Seifuku no Ojisama. Older men in uniform. This upcoming Android otome game puts more mature men then we normally see in games such as these as objects of our protagonist’s affections. Poor Sachi, a third year university student, has the hots for men more than twice her age, and, like in any good otome game, it’s the player’s job to make sure she finds true love (as long as it comes in uniform!).
I have to say, I am beyond intrigued by this premise. I’ve long thought older men were turning into somewhat of a trend in female-oriented media in Japan, and this confirms my suspicions. Funnily enough, the boys love manga titles I’m familiar with that feature older men all focus on café staff and the like, so perhaps the two go hand-in-hand?
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| You can give me a check-up any day! |
For the curious, the oldest male suitor revealed so far is 60 years old (and a professor, at that!). Gameplay is traditional otome game format: players read through text and make an occasional selection to dictate the path of the narrative. Seifuku no Ojisama adds an interesting twist, however, in the form of two types of endings, called “receiver” and “pursuer.” Depending on which options you choose, you may get an ending where Sachi makes the first move, or has the moves put on her by her love interest (completely non-sexual moves, I’m sure, since this isn’t a PC game). If you don’t pick the right response, you might even be stuck with the “friend” ending.
Though friend endings are common for “bad” endings in otome games, where the player hasn’t met the right conditions to have a “good,” romantic ending with one of the characters, this “receiver” and “pursuer” element is something I’ve never seen before. Even more interesting is the fact that it’s literally called the seme and uke system in Japanese. Seme and uke are pretty much exclusively used in reference to the male characters in boys love manga (referring to “top,” and “bottom,” respectively), so this may be a conscious nod to the BL fans who are eagerly eating up any and all stories about older men these days. But if that’s the case, why not make it an all-out boys love game, instead? Perhaps they are trying to reel in a larger audience while still appealing to BL fans, or that BL games don’t fare as well on smartphone markets. The alternative is that I am, of course, reading too much into all this. Just some food for thought!
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| My personal favorite from the male rooster. What can I say? I appreciate a man in a vest and apron! |
So, otome fans and non-fans, is the idea of a game that features older men (or women, if bishōjo titles are more your thing) something you’d like to see more of? I have a feeling most would write it off as unappealing or worse, and though I readily admit it isn’t for everyone, I personally think it’s all in good fun and would be eager to give this game a go myself. If you’re interested, do head over to the character page and let me know your favorite! (Before anyone asks, the younger guy in a school uniform is the protagonist’s cousin. It says he has a secret… I sincerely hope it isn’t that he turns into a 50-year-old man at night!)
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Nice post! I don’t know much about the otome game genre as I don’t generally play dating sims so this was very informative :).
I will definately look into more dating sim genres and touch on them in my blog.
Thanks yet again for an awesome post Anne-chan!
P.S. I currently have no dating sims in my possession, so I should work on that.
I do however have Catherine which I originally thought, though unlike an original dating sim, was still a dating sim none the less. However I have looked into this and it would seem that I am wrong and that Catherine is infact wholly a puzzle game. I would still disagree though… What genre would you assign Catherine?
Interesting! I have to say, though, the men shown in the illustration at the top of this post don’t look all that old to me. I guess they might look old to the many young-ish girls who will presumably play this game? Anyway, the idea is intriguing nonetheless. What’s up with the obsession/fascination with older men in BL games these days, BTW?
Billy – Glad you found it informative! I wish I had more otome games in my library, but sadly I don’t have all that many. I do love dating sims and visual novels quite a lot, though, so it’s always fun to talk about them!
As for Catherine, I’ve only played the demo, actually! But from what I’ve played and read about it, I’d definitely agree that it has dating sim elements in it, for sure! You make a series of decisions that lead you towards a number of different endings where Vincent ends up with Katherine, or Catherine, right? If that’s the case, then it’s hard to argue against it being at least partially a dating sim (though the puzzle element is more at the forefront of the gameplay, for sure).
Bryan – I definitely agree with you about their appearance not really lining up with their ages. Take the professor, for example (the guy with the yellow tie on the right). He’s supposed to be 60?! I don’t buy it at all! And for the most part their character designs look like young men with just some very minimal wrinkle lines added to their faces here and there. Still, it’s a start!
I’m not entirely sure what’s behind the interest in older men in BL, but I wonder if it has to do with BL fans getting sick of stories that all center around the same character types? That and a lot of the more mature stories can be more easily told with older characters, perhaps. I also think it might have something to do with older men being more experienced/sensitive, but that’s just a general reason as to why it might appeal in the first place.
Short answer: I don’t really know! Your guess is probably as good as mine 😉 I’d really like to do more research into this area, though, as “non-traditional” BL stories and characters are actually a central part of my thesis!
Come to think of it, older men aren’t only in BL, but general shojo, as well. Two titles that feature older men (both in cafe/restaurant settings) are Ristorante Paradiso (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ristorante_Paradiso) and Antique Bakery (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antique_Bakery), and though they both feature gay characters, they’re not BL, per say.
Yep, you be right! Your decisions throughout the game determine which ending you get, and also how the cut scenes play out, though I don’t think that the cut scenes are affected so much.
In my opinion the game is a little limited in the decision making as it feels like you hardly contribute to the story.
But still, just as much decision making as there is puzzle solving.
Anyhow sorry for going off on a tangent! So what is it that you like about dating sims, specifically otome games because things like that are quite an aquired taste. What got you into it?
Billy – Sorry for the delayed reply! I was away on a “mini break” of sorts 🙂
As for what got me into otome games… Well, I’m a big fan of shojo manga/anime, so I think my interest in the genre largely stems from that. I enjoy the variety of options and having a “harem” of male suitors to pursue… It’s totally a guilty pleasure, but in an industry that is as saturated with macho shooting games like Call of Duty and the like, I’m grateful for something different! It’s great to know that there’s a healthy niche in Japan for games aimed specifically at girls and women!
It’s okay, hope you had fun! Where did you go?
Though I am a guy, I am not a fan of the “macho shooting games” that you speak of (so much), more a fan of obscure things, which is why I’m up for giving the otome genre a try. However, I am very easily entertained so I like most of the games I play :).
P.S. I haven’t got much content up on my site yet as I haven’t had much time to blog, and when I do get a spare moment I seem to just want to sleep from working and such. But I’ll set some time aside soon and really knuckle down! Once I’ve started, making a new post every few days shouldn’t be such a demanding task.
Billy – Just went down to Sydney to visit some family 🙂
If you’re interested in trying out an otome game, I’d definitely recommend Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom. You can get that in English for the PSP.
I’m looking forward to seeing what you write on your own blog! Don’t force it, though – you don’t want blogging to feel like work! Sometimes I really just don’t feel like writing a post, so I hold off until I’m more in the mood. For me, blogging is a fun way to talk about the things I enjoy, not something I should feel pressured into doing x times a week!
I really want to go to Australia, though the journey would be colossal. My cousins live in Brisbane so I would probably go and stay with them. Is there anything cool to do around there do you know?
Ahh unfortunately I am not in possession of a PSP. Is it out on DS?
Thanks for the advice, though I have been working myself up to it for weeks now. Blogging is a trend that I really want to get into, it’s kinda quirky I think; not only that, I like teaching people new things and networking with them :).
Billy – Australia’s great! I’m very happy to be living here.
Oh bummer about not owning a PSP. Unfortunately they only translated the PSP version, though a title from the series released on the DS in Japan. The only DS otome game I can think of that’s in English is Princess Debut, and that’s well… A little bit “childish,” I’d say. Lots of pink and sparkles.
Unfortunately there really aren’t that many otome games out in English right now!
Are you native to Australia or did you emigrate there? I always thought that if you live in one place for too long, you eventually take it for granted, though I live in England which is no real picture of beauty!
Nothing wrong with “pink and sparkles” Anne, I’m a child at heart so it’s acceptable!
Yeah I kind of guessed there wouldn’t be so many in English… I need to learn Japanese, I really do, I’d be able to get games before their English release and my anime list would increase tenfold.
I’ve tried learning Japanese before but I guess I was put off by how hard it is. I was trying to learn written and spoken at the same time.
How did you learn, through the Internet or reading etc.?
Billy – I’m from the US, originally 🙂 England seems like it would be a lovely place to visit! The closest I’ve ever been is Ireland, which was great.
Okay, I wasn’t sure if you were a pink and sparkles kind of guy, haha
I actually learned Japanese at high school and college. I really recommend taking classes if possible if you’re like me and find it hard to be self-motivated. It can be really daunting to try on your own but a good class is invaluable! If you want any recommendations for online resources I’d be happy to point you in the direction of a few 🙂
The weather in England is often poor; the only good thing about England is London, which, is fun but I’d rather be on a hot sunny beach in Australia! Why were you in Ireland anyhow?
It’s all about the pink and sparkles Anne ;). Gao!
What do you mean you find it hard to be self-motivated? I couldn’t do as you do, write near everyday, keep in touch with your fans, learn one of the hardest languages in the world; keep up to date with the latest news etc. You sir are a tough cookie and are amazing at what you do :). Keep it up Anne-chan!
P.S. When I next go to London, I will take some pictures for you :).
Also, Eurogamer end of this month, they’ve got Ni No Kuni there so I’ll be able to play it and tell you what it’s like!
Billy – Thank you for all the words of encouragement! But it’s true, I find it hard to be motivated a lot of the time! I have so many things I want to do, but I have a hard time keeping up with everything :p It’s good I have commenters like you to keep me motivated to do more blog posts! I always try to think of what crazy game-related thing I can talk about next.
I’d love to hear your impressions of Ni no Kuni! Make sure to write a blog post about it! 😉
Glad us fans help in keeping you motivated :). T’is indeed hard to stay motivated when there’s so much you want to do. But you have probably done a lot more than the average Joe already and you’ve still got many years ahead of you :). So don’t get too worked up Anne, you’re doing just fine :P.
Oh I’ll definately write a post about it, whether or not I publish it though is another thing entirely. See I keep thinking of stuff to write about and every time I do, I make a post about it, all of which are unfinished. So now I have near 20 posts, all sitting there waiting to be finished. On the plus side, tonnes of ideas for future posts!
I am right rubbishy at sticking to one thing as I tend to hop, which makes writing, a simple task for many, real hard for me!
Just recently became player of this game 😀
Agreed with your point that endings are not gonna be 18+ since it’s free and I mean Ojisan is a bit risky to do that kind of ending. It might throw ppl off perhaps?
My personal favorite is Hayama Shotaro, the police officer. I am currently playing him as my target character. Hopefully the CG will not be disappointing since it’s a free game.
Hello Meri! Thanks for your comment! Would you believe I actually got an Android tablet after posting this, but though I’ve downloaded the game, I’ve yet to play any of it? You’ve reminded me that I really need to do that!
Hayama Shotaro is the “main” character, isn’t he? He at least appears to be in the promotional materials.
Oh, do you know if you need to pay money to unlock different character routes? I know a lot of free otome games take that approach, where some of the game is free but eventually you need to pay to see more content
I think that basically you can get to all endings except the premium ending without paying money. The three characters released now are all free to play and target. The fourth character is releasing very soon.
Viewed a couple of CGs now, the quality is quite nice for free game like this. Also, the voice actors are great too! Loved the ojisan voice hahaha. I think i am already a ojicon before playing the game?
Did you start to romance the bar tender?^^
Do you think they will release it in english? I really really really Want to play!
Where can I download this?
Unfortunately, it says it isn’t “available in my country,” on Google Play.
Unfortunately Google Play has some region restrictions, so you would need to download a workaround app. I don’t use Android myself but you can try a guide like this one: https://yankeebanchou.wordpress.com/2015/12/20/mobile-how-to-get-japanese-mobile-games-androidios/ I hope that helps!