I guess the developer got rid of the rape plot but kept the nymphomania plot to give more "depth" to Elaine's character. And I don't mean that as a complaint or as a bad thing. Rape plots always serve to "empathize" with that character. And nymphomania plots in visual novels are usually treated unrealistically. I mean, nymphomania is a psychological disorder. And most games just treat it as "This character is a nymphomaniac. She and the MC will fuck a lot. End of story." I can't recall a single visual novel that I've played in which nymphomania is treated relatively seriously.
So, I guess without the rape plot, we still needed an excuse to empathize with Elaine. And the excuse that led her to become a nymphomaniac seems adequate to me. If she were just a girl who parties, yes it would make sense to think of her as just a slut (or very "carefree and open-minded who enjoys her sexuality," for the moralists). Being a nymphomaniac, there you have that medical excuse. I think it works.
Just as we helped Krystal with her K-Pop band and Wendy with her ex-boyfriend, Elaine's plot will be helping her in some ways to overcome her trauma and help her see sex as something normal and everyday and not associate it with the stress and trauma she has with her past.
Or maybe I'm being overly optimistic.
Yes, i just think the rape plot and that we should have sympathized with her already failed for most as from how the scenes played out. Personally i don't like heavy themes only for shock value.
If a dev uses a heavy theme and actually makes it a central point in the story, or for that character, it's a different story entirely, but that is almost never the case...
I don't have a problem with the nympho plot, but i don't think it's usefull to gain sympathie for her (well at least for me). That she and her parents suffered and got abused has way more impact, or could have, if the dev would have focused more on that part, it also doesn't need rape to make that work.
How she became a nympho was pretty much, well yeah masturbation was the only thing which let me deal with stress, so i continued to do it...good for you, or maybe more for the the MC ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
For the sex, i mean, why can't a girl just enjoy sex...she doesn't even need to be a party girl or often changing partners for that, but yeah there is no drama in that i guess.
I also don't think people which disliked her for being a party girl, will suddenly like her because the nymphomania adds more ''depth''.
Maybe she will go to therapy, i doubt it, i think it's more likely she will be happy with it, now that she has the MC and is enjoying sex with him.
I actually like the lighter dramas like Wendy's or Krystal's more, they also feel more believable, or Rin which doesn't need much drama at all.
The heavy themes are mostly bad because there isn't any impact, lasting consequences, or even much time spend on it.
This wasn't only for Elaine's rape backstory, same for Eira, she was beaten, nearly gangraped (and probably killed), but there is no more to that story, no impact or lasting trauma for her...it serves for the purpose for some drama and the MC could play hero.
The other problem for the heavy dramas is how this MC is written. He's just not good for anything that requires emotional depth, bonding, or help someone to overcom a psychological problem
I mean, can someone imagine how this MC would have helped Elaine to overcome their rape trauma ?
