Jun is initially mentioned in Book 1, and he’s got “cutscenes” in the other books as well. Book 4 is what I kind of consider Jun’s book, because it’s basically all about MC’s relationship with Jun/getting a better look at who Jun is as a character and what drives/motivates him.
A lot of Jun’s scenes in Book 3 are him reeking havoc as he tries to track MC down. He becomes the golden eyed demon or whatever they called him because he knows MC is hunting demons. He’s also mentioned by the MC some in Book 3, but not much because for a good amount of time, MC forgets Jun, courtesy of the kitsune & the traveling party doesn’t bring him up because they think MC is better off having forgotten him .
As a female reader, this has been prevalent since Book 1 personally. SoH has been more akin to Witcher 3 where you play as a character with a set background and personality (though you can still tweak a bit).
I have the same sentiment. Jun is my least favorite character among the main cast. But I understand why Jun/ko is that way but he/she is still not my cup of tea in the end and it give Jumancers their time with their RO.
Dude this is such an amazing story, i love this book so much never forget how amazing you are and about the read the fifth book, youre so awesome man, thank you for this expirence @devonconnel
You know maybe it’s because i’m just getting into this series in 2025 but i’m actually happy Jun/ko is gone. The amount of times i almost quit reading because of the forced love for this abusive maniac was crazy, but i stuck through only for the last lines to say something along the lines of me losing everything that mattered. Like WHAT? I wanted the Toshie romance so bad and to see my MC speaking about Junko like he should be speaking about Toshie made me mad lol. My one gripe with this series is the MC’s stockholm syndrome. I truly have no idea why anyone would want to be with someone like Jun/ko regardless of her past. She’s an actual psycho who only ever treated the Mc like property, it’s disgusting.
People have different tastes, some people like crazy & abusive (in fiction) & others dont🤷♀️. I get why people hate them, but for me I just cant.
Some people who get trapped in abusive relationships do it because its “familiar” & thats why there are people stuck in a cycle of picking abusive partners or going back to the same one even if they know better.
Readers are definitely split when it comes to Junko/Jun! For some readers, I think how MC acted towards them in Book 4 was the first time (or at least the strongest time) they (the reader) felt a real disconnect between themself and our protagonist. We see MC sort of “slip back” or regress into an unhealthy relationship with their ex-lover, and how they handle that is a large part of MC’s growth. Their relationship with Junko/Jun is an important part of who they are, and it’s something that MC would understandably (in my eyes, anyway) struggle with, one way or the other.
SoH is different from the vast majority of choicegames in that it’s written in first person perspective, and instead of “You”, personally, being in the story, you the reader are roleplaying as an existing character with a pre-existing history, in this case a badass but very broken ronin packed with lots of flaws and opportunities for growth. There’s lots of plusses and minuses with this approach to storytelling, and for me personally, those differences make it all the more satisfying to read and write.
I think the real reason for annoyance is that at some point game largely sheds any pretense that you’re given any actual choice in how your MC handles this relationship (and consequently, their character’s supposed growth)
It gets egregious especially near the end, when you have stuff like Jun(ko) departing and when they return very pleased with themselves your MC is automatically all “zomg muh Junnnnn”. I wanted nothing more but the ability to bash their stupid face into the nearest tree for the shit they’ve pulled, until it got through to them just what they’d done, but instead you can’t even rebuke them, and that’s regardless of the initial attitude you select towards them. Not only is this sort of railroading plain frustrating for the player, but alo made it seem like your character isn’t undergoing any growth but quite the opposite, they’re regressing into all-out stupidity.
Book 4 is my favorite precisely because of Jun It was great finally spending time with him, seeing their shared past and seeing Jun evolve as a character. The ending had me in tears, it was the most emotional moment of the series for me. That, and when Jun comes back with the little girl. Those two moments had my heart in a vice-grip. Can’t wait for the reunion!
Don’t get me wrong, i love your writing, It feels very different from other books on COG especially since the choices you make with your MC often feel more like a suggestion other than an outright choice with the outcome you expect. For me personally i just had to come vent my frustrations lol I had just finished book 4 and was kind of in pain for my MC:Shin. I just wanted him to realize he had a family of people who actually cared about him and they’ve been trying to prove it this whole time, Jun/ko only wanted what was best for Jun/ko. Especially Toshie <3 lol. I can’t wait to read book 5 and see what shenanigans await my MC there.
It was great finally spending time with him, seeing their shared past and seeing Jun evolve as a character. The ending had me in tears, it was the most emotional moment of the series for me. That, and when Jun comes back with the little girl. Those two moments had my heart in a vice-grip. Can’t wait for the reunion!