Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-30341121-20161028014311/@comment-3489698-20161124031122

It isn't a binary choice; a series can be both, and this isn't unique to DL by any means. Not all love stories are nice or healthy - emotions aren't that neat.

The original game leaned harder on the horror, but it's hard to see, say, Kanato's route as anything but a twisted love story - he and Yui are very romantic and intense, even when they've gone past the point of no return. Laito's route has the least love, and Subaru's route has the most -- I think that's about the most anyone can agree upon? The later games lean towards being  supernatural love stories with a sadistic theme, IMO, and they tend to be more hopeful. The anime is a weird beast, because it's promotional material. Calling it pure horror is ignoring that it was made to advertise otome game love interests. It's more like... the start point for a bunch of romances? A bit like a preview or a prequel.