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

Front Wing is a Japanese visual novel studio known for the production of adult ''bishōjo games''. Its main office is located in Taitō, Tokyo. The representative producer and president is Ryūichirō Yamakawa. “Frontwing” is the company's main brand, ...

which was released on December 26, 2008 playable for

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 ...

. ''Hoshiuta'' is Front Wing's twenty-first title and the third title of ''Uta'' series along with their previous titles '' Yukiuta'' and '' Sorauta''. A

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

adaptation illustrated by Fumio began serialization in the May 2009 issue of

Kadokawa Shoten , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing based in Tokyo, Japan. It became an internal division of Kadokawa Corporation on October 1, 2013. Kadokawa publishes manga, light novels, manga anthology magazines su ...

's ''

Comp Ace is a Japanese PC game, computer game and manga magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten. ''Comp Ace'' began as a special edition version of another one of Kadokawa Shoten's magazines, ''Comptiq''. The first issue was released on March 26, 2005, and ...

'' magazine. A spin-off sequel to the visual novel entitled ''Hoshiuta: Starlight Serenade'' was released on December 25, 2009.

Setting

''Hoshiuta'' is set in the fictional town in

Shizuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,637,998 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the northea ...

, Japan. The town is in a quiet, rural area on the west of the

Izu Peninsula The is a large mountainous peninsula with a deeply indented coastline to the west of Tokyo on the Pacific coast of the island of Honshu, Japan. Formerly known as Izu Province, Izu peninsula is now a part of Shizuoka Prefecture. The peninsul ...

and borders the

Suruga Bay Suruga Bay (駿河湾, ''Suruga-wan'') is a bay on the Pacific coast of Honshū in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is situated north of a straight line from Omaezaki Point to Irōzaki Point at the tip of the Izu Peninsula and surrounded by Honshū ...

. There is a high school named in the town. The protagonist Kazuhiko Suoh and his friends are students of the school.

Characters

Main characters

; :Kazuhiko is a second-year male student of Mihoshi Academy and is the protagonist of the story. He was left an orphan in his childhood, and was adopted by an old woman named Hina Suoh. ; :''Voiced by'':

Ayaka Kimura , born October 30, 1981 and known professionally as , is a Japanese actress and former singer. From 1998 to 2008, Nagate was part of Hello! Project as a member of the Japan-based girl group Coconuts Musume. History Nagate joined Hello! Pr ...

:Yui is a second-year female student. She is Kazuhiko's childhood friend and his classmate. She and her parents moved from Tokyo to Mihoshi nine years ago. She has a positive personality, but she is not good at studying and cooking. Her parents run a Japanese-style hotel named Kuroda

Ryokan A is a type of traditional Japanese inn that typically features ''tatami''-matted rooms, communal baths, and other public areas where visitors may wear yukata and talk with the owner. Ryokan have existed since the eighth century A.D. du ...

. Kazuhiko and Yui work together at Kuroda Ryokan. ; :''Voiced by'': Tomoe Tamiyasu :Nanano is Kazuhiko's younger

sister-in-law A sibling-in-law is the spouse of one's sibling, or the sibling of one's spouse, or the person who is married to the sibling of one's spouse.Cambridge Dictionaries Online.Family: non-blood relations. More commonly, a sibling-in-law is referred ...

and a first-year student. She is Hina Suoh's granddaughter. Her parents died in her childhood the same as Kazuhiko's parents. She has an innocent personality and loves Kazuhiko very much. ; :''Voiced by'': Kaname Yuzuki :Kurara is a second-year female student. Her father is the president of Amamiya

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 ...

which is one of the largest companies in Japan, but she does not boast of that. She moved from Tokyo to Mihoshi before the summer vacation begins, and became a classmate of Kazuhiko and Yui. She is good at cooking and painting pictures. ; :''Voiced by'': Yukari Aoyama :Midori is a third-year female student and good friend of Kazuhiko, Yui, and Nanano. She has used a

wheelchair A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebr ...

since four years ago when she lost the use of her left leg in a traffic accident. She and her friends call her wheelchair . She is very spirited and good at swimming. ; :''Voiced by'': Karen Aozora :Renge is a mysterious girl living in a Western-style house built nearby the sea. Kazuhiko met her in his way to the school on a morning. She likes playing tricks and often fibs. Unlike other main characters, she is not Mihoshi Academy's student.

Supporting characters

; :''Voiced by'': Mikado Sumeragi :Yousuke is a second-year male student and a classmate of Kazuhiko. Kazuhiko and Yousuke became friends after they had entered Mihoshi Academy. He is not good at studying. ; :''Voiced by'':

Rina Misaki Rina or RINA may refer to: __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Rina (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Kento Rina, Indian politician * Mahfuza Rahman Rina, Bangladeshi politician * Tongam Rina (born 1979), Indian journ ...

:Arisa is a second-year female student and a classmate of Kazuhiko. She moved from Tokyo to Mihoshi last year. Her father manages a large company named Houjou Group, and she is proud of that. She is smart and good at studying. ; :''Voiced by'': Hazuki Sakura :Koume is a

maid A maid, or housemaid or maidservant, is a female domestic worker. In the Victorian era domestic service was the second largest category of employment in England and Wales, after agricultural work. In developed Western nations, full-time maids ...

working under Amamiya family. She has looked after Kurara since about ten years ago. ; :''Voiced by'': Kū Iida :Kayo is Yui's mother and the landlady of Kuroda Ryokan. ; :''Voiced by'':

Eiko Matsu Eiko is a feminine Japanese given name. Eikō, also spelled Eikou or Eikoh, is a masculine Japanese given name. The meanings of these names depend on the kanji used to write them. Kanji In the feminine name Eiko, "ko" is generally written with a ...

:Hina is Nanano's grandmother and Kazuhiko's grandmother-in-law. She took charge of Kazuhiko and Nanano and brought them up, but she died at age seventy-two last year. She worked at Kuroda Ryokan as a waitress during her lifetime. ; :''Voiced by'': Ayumu Kawase :Seiko is a young female teacher working at Mihoshi Academy. She is in charge of

Japanese history The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to prehistoric times around 30,000 BC. The Jōmon period, named after its cord-marked pottery, was followed by the Yayoi period in the first millennium BC when new invent ...

lessons and is the homeroom teacher of Kazuhiko's class. ; :''Voiced by'':

Kanade Amano Kanade is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Mihir Kanade, Indian author and professor of international law and human rights *Takeo Kanade (born 1945), Japanese computer scientist * Kranti Kanade, Indian filmmaker See also * K ...

:Kamejirou is a

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...

which Kazuhiko and Nanano have as their pet. ''Kame'' means "turtle" in Japanese, and '' Jirou'' is one of Japanese male names. Nanano likes Kamejirou very much. ; :''Voiced by'': Izumi Maki :Yurika is Kurara's mother and Masaki Amamiya's former wife. She died of an illness about ten years ago. She was very kind to Kurara. ; :''Voiced by'': Kanai Nirai :Tamaki is Kurara's stepmother and Masaki Amamiya's present wife. She used to be an able secretary to Masaki. She married Masaki after Yurika had died. She is not kind to Kurara. ; :''Voiced by'': Ajisai :Teppei is Midori's father and a fisherman. He dotes upon his daughter. His wife died of an illness when Midori was a child. ; :''Voiced by'': Mirin Yamada :Mutou is a housekeeper living with Renge. She is very kind and thinks as if Renge were her daughter. ; :''Voiced by'': Jimudaisya :Kashimura is Renge's father. He divorced Renge's mother when Renge was a child.

Development

Direction and planning for ''Hoshiuta'' and ''Hoshiuta: Starlight Serenade'' was done by Ryūichirō Yamakawa. Characters were designed by Fumio. Scenario was written by Noboru Yamaguchi,

Takeyuki Kuzumi Takeyuki (written: 武幸, 武行 or 竹通) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese anime director *, Japanese marathon runner *, Japanese footballer and manager {{given name Japanese masculine giv ...

, and

Katsuya is both a masculine Japanese given name and a Japanese surname. Possible writings *克也, "gram, to be" *勝也, "win, to be" *勝矢, "win, arrow" *勝哉, "win, how" *勝夜, "win, night" *活耶, "active, father" *活弥, "active, extensive, ...

. Music in the game was composed by

Elements Garden Elements Garden is a Japanese group of music composers, or a "music production brand" as they call themselves. They generally produce music for video games, anime and recording artists. They are attached to Aria Entertainment. The group was form ...

Music and audio CDs

''Hoshiutas opening theme is sung by

Lia Lia is a feminine given name. In the Spanish-speaking world, it is accented Lía. In America, the name may be a variant of Leah or Lea. Lia may be a diminutive of various names including Julia, Cecilia, Amelia, Talia, Cornelia, Ophelia, Rosal ...

, the insert song is by

Kaori Ōmura Kaori ( "scent/aroma, fabric/weave" and occasionally rendered "perfume", ) is a feminine Japanese name, Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *Kaori (voice actress) (born 1976), Japanese voice actress and singer *, musician ...

, and the ending theme is by

Hiromi Satō is a female Japanese singer and songwriter from Iwate Prefecture. She has performed for songs for video game, games and anime, such as ''Mizuiro'', ''Please Twins!'', ''Green Green (anime), Green Green'', and the ''Galaxy Angel'' games. She has ...

. Before the game's release, a maxi-single "Tazunebito" was released by Front Wing on November 28, 2008 and contained "Missing Person" and "Cradle Song". ''Hoshiuta: Starlight Serenades opening theme is by Lia, and the ending theme is by

Chata is a Japanese singer who has performed theme songs for video games and anime series. She has also participated in various dōjin music circles. Her own private circle is called ''Usagi Kinoko''. History Chata began dabbling in music in 1998. S ...

. Before the game's release, a maxi-single "Hoshikuzu no Kizuna" was released by Front Wing on October 2, 2009 and contained "Stardust Bonds" and "Twilight Sky". Music of the five songs was composed by

Hitoshi Fujima Hitoshi (written: , , , , , , , , , or in hiragana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese politician *, Japanese manga artist *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese photographer *, Japanese baseba ...

, who is a member of Elements Garden. ''Hoshiutas original soundtrack was released by Front Wing on January 30, 2009 and contained twenty-seven tracks.

Manga

''Hoshiuta'' was adapted into a

series drawn by Japanese illustrator Fumio. The manga began its serialization in the manga magazine ''

s May 2009 issue, first published on March 26, 2009 by

Book

art book Artists' books (or book arts or book objects) are works of art that utilize the form of the book. They are often published in small editions, though they are sometimes produced as one-of-a-kind objects. Overview Artists' books have employed a ...

entitled ''Fumio ArtWorks Hoshiuta'' was released on

Comiket , more commonly known as or , is a semiannual ''doujinshi'' convention in Tokyo, Japan. A grassroots market focused on the sale of '' doujin'' (self-published) works, Comiket is a not-for-profit fan convention administered by the volunteer-ru ...

76 held in August 2009.http://frontwing.jp/event_c76_vfb.html

References

External links

''Hoshiuta'' official web site

*{{vndb, 1002 2008 video games Bishōjo games Eroge Frontwing games Harem anime and manga Harem video games Japan-exclusive video games Kadokawa Shoten manga Manga based on video games 2009 manga Romance anime and manga Romance video games School life in anime and manga Seinen manga Video games developed in Japan Visual novels Windows games Windows-only games