An interesting novel that goes against the grain compared to the usual stories about a 18yo HoneySelect Harem Hero. While the main genre of the novel may be recognizable as male dominance, the actual story here is about a reasonable protagonist with a secure and dominant personality, who unwittingly, and for reasons that he couldn't even being to guess, has to fill some big shoes and resist the influence of those who want to use him as a pawn.
The main attraction of the novel is the protagonist. I will talk more about him later, but it's important to understand what this VN is so you won't go into it with false expectations.
- It's a linear story so don't expect choices to alter it in any serious capacity.
- While the girls have personality, MC eventually binds them to him and they are more than happy to submit (for the most part)
- This isn't about a young restaurant owner. The restaurant is a wrapper for the political intrigue that happens in that part of the world.
- No skirt chasing. It doesn't matter how big the cast is, the focus is on MC and his harem of select girls who either agree with or submit to him.
- There may be times in the story that MC seems to get preferential treatment out of nowhere. It's not just plot armor.
So what is this game about?
As I said in the prologue, there is a lot of political intrigue here. It's localized in the city that the game takes place and the main actors are the "families". The control many aspects of the local economy, and MC has ties to them without knowing anything about it.
MC is a 18 yo in the last year of high school, although he doesn't care much about it. He attends because he has to, but his goal is to build up the restaurant and follow his grandfather's footsteps.
One thing you will notice quite early, is that MC does not act as the typical 18 yo. The game tries to explain the behavior by adding conflict to his background and having been trained by his grandfather in arbitrary things, mainly including cooking. In my opinion, MC is way too mature and knowledgable for his age. He does everything with a practiced ease, he is on top of things and doesn't allow anyone to coerce him. Perhaps it would be better if he was 5-6 years older, but this is a nitpick.
He has one of the more dominant personalities I've ever seen in a VN. And by dominant, I don't mean it in a BDSM sense. He isn't your typical "alpha male" who always gets into trouble, gets all the girls, fights his enemies head on. He is more of a "sigma" styled protagonist. He is more likely to stay in the sidelines, pick his fights, observe before acting and dismiss anyone who's behavior isn't compatible without compromises. This allows him to be highly resistant to manipulation. He exercises a lot of control over his girls and tries his best to keep them happy once they submit.
This behavior is perfect for the story. While you will have to stomach the upper-class caricatures which are like that by design, there's a fair amount of intellect and scheming, along with a sense of change in the horizon. It's subtle but the story gives the impression that this city has been a boiling pot for quite some time and now that a new player appeared, some of them are trying to control the new narrative, while others try their best to stay in power.
All in all, this is a story about an exceptionally competent young adult who is passionate about his dream and his winning personality is a magnet for a host of repressed girls that he has a talent for "curing". He gives them a patriarchical style of security (mainly emotional, but also financial and physical) and in return he gets help for his restaurant. Through this dynamic, sexual relationships emerge where girls eventually submit to his dominant personality.
What about the girls?
The operating word here is "cute". The main themes behind their personalities is shyness, bullying, mean behaviors, proper behaviors and excessive parental control. The majority of them seem like being wrapped in a shell of of inferiority that the MC will eventually break and mold them exactly as he likes, liberating them and uplifting them depending on their circumstances.
Lucy - The first girl you meet, a shy little thing who is abused by her mother. MC shows her kindness and gives her responsibilities that she is more than willing to accept. She is clingy in a cute way and thanks to MC she is "allowed" to explore the finer points of her personality.
Victoria - She starts of as one of the mean girls but it turns out that this is mostly a facade, although she does have some bitchy behaviors. She wants to be independent so she asks MC for a job, but he drives a hard bargain and forces her to be nice to Lucy, creating problems with her old "friends".
Sarah - The lastborn of a founding family. She has some image issues and the cuttthroat nature of her environment has made her a hard character to approach, as she pushes people away. MC approaches her for help with the waitress uniforms and their relationship becomes a target for her father.
Akatsuki - She meets MC due to her father's schemes to do some "corporate espionage" but things happen in the meantime that make her rethink this whole situation.
Akari - The sister of Akatsuki, a very competent cook who seems to be very well adjusted. She works for her father but she doesn't care too much about his schemes and is supportive of Akatsuki's relationship with MC.
Rachel - The resident feminist, giving MC a lot of grief for no reason. No one takes her seriously and lately this seems to have created chinks in her armor.
Alison - Daughter of a founding family and a complicated character who used her connections to become the headmistress of the school. She wants something from MC but she strings him along for quite a while till MC pressures her into coming clean.
Hannah - Alison's sister who is in an arranged marriage. Alison doesn't like that so she attempts to use MC to get her out of it. Hannah is described as indecisive and fairly quiet but she does have a willingness to excel.
Catherine - An entitled girl who does whatever her rude and intense mother wants her to do. Once MC is known to be a firstborn of a founding family, her mother forces her to tail MC around and make him marry her. Things aren't going to be that easy for her though.
Misaki - The teacher of MC's class, a shy girl incapable of commanding attention and controlling her class. She has a bit of an exhibiotinism kink that MC discovers on accident.
You will like this novel if you like Dominant Protagonists, cute submissive girls in distress and drama driven by political intrigue and power plays.
