Shall We Date?: Ninja Love, Rennoshin Review

Ren is a very talented doctor, swordsman, and all around sweetheart with a weird, sorta pervy side. I really can't pinpoint exactly why I liked him so much, but he was probably one of my favorite characters from Ninja Love. I wouldn't say his route itself was my favorite, but Ren himself is very high on my list of awesome otome characters.

 

 

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

You begin the route yet again with Hanzo, but after getting bit by a muterfucking cobra at a tea house, you are taken to the nearby village where Hanzo's best friend and resident Doctor Dreamy, Ren, works. He saves your life and admires your resistance to poison while you simultaneously admire his face. You also find out that he gets a huge doc boner simply by saving people's lives with very little to no pay or reward. He's just an upstanding dude who loves him some medicine.

 

Oh, and he's narcoleptic or something.

 

 

He seriously just falls asleep wherever, whenever. He also apparently likes to grab on to unsuspecting ladies while he sleeps.

 

This is either a legitimate sleep disorder, or a brilliant ploy to cuddle whoever you want without fear of embarrassment. I'll just say I was asleep!!!

 

Basically from the very beginning you have a crush on the doc, which is understandable since he is the cutest thing ever AND he saves lives like a superhero. So you have to stay with Ren for a bit to regain your strength before traveling on to Iga with Hanzo, which was fine by me. In the meantime Ren treats you like a kid sister (boo!), takes you for a walk, and then SAVES A PUPPY, and the adorable meter just straight up breaks because it can't handle the cute.

 

 

He also takes charge and saves a bunch of people in front of you which makes you fall even more in love with him. This poses a problem since you are leaving him soon because you're a princess and have shit to do, so you stop by to say goodbye to him before heading out and he's sleeping, NAKED.

 

Don't ask questions, just go with it.

 

I literally thought to myself "we are only on like chapter three, this is amazing!" Alas, it was just the puppy he saved. 

 

After you are feeling better, Ren sort of reluctantly agrees to travel to Iga with you and Hanzo to assist in the war since he's the best damn doctor the world has ever seen. On the way Hanzo gets all up in your guys' business like he's your dad or something.

 

Shut your beautiful mouth Hanzo!

 

Wahoo!!!

 

AW HELL NAW.

 

He also saves your life again, and you learn that he has seen you naked numerous times already since he's a doctor and it comes with the territory.

 

Sidenote: I entered the wrong profession.

 

Then you get to Iga, some fighting happens, and Kotaro gets all bent out of shape that a non ninja is your bodyguard even though Ren is a badass with a sword. Kotaro demands you stick with him from now on, but right after that it's like he totally forgets ever saying such a thing because he disappears while you're out with Ren gathering herbs on the mountain and doing all sorts of other dangerous things. Good job Kotaro.

 

So really the whole route is you taking on different types of poisons and kicking their respective asses, Ren bringing everyone back from the brink of death, and you fangirling all over him while he messes with your emotions.

 

One minute he's like....

 

Oh you're scared? 

 

ON MY WAY.

 

OH MY GOSH, NAKED BLUSHING REN IS THE CUTEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN, and I've seen a bunny and a kitten take a nap together.

 

Then the next minute he's like...

 

Then stop wasting my time! If I wanted this kind of non-commitment in my life I would go back to OkCupid.

 

Eventually though he realizes that you're just too cute and wonderful to pass up, so he kisses you.

 

UNF

That is fine with me.

 

You then go to Nobunaga as a decoy with Munenori, the plan goes awry, and Ren saves everyone yet again with his magical doctor knowledge. Then he takes you back to his village and introduces you as his wife, and then the super happy ending occurs.

 

A THOUSAND TIMES YES.

 

I'm so excited!!

 

And then.....

 

...it seriously just glosses over everything. I think there's one more shot about him grabbing your wrists or something, but I was so excited I just kept punching my screen while squealing, and then that's it. It's over and it jumps to the next morning.

 

That's cute, I guess.

 

You can't just gloss over the sexy times and expect me not to notice! I expect that from Voltage, but c'mon Solmare. But maybe since Goemon's route was my first Otome experience....the bar may have just been set too high.

 

Anyway, I loved Ren because his story was so different from everything else, and he was just enough of an oddball character to really pique my interest. Again, the route itself wasn't amazing, but Ren was. I like the weirdos, if we're being honest here, which we are. I was also pleasantly surprised by him, he seemed pretty weak and lame in the prologue, but he was actually very interesting and funny.

 

 Wendy's Otome Rating Scale

 

6 fangirl screams out of 10.

 

Preferred snacks for Rennoshin's route;

 

Caffeinated Marshmallows. This is actually a thing, I swear. It'll help you stay energized while Ren keeps falling asleep.

 

Nabemono. If Ren is going to treat you like family, might as well eat like family. If you're alone though, then you win! More food for you.

 

Poison Liqueur, a wild berry schnapps. Take a shot every time the MC doesn't die from some kind of poison.

 

Fun fact; once upon a time my friend and a drank a whole of bunch of this stuff very late into a party after we had already had a few other drinks, and we declared it the best tasting alcohol ever. At our next party we purchased it after telling all our friends about how great it was, only to take a drink and immediately want to die. This is why you don't declare your love of things once you're already drunk like drinks, music, or people, because your perception is skewed and you're going to make bad and regret filled declarations.

 

Just say no kids.