Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs

Episode 12

So here we are at the end of the season, and for once, our hero is in true danger. Ever since the end of the first episode, Leon has basically been invincible; thanks to Luxion, Leon's mecha and gear have so far outclassed every opponent he's faced in terms of combat effectiveness that it really didn't matter how good or bad of a pilot he was. Yet, here at the climax, he finally meets his match in the Principality's greatest warrior: The Black Knight. For all of Leon's bravado, it is a one-sided match: Leon barely gets a single hit in while taking massive damage himself. Every move Leon makes is instantly countered. It's clear that The Black Knight's experience is more than enough to span the technology gap between his by Leon's mecha since Leon is refusing to break his no-killing rule.

Leon is only able to win this fight for two reasons. The first is that retreat is not an option for him, so he is focused solely on fighting to win instead of trying to find a way out. He has determined that the lives of Angie and Olivia are worth more to him than his own—he will not run and leave them to die.

The second reason is that experience can sometimes be a weakness to be exploited. After spending decades on the battlefield, the Black Knight has seen every dirty trick and strategy out there—unless it's something not possible by any other warrior in the world. Because no mecha can move without a pilot, the Black Knight lets his guard down when Leon exits his cockpit mid-battle, only for Luxion to use Arroganz to grapple the Black Knight's mecha long enough for Leon to open the enemy cockpit. It's a trick that can only work once, but it's all Leon needs to humiliate the Principality's greatest warrior, making it unlikely that the old man will ever be allowed in a mecha again. He further rubs salt in the wound by destroying the entire monster army in a rain of laser beams—showing his enemy just how much he held back.

The rest of the episode is spent tying up loose ends. Angie, Livia, and Leon have accepted that it's okay to be close to each other and have reverted to their happy, normal lives. However, Livia's confession still weighs heavily upon Leon. It's not that he doesn't love Livia—he does. The issue is that he loves Angie too. And as he can't choose between them, he's not willing to pursue either romantically.

What's interesting here is Luxion's comment that Leon is the same as Marie; just as Marie stole the capture targets of the game for herself, Leon stole its heroine and villainess. While Luxion means this as a compliment—that Leon is no longer obsessed with the game's story and is free to act how he sees best—it is a surface reading of the situation that does Leon a major disservice. Marie's relationship is built on deception. She built her connections by exploiting in-game mechanics, using Livia's lines from the game to seduce the Prince and his friends. Furthermore, she did this exclusively for personal gain—to become a rich queen, endlessly pampered by her harem of beautiful men. Leon, on the other hand, never once set out to deceive Angie or Livia. He has always shown them his true self—even the less respectable sides of it. The only person he's really ever lied to is himself, trying to convince himself that he didn't love them. This is why the three of them are able to have a functional relationship built on a foundation of trust, while Marie is forced to pretend she isn't constantly annoyed by the men she has surrounded herself with.

While there is clearly much more story to tell, this is a good stopping point for the anime. Leon, Angie, and Livia have obtained a happy ending of sorts. Their personal arcs are complete and their equilibrium, while not permanent, looks stable. Moreover, the external threats have been dealt with for the time being and Marie's power is near its lowest point. Things are looking up for our hero—except that we all know that this can't last forever. After all, it's right there in the title: the world of otome games is tough for mobs.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• While the scene of Angie and Livia asleep in their underwear holding hands is obviously meant to be fanservice, it's also a pretty clear indication they love each other as much as they love Leon—and almost certainly in a way beyond simple friendship.

• I like how Luxion's comments imply that Leon's next character arc isn't deciding who to choose, but rather accepting that a polyamorous relationship actually is okay.

• There's an interesting undertone in Angie's brother asking why no girls at the academy are courting Leon. It could imply that Angie is, true to her villainess roots, directly or indirectly keeping women (other than Livia and herself) away from Leon. On the other hand, it could imply that the world of the academy is so insulated from reality that the girls don't understand how amazing of a catch he is in terms of noble society...or perhaps it's just reminding us that he's financially screwed over pretty much every kid at the academy more than once.

• How exactly did Leon explain away the rain of lasers to the kingdom? Did he just pretend it had nothing to do with him? Cuz if not, I can't imagine how things could possibly return to the status quo with him being a walking WMD.

• When you think about it, every family that supports Leon is in decline due to Marie and the fallout of her actions (except for the Roseblades). It makes me wonder how the noble families without young heirs see his rise to power.

• So, Leon is now a Viscount. However, as he already had a promotion in the bank as a reward for stopping the pirates, does that mean he will be promoted to Count upon graduation?

• Luxion claims that Greg's mecha is about to explode due to a faulty reactor but part of me wonders if he's lying. After all, we didn't get visual confirmation of his claim. Perhaps this is just Luxion's way of indirectly getting back at Leon for relying on him so heavily with little to no displays of gratitude.

• Marie seems to think that getting the three saint's items would make her the saint while Leon believes that Livia is the saint regardless. This will no doubt lead to some major conflicts down the line.

• Thanks for joining me this season. I hope everyone enjoyed reading these reviews as much as I did writing them. Here's hoping for a second season (or even a film) to give us the next arc in the story.

Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Richard is an anime and video game journalist with over a decade of experience living and working in Japan. For more of his writings, check out his Twitter and blog.