Editorial | Blerdy Otome

Holding Game Developers Accountable for Half-Hearted Representation: Thoughts on Ertal Games’s Apology & Reflexion

Published on January 16, 2023January 16, 2023 by Blerdy18 Comments

As a content creator I’m often approached by developers and publishers who want me to cover their game or product on my various social media platforms. They’ll send me a game with the understanding that I’ll play it and cover it as Blerdy Otome. Most of the time, these are publishers or developers that are familiar with me and my content, so they are approaching me because they feel that I am a good fit to promote their game or product.

Occasionally, I’ll get a publisher that has clearly not done their homework who will send me a game that is very much outside of my wheelhouse. Just last month I had a publisher reach out to me about promoting their porn game, and while I do play a lot of 18+ visual novels, something like PornStar Harem is just not something I’d cover on this site (or anywhere else for that matter). I’ll try just about anything once, but even I have my limits, because at the end of the day, Blerdy Otome is a space for uplifting creators and media that spotlight diversity and for me to talk about my interests.

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Fall in Love with these Cute Otome Animal Companions

Published on July 26, 2022July 26, 2022 by BlerdyLeave a comment

It’s tough wooing otome boys and sometimes a heroine just needs someone cute and fluffy to cuddle—that’s where cute otome sidekicks come in! They may not always add much to the plot, but these adorable animal companions add a dose of cuteness to our lives every time they’re on screen.

Just about every otome game has it’s own cute animal buddy, so today I’m spotlighting some of the most precious little beans~

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Publishers Please Do Better By Western Otome Gamers

Published on May 18, 2022May 24, 2022 by Blerdy4 Comments

In the year of our lord 2022, at a time when otome gamers have been blessed with more otome localizations than we can feasibly play, otome fans are still having to prove that there is a demand for otome games in the West. What’s worse is this new wave of frustration was brought about by Koei Tecmo, which many in the otome community know for their Ruby Party line of games, most notably the Angelique series. In a recent interview with the development team behind Touken Ranbu Warriors, the team remarked that the publisher would consider bringing Ruby Party otome games to the west “if there is a demand”. The issue further came to a head when Koei tweeted that “demand” would be determined by how well Touken Ranbu Warriors does in sales.

Demand is determined by sales. If #ToukenRanbuWarriors does well there is potential for more #RubyParty.#KTfamily #OtomeAlly
— KOEI TECMO AMERICA (@KoeiTecmoUS) May 18, 2022

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Women and Femme Identifying Indie Devs You Should Know About

Published on March 8, 2022March 20, 2023 by Blerdy3 Comments

Hey there Blerdy Tribe! Today is International Women’s Day, the day when we spotlight the achievements of women and femme identifying individuals past and present. I’m sure many of you are or know some phenomenal and inspiring creators who are out there everyday shining their light on the world.

Everyday here on Blerdy Otome, I strive to spotlight members of the wonderfully diverse gaming community whether that’s with my reviews, lists, or through exclusive interviews. And today, I wanted to spotlight some of my favorite women and femme identifying creators within the indie games community! Each of these amazing creators is dedicated to creating a more inclusive community, by sharing their own unique stories and characters through their games and I want to shine a light on the fantastic work that they do!

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Otome Games You Can Play on Your PC

Published on February 14, 2022April 7, 2023 by Blerdy5 Comments

The Nintendo Switch has become the definitive otome hub after the “death” of the PS Vita. Many of the bigger otome publishers like Aksys Games and Idea Factory are releasing their otome localizations exclusively on the Nintendo Switch. But, despite it’s popularity, there are still a lot of gamers who have yet to invest in the console–but does that mean they should miss out on the most recent otome boom in the West? Heck no!

While the majority of games are inevitably going to make their way to the Nintendo Switch, there are still a lot of great otome releases that also have PC releases! Blerdy Otome has you covered, with this list of otome games you can play on your PC!

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10 Rules for Watching Sports Anime

Published on January 22, 2022January 22, 2022 by BlerdyLeave a comment

Sports anime are a staple of just about every new season’s lineup, with new seasons of popular franchises like Free and Haikyu or series like Tsurune hitting the scene. There is literally an anime series for every sport you can think of from the more mainstream sports like basketball, baseball, and soccer to the more traditional Japanese pastimes like kyudo, karuta, and shogi. But, what if this is your first time giving sports anime a try? Well, I have just the list of you! I’ve compiled a list of the ten tried and true rules you need to know before watching sports anime! Each of these rules will help you make the most of your sports anime experience! So sit back relax and give this list a gander!

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Confessions of an Otome Gamer: It’s Okay NOT to Play the Latest Game

Published on January 20, 2022 by Blerdy8 Comments

It’s been a while since my last Confession and that’s because I didn’t have anything I needed to get off my chest. But, it’s a new year and with it comes the promise of new game releases and the inevitable pull we as gamers feel to keep up with the latest trending game. FOMO is real and no one wants to be out of the loop. But it’s hard keeping up with new releases and it’s exhausting trying to keep up with everything.

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Manga Recommendations for Otome Game Lovers

Published on January 19, 2022February 20, 2023 by Blerdy7 Comments

It’s no secret that I love manga just as much if not more than otome games—I have the bank statements to prove it. But, when I’m not romancing 2D hotties on my Switch you can usually find me curled up on my couch with a manga or two. I read a lot of manga and played a lot of otome games over the years and I’ve noticed a few similarities between the two mediums. Of course my tastes are over the place: action, horror, romance, slice-of-life… I’ll give just about anything a try at least once.

Otome games are story-based visual novels aimed at women, where the goal is to romance your own personal harem of love interests.
Short description of otome games

So, while I was looking at my latest manga TBR, it got me thinking, what are some manga titles that I’d recommend to otome fans, and thus this post was born. All of the manga on this list are available in English (either digitally or in print)!

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Behind the Games – Interview with Moonchime Localization

Published on January 18, 2022January 18, 2022 by Blerdy2 Comments

Hey Hey Blerdy Tribe, I’m back with another Behind the Games post! For those of you just joining the party, Behind the Games is a segment where I interview the folks ‘behind the games’ I review. Giving you guys a chance to get to know the developers and publishers that spend so much time carefully crafting the games you enjoy.

Last time, I spoke with Roxie the co-founder of Aikasa Collective—the studio the team behind the the yuri romance game, Mizuchi—which is loosely based on the Chinese folk tale, Legend of the White Snake. This time around, I had the chance to catch up with Raz and Belen the founders of Moonchime Localization, a small joseimuke publisher and localization company “for fans, by fans”.

As a publisher led by women, we strive to expand joseimuke in the west by connecting fans to Japanese creators.

I sat down with Raz and Belen, the co-founders of Moonchime Localization, to talk about the growth of joseimuke in the west and their experiences working as a women led publisher in the largely male dominated gaming industry. There are a lot of great things coming from the team in the future, and I am so excited to have gotten the chance to get this exclusive with Raz and Belen!

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F#@k, Marry, Kill Otome Edition – Kissed by the Baddest Bidder

Published on January 14, 2022January 14, 2022 by Blerdy2 Comments

Hey Blerdy Tribe, here’s another healthy dose of quality content here on Blerdy Otome! Another edition of Fuck, Marry, Kill: Otome Edition hot off the presses for your reading pleasure! For those of you that didn’t play this game as a kid, the basic premise is this:

One person poses three names of people known to someone else (either people known in their personal lives or of celebrities). The other person then has to decide which of the three they would kiss (or fuck, in more mature versions of the game… like this one), which one they would marry, and which one they would kill.
The rules~

I’m cutting the middle man and just using the love interest lineup from otome games to answer three sacred, age old questions—Which otome guy would I fuck? Which otome guy would I marry? Which otome guy would I kill? This time around I’m looking at the boys of Kissed by the Baddest Bidder!

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