Trapped in a Dating Sim is a brand new isekai anime title of the Spring 2022 anime season, joining the ranks of video game-based series such as My Next Life as a Villainess and Overlord. Curiously, Dating Sim's underdog protagonist Leon Bartfort finds himself in, of all things, an otome game setting with some Final Fanasy combat elements thrown in.
The series promises some sci-fi/fantasy action in future episodes, but for now its focus remains on the otome game element, where Leon must navigate a female-dominated world where relationships and personal influence mean everything. All this shows how much some gamers underestimate the hidden dark side of otome games in general.
The Dark Side Of Otome Games In Isekai Anime
It is easy for any gamer in real life or an anime series to appreciate the perks of being a video game hero. The story's events will usually unfold favorably and give them a happily-ever-after, since games are a form of escapism where the player is supposed to win after overcoming fun challenges. However, events are not so fun for the side characters, who might end up getting killed or at least have their plans and personal lives derailed. But the player has no reason to care, as long as they get what they want.
Game-based isekai anime such as My Next Life as a Villainess and Trapped in a Dating Sim change all that by thrusting the hapless hero into an otome game world as a side character -- or even as the cruel villainess instead. This forces the heroes to view the game world in a whole new light, and they have little to no plot armor protecting them.
In fact, Villainess protagonist Katarina Claes had doom flags bearing down on her -- the inverse of plot armor -- and strove to reinvent everyone's social lives to avert her bad ending. Similarly, Dating Sim's Leon was reborn not as the heroine Olivia, but a generic thirdborn son, aka a backgorund character. He has no plot armor or prestige to his name and can see for himself how nasty the events of otome games can be.
Once the otome heroine gets her happily ever after, it's easy to forget the hardships and perils of being a side character, such as a rejected lover or a defeated villainess. Just like My Next Life as a Villainess, Trapped in a Dating Sim shows how ugly and messy an otome game's story can be when events don't conveniently line up for the heroine.
Instead of an idealized romance based on the heroine choosing her lover, Dating Sim depicts a total jungle where young men and women alike compete with every dirty trick they know. Mean girls and desperate boys are everywhere, with bullying, verbal/emotional abuse, manipulation, jealousy, unfriendly rivalries and nasty love triangles being the order of the day.
When everyone is fighting over a lover with their futures at stake, these wild students will stop at nothing and more than a few hearts will be broken. Otome games' characters rapidly become miserable when the convenient framework and plot armor of the main storyline fall apart. Characters like Katarina and Leon find themselves in the middle of it all.
How Trapped in a Dating Sim's Leon Can Fight For Survival
Some isekai anime are a typical power fantasy where the OP hero can use their overwhelming skills, magic or weapons to defeat their foes and get their way. That is not the case for Trapped in a Dating Sim's Leon, who finds himself in the middle of an otome nightmare.
Final Fantasy combat skills only count for so much in this game, and Leon must become a better-rounded hero to succeed and find a happy ending in a sea of mean girls and tangled personal relationships. He will need to sharpen his soft skills to survive this particular combat system where interpersonal relationships and influence are stronger than any mecha suit, though the odds are stacked against him.
As a background "mob" character, Leon faces the worst aspects of an otome game without the benefits of being the heroine -- in this case, Olivia. In fact, Olivia herself seems overwhelmed, and three episodes into the show, she hasn't said or done much to advance her standing at the school. When plot armor and convenient story threads are stripped away, everything becomes an emotionally taxing free-for-all, and it's all Leon can do to survive.
Fortunately he already knows who's who and what's what in this game, which can shore up his weak social standing somewhat and give him an unexpected edge. If he can press that advantage and exploit the rules of this otome jungle, he may thrive after all. Leon must use every last ounce of his wits to beat the mean girls at their own game -- and it should continue to make Trapped in a Dating Sim a good watch.