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Category Archives: First Impressions

First Impressions: Cupid Parasite

11 / 3 / 2111 / 3 / 21
Chic Pixel First Impressions

Idea Factory International’s first otome game localization in years, Cupid Parasite, is out today in North America, and Europe on November 5! This romantic comedy otome game is full of vibrant colors and a really fun retro pop Americana vibe, which is why I’ve had it on my radar since it came out in Japan. To celebrate this exciting release, I’ll be sharing some first impressions of the game, with a full review coming once I’ve completed all routes.

In Cupid Parasite, you play as Lynette Mirror, a top advisor for the marriage agency Cupid Corporation who takes on the 5 toughest clients at the company, known as the Parasite 5. Lynette has one thing up her sleeve, though – she’s the actual mythological goddess Cupid, and she’s come down to earth to prove to her father Mars that she doesn’t need godly powers to succeed at matchmaking humans.

The members of Parasite 5 have a range of extreme “quirks,” from the Thieving Parasite Allan who’s only interested in girls who already have partners to Ryuki, the Glamor Parasite who won’t even acknowledge a woman’s presence if she doesn’t satisfy his strict beauty ranking system. But Lynette isn’t going to let that stop her, and soon the group find themselves at the center of a sharehouse reality show focused on finding the Parasite 5 love!

So far, I’ve played through Ryuki’s route, which is generally recommended as one of the routes to start with because it’s pretty self-contained. On your first playthrough, the only characters available are Ryuki, Shelby, and Gill, and after your second playthrough the ability to play Allan and Raul’s routes will be unlocked. After clearing all five of these characters, there’s one more secret character route at the end. While I’ve seen some variation in the suggested route order, it seems like Ryuki, Shelby, and Gill are pretty interchangeable, while Allan should be saved for last due to the story elements in his route.

While I can’t yet comment on the story as a whole, I’m quite enjoying this game as a lighthearted palette cleanser after Olympia Soirée. Though both games are heavily focused on marriage, Cupid Parasite is so goofy it’s hard to take seriously most of the time. In fact, the Parasite 5 are all pretty unlikeable from the beginning, at least for me, so the game’s fun really comes from discovering the charming side of each of the characters.

Ryuki, in particular, is extremely difficult to like at first due to his focus on beauty, to the point that he won’t even speak to people he feels aren’t pretty enough for him to associate with. While his behavior is quite toxic, the whole game plays everything off sillily enough that I didn’t take him very seriously, but at times it still made me rather uncomfortable, and I can see him really turning off some players. Despite this, I still found him growing on me more than I expected over the course of his route!

It’s important to note that as of this post, and the launch of the game, Ryuki and Raul’s routes have unedited English text in them. Idea Factory International has announced it will be patching this, along with any text overflow, in about four weeks. For their full statement, see below.

Important news regarding the launch of Cupid Parasite™.#cupidparasite #otome pic.twitter.com/JMDL7Qmylp

— Idea Factory International (@IdeaFactoryIntl) October 29, 2021

Unfortunately, these textual issues are quite apparent in the latter half of Ryuki’s route, with pronouns being mixed up and many rough lines of text. Since IFI has already announced they are addressing these issues, if you can wait for the patch or want to play through other routes first, such as Shelby and Gill, I would recommend doing that. I’m not saying the game is unplayable by any means, but I did feel the unedited text in Ryuki’s route marred the experience for me.

An example of the rough text and overflow in Ryuki’s route

I’m planning on replaying the latter half Ryuki’s route after the patch is implemented to see how it’s been updated. It’s a shame, but IFI has shown great transparency by sharing exactly what sections of the game are affected and how/when they will be fixing it.

For now, I’m looking forward to playing through the rest of the routes in this extremely fun and silly otome game!

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First Impressions: Heave Ho

6 / 8 / 206 / 8 / 20
Chic Pixel First Impressions

Heave Ho, a couch co-op multiplayer game for Nintendo Switch and PC/Mac developed by Le Cartel Studio, has been on my radar since it came out mid last year, especially after watching the hilarious Quick Look for it on Giant Bomb. With a 50% off sale on the Nintendo Switch eShop and some friends coming over to visit now that quarantine restrictions in Australia have been largely lifted, I figured this was the perfect time to try it out!

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First Impressions: Tengai ni Mau, Iki na Hana

8 / 26 / 18

Chic Pixel First Impressions

Wow, it’s been ages since I did a First Impressions post! My First Impressions series is pretty self-explanatory: basically, it serves as a chance to share my opinions on a thing (almost always a game) before I finish it and write a full review. This time, I want to talk about Tengai ni Mau, Iki na Hana (天涯に舞う、粋な花 or “refined flower, dancing on the horizon”), an otome game by Otomate that released back in April for the PlayStation Vita.

Tengai ni Mau, Iki na Hana was voted by my lovely Patreon supporters to be my import game review for April, and I was super excited to play it! That is, until it turned into one of the most frustrating otome games I’ve ever played…

Tengai ni Mau Iki na Hana screenshot 7

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Monster Hunter World Beta Impressions

12 / 23 / 1712 / 26 / 17

Chic Pixel First Impressions

The second Monster Hunter World beta is currently underway for PlayStation 4, so I jumped on the chance to spend some time with it. As a relatively new but very avid Monster Hunter fan (I started with the Japanese version of Monster Hunter 4 in 2013), I’ve been apprehensive about the footage I’ve seen of Monster Hunter World so far.

The monster, armor, and environments look really drab! The game shows you how much damage you’re dealing! These may seem like minor nitpicks, but when it’s the little details that got me into the series in the first place, I was worried so many changes might indicate that Monster Hunter World might not be for me. Luckily, the game still feels like the Monster Hunter I know and love!

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First Impressions: Toraware no Paruma (Imprisoned Palm)

9 / 5 / 16

Chic Pixel First Impressions

Toraware no Paruma (囚われのパルマ, or “imprisoned palm”) is the first mobile otome game from Capcom, and an ambitious one at that. The game centers around your interactions with and observation of the male character Haruto, who is imprisoned after a “certain incident” that he has no memories of. In fact, he has no memories of anything, and you’ve been transported to the island where he’s being held captive to act as his counsellor and try to find some answers.

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First Impressions: Kyoukai no Shirayuki (Saji’s Route)

7 / 29 / 167 / 29 / 16

Chic Pixel First Impressions

Kyoukai no Shirayuki was my most anticipated game of the year, so I’m really excited to finally share it with you! As a dark otome game loosely based on aspects of Snow White with art by Kinako (Gatchaman Crowds), it ticks all the boxes for me. But since I can be incredibly slow to actually finish things, I thought it would be fun to share my first impressions of the game after finishing Saji Kakeya’s route!

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First Impressions: Superbeat: Xonic

11 / 10 / 15

Chic Pixel First Impressions

First Impressions is a brand new series where I share my preliminary thoughts on any video game, anime, or manga titles I’ve been consuming! When I asked you all what you’d like to see more of on Chic Pixel in my September reader survey, I got a lot of responses interested in reviews and impressions pieces. Since I don’t always finish things fast enough to review them in a timely manner, First Impressions will enable me to share my thoughts with you that much quicker! Most items featured in First Impressions will receive full reviews at a later date. Be sure to leave me a comment to let me know what you think of this new format! 

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Welcome!


Name: Anne Lee
Birthday: December 13
Fav food: Mochi

Chic Pixel is where I write about my favorite aspects of Japanese pop culture, with a focus on the cute and nerdy! Read More >

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apricotsushi Anne Lee @apricotsushi ·
25 Jan

12 years+ of my life has been packed into about 45 boxes (no furniture) 😱 I have too many things haha

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kathrynthehuman Kathryn Hemmann @kathrynthehuman ·
23 Jan

Chie Shinkyu's 72-Year-Old Mikako is an episodic light comedy manga about an older woman living on her own and writing a diary in the form of DMs to her deceased husband. This may sound sad, but Mikako is always on the move, and her life is full of joy and friendship. (1/2)

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apricotsushi Anne Lee @apricotsushi ·
23 Jan

Got an iconic photo in with Pai Pai 🌟
https://www.instagram.com/p/CnsvugfhXs2/?igshid=Zjc2ZTc4Nzk=

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alpacacarlesi Alpaca @alpacacarlesi ·
14 Jan

Year of the Rabbit 🐇🍑 Bun Bun #original

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21 Jan

🐇💕

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apricotsushi

Uh, no thank you?? 😝❌ But actually, Taiga is Uh, no thank you?? 😝❌ But actually, Taiga is definitely one of my fav characters in Variable Barricade! It’s such a fun game if you’re looking for a goofy romantic comedy with generally low stakes (though I might suggest skipping the true end all together… more on that in my review, coming soon!) ⭐️⭐️ Tune in for the Variable Barricade stream on @aksysgames Twitch tomorrow 3pm PT (Thursday US time, Friday 10am Sydney time) for their launch stream! I’ll be there along with @blerdyotome and some other very cool folks! 
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#nerdyflatlay #otomegames #otomegame #variablebarricade #otome #otomearmada #otomate #aksysgames #nintendoswitch #nintendogram #ninstagram #nintendoswitchgames #datingsimonth #datingsim #datingsimgame #ladygamer #gamersofaus #igersnintendo
Over the weekend @mayhaps.bella and I went to @auv Over the weekend @mayhaps.bella and I went to @auverscafe in Sydney for the Hello Kitty collab that’s part of the Hello Kitty Town event going on in @darlingsquare! 🎀 Since I can’t travel to Japan right now, it was so fun to be able to get to experience a collab cafe here in Australia 😭🙏 Food deets (swipe for more pics and a bonus selfie!)
- Gudetama chicken katsu burger topped with cheese 
- Strawberry pancakes with mochi ice cream
- Hello Kitty cheesecake 
- One fruity and one milky strawberry drink 
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#hellokitty #hellokittyaddict #hellokittylover #hellokittycore #gudetama #gudetamalover #sanriocafe #collabcafe #nerdyflatlay #kawaiiness #kawaiioftheday #hellokittytown #cutefood #kawaiifood #kawaiicute #kawaiiaesthetic #sydneyeats #sydneycafe #sydneyfoodie
Opening the June @stickiiclub vintage pack! The th Opening the June @stickiiclub vintage pack! The theme is “welcome to the meow-seum” 🐱🖼 How fun! I love how Stickii Club collaborates with different indie artists every month 💕 Soon they’ll be adding washi tape and switching to a more environmental friendly storage option. Definitely recommend! 
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#stickiiclub #stickerporn #stickerart #planningaddict #stationeryaddict #stationerylove #catartwork #catlovers #museumaesthetic #cottagecoreaesthetic #cottagecoreart #stickeraddict #kawaiiart #kawaiiartwork #cutestickers
Legiana x irises! I felt inspired to start a serie Legiana x irises! I felt inspired to start a series of Monster Hunter monsters with flowers 🌸 Which monster would you want to see next?
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#monsterhunterworld #monsterhunter #mhworld #mhworldiceborne #capcom #capcomgames #procreatedrawing #procreateartist #procreate #dragonart #ladygamer #gamergirlsofinstagram #gamersofaus #artistsoninstagram #artwork #artcommunity #illustrationartist
Sharing art + making a video = ANXIETY OVERLOAD 😫😅 Anywaaay, I loved this screenshot from ACPC @cozynamie took so much that I tried recreating it with two different mediums! Colored pencils were my first attempt, gouache second. It’s good practice to do the same piece a couple of times! Thanks again @cozynamie for letting me use your screenshot as a ref 💕
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#animalcrossing #animalcrossingpocketcamp #animalcrossingcommunity #acpccommunity #acpc #acpcfandom #artistsoninstagram #artpractice #traditionalart #gamingart #geekgirl #ladygamer #nintendogamer #nintendofan #nintendolife #gaminglife #gaminggirl
Continuing my 3DS appreciation posts 😆 I recent Continuing my 3DS appreciation posts 😆 I recently learned that the Kid Icarus Uprising box that comes with the 3DS stand goes for quite a lot of money online! 😱 It’s one of many games in my backlog that I haven’t had a chance to play yet. Do you have any rare 3DS games in your collection? Bonus: swipe to see the game under Strange Journey! 
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#nerdyflatlay #nintendo3ds #igersnintendo #nintendofan #nintendofans #kidicarus #kidicarusuprising #ladygamer #gamersofaus #kawaiistuff #kawaiiaesthetic #cutestuff #cuteaesthetic #sanrio #rilakkuma #gaminglife #gamingfolk #nintendoworld
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