Hello everyone and welcome back to Gray’s Otome and Visual Novel Corner, in today’s blog I’m going to take you back in time to meet Yukimura Sanada of Ikemen Sengoku by Cybird. He’s an adorable Tsundere that I was pleasantly surprised with. Although he comes off as a jerk in the beginning, what caught my attention was how he really was very sweet towards the MC in other routes. Intrigued by just the small nuances he made in his speech and gestures, I took a risk in playing his route on the freemium app, and I was not disappointed.

Who is Yukimua Sanada?

Quick little history lesson, during the time of the Sengoku period, Yukimura Sanada was hailed as ‘A Hero who Appears Once in a Hundred Years.’ He carries around other significant titles such as ‘The Crimson Demon‘ and ‘The Last Sengoku Hero,’; he is also mentioned as a veteran of the invasion of Korea. His title supersedes him, as many know him as ‘the number one warrior of Japan.‘

In Ikemen Sengoku, we meet this up-and-coming war hero when we slip through time via wormhole and practically almost run off a cliff. Yukimura, who happens to be there at the time with fellow-modern-day-friend/ally, Sasuke Sarutobi, saves you from falling into the ravine. However, because of how you ran out of the forest and almost into danger, Yukimura starts calling you ‘that boar lady’ or ‘you’re that crazy boar lady,’ basically he teases you about the whole ordeal.

Obviously, since we don’t know him, we aren’t impressed by his way of speaking to us and blessing us with that title. While we believe that the night at Honno-ji would be the last time we ever see this man, fate has plans of her own for the MC and Yukimura.

Fated Meetings

It’s been maybe a few days or, perhaps, weeks since the incident of Honno-ji and you’ve been trying to assimilate to your life in the Sengoku period. Albeit, it is a terrifying ass the world you come from, Japan is in a peaceful state and there aren’t any wars currently happening. With the fact that everyone is carrying guns or swords of some sort, it’s disorienting for the MC, as she’s someone who doesn’t believe in violence to solve an answer to a cause.

As you try to adjust to your life, big brother Hideyoshi sends you out to the markets to keep yourself entertained as the warlords seem to converse about something ominous. Frustrated and a bit deflated because you’re not able to do much except being a sitting trophy at Nobunaga’s castle, you venture out to buy candy and bump into Yukimura. It’s from here we get a bit of insight as to how Yuki is and his actions.

Through fated meetings in the village, you find yourself becoming more and more anxious to see this traveling ‘merchant.’ Both of you growing closer as each day passes, but the devil is at your heels as war looms overhead. By this point, I was already fully involved with Yuki, and I felt the pang of bittersweetness when the tides of destiny came at both the MC and him when war was declared.

FATED FOR LOVE

Regardless of what trials you both face, the resolve of both characters is clear and echo love across time and space. I was completely enthralled by the love and depth that both characters grew to become, both strong and willing to fight for their love. It’s a better version of Romeo and Juliet, to be honest with you as Yukimura and MC’s love is filled with both heartache, pain, and bittersweet love.

Obviously, there were bumps in the road, as Yukimura still has his moments where he will not think through with what he says because he’s looking at things in an objectionable manner. When fate brings you two onto the battlefield grounds, his impression of you changes when he realizes you work for Nobunaga. I was so glad that the MC fired off a few choice words and put him in his place to actually listen to her.

 

DESTINED LOVERS UNDER THE SENGOKU NIGHT

His story wasn’t easy to navigate through, and I mean this in a good way as it hit a lot of tragic and angsty points that left me hurting. The fact that I did state this was like Romeo and Juliet, there is a resolve that Yukimura takes on himself, and not with you, that he will never see you again. However, because he isn’t someone who can express what he truly wants to say, this action is easily misinterpreted by the MC and audience.

The miscommunication of words added to the drama of his story, and only served to actually further bond the two together in a cycle of fate chasing destiny. As things reach an all-time high, people are dying, and the ultimate sacrifice becomes clear. The threads of love come together and save not just him but also the MC too, as the battlefield screams from blood and carnage. Both Yuki and the MC come together through their own strengths to conquer all.

LOVE CONQUERS ALL

Yes, I put ‘Love Conquers All’ as the title for this section because it does in this story, and this is exactly the type of story romance readers and otome gamers alike want. Yukimura’s Tsundere attitude is adorable and easily able to understand, he is straightforward when it comes to battle but not when he tries to say he loves you. He’s a classic Tsun-Tsun that I can’t help but love, just like Takuto Hirukawa from Love Letter from Thief X.

Yukimura’s story is by far one of my favorite characters in the Ikemen Sengoku franchise, as his character is truly loveable and passionate. It’s hard not to like him even when he appears in other routes, but I genuinely feel that he is a romance to consider when playing Ikemen Sengoku by Cybird.

GRAY’S CORNER

My final thoughts on this whole experience of reviewing a game route on a freemium app? It was worth the patience and tickets to see what happened between the MC and Yukimura, and I don’t play these apps often. The fact that this story practically captivated me from start to finish is amazing as that’s rare, and this truly amazes me as an otome player.

My overall rating of the route is 5/5 Stars, as the story, art, music, and romance keep you engaged until the very last sentence is read. 

As always, thanks for reading, and see you on the gaming side~!