VN - Ren'Py - My Bully Is My Lover [Ch.1 Ep.4 - CV] [NiiChan]

What's up with the bad reviews lately? They are blowing the flaws of My Bully is my Lover waaaay out of proportion.

Cant help but think its mostly guys looking for the usual boring incest family slice of life harem games with lots of meaningless h-scenes. If youre looking only for that, this maybe isnt the game for you. (yet there are still a lot h-scenes and they are good)

The LI's, their designs and their storys are amazing, the main-story is decent. The MC isnt a full blown badass like the one in Sicae but he's on his way and has a nice progression.

The Gwen and Emma romances are amazing. The humor is great esp if Klara is involved. I usually hate mother/landlady LI's and always skip them, but i cant skip Klara, shes way too hilarious.

The connection to sicae feels great too, a great balance, it isnt too much but the bits which are there are great.

I am a big fan of this game and especially it's writing and it's LI's

The dev clearly has a nack for character building and story building, giving each LI's an unique backstory and creating great character arcs.
One of the only games where I like all of the LI's, and thats because of the characters backstory and relationship building with the MC.

All LI's are really good looking and the renders and animations are top notch, among the best quality out there for Honeyselect games.

It might not be a perfect 5 out of 5 starts with it's occasional cringy dialog, and the mafia stuff is weird, but the positives out weigh the negatives, and I believe that by the time this game is completed (with all endings) it will surely be worthy of the 5 out of 5 stars (just look at Emma's ending).

NiiChan clearly has a nack for storytelling and it shows with how great this game is.

Really nice job dev, can't wait to see where the rest of the story goes.

Ok so I'm 100% biased here. What most reviews say is true. There's a lot of cringe dialog, the mafia stuff is all over the place and I personally don't like the whole 'supernatural' stuff, I would honestly prefer if the game focused on the MC relationship with the LIs and thats it, no mafia and no supernatural stuff. HOWEVER, the relationship with Emma, Aine and Gwen is so good that I honestly don't care about anything else.

Emma's ending is amazing, however
I would also love an ending with Aine solo and/or Aine+Emma but anyway. As I said I'm biased so 4 stars might be too much, I still think its a game worth cheking out tho.

Keep in mind a 3/5 is still above average. The game is decent, but a lot of the writing makes it hard to give it more than a 3.

Positives -

Lots of good LIs with decent models if you are good with HS.

Animations are well done.

Negatives -

Dialogue... just so cringe. It feels like someone asked an AI to write a slice of life anime.

Music is very boring and doesn't fit most of the scenes.

Overall it was an enjoyable experience, but the cringe is pretty strong in this one. It does get slightly better as it goes along, but not by much.

(Full disclosure: I wanted to give this a 3.5/5 or a 7/10. Unfortunately this site doesn't do that shit, but I also don't want to give this a 4/5 so...3 will have to do for now.

Also this is for the current version of the game (Chapter 1 Episode 2) and since it's still in active development then yeah, score is still pretty much subject to change in the future)

Pros:

-Character writing is good. Not perfect, but decent enough. The dramatic moments though...I feel like those are the moments where Niichan's writing prowess truly shines the most. I mean, that Emma Solo Route...ooooff. Right up there with the likes of Clannad, IMO.

-Solid lewds/sex scenes. Again, not perfect, but at the very least most of the characters have good reason to quickly jump on Kei's (MC's) dick and not make it completely feel like they're simply doing so because porn logic.

Cons:

-Character designs feel...mid. As in they look like they came straight from a HS2 card sharing site or straight from the game's presets and just had a little work done to them. Definitely a Roentgen 3.6 (Not great, not terrible).

-Music selection is just flat out atrocious in the non-drama heavy sections of the VN. Like, music is supposed to match the mood of a scene but most of the time I just find it unfitting with what is happening on screen (so much that I've turned it off except for moments that look drama heavy, to which I turn it back on because those are the only times when the music seems to fit).

-Had I not known beforehand that this game takes place in the same universe as "Sicae" (haven't played that one yet but I've read the synopsis at least) and another in-the-works project (which seems to lean on the fantasy side if the ending of the Emma solo path was any indication) I would've docked more points for the part-of-a-bigger-universe-that-has-ongoing-storylines moments that permeate throughout the story. Hated that shit in Marvel and DC Comics where you're forced -sorry, "encouraged" - to read multiple titles in order to understand what's going on. At least this one doesn't completely go in-your-face about it (though the Hera confrontation really felt like it would work in a different title and not...what this VN started out as, anyway).

-Lily. With the current direction of the story I just...don't see why she even exists as a character (I mean you could've just mixed her character with Freya...but I'm not the author so...lol). But hey, this is just me being extremely nitpicky I suppose...

---

Overall...an above-average experience. I didn't outright hate it...but I'm not in a hurry to see where it goes (unless it's a Shu - June reunion chapter...boy needs closure, dev). Will probably wait for a decent chunk of updates before diving into it again, I think.

Short Review:

Pros:
-Emmas Story & Ending( you really do cheer for emma)
-Character designs
-worldbuiding
- sex scenes (but there are not many)
-music & vibe of the game


Cons:
-The dialogue is really awkward sometimes
Spoiler:
- i know aine is the main girl, but i dont care about her much, most of the other girls i enjoy more
- the scenes where klara (the mother ) goes Psycho are really cringe, i don't know what the intention behind them is but please stop them
Spoiler end.

But in general i enjoyed that game, i recommend. Thanks for creating this game.

the dialogue is a nightmare. these characters are meant to be in their early 20s but communicate like 14yo. the MC has no personality. let's be real for a sec, if a guy like this existed irl, there's absolutely no way girls would be falling head over heels for him left and right like they are in this game. I promise you. besides that, he has no backbone and most of the choices you have are deciding whether you'll thank someone or not. honestly lmao. during flashbacks where he interacts with LIs, I fail to see how he'd make an impression and stay on the LI's minds. I get it, it's just a game yeah. but even during flashbacks the LIs seem to have personalities atleast.

now don't misunderstand, this game does everything else well enough. I liked the renders. I like the LIs, not just their models but their characters and development.

the biggest issue I have is the cringe dialogue. and when you have bad dialogue, you fail to connect. it's like when you have a terrible conversation with someone you just met, you're not really going to want to talk to that person ever again and might even suspect something is wrong with them. not every tiny thing needs to be said out loud. and somethings are louder when left unsaid. please dev trust that your audience aren't idiots and can atleast understand things without them having to be spelt out all the time.

also, as for the bullying, from what I've seen, MC wasn't really bullied, just teased and patronised. if he was and it hasn't been shown, then he brought it upon himself. this guy was just simping. there was no way for a fatty like him to be close to the girl he liked so he decided if he ran errands and bought her snacks, although she looked down on him, he would be close to her. lmao instead of accepting the spineless loser he was, he's playing the victim card and acting like a tragic hero who has found enlightenment and now has a huge heart of forgiveness. lmao. you can try to push the idea that he's just a 'kind soul'. nobody's buying that. it was made clear early on that this wouldn't be a revenge story, and ofc it's not. it wouldn't make sense if it was because nothing tragic happened to MC. he got rejected then became an errand boy, that's it. there were even girls who were into him at school but he was too dense to realise it. despite being fat, he didn't have to be a loser, he chose to.

overall I wouldn't say this game left a huge impression, and if not for the LI's character development, I wouldn't be returning to read this in future. infact, I doubt I will.

However, I'd recommend it regardless because you might like it and this is just some random nitpicky comment on the internet.

The game I recently experienced left me in awe with its outstanding story and animation, complemented by wholesome moments that made it an unforgettable journey. From the very beginning, the game's narrative unfolded with intricate depth, offering a captivating storyline that kept me engaged throughout. The characters were beautifully crafted, each with their own unique personalities and arcs that allowed me to connect with them on a profound level. As the plot unraveled, it led me through a rollercoaster of emotions, from laughter to heart-wrenching moments that tugged at my heartstrings. The exceptional writing and well-developed characters brought the story to life, making it a truly immersive experience. The animation in the game was a true masterpiece, setting new standards for the industry. Every frame was a work of art, showcasing stunning visuals and attention to detail that left me in awe. The fluidity of the animation enhanced the overall gameplay, adding to the emotional impact of pivotal moments in the story.
What truly set this game apart were the wholesome moments it offered. Amidst the challenges and trials faced by the characters, there were heartwarming instances of friendship, love, and growth. These moments not only made me smile but also left me with a sense of warmth and hope.
In conclusion, this game is an exemplary showcase of outstanding storytelling and animation, coupled with wholesome moments that create an emotional and gratifying experience for players. It is a testament to the potential of video games as an art form, leaving a lasting impression on anyone fortunate enough to embark on this unforgettable journey.

I expected some sort of heartfelt story about regret, forgiveness and maturing... But you can really scratch all that. The beginning is somewhat(?) true to the title, but then it just devolves into a really convoluted mafia and chosen one plot. The past bullying is never shown or described, other than everybody saying it was really bad. The flashbacks of his past are literally just him emotionally connecting to every "bully"?? It's somewhat insulting to people who were really bullied, but it's a porn game so eh..
Eventually the story got so stretched out and kind of dumb I began speedreading and still took 20mins for a flashback, one flashback....Imagine practically holding the skip button and being in the same bloody flashback for 20minutes

Overall the animation is amazing and small parts of the story decent, would have been a solid 5star if I didn't have to turn my brain off halfway and the title actually described the game, instead of clickbaiting me

IT'S A MASTERPIECE. I originally gave up after a chapter or two because I thought it was going to be run of the mill game where you just try to get into panties but oh boy was I wrong. The plot slowly picks up but surely delivers, so DONT GIVE UP UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE FINISHED CHAPTER 5 (angel episode or something about emma backstory) because plot gets so good, writing is phenomenal, music is so well placed and chosen. The mixture of writing, music, and well placed pauses were so immersive that i literally cried during some scenes cuz it hit so hard. PLEASE TRY THIS GAME YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT. I finished Emma ending and oh boy was it SOOOOO satisfying and good. I'm gonna try other characters now but so far I am so happy I tried this game again and stuck with it. Please support the dev so they can keep pumping out such classics.
Background stories and character building is the best I have seen in any AVN so far. Hats off and Goodluck dev!! <3 <3 <3

Comparing to other VNs, this is alright. Its not great, but its not terrible. Personally, i wasn't a huge fan of the main story, the whole mafia plot is super convoluted and goes on for too much. But it might depend on some people, the dev does mention the whole anime-esque style might not be for everyone, certainly not me, but it might work for others so i would def recommend try it atleast.

I would have rated this lower than average, but the whole Emma storyline plot was amazingly well done. And it has to be one of my favourite arc in VNs. It's emotional, sad but satisfying with the amount of build up and a beautiful ending. Honestly surprised by how good the Emma story was compared to the rest, and you def feel the story pick up and properly get started when you arrive at that plotline.

Basically:
Emma's story and ending= amazing
The rest= Too much Mafia stuff and bloated story (but some might like it tho)

This is a visual novel different from what I'm used to, it's very simple, despite having the flashbacks there isn't much of a story, everything happens very fast, in just a few minutes in the game there was already a girl confessing to the MC and even having sex, and with the rest of the girls everything is pretty quick too, and basically everyone is in love with the MC or falls in love with him after two or three interactions.

Here you basically only have two options to choose from, one that gives +1 point, and another that doesn't give any points, and they are very simple, like, for example, the MC saying “thank you”, or the MC not saying “thank you”.

The dialogue is often childish, most of the dialogue is the MC “thinking”, but even in thought he stutters and gets nervous, even when he is alone, the other characters also have many childish moments and dialogues, but in general they are all much more mature than the MC, even the girls younger than him (The MC is 23 years old).

About the bullying seen in the flashbacks, it's basically the girl calling the MC “fatso” and the MC crying, when I saw the MC crying I thought the MC deserved to be bullied, I would do the same, other than that everyone treated him too well, with porn logic of course.

The design of the scenarios and especially the design of the characters is not the best, I even like the style, but comparing to some good games I've played that have a similar style, the quality here is really low, so I'll say it's average.

When I played the game, I imagined that someone had compressed the renders too much, which lowered the quality so much, I don't know if that was the case, but it's possible, anyone who played compressed games here on the F95 will notice the similarity.

It's not a game that holds my attention, I played a few minutes, closed the game, and came back later to play a little more, and that's it, I can't say the game is bad, there's nothing about it that is really “bad”, but it's kind of boring.

This game does so much right compared to other games. It uses models that don't look like shitty attempts to be realistic, the writing isn't awful/cringy/in broken english like other games, and the characters are likable rather than completely forgettable. Feels like a slog going through various games in this genre hating most of them because of these flaws, but this one is a diamond in the rough. My only criticism might be the occasionally weird looking lighting, and the low quality models used in the environments.

I started this game cuz the cover looked good and the name reminded me of a pornwha i read before... i came for quick faps but the story and their characters mesmerized me so well that i cant stop playing this game and i cried rivers during certain moments...
also renders are done so well, characters are written so good that i dont have any chars im fed up with so far and the choice of music is just.. golden.. Trying to be ok hit me so hard during playing... fk...
great game so far, currently at ch 5-6 11/10

"Amazing gameplay and stunning animations make this game a must-play for any gamer. The immersive storyline keeps you engaged from start to finish, it's very emotional story but still it's all good in the hood.we want more updates in this game niichan and keep up the good work and stay healthy and positive every day and all night

Finished with the current update over a month ago and forgot to rate it.

Rated 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest.

VISUAL ASPECT:
9/10 - I'm a sucker for games that use HS or HS2 models. All the characters look good and the design of the main ones are very well made. Personally favorites are Aine, Freya, Moon and Sky. Moon is currently at the top just because I REALLY like how she looks.

STORY:
8/10 - Love the overall story so far. Wondering how MC's clan will relate to the story further and I love the reveal of the backstories of how the girls are connected to you. Already got an inkling early on about Emmy being Emma and I love her story arc, but seeing how Gwen cares about you and how Aine was actually the first one to fall in love with the MC only to be taken away by that bitch of a mother. God. And I can't stop talking about that Emma back story. I do hope we get more Lily, Naomi and Moon content since out of all the LIs, they have barely anything going on with them. Lily is leaving so IDK how that will go, with Naomi, we get introduced to that dumb-faced suitor whose face is so punchable, and with Moon, how she'll open up to the MC (is she THAT flirty or is it a coping mechanism for her to escape her traumatizing past. who knows?)

MUSIC and SOUNDS:
10/10 - Time Traveling by Sarah Kang. Nuff said.

SCENES and ANIMATIONS:
9/10 - It feels sensual and exciting. It keeps me engaged. Although, the Gwen scene at the school bathroom could've had better angles (that's just me tho). The Sky scenes are always HOT AS FUCK and Aine's was just too sweet. The animations are smooth, the lighting is great and the setting for the scenes make each scene worthwhile to look at.

TAGS:
8/10 - Possible threesome? Heh? I do understand that this would be the most subjective rating to give as each person has different tastes when it comes to content. I personally don't like pregnancy and it was difficult watching that Emma scene but at that point I'm just nitpicking.

OVERALL EXPERIENCE:
9/10 - This game still has a bunch of room to grow and the story is not nearly as finished, but from what I have experienced, it made me feel a lot of emotions I wouldn't have experienced in any other game.

FLASHBACK NO JUTSU!
The game is really well made, quality is absolutely fantastic. There is a good amount of polish everywhere. However, I honestly can't get into it as the game feels like you're progressing your story for like 5% of the dialogue, and in those moments the conversation often feels inane or you're witnessing some flashback for the other 95% of the dialogue. There is more romantic development in flashbacks than there are during present day.

Version: Ch1 Ep1 Part2 + Emma's Solo Ending

MBIML really surprised me with how good it was. I was not expecting to enjoy the story as much as I did and it really deserves more love and recognition.

The female characters in this game all look beautiful and unique.

The story and writing was what surprised me the most, and is the biggest reason to give this game a try. The story actually develops at a decent pace and does not drag on forever. MBIML takes the time to show the backstory of each LI and their motivation for their past and future actions. I really appreciate when the game developer fleshes out the LIs character like this, it really gives them life and personality and makes me care for them. Especially for a harem game, this makes the harem route all the better.

The writing for the main story has its weak moments, and I think that it would not have had as big of a impact as it did if it was not for how hard Emma's story hits you. Her story strengthens all the emotions you get from the main story/other girl's stories and is written the best. They honestly did such an amazing job with Emma's story, from her childhood to her solo ending, they were able to show you all of her. Her sadness, her motivation, her struggle, her love, her fear, and in the end, her happiness. All told and presented beautifully. I only hope that the harem route can deliver the same quality of happiness Emma got in her solo ending to all the LIs, but especially to Emma, because she does not deserve anything less after playing through her route.

My Bully Is My Lover [Ch1 Ep1 - Part 2 + Emma's Solo Ending ] [NiiChan]
I was annoyed the whole time while playing this game because of the cringy writing. Give the MC a little personality and masculinity, will you? We are basically playing the role of an idiot. It feels like he is just filling. By the way, he is the default male model in HS2.

Dialogues are driving me insane. Please stop justifying your decision that this is not a revenge game. We get it. We don't expect him to kill whoever wronged him. But at least please stop giving crappy life lessons, and give us a little satisfaction via the dialogues. Yeah, if you are THIS forgiving, then that makes you an idiot, not a kind person. (Seriously guys, if someone did something to you and you think they are wrong, then go and fuck them.)
And ffs stop adding flashbacks. Full episode of boring flahback.

And there is lewd content issue. It's taking forever to see some content, and when you finally see them, they are way too short and dull. The pics between the scenes are way more interesting than sex scenes. Literally. I mean, give them a little description from the characters' perspective.

Nii is a good friend, and fellow dev. But somehow I've only just now played MBIML. Even though he is a friend and fellow dev, I'll still give him shit if I don't like something LOL. Seriously though...

I must say, this is a niice game. I am sorry now that I waited this long to check it out. And wow, there is a LOT of content here. I forgot to pay attention to the time, but I'm sure it took quite a few hours over the last 3 days to reach the end of what is currently there.

CONS: Let's get the cons out of the way, there honestly aren't that many. The only thing I don't like about this game is that I wish there were more facial expressions during conversations. That is a thing for me I guess. During conversations, there is mostly a static image that only changes a few times. In longer conversations, it would be a lot more engaging if you could see more emotions on their faces, changing through the topic. I try to acheive this in my games. At the same time, I can understand why some developers do it this way. It can take forever to render so many images (hence the reason it takes me longer to update my own shit). Anyway, it's really a minor thing... more of a "this would be so much better if" situation for me. Another minor thing is some of the grammar is well, a little odd? Not that I am any better with it but... "Did you made those cat paws yourself?" <--- I see this a lot in these games. Is it a spelling error that was missed all this time? Or is that how Nii would say that? I rarely judge too harshly on language because this community is universal and I never want to offend anyone. But "Did you make those cat paws yourself?" - would have been how I worded it. Finally, the only other minor nitpick I can think of is that the characters tend to look a bit younger than they are portrayed. Everyone is in their twenties, but they kinda still look like they're in their teens (maybe it's just me). The MC himself could have used a bit more aging in his face, perhaps a bit taller... I don't know. A lot of people hate to see the MC in these games. It's because no matter what you do with a male character in HS or HS2, they will ALWAYS look... off. With that said, I still think Nii did a great job designing all the characters, and even the MC.

STORY: Now that's out of the way. The good stuff. What a great story! I admit, at first (through the beginning) it felt a little slow. But the further I got into it, the more I wanted. It was hard to stop for annoying stuff like having to go to the bathroom or do work stuff. A lot of the 'mystery' almost seems to drag you along a little too long at times. But just when you feel like that, a light finally turns on and you get more answers. The story seems well thought out and it is interesting enough that you really want to know what happens next. The moment MC finally remembers who Emma really is was gold... LOVED that!

CHARACTERS: Beautiful HS characters. Seriously. All of the girls are lovely. Personalities are well in place, well written, well developed (I could learn from Nii on this). When you're with Gwen, you know it's her just by what she is saying and how she says it. The same with all the other girls. I really enjoyed meeting each girl and seeing her unique character traits. That would have gone hand in hand with what I mentioned above about expressions during conversations. This shit is really good, but more personality displayed in emotions and expressions would have been FIRE. Needless to say, I have no issues with character design and development here. Very well done indeed.

GRAPHICS: Again, beautiful HS renders. Great use of lighting, shadows, etc.. The setting for each scene is done very well, with attention to little details here and there. These are things I notice and appreciate in a VN. I loved the Eternum reference/crossover. That was a very nice touch, showing the Eternum graphic on-screen during one of the scenes. I love to see devs crossing over and tipping a hat to fellow devs. We should all do this when we can in support of each other. And I'll definitely find a way to make this happen in my games with this game.

ANIMATIONS: The animations were fairly smooth, much better the further into the story you go. I noticed that Nii had a lot of scenes (most of them actually) where you see the characters eyes blinking. So even though there were static images usually, they weren't completely devoid of life. That was a nice touch, and also why my previous comment about having more images during a conversation is considered minor to me.

HOT OR NOT: Yeah, it's got some hot situations for sure. But I really enjoy how we're not just jumping into them constantly. I think Gwen and Sky were the only girls where we actually see full on intercourse. At least through my game. I am not sure if other choices would have had different circumstances, I pretty much stuck with the more 'positive' option for every choice thus far. I think I gained a point with each choice (where that point notification would pop up). There are plenty of little 'lewd' situations throughout, not overdone, and not underdone either. Obviously, it's going to take some time before you get to 'nail' some of the girls due to their different situations. And I really like that. Even though this is supposed to be fantasy, I like the touch of realism in how the girls act.

BEST GIRL: Yeah I know... not really review content but hear me out... Part of playing these is deciding on a favorite girl. You usually find one even in games that aren't as good as MBIML. And when it's hard to make that choice, that to me is a great and reviewable thing. It means the dev did well enough with the characters that you love them all. If I really had to choose, I'd have to say I'm torn between the 3 (main?) girls: Aine, Gwen, and of course Emma (Emy). I love their different personalities and they all look great. But let's go outside the box here... away from 'main-ish' characters... Claire. Now she might be the most interesting one of all. Mysterious, tats (I happen to like girls with tats tyvm), eyes, and just an overall hot looking character. I don't know if Nii intends to write us a hot scene with her later, but it would be nice. With that said, Moon is also mysterious and really hot. And it seems there is a glimmer of hope that we'll have content with her in the future.

OVERALL: Nii... I loved it so far buddy. Definitely will be keeping an eye out for more updates. And I definitely want to do some kind of crossover content with this and Serenity Chapter 2. Seriously though, amazing game and can't wait for more of this one. I highly recommend anyone to check it out and stick with it through the beginning. It's worth your time.