Disclaimer: This review is part of Steam's Curator Connect program. The reviewer received a steam code from the developer for the purpose of writing a review for the game.
I have a confession to make, dear Fuwa readers: I may call myself a fujoshi, but I can count on my hand the number of BLs I’ve read, and this fact saddens me greatly. In fact, I think my taste in BL differs from what I see in mainstream BL media—either a typical bishounen highschool romance or a vampire story—and so I decided to change that a bit, with the help of Abracadabra Inc, the publisher behind this release!
Abracadabra Inc, after reading our coverage of the release in English, gifted us a copy of the game, so I decided to give it a shot! I thought it was a good chance to read something different from what I’m used to.
I’m not going to lie: my expectations weren’t high. I may have started reading with the expectations one has for mobile ports. I am happy to say I was soon proved wrong. It has its spicy scenes as I expected, but it develops its characters far better than some VNs out there.
Introduction
Blood Domination is a romance BL released for mobile-only by Japanese developer Otomedou back in 2018 and published for international readers by Abacadabra Inc. It features five couples-to-be as they enter a school focused on the Dom/Sub dynamic and deepen their relationships.
Otomedou is the otome and BL brand for Frontier Works Inc., although it transferred assets to Bitworks Co. Ltd. and Abracadabra Inc in January 2021. They are a brand that focuses exclusively on mobile releases, although Abacadabra Inc has been bringing some of these to PC.
Synopsis
This is a story of hunger and longing.
The world of vampires is divided into two types: Doms who control, and subs who are controlled. Many have passed through the prestigious Éclair Gymnasium Academy, learning to tap into their full potential as Doms or subs in order to preserve the noble vampire bloodlines. This is a story of hunger and longing; quenched only by D/s acts in which subs offer themselves to the mercy of their Dom’s pleasure, for which the sub receives a reward in return.
Now, five different couples have arrived to pen the newest pages of the Academy’s chronicled history. Their objective is simple: to get through a temporary contract with their respective partner. Will they discover love and happiness, or will their D/s relationships break down under the weight of their own ambitions and tragedies? Your choices will decide their destiny.
A True Coming of Age
This may be odd since we are talking about vampire smut, but it’s not just smut. We are entering a world of vampires struggling with their feelings and place in the world—a true coming of age, with kink and spice. There’s all types of dynamics, from possessive, borderline yandere types with a marriage promise waiting for him to spicy teacher/student secret relationships.
All of the stories, no matter how different, have a theme in common: growing up and discovering one self, as well as discovering their “second gender” (meaning, their Dom or Sub selves). This will be a major point in all routes.
Routes and Endings
If you are thinking about the route you want to read first, hold that thought: this VN has an enforced play order, allowing you to only read through a short prologue before being presented a route selection menu. The one exception they make is that you can choose between two routes which to read first.
As for the route themselves, they behave just like a typical route would. You have multiple choices to make throughout the route, and if you choose everything correctly, you’ll get the Sweet Ending (also known as the Good Ending). Otherwise, you’ll get the Normal Ending. For those who like wholesomeness, great news—there’s no Bad Ending.
To be fair, it surprised me just how packed each ending is. Each route averages 3 to 4 hours of playtime, but the last two chapters (which contain the different endings) of the routes tend to go for one whole hour in total. For someone who expected a quick wrap-up to the route, I was satisfied with what I read.
Izayoi x Uzuki
This was my first route and it was an amazing start. I would say that while the second route has more to discuss, it can also be a bit much to deal with, especially if you don’t know what to expect from the other routes. That being said, I think this may be the most wholesome and less problematic one.
Before we even get to choose the route, we already start off with Uzuki in the prologue. Uzuki is the sweetest boy there is, being completely naïve to the world around him (maybe that’s why I took a liking to him?). While I enjoyed Uzuki’s character, I didn’t really like Izayoi at first. Just like the game wants you to think, he looked your typical arrogant rich boy (though he tried to look like a delinquent), but there’s more to him than meets the eye.
Also, if you enjoy the noble/commoner and enemies-to-lovers tropes, you’ll have a great time with these two.
Thoughts on the Route
Uzuki and Izayoi have this really funny dynamic that I think is just perfect for an introduction: they are more on the comical side, always fighting each other. Although I say this, their route does have its spicy moments. In fact, having a naïve boy like Uzuki discover his sexuality and see Izayoi show his romantic side was the peak of this route. Izayoi can be somewhat considered a tsundere and revealing all his layers is what tsunderes are all about!
There was a bit of dragging in some parts of the story due to the clashing of the pair’s personalities and miscommunications, which was frustrating to read. At the end of the day, though, I don’t have much to complain about.
However, the writers seem to have forgotten that at some point, Uzuki did manage to give a command to Izayoi—one which he obeyed, confused. This was an important point… for five minutes. After that, it was promptly forgotten and never mentioned again.
While the ending itself was a perfect wrap-up of their story, I wish I could have seen more of their life together. For instance, I would have loved to see Uzuki meeting Izayoi’s parents and vice-versa! Maybe even watching them as they get older?
Fortunately, Season 2 has come recently and we’ll be getting more content—specifically for their life after leaving the academy! I hope my wishes come true, as I’ll read get into this new season very soon!
Score: 8.5/10
Takamine x Chihaya
While Uzuki and Izayoi’s route was more of a natural, wholesome progression, Takamine and Chihaya’s relationship takes a darker and mysterious turn. We mostly follow Chihaya’s perspective, gradually learning more about Takamine’s past and his own. This is a story of obsessive love and forgotten pasts.
Thoughts on the Route
At first, we start in a more comical way, having Takamine being a pervert and Chihaya himself being… well, an insufferable jerk. Just like Uzuki, Takamine is a sub, but he’s so devoted it becomes creepy, and that is one of the big aspects of this route and their dynamic. There are some icky scenes of questionable consent and although the game does try to make it sexier than it is, relying on the D/s dynamic, it also brings to the surface how scary it can be.
It is definitely more of a thriller and mystery-heavy story to the point of giving me the chills. It’s interesting to see how Takamine behaves so differently with Chihaya, compared to his usual “best friend” self with Uzuki—to scary degrees. We get to see more of Chihaya’s psyche as well; I found surprising how much my opinion of him changed, given I really disliked Chihaya as a person before entering his route.
Score: 8.5/10
Kasumi x Gingetsu
This is the third route, and a short one at that! For the readers who enjoy spicier reads, Kasumi and Gingetsu’s story has a lot to offer. This tale doesn’t take place in their life as working adults, but at a time when Kasumi was a mere student there, and Gingetsu his new teacher.
This is a route that explores the forbidden and yet, they make a very wholesome pair. If you enjoy the teacher/student trope or even the May-December romance trope, you won’t be disappointed!
Thoughts on the Route
Despite this being THE “forbidden fruit” route, I’m surprised at how organically their relationship grew while, at the same time, still being so awkward to watch. Maybe I’d feel differently if I were younger. However, being 23, I’m with Gingetsu at how awkward Kasumi makes the situation.
While Kasumi is already a walking beauty as an adult, his student sprite is just immaculate. He’s just like an angel, which I know Gingetsu would agree with. It’s funny how angelic he looks compared to how he behaves. In a way, this is the perfect example of a teenager coming to terms with his feelings, in a very coming-of-age fashion.
On the other hand, Gingetsu is an even more interesting character. While he’s very childish, he still retains his adult sense when it comes to his duties and responsibilities. I enjoyed how Kasumi tries to flirt with him and how often Gingetsu has to refuse his advances due to obviously seeing him as his student and a minor. Even though they naturally end up together, it’s still a source of anxiety and guilt in his mind, continuously assaulting his conscience—something that Kasumi, not yet aware of the implications, is very annoyed by.
Their relationship may be somewhat wholesome, but the consequences of being found out are not. The whole appeal of “taboo” for these kinds of relationships is the forbidden aspect—the way the game approaches being found out is actually rather realistic, all things considered. I won’t go into any further details as to not spoil anything, but there is some angst, depending on what you choose.
In most routes, I usually enjoy the two endings about the same amount, but for this route I actually enjoyed the Normal Ending way more! Something about the big climax being with an adult Kasumi instead of having him still a minor just makes everything better for me. I love my vampire dads.
Score: 9/10
Narumi x Mizuho
At the start of this route, we enter unknown territory—literally, since these couples don’t even appear in the prologue. If we are talking about miscommunication, this may be the perfect route. Personally, I don’t see that as a good thing. Although I enjoyed Mizuho as a character, their whole dynamic felt superficial and rushed, even lazy.
Narumi and Mizuho are two childhood friends, always together in a dynamic one could call codependent. Being forced to find their own D/s partners at school and live with them makes them realize just how much they rely on each other…
Thoughts on the Route
The main topic of drama for this route was—as you may have imagined—miscommunication. Their route touches on an important topic that I don’t see as often. We usually see the “friends to lovers” trope growing from their casual dynamic to feelings of love, but we rarely see the opposite. What I mean is: what if you become lovers but the romantic aspect is lacking due to the very same childhood dynamic? That is the problem the couple is faced with and struggled to find an answer to. And boy, do they struggle!
As I mentioned before, the writing for this route felt lazy, almost like the writers weren’t that invested in the couple. Most of the days within the route were full of monologue from Narumi and no real conversations—communication—between them, to the point of feeling like a slog. Even the whole cast had to get involved for things to progress. I had fun seeing the other characters participating, but it felt annoying to have them be so active in one couple’s life. I even wished a bad ending would happen so they would learn to get out of their shells (well, Mizuho, mostly) and have a personal life.
Score: 7.5/10
Kazuha x Yuugiri
This is the last route, and one of the most disappointing ones. Not because it was awful, but because the beginning had me excited for a well-written drama, and what I got instead was a rushed story on how sex heals trauma.
… To be fair, it wasn’t as bad as I made it sound just now, but it was quite rushed.
Kazuha is a non-monogamous Dom with love to spare, while Yuugiri is a sub scared of Doms due to some traumatic event in his life, as you can guess from the first scene in the route. However, even though Yuugiri is so scared of Doms, the H-scenes are quicker to appear than even the other routes.
This is a story about trauma and how it affects the way you socialize, just to protect yourself from these triggers caused by things that happened in the past; as well as a story of perseverance, just to understand and be a supporting net for the person you love.
Thoughts on the Route
This is mostly a story of Kazuha chasing after Yuugiri, just so he can lower his defensive walls. However, the way we see this happening is way too quick for my tastes. They meet and he acts a certain way and then after one or two days he suddenly does a one-eighty? A bit forced, I think.
Kazuha’s frustration at Yuugiri’s resistance to his advances is understandable from his perspective, but he’s the one who wants to be with him. He should respect his trauma-driven boundaries. With time, they may subside, but if you get mad at someone after a mere few months (hell, you’re not even dating!) for not behaving or reacting “normally” and refusing you due to trauma, I can’t take you seriously. Maybe it’s just the perspective of an adult looking at things that teenagers can’t sometimes understand…
At the end of the day, I wish they could have taken their time with exploring Yuugiri’s trauma and his healing journey, or even respecting the fact that it may take more time than just “overwriting memories” with good dick.
Score: 7/10
Extras
As you read through more and more of the main content, you’ll eventually start unlocking extra ones! The extras are just what they sound like: bonus content. They are very short to read through, but don’t be deceived! There is so much content, you have NO idea.
The Extras are divided into two types: the Elective Classes and the Extracurricular Activities. The Elective Classes are a compilation of more or less 11 short scenarios with each couple, while the Extracurricular Activities are much more extensive—to be exact, around 50 different activities, each one usually containing at least three scenarios for each couple present.
Art and Music
The visuals are definitely one of this VN’s strengths. The sprite work was absolutely impeccable (though I did find weird how some characters had such different looks, to the point of seeming a different art style altogether) and the CGs left me blushing from all the intimacy and expressions displayed.
However, I did find the backgrounds disappointing—given how beautiful everything else is. The awful 3D rendering is painful to look at, and it’s something that could have perhaps been fixed with maybe some layering or filters.
The soundtrack is pretty decent. It fits the mood, though the beginning is a bit too sudden and it makes the looping aspect very awkward. Overall, I really enjoyed these tracks.
Adult Content
For something that originated as a mobile game, this sure packs a lot of spice. I can only wonder if they had to cut anything due to Steam’s guidelines or if everything is as it was in the mobile release.
Even though the H-scene themselves are very hot to look at, they are still not completely explicit. The art manages not to overshadow the writing, making it stand out even more instead. I think that while we usually think of the visuals when talking about H-scenes, it’s incredible how well-done Blood Domination‘s writing for the scenes was: I am someone who tends to skip H-content due to lack of interest and these scenes—due to the way the writing showed the inner feelings of the pairs—managed to grab my attention and even keep me on my toes, heart thumping loudly.
If there’s something that did weird me out at first (and kept me laughing afterwards, it) was the Ken doll anatomy. I understand the need to keep it “safe” but if you have to show sprites for these scenes, just have them be in boxers or don’t show the sprites at all. This middle ground is just… off-putting. Unless all Blood Domination pairs are trans men pre-surgery, that is. Hey, now I can relate!
Grievances
For a game that revolves its marketing around being gay, kinky, and all-things vampire, it’s lacking in its vampiristic appeal. Aside from some blood (fore)play, being a vampire doesn’t really influence anything in the story. They can all walk under the sun, can apparently coexist with humans and can even survive from normal human food, like vegetables and animals. These things are even mentioned in some routes, making me think that if they wanted to work with a vampiresque setting, they might as well have gone all-in.
Speaking of vampires, I also wish they could have expanded on this world of vampires, and how it coexists with the world of humans—if it does at all. It would have been wonderful to see how each society grew and changed, and even have relationships between humans and vampires—be it romantic or platonic.
Another thing that bothered me a bit was the lack of voice acting. I ended up getting used to it, but at least the H-scenes did deserve some good VA. That way, I honestly think they would have been perfect. On the other hand, the lack of voices makes you fully concentrate on what you are reading.
And finally: it’s not exactly a grievance, but since a lot of the issues and drama revolving these couples come from either being nobility and being forced to marry for lineage, I wonder how the “female” aspect comes into play. Some of my questions were answered after finishing all routes: “Are there any female vampires around, either in their world or just in this academy?”, “Do female vampires also follow the D/s dynamic?”
However, I do wish I could have seen more diversity in the cast. I know what kind of work I am reading, but I think having secondary female characters would only make the world stronger in its structure. One question that kept plaguing my mind was, “Do these noble couples also have children purely for political reasons? Does this count as cheating?” I would love to know, honestly. It’s good that there are also straight couples in this universe, otherwise I don’t know how the species would survive (without mpreg, that is) very long.
Speaking of female characters, I would love to see a similar scenario with straight and lesbian couples. If you have any recommendations for me, tell me in the comments!
Verdict
Blood Domination is a story about desire, fate, and embracing who we truly are. With no shame for its risqué scenes, it fully jumps into the dramas of each couple and gives you a new perspective on your own life. With beautiful writing and steamy CGs, you will have a great time following these 5 couples through their months of change and discovery.
Story (Routes): 8
Characters: 9
Art: 8
Music: 8
Total: 8/10
Personal Rating: 8.5/10
If you’re interested in trying out the game for yourself, you can buy it on Steam!
If you enjoy our work, please follow us on Twitter for more visual novel content and join the community in our forums and discord server: we’re pretty active there!
In addition, you can also support us on Patreon or by buying us a Ko-fi.
