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

Episode 10

Continuing on from last episode, Leon, Angie, and Livia have all pulled away from each other. Leon feels guilty for treating Angie and Livia as characters instead of people. Angie feels guilty for once believing people like Leon and Livia had no value because of their lower birth. And Livia feels guilty for sponging off her friends' societal power since she is unable to repay them in any tangible way.

While each of the three thinks they are doing the right thing by distancing themselves, doing so has obviously made them deeply unhappy. And despite their attempts, the fact that they still deeply care for each other isn't so easily hidden. Would the greedy Leon share the rare charms he gets this episode with anyone but Livia and Angie? Would the prim and proper Angie throw away her noble pride and beg to save anyone but Leon and Livia? Would the ever-unsure Livia stand up to all the nobles who bully her for anyone but Leon and Angie? Their love for each other overrides everything else (unless they're consciously trying to do the opposite)—especially in moments of crisis.

And boy do we get a crisis this episode. The war that serves as the game's climax has begun. There's just one problem: while the protagonist and one of the main love interests are present, it's two years too early for this battle. Both are far too underprepared for what is to come.

To make things worse, without his airship and overpowered mecha, even Leon can't single handedly win this battle—despite having a tricked-out bike and Luxion by his side. It'll take all the students working together to protect the ship while Leon heads off to save Angie with nothing but his rage and a sawed-off shotgun.

Of course, this is easier said than done. Chris tries to unite the aristocratic children with a noble speech about duty and honor—which fails spectacularly. After all, these kids are scared and ashamed, falling back on their pride as an excuse for inaction. But Leon knows there are two ways to unite people in a common cause. One is to appeal to their better natures and convince them that the positives outweigh the negatives. The other is to unite them against a common enemy—and since the threat of the dukedom isn't enough to do this, Leon is more than happy to play the villain himself.

It's cathartic to see Leon ruthlessly tearing into these noble kids once again, exposing their hypocrisy. He attacks them right where it hurts: their pride as nobles. Remember, in the Kingdom, the noble families became nobles due to their exploits as adventurers. This is the base of their society. It's why Leon keeps getting promoted despite his low birth—if the nobles don't laud his achievements and reward him, it could raise inconvenient questions about why they have all the power they do in the first place. Leon is the embodiment of what these noble kids' forefathers were—what they've always fancied themselves to be. Yet, they have no exploits of their own to speak of. In fact, its worse than that: they not only give up Angie as a sacrifice to the enemy—assaulting two of their own to do so—they are also too cowardly to fight back even when certain death is the only alternative.

And thus Leon shames them while talking himself up, arrogantly proclaiming himself the only true noble amongst them. In the end, he gets them completely riled up—to the point where the only thing they want to do more than kick his ass is prove him wrong. Now all that's left is to see if that rage can be forged into true bravery without Leon around to stoke the fires. After all, he's got a princess to save.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• (Okay, so more a "Duke's Daughter" than a princess but it's close enough.)

• It's interesting that Leon technically outranks every kid at the academy (and apparently the teachers as well). But it makes sense: He's not the heir to a family—he's the head of his own and a knight to boot. Hell, at this point, he probably outranks a large number of their fathers.

• Look, I like Angie, I really do, but I would love a retelling of this story where Roseblade is the main love interest. (What can I say? I'm a stickler for the most clichéd version of “the villainess” possible—right down to the “ohohohoho” laugh and the drill curls.)

• I also like that Roseblade doesn't shy away from the uncomfortable truth Leon lays out. She is proud of her family and its exploits—and clearly wants to add her own to the mix. She also respects Leon for speaking truth to power (something she has obviously never before experienced). She is one of the few nobles we've seen that not only talks-the-talk but is determined to walk-the-walk as well.

• I am a bit annoyed we don't get reaction shots from Roseblade and Chris when Angie is turning herself over. That could have served as some great character development for the both of them, even if it's purely visual.

• It looks like Chris will get his moment to shine and protect the true protagonist very soon.

• I love how the authors of the game were so lazy they just straight up put a sawed-off shotgun into a world of magic and mecha.

• So, what could have caused the war to start two years earlier than intended? Perhaps Marie getting all the heirs of the most prominent families disinherited made the Kingdom seem weak? Or maybe Marie and Leon collecting the Saint's regalia is seen as an act of aggression—hinting that the Saint has been found? Or maybe Leon's martial exploits have caused the Dukedom to decide they must strike now before he becomes as powerful as their own ace mecha pilot?

Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Richard is an anime and video game journalist with over a decade of experience living and working in Japan. For more of his writings, check out his Twitter and blog.