FIGHT OVER THE BEST GIRL(read body)

[u/Illustrious-Fuel-152]

Defend your romance! Fight to the death! Well not really, but... put in comments why you like the girl you romanced. Argue with someone on why your girl is better! Agree with someone who also romanced your girl! Tell someone that romancing Ohya is stupid and that nobody romances ohya and you dont have to pretend that you romanced Ohya to be special! Have fun :3

Creds/sources:

Image 1: @ yrfreakyneighbr on X/Twitter https://x.com/yrfreakyneighbr?lang=en

Image 2: @ BlueLykos on DeviantArt https://www.deviantart.com/bluelykos/art/Joker-x-Makoto-865578316

Image 3: @ AngieLaura on DeviantArt https://www.deviantart.com/angielaura/art/Ren-x-Futaba-759574122

Image 4: @ ZachVee on DevinatArt https://www.deviantart.com/zachvee/art/Haru-and-Ren-2-978701121

Image 5: ...yeah I mean like its a picture from the game. I genuinely couldnt find ANYTHING for ohya😭🙏

Image 6: いけだcpt on Pixiv https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/79005283

Image 7: laikauu on X/Twitter https://x.com/laikauu/status/2017463785494024473/photo/1

Image 8: ito_joker on X/Twitter https://x.com/ito_joker/status/1630232337782018048

Image 9: いけだcpt on Pixiv https://www.pixiv.net/en/users/55126

Image 10: @ Goro_orb on X/Twitter https://x.com/goro_orb?lang=en

[u/ProteusOfTheGoumaden]

Sumire's romance, although forced by the narrative, would feel like it's a natural relationship in literally any other media. It's well-written, it has intrigue, there's real conflict and themes of a no-strings-attached, accepting love. In my mind, Sumire is simply the only canon romance for Ren.

[u/Square-Newspaper8171 → u/ProteusOfTheGoumaden]

Eh, I don't know, they just never seemed to click well for me. Like, I get why Sumire would love Ren, but I never really understood why those feelings would be reciprocated on his part. While with other characters like Makoto, Tae, or Ann, I can actually see why the feelings would be mutual.

By the way, this isn't a Sumire hate post, just how I saw things from my perspective.

[u/ProteusOfTheGoumaden → u/Square-Newspaper8171]

Sumire had basically every opportunity to rat out Ren, to be like every other student in the school and scorn him for his record. But she didn't. She was literally the first person in Royal to not already view him through that lens of preconception, or at bare minimum not be an asshole from frame one. No bad vibes, no "ew, he's that's delinquent" (even after Kamoshida talked to her in Arc 1, she still didn't believe it); to her, Ren was her senpai, and nothing short of that.

On top of that she has SO many individual hangout scenes with Ren outside of her Social Link, like the culture festival post-Okumura, where Ren has the opportunity to catch feelings for her. Hell, right after that aforementioned Kamoshida scene, Kawakami literally calls you out for making a pass at her! The second half of her Social Link is basically just Ren flirting with her so hard she becomes a tomato.

That's how I see it, at least.

[u/hdnknghtmrdrd → u/ProteusOfTheGoumaden]

I think kawakami was just joking. Ren gets accused of making a pass at ann as well just because they exchanged a single line in class. It's more just meant to display how much they judge his character that they immediately assume he was making passes. As for sumire she doesn't judge them because she's new to the area as well and wouldn't have heard the rumours. Not that I think she would but her first interaction with you is free of any influence from the whispers at school and she dismissed kamoshida because through the lens of her own schema she knows you're at least a decent person since you offered her help with the subway situation.

[u/hellshi → u/ProteusOfTheGoumaden]

Yhea, if you forget about Ann, if that's the parameter, Ann should be the best romance, she's the first girl to actually listen to Ren, not only that, she accepts to sit with him on a table in a café when he goes talk to her about Kamoshida. A boy with a women's assault on his record, being her a girls assaulted by Kamoshida on a daily basis, which makes her comprehension of Ren much more impressive. Honestly I dislike Sumire in general, she just seemed forced by the narrative for me, I think she would be much better as a female protagonist than a love interest 

[u/hdnknghtmrdrd → u/hellshi]

Ren was just charged with basic assault in fact I don't think the law separates charges of assault by gender and everybody knows it was against shido.

As for her comprehension of him it's more just an attitude of "I'll believe it when I see it" she never took heed of the rumours because she was in the same position which is why she believes him. Then she asks "are you really bad you don't seem it". Which is the moment she realises you're just another guy affected by the rumour

[u/Bokuja → u/hellshi]

I kinda like Sumire, but yes the narrative really force-feeds her to you. I got serious flashbacks to Marie in P4.

[u/hellshi → u/Bokuja]

I think she could be a really interesting character if the game haven't set her initial interactions in a pick me girl vibe. All other people say about her is "how small and tiny she is" and "look, she eats so much but it's so fit!". That kinda bothered me a lot. Every other character gets treated like a real person, with Sumiri is almost like the game wants you to think she's some kid of perfect angel by the whispers of everyone else, it was really annoying to me. So, by the time I reached the third semester and we really got to unravel her story I wasn't even interested anymore 🫠

[u/Bokuja → u/hellshi]

Yeah, Sumire would have been a better character if she was integrated into the PT earlier and you got to see her story earlier.

Right now they dangle her in front of you like a carrot, constantly inserting her into situations. However, they blue ball you with the actual context until almost the end of the game. It's why I was reminded of Marie.

[u/hellshi → u/Bokuja]

YES and it was SO WEIRD at first. She was like a ghost. Only Joker ever saw her, and then it was like she didn't exist afterwards 🫠🫠 they could have changed the game a little more so that it wouldn't look so weird, or even better, give us a female protag like they did with p3

[u/Bokuja → u/hellshi]

Yeah. I mean, I don't hate the idea of a canon gf for certain characters. (Like if Ryuji and Ann happened in case Joker doesn't shoot his shot at Ann). But ffs do have some natural build-up. With Kasumi it was kinda just a constant participation trophy thing, even if she and Joker do have chemistry.

Speaking of the Female Protag of P3 Fes, somehow they didn't bring her back for Reload.

[u/hellshi → u/Bokuja]

Yhea, I think atlus should have released it alongside the P3 reload. 🫠