SweetOcha’s Review: Cupid Parasite

 

Plot

Cupid Parasite starts off with a Young Woman name Lynette Mirror, who is a the Top Bridal Adviser for Cupid Corporation located in Los York.

One day she got called in by her Boss and Founder Shelby Snail (voiced by KENN) in assigning her to help out with these five Men who are called among the workers in Cupid Corporation call “The Parasite 5”.

Lynette’s Goal is to help the members of the Parasite 5 in finding their perfect match in anyway she can while along the way finding out more about them and their troubling issues. 

My take

Playing Cupid Parasite was an enjoyable read for me and seeing how relatable the LIs are in this Otome.  With out going too deep into spoilers territory, the two Characters that I can relate with the most is Ryuki and Shelby.   I could do a rant post of why Ryuki and Shelby hit too close to home for me especially Shelby.   Since even to this day we live in a time now where there is a Strong movement of Adults who want to live ether the DINK or SINK lifestyle or in shorts they just want to be Child-Free and have no shame in it.  

(And sadly even people on the Internet guilt trip or shame these Individuals who strongly choose to be Child-Free. Well shame on them for shaming or guilting others who want to live how they happily want to live, but also me where I want to stay out of the heat from watching the hot take from the sidelines. I don't like getting into heated conflicts unless is justified.)

Along with dealing with Society's pressure in what is expected from not only Women but Men as well, which this hits hard for me as I get older having where i'm having a type of Crisis thinking of what Society expect of me as a "Age something" Year old Woman and I need to do this at this age or that age.  Along with showing accuracy of what is going on this present day.

(Aside from hearing Celebrities and Social Media Influencers flexing on being Baby-mamas).   

Divorce rates dropping like crazy,  Individuals choose to rely on Dating Apps and Websites to find the love of their life if those Individuals are desperate in wanting to find someone if their friends or family can’t even help hook them up a date.  Despite the moments that hit close to home thier the comic humor to get your mind off the moment that made you feel called out. I enjoyed the Humor but not as much as I enjoy the Steamy moments in each route. 

I love the music in the game, especially Shelby’s theme intro I could happily dance to it until I get tired that is really good. 💗

Fair warning 

This Otome game is not like most Otome and Visual Novels where you have only a Good and Bad ending.    Cupid Parasite as well as some Otome games that I won’t mention in this review have multiple endings. For Cupid Parasite they have is:

Love ending

Bad ending

Wrong Love type ending (As what I would call it)

Base on how you score from the Love test that you have to do in the Otome and depending on how you score will reviled the outcome base on who you choose.  And if you end up getting this Type and your like

"Ew, I don't want to play this LI's route, I want to play the LI that catch my interest"

That's great because then you will get the Wrong Love type end and you will get a good surprised in the end and no I'm not being Sarcastic.   You will not get any punishment for doing that because you will earn a special CG and another Spoiler surprised when you finish the route.

So if you complete this entire game without having to going back using a Walk-thru because you ether missing some CGs or Events then I give you a standing ovation.    Giving you applause is not enough, you deserve a standing ovation, because I don’t think I could complete this Otome if it wasn’t for a Walk thru.   So if you play this game with out using a Walk-thru is a possibility that you may or may not miss a lot of Events or CGs. 

Route Tier

To rank the route in Tiers

S Riyuki, Shelby, and Allen

A Gill and Raul

C  Secret Route 

I didn’t expect I would love Allen's  route so much.   His Route was really good that I actually wish his Route was the True Route, because with out going into any spoilers Allen has a more deeper connection with Lynette then Gil dose.  His route is replay value worthy in my personal opinion, same with Riyuki and maybe I feel that way because I have the same love type as him. I already talk about Shelby in My take why I put him into S-tier.

I almost was going to put Raul’s route in B tier, when I played his Route for the first time I couldn't get into  since it wasn’t as engaging as Riyuki, Shelby, and Allen’s route. But it was a good and interesting route on top of that his CGs were hot, so he deserve to be put in A tier. Is worth replaying his route again especially Gill's.

The Secret route charter’s route was cute, but I can’t say is replay value. Despite that I love Nobuhiko's Performance playing the Secret route Character.  Nobuhiko-San made me really love Chii and Peter, especially Chii.  

Lynette Mirror Spotlight corner (Mini Spoiler so skip ahead)

I really love Lynette as a MC and it makes me want to root for her in what she is trying to accomplish as a Top Bridal adviser and proving to her Dad that she got what it takes to help people find Love with out using her Bow and Arrow. And I have a similar drive when theirs something I want to go after and refuse to accept defeat until I can't do anymore that I can. 

Overall

I recommend getting Cupid Parasite if you:

*Love Rom-Coms

*Greek Mythology

*Romantic moments 

*Plot-Twists.    

I don’t recommenced playing Cupid Parasite if you:

*Don’t like Rom-Coms  

*Playing Routes that hits too close to home. 

At first I though those were the only thing I can think of cons for playing Cupid Parasite, but if you don’t like playing an Otome or Visual Novel with a lot of Endings that your trying to figure out how to unlock.  I don’t think that would be a deal breaker, but I know everyone has diffrent taste in how they love to play thier Otome.  Some love playing it Short and Sweet, some love to play it Long and Fun.  But this is not a problematic Otome game, Theres no Trigger Warning, The Steam is there, The Sweet-ness is there.

Thank you so much for reading my in depth Review, I hope you enjoy the Cupid Parasite especially when you get it at really good sell.  I already bought the FD and can't wait to play it. 💘

SweetOcha’s Review: CollarXMalice

 

Side note: This is my Review that I wrote in 2022, so as much as I want to keep what I done on my Secret Instagram account to be un-edit. But on the other hand a lot of stuff I rant about was…as I would personally call it best, on the Ignorant side.  Due because a round that time I only play 3 Otome titles while playing Code:Realized as the same time. On to the review! Hope you enjoy the read. 💖

Also this review is going to be in-depth one so I’ll warn you about any spoilers. 

Plot 

CollarXMalice starts off with a 21 year old Woman name Ichika Hoshino who became a Rookie cop for the Special Regions Crime Prevention Office or SRCPO for short in Shinjuku.  Which is a City district in Tokyo, Japan.  

While being on duty, Ichika gets an urgent call from her Higher-up, Mochida Masanobu(Voice by Hirofumi Nojima). Telling her to come with him to a location of where X-Day is.  As Ichika investigating the site where X-Day might be, out of no where Ichika gets attacked by an Unknown person.  Soon after Ichika wakes up in an unknown location that looks like a Church, then notice a Man name Aiji Yanagi (voice by Masakazu Morita) who has come to her rescued, then takes Ichika back to his secret Head quarters.  Which from there Aiji  introduce Ichika to his Team that he has form together.

Starting with Mineo Enomoto (voice by Saito Soma) who is an Former Field Ops Officer

   

Takeru Sasazuka (voice by Daisuke Namikawa) who is a Former Cyber Crimes Division Officer

Shiraishi Kageyuki (voice by Ryohei Kimura) an Active-Duty Officer who is the Director of the Field Ops Department 

and a Surprised introduction of meeting SP Officer Kei Okazaki (voice by Kaji Yuki).

Together Ichika and the 5 Love Interest will try and solve the X-Day cases while Ichika also help out one of the 5 Love Interest depending on the choices that you choose in the Common route.  

Going with one of the 5 Love Interests’s Route, you will learn about their Struggles they’re currently dealing with on their own privately, whiles solving the X-Day cases and stoping X-Day from taking over Japan.

My take

When I first play CollarXMalice back in 2020 I will inform you that this is a very Plot heavy Otome.  Back when I first play CollarXMalice, I couldn’t finish it in under a Week. Unless this was the only game, and even the only Otome I have to play and nothing else.  And at that time I wasn't an Advit reader, so the longest I could go to read CollarXMalice in one setting without feeling like I need to take a breather by ether doing House work or doing a Work out at Home would be 3 chapters each day.   Because the Chapters are long and like I said earlier is very Story driven 95% of the time, so you won’t get to the Romantic stuff or know more about the LI’s back story until you get to Chapter 4 or 5 in their Route.  

One of the things I enjoy in my Play-thru playing Collar X Malice is going threw both perspective of the MC and the Love Interest's Point of view.   Before I play Taisho X Alice All in one, most of the Otome games or Visual novels that I’d played as of now of doing this review.   You only get to read the MC’s Point of View and not two or multiple characters.  I also want to applaud to the Writers for going in depth in discussing subjects for not only going threw issues like Mental health, Family relationships, Bullying and Cyber-Bulling, but a standing ovation for them to accurately discussing about issues in America like Gun-Violence and Hate Crimes. 

(Which sadly is the Dark side of living in America which I can speak heavily but not go into a tangent on this because I was born and raised in America.)

The cast who voice the Characters and Side characters done a stellar performance.   I was really shock about Reina Uena’s performance which she Voice Suzune Uno, around the time I play CollarXMalice the only Role I know her for is Voicing Kisa in the Fruit Basket reboot. But looking at her Resume, Ms. Uena has so much range in her Voice that she can play similar Charcters like Kisa and Suzune Uno.  For a fair warning get ready to get jump scared if you get a Bad end and her Character pops up.

 Eguchi Takuya’s performance voicing Kazuki Hoshino, made me have a very hard time warming up to Kazuki for how good he done this Character.  All the Anime I watch that he’s voice in none of the Characters I see Mr. Takuya voiced are nothing like Kazuki Hoshino.  And I know his Resume is very massive so he probity have played Characters similar if not close to Kazuki.  But I had a hard time warming up to him and the only time I start to warm up to Kazuki was in Takeru’s and Aiji’s Route.

Route Tier List (Spoilery for my brief thoughts on each route)

Collar X Malice will be an exception for me not ranking it from A to D tier, because all the Routes are good in their own way and no route a I personally feel was a Bad route. So instead I’m going rank the Route a in full detail on my personal tier list for each route.  

*To note this is how I personally felt about the Route when I first play it in 2020. I’m considering to to playing it again but my self back when I first play it. How I name the tier got me with this emoji -> 😂

First tier

I will replay their Route over and over again until I get tired of it

Before playing all the guy’s route I was happy to play Enomoto’s route because Saito Soma voice him, so when I have to play Enomoto's route first I was really happy. But now I just love Enomoto just for who he is as a person and the stuff he went threw I feel for him. 

I really enjoy Kei's route and I relate to him more in this game because I have trust issues but I'm currently over coming them, I’m almost adventurous in wanting to try stuff that most people wouldn't try but not to Kei's level because the snacks he loves I wouldn't try out. 

Yanagi’s route from trying to remember how I felt playing his route. It truly feel like a True route and I love his Chemistry with Ichika. I need to replay his route again.

Second Tier

“You will have to pay me $50 

  to replay his route again”                 

                                                                     

Despite that I love all the CGs in Takeru’s route but his back story was very sad and Tragic.  Ichika needs to give Takeru all the Hugs and Kisses that he deserves.  When I first got introduce to his Character I didn’t care for him for how awful the treated Ichika. But that CG when he put Ichika in a Choke hold, one part I don’t know if I should feel guilty for thinking that was sexy when their are a ton of other Sexier CGs of Takeru after that but it was so hot. His CGs deserve an S tier alone but his back story is..ugh you might have to get the tissue on stand by.

3rd and last Tier

 You will have to pay me $150

 to replay his Route again.        

                                                                       

Playing Shirashi’s route I really feel bad for him.  At first I didn’t care for Shirashi that much until I play his route and I fell hard for him just like Takeru.  One of my favorite CGs of him you could say is Spoilery but is when him and Ichika hold hands.  

Ichika and Kazuki spotlight corner

(Spoiler-y if you haven’t play so skip a head )

During my game play of playing all the routes, I feel so bad for Ichika for what she has to go threw in this Otome, Growing up, and even in her own Home after she left the Nest. She even let her Aloof and Cold-Hearted 18 year old Brother live with her just so be can go to School. The same 18 year old Brother which she worries herself sick for him, would be slaving in the Kitchen for him and despite how awful Kazuki treats Ichika verbally, she still Worries herself sick for him.  Is one thing if the Hoshino siblings where Twins, because Twins have a unique relationship.  But they’re 3 years apart so you wonder what the heck happen between these two that their relationship became this ruff.   I know Kazuki has a Redemption arch in Enomote’s, Yanagi’s Route and kinda in Takeru’s route to explain his Anger and Hatred towards Ichika.  And despite that Kazuki at first was my lease favorite Character in this Otome.  But even I resonated with Kazuke for the reasons why he act so Aloof and Heartless towards Ichika in the first place.  So despite what I said about Kazuki earlier, but he’s truly not the awful Little Brother that I thought he was in this Otome.  Both Ichika and Kazuki’s parent neglected both of them in different ways. With Kazuki he was selfishly-neglected while Ichika gotten the Middle Child syndrome level neglect and she the Older sibling.  A side from that Ichika deserves all the love that she needs and thankfully she got it from all the LIs but with Shirashi’s was Bitter-sweet.

Recommends with a dash of fair warning 

Before you happily head to the Nintendo eShop to buy CollarXMalice or go to your prefer Online store to buy a Physical copy of CollarXMalice.  I want to warn you that I really don’t recommend playing CollarXMalice when your Mind is in a Bad or Dark head space.  Due because they talk about subjects like Gun Violence, Bulling, and other triggering subjects that could be Mental or Emotional traumatizing towards you.  But I don’t know you personally so I don’t know what things you can or can not Handle so you have every right to take my Advise with a grain of Salt. 

So to finish this off I Recommend getting Collar X Malice if you love watching Crime shows, Angst, Plot Heavy story, some Kick-butt acton moments, and you love to get Jump scare.  But I highly recommend this Otome for any of you guys who are a huge fan of Crime shows like CSI: Miami, Law & Order, Flash Point or if you’re a big  K-Drama fan and you had watch “The Beast” then you are going to freaking love Collar X Malice. 

I don’t watch a lot of Crime shows unless I have nothing better to watch, but at one point I was almost addict to watching this Crime show called 9-1-1 but it faded out.  If you never herd of it is an American TV Crime show, so I don’t think this Show hit International viewers but if you have a VPN or you watch it on YouTube then you probity have watch it. 

I don’t recommend playing Collar X Malice if you’re not:

*Good at dealing with subjects or get easily trigger by Gun Violence, Bulling, Revenge, Cyber Bulling, Asian-Hate, Blood, Death, and Kidnapping.

Over all

So the million dollar question, after reading the review that myself in 2022 wrote, would I in 2025 but more closer in 2026 have the desire to replay CollarXMalice?

Absolutely yes. I want to experience playing it a second go round just like with Code;Realized. Even Takeru and Shirashi’s route, despite back then how I felt playing it back then I want to take my old self’s advise for how she felt that it was to hard to go threw that you have to pay her $50 or $150 saids a lot. With your first Otome being Fluffy and then jumping into playing CollarXMalice after playing 3 Otome Games that is all fluff and no Angst my older self has every right to feel how she felt.

 

Thank you so much for reading my in depth Review, I hope you enjoy the Roller Coaster, especially when you find out the Master Mind of X-day. 🕵️‍♀️ 🐈‍⬛