is a Japanese

adult An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a " minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of major ...

visual novel A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...

, developed by BaseSon and released on January 27, 2006. It is playable on

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

as a

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

. The

gameplay Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and pla ...

includes multiple scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the six female characters. ''Harukoi Otome'' is BaseSon's fourth title. An adult anime adaptation entitled was released in 2008.

Story

''Harukoi Otome'' revolves around protagonist Akihito Hayasaka, a male high-school sophomore. The school he attends () used to be an all-girls school until it became

unisex Unisex is an adjective indicating something is not sex-specific, i.e. is suitable for any type of sex. The term can also mean gender-blindness or gender neutrality. The term 'unisex' was coined as a neologism in the 1960s and was used fairly inf ...

, and still has a high percentage of female students. Akihito's adopted younger sister (Umi Hayasaka) and his childhood friend (Yuika Serizawa) are also students there. Akihito meets many girls there, and becomes friends with them. Kazuto Hongō (protagonist of BaseSon's fifth title, ''

Koihime Musō is a series of Japanese adult visual novels and strategy video games primarily developed and published by BaseSon for the Windows and is based on the classic 14th century Chinese novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' by Luo Guanzhong. ...

'') is also a student at St. Francesca; it is also the setting for the '' Koihime Musō OVA'' episode.

Characters

Main characters

; :Voiced by:

Takahiro Mizushima is a Japanese voice actor and singer. He is currently affiliated with Axlone. When voicing adult games, he is known as . Biography Mizushima is a former Japan Ground Self-Defense Force official. He entered the JGSDF Youth Technical School, a bo ...

(OVA) :Akihito (the protagonist) used to attend another school, named , last year until it closed due to financial difficulties. He is one of the few male students in his class. His class (2-5) is also called "Soleil". In his childhood at the age of seven, he had a biological younger sister who was killed after getting hit by a car while playing at the park; after his sister's death he shut himself away from others until one day his parents adopted Umi who became his new sister. ; :Voiced by:

Yui Sakakibara is a Japanese voice actress, choreographer, dancer and singer from Hyōgo Prefecture.Doi, Hitoshi"Sakakibara Yui" ''Seiyuu Database''. January 3, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2011. She appeared on Kōhaku Uta Gassen as background dancer behind ...

(game/OVA) :Akihito's adopted younger sister and a first-year student, she gets along very well with her brother. She is an excellent student, and was admitted to St. Francesca on a scholarship. She is pretty and a little innocent but despite this, she loves watching horror films. Her class (1-3) is also called "Lyon". ; :Voiced by:

Hitomi Nabatame is a Japanese actress and singer who is affiliated with Ken Production. She sang the opening themes for ''Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu'' under the name "Miran Himemiya and Chocolate Rockers". Filmography Anime ;2003 *''Maburaho'' (Yūna Miyama) ...

(game/OVA) :Kisaya is a third-year student. She is student council president and captain of the

kendo is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords (shinai) as well as protective armor (bōgu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spread ...

club, and is skilled in various other activities. Her father is the president of the Fuyurugi

Zaibatsu is a Japanese language, Japanese term referring to industrial and financial vertical integration, vertically integrated business conglomerate (company), conglomerates in the Empire of Japan, whose influence and size allowed control over signi ...

(Fuyurugi Conglomerate). Her class (3-1) is also called "Rosa Eglanteria" or "Rosa Rubiginosa". ; :Voiced by:

Yūko Gotō is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer who was contracted to Production Baobab and is now signed to Axlone. In direct contrast to her cute-and-vulnerable moé typecasting, Yūko in real life is a devotee of biker culture who dresses an ...

(game),

Hiroko Taguchi , is a Japanese voice actress from Kanagawa Prefecture who is attached to Haikyo. She sometimes goes by several pseudonyms, including , , and . Voice Roles Bold ''denotes leading roles.'' TV Animation *'' ef: A Tale of Melodies.'' as Miyako Mi ...

(OVA) :Yuika is Akihito and Umi's childhood friend and classmate. She is a happy-go-lucky person, always smiling. She was Akihito's first love when they were both in junior high. She sits behind him in their classroom and belongs to the school's cooking club. ; :Voiced by: Yura Hinata (game/OVA) :Sōnya is one of Umi's classmates and her best friend. Her mother is Italian and her father Japanese. When she was little her father died in an accident and her mother went back to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, leaving Sōnya by herself in Japan. Sōnya was adopted by a Japanese woman named Mai Kiryū. Sōnya is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

and a novice

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

. ; :Voiced by: Akane Tomonaga (game/OVA) :Riru is Akihito's classmate. She is very strong-willed, and often quarrels with Akihito about little things. She sits next to him in class and belongs to the swim club. She also appears to harbor romantic feelings for Reika Matsuraba but they are unrequited. She ends up letting it go after a night with Akihito. ; :Voiced by:

Nami Kurokawa is a Japanese voice actress from Osaka, Japan. When voicing adult games, she is known as . Filmography Anime *'' Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-Chan'' as Tamiya-san (ep 5); Yuuko-sensei (ep 6,7) *'' D.C.S.S. ~Da Capo Second Season~'' as Tamaki Kono ...

(game/OVA) :Ayaka is a third-year student. She has

heart problems Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, ...

, and sometimes needs to go to the hospital. Her class (3-4) is also called "Rosa Moscharta". Unlike most of the other students she does not live in a student dormitory, but lives alone in an apartment outside the school. She belongs to the school's art club.

Supporting characters

; :Voiced by: Takamasa Ohashi (OVA) :Oikawa is a second-year student and Akihito's friend. He speaks in

Kansai dialect The is a group of Japanese dialects in the Kansai region (Kinki region) of Japan. In Japanese, is the common name and it is called in technical terms. The dialects of Kyoto and Osaka are known as , and were particularly referred to as suc ...

. He later makes an appearance in Koihime Musou. ; and :Voiced by:

Mia Naruse , also known as , is a Japanese voice actress from Tokyo, Japan. On April 30, 2010, she announced that she will not be voice acting anymore. However, on April 16, 2013, she announced that she resumed her voice acting career oher blog When acting ...

(game) and

Natsumi Yanase is a Japanese voice actress from Tokyo, Japan. She also goes by the name when voicing adult games. Her former stage name was . Roles Anime *'' D.C. II: Da Capo II'' (Akane Hanasaki) *'' Debutante Detective Corps'' (Yōko Ryūzaki) *'' Ef: A Ta ...

(game) :Natsuko and Fuyuko are girls in Akihito's class. They are interested in Akihito and Umi. ; :Voiced by:

Hyo-sei is a Japanese Voice acting in Japan, voice actress and singer who works for Power Rise under the alias . For adult works, she goes by the name . Hyo-sei released her first album titled on April 21, 2010. Early life and career Graduated from Ni ...

(game/OVA) :Reika is Ayaka's friend and classmate. She is the captain of the swim club, and Riru looks up to her. ; :Voiced by:

(game/OVA) :Yūki is in Akihito's class. She also belongs to the swim club, and looks up to Reika. She and Reika have a

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

relationship. ; :Voiced by: Kanoko Hatamiya (game) :Satsuki, like Reika, is Ayaka's classmate and friend. She is their class representative and vice-president of the art club. ; :Voiced by: Kanoko Hatamiya (game) :Ririka is in Umi's class. She is distantly related to Kisaya, and looks up to her. ; :Voiced by:

(game/OVA) :Chizuna is a server who works at , the school cafeteria. Umi and Sōnya work part-time there as servers, too. ; :Voiced by:

Hitomi (voice actress) is a Japanese voice actress from Osaka Prefecture, Japan. She has also done voice work, especially in eroge, under the name . She is married to fellow voice actor Kazuya Ichijō. Adult Roles Eroge ;1998 * Kyouhaku (Reika Takatsukasa) * Mag ...

(game) :Ōgami is Akihito's homeroom teacher; she is also in charge of

Japanese literature Japanese literature throughout most of its history has been influenced by cultural contact with neighboring Asian literatures, most notably China and its literature. Early texts were often written in pure Classical Chinese or , a Chinese-Japanes ...

lessons. ; :Voiced by:

(game) :Mai is a

, who works at the school chapel. She is Sōnya's foster mother, and matron of the girls' dorm. ; :Ryūzenji is St. Francesca Academy's doctor. He is short and boyish. ; :Hirotsugu is Kisaya's fiancé, and a son of the distinguished Ennokōji family. He has a snobbish attitude, always looking down on others, and is not a St. Francesca Academy student.

Development and release

The characters were designed by Hinata Katagiri and Kishinisen. The scenario was written by Takuya Aoyama, K. Baggio, Shōta Onoue, and Hozumi Nakamoto. The music was composed by Loser Koshiwagi, Torapon, and Bjoern. Hinata Katagiri, K.Baggio, and Shōta Onoue also participated in the development of ''

''. ''Harukoi Otome'' was first released as a limited-edition version for Windows on January 27, 2006. A regular edition followed on December 14, 2007. The game was also adapted into mobile-phone games by Magicseed and Masys.

MangaGamer MangaGamer is a video game publisher specializing in the English localization and distribution of Japanese eroge and visual novels. It is run by Japanese-based company Japan Animation Contents. History MangaGamer was originally envisioned as a c ...

plans to release an English translation of the game titled ''Harukoi Otome: Greetings from the Maidens' Garden'' in 2013.

Music and audio CD

''Harukoi Otomes opening theme is (sung by

Rita Rita may refer to: People * Rita (given name) * Rita (Indian singer) (born 1984) * Rita (Israeli singer) (born 1962) * Rita (Japanese singer) * Eliza Humphreys (1850–1938), wrote under the pseudonym Rita Places * Djarrit, also known as Rita, ...

), and the theme song is by H?m?. The game's original soundtrack was released by BaseSon on December 14, 2007, with 31 tracks. The soundtrack was also included in the regular edition of the game, released on the same day.

Original video animation (OVA)

''Harukoi Otome'' was adapted into a

hentai Hentai is anime and manga pornography. A loanword from Japanese, the original term ( ) does not describe a genre of media, but rather an abnormal sexual desire or act, as an abbreviation of . In addition to anime and manga, hentai works exis ...

OVA , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

series entitled . It was produced by animation studio Media Bank, and directed by Katsuma Kanazawa. The first volume was released on April 18, 2008; the second volume was released on July 18. The first volume concerns Kisaya and Yuika; the second volume is about Riru and Umi.

References

External links

Game's official site at BaseSon

Game's official site at MangaGamer
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