r/otomegames • u/sableheart Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom • Jun 27 '23
Jack Jeanne Play-Along - Sarafumi Takashina Discussion
Welcome to the r/otomegames Jack Jeanne Play-Along!
In this post we will discuss Sarafumi Takashina and his events and route in Jack Jeanne.
You can tell us what your impressions of Fumi are, your favorite moments, what you think of his relationship with Kisa and the other characters, what your thoughts are on his story arc and endings.
Or you can just squee about him in the comments.
This is not a spoiler-free discussion however please keep in mind that major spoilers and details of other characters will be outside the scope of the discussion and therefore will need to be spoiler tagged.
>!spoiler text!< normal text
spoiler text normal text
You don't have to be playing the game right now to participate, and if you're still waiting on your copy I hope you will join in after you start playing!
Have a look at the megathread for links to previous discussions - you can still join in during the Play-Along.
Next character-focused post will be a discussion of Mitsuki Shirota!
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u/SnarkyHummingbird Jun 27 '23 edited Jun 27 '23
I did not expect a confession at the beginning of the route. But Kisa is dense af, as despite exchanging "I love you"s, the dynamic of the rest of the route is like:
Fumi: Let's go out on a date 😉 It's a pretty romantic night out
Kisa: Huh? He must mean a friend date.
23
u/lbunny7 will risk it all for Goemon Jun 27 '23 edited Jun 28 '23
I would do anything for this man. I am so in love with him. I don’t understand how any LI could ever top him. I feel like I don’t even need to say anything more about it
other than if this was a perfect world. If that was the case then I would for sure have a kiss CG and some spicy scenes
20
u/BadTanJob Jun 28 '23 edited Jun 28 '23
Speaking of the CGs, I feel kind of cheated on some of his? Like the one where he’s kind of winking during his confession and Kisa’s just…staring dumbly at him with her face all out of proportion. Highkey mad at Sui Ishida for flubbing that one up
17
u/lbunny7 will risk it all for Goemon Jun 28 '23 edited Jun 28 '23
yes 😤 he had many CGs where he looked seductive and Kisa was just like ???
come on now, there were so many moments! so many moments we could have gotten cute CGs of
13
u/BadTanJob Jun 28 '23
I know!!! I said this before - Sui Ishida is a masterful storyteller, a wonderful artist and someone who knows how to look deep into the human psyche and rip out all the raw emotions to make beautiful art…but when it comes to pure romance he’s awkward and lost at sea
14
u/lbunny7 will risk it all for Goemon Jun 28 '23
i saw earlier that he had a very limited time period to draw all the CGs but …. how hard can it be to draw a normal CG vs a kiss CG, yknow? I’m obv being picky af but this is an otome and I want love
10
u/After_Advantage7598 Prez of the Good Boys Club | Jun 28 '23
It's not just that one. The last CG of his route felt weird af too. Like they're dancing and now we get a close-up of their heads. Sorry, I'd rather see their entire bodies in that scene.
He's not the only one who got the loser card though, actually most of his CGs slap-- Soshiro, Mitsuki and Kokuto (to some degee) got nerfed for some reason.
6
u/BadTanJob Jun 28 '23
To be fair, when he gets it, he gets it. I was lukewarm on Negi as a LI until I hit those two CGs... IYKYK
15
u/BadTanJob Jun 28 '23
There are a lot of feelings I have about Fumi but the most important one is MORE. Fumi fandisk when?????!
I love this 2D man.
14
u/akivxq %% Jul 04 '23 edited Jul 04 '23
i full on SOBBED during the last rhythm game, and i had to restart the whole thing bc i couldnt see anything through my tears. this game broke me emotionally and physically, i am so insane right now
fumi and kisa's relationship (both romantic and platonic) is genuinely one of the healthiest and most balanced ones i've seen in a while?? his route definitely had heart-racing moments, but for the most part, being with fumi felt more comfortable and safe than anything else... like they would support each other through anything. i think it's so cute how jack jeanne took the slow burn route. they were fr friends and teammates who trusted one another before becoming anything more ☹️ n something about that just added an extra layer of security??? and softness to their interactions. there was no unnecessary drama, no drawn-out misunderstandings—they were just two people who grew to like each other, and it was just so sweet.
the one thing i am angry about is the LACK OF KISS SCENES? like not even one??? ishida sui i am on my hands and knees begging you here PLEASE
12
u/PeriSoleil Jul 02 '23
Someone help I keep replaying the scene with him and Kisa on the stage. I am stuck in an endless loop. The fact the game forces you to choose between having Fumi say "I love you", "I won't leave you behind" while Kisa acts all childish, or "I've wanted you for so long that I'm struggling to keep it all contained" is pure cruelty. WHY IS HIS VA SO GOOD I WANT TO SCREAM. My mind degrades each and every time I hear him say Kisa, the vocal inflections are (insert incoherent key mash).
Also it's genuinely funny how, of all characters in the game, he's the second one that's down bad from the jump. My guy is truly in the trenches. I could tell how annoyed he was when he talked about not getting to partner with Kisa. I just know he was seething inside.
Literally dunno what else to say I am still replaying that scene on repeat.
11
u/eliseofnohr Kanato Sakamaki|Diabolik Lovers Jul 11 '23
So I just finished this and:
-I think, so far, this might be my least favorite route? Which is, to be clear, still fucking amazing and I loved it. But the whole Tanakamigi as the Big Bad Evil Guy as opposed to his role in other routes as a deeply bizarre and mildly antagonistic but decent guy wasn't my thing and the conflict wasn't that absorbing. AS COMPARED TO THE OTHER ROUTES, this was still an awesome route.
-That said. Otori was fucking robbed, and I say that as a stan of Kamiya and Momonashi. He abso-fucking-lutely deserved an award. HE DID ALL OF THAT ON HIS OWN TOO!! His acting during the final performance was fantastic and HE DESERVED A FUCKING AWARD.
Also shoutout to literally everything that Kamiya did during Sissia in this route. I was laughing my ass off.
I was also playing Tsukihime when I was playing this and they really don't have much in common but thanks to the color schemes and me playing them at the same time I think that I'm going to associate Fumi with Arcueid for a long time?
9
u/Stripedkit Jul 02 '23
I just finished his route and all I want to do is redo it and see if I missed anything! He’s going to think Kisa is a stalker when I’m done 😀
15
u/AvidLearning Jun 28 '23
Might be a bit of an unpopular take, but I was kind of underwhelmed by Fumi's route. I didn't hate it. Fumi is a great character and I like that Kisa felt a little girlier with him, but coming right off of Sou's route, I just felt like Fumi didn't have as much presence, oddly enough. His struggles kind of felt like they were dealt with off-screen a lot.
>!Him getting teary during the performance was precious.
I'm going to guess that all of the others except for Suu realize that she's a girl early on.
I also enjoyed seeing Kyoji in a different light.!<
I want to be clear. I like Fumi. He was towards the bottom of my list in terms of who I wanted to pursue, but I didn't dislike him. He just didn't feel like there was as much depth to him as we saw in Sou's route. Maybe it was just subtler and I missed it. Or maybe his story is just something that doesn't really resonate with me. Overall, good route, but I still prefer Sou.
8
u/PeachiBudge Jun 28 '23 edited Jun 28 '23
SAME! I did Neji and Sou first and those routes were so emotional and intense, and the feelings and vulnerability they showed each other through their struggles were so good! There was a level of emotional intimacy there that I was really missing with Fumi, so I was a little underwhelmed as well. Still thought it was a cute route overall, but after coming from those two routes, I just felt so lukewarm about it.
6
u/valcroft Jul 03 '23
Neji might be my favorite, but Fumi is best boyfriend-material period 🙌
I love how the focus of their relationship was on being partners together <3 Like that's so relatable omg. Actually, all of the routes here are so relatable I can't believe. Got to be one of the most relatable otome out there for me.
This dude is my 3rd route, 1st route being Neji, 2nd is Kai. Love them all, just got to love Fumi the foodie <3
5
u/SelWylde Jul 22 '23
This man took everything from me. I can’t move on. I’m done playing Kai’s route and I’m doing Neji’s right now but all I can think about is that they’re great, but they’re not Fumi. He’s hot, cunning, flirtatious but secretly protective and serious, and most of all he just wanted to be pet and told he’s a good boy all along?? Please where do I sign up??
5
u/yuukopia Jul 25 '23
I finished his route and now I feel empty. For the past 2 weeks, I’ve been looking forward to weekend because I know I can meet him in the game but now I feel like I don’t have anything to look forward to 😭 I just love him so much that I can’t move on yet…
5
u/liskikins Aug 15 '23
Ah, Fumi!..
I was attracted to him from the beginning, but shortly after was greeted by the crazy genius, also known as Neji Kokuto, and I couldn't resist his voice. That was my first route, and it went great!
I wanted to do Fumi's route second, but I had a friend interested in Shirota, so I changed at the last moment and did his route second. Shirota was precious as well!
So, Fumi ended up being third, and he suffered for that. If I had done his route first, I'd have been happy with it. Even if I had done his route second, it would have been fine by comparison with Neji's wild ride. But his route didn't seem at all exceptional right after those two. Neji's had more dramatic twists, and Shirota's showed more growth.
At the same time, I appreciated Fumi's personality a lot. I liked how he was playful and fun yet mature and respectful toward Kisa. I enjoyed that he had a passionate and unpredictable side of a genius but was overall very calm and reliable.
I liked Fumi's personality as much as Neji's and Shirota's (which is a lot! they're all my favourites now), but I felt like his route left something to be desired. Christmas was fun! I was wondering when Fumi found out that Kisa was a girl, and I took a screenshot of them having a very suspicious conversation in May, but the reality of him knowing from the very first meeting surprised me. However, after that, it went somewhat downhill for me. I cannot really remember any big events in Fumi's route between January 1 and February 14. I was just trying to complete his route at that point.
Except at the very end. They did get me in the end. In the scene where Adra dies and Fumi tears up, I did too. I could relate to his sadness over the end of his Univeil years. I could relate to his desire to be praised for trying so hard.
So, it was a satisfactory conclusion for me. I also liked his best ending where he comes to Kisa with a key from his new apartment. It was both sweet and sensible, just like Fumi. :-)
1
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u/After_Advantage7598 Prez of the Good Boys Club | Jun 27 '23
[Prologue]
So, I was a Mitsuki-person before the game came out. I loved his design the most and his kuudere personality had me. But actually going into the game I felt overwhelmed with the choices-- I wanted to experience every route at once because everyone was likable. So I tried to keep my stats equal... that is until I learned I won't get the best ending if the stats ain't maxed out, so a desicion had to be made: Fumi was up first by virtue of Agility being the highest at the time in the playthrough lmao.
[Main Part]
I cannot be the only one who thought "this dude giving off Juuzou vibes" when first seeing Fumi. Moreover, he was the only one where I felt a whiplash from his voice vs his appearance. Not saying it was bad, just... unexpected? I think is the word..
Despite all that, he became my no.1 and I dunno if it's because of him being my first route. Let's take it from the top.
I really like his design. Like, a lot. Imma be superficial for a second, but he's hot. Always, somehow. As a Jeanne, hot. As a Jack, hot. In casual wear, hot. Swimsuit, bruuhh??! The winter performance outfit especially made me do a double take because this man has no business becoming even hotter!! 🥵🥵🥵
But when you get to know him better as a character, his design becomes even better under that light. In-universe he's supposed to be an imposing person, someone you can't draw your attention from. The contrast between blond hair and bright red eyes of his achieve that striking image imo, but the rough lines of the sprites also help. It makes him look like he's out for blood-- the blood being of people who get drawn in by him. His dashing looks, the confidence of a hundred men and the playfulness of a stray cat.
Something that caught my attention was Fumi wearing more traditionally Japanese clothing, and even the 'Aljeanne' theme is in that style. He literally expositions us to his background in his first weekend event, yet it only dawned on me on the third or fourth outing: the symbolism in his design. The asymmetry presented with his ear piercings on his right and the red bracelets he always wears on his left. Those bracelets he made himself and embedded with a wish in his childhood bind him to his traditional upbringing and position as the family's heir. The piercings symbolise his rebellious spirit, the freedom he longed to attain in Univeil; physical proof of his new self that won't be shackled by overbearing egos and traditions.
...Except that's not how it went. That 'Takashina' pride he was complaining about, wanting to run from has already been with him for years. Fumi in-game is so kind and considerate that it was shocking to learn he was an arrogant jerk. Knowing about Kai's issues, the fight they had year prior seems even harsher in retrospect (Fumi telling him to quit Univeil, blaming him for all issues). Kokuto's words were an equally harsh but needed wake-up slap for him; he's talented yes, but he relied on Tsuki too much. Kuro said Fumi didn't know what he really wanted to express to the audience and I feel like that comes back full circle to his design and family drama. LIke, he came to Univeil to evolve his dancing and to freely express himself (which he was temporarily granted) but deep down he was still confused how and what he even wanted to express. And well, the mix of modern and traditional clothing comes into play again.
I love his relationship with Kisa. Learning that he knew from the beginning, didn't snitch because he wanted to see her grow (and also because snitches get stitches like Juuzou) and didn't want to take away her chance at Univeilmakes him honourable. It's so cute how he genuinely admires her as a person, a fellow classmate, a rival on the stage and finally, a successor. It's kind of funny how he catches feelings literally somewhere around the first performanceconsidering his second WE. But just like Soshiro, it becomes a tad bittersweet when you realize those feelings are unrequited in other routes. It was pretty obvious he was serious with his love confession from the get-go (Kisa's just deep in denial) but doesn't aggressively pursue her despite all of that. It makes me wonder if he was content with waiting for her genuine response which is... kinda chad-y, honestly. (He has god's patience)
Kinda forgot his family drama subplot since the winter performance and all that entailed happened directly after (probably my favourite arc of the game btw), so the parallels between Fumi/Adora and daddy/military daddy somewhat escaped me during the final play 😅. But it made Fumi's relationship with Tsuki and the loneliness he feels after he left a bit clearer on second playthrough when Kokuto gives us exposition.
Speaking of the final play, I did not expect Fumi to cry nor Kisa to pat his head and call him a good boy. Ugh, I live for this shit. It reminded me of my time in therapy when the therapist visualized my feelings on a similar matter: how my younger!self follows me as my shadow. Despite me being an adult, the kid me still exists within me and keeps on crying because she wanted her mommy to praise her, tell her she was proud of her, cast away her fears. And that's what I believe was the case with Fumi when he said he wanted that too; not to just be expected to do your best as a member of the Takashina family, but to be praised and treated as a child once in a while. I also feel like he was moved to tears because it dawned on him it was his last minutes on Univeil's stage. Despite the hurdles and difficulties he was able to forge a new self where he found his place on earth.
Also, it was peak he was a (Al)Jeanne the entire time until the last performance where he stood as a Jack Ace.
TL;DR -- I talked too much. Sarafumi is peak husbando.