Just recently finished Anja's Normal and Good ends! I'm with jwl-I need the epilogues! I absolutely loved Anja, which surprised me greatly. I got his Normal end at first, but after skipping through and changing a couple things, I received his Good end with no problem at all. I'm pretty sure I was close to getting it my first go around, actually. I think my issue was that I was prioritizing Mizari's healing abilities and professionalism. I left the castle for the battle (which no doubt lost me Anja points) and told Anja to help with the clinic right away rather than teasing him. I saw that you were having troubles leading players to his Good end, and just wanted to give my two cents on why that may be.
Onto the characters and story! Anja's route pretty obviously endeared him to me, but it also endeared me more to Mimi. He was more my first pick, and seeing the antics he got up to helped satiate me, hahaha. I'm very interested in him and the couple hints to his more ruthless side. The King I'm still fairly neutral on-he comes across as suspicious to me. There are a couple loose story threads I noticed in Anja's route that lead me to give the King the side-eye. Never did get an answer as to what happened to the other healers....him yelling at Issen when Issen mentioned a bride was also a bit strange. I am waiting to see what other skeletons are in his closet, essentially.
As these uncertainties and implications appeared, Anja's honesty shined like a beacon. It could be cruel, rough, and aggressive-but if you ask him directly, Anja would never soften or lie. Again, as a player currently side-eyeing the King, I at this particular moment in the story, appreciate Anja's shameless, unvarnished darkness. Not many people would be so upfront about how one of the ways they de-stress is...that, and...I suppose, on some level, I find that admirable. It's clear why only someone like Mizari could get close to his heart. I enjoyed watching him be proven wrong and softened by Mizari, and how he effectively toughed her up and gave her strength in return. They balance each other out well, and make a truly deadly combination. His, uh, "scenes" were hot too, so hats off to whoever wrote them. Truly had me red in the face and internally screaming.
There's one scene in particular that stuck out in my mind. Before Mizari wakes up from her two day nap, towards the end. Was it a slight meta commentary? Perhaps I am connecting two unrelated dots, but it felt like a reply to those who dismiss Mizari's character from the initial archetype she presents. Flowed into the story at well, as a lot of other characters say similar things about her, but I was just wondering if that extra layer was indeed there.
Ah, another thing about Anja's route I enjoyed, is that I felt equally rewarded for both the Normal and Good ends. I never felt "wrong" per se when I chose an answer that might not be Anja's preference. Sure, it might lead me to the Normal end, but the Normal end is pretty dang satisfying. I was given, to a certain extent, the ability to freely push and change the dynamics of Mizari's and Anja's relationship. For my Normal end route, Anja's and Mizari's relationship was somewhat bumpy. They had three "separations"-the first, Mizari hiding in the torture room and the fallout from that, the second her blowing up at him, and the third, her leaving on the military campaign. After each separation, they got closer. Perhaps it isn't the "ideal", but these added obstacles made each reunion more satisfying.
Hm, I know when I started there was one thing I disliked, but the more I wrote the more I forgot what it was, lol. It was minor, so no big deal. Maybe I'll remember later.
Thank you for this wonderful game! I can't wait for the other routes to release, Mimi's especially. If there's a KS for a fandisc/epilogues, I'll definitely support it.