I'd argue that it can maximize feelings of jealously and betrayal precisely because the antagonist doesn't necessarily pull any underhanded moves to get want he wants. If done correctly, it intensifies the sense in the MC that they were just in the way of something better. That in itself seems pretty devastating to me.
I think "Wholesome NTR" can get bogged down by this idea that it all functions solely on the kindness of the antagonist, when at the end of the day, the heroine is still getting some Grade-A dick. It's just that the antagonist is a little less mean-spirited than what's typically expected.
I agree with your sentiment and would like to expand on this.
A decent NTR will have the player form a connection with the protagonist. We should be rooting for the main couple and be upset when they break up. If the game doesn’t have you sympathize with the main couple, then it should be labeled netori. The mis-labeling is really bad and it doesn’t help when writers advertise netori stories as netorare and netori fans think they’re reading netorare (when they actually like netori).
If the bull is understanding, kind, and overall better person than the protagonist, without pulling underhanded tricks, then the heroine simply went to a better person. Now, you can
still invoke feelings of jealousy even in this situation, but that requires good writing which makes you connect with the protagonist (and not cheer for the bull for winning fairly).
In this scenario, however, it seems protagonist is barely relevant in the story (which is sadly common in modern NTR). And the heroine herself is not a sympathetic character, either. So the game devolves into a basic cheating story, which doesn’t invoke the same jealous feelings as a classic NTR would. I’m going to play the game later and see if this is
really the case, but I’ll be sad if I get burned with another false NTR story, lol.
I really miss older NTR works where protagonists would have monologs or daily scenes with the heroine to really drive home that romantic ”fated connection,” which is then painfully torn apart by the bull. A girlfriend who used to make bentos and call you everyday, gradually being stolen and molded by the bull to someone who treats you like an absolute stranger.
Nowadays, it’s too often protagonist is busy with work/impotent, wife gets lonely and starts experimenting, and boom NTR.
