I feel like this review may come off as overly harsh, hopefully it doesn't, we'll see. I respect making a trans story, and I think it's a good idea to keep away from drama without a much more focused and personal story to tell. It's a story about a woman who comes out as trans and her friends are relatively cool and supportive. But I feel like it's written from an arm's length. There's this refusal to engage with it on a deeper level that makes the story overall very immature and shallow. I'll resist complaining about the name. It's a pet peeve of mine every time a narrative has a trans character just flip the gender on their name to the "other" one, however, I've known people to do that, so I won't complain further. 

That said, Emilia is woefully lacking in further depth, and I think the story is lacking in further consideration. A lot goes into coming out! I mean, personally I think it's bad that Alex gives her a weird ultimatum about coming out to the other two, but I can see that happening, I suppose. But now to explore her new identity she goes shopping and that's it? Surely there must be more to being a woman than just the vapid starter kit go buy a dress and try makeup. It occasionally comes up (different signature, starting hrt) but is always immediately dismissed. She's not satisfied being a man, we get that, but what about being a woman makes her feel seen? Why does it feel right? There's all these opportunities that are never examined. 

I think some of the character dynamics are also really weird as well, specifically between Emilia and Jose. Jose whales on her in tekken while she's still figuring out the controls. Dick move, yes, but I don't know that it warrants her getting that degree of pissed and going to just leave the whole outing right then and there? Same later when they're at the game store, he's trying to buy something nice for her, no a date that was his idea, and she absolutely shreds him for it. Both times this happens it's seen as this failure solely on Jose's part, but I feel like her reactions are just way over the top. We get this set up as Jose thinking he has to Man Up so to speak, as a kind of mirror to Emilia's own thinking that kept her in the closet for as long as she's been, but it falls flat. Maybe if he'd been trying to actually be overly assertive and Masculine in an abnormal and harmful way it would work, but instead he's just trying to do something nice for his friend/date. 

Speaking of, it feels very weird that he's just suddenly into her. I mean it's just looks sparking these sudden feelings? Maybe if it was more clear how often this group hangs out or spends time with each other it would work better, but it's a little vapid that Emilia looks slightly more feminine and now he's spontaneously taken with her. 

Something I was really excited, and the bummed out by, was the psp. Given the timeline it's probably og monster hunter freedom, she's a trooper that game plays like mud. Her character is a woman, and for so, SO many amab trans people, video games, knowingly or not, are one of the very first places they get to experiment with gender. Video Games, at least here in america, and I know this game is filipino, are very much considered more of a "guy" thing, or games that are for women are usually marketed as such. So lots of boys who will grow up to become girls, find a safe place to try out being a woman way in advance through video games. Which is where I thought we were going... until we didn't. 

All my trans related critiques aside, I don't think this game needs two paths. There's nothing to be gained through the "loss" of the other. To be completely honest, neither of the experiences seem to take too terribly long, so it feels like you could just stack them together. Alex and Emilia go shopping to give Jose time to prepare. After we get the dress, Alex absconds with our other buck friend, and we get to go on the date with Jose to the game store and celebrity food shop. 

I don't want to come off like I didn't enjoy the game, and I don't think it's bad. I just think that when you tackle something deeply intimate like this, where no two experiences are the same, you need to be prepared to really get into the trenches with your characters, and explore and understand their motivations and their relationship to the world and the society around them.