Cupid Parasite is one of the darling games in the otome community, and for a good reason. I must admit, I had the weirdest first impressions of all the love interests…like, they were kinda wacky? But now I am simping for every single one of them. 
Cupid Parasite has now become one of my all-time favourites, and I’ll do my best to explain why here.
Disclaimer: the route overview section contains minor spoilers.
Contents
Basic information
Dev/pub: Idea Factory (Otomate) x Idea Factory International
Director: Tatematsu Fumiyoshi [other work – Jakou no Lyla, Winter’s Wish: Spirits of Edo]
Scenario writer: Yoshimura Ririka [other work – Jakou no Lyla, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! ~Pirates that Stir the Waters~, Shiro to Kuro no Alice, Ken ga Kimi, Glass Heart Princess]
Illustrator: Yuuya [other work – 9 R.I.P., Café Enchanté, Jakou no Lyla, Bara ni Kakusareshi Verite, Hanayaka Nari, Pub Encounter]
Console: Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite
Genre: Comedy, Slice-of-life, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
Japanese: キューピット • パラサイト
Visit the official website here.
Buy Cupid Parasite:
Synopsis and setting
Lynette is a top bridal advisor at Cupid Corporation, Los York’s most famous matchmaking agency. However, her true identity is Cupid – the goddess of love from Celestia! Over the years, she has built a life (and career) on earth on a sole mission – to prove to her father, Mars the God of War, that humans are self-sufficient and can find love without Cupid’s intervention.
One day, the boss of Cupid Corp asked Lynette to matchmake 5 eccentric individuals, known as the Parasite 5, offering her a promotion if she sees the task to completion. Yet, leading these hopeless men to marital bliss proves to be a Herculean task even for the great Cupid herself! Can she live up to her name and keep her identity a secret at the same time?!
Many of the game elements are heavily inspired by American entertainment culture. The non-human characters are based on various mythological deities and supernatural creatures. Depending on the route, you will have the chance to romance either human or non-human love interests!
✤ Trigger warning.
This game contains sensitive and mature themes, including sexualised imagery, implied sexual scenes, murder, kidnapping, and obsessive behaviours (borderline stalking).
Main characters
Lynette Mirror (Cupid)
✤ Voice actor: Not voiced.
✤ Cupid Corporation’s top brial advisor, but is actually Cupid, the goddess of love!
✤ A workaholic. Though she matchmakes people for a living, she has no experience with love herself.
Ryuki F. Keisaiin (aka Glamour Parasite)
✤ Voice actor: Enoki Junya.
✤ Same voice actor as Zafora (Radiant Tale), Hänsel (OZMAFIA!!), Chisato (Collar x Malice ~Unlimited~), and Mihaya (Paradigm Paradox).
✤ 19 years old. Grandson of a famous designer. Tsundere, has synesthesia where he associates people with colour codes.
Shelby Snail (aka Prestige Parasite)
✤ Voice actor: KENN.
✤ Same voice actor as Limbo (Bustafellows), Nori (SympathyKiss), Fuuto (Brothers Conflict), Kei (Ken ga Kimi), Kintarou (Yunohana Spring!), Orpheus (Reine des Fleurs), and many others!
✤ 32 years old. CEO of Cupid Corporation, strives to achieve SS rank in all facets of his life. Single pringle but pretends to have a wife!
Gill Lovecraft (aka Lovelorn Parasite)
✤ Voice actor: Kimura Ryohei.
✤ Same voice actor as Nicola (Piofiore), Yamato (UtaPri), Kou (Diabolik Lovers), Shiraishi (Collar x Malice), Ruu (Majestic☆Majolical), Shougo (Nil Admirari no Tenbin), Camil (KLAP!!), Minette (Shiro to Kuro no Alice), Takahira (Yunohana Spring!), Rei (Zettai Kaikyuu Gakuen), and many others!
✤ 24 years old. A freelance editor and Lynette’s old roommate. Still lovestruck with Lynette and has a difficult time finding new love.
Raul Aconite (aka Obsessed Parasite)
✤ Voice actor: Yashiro Taku.
✤ Same voice actor as Adolphe (Shuuen no Virche), Amir (Money Parasite), Goemon (Tengoku Struggle) and Tweedle Dee (Shiro to Kuro no Alice).
✤ 21 years old. A famous movie actor, obsessed with Greek mythology (like, obsessed).
Allan Melville (aka Thieving Parasite)
✤ Voice actor: Furukawa Makoto.
✤ Same voice actor as Yoritomo 😍 (Birushana), Dazai (Charade Maniacs), Adage (Steam Prison), Crius (even if TEMPEST), Kazuma (Lover Pretend), Jack (Tengoku Struggle) and Jothephy (TsuiTsui).
✤ 28 years old (sus). Works in a pillow store. A flirt, will steal your lover! His background is a little elusive.
Side characters
Peter Flage
✤ Voice actor: Okamoto Nobuhiko.
✤ Same voice actor as Radie (Radiant Tale), Yang (Piofiore), Taiga (Variable Barricade), Takumi (Charade Maniacs), Kanade (KLAP!!), Akira (Nil Admirari no Tenbin), Hiroya (Period Cube), Chouhi (Juuzaengi), Hikaru (Brothers Conflict), and many more!
✤ Assistant Director of the show Parasite House, but seems unfamiliar with doing even simple tasks…?
Claris Tia
✤ Voice actor: Hanamuya Sayaka.
✤ Lynette’s roommate and best friend since college.
✤ Promiscuous and bold!
Mars
✤ Voice actor: Mikami Satoshi.
✤ God of War, also Lynette’s dad!
✤ Boorish and loud. A doting father, always gets in a fight with Lynette.
Minerva
✤ Voice actor: Soumi Youko.
✤ Goddess of Wisdom, Lynette’s aunt.
✤ Fascinated by the human world & helped Lynette travel there!
Owen Herriot
✤ Voice actor: Kanbara Daichi.
✤ Shelby’s secretary.
✤ Serves as Shelby’s proxy during Cupid Corp’s matchmaking (as Monsieur Esse).
Catherine Spade
✤ Voice actor: Hino Yurika.
✤ Bubbly woman, recent member of Cupid Corp.
✤ Loves Lynette and insists she becomes her personal bridal advisor. Her identity is a little sus.
Route overview
Ryuki
“I felt like she was underestimating me just because I was young.”
✤ Tsundere baby with granny issues.
✤ Will keep you hydrated. 
Ryuki is a young and talented clothing designer. His grandma is a world-famous designer and runs the brand KeiSai:In. He has a slight oresama attitude and loves spritzing people in the face with face mists if he finds them looking dehydrated. 
His synesthesia is an interesting trait – he can instantly come up with hexadecimal colour code which he associates with a person. Of course, murky colour belongs to those he thinks is ugly.
Despite realising he has all it takes to become a great designer, Ryuki always feels shadowed by his grandma’s literal empire that is KeiSai:In. He then started living on his own, and created his own clothing brand called rYUKI. He joined Cupid Corp because his sister convinced him that learning about love will make him a better designer. BUT. His straight up rudeness makes it difficult for women to want to stick by. Lynette, however, quickly learns how to handle this wild pup. Their story was especially cute because it involves two innocent individuals who are absolutely clueless about love!
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Ryuki was my biggest surprise in Cupid Parasite. His route was really soft and heartwarming! Personally, I am not into the younger lover trope, but Ryuki was so loving, passionate and hardworking – he just stole my heart. 
His struggles with imposter syndrome and perfectionism was TOO REAL. Once Ryuki realised his feelings for Lynette, he softened up a lot and was really passionate about her!! The surprise kiss scene was a personal highlight as it made me squeal like a 5 year-old (and I’m 5x that age, LOL). I must admit, I was a little disappointed at how mild his route was in terms of steaminess. I get that he is young, but I really hope they don’t rob this from him in the FD like they did to Orlok in Piofiore’s sequel. 
Ryuki’s route rating: 9/10
Shelby
“I’m afraid of being forsaken by people.”
✤ Live, laugh, love, SS ranks for life.
✤ Multi-trope route!
As the Prestige Parasite, Shelby is obsessed with keeping a flawless front. So obsessed that he pretends to have a wife as it reflects stability, loyalty and support. But then comes the time where people starts questioning whether he actually has a wife, and off he goes to find a lady. Shelby then decides to register himself under Cupid Corp under the disguise “Monsieur Esse” and have his secretary, Owen, attend all the dates as his proxy. Talk about ridiculous…or genius, I really don’t know. 
Shelby is one of those uptight characters who schedules every minute of his life. His route really showed how big of a workaholic he was…and I was genuinely concerned for his health. Anyway, Shelby was in a real pinch and ended up asking Lynette to be his stand-in wife. When that happened, I was SUPER hyped and just knew I would enjoy his route.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Other tropes were cohabitating and pretending to be lovers – now these, I can eat for breakfast and dinner. His past really speaks to the whole “your childhood shapes your adulthood” thing. It is in fact, a very real psychological phenomenon. Also, I just want to say that window shadow scene will forever live in my head RENT FREE. I literally stood up out of excitement as I watched the whole thing unfold. Top-tier otome stuff!! Overall, it was a dramatic love story between two workaholics who found meaning in love and companionship. I loved it!Shelby’s route rating: 9/10
Gill
“Now I can protect her for the rest of my life.”
✤ Aspiring writer 
✤ Hopeless romantic!
Gill was a jobless, hopeless romantic and an aspiring writer. He joined Cupid Corp because he was trying to move on from someone that he has been in love with for the longest time. Well, who else would it be other than Lynette herself! The whole saga was actually hilarious. Gill of course immediately recognised Lynette, but Lynette completely forgot about him. Lynette also never, for one second, realised that all the amazing things Gill said about the woman he couldn’t move on from was about her (poor Gill). Talk about oblivious.
A good chunk of Gill’s route were stories from the past, including how he met Lynette and became her housemate, their daily life and a few memorable events during their times in college. Many were also told from his point of view, which made it interesting imo. Another key storyline was about his past and his relationship with his family. To me, this part of the story explained how he ended up the way he was, and made me more inclined to tolerate his lowkey concerning behaviours.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Initially, I did find Gill a little….much. I mean, in the Japanese game, he is actually called “Obsessive Parasite”, which suits him better imo. But like Gill, I am also a person who gives 1000% when in love, so I get where he was coming from. Love language-wise, he is definitely an “acts of service” person – and same here. That’s how I know he’s my people. Not to get too personal, but I think watching him gave his all for Lynette just reminded me of all the stupid things I did for love when I was young, and that made me a little frustrated (at myself). *facepalm* Gill really did man up and changed for the better though, like, he really got his sh*t together! I would argue he had the biggest character development of all the parasites. His past was kind of bittersweet and while I couldn’t relate to his circumstances, I could empathise with his feelings. Overall, his route was a good read despite the personal hiccups.
Gill’s route rating: 8/10
Raul
“I now know the name of this feeling inside my racing heart.”
✤ Loves being naked (probably).
✤ Himbo x10.
Sex, money, feelings die. 
Yep, that about sums it up. Raul is an action movie superstar and a Greek mythology otaku. His knowledge and passion for Greek mythology is one I truly admire…he is even involved in a mythology debate club. How does a famous actor have all that damn time?! Raul is also very comfortable in showing his body – honestly, this man is lowkey shameless (LOL). Despite this facade, he surprisingly lives the “stereotypical” lifestyle of an actor (?). I’m talking parties, one night stands and all that jazz.
Raul was told by his manager to join Cupid Corp and learn about love so he can apply it to his acting. But god forbid this man actually learns anything, because he just keeps rapping about those mythological gods. He would turn on that fanboy gear literally at every opportunity. Because he lives that “free” single man lifestyle, he also doesn’t see any benefit in being serious with anyone. And so, his route was all about learning what it means to love and care for someone. It was pretty sweet tbh.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I was actually really frustrated by his endless mythology rants in the common route and came into his route thinking I was probably going to find him annoying. He totally proved me wrong because his route was actually really good! It was saucy, funny and hella dramatic. While still the old wacky Raul, he did become really mature, and the dorky part eventually becomes charming to me (he did tone it down a lot, thank god). 
The way he changed to not take love and intimacy for granted was really satisfying. And hey, maybe I just suck at predicting plot, but I really did not see the plot twist in his route coming at all! Raul’s route also started and ended with HORNY. 
All in all I had a good time, and I can’t wait for more juicy moments with Raul in the FD.
Raul’s route rating: 8.5/10
Allan
“We’ve met somewhere before, haven’t we?”
✤ Pillow expert.
✤ Will make your dream come true 
Allan works at a bedding store called Pillow Luxuria. The store is actually very famous and is attended by celebrities and famous figures…because they are known to make people’s dreams a reality. 
He is very flirty and is notoriously known for stealing other people’s lovers. Because his behaviours has led many couples to separate, he naturally became a part of the problematic Parasite 5. Although he declared that he had no interest in women who are not already taken, he did show an interest in Lynette.
Later it was revealed that Allan is actually an incubus in disguise. But his reason for joining Cupid Corp remained unclear, and he seemed to have his own agenda. He was just such an elusive and mysterious character that I was really looking forward to his route the most. Well, he became my favourite, and he is a lot of people’s favourites – for a good reason imo!
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I had a hard time moving on from Allan’s route. So hard to the point where I had to replay the secret route because my mind just kept replaying Allan’s scenes! His story was seriously bad for my heart – it gave me this aching feeling that’s really hard to describe. One of my favourite romance tropes is the “we meet during childhood and rejoins during adulthood” trope. His route had this element, but on a whole new level and more. It was about longing. It was about soulmates. It was about sacrifice. F*CK. I am tearing up as I am writing this. If you haven’t played Cupid Parasite, I PROMISE YOU WILL LOVE THIS MAN!! Also, that bad end CG was the good end and you can’t tell me otherwise. I miss him so much and seriously can’t wait to meet him again in the FD. Furukawa Makoto killed it YET AGAIN, he had the perfect voice for Allan. Truly a god-tier voice actor.
Allan’s route rating: 9999/10
Secret route 
“D-doesn’t it disappoint you to see me like this?”
✤ Precious cinnamon roll.
✤ RIDICULOUSLY hot.
Even though I have disclaimed that the route overview section will contain minor spoilers, I still feel reluctant about adding a story overview here. It’s really worth playing into it knowing as little as possible for maximum enjoyment, even if you know who he is. Once I played through the common route I already had a pretty good idea, but the route was still filled with lots of good surprises!
OVERALL THOUGHTS
The whole time I binged CupiPara, I kept guessing who the secret route was going to be….and when I finally got there, it felt like I knew and didn’t know at the same time!?! That third identity really knocked my socks off – my dumbass really didn’t expect that (being gullible is a blessing I guess). The personality of this LI also really surprised me, in a good way. My Indonesian mum would describe these types of men as “outside like security, inside like hello kitty” LMFAO Also, holy sh*t he is hot as hell. This route was both really cute and really sexy, with some angst as well. Freakin’ loved it!
Secret route rating: 12/10
Route order
For CupiPara, I followed OtomeKitten’s soft recommended route order, which was:
Ryuki ➸ Shelby ➸ Gill ➸ Raul ➸ Allan ➸ Secret
I think this is a fantastic order if you like to play routes with the least to most spoilers!
Raul’s and Allan’s routes are unlocked only after you complete either Ryuki’s, Shelby’s or Gill’s. A number of choices will only appear after your first playthrough and after completing either Raul’s or Allan’s route.
Below are my personal, final rankings in terms of route and character enjoyment!
Vira’s main route ranking:
- Allan
- Secret
- Shelby
- Ryuki
- Raul
- Gill
Lynette
“After experiencing heartbreak, I decided to only live for work.”
✤ Optimistic, driven and a workaholic.
✤ Easily one of the best otome MCs!
Lynette was on a mission to shove her middle finger up her dad’s face and prove herself worthy as a lesser god. She is naive yet open minded, highly goal-oriented, driven, and very passionate about her job (both divine job and office job, lol). Love is what drives her to do her job well – but only if it’s for other people. When it comes to falling in love herself, she is absolutely clueless. She has so much trust in humanity, probably more than I ever will.
I especially liked Lynette’s attitude towards love and intimacy. Although she was unfamiliar with these things, she was really open to experiencing them in full, and embraced all the good and bad. According to the MBTI Personality Database, she’s likely an ENFJ. “Thoughtful and idealistic, these personality types strive to have a positive impact on other people and the world around them.” (Source: 16 personalities). Pretty damn accurate if you ask me. She definitely sits up there among my favourite otome protagonists!
Game features & experience
Notable features
✤ Protagonist name change
Make sure to leave the name on default if you want to hear the parasites call out Lynette’s name!
✤ Love test & love catch system
CupiPara’s love match test
In the common route, you will be prompted to do a love test with five possible outcomes: Eros (Ryuki’s love type), Pragma (Shelby’s), Agape (Gill’s), Ludus (Raul’s), Mania (Allan’s) and Storge (Secret LI’s). For the best ending, your love match type needs to be the same as the corresponding love interest’s.
Brief definitions of each love type:
- Eros – outer beauty love
- Pragma – goal-oriented love
- Agape – dedication love
- Ludus – casual love
- Mania – intense love
- Storge – slow-developing, friendship based love
I think it’s just that sense of security that I have made the correct choice! The love catch feature is turned on by default and you can turn it off in the Options menu. ✤ Flowchart and skip-to-next-choice function
Cupid Parasite also has a flowchart system. I personally didn’t use it much, but it is great if you want to quickly load up a section from the route or just see where you are at in terms of route progress.
CupiPara’s skip jump function
The function which I really appreciated was the skip-to-next-choice function. The game was kinda long and had a lot of choices, so this function really helped save some time especially if you are a completionist like me and wants to read all the different endings.
Art and graphics
The character design for Cupid Parasite was done by Yuuya, one of my favourite illustrators. She was also the illustrator for Jakou no Lyla, Café Enchanté, Tengai ni Mau and Hanayaka Nari, Waga Ichizoku. I think the focal point in Yuuya’s character design is the chunky eyelashes! She also loves to put accessories around the neck and chest (Allan and secret LI are the prime examples in this game). She is also in charge of the character design for one of Otomate’s upcoming titles, 9 R.I.P., and the special illustration preview in B’sLOG (2023年3月号) had me feral! I just love her work so much.
CupiPara’s vibrant, pop art styled background.
If I had anything to complain about this game, it’s probably the graphics. In general, the UI was fine, and the character chibis that appear in some of the menus are super cute. The background art, however, was just a little tacky for my taste. I totally get the pop art vibe they were going for, and it does suit the fun and wacky premise of the game. But everything within the stills just seemed a little too 2D (aka flat), with lots of bright colours clashing next to each other. I do like the coloured outline in the background art though, it’s actually quite interesting to look at.
Music
To say I love the music in this game is probably an understatement. The OP, ED, and a few songs from the OST were in my 2022 Spotify Wrapped – they are absolutely fantastic! The OP song, 恋はあせらず (Koi wa Aserazu) and the ED song, “magic hour”, are sung by The Biscats. I especially love the ED song – it’s mellow and very heartwarming, and such a perfect song to end every route! The OSTs are all fabulous, but the ones that made it to my 2022 Spotify Wrapped were “Heartbreak Parasite” and “It’s like a Romantic Movie”.
Summary
If you haven’t played this game, I am begging you, please. PLAY IT! YOU NEED IT IN YOUR LIFE! I would still find myself thinking about this game from time-to-time, and whenever I reminisce it, it just brings a smile to my face. It has a great balance between fun and lighthearted plot with the occasional angst, and really steamy & romantic moments. I had a lot of fun playing all the routes, the music is great and the mixture of romancable human and non-human LIs is a plus. If not for the slightly tacky background art, this game is easily a 10/10 for me.
Cupid Parasite is one of those games that I wish I can wipe clean from my memory just so I can re-experience it all over again. I loved it THAT MUCH, and will definitely do a replay in the future. It’s the kind of game that just makes you…happy. It’s a bop, a classic, and I would recommend this game to anyone in a heartbeat!
+
- Funny and heartwarming
- Nice mix of modern elements and mythological fantasy
- Great routes and interesting characters
- Saucy romantic moments
- Amazing soundtrack
- JUST PLAY IT!
–
- Slightly tacky background art
