Japanese
advertising has a long history of doing things that no other market would,
and Earth Corporation, one of the country's leading insecticide
manufacturers, has just done its bit for the legacy. The company launched Gokigen
Lovely Days, a free, browser-playable dating simulator where the player can
fall in love with four attractive anime-style bug-boys, all voiced by Yuki
Kaji. Yes, the same Yuki Kaji from Eren Yeager in Shingeki no
Kyojin and Shoto Todoroki in Boku no Hero Academia.
The game
works exactly like any otome: players meet the characters, go on dates, spend
quiet nights together, and build a romantic relationship with each of the four
bug-boys, each with their own personality. Kaji recorded four completely
different voices for the project, something he described as a first in his
career, encouraging players to wear headphones to appreciate the difference
between each character.
So far so
normal, within the parameters of controlled absurdity. What comes next is
something else. No matter how well you develop the relationship, at
some point in the game an insecticidal spray appears and the player is
invited to end the romance in the only logical way available. The game includes
a warning at the beginning of disturbing content and recommends that those with
weak hearts avoid playing it. This is not an exaggeration.
The concept
is absurd but the advertising logic is impeccable: you take common household
pests, turn them into attractive characters with a recognizable voice, make the
player fond of them, and then gently remind them that in real life the solution
is the company's spray. Kaji described the project as "exciting in a way
that only a company like Earth Corporation could create," which is a fancy
way of saying that he was paid well for four distinct cockroach voices.
About
Gokigen Lovely Days
Gokigen
Lovely Days is
a free dating simulator available in web browser developed by Earth
Corporation as a promotional tool for its insecticidal products. This
is not the first case of a Japanese company using this format for marketing:
previous examples include titles where the player could romance a monster from
the Ultraman franchise or household cleaning products. What distinguishes this
one in particular is the participation of Yuki Kaji, one of the most recognized
seiyuus in the industry, playing the four available characters. The game is
available in Japanese.
