Would having your favourite otome game characters suddenly transfer into your school be something to celebrate? Or is them being locked in a virtual world what makes them so lovable?
TL;DR Review
Bagudan leans so far into common otome game tropes that things become a little uncomfortable…and hilarious. Fans of otome games will appreciate all of the quirks and character archetypes this new shoujo manga features.
Author
Genre
Demographic
Manga status
- This series is ongoing in Japanese with one volume currently published.
- This series currently does not have an English translation.
Japanese Title
バグダン.
Publication information
- Japanese publisher: Kodansha.
- Japanese imprint: Dessert.
- Japanese digital platform: Comic Days.
Here are some other series published in Dessert:
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Series Description
Tokiko, a girl who puts one certain otome game above all else, is over the moon when the characters of her favourite game suddenly appear in her class as exchange students. Only, the things that she found swoon-worthy in the virtual world are a bit strange in person. Will she be able to help the boys fit in with their new environment?
Review – Spoilers for Volume One
This was a wild read. As all of the boys are written to be exaggerations of characters often seen in otome games, they are all rather off putting. The clever one comes off as “holier than thou” and rude, the cute but not-so-innocent one comes off as a terrifying pervert, and the tsundere comes off as someone who might punch you if you looked at them funny. While I don’t think i’d want to play the game they come from, I did appreciate all of the callbacks.
On the surface this is a very fun series for otome game lovers. We follow a girl who gets to live out her fantasy while helping her favourite characters achieve their goal. The boys are written to be fully conscious of their situation, as they were isekai’d into the real world and spend the volume trying to go back to their game world. They all quickly build up an interesting dynamic of unruly students and teacher and I had a lot of fun watching them interact! I was a bit surprised none of them ever made a move on her, but it was for the best plot-wise.
Under the surface, this manga touches on one reason why otome games are so beloved. Our main character went through a boy-related trauma at school, and having no one else to turn to, started playing. The boys in the game quickly became her main source of comfort, and before she knew it, she was playing every day. Once they become real people and come to her school, they continue supporting her through their antics. Even though they had only just met, it seems like they instinctively understand that she needs friends to be there for her.
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