My thoughts on Hakuouki Shinkai

For those interested in Hakuouki, some of you might be surprised to hear there's a reboot called Hakuouki: Shinkai. So far, there is some information circling around the internet, especially on tumblr, over just what Shinkai will have. For more details, check out my friend, Mocha, on her blog for more info.

I'm not here, however, to talk about the details or theories about the reboot. This post is mainly to contain my own personal thoughts and where I stand on the matter, yay or nay sort of thing.

Now, reboots are pretty controversial, depending on who you talk to and over what medium. DMC fans, for example, still seem to be fuming over the apparent "reboot" of Devil May Cry, while FFVII fans are still begging to this day for a reboot of Final Fantasy VII. However, many will probably more readily associate "reboot" with negative traits, such as not being the same, ruining the original, being a sloppy remake, etc.

On tumblr, for those aware of the upcoming reboot, there seems to be two camps. The nay-sayers, or the ones who do not like the idea, are fearful of it, or just generally untrusting; and the yay-sayers, or the white knights of the reboot, foaming to the mouth happy, or just excited in general. Obviously, the spectrum is wide and carries various degrees of feelings, but in order to keep things simple, the nay-sayers are those who carry more negative feelings than positive feelings towards the reboot, while the yay-sayers are those who carry more positive feelings than negative feelings. (This is just a quick PSA; just because you're in one camp does not mean you're wrong about your feelings. You are completely justified in whatever you feel; just realize that both camps have problematic behaviors, as with any group.)

Where am I on that spectrum? Well, I like to think of myself in the middle of both camps. I can't say I'm not excited for the possibilities for the game; in fact, when I found out, I had done a little dance. However, with more news coming out for the game, my excitement has waned, and now I am more wary while still being happy for the new game.

What am I excited for? What am I nervous about? Let's split the good and bad;

I am happy about;

• the potential this game has
• more KazaChi
• the possibility of Kazama actually having a legit route
• the possibility of more information on the oni
• the oni
• the possibilities of babies
• the potential of learning more
• the "main bad guy"

I am wary of;

• the potential Otomate could shit on the characters
• the new romance routes
• the possibility it will be as "new" of a story as Warriors of the Shinsengumi was
• very little change
• very little new information
• NOTP
• no babies
• Kazama once again gets a short route

Some of you might be scoffing at my lists, but just remember this is my personal thoughts. I can't really go debating why more KazaChi is a good thing while NOTP is a bad thing, but they are still feelings I have towards the game.

However, some of these feelings are very real and debatable. "The possibility (or lack therefore) of new things." The chance to learn more about the era the Shinsengumi was a part of. Numerous abouts of topics I could go over, good or bad, but these are just my thoughts.

At the end of the day, I'm really neutral. I can't say I'm super pumped for this game, yet I also can't say I'm dreading the day the game(s) will come out. All I can say is I shall approach with excited caution.