Sorry, it’s taken me awhile, but this character was chosen by you guys about four weeks ago during that week’s poll. Well I saw the votes and I’m not one to disappoint, so here’s my review of Seiichirou Hayami’s route in My Wedding and the 7 Rings!
I didn’t know what to expect from this route going in, because not much is known about Sei at this point in the game. In the other routes, he is merely the facilitator of the late CEOs will, and the man in charge of the Marriage Program. He mostly takes on an advisory role, assisting the MC as she completes the program, though he has been known to create minor obstacles for the MC and her chosen fiance as well. Despite his role in the marriage game, very little is known about Sei. At work he is one of the top executives of the Sanno Corporation, having worked under the former CEO, his skills are second to none. But, his emotionless disposition has lead to him being referred to as a cyborg among his peers.
The Man Pulling All the Strings
On the surface, Sei is a driven man, whose determination and hard work have placed among the top executives at Sanno Corporation, despite his young age. He is meticulous at his job, carrying out his duties with such flawless precision that has earned a reputation as the resident cyborg of the company. After the CEO’s passing, Sei was promoted as acting chair of Sanno, a position he takes seriously. While Sei is a powerhouse in the office, his personal life is shrouded in mystery. He keeps his true intentions and feelings hidden, behind his cyborg persona. But, when he finally opens up, Sei can be a truly caring man, especially towards the MC.
I’ve Watched You for So Long
Do I Recommend His Route?
While playing this route I couldn’t help but think back to the anime with a similar plot, Hanasakeru Seishonen. There are so many parallels that I could draw between this game and that show. Maybe someone watched the anime before writing the plot for this game or something, but this is the exact same plot (minus the political espionage) as Hanasakeru Seishonen! In both a man is tasked by the protagonist’s wealthy relative to oversee a marriage game of which both men are not participants. They then both fall in love with the protagonist (or have always been in love with her) causing them to struggle with the dilemma of following through with their assigned mission and their duty to their heart.The stories aren’t exact copies of each other but, they’re damn near close enough. So the concept of this route wasn’t necessarily fresh to me, but I still found myself enjoying it nonetheless.
The overall story was well done, and it did an excellent job exposing some of the negative aspects of the Marriage Program. This route primarily dealt with the conflict between the character’s personal feelings and their obligations to both the Program and the company. You really feel the tension as both Sei and the MC, are forced to make a decision that will have serious implications not just in their own lives, but in the lives of those around them. Sei’s character development progressed well throughout the route, and I was very pleased to get an in depth view of the man so integral to the Marriage Program. There is so much more to him than what we see in the other Executives’s routes and I was very pleased with the way it played out.
While I enjoyed Sei immensely, there were two guys that really showed out in this route, Asahi and Chitose. These guys were the real MVPs. Chitose felt less like a potential love interest in this route and more like a fairy godmother of sorts to the MC. He was sweet and attentive, always willing to offer her advice about Sei. I found myself being swayed by his encouragement and genuinely sincere approach. Then there’s Asahi. I was most surprised by how awesome he was to the MC. Don’t get me wrong, he was the same pushy jerk he is in the other routes, but somehow he came off a lot softer than usual. Way to tempt me Voltage.
There are two endings in this route: Happy End and the Super Happy End. In the Happy End, the MC goes public as the late CEO’s granddaughter during the Stockholder’s meeting. Sei then declares to the astonished crowd that he will marry you and become the next CEO. Afterwards the MC and the Execs celebrate at Oasis and Hayami reveals what he’s like drunk. Hilarity ensues… In the Super Happy End, after clearing up the Stockholders meeting, Hayami and the MC leave work early. Before they can get far, Sei and the MC share a sweet passionate moment together. Both endings have their merits, but I like the Happy Ending best, a drunk Sei is hilarious!
I also want to note that if you pick the right choices throughout the route, you will unlock five Secret Stories (you can pay $2.99 up front to unlock them all). These are cute insights into Sei’s character at certain points in the story and I highly suggest trying to get them all.
Sei’s route was very well written, the character development was amazing and I was surprised by how dynamic the characters were. This was a solid addition to My Wedding and the 7 Rings and I highly recommend it, however, I couldn’t help but want more from the story, I just can’t put my finger on it, but something was missing. Maybe I’ll feel more satisfied after playing the Sequel.
Have you played any other Voltage games? Do you have any game suggestions for my next review? Any specific characters I should try out? Will this be your first My Wedding and the 7 Rings route? Feel free to let me know in the Comments Section or Ask Me on my tumblr! As always Thank You for reading!