Hump Day Husbandos: Suzu Orimaki (Jack Jeanne)

All Articles Features Headliners Hump Day Husbandos Otome Visual Novels
Lilia Hellal
June 21, 2023
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Jack Jeanne is, at the time of writing, the latest heavy hitter within the localised otome sphere. While we are yet to provide our conclusive thoughts on it, it has left a great first impression as of our only route clearance as of late. But that’s all we have managed for now, since Jack Jeanne is most certainly not an otome to binge-play — so we’re taking our time to get through it.

But since the game also happens to not have any solid route recommended order to follow you probably already knew who we would be starting off with. Suzu Orimaki, who else? Just look at past husbandos of ours.

Who is Suzu Orimaki?

Jack Jeanne follows its heroine Kisa Tachibana, a newly enrolled student of the Univeil Theatre School. To succeed in her first year she will have to meet two conditions: conceal her real gender and aim to get the main roles of its seasonal performances, with the final one preferably being in the bag depending on her prior efforts. It’s going to be a challenging but fun journey, especially with the lovely folks she has surrounding and supporting her every step of the way.

Alongside Kisa as fellow first years of hers are childhood friend Yonaga Soshiro and the outgoing and cheerful Suzu Orimaki – the very first person she happens to meet in the school. He joins Kisa in their Quartz class at the same time and was inspired to enrol in the school from having watched Kisa’s very own brother Tsuki perform. Suzu is driven to become just as exceptional of a Jack Ace as Tsuki is – the title being given to the main male role of a play.

Why we love him

Surprising no-one, Suzu was my go-to for experiencing Jack Jeanne initially, and it’s already a challenge to divert my eyes away from him now that his delightful route has come to a close. This fun-loving, harmless and infectious dork of a guy can do no wrong. He’s quick to befriend everyone around him, never fails to encourage them along by calling out those who he deems as his own rivals who are worth his endless praise still – all whilst making it his mission to keep the atmosphere bright and positive.

It’s a given that Suzu’s energy makes it easy for the spotlight to be on him at all times, making him an easy pick as the lead for any play. While he is still learning the ropes, he always rises up to any challenge given to him – thanks mostly to Neji and his sharp eye, that is. He’s not only quick to make a great first impression upon his initial introduction as being the very first friendly face Kisa meets in the school but his role as the Jack Ace of their first performance as a class further shines a light on his super endearing traits.

While his biggest flaw is how overbearing he can get during the heat of any given moment, his energy and enthusiasm only highlights how motivated and passionate he is about getting the job done. Despite tending to get quite flustered around Kisa – and especially when they grow ever closer to one another, so look out for that blushing sprite of his – his tendency to get agitated with himself only makes him all that more lovable and remarkable for how authentic and hardworking he is.

Why you will love him

Regardless of the obstacles facing him, Suzu pulls through and with it, we get plenty of opportunities to see him and his heart at their most vulnerable. Suzu and his route contains a plethora of beloved tropes a particular kind of romance fan will fall head over heels for. With “kissing practice” being a recurring scenario here (why and how going unspoiled because it’s too delightful to not experience them for yourself), you can bet that Suzu being brave, heroic and protective when it comes to keeping Kisa safe also happens to be more than a single moment.

Let’s not fail to mention how all the fluffy-ness of the route itself reminds me of a beloved little J-drama in the name of Hana-Kimi. His route alone captures all the moves and overall vibe that Hana-Kimi had when it came to its very own side-lined love interest relentlessly fawning over its main character, regardless of their gender. It’s incredibly cute, stupidly entertaining and extremely wholesome, and don’t even get me started on what the CG for his Valentine’s Day scenario did to me. Suzu deserves the world.

Jack Jeanne is exclusive to the Nintendo Switch.

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