I had raised a successful, emotionally absent stranger.
When you first hear the title Ideal Father – Living Together with Beloved Daughter , it’s easy to make assumptions. A fluffy slice-of-life sim? A resource management game with cute anime aesthetics? Or—given the darker corners of the visual novel world—something with uncomfortable undertones?
Miki won’t tell you when she’s being bullied. You have to notice the torn notebook in her bag. She won’t say she misses her mom. You hear it in how she pauses at the front door every evening. She won’t ask for help with homework. She’ll just stay up until 2 AM, pretending to be fine. ideal father – living together with beloved daughter
Date: April 13, 2026 Category: Game Analysis / Emotional Design Est. read time: 5 minutes
The game didn't end with a tragedy. It ended with her graduation, a polite nod, and a text message: "Thanks for everything. I’ll send money when I can." I had raised a successful, emotionally absent stranger
I’ll admit, I went in skeptical. I came out reaching for my phone to call my own dad.
This is not the game you think it is. It is, against all odds, one of the most brutally honest, tender, and psychologically rich simulations of single parenthood ever made. You play as Hiroshi, a 42-year-old salaryman who, after a bitter divorce and a decade of estrangement, suddenly gains full custody of his 14-year-old daughter, Miki. The mother has moved abroad for work, leaving Miki with a suitcase, a school transfer slip, and a heart full of quiet resentment. A resource management game with cute anime aesthetics
Loses one point only because the cooking mini-game is genuinely impossible. Sorry, Miki. Burnt toast is our family tradition now. Have you played? Did you cry during the "firefly watching" scene? Let me know in the comments—or better yet, call your dad.
