The Most Forbidden Love In The World is a game recently made available on MangaGamer. Featuring the protagonist Mr. Laid-Off, sorry, Osamu, the game’s premise is that Osamu has lost his job, and his home, and finds himself at an archaic boarding house trying to pick up the pieces of his broken life. He finds himself there because a woman, Honoka, showed him some kindness, and he plans to propose to her. Suffice to say nothing goes to plan, and Osamu instead finds himself living at the boarding house, run by Mitoko, the daughter of his perceived emotional savior.
There are four heroines to this story. The office lady, and open young woman Kaya. The ojou-sama real-estate princess Himeo. The caring teacher Asami. Then there’s Mitoko, the young landlord without whom Osamu would have found himself on the street. Each of their storylines involves Osamu, a reliable failure that he is, trying his best to help these women with their problems, and finding a comfortable place in their lives, although Kaya, in particular, reverses that narrative quite a bit.
The story of The Most Forbidden Love In The World is the focus of this game, and each heroine is forbidden in some way. Not surprising, considering the word being translated into “Forbidden” is “NG“, meaning “not good“, a loan-word the Japanese have adopted. “Not good” isn’t used for just any situation though. Oh no. It’s explicitly used for things that are forbidden, taboo, or otherwise frowned on by society.
So how do the heroines tie into the title? Minor spoilers ahead.
Well, Kaya is a young woman, just entering the workplace, but the problem is that she doesn’t act like a reserved lady. No, Kaya is explicit with her language, is a heavy drinker, and likes to wear a shirt with a single button done up, and panties, and nothing else (in her home). Since she ends up living at the same boarding house with Osamu, all those unladylike behaviors come up quite a bit. It’s her behavior that is NG, not any relationship Osamu might pursue with her.
Himeo is the heir to a real-estate conglomerate known for cut-throat business practices. Her taboo nature is probably the second largest spoiler, but her social status is clearly much higher than Osamu’s, and that plays a large part in it.
Asami is a schoolteacher. She is Mitoko’s teacher. She’s also Osamu’s ex-wife. So a relationship with her is “not good” for a few reasons. Pursuing her means pursuing a divorced woman, and an ex, all at once.
Finally, there’s Mitoko. Mitoko is Osamu’s landlord. She’s also the daughter of the woman who Osamu was going to propose to. If that wasn’t enough, she’s in her last year at school, and Osamu’s approaching the dreaded ’30’, which got emphasized enough that I have a new appreciation for how the Japanese see age.
This game revolves around its story and themes. Society is the star. Where one belongs in society, what society expects of someone, and how society’s desires conflict with human pursuits, are all given their share of focus. Osamu finds himself rudderless without a job or a place he knows he belongs. Mitoko has to hide the fact that her mother has run off somewhere, leaving her to manage a boarding house. She’s afraid society will take her away from the only family she has left, her own little micro-society. Kaya’s behavior doesn’t fit society’s norms, but she resists changing even when people look down on her. Himeo has to navigate her personal feelings, and inexperience, with the great social pressure she faces as a wealthy woman who has never had to work a day in her life. Asami is divorced in Japanese society, hiding that part of herself from her workplace, and peers, while working twice as hard to prove herself because she entered the workplace late.
Though it came out in 2007, and I’m sure Japanese society has changed, there’s a lot of insight into their culture in this game. Some of the social expectations will be familiar from anime or other games. Some are ones common to my society. There is a lot of nuance here though, and a deep dive into social norms that may sometimes be glossed over in other media. I recommend The Most Forbidden Love In The World just because it is a culturally based, emotional story.
The game has good music and talented voice work, especially the actress playing Mitoko, and her mother (though she’s not in most of the game). The art is detailed and uses color and lighting well. There aren’t that many scenes in the game, but the quality of all the art makes up for it. Each heroine gets roughly four scenes, with multiple art stills, and quite a few are animated.
The Most Forbidden Love In The World is a lengthy, enjoyable, story experience that happens to have erotic scenes. It explores social issues, and it highlights the benefits of hard work and never giving up. It also gets dark at times, examining the human need to be useful, to love and be loved, and the consequences when those needs conflict with society’s preferences or another human’s wishes. There is humor, and there is despair. As long as the basic premise of the game isn’t off-putting, it’s a game I recommend wholeheartedly.
