Shall We Date?: Hero in Love, Soh Hanamiya Review

Soh is a straight laced, no nonsense dude who acts like he's too cool for your shit. You're a burden and he sees you as nothing more than a nuisance that he begrudgingly has to deal with for the time being, much like how my parents viewed me after I moved back home and said "it'll only be for a year at most". That was four years ago. (thanks Mom and Dad! Instead of buying a house I'm spending my money on otome games, Netflix, and trips to Vegas and California).

I played Soh's route first because after I saw how much he looked like Masato Hijirikawa from Uta no Prince-sama I couldn't help myself. I love me some Hijirikawa.

WHY HIJIRIKAWA SENPAI??? IS IT BECAUSE YOU'RE FICTIONAL??

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

So in Hero in Love you return home from college, I think, I already forgot because the ending of this game almost made me forget my own name, but I digress...anyway you come back from wherever you were to find that your professor father is gone and some inspector dude shows up to let you know that he has been kidnapped and you're in danger, so you have to go to the lab with him.

The lab is where your dad works apparently, and it's also where some supernatural boys with superhero powers call themselves The A-Team, no lie, and they hang out and fight crime and solve mysteries and dress in the most understated clothing you've ever seen.

Soh, Hayate, and Billy just hanging out.

But seriously though, their clothing is ridiculous and seems rather cumbersome for fighting crime. It's also ridiculous how much I love it all.

Billy on the left, who is so obviously American he might as well be an eagle drinking coke while eating apple pie and bitching about healthcare, and Hayate on the right, who is killing me softly with his androgyny.

You have to pick a bodyguard, and after choosing Soh who seems like he'll be a pretty awesome bodyguard.....

Yay!

.....you realize he actually thinks you kind of suck.

Boo.

So eventually you have to fly to somewhere, New York maybe? because....reasons. You guys I'm probably just going to gloss over the plot because I don't remember what happened. I'm getting this route confused with Billy's route and also with The Bodyguard movie.

I will always love the absurdity of this movie.

So on the plane you learn Soh is telepathic and he basically stops a bunch of hijackers along with the rest of the A-Team. You arrive in wherever where you attend a conference I think where all the best scientists of the world are gathering but then they get kidnapped? I think you are in New York because at one point you choose between wanting a hot dog or pancakes, and I chose hot dog because that is what I wanted IRL when I went to New York. Of course Soh makes fun of you. Rude. Some more stuff happens, then you meet the B-Team, another team of superhero-ish dudes with a little more subdued color palate than the A-Team.

I want a sports announcer to refer to players in a similar manner please.

I don't know if that's amazing so much as a very common ability among males.

So handsome man is Yuri, and he is invincible. Beautiful man is Kai, and he is basically Gambit from X-Men, which is cool with me because Gambit was always my favorite. And the showboat above whose clothing is A-Team extravagant is Shiva, and he has telekinesis and can make a snake appear out of thin air. The two teams decide to work together to take out Rakia, who is probably somebody important but I don't remember. Or is Rakia a place? It might actually be a gang...

Doesn't matter! Because then this happens!

Soh kisses you! And you apparently have no idea what that means.

REJECTED.

You all end up on a cruise ship, which in true A-Team fashion, is the most CONSPICUOUS way to get to the deserted island where Rakia is, along with maybe your father and a bunch of kidnapped people. Soh abandons you to brood somewhere, while Billy and Hayate are super cute and kind to you because they know you love Soh and they also know Soh is a freaking idiot.

Don't mind if I do.

You take Hayate's advice and go to talk to Soh about why he can't just admit he loves you, but he's shirtless and wielding a sword so you can't think straight.

It doesn't matter MC. Just accept it.

So you arrive at the island, a brawl ensues, and you eventually meet this Raguel character who informs you that you are a Babylom/Babilom like him and you too have super crazy magical powers. You get captured with Soh, and while being held hostage he finally tells you about his past...dad cheated on mom, she may have killed herself out of grief which is horrible....and he admits he loves you.

His love just comes off as really insecure, possessive jealousy.

Oh but guess what? Raguel loves you too, or he loves that you're a Babylom/Babilom (it's referred to both ways) like him and you can repopulate the earth with baby Babyloms.

Oh Soh.

You get out of there, and then shit just legitimately goes down the rabbit hole into crazy town. One second you're at home and about to do very fun things with Soh...

YES!!!!

Then suddenly you're back with Raquel somehow....he's controlling your mind or something? Honestly I played this route twice because the first time I was so confused at this part it was driving me insane because it was like awesome sexy times and then suddenly it just ends and you're in a completely different place.

 Any way...so you're in some altar thing where's Raguel is trying to do fun things with you as well but you're having none of it because there are way too many buckles on his clothing and the act of just getting his jacket off is enough to wear you out. Or at least that's how I felt about the whole thing. Soh saves you, obviously, but Raguel is trying to detonate a bomb that will kill every planet in the solar system, and you learn that he is also a zombie apparently.

So many buckles.

Raguel dies, and you pray the bomb away or something. Seriously. Like you all join hands and Kumbaya that shit away and save the world, your dad, and all the hostages. I'm not even kidding.

Then we get to the important part, and the reason we're all here. Sexy times!

I have to be honest, I got really excited about this whole thing and didn't take as many screenshots as I should have. Like the part where he pushes you up against the wall.....UNF.

Well obviously. That's sort of the point. 

Oh Soh cute.

AHAHAHA get it? Soh cute?

Wendy's Otome Rating Scale

6 fangirl screams out of 10.

Preferred snacks for Soh's route;

A dragon sushi roll with lots of soy sauce and wasabi because that's what Soh likes.

A hotdog with lots of ketchup and mustard, because that's what I like, and that's what Billy likes, and I'm still upset about Soh making fun of me for wanting a hot dog in New York.

Sake. Take a drink every time anyone mentions Soh's Japanese heritage or when they say that Soh only eats Japanese food so when you get to the slightly confusing end of his route you can blame being completely lost on the sake and not on you simply being unable to comprehend things that interrupt sexy time.