Just as I was about to finish Hazuki's route in Riddle Joker, I had some thoughts.

Damn, I hate moeslop. And any kind of cheesy half-baked romance that comes with it. There are no languages or words in this world that can appropriately describe how much I disgust those tropes. But however, HOWEVER - for some reasons, that has always been my stupid little guilty pleasure. I always come back to a Yuzusoft title every short while, like a moth longing for scorching lamps.

Damsel in distress: The heroine was saved by her beloved protag in the nick of time. The reasons for her quiet, unspoken love are often disarmingly simple: the main character leaves a gentle impression, or perhaps they once crossed paths in the past, or maybe—just maybe—they're bound by the ties of family. She wanted to confess to him but not without her overwhelming fear - her fear of being rejected. Our girl determined to do it anyway, and to her fear - that actually came true. Except, it was just the main character being reluctant to accept her feelings and everything was a big misunderstanding. Or something like that along the line.

Familiar? Because no shit Sherlock, that form of narrative exists since time immemorial. There are variations here and there, but the core dynamic never changes. It's cringe. It's overused. It's too damn cheap. It's not even that grounded in reality. At the same time, it also makes sense: You saved a girl, of course she has to love you back, right? Maybe it's solely for that reason that people love reading this stuff, people love the power trip. You, playing as the main character (though people hate to aware of that fact), manage to grab the prettiest girl in the class, or the popular idol of the school. Or the senpai that's in the same afterschool club as yours. Maybe the homeroom teacher too. Might as well just add the childhood friend and your non blood-related little sister into the roster. There's something addicting about it. It's stupidly fun and always makes me giggle in desperation. It’s average at best, and I love it.

I'm 21 years old. I have been reading romance novels like this for, like, 8 years? More even so for romantic media in general, my all-time favorite romantic-comedy anime are Nisekoi and Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun. I love romance stuff in general, even though I don't look like one.

Yuzusoft games are for a specific type of audience. Let’s be honest—you don’t really play yuzuge for the plot, but it’s a bonus that there is one alongside the moege elements to keep things moving. Not just those who want to enjoy (and cringe at) a cutesy story, but for those who keep coming back to this burning dumpster type of romance. To shut down your brain and to immerse in its world. Production value is the only good thing about this brand. Their ASMR works and merchandise sell really well for a reason, the heroines are generally loved by fans. Some are better received than others, but the general demographic should be the same. Yuzuslop peaked at Nene's route in Sanoba Witch and the company has been struggling to recapture that former glory ever since then. Or I’m yet to see one. At this point, maybe I should read Amakano or SMEE games instead.

There are three final exams waiting for me in the next week and here I am wasting my time reading Riddle Joker. It's a love-hate relationship, me and romance media.

Now, I have an idea. I've been saying this for a while in my friend circle and I will say it again: I would love to see a visual novel where you - the protagonist - can make the active choice of rejecting a heroine's confession, after everything you've done to make her head over heels with you. I'm not a sadist (maybe). But the mere thought of seeing a maiden's heart crumbling and the physiological consequences afterward would be rather awesome and thought-provoking. This, in my opinion, is the ultimate power trip these games should be able to and should grant you. Not supernatural strength nor magnetic charisma—but the power to treasure or trample the feelings of any girl.

Forget the happily ever after with a family of four, I'm done cherishing fictional characters. Now I want to see a girl breakdown to her very core, her mentality shattered, her humane forsaken. The more brutal, the better. Maybe that girl becomes so distraught that she turns the knife toward herself, or you instead. I don't really care, that’s what make fictions fun—they’re imagination/fetishism materialized. Romance (or rather, the lack of it) peaks at this and you cannot change my mind otherwise.

Thanks for hearing my stupid rant, love ya.

What if I say that this whole paragraph is just a feeble excuse for me to portray my fetish? Menhera lover.