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EP. REVIEW: Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs


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jdnation



Joined: 15 May 2007
Posts: 1994
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 3:53 pm Reply with quote
In a sea of mediocre isekais, so far this one is one of the good ones. I'm genuinely enjoying it, and there's some smart writing underlying it that really makes it tick! What's particularly fun is how the protag calls out the mediocrity of many gaming tropes, he's saying what we all think, what a bro!
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everydaygamer



Joined: 10 Jul 2009
Posts: 928
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 5:16 pm Reply with quote
After reading the first 5 translated novels I've become a real fan of this series. It's generally just really funny.

The anime so far is just OK. Not terrible but not especially great either. Considering the pacing I'd say they are doing pretty good and while the animation isn't amazing it's at least been serviceable so far but I guess we'll see what happens next week.

One issue with the pacing is the fact that some details from the novel have been skimmed over. For one thing despite how it seems in the anime, the kingdom isn't really misandrist. While women do generally hold more power, among the highest-ranking nobles men still run the show which is why the prince and his entourage don't have to deal with the same nonsense Leon does.
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b-dragon



Joined: 21 Apr 2021
Posts: 430
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 5:22 pm Reply with quote
The show only found its footing, imo, at the party- the end of episode 3. Hopefully that will be the show going forward.
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N_roxy





PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 6:46 pm Reply with quote
This show is great, i love it
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lhernan02



Joined: 12 Jun 2005
Posts: 194
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 7:08 pm Reply with quote
Its a really funny show, but some people (including in the preview guide), don't get the central joke that it is a bad game (half the MC's internal monologue when he is playing it is about that), poorly written and full of anachronisms. As anyone who has been in development knows, this is the crap that comes out when someone from Corp says "hey, this fujioshi (sic) thing is taking off, we need to be in that market", then development says, "we do sci-fi games, we don't do dating sims", to which the reply goes "just throw in some mean chicks and pretty boys and get it done ASAP". So you have a repurposed sci-fi game (hey the code is half done, you are not going to throw it away) by people who only know the stereotypes of otome games.
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strawberry_milk



Joined: 28 Feb 2020
Posts: 87
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 7:48 pm Reply with quote
Cool. Another anime title to add to my list of really long anime titles.
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zztop



Joined: 28 Aug 2014
Posts: 642
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 8:27 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Nonsensical otome game remnant #3: Humanity lives exclusively on a sea of flying islands.

• Nonsensical otome game remnant #4: A “KINGdom” in a land with absurd levels of misandry.


Novel readers say these nonsensical elements will be explained in due time, esp. once the plot starts going into worldbuilding.

spoiler[Like how the Kingdom is the only one that practices misandry, and is part of a long-term plot to restructure the ruling heirarchy to the likes of its ruler...]
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Shay Guy



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 2093
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 10:35 pm Reply with quote
lhernan02 wrote:
Its a really funny show, but some people (including in the preview guide), don't get the central joke that it is a bad game (half the MC's internal monologue when he is playing it is about that), poorly written and full of anachronisms. As anyone who has been in development knows, this is the crap that comes out when someone from Corp says "hey, this fujioshi (sic) thing is taking off, we need to be in that market", then development says, "we do sci-fi games, we don't do dating sims", to which the reply goes "just throw in some mean chicks and pretty boys and get it done ASAP". So you have a repurposed sci-fi game (hey the code is half done, you are not going to throw it away) by people who only know the stereotypes of otome games.


I've only read some of the manga but, uh, I'm not buying it. If that were the primary intent, the author could've approached it any number of other ways. They could've had a female protagonist who liked otome games in general but hated this one. Or they could've had a male protagonist who was playing this one for some reason other than one designed specifically to justify outrage against a female character. Like, I dunno, if he just wanted to keep up with what his sister/girlfriend/whatever was into. (And who played to the end out of stubbornness instead of coercion.) And they could've called it something other than "The World of an Otome Game is Tough for Mobs", which places the focus specifically on the fact that it is an otome game's world, and frames that as the source of all that is objectionable.

(Also, from what I understand, "people who only know the stereotypes of otome games" pretty well describes just about every author of a Narou story set in one, this story included.)

I've seen another Narou story where the whole joke is that the game is terrible -- "I Am the Only One Who Knows This World Is a Game". It makes an interesting contrast with this one in its approach and focus -- it's funnier, with less of a persecution complex underlying it.
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Covnam



Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 3629
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 10:39 pm Reply with quote
I've been enjoying this one, so much so that after the last episode I decided to read a couple of chapters of the manga to see how the fight went... and then accidently ended up catching up to the most recent chapter... Anime smile + sweatdrop

Anyway, still looking forward to watching more, though with fewer surprises unfortunately.

The scale of the mechs in the arena looked really off to me when I watched it btw, and as you'd expect, they're scaled a lot better in the manga. Not sure how it is in the LN, but obviously it doesn't make sense to fight in an arena with mechs that are taller than it. Hopefully that gets adjusted for next week or that fight will look really off Laughing

Quote:
Nonsensical otome game remnant
Nice addition, I hope this feature is included often lol
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Melicans



Joined: 01 Feb 2012
Posts: 620
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 11:06 pm Reply with quote
I doubt the series will get that far but Marie's backstory is actually really sad. Both previous life and current. I noticed this in episode 3, but her design is actually really well done too. She looks different from the rest of the characters from the game. Not just in stature or build, but as a character in an otome game she looks out of place compared to anyone else. It's a really nice visual aspect added to compliment her out of placeness.
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everydaygamer



Joined: 10 Jul 2009
Posts: 928
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 11:21 pm Reply with quote
Shay Guy wrote:
lhernan02 wrote:
Its a really funny show, but some people (including in the preview guide), don't get the central joke that it is a bad game (half the MC's internal monologue when he is playing it is about that), poorly written and full of anachronisms. As anyone who has been in development knows, this is the crap that comes out when someone from Corp says "hey, this fujioshi (sic) thing is taking off, we need to be in that market", then development says, "we do sci-fi games, we don't do dating sims", to which the reply goes "just throw in some mean chicks and pretty boys and get it done ASAP". So you have a repurposed sci-fi game (hey the code is half done, you are not going to throw it away) by people who only know the stereotypes of otome games.


I've only read some of the manga but, uh, I'm not buying it. If that were the primary intent, the author could've approached it any number of other ways. They could've had a female protagonist who liked otome games in general but hated this one. Or they could've had a male protagonist who was playing this one for some reason other than one designed specifically to justify outrage against a female character. Like, I dunno, if he just wanted to keep up with what his sister/girlfriend/whatever was into. (And who played to the end out of stubbornness instead of coercion.) And they could've called it something other than "The World of an Otome Game is Tough for Mobs", which places the focus specifically on the fact that it is an otome game's world, and frames that as the source of all that is objectionable.

(Also, from what I understand, "people who only know the stereotypes of otome games" pretty well describes just about every author of a Narou story set in one, this story included.)

I've seen another Narou story where the whole joke is that the game is terrible -- "I Am the Only One Who Knows This World Is a Game". It makes an interesting contrast with this one in its approach and focus -- it's funnier, with less of a persecution complex underlying it.


The author has stated that the story was inspired by other otome isekai stories but the game in this story isn't meant to be based on an actual otome game. The whole men having less power thing was more about adding to the entertainment value to story. There is an actual explanation for it in universe however.

Anyways this story is less about Leon being treated like crap and more about Leon pissing people off for various reasons. We haven't seen alot of that but as we saw at the end of this week's episode it's coming. Trust me Leon is many things but he is not a victim.
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KarlFranz



Joined: 17 Jun 2019
Posts: 179
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 11:23 pm Reply with quote
Shay Guy wrote:
lhernan02 wrote:
Its a really funny show, but some people (including in the preview guide), don't get the central joke that it is a bad game (half the MC's internal monologue when he is playing it is about that), poorly written and full of anachronisms. As anyone who has been in development knows, this is the crap that comes out when someone from Corp says "hey, this fujioshi (sic) thing is taking off, we need to be in that market", then development says, "we do sci-fi games, we don't do dating sims", to which the reply goes "just throw in some mean chicks and pretty boys and get it done ASAP". So you have a repurposed sci-fi game (hey the code is half done, you are not going to throw it away) by people who only know the stereotypes of otome games.


And they could've called it something other than "The World of an Otome Game is Tough for Mobs", which places the focus specifically on the fact that it is an otome game's world, and frames that as the source of all that is objectionable.

As someone who also only read the manga, I have to disagree, the title indeed a mocking title, but the part it mocking is the "Tough" part. It's more a story about how Leon keep failing at been a nameless mook and keep getting the spotlight despite his best attempt at failing.

Side not: It's nice that they adapted one of the plot point that got mention in one of the side story. spoiler[The fact that Leon and Angelica are destined to be with each other. Like in the original plotline, Angelica would get banished by her family for her rash action and have to marry an "ugly" lord with bad personality. Well it turned out that "ugly" lord is the original Leon who did have to go war, got a scar but became a war hero.]
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Thespacemaster



Joined: 03 Mar 2012
Posts: 1095
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 11:40 pm Reply with quote
zztop wrote:
Quote:
Nonsensical otome game remnant #3: Humanity lives exclusively on a sea of flying islands.

• Nonsensical otome game remnant #4: A “KINGdom” in a land with absurd levels of misandry.


Novel readers say these nonsensical elements will be explained in due time, esp. once the plot starts going into worldbuilding.

spoiler[Like how the Kingdom is the only one that practices misandry, and is part of a long-term plot to restructure the ruling hierarchy to the likes of its ruler...]


Can i ask exactly how would spoiler[ practicing misandry is part of a long plot to restructure the hierarchy? wouldn't that make it worse? or is it to cull all the incompetent rulers so as to have a better ruling class after word? ]
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prime_pm



Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 2333
Location: Your Mother's Bedroom
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 11:56 pm Reply with quote
Thespacemaster wrote:
zztop wrote:
Quote:
Nonsensical otome game remnant #3: Humanity lives exclusively on a sea of flying islands.

• Nonsensical otome game remnant #4: A “KINGdom” in a land with absurd levels of misandry.


Novel readers say these nonsensical elements will be explained in due time, esp. once the plot starts going into worldbuilding.

spoiler[Like how the Kingdom is the only one that practices misandry, and is part of a long-term plot to restructure the ruling hierarchy to the likes of its ruler...]


Can i ask exactly how would spoiler[ practicing misandry is part of a long plot to restructure the hierarchy? wouldn't that make it worse? or is it to cull all the incompetent rulers so as to have a better ruling class after word? ]


I believe that spoiler[while all the nobles are busy infighting, the school would gradually allow more and more commoners into their ranks thereby providing the lower classes an education. By doing so however the line between upper and lower class would be erased pretty much nullifying the nobility so that only the common classes remain. While this sounds like a good idea (no rich pansies) this would essentially lead to an absolute monarchy where only the royalty rules over the common classes, pretty much more akin to a dictatorship.

The extra backlash of this plan led to the nobility just not giving a shit when and if their country gets invaded by an enemy power, because if their government doesn't give a shit, why not give the next one a shot. So no sense of nationality.]
Think I got it right, might be a little off from the translation.
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KarlFranz



Joined: 17 Jun 2019
Posts: 179
PostPosted: Tue Apr 19, 2022 12:03 am Reply with quote
Thespacemaster wrote:
zztop wrote:
Quote:
Nonsensical otome game remnant #3: Humanity lives exclusively on a sea of flying islands.

• Nonsensical otome game remnant #4: A “KINGdom” in a land with absurd levels of misandry.


Novel readers say these nonsensical elements will be explained in due time, esp. once the plot starts going into worldbuilding.

spoiler[Like how the Kingdom is the only one that practices misandry, and is part of a long-term plot to restructure the ruling hierarchy to the likes of its ruler...]


Can i ask exactly how would spoiler[ practicing misandry is part of a long plot to restructure the hierarchy? wouldn't that make it worse? or is it to cull all the incompetent rulers so as to have a better ruling class after word? ]

I would say the misandry part is more an unintentional result. spoiler[Back in the olden day of the kingdom, lower nobles who want to raise in rank and accumulate more wealth often start wars with the nearby kingdoms, resulting in the country keep having to fight costly wars. So the higher nobility decided to focus the lower nobles attention toward marriage and social appearance, especially propaganda about how you have to marry a lady in a noble family for social advancement. That why the misandry only appear in the lower nobles circle which Leon is a part of. However, no one in the present even remember why they set up a system like that in the first place, they just find it a useful tools to control the raising middle class.]
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