Yomegami - Mari was the cutest! The overarching story was kind of...

Yomegami My Sweet Goddess! (よめがみ My Sweet Goddess!) is a visual novel developed by ALcot and released in 2016. I played this between the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023, and it took me quite a while to complete because I honestly started losing a bit of interest midway through.

The story follows Narukawa Hayato, the reincarnation of a powerful devil and currently the son of Goddess Iris. This combination allows him to wield both Divine and Demonic magic. Unfortunately, being the reincarnation of a devil that was hated by the gods means he bears the sins of his previous incarnation and is forced to do "good deeds" to pay off his debt.

These sins are so significant that the gods intentionally made them stick with him across reincarnations, a punishment reserved only for the most heinous crimes. His daily routine changes completely after getting involved with his classmate Mikoto on the way home, which ends with him kissing her.

Multiple people seem to be interested in his life, from both the gods' side and the human side. He has to juggle these interactions while trying to protect his family and friends and attempting to uncover more about his previous reincarnation. What were the crimes that his previous incarnation was responsible for?

While the premise is interesting, the execution is where this visual novel falls short. The story drags a lot before reaching any serious development, and the stakes never really felt high. I also felt that the whole "previous life" storyline never managed to grab me; it felt quite boring, which is damning in a series that focuses almost entirely on it.

At the same time, the comedic and slice-of-life segments were fine and I enjoyed them, but they never made me laugh out loud or get overly attached to the characters. I can probably summarize it by saying, "It is not a bad visual novel; it is just average all around."

The main heroines are:

Ichijiku Mikoto

A high school girl with extremely mature looks, she is the first one to get involved with Hayato. After falling for him, she starts actively pursuing him and is very open about showing her feelings. She does not back down from any challenge and openly rivals the other heroines. She is the daughter of a yakuza boss.

Hakari Mari

A high school girl currently acting as class president. She is bossy with others but is a hard worker at heart. She works at her family restaurant after school and gets involved with Hayato after gaining an ability that allows her to see the "weight of sin" on people, which uncovers Hayato's identity.

Narukawa Iris

Hayato's mother, even though she looks younger than Mari and Mikoto. She has an interest in cosplay and is extremely caring toward Hayato, to the point that she sometimes feels like a typical mother-in-law to the heroines. She is the reincarnation of the goddess Alice who is related to Hayato's past incarnation.

Riko

A small girl (even younger looking than Iris) who appears in Hayato's life. She enjoys playing tricks on Hayato and is able to easily manipulate him. It is clear from the beginning that she is no ordinary human and that she has been sent by someone to keep tabs on Hayato's actions.

The story has a branching plot with each heroine getting her own route to grow her personal story, but at the same time, they also advance the main storyline from different angles. You only get the full picture after playing all four, even if the Iris route is the one that feels the most "canon" among them as it gives closure to the reincarnation plot.

My favorite heroine was definitely Mari because of her closet pervert personality and generally hardworking persona, but I do not think any of the four heroines were revolutionary or memorable. They felt a bit too much like they fit into a "mold" and never managed to feel unique enough.

I cannot honestly fully suggest this series. While the premise is interesting, the developments and characters never managed to grab me, and the relatively long length (around 35 hours) makes it a reasonably big investment of time.