Talks about otome games, drama cds, and occasionally provides advice? Running away endlessly from my backlog of hobbies.

Ilinox

Not in particular. I don't think anything is done out of explicit malice and instead it's just from a business standpoint, but I do personally feel that Mihoyo isn't even doing the bare minimum of what I would expect for a company with an otome game.

I hesitate to fully believe any articles about "someone" in the company saying these things, because I think every company with an otome game has been "caught" with people making disparaging remarks towards women. You just kind of get used to this when you're engaging with female-oriented media HAHA. Okay, joking aside, I think what's important is the feeling you get from experiencing the game yourself. I truly believe you can tell whether a game is made out of genuine love or not (and why those "ironic dating sims" are so bad), and we should also take into account that these sorts of comments could be made from people outside the team or executives and that there are the "little people" working on the game that still genuinely like the game and want to share their creation with the world.

All that being said, I think Tears of Themis' quality goes up and down depending on how their team is scheduled because it's been said that sometimes their writers get pulled to write storylines for Genshin Impact or Honkai: Star Rail, and I wouldn't be surprised if people who don't make their KPI get "banished" to Tears of Themis LOL. For example, one of the scandals for CN ToT was that it was starting to have a heavy "male gaze" during their 3rd year and this label has, unfortunately, been stuck on them. However, this seems to have been dialed back now and, as far as I know, 5th anniversary is praised.

Anyway, in the end, only you yourself can decide if you feel that the game you're playing is disrespecting you as a person and a consumer.

Not in particular. I don't think anything is done out of explicit malice and instead it's just from a business standpoint, but I do personally feel that Mihoyo isn't even doing the 

 of what I would expect for a company with an otome game.

I hesitate to fully believe any articles about "someone" in the company saying these things, because I think every company with an otome game has been "caught" with people making disparaging remarks towards women. You just kind of get used to this when you're engaging with female-oriented media HAHA. Okay, joking aside, I think what's important is the feeling you get from experiencing the game yourself. I truly believe you can tell whether a game is made out of genuine love or not (and why those "ironic dating sims" are so bad), and we should also take into account that these sorts of comments could be made from people outside the team or executives and that there are the "little people" working on the game that still genuinely like the game and want to share their creation with the world.

All that being said, I think Tears of Themis' quality goes up and down depending on how their team is scheduled because it's been said that sometimes their writers get pulled to write storylines for Genshin Impact or Honkai: Star Rail, and I wouldn't be surprised if people who don't make their KPI get "banished" to Tears of Themis LOL. For example, one of the scandals for CN ToT was that it was starting to have a heavy "male gaze" during their 3rd year and this label has, unfortunately, been stuck on them. However, this seems to have been dialed back now and, as far as I know, 5th anniversary is praised.

Anyway, in the end, only you yourself can decide if you feel that the game you're playing is disrespecting you as a person and a consumer.

I read a couple of articles that quite a few members in HYV company have been openly mocking otome players for some time now. After hearing about their beef with Paper Games and messing with their site, I'd started to become suspicious of HYV practices. Those of us who play their other games are constantly frustrated at the treatment of male units and male characters general- but we could accept it because in the end it's not meant to be male centered in the first place...but when I'd considered playing ToT, everyone told me that it's an amazing otome, but the company constantly forgets it. 

A get months ago I found some articles criticizing HYV members for mocking female players in general (not just those for HSR/GI) which was concerning because they manage a very popular ototme game. While many of us had been bullied and harassed irl for being "whores" for playing otome, it wasn't any better online with the whole influx of hate that came towards games like L&N and LaDS from angry men and male celebrities. 

I heard they didn't celebrate National Women's Day properly on their only otome, and that players feel like they've forgotten all about ToT. And tbh I don't think it's a coincidence. A company that feels "women should be playing their games yet expect nothing because we deserve nothing" (their words apparently) shouldn't be managing an otome where the fan base is mostly female. It's made me not even want to touch any HYV branded game. 

Ilinox

Do you ever feel that HYV is ignoring Tears of Themis on purpose?