Our Two Bedroom Story [Voltage]
Our Two Bedroom Story is an otome game for iOS and Android, made by Voltage Inc. You play a journalist whose mother is newly engaged. You meet your new stepfather and his son, who also happens to be working in the same building as you are. Later, you find out you have been transferred to Seasonelle, one of the top magazines... and also where your new stepbrother is working at as an editor.Yes, you date your (technical) stepbrother. They kind of gloss over that part. I try not to think about it too much.
The men of Our Two Bedroom Story are: Hayakawa Shusei, Kirishima Kaoru, Yuasa Chiaki, Zaizen Akiyoshi, and Okouchi Minato.
The first character I ever played in Our Two Bedroom Story is Kaoru, so let's start with him!
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| No, he's not talking to you. He's talking to his cat. |
Kaoru is stoic. He doesn't express much, and he says very little in and out of the office. He's hard to read, and doesn't really bother explaining himself to, well, anyone. He's also easily the tallest person in the game (well, that's what they say. Kaoru's actually only about 1.8m, which is tall but not as tall as they make it out to be) and constantly hits his head on the top of doors. It gets to the point where the main character attaches padding so he won't get a concussion.
The way to Kaoru's heart is through his cat, Tama. It's adorable how much he pampers Tama. A recurring theme in his stories is how he falls asleep on the veranda while playing with her.
Kaoru is easily my favourite route in Our Two Bedroom Story. His route has a lot of drama, some action and danger, and a bit of comedy relief provided by the other men. If you like the cool, silent hero who is also inexplicably awkward, you'll like him.
Chiaki is the type of character I love in fiction, but I'd hate in real life. He's not arrogant, not really, but he's very sharp and knows how to manipulative people to get what he wants. Understandably, this leads to a lot of friction on the main character's part. She handles him a lot better than I would if I had a man like Chiaki as my coworker.
That being said, the main character doesn't let him push her around too much. She has some nice comebacks of her own - not as many as I would have liked, but enough.
Chiaki is complex. Even after reading the main story and sequel, I'm not sure if I've managed to get a handle on him. It takes quite a while to unpack everything that Chiaki is - at the office, he's nice and suave, with and angelic smile and heaps of talent at what he does. But catch him at the wrong time, and you'll find him being cold or manipulative.
The main character knows this, so she tries her best to be on her guard around him. He teases her, and knows where all her weak spots are. In his defense, Chiaki has a reason for being the way he is. He has a lot of baggage. He's been hurt too many times not to throw up a defense wall, and it just so happens that his self-defense method is to be manipulative and deflective.
Once the main character finally gets through his walls, Chiaki turns out being the cutest, most awkward person ever. He's not quite sure how to act in a proper relationship, and he's not very good at trusting people either. It is, quite frankly, adorable.
I like Akiyoshi's route because in this, it feels like Akiyoshi and the main character have a truly honest relationship. They are very open with each other - when aiming for the happy ending, just pick all the truthful options. His home is run like a well-oiled ship, and when the main character moves in they adjust to share the chores between them. Often in otome games the main character is thrust into an almost motherly role, so it's nice to see a character who can actually take care of himself (unlike Minato, as you'll see later on).
I think what I like best about Akiyoshi is that even though they live together, before and after they become a couple, he never treats her differently at work. They are partners in every sense of the word.
Very romantic, the Growler.
Minato is a tease. I don't mean that in the romantic or sexual way, I mean he teases. If you purchase his route, be prepared to be called idiot, freak, disgusting, dope, or Pouty. He is definitely not a sweet-talker. That being said, his rude cockiness made me laugh multiple times. He occasionally goes too far, but he always apologises after. When he teases the main character by kissing her just to see her reaction, she gets (understandably) furious and Minato apologises and promises never to do it again. And he kept his word!
Also, unlike Akiyoshi, Minato is absolutely useless around the house. He sets the kitchen on fire!
Like Chiaki, Minato is a little hard to understand. There seems to be absolutely no reason whatsoever for his constant poking. Initially, I thought Minato had some emotional backstory that causes him to throw up a wall like Chiaki, but nope. Minato's just like that. He does have baggage, but it's not the only thing he is. It's always lovely to see a Voltage character who isn't mean for x reason, he just is.
Besides, when Minato becomes too hard to figure out, there's always Shusei to step in and explain the finer details! Or rescue you from his teasing, whichever you need more at the time.
Which brings us to Shusei, the last route I played in Our Two Bedroom Story.
Shusei is, quite frankly, Mr Perfect. He gives out compliments like candy. He has a great sense of humour. He is easygoing and relaxed, but takes his job seriously. However, his niceness tends to get in the way as Shusei frequently sacrifices what is best for him to make someone else feel better. This happens either by taking all the blame on him so the other party is spared, or passively letting things happen so the other party gets all the reward.
Shusei is the boy-next-door of Our Two Bedroom Story. His route isn't fraught with action like Kaoru's route or drama like Chiaki's. Reading his route is like watching a real relationship unfold - and that's the highlight of this route, I think. They have a great rapport with each other. They cook together, they clean together, and they game together.
Yes, they game. Sweet, easy-going Shusei is an absolute maniac when it comes to gaming.
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| And so is the main character, apparently. |
Written by Dee
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