she doesn’t want to become the wife of someone she doesn’t know if it’s not him.
Finally, Shanao realizes she’s in love with Tadanobu and tells him she intends to follow him wherever he goes. As they sneak out of the manor, Shanao is greeted by everyone else who was in on helping Tadanobu kidnap her ((ahh they’re all so sweet)). After helping Shanao escape, Genji wins the final battle with Heikei but Yoritomo reports to the emperor his sister has been kidnapped. He knows she’s headed to Hiraizumi and brings troops to invade and bring her back. When Shanao and the others find this out, Shanao had revealed to Hidehira about being a woman and her current situation. Hidehira sees Shanao as his own daughter and refuses to let Yoritomo take her back.As Hidehira prepares to meet Yoritomo, Tadanobu asks to speak with Shanao privately. He tells her that he loves her and Shanao of course returns his feelings and says she feels the same way. Tadanobu then tells her she needs to think of her own happiness for once. She tells him that she’s glad he kidnapped her, but it’s thanks to that this situation happened in the first place so she wants to settle things before thinking of her own happiness. Tadanobu seems like he agrees but he ends up disappearing the next day. Tomomori and Shigehira also invade their camp in order to capture Shanao. Fortunately, just before Tomomori and Shigehira overpower them, Tadanobu arrives with Yoritomo and Genji allies.
However, Tomomori grows bored of the battle as it gets to hectic and decides to retreat. He does however tell Shanao he intends to come back for her someday. After this, Tadanobu explains that he left the camp to meet with Yoritomo in order to give his life to protect Shanao and Hiraizumi as a traitor. However, apparently Yoritomo’s plan wasn’t to invade Hiraizumi, but to continue to chase after Shanao and Tadanobu. Using the goal of chasing the “traitor who kidnapped the princess of Genji” as a sort of pretext for Genji’s revival (or something like that??). Shanao is sad for Tadanobu who will basically be forever forbidden to come back to Hiraizumi but he’s super happy about this solution to help both her and Hiraizumi. In the epilogue, Shanao and Tadanobu travel far to China and continue going from place to place together.
In the bad end, Tadanobu decides to stay and figure things out with Shanao. He promises to have them live together in Hiraizumi and they have high hopes for the future. Unfortunately, Tomomori and Shigehira appear the following morning demanding for Shanao to come with them. Everyone of course tries to protect Shanao but they’re all killed in the process by Tomomori and Shigehira who unleash their power to get the job done quickly. Shanao ends up unleashing her own power after seeing everyone killed in front of her eyes but she loses control and tries to attack her allies. Tadanobu tries to stop her but she ends up stabbing him in the process. In his dying moments she comes to her senses while he tells her that her smile suits her best. After he dies, Shanao is stricken with despair and is taken away by both Shigehira and Tomomori.
Thoughts: What an absolute treat of a route if you like Tadanobu!! I always loved his super positive personality so I’m really glad to see him get a romantic route. The way he found out Shanao’s gender was prob my favorite just cause of how funny and cliche it was. He’s a classic himbo but absolutely treats Shanao with the utmost respect and it was so sweet to see how much he cares about Shanao’s overall happiness. I think the scene that solidified my love for this route was when Shanao was feeling self-conscious about her hands and Tadanobu just took it and kissed it AHhhhhhhhhhhhh. His bad end was also the saddest imo??? MC going out of control and killing the one she loves??? yea that gets me.
Tsugunobu Satou (CV: Kondou Takashi)
Shanao is currently staying at the Hiraizumi residence after meeting her brother Yoritomo who says their destinies are intertwined (this starts from the beginning of Shungen’s route in the first game). Tsugunobu wants to spend more time with Shanao so reads tactical books with her and walks her back home when he can. Tsugunobu being the reliable guy he is, can tell Shanao is worrying about something and asks what it is. Shanao tells him she doesn’t know what path to take but Tsugunobu tells her she should stop being so hard on herself and that when the time comes she’ll know her answer. Shanao thanks him for his advice and Tsugunobu of course tells her she can rely on him anytime. Shanao wonders if this is what it’s like to have a brother since Yoritomo doesn’t feel like one to her.While Tsugunobu is surprised to hear that, he’s happy to be her substitute brother and rubs her head 😂. Shanao gets embarrassed and he can’t help but think she reminds him more of a younger sister because she’s so cute. After this, Shanao is called to meet Hidehira about an arranged marriage. Shungen and Shanao are the only one against it since no one else knows she’s a woman. Tsugunobu can tell that she and Shungen are being super weirdly against it and starts to figure out Shanao’s secret. In order to confirm it, he meets with Shanao and gives her a tea that he claims has medicinal healing effects on men, but it’s poisonous to women. Shanao had already took a drink of it so she immediately thinks she’s going to did ((I CANT BELIEVE HE TRICKED HER THIS WAY LMAO 🤣)).Tsugunobu tells her there is an antidote though and so Shanao eagerly asks for it. He wonders why she’d need that if she’s a man but she immediately blurts out to him that she’s a woman. Finally, he ends the charade and tells her the whole thing was a joke so she’d confirm his suspicions of her being a woman. He apologizes for tricking her but also wants to know why she’s pretending to be a man. Shanao tells him the situation and Tsugunobu only admires her even more for how brave and strong willed she is. He decides to help convince Hidehira to cancel the arranged marriage by saying she couldn’t possibly be ready for marriage if she’s to fight in battle. In doing so, Shanao thanks him for his help.After this, Shanao is soon called to battle by Yoritomo’s retainer as soon as he sets his army out for battle. Shanao agrees to go and both Tsugunobu and Tadanobu decide to join Shanao as her vassals. The night before they leave, Tsugunobu meets with Shanao and basically says he highly respects her but finds it difficult to treat her the exact same knowing shes a woman. Regardless, he knows no matter what she’ll continue to fight so he vows to protect her as her vassal. However, Shanao doesn’t want their relationship to be more distant so she insists that Tsugunobu treats her like he always has. She also tells him the reason she’s fighting isn’t just because of her role as Genji, but also because she wants to bring peace.Shanao eventually leaves Hiraizumi and meets with her brother. He tells her to lead their troops for her first battle and Shanao feels anxious about it because she doesn’t want to Yoritomo down. Tsugunobu notices this and asks to speak with her privately about it. And just as he can tell she’s nervous, Shanao can also tell that he is too. Tsugunobu admits he’s never protected his master while on the battlefield so the thought of her getting hurt scares him. Thankfully, they successfully win the battle but Shanao feels disheartened that her brother didn’t say much about it. Instead, he was more interested in asking Shungen some questions related to his past and the sword he carries.A few months after the battle, Tsugunobu notices Shanao seems distant so he decides to take her out to town in Kamakura to cheer her up. Shanao admits she feels like she’s disappointed she hasn’t gained Yoritomo’s trust but Tsugunobu reassures her that the peace and bustling in the town right now is all because she won that battle. This cheers up Shanao and so Tsugunobu decides to take her to a beautiful field of flowers. He wonders what Shanao intends to do after the war is over and she admits she hasn’t really thought about it. Tsugunobu then puts the flower pin in her hair that she was eyeing at a shop. He admits he wants her to live freely as a woman after the war but at the same time, he wants things to stay the same so he can continue to be around her and admire her beauty for himself.
After this, Shanao notices that Shungen and Yoritomo are getting along which makes her slightly jealous. Yoritomo also starts having suspicions about Shanao’s secret. While getting ready for the battle against Yoshinaka, Shanao discusses this with Tsugunobu who agrees they need to be careful around Yoritomo. Tsugunobu again vows to protect Shanao with his life and she tells him she’s really glad he’s with her because his presence reaffirms her beliefs in wanting to bring peace. Unfortunately, on the day of the battle with Yoshinaka, Tsugunobu is injured while protecting Shanao from arrows. Shanao wants to stay with him but she has no choice but to finish up the battle.After Shanao wins the battle, she goes to Tsugunobu who’s unconscious. She starts yelling at him to wake up and keep his promise and so I guess from the power of Shanao’s voice he wakes up 😂. She immediately hugs him in relief to see he’s okay ((I find it hilarious that we assume everyone just watches them have their moment in silence lol)). After this, Tsugunobu is slowly recovering and Shanao gets more worried about Tsugunobu staying on the battlefield with her. However, he objects and says it’s his duty as a vassal to protect her even if it means risking his own life. He pleads for her to allow him to go with her and she finally agrees to it.
Shanao also realizes that after the war she wants to go to Hiraizumi with Tsugunobu and doesn’t want to leave his side. This makes Tsugunobu extremely happy because he already intended to stay with Shanao. The two of them embrace and Shanao thinks to herself how she intends to confess her feelings to him after their final battle. Eventually, the emperor feels Genji is growing too strong and wants to cause discord by making Yoshitsune a high rank general. Fortunately, she declines because she wants to live her life peacefully with Tsugunobu after the war is over. After explaining this to Yoritomo, she tells him she wishes to withdraw from any political responsibility after the war is over. Yoritomo agrees to this so as long as she defeats Heikei as soon as possible.Shanao sets out to defeat Heikei in a final battle by commanding an ambush. During the battle, Noritsune sets out to find Yoshitsune and tries to kill her with an arrow. Tsugunobu immediately tries to protect Shanao but since she doesn’t want a repeat of last time, she avoids his protection and let’s herself get hit instead. The remaining Heikei troops retreat and Tsugunobu desperately tries to get Shanao to retreat as well so she can he treated. She’s reluctant since she wants to fulfill her end of the deal with Yoritomo to completely wipe out Heikei. In the end, she’s brought back to be treated and slowly works on recovering.
One day, she’s called to meet with her brother Yoritomo and he invites a woman in who was supposedly her mother. She reveals about her not really being her child nor even being a child of Genji. For this reason, Yoritomo tells her she’s not needed in battle anymore nor can she even take any sort of position the emperor offers her. Shanao is shocked but Shungen offers to finish up the battle in her place so she can live her life freely. Tsugunobu also withdraws himself from Yoritomo’s army and decides to go with Shanao to Hiraizumi. Shanao is disappointed that her whole life is a lie, but Tsugunobu admits he’s glad that she can finally live her life freely. But he also is glad that he can finally be with her now that she’s not longer associated with Genji.
Finally, Tsugunobu admits he loves her and Shanao admits her feelings about being in love with him too. After that they share a kiss 😘. As they make their way to Hiraizumi, everyone sees her off and wishes her the best. In the epilogue, Shanao now lives peacefully with Tsugunobu at his home. Hidehira now knows Shanao’s identity and wishes for her to visit since he sees her as family now. Tsugunobu takes Shanao to a similar field of flowers that he showed her before and tells her back then he wanted to tell her he loves her. Shanao cries happy tears and the two of them kiss.
In the bad end, Tsugunobu decides to try and find the sacred treasures on his own but ends up getting stabbed by his Genji allies who are plotting with the emperor to get Yoshitsune to fight her brother to weaken Genji’s reign. Tsugunobu tries to escape to go to Shanao’s side but he ends up dying near the shore of the beach while screaming her name. Meanwhile, Shanao waits patiently for Tsugunobu’s return not knowing that he’s died. 😭
Thoughts: Unlike his brother, Tsugunobu has a mature charm about him which makes him a really likeable character if you’re more into the more gentleman types. I wouldn’t really say he’s super flirty, he just treats Shanao like her reliable older brother at first. It was so damn funny how he made Shanao reveal her gender though LOL; I love how observant he is. I liked how both Shanao and Tsugunobu both had moments where they protected each other because they were worried about losing each other in battle. Having it happen both ways makes it feel like they both stand on equal ground which I’m all for in my otome games. Anyway, no complaints about this route; really glad to see him and his brother get a route because they’re such dedicated vassals to Shanao.
Takatsuna Sasaki (CV: Amatsuki)
When Shanao decides to meet her brother for the first time, she can’t sleep and wanders near his residence cause she’s nervous about meeting him. There she meets Yoritomo’s retainer Takatsuna for the first time who thinks she’s someone suspicious and when Shanao tells him she’s Yoritomo’s brother, he doesn’t believe her and coldly tells her to leave. Fortunately for her she is who she says she is so he’s all happy and spunky the next day and apologizes for treating her like an intruder. Shanao legit finds it confusing how he could just switch personalities like that lmao.Eventually Shanao goes to Hiraizumi and while she’s there theyre fighting with Emishi. Shanao decides to help fight them off but she’s almost ambushed and is saved by Takatsuna. He goes as far to say he’s surprised shes more weak than he expected. Shanao gets defensive and tells him he should have a duel with her first before deciding that. In doing so, Shanao wins their fight but Takatsuna pulls a fast one and pins her down. He basically tells her she needs to be prepared for unexpected things like that to happen on the battlefield or she’ll be killed. Shanao tries to push him off but in the scuffle he ends up seeing her binded chest.
Takatsuna asks her if she’s a woman and she doesn’t deny it since she can’t prove that he’s wrong. She won’t tell him why but he doesn’t intend to tell anyone even though he finds it strange a woman is being sent into battle. Eventually everyone else appears and Takatsuna tells them that Shanao is being called by her brother to fight. Shanao goes back to Hiraizumi and speaks with Takatsuna privately about what he found out. He admits he’s hesitant to bring her back to Yoritomo now that he knows she’s a woman but Shanao tells him she’s been raised to fight and intends to do so. She’s never been in a real battle though so she asks for his guidance. Takatsuna respects her resolve and agrees to help her.When Shanao meets her brother, he expects her to lead his troops for her first battle. Shanao and everyone is skeptical but she wants to show her brother that she can be trusted. Unfortunately, Yoritomo’s army doesn’t trust Shanao to lead them since she’s so new to fighting in war and they almost attempt to stray from her plan. Takatsuna convinces them not to and tells them to trust Shanao. In doing so, the battle is successful and they accept her. After this, Shanao goes on a scouting mission with Takatsuna who convinces Yoritomo to let him take her with him. They change clothes but Takatsuna has Shanao dress as a woman so she doesn’t stick out. The two of them hide out in one of Takatsuna’s hideouts.
After meeting the emperor, they run into Noritsune, Tomomori and Shigehira. Noritsune immediately starts a fight with Shanao and Takatsuna so they try to manage their way out of it by escaping. Unfortunately, Takatsuna gets hurt in the process but tries to hide it from Shanao because he doesn’t want to seem weak. Shanao yells at him to listen to his “sister” (since they’re pretending to be siblings) but he tells her he doesn’t want or like it when she views him as a little brother and wants her to see him as a man and to look at the “him” in front of her. Shanao doesn’t even know how to respond to that so she kind of just changes the subject.
After this, Yoshinaka starts to invade Kyoto and even tries to kill the emperor. Thankfully, Shanao and Takatsuna come to his aid but Shanao being a woman is accidentally revealed while Yoshinaka is fighting Shanao. After Yoshinaka is killed, the emperor addresses this and Shanao accidentally let’s it slip that her brother doesn’t know and would prefer if he didn’t tell him. Takatsuna figures the emperor would want to use this as leverage to blackmail Shanao so he convinces her to tell Yoritomo she’s a woman. Fortunately, Yoritomo doesn’t care so long as she’s useful in battle. The emperor tries to give Shanao a higher rank but Shanao refuses. When he tries to blackmail her, she tells him that she already told her brother the truth.
The emperor doesn’t give up though and has tells Yoritomo that he’ll have Shanao marry into the Taira family as a symbol of peace to end the war. When Shanao is told this by Yoritomo, she’s shocked but accepts it after he essentially says it’s an order that she had to obey. Shanao is saddened by this because (idk when tf it happened) she’s in love with Takatsuna. When Shanao tells Takatsuna the situation, he apparently already heard but tells her there’s not much that can be done at this point. Shanao suddenly confesses she loves him and doesn’t want to marry anyone other than him. Takatsuna apologizes but tells her he can’t accept her feelings. This leaves Shanao depressed until the day of her marriage where she’s to be escorted by some guards and Takatsuna.
Suddenly a Genji shop arrives and Takatsuna reveals Yoritomo never intended to marry her off but instead set up a trap to attack Heikei. After Takatsuna reveals everything, he gives Shanao her fighting attire and has her lead the battle. They successfully defeat Heikei and Takatsuna finally confesses his own feelings for Shanao. In the epilogue, Shanao and Takatsuna are still working to help build Genji with Yoritomo. Takatsuna asks Yoritomo for the approval of Shanao’s hand in marriage. The two of them visit the mountains again and confess their love for each other ((I just… don’t feel their chemistry at all…)). In the bad end, before Takatsuna reveals this is all a trap for Heikei, Shanao and him are ambushed by bandits while on their way to marry her off. Shanao is so depressed about being used as a political tool she lunges herself in front of a bandit to essentially kill herself.
Thoughts: Oh man, I figured all the routes in this game would be fine but I guess there had to be just one where I just noped out completely. Like, Takatsuna isn’t a bad character but… I mean he’s definitely not my type. And even if I were to get past that, his chemistry with Shanao was so bad that the romance felt pretty much non-existent in his route. And I don’t mean there wasn’t enough romance scenes, I mean I literally couldn’t spot when these two started to like each other??? Not much happened while they were together on their ‘mission’. All Takatsuna really said to Shanao was that he wanted to be treated like a man. I mean, for the most part they were pretending to be siblings. Anyway, this route seriously bored me to tears. I definitely wanted to give his character a chance but I felt literally nothing when these two were interacting; the romance just felt so forced imo. I think this was a case of not knowing what to do with Takatsuna because he’s the odd one out in the sense he doesn’t really have a lot of screentime within other routes and he doesn’t have an attachment to Shanao like the other characters do.
Taira no Shigehira (CV: Oosaka Ryouta)
After Shanao escapes to Hiraizumi, she had already encountered Tomomori who gained an interest in her. Because of this, Shigehira wants to know why exactly his brother has an interest in Shanao because he’s never been interested in anything else before. So Shigehira goes to Hiraizumi and finds Shanao there. He thinks it looks like Shanao is being hidden there and since Hiraizumi doesn’t want bad blood between them and Heikei, they allow Shigehira to stay until his suspicious drop. For the time being Shigehira wants to watch Shanao. He makes her drink sake with him and he ends up getting so drunk that he starts saying things like how Shanao smells good and has a pretty face.Eventually he passes out from drinking so much but Shanao isn’t able to get much information out of him. Fortunately for her, she knows that he still thinks she’s a man. The next day Shigehira is being moody after having a hangover and wants to duel Shanao to see who’s stronger. Shanao ends up basically kicking his ass many times but he blames it on her for making him drink so much. He asks her to show her around the town and she agrees since he continuously threatens to tell his father about her being there to make her do what he wants. They go to town and he wonders why she’s buying things for her retainers and she says it’s because they’re her “comrades” before her retainers. Shigehira doesn’t know what “comrades” means though which surprises Shanao.After this, Shanao has Shigehira train with her and everyone else by taking turns fighting him since he’s fairly strong. They eventually take a break and Shanao shares the snacks she bought for everyone. Shigehira complains about how it’s dumb she’s sharing food with her friends but she tries to make him have some as well. Shigehira says he’d never eat food like that but Shanao gets annoyed and shoves a dried apricot down his throat to force him to shut up and enjoy it 🤣. The next morning, Shigehira wakes up feeling sick and asks Shanao to get him water. He admits he has trouble sleeping in Hiraizumi’s cold weather but is also afraid of the ghost stories his brother has told him before.Shigehira wants Shanao to come with her again but Shanao tells her she needs to speak to her friends again. Shigehira doesn’t understand the concept of friends so he asks her to be his friend and hopes that means she’ll listen to what he wants. Shanao tells him though that friends don’t make commands for each other but instead work on mutual understanding and agreement. Shigehira says he gets it and leaves but Shanao doesn’t really know if he does. Eventually Shigehira gets a full scale cold and Shanao goes to visit him to see if he’s okay since she hadn’t seen him recently. Shanao tells him he should’ve told her to come help take care of him but he reiterates what she said about friends not giving other friends orders.
Shigehira also gives Shanao some of the same fruit she bought before and asks if this means they’re friends now. Right after this though, Shigehira starts getting seduced by Shanao’s “smell” and uses his power to taste her energy. Shanao is confused but he immediately stops after realizing what he’s done. Unfortunately, this also makes him realize she’s a woman since men and women “taste” different. Shanao doesn’t deny it but asks if he intends to tell anyone. Shigehira says he won’t so she leaves and both apologizes and thanks him. After this, Shanao finds out her brother is raising an army in Izu so she decides to go fight alongside him.Shanao tells Shigehira about this and they both agree the next time they see each other it’ll be as enemies on the battlefield. Shanao tells Shigehira about what Tomomori told her and he has a bad feeling about it so he tells her to get stronger so his brother will never catch her. After this, Shanao meets her brother and he tells her to lead her first battle. Unfortunately, while trying to ambush Heikei, they are ambushed themselves. This drives Shanao to use her power and ends up slaughtering Heikei troops. Shigehira witnesses this and swoops into battle to stop Shanao himself. After Shanao comes to her senses, he brings her to the woods to have her eat some of his own energy to regain her strength she lost from using her power.
Shigehira briefly explains about this power that only he and his brother have and finds it surprising she has it as well. Shanao asks if he intends to kidnap her but he tells her he doesn’t and he just wants to repay his debt for her helping him when he was sick. He does make a joke about kidnapping her though but knows that’s not what friends would do since he respects her free will. After he leaves, Shanao prepares for her next battle. Meanwhile, Tomomori finds out that Shigehira has become interested in Shanao himself but warns him that she is his prey. On the day of the battle, Shanao fights Tomomori but ends up getting overpowered by him and he tries to take her with him. Shigehira tries to stop Tomomori but he easily cuts him down with no hesitation.
Genji ends up winning the battle so Tomomori retreats for now but reassures Shanao he’ll be back for her. Shigehira is pretty much a corpse on the ground at this point and Shanao uses her power to bring him back to life. Shanao brings his weak body back to their camp and has him heal there. Unfortunately, he’s seen as a prisoner of war since he’s a Heikei general but Shanao hopes to have him kept alive since he saved her. That night, Shigehira realizes he’s in love with her and that’s why he hated it so much when Tomomori wanted her to be his. The two of them hug and Shanao admits she’s in love with him too. He promises to protect her from Tomomori and the two of them vow to defeat him together.
Eventually, Yoritomo has Shigehira be a negotiator to try and settle the war peacefully, knowing if they don’t, they’ll end up fighting anyway. As the negotiations start, Tomomori immediately starts fighting Shigehira who tries to stop him. Shanao joins him and the two of them lead Tomomori to the mountains to slow his movements. Shigehira uses this opportunity to make himself a decoy and gets stabbed by Tomomori. But in doing so, Shanao is able to stab Tomomori from behind. Tomomori realizes this is pretty much the end for him but Shigehira starts getting upset since he really did admire and love his brother. Shanao feels bad so she suggests using her power to heal Tomomori. However, Tomomori decides this is the fate he wants and let’s himself fall off the cliff.
In the epilogue, Yoritomo places his trust in Shigehira after he protected Shanao and killed his own brother. He tells Shanao to look after him and the two of them go to the forest together. Shigehira is still sad about his brother, but he’s glad he changed because of her. He believes he may of ended up like Tomomori had he followed his same path instead of meeting Shanao in Hiraizumi. Shigehira asks to hug Shanao and the two of them confess their love for each other again.
In the bad end, Tomomori ends up defeating both Shanao and Shigehira. But Tomomori realizes he can use Shigehira to make Shanao have the will to live. So he keeps Shigehira a prisoner and has Shanao give him her energy to continue keeping him alive (mixed in with a 3P sort of CG where Tomomori inserts himself in their energy distribution 🤣). Shigehira and Shanao don’t want to give up hope though but Shanao just turns into a doll when Tomomori takes her away from him.
Thoughts: I’m really glad I saved Shigehira’s route for last because I felt like it was the most satisfying route in terms of plot. I didn’t really care that much for Shigehira in the original game because typically he kinda just went bonkers with his powers. But I like how this route emphasized that meeting Shanao clearly ‘changed’ him and his fate — he no longer just abided to what Tomomori wanted. Not only that but the fact that he respected Shanao’s free will enough to not want her to be forced into something she doesn’t want is more respectful of his brother cause Tomomori did not give two fucks!!! He wanted Shanao whether she wanted him or not lol. Also pretty ruthless of Tomomori to easily kill him when he didn’t obey LOL. But yeah, very good route!! I think fans of him would be very pleased.
Overall Thoughts
I wasn’t sure when I was going to play this game because I started Radiant Tale first but eventually shifted to playing this instead. Because of my backlog though, it took a lot longer to finish than I normally would. This FD isn’t very long at all; the main routes took at most a few hours each. After that you had the sub characters routes which were longer (about 4 hours?) but they still didn’t take very long to complete (I was just slow as hell lmao). The downside to having so many routes though is that all the main routes only had about 3 CGs each which in visual novel standards is quite low. Understandably I can see why this would be a bit disappointing for those who mostly enjoyed Birushana for its original cast and didn’t care too much about the sub characters. For me, I didn’t mind too much but giving Takatsuna a route felt like such a waste I almost wish his route was scrapped to give the original cast more CGs LOL. That being said, the sub characters got more CGs of course but it still felt like they could’ve used more at times. Unfortunately, with so many characters to account for, you win some and lose some. Anyways, as short as some of these routes were, it was still very satisfying to get more romances and after stories.
Story – There are two sets of routes — after stories and regular sub character routes. The after stories all take place after the original games happy endings. As for the sub character routes, they follow the events of happenings that are relevant to different main characters in the common route — much like the branching off of the ‘If’ stories in the original game. Aside from the after stories which show snippets of the couples’ futures, the new individual routes are much more self-contained and actually don’t focus on the war scenes as much (most likely due to the battles being the main focus of the original game).
Characters – There isn’t much to say about the characters themselves as they’re all pretty much the same from the original game. However, with the new routes its its interesting to see the different dynamics Shanao has with all of the characters. In my opinion, the big focus of this game is the sub characters because they are able to be fleshed out more with their individual routes. The main characters take a bit of a backseat in terms of content since they already had their story told in the original game.
Visuals – The style of this game is different from what you’d typically see in an Otomate game, but it suited it well. The artist for this game is apparently an animation director for a lot of different anime (including the Persona 5 anime) which makes sense since their style isn’t highly detailed like most otome artists are. That being said, I honestly really like the artstyle and it stands out from most games I’ve seen. I honestly liked all of the CGs and I think the style was consistent for the most part. There was a good balance between action CGs and romance ones so I didn’t have any complaints there. The design for the UI in general was pretty standard for a historical game.
System – The biggest difference between the FD’s system and the original game is that there isn’t a flowchart and there aren’t many choice options in general. The after stories actually literally have no choices at all to make (which makes sense due to the length of them). You literally choose which route you want to do so at the very least, its very easy to just start whatever route you want without worrying to much about the order.
Music – The voice of Takatsuna — Amatsuki — sang for the endings again but didn’t do the opening this time around. I can’t really remember if it was the same song for the after stories though…? Well, the guy can sing but if only his character’s route was better LOL. Anyway, the music in general was pretty much the same from the first game.
Final Thoughts: Overall, this was a very satisfying FD! I absolutely loved all the characters in the original game so being able to romance the ones that got left out was really satisfying. That being said, if you’re looking for a FD that only focuses on the main cast, you’ll probably be a bit disappointed. While the main cast do get their moments, they’re very short and there’s a big lack of CGs. I don’t think this takes away from the experience, but I’m sure there are players who care more about the main cast than the sub characters. Personally, I love all of the characters but I’d love to see more content with the main cast.
If I had one gripe, perhaps it would be that I was left wanting a bit more…? This game felt like it needed maybe an omake of some sort? After you complete every route, there’s no extra stories or much else. Which isn’t super uncommon in FDs, but I was still left wanting a bit more (especially with the main routes). It makes me want another game just for the sake of giving the main cast some more content (but thats just me being greedy). However, if you love Birushana and want more content in general, I think you’d be very pleased with this FD!
Otome Adventures 