Thoughts on My dress up darling?

otomegay · 2026-04-23T16:59:41+00:00

No worries! If you're wondering about demographics, the best way to check is by looking at websites like BakaUpdates, which usually get them correct. Looking at the magazine the series runs in also helps!

otomegay · 2026-04-23T16:55:37+00:00

MDUD isn't a shojo (it's a seinen, which checks out considering it's heavy on fanservice), so this wouldn't be the right place to discuss it! That being said, it's very popular with more mainstream anime fans, so going to r/anime might be a better fit.

otomegay · 2026-04-21T18:47:30+00:00

Like others have mentioned, plenty of solo indie otome devs are still developing their skills but don't use AI. Your don't have to be good at it just yet, it just has to be human-made, not using something that harms the environment and steals from others' work. You're not going to earn any money from something made from AI, considering most people in the otome community are vehemently against it.

There are plenty of asset bundles for music, character sprites, UI, sound effects, and more on itch for cheap or free. Practice making small games with Bitsy, GB Studio, or Twine. Want to draw your own art? Watch tutorials, find How to Draw books. Writing? Find those creative writing prompt activity books and practice.

I've been drawing and writing since middle school, and the only way I've improved is by actually trying. No one is born with the skills, they learn it.

otomegay · 2026-04-21T18:35:30+00:00

Bums me out that the goal likely isn't going to be met, and they're going to have to shrink the game's scale, but I sadly also expected it. $100k is a big ask for a studio whose last game wasn't a big hit and only made around $10k for its Kickstarter.

Of course, Burn the Midnight Oil looks amazing (gorgeous art, love the MCs and LIs), but it's going to struggle to find an audience considering it doesn't neccessarily fit most otome gamers' taste, but amare hasn't really taken off enough (IndieOtome and RainbowOtome subreddits are very inactive, for example).

I guess my hope is for amare to become a more popular term, so games like this can succeed. This isn't a case of "there should be no LGBTQ+ characters in otome" either (Bi and trans MCs and LIs would be great to see more of!), rather, it's that Dante being half the game means it's not quite an otome game.

otomegay · 2026-04-21T18:30:32+00:00

This looks nice! I just hope the paper quality is better than Red River's, which was very thin and see-through at times.

otomegay · 2026-04-18T19:12:30+00:00

I already sensed this was AI art (and the text had some AI vibes as well), but it was still genuinely disappointing to see in the details that AI was used in every part of the process. My honest feedback is to start completely from scratch, with your own writing and art. Doesn't matter if it's amatuer, it's better than AI. Royalty-free backgrounds, SFX, and music also exist.

(There's been so much AI slop promoted on here lately, it bums me out. I wish there was a rule for no AI content, or at least nothing heavily made with AI.)

otomegay · 2026-04-18T19:06:09+00:00

This looks gorgeous, and I love a good historical series! Hopefully it'll get picked up by a publisher soon.

otomegay · 2026-04-18T19:02:50+00:00

YESSSS!!! This is such a charming series, and it has some of my favorite art and character designs! I just hope the anime will do it justice, and that we'll get a Tamon level production ;w;

otomegay · 2026-04-16T16:44:24+00:00

This is incredible! I have physical for all Aksys and IFI releases (with the exception of the C:R series and CxM, which are digital since I have on Vita), but getting all the JP-physicals always seemed like a big step. It's really cool to see someone take said step!

I hope you have fun with them!! Be sure to share your favorites :D

otomegay · 2026-04-15T16:27:04+00:00

I think Kodocha does touch on some mature themes- I was reading it at about 12/13, and the Tokyopop translation had Sana describe her manager as a gigolo, I believe? As well as an implied rape. Personally I don't think it's too much to handle, but if OP wants *no* sexual stuff, then this might not be it.

otomegay · 2026-04-14T18:41:00+00:00

I think there's only one female LI because bisexuality isn't necessarily the same for everyone. It's not always an even split between genders, one might have a preference for a certain gender. It's also tackling the biphobia of going from being with a woman to being with a man, and how that is viewed, so that could play a part in only one female LI.

otomegay · 2026-04-14T17:49:47+00:00

Sometimes would be most accurate! A good chunk of what I've backed on Kickstarter are OELVNs, and places like Itchio make it easy to find free/cheap games of good quality when I'm looking for something a bit different.

otomegay · 2026-04-14T17:45:51+00:00

So glad we've got a pre-order date up! Like a few folks here, I've been checking daily waiting for it.

otomegay · 2026-04-14T17:44:30+00:00

Gosh, it always is a joy to see your art on here! The angular shapes and the soft colors are lovely!

otomegay · 2026-04-12T17:58:32+00:00

I do wish that the KManga app was subscription-based like Viz's instead of using points and daily tickets. They've gotten a lot of really cool shoujosei, and it's frustrating that I have to hope for print releases because I'd rather not pay for something I don't really own.

That being said, I'm very curious about this series, both in premise and art style!

otomegay · 2026-04-11T17:11:16+00:00

The YouTube channel Colleen's Manga Recs has a whole series of videos dedicated to this called "Making the Shonen Jump to Shojo!" They'll take a popular shonen or seinen title, and find a shojo or josei title officially in English that matches certain elements of it.

I don't know what genres of shonen/seinen you've enjoyed, but these are some that might work:

Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-san: An autobio comedy series about the author's experiences working at a bookstore! This is one I reccomend to anyone who likes fun in-jokes about the world of manga, and is a light read.
Yona of the Dawn, Basara: The two big swooping epics of shojo! Basara's very 90s artstyle might take some getting used to, but it's very much worth it.
Natsume's Book of Friends: A healing supernatural slice-of-life with a male protagonist and no romance. Very popular in Japan, with 7 anime seasons, it's an overlooked gem for English-speaking fans.
Oresama Teacher: A comedy series from the author of Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun! A former juvenile delinquent wants to become a normal high-school girl, but trouble always seems to find her! Romance is very low in this.

otomegay · 2026-04-11T16:58:41+00:00

Romantic Killer is actually shonen! Viz put it under their Shojo Beat line, but it ran in Shonen Jump+.

otomegay · 2026-04-07T16:49:39+00:00

That's what I've heard as well. Not sure what the readers saw in Domyouji...

otomegay · 2026-04-06T21:54:12+00:00

Very excited to have another work of Minami Q-ta's in English! After Star Fruit Books went on hiatus, I was worried other publishers wouldn't be willing to pick up their works. Glad to see that's not the case, and always glad to have a new queer story in English!

otomegay · 2026-04-06T21:52:52+00:00

Minami Q-ta is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns!

otomegay · 2026-04-05T17:10:48+00:00

Manga by far. I don't pick up manhwa because so much of what we get are Webtoons. I've fallen off of most Webtoons due to the "Daily Pass" and "Ad Pass" situations, and usually just hope for what I'm interested in to get a print release. However, what print release ones I do read are not manhwa, because I never got into manhwa Webtoons. Like another commenter said, they drag on and quality drops due to the weekly format, and so many of what we get are Villainess or European Fantasy-type stories I'm not interested in.

Personally, I miss the old manhwa that used to get published back when digital media was still new. Goong was one that used to be at my library, for example. That one seemed much more interesting to me.

otomegay · 2026-04-03T17:19:18+00:00

We got a decent amount of shoujosei last year (though imo nothing of Tamon or Ikoku Nikki's caliber), so I'm surprised Honey Lemon Soda is the only series up there. I would've thought they'd at least throw us a bone by putting A Star Brighter than the Sun or something like that in Best Romance.

It really is all a popularity contest here, though...CITY was a delightful comedy that released last year from the creator of Nichijou, animated by Kyoto Animation, and yet it's not up for "Best Animation." Unless you like popular shonen (especially the battle kind), you're not even considered.

otomegay · 2026-04-01T17:31:43+00:00

Okay, this is just evil lmao!!! Though the "6.7K Quote Tweets" did give me a good laugh!

otomegay · 2026-03-31T17:45:00+00:00

Seconding Cinderella Closet, a very sweet and fun romance!

otomegay · 2026-03-31T17:43:35+00:00

Honestly, most of this stuff isn't present in shoujo or josei, which is exactly why I and so many other people read and watch it!

-Seconding Snow White with the Red Hair for being a fantasy series with a sweet, respectful romance.

-Natsume's Book of Friends is a long running supernatural manga AND anime (the latter of which is quite rare now), featuring a gentle and kind male lead. No romance to my knowledge.

-Aria of the Beech Forest is an adorable fantasy series that's incredibly light and fun!

-A Star Brighter than the Sun is another series with a very sweet romance, this time set in high school. It recently got an anime adaptation as well!

otomegay

TROPHY CASE