Despite the fact that I am ostensibly not the target demographic for otome games, I’ve always found a special place in my heart for them. Perhaps it’s on account of my having been indoctrinated into the niche cult of folks who like Japanese games with their absurdity turned up to 11, or maybe it’s the fact that I got into journalism in the first place because I find other people?s interests and passions ? no matter how bizarre, to include the aforementioned genre of games ? absolutely fascinating. I find it a somewhat happy coincidence, then, that after reviewing such gems as Norn9: Var Commons, Code: Realize ~Guardian of Rebirth~ and Amnesia: Memories for PSLS back before my departure in 2016, the second game waiting for me upon my return is the next game in Idea Factory?s Otomate line: Collar x Malice. What sets this particular visual novel apart from the pack is most certainly its premise, which is probably the most compelling of any I?ve reviewed. The gist of it is this: after a terrorist organization named Adonis has orchestrated a number of killings in the Shinjuku ward of Tokyo, including one that involves the broadcasted murders of police (and actually incorporates giant plush animal costume heads), the state quarantines the ward, drops the country?s famous anti-gun law and gives each of its citizens a firearm. This, naturally, creates a tense and volatile environment: the cops haven?t got a single lead on the true motives, whereabouts or identiti...