Tsuyokiss

is a Japanese visual novel that has been adapted into an anime television series directed by Shinichiro Kimura. The story focuses on a group of students at a high school and the various romantic attachments that the characters feel for each another.

''Tsuyokiss'' originally began as an eroge for Windows by video game developer Candy Soft first released on August 26, 2005. A PlayStation 2 version of the game called ''Tsuyokiss ~Mighty Heart~'' was released with erotic elements removed. A fan disc with some minigames for Windows named ''Minikiss ~Tsuyokiss Fan Disk~'' was released. The anime based on the original game began airing in Japan on July 1, 2006.

is the sequel to ''Tsuyokiss'', available for Windows, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. A third installment, was released for Windows on March 31, 2011.

Plot

Video games

''Tsuyokiss''

''Tsuyokiss'' is about the lives of a group of fictional high school students and the often comedic events that occur in their lives. The main protagonist is an average boy named Leo Tsushima who is secretly in love with the eldest daughter of the Kiriya Corporation and who is the student council president - Erika Kiriya.

Later, a senior female student, Otome Kurogane, knocks out several of the main characters one day when they are trying to sneak into school after being late. Surprisingly, it turns out that she is Leo's beloved cousin that he had not seen for years. Suddenly, Otome decides to move into the same house as Leo, whose mediocre life is changing into something a bit more exciting. In the PlayStation 2 version, Leo begins to form relations with Sunao Konoe who is an old acquaintance.

''Tsuyokiss Nigakki''

''Tsuyokiss Nigakki'' is the sequel to ''Tsuyokiss'' where Leo was not in love to anyone in the first term. At the beginning of the second term, Leo has been worried about what to do after graduation because he does not know what his dream is. Then, Serebu Tachibana transfers to his class and she sits down next to him.

''Tsuyokiss Sangakki''

''Tsuyokiss Sangakki'' is the sequel to ''Tsuyokiss Nigakki'' where Leo was not in love with anyone during the first or second term.

Anime

The anime version's plot of ''Tsuyokiss'' differs from that of the video game's in that Sunao Konoe is the main protagonist of the story. Sunao, who finds out the school she transfers to does not have a drama club, becomes determined to form a drama club. Her main obstacle is having to prove to the student council president, Erika Kiriya, that forming a drama club would be worth her time which causes Erika to constantly offer challenges to Sunao for which she must pass in order for the club to be formed.

Characters from the ''Tsuyokiss'' visual novel appear in the anime. Leo Tsushima, the protagonist of the visual novel, is also the main male protagonist of the anime.

Characters

Video games

Main characters

;
: (Drama CD)
:Leo is the main protagonist of all stories in the videogames.
:He is a second year student from class 2-C. His room used to be a stamping grounds of his childhood friends Kinu, Shinichi and Subaru. He admires Erika Kiriya. He has a slightly timid character now, but formerly he was a hot-blooded man. He hopes to keep his coolness after a certain event in the days of junior high school.

;
:
:Otome is a third year student from class 3-A. Otome is a descendant of a mighty warrior. She is a master of budō and she has a superhuman athletic capability. At the school, she is the student council vice-president and the chair of the disciplinary committee. Erika Kiriya cannot disobey her. She has some weak points as she is a poor cook, is not good with mechanical appliances and hates thunder. She made a promise to Leo in their childhood that she will always protect him. During Momoyo's route in '' Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai!'', she was summoned by Naoe Yamato to team up with Kuki Ageha from ''Kimi ga Aruji de Shitsuji ga Ore de'' in order to defeat Momoyo.

;
:
:Kinu is a second year student from class 2-C, Leo's classmate and one of Leo's childhood friends. She is a late riser, and so Leo usually wakes her up. Her pet name is Kani or Kanitchi. She is flushed with anger when anyone calls her by her personal name Kinu, because she has an inferiority complex due to her name. Nagomi Yashi who often quarrels with her has nicknamed her meaning crustacea.
:She is extremely short-tempered and hates to lose, and her school work is awful. She has many friends because she has a cheerful disposition. She is popular with males, so she is often confessed to. She always declines confessions since she has high standards in taste for her boyfriend.

;
:
:Erika is a second year student from class 2-C, Leo's classmate and the student council president who is sociable, an excellent scholar and athlete. She is nicknamed , meaning Princess, by peers with both respect and irony because of perfectness and haughtiness. Yoshimi Sato is her true close friend whom she can alone trust. Her family runs the large Kiriya Corporation. Her ambition is to rise on the top of the company, and control the global market.

;
:
:Nagomi is a first year student from class 1-B. She has a debt of gratitude to Leo, therefore she becomes a member of student council. She dislikes that she is called "Nagomin" by Erika Kiriya. She is respectful and shows courtesy but she never uses an honorific for the upper-class student Kinu Kanisawa.
:She always acts alone. In the night, she tends to appear in neighborhood of a station for certain circumstances. She has a tough character.

;
:''Voiced by:'' Izumi Maki
:Inori is Leo's homeroom teacher to his class of 2-C, and an adviser of student council. She seems to be absent minded, and is often late for school despite being the teacher. Her paths exist only in Tsuyokiss for PC and Tsuyokiss Nigakki for PSP, and her sub episode will exist in Tsuyokiss Sangakki.

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:
:Yoshimi is a second year student from class 2-C, Leo's classmate and a member of the student council. She is popular with everyone, she is an honour student, is quick in her movements, is a good cook, and is sweet-tempered. She puts the brakes on Erika Kiriya once in a while, for Erika tends to go her own way without consulting anyone. She at first appears to be a very mature person, however, her true nature is quite the opposite. Erika is her close friend who understands her true self. She often approaches Leo, who does not notice Yoshimi's deep feelings for him.

;
: (Tsuyokiss for PS2) Aira Kamiha (Minikiss), Mirai Yamada (Tsuyokiss Nigakki/Tsuyokiss Sangakki)
:Sunao is the main protagonist of the anime series.
:She is a second year student from class 2-A and the head of the drama club. Incidentally, she was Leo's classmate at junior high school. Sunao has a strong sense of justice. She hates Erika Kiriya who is self-righteous. At beginning of the story, she has a hatred for Leo, and she is hard for him to deal with. Her story was added in the PS2 version. The Minikiss for PC contains her story added sexual content with her path on the PS2 version.

;
:
:Serebu is a transfer student to class 2-C at beginning of the second term. She carries a samurai sword named Manjushage and wears dog tag with silencer. She is Heizo Tachibana's niece and she has a superhuman athletic capability, too. She appears in the Tsuyokiss Nigakki and Tsuyokiss Sangakki.

;
:''Voiced by'': Erena Kaibara
:Tongfer is a second year student from class 2-C and Leo's classmate. She is a student studying abroad from China. She and Leo seem to agree with each other, because her friend Mana gives her trouble and Leo has a hard time by Kinu.
:She has appeared since Tsuyokiss for original PC version, her path exists only in Tsuyokiss Nigakki for PS2/PSP, and her sub episode will exist in Tsuyokiss Sangakki.

;
:''Voiced by'': Junko Kusayanagi
:Mana is a second year student from class 2-C and Leo's classmate. She comes from Kansai. Her school grades are bad. Her friends often seem to have difficulty with her because she cannot read the atmosphere of a place.
:She has appeared since Tsuyokiss for original PC version, her path exists only in Tsuyokiss Nigakki for PS2/PSP, and her sub episode will exist in Tsuyokiss Sangakki.

Students

;
:
:Shinichi is a second year student from class 2-C, Leo's classmate and one of Leo's childhood friends. He is nicknamed Fukahire meaning shark fin soup.
:He was ill-treated by his older sister, consequently he has belief that a woman has to go out of her way on man's behalf. He is perverted and likes eroge.

;
: (Tsuyokiss), Keigo Fuji (Tsuyokiss Nigakki/Tsuyokiss Sangakki)
:Subaru is a second year student from class 2-C, Leo's classmate and one of Leo's childhood friends. He acts like an older brother of Leo and Kinu although he is the same age as them. He belongs to athletics club at the school. He is very strong in fights. He is popular with schoolgirls, but male students are afraid of him. His only friends are Leo, Kinu and Shinichi. He has loved a certain girl for a long time.

;
:
:Igaguri is a second year student from class 2-C and Leo's classmate. Igaguri is his nickname, and his real name is unknown.

;
:''Voiced by'': Izumi Maki
:Noriko is a second year student from class 2-A. She is a member of public relations committee at the school. She is a poor talker, therefore she often utters indistinguishable phrases. She is usually attached to Youhei Murata, but she likes Leo in a certain girl's story.

;
:''Voiced by'': Shinsuke Nakamoto
:Youhei is a second year student from class 2-A. He is a high-achieving student, and he belong to boxing (as one of the Japanese martial arts) club. He often is full of competitive spirit to Leo.

Teaching Staff

;
: (Tsuyokiss), Kyonosuke Hiruma (Tsuyokiss Nigakki/Tsuyokiss Sangakki)
:Heizou has a superhuman body and mind. It is said "Japan might win World War 2 if he was around then". He looks intimidating, but he usually thinks about independence of students.

;
:
:Hachimaki is a physical education teacher. He often observe girls physical education with boy students.

;
:
:Akari is a homeroom teacher of class of 2-A and a chemistry teacher. She is friendly with girl students, but she gives a wide berth to boy students because she has a phobia about male. She appears in the Tsuyokiss Nigakki and Tsuyokiss Sangakki.

Others

;
: (Tsuyokiss), Kyonosuke Hiruma (Tsuyokiss Nigakki/Tsuyokiss Sangakki)
:Tsuchinaga is Inori's parrot that can speak the Japanese language fluently and has several-decades-old knowledge. He seems to like a certain girl.

;
:
:Gondagawara is Serebu's pet that can speak the Japanese language. Although he is a sea turtle, he cannot swim without goggles. He appears in the Tsuyokiss Nigakki and Tsuyokiss Sangakki.

;
: (Tsuyokiss), Keigo Fuji (Tsuyokiss Nigakki/Tsuyokiss Sangakki)
:Tencho is a manager of the curry rice restaurant where Kinu is working part-time as a waitress.

;
:''Voiced by'': Mahiru Kaneda
:She and her husband leave their daughter Kinu to herself.

;
:''Voiced by'': Erena Kaibara
:Nodoka, is the mother of Nagomi, runs a flower shop.

;
:
:Tennoji has been seeing Nodoka. He tries to have Nagomi accept Nodoka's second marriage with him.

;
:
:Ikuzo is a commandant of Matsukasa navy. There are many scars on his body and he wear a patch on his left eye. He is Serebu's father and Heizo's older brother. He has superhuman athletic capability too. He appears in the Tsuyokiss Nigakki and Tsuyokiss Sangakki.

Anime

Main characters

:
: The main female protagonist of the story, Sunao, is a second year transfer student from class 2-A in high school who tends to have a strong personality, never being one to willingly back down. In the beginning of the story, her family moves to a new town because of her mother's work as an actress. Ever since seeing her mother acting once when she was younger, Sunao dreams of someday becoming an actress too, and likewise is very passionate about drama in general. On her first day at her new school, she adamantly wants to become a member of the drama club, though is soon informed that their school has no such club yet established. This in turn makes her very determined to start one as soon as possible, though it is proving harder than she thought.

:During her first performance on stage when she was much younger, she had gotten stage fright though a little boy who was in the play managed to help her get over it. On her first day at school, she recognizes Leo as the little boy who helped her during her first play, though it took more of a reminder via her pig tails and the childish phrase ''daikon'' meaning ''poor actor'' which earned him a slap in the face.

:
: The main male protagonist of the story, Leo is a second year student from class 2-C in high school. He is always hanging around with his childhood friends Shinichi Samesuga, Subaru Date, and Kinu Kanisawa often while inside the student council building. He is an average male high school student who is on the student council.

Students

:
: Nagomi is a first year student from class 1-B. She is usually a loner who tends to quarrel often with Kinu Kanisawa, whom she has nicknamed meaning ''crab''. She is also a good cook.

:
: Shizuka is a second year student from class 2-A and Sunao's classmate who she meets on her first day of school. She immediately becomes a fan of Sunao later that day after witnessing a drama performance by her of a scene from the play Romeo and Juliet.

:
: Noriko is a second year student from class 2-A and Sunao's classmate. She is a strange girl who loves taking photographs of people in her class. She is never given any speaking lines but instead utters indistinguishable phrases.

:
: Youhei is a second year student from class 2-A and Sunao's classmate. Amusingly, nobody seems to be able to get his name right.

:
: Erika is a second year student from class 2-C and Leo's classmate. She is the student council president who is nicknamed , meaning ''Princess'', by her peers. As the president, she has a lot of power within the school and is often seen as an intimidating figure to overcome. While in any adaptations of the work she is inclined to flirt with other girls and even try to seduce Yoshimi, Erika are one of the canonical love interests of the protagonist in the original visual novel.

:
: Yoshimi is a second year student from class 2-C and Leo's classmate. She is a timid girl who works alongside Erika in the student council building. Since she is not comfortable at asserting herself, she can easily be taken advantage of by Erika, who has taken the liberty to also nickname her ''Yoppie''.

:
: Kinu is a second year student from class 2-C & Leo's classmate. She is a part time curry waitress at a restaurant named Oasis. She is one of Leo's childhood friends and is his next-door neighbor. She is extremely vulgar and childish and always says what is on her mind. Nagomi is her ultimate rival and they are constantly fighting; Kinu has nicknamed her ''Coconuts''. Both Kinu and Nagomi enjoy picking on other and starting fights with Leo, whom they supposedly hate.

:
: Shinichi is a second year student from class 2-C and Leo's classmate. He is one of Leo's childhood friends who is nicknamed "Shark". He is a hyperactive student who is known to chase pretty girls around and ask them for dates, though rarely gets what he wants.

:
: Subaru is a second year student from class 2-C and Leo's classmate. He is one of Leo's childhood friends who he is often seen with. He seems to have a sensible, down-to-earth personality.

:
: Otome is a third-year student from class 3-A at high school and carries a samurai sword around with her. She is Leo's cousin whom he has not seen for several years. She eventually moves in with Leo's family because of this. She is also in love with him.
:At school, also have Ultimate rival is Serebu Tachibana, she is a member of the discipline committee.

Teaching Staff

:
: She is one of the teachers at the high school. She has a parrot named Tsuchinaga that can speak Japanese. She always seems to have a tired expression.

:
: He is the school principal and a rather intimidating man with scars on his face.

Others

:
: She is Sunao's younger sister currently attending grade school. She seems to be more down-to-earth than her older sister.

:
: Inori's parrot that can speak the Japanese language fluently.

Media and Development

Video games

''Tsuyokisss first appearance was in the form of a visual novel video game for the PC developed by Candy Soft and released on August 26, 2005. Like many games in this genre, it was first made as an eroge. Later, a PS2 version with no sexual content was developed. It was released on August 1, 2006, entitled ''Tsuyokiss ~Mighty Heart~''. On December 15, 2006, ''Minikiss ~Tsuyokiss Fan Disc~'' was released by Candy Soft.

The sequel entitled ''Tsuyokiss Nigakki'' to ''Tsuyokiss'' was developed by Candy Soft and went on sale on April 25, 2008. Its scenario was written by NOB because Takahiro, who is a director and a scriptwriter of ''Tsuyokiss'', left Candy Soft. It was first made as an H-game too. Later, it was transplanted into PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable by Revolution without erotic elements. PlayStation 2 version entitled ''Tsuyokiss Swift Love'' was on sale on July 30, 2009, PlayStation Portable version entitled ''Tsuyokiss -Portable-'' was put on the market on October 28, 2010.

''Tsuyokiss Sangakki'' for the PC was developed by Candy Soft on March 31, 2011. Its scenario writers are Sakaki Kasa and Kizoku Kumagawa who are outsourcers.

Theme songs

;''Tsuyokiss''
*Opening theme: ''Mighty Heart ~Aruhi no Kenka, Itsumo no Koigokoro~'' by Kotoko
*Ending theme: ''Isolation'' by Reina

;''Tsuyokiss Nigakki''
*Opening theme: ''Swift Love ~Kenzen Danshi ni Mono Mousu~'' by Kotoko
*Ending theme: ''Shin'ainaru Kimi to Mirai e'' by Rekka Katakiri

;''Tsuyokiss Nigakki''
*Opening theme: ''★Nijiiro Rock 'n' Roll'' by Kaori Utatsuki
*Ending theme: ''To Your Kiss!'' by Rita

Anime

The ''Tsuyokiss Cool×Sweet'' anime started airing in Japan on July 1, 2006 with a total of 12 episodes. In the R2 DVD release, each episode has extended footage at the middle of every episode, where a short (2 minutes) sketch featuring some or all of the characters is presented.

Episodes

Theme songs

*Opening theme: by Little Non
*Ending theme: ''open'' by Kaori Utatsuki

Manga

The manga version, illustrated by Hamao Sumeragi and based on the videogame version, began serialization in the Comp Ace on January 26, 2006 in Japan, published by Kadokawa Shoten. The manga was collected in two tankōbon volumes.

Novels

Four novels based on the PS2 version and fifteen adult novels based on the PC version or Minikiss version were published by five publishers in Japan.
; Kadokawa Shoten
* Tsuyokiss ~Mighty Heart~ ''Sunao ni High-tension!'' -
: written by Tōru Tamegai, illustrated by Hamao Sumeragi

; Famitsu bunko by Enterbrain
* Tsuyokiss ~Mighty Heart~ ''Rindoukan no Yuurei'' -
* Tsuyokiss ~Mighty Heart~ ''Ochitekita Santa Claus'' -
* Tsuyokiss ~Mighty Heart~ ''Koutetsu no Teacher'' -
: written by Mitsuha Kamibuki, illustrated by Maruto!

; Paradigm Novels by Paradigm
* Tsuyokiss ''Kurogane Otome-hen'' -
* Tsuyokiss ''Yashi Nagomi-hen'' -
* Tsuyokiss ''Kiriya Erika-hen'' -
* Tsuyokiss ''Kanisawa Kinu-hen'' -
: written by Haruka Fuse
* Tsuyokiss ''Konoe Sunao-hen'' -
: written by Kazuhiko Okita

; Sofugare Novels by Softgarage
* Tsuyokiss ''Bangaihen Nakomi no Christmas'' -
: written by Chiruda Sasamiya, illustrated by Denki Shōgun
* Tsuyokiss ''Bangaihen 2 Ohanami ni ikou'' -
: written by Tomo Mikado, illustrated by Denki Shōgun
* Tsuyokiss ''Bangaihen 3 Konote ni nigirumono'' -
* Tsuyokiss ''Bangaihen 4 Aki no Majutsu'' -
* Tsuyokiss ''Bangaihen 5 Ai no Arashi'' -
: written by Tomo Mikado and Fūichirō Noyama, illustrated by Denki Shōgun

; Nijiken Game Novels by Kill Time Communication
* Tsuyokiss another story ''Yashi Nagomi no Baai'' -
* Tsuyokiss another story ''Kurokane Otome no Baai'' -
* Tsuyokiss another story ''Kiriya Erika no Baai'' -
* Tsuyokiss another story ''Yashi Nagomi no Baai 2'' -
: written by Kasao Sakaki, illustrated by Jōji Shinozuka
* Tsuyokiss another story ''Konoe Suao no Baai'' -
: written by Kasao Sakaki, illustrated by Keiko Yoshino and Fezādo Graphic

Books

One fanbook for the PC version and one guidebook for the PS2 version were published in Japan.

Audio CDs

Four drama CDs based on the videogame were released by Softgarage. Seven character image song albums based on the PS2 version were released by Five Records. A soundtrack and Character image song album named ''Tsuyokiss ~Cool×Sweet~ Complete Selection'' based on the anime version was released by SOL BLADE/Tree Fat Samurai.

DVDs

The anime series was released in six DVDs by Trinet Entertainment in Japan.

Reception

The original ''Tsuyokiss'' game was voted the 14th most interesting galge ever by readers of Dengeki G's Magazine in an August 2007 survey.
The PC release was the top-selling bishoujo game in Japan from August 16 to September 15 of 2006.

References

External links

* Tsuyokiss
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Official Website for Anime version
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Official Website for PS2 game

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* Tsuyokiss Nigakki
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* Tsuyokiss Sangakki
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{{Studio Hibari

Eroge
Japan-exclusive video games
PlayStation 2 games
PlayStation Portable games
School life in anime and manga
Seinen manga
Studio Hibari
Video games developed in Japan
Video games scored by Maiko Iuchi
Visual novels
Windows games
PrincessSoft games