Published: Jan 31, pm. Appearances can be deceiving, and Genso Manege is an otome game that is a prime example of it. While it involves a young woman working at a shining amusement park, magic, and colorful characters and environments, the backgrounds and storyline can sometimes get pretty dark!
Emma is a young woman who ended up orphaned when her father died years ago. What exactly happened? However, he left behind a manege merry-go-round music box for her that she treasures. They have to. That is, if she trains and works at it. Her magic is unstable and unprepared. Right from the outset, I loved the direction Genso Manege takes. The pacing is handled well, so secrets trickle out in satisfying ways.
I often find myself only really loving two or three routes in most dating sims, but this is one where I generally like everyone. The art direction is also honestly amazing. The character designs all fit the storyline, time period, and feel right in place with everyone else, even given the nature of their experiences and how they ended up at Reve. As much as I like it though, there is one thing that I feel holds Genso Manege back and keeps it from being an otome game I can read for hours.
The text boxes are shades of purple, and the font is white with either dark purple shadows or outlines. Regardless of which one you choose, it can be quite difficult to read for extended periods of time! Here are some examples, showing how the border and shadow font options look both with no transparency and fully transparent text boxes with some non-spoiler text. There may be times when Emma is focusing and collecting her power.
The visual novel elements here? Anything else? Some minor adjustments would have made a big different in terms of readability. However, it is absolutely a wonderful story with charming characters in every route. Follow Emma as she fights to reawaken her magical powers in order to aid a unique cast of characters, all of whom are trapped inside a travelling amusement park. Having lost memories from youth, Emma must rediscover her past through love and friendship in this stunning dream-like fantasy otome.
