Enchanted in the Moonlight - Miyabi Season 1 Main Story Review

 

**Reminder: this review is not spoiler free.**

I’m not sure why I started with Miyabi, but I’m glad I did, because it can only get better from this point, right? His route set the bar pretty low by being incredibly cringy. The kitsune, after all, acts very much like a sexual predator, is emotionally stinted due to his past, and is definitely an egomaniac. He’s essentially the love interest with a fanclub, the one who never had to pursue a woman because he was always pursued, and is fully aware of his sexual and sensual competence- at least, he tries to be and projects that he is rather well. 

Despite coming off like he’s got it made, Miyabi is the way he is because he had to work incredibly hard to become clan head. The major reveal of his story is that he isn’t a purebred ayakashi like the others. Because of that, he worked hard to prove to himself and his clan that being half-ayakashi didn’t make him any less than full ayakashi. When it comes to women, he entertains and has fleeting, physical relations with them, but doesn’t believe that any of them actually like him, but his power and position as the Kitsune Clan Head. That’s why any time you remark on him as an individual, it really strikes a chord with him, and is definitely at the root of his compulsion to measure himself against others.

One of the few aspects I did enjoy about starting with his route was how it made the differences between humans and ayakashis abundantly clear. Miyabi and some of the other clan heads lack what is considered basic courtesy and common sense to humans, so there are moments when Miyabi asks “why do I have to do ____ when I’m an ayakashi” that serve to remind you that they aren’t human at all. And, as pointed out before, he has a bit of a fixation on being an ayakashi and not a human due to his lineage.

In other routes, he is still very much a predatory prick, but he also manages to show a friendly and supportive side despite that. For the most part, he respects boundaries, but I think it’s more that he respects the other clan heads’ boundaries more than he does the MC’s, and considers her their property so he backs off in the end.

Enchanted in the Moonlight - MC Review

**Reminder: this review is not spoiler free.**

As is common with otome games, MC is a fairly basic, average, and normal woman with some intrinsic or inherited trait that makes her special. In this case, she is the “maiden with the once-in-a-millenia blood” and whichever ayakashi she marries and is intimate with gets a huge boost to their power. Not only that, but legend predicts that their child will be even more powerful than her husband. Because of this, the major clan heads from the Mononoke Village pursue her.

The protagonist has generic beliefs about love and intimacy, and simply wants a happy future with a normal (human) husband and kids. Fortunately, she isn’t too annoying, and the fact that she protests and stands up for herself is a plus in my books. Her conviction is a huge part of her strength, and Voltage did a great job of showing that across the routes. She also loves books and being a librarian, which adds to the depth and substance of her character. 

However, I find her morally questionable sometimes. A theme across some of the routes is that another guy comes along that is juxtaposed against the love interest, and she leans toward the other man despite the agreement she made. She justifies it because of love- or rather, the lack of love with her chosen partner- and because the agreement was made hastily under pressured conditions, but I still disagree with those choices. I know it’s just a plot device though, and ultimately, the protagonist ends up with the love interest selected.

Overall, she’s a decent character. She isn’t a pushover and has a sense of agency, despite being a damsel in distress. Opinionated and strong, she doesn’t necessarily back down against the ayakashi, but is aware of when to concede or- you know- literally gets swept away by their superhuman strength that she has no chance against. Her inner musings and conflicts are amusing at times, and while she didn’t make the game for me, she didn’t break it, either.