So, just to pass some time, a mini-discussion about "which game is better" recently popped up in the Melody thread and I offered that DMD is more like a fantasy tale - where the sheltered princess (from a manipulative+evil queen/mother/witch persona) is pulled to the larger world by her would-be prince, after which she slowly comes to realize that her life choices could possibly be her own - while Melody is more a slice-of-life, adult drama that has self-driven characters based in a contemporary society.
To me, they are purposefully different games and even purposes, with DMD being far more about the building revelations and romantic excitement as D learns that her life can be more free to experience than she was let on to understand for her entire life until now ...and Melody is a tale of how different lives can intersect and complement and/or impede each other as we follow one woman's growth path towards potential lifestyle independence.
But, I'm guessing this has already been hashed out here, though Search didn't really help me on these specific points yet. Curious about the perspectives of others here, of course.