オトメイト ラボラトリー Labo+ Vol.3 Review

Well~ This is the first time I'm gonna do a quick review on otome art books that I've purchased.
I didn't bother doing any scanning because I'm not gonna risk spoiling the book and its spine, so I opted to take photos instead (trust me, magazines are so much more flexible than books can ever be ¬∆¬). And it's gonna be this way for the other art books I may review in the future. 

I actually bought this because the cover is Hakuouki and I couldn't resist LOL.

The book is divided into 3 parts, consisting of 3 different otome games namely (1)Hakuouki, (2)Glass Heart Princess and (3)Diabolik Lovers.

The first thing you get introduced to when you open the book is the making of its cover, illustrated by Hakuouki's SD artist Sakura Takuto-sensei. 

Next are illustrations from Hakuouki Yuugi Roku.

We are then referred to the main characters' profiles (for convenience's sake I'll just post Hijikata's here).

After reading this book I finally know my hubby Souji's height~ (something I have never known ever since I started going gaga over him OTL)!! (●♡∀♡)

The supporting characters are also featured. I really love Shinpachi too and I'm pretty upset that he isn't one of the dateable guys in the game. (>o<)

The last part for Hakuouki is the interview with Sakura Takuto-sensei. I didn't know she also worked on the Moujuu Tsukai to Oujisama SDs! I really love her chibis! (>w<)

Next up is Glass Heart Princess! Pretty illustrations by Kinami Yuki-sensei.

And off to the main characters' profiles (and again for convenience's sake, I'll only post Shinnosuke).

And omfg his obsession with his beloved ojousama is so damn scary! I mean, look at that chart! The factor says お嬢様大好き which means "I love ojousama", and instead of a number like the other factors, it has the infinity sign and the whole thing is completely filled up holy shiz I just ┬─┬︵/(.□.)╯

But oh well, since he *SPOILER ALERT* goes around shooting people like nobody's business I can't say that obsession of his is something to ponder about lol. This game is full of weirdoes and psychos (I yelped when I found out Tenma's a school nurse aka teacher AND the leader of some vampire mafia circle ajkhdsljkhfshflkfjals what ( ꒪⌓꒪) )...perhaps with the exception of Yukito who, thankfully, is saner than the rest of them (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)

And the interview with Kinami Yuki-sensei. To be honest, I totally NEVER expected this game to be just...well...weird... (ಠ_ಠ) I mean, look at all the pretty art and CGs! I was all (ಥ□ಥ) when I read the reviews so I think I may not want to play this game anytime soon until I'm mentally prepared...

And finally, Diabolik Lovers!

Once again, the main characters' profiles are displayed. I used Shuu and Subaru this time because I wanna emphasize on their charts. LMAO look at them! They exceeded their charts! Shuu's is 面倒くさい which means 'troublesome' in a way...and of course this is to be expected cos Shuu is just the 'I don't give a damn' kind. And Subaru. His refers to his tendency to break stuff LOL XD But I guess no one beats Shinnosuke cos his chart is just too ridiculous for words ROFL XD

And the interview with Diabolik Lovers' illustrator, Satoi-sensei.

Also, there's an original short story for Glass Heart Princess at the end of the book but it won't be of much use if you can't read Japanese (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

All in all, this book is pretty much worth it if you're looking for something light-hearted and wanna know more about the games' creators and illustrators. But if you're in search of illustrations and CG art, then I'm afraid this isn't the book for you. This was created by Otomate with the intention of bringing little snippets, fun facts and behind-the-scenes information to gamers and fans so yeah, buying official art/fan books would be a much better alternative. ✌(◕‿-)✌

With regards to pricing. The book costs 2300円 (more if you live outside of Japan). Personally I feel that it would be better if the price was lowered a little. But then again, nothing in Japan comes cheap lol X3