, also known as ''Underbar Summer'', 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 Hooksoft which was released on July 15, 2005, 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 CD; a

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

consumer console port called ''_Summer##'' followed on August 24, 2006, by GN Software. An updated version of the original game, called , which is compatible up to

Windows Vista Windows Vista is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was the direct successor to Windows XP, which was released five years before, at the time being the longest time span between successive releases of ...

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 ...

, was released on December 21, 2007. The gameplay in ''_Summer'' follows a plot line which offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the six female main characters. The story revolves around Takumi Kaizu, who after years of making good friends, many of whom are female, is asked by his best male friend Osamu Funada if he likes anyone. With his last summer in high school quickly approaching, Takumi decides to find someone to like by the end of summer vacation. ''_Summer'' has had overall well received sales, premiering as the most sold bishōjo game in Japan during the first half of July in 2005, and would go on to chart twice more. ''_Summer'' has made several transitions into other media, such as a mini four-panel web comic, an

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 ...

one-shot One shot may refer to: Film and television * One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so * ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake * ''One Shot'' (2 ...

published in

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'' magazine, and four character light novels written by Jōji Kamio. An illustrated story titled ''_Summer## Official Illust Story'' was serialized in MediaWorks' '' Dengeki G's Magazine''. A two-episode

original video animation , 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 ...

was produced; the two

s were released on October 27, 2006, and January 26, 2007. Several drama CDs were released based on the game, including one released as a prologue to the OVA.

Gameplay

''_Summer'' is a romance

in which the player assumes the role of Takumi Kaizu. The gameplay requires little interaction from the player as most of the duration of the game is spent on simply reading the text that appears on the screen; this text represents either

dialogue Dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog in American English) is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literary and theatrical form that depicts such an exchange. As a philosophical or didactic device, it is c ...

between the various characters, or the inner thoughts of the protagonist. Every so often, the player will come to a "decision point" and must choose from options that are displayed on the screen, typically two to three at a time. During these times, gameplay pauses until a choice is made that furthers the plot in a specific direction, depending on which choice the player makes. There are six main plot lines that the player will have the chance to experience, one for each of the heroines in the story. In order to view the six plot lines to their entirety, the player will have to replay the game multiple times and choose different choices during the decision points in order to further the plot in an alternate direction. Throughout gameplay, there are scenes depicting Kyōtarō and a given heroine having sex. However, in the

port, these scenes are removed. The visual novel also features real-time choices (RTC), this is when the player given a choice within a time period, and varying on the amount of time the player takes to make the choice, it will effect the ensuing dialogue.

Plot

Story and setting

''_Summers story takes place in a small seaside town during the summer, where Takumi Kaizu is a normal high school student enjoying his final year in school with the rest of his friends. Over the years, he has made good memories with these friends of his, most of whom are girls, though apparently still have no overt feelings of attraction towards any of them. There are six main potential love interests presented to Takumi in ''_Summer''; they are Konami Hatano, Shino Ebizuka, Sana Kaizu, Chiwa Amano, Wakana Shimazu, and Hinako Nanao. Konami is the kind and timid childhood friend of Takumi, and the main heroine. She will come to Takumi's house in the morning and prepare breakfast for him. As a contrast to Konami's gentle personality, her female friend Shino is rough and hot-tempered, but protective of Konami. Takumi has a younger stepsister called Sana, an energetic, fun-loving girl, if not a little lazy for being unable to wake up in the morning without Takumi. Sana has a best friend called Chiwa, a mysterious and very strange girl, who is known to be unpredictable. An upperclassman called Wakana has an immense crush on Takumi, despite her popularity with boys due to her beauty and elegant personality. The homeroom teacher of Takumi, named Hinako, will often be seen trying to find free food because of her money wasting. When Takumi is asked by his best male friend Osamu Funada if he likes anyone, Takumi starts to think about it though is still confused on what to do next. With his last summer in high school quickly approaching, Takumi decides to find someone to like by the end of summer vacation. Takumi slowly starts to take a romantic interest in the girls around him, while his friend Osamu relentlessly searches for a girlfriend as well.

Characters

Main characters

; :''Voiced by:''

Takashi Kondo is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings The name Takashi can have multiple different meanings depending on which kanji is used to write it. Some possible writings of the name include: *江詩 - "estuary , inlet, poem" *隆 - "prospe ...

(OVA) :Takumi is the protagonist of the story. He is a high school student who enjoys the time he's been spending with his close friends and wants it to last as long as it can. Despite having many beautiful girls as good friends, Takumi still has no attraction towards any of them, though when his friend Osamu Funade asks him if there's anyone he likes, he decides to try to find an answer to that question by the end of the next summer vacation which is right around the corner. He has a younger

step sister Step(s) or STEP may refer to: Common meanings * Steps, making a staircase * Walking * Dance move * Military step, or march ** Marching Arts Films and television * ''Steps'' (TV series), Hong Kong * ''Step'' (film), US, 2017 Literature * '' ...

called Sana. ; : :Konami is the main heroine who usually has a quiet, timid personality, though is also very helping. She is the seagull-loving childhood friend of Takumi and even goes as far as to go over to Takumi's house every morning and make him breakfast. Konami is a close friend of Shino Ebizuka, though they are not alike personality wise. ; : :Shino is Konami's closest female friend who has a tough personality. She often acts in ways to defend Konami or react strongly on her behalf when she will not speak up over certain matters. She has shown herself to have a temper and often will get angry at Osamu's repeated perverted actions, which often earns him a beating on Shino's behalf. ; : :Sana is Takumi's younger step-sister by one year who lives with him, though there is no blood relation between them. She most often has an active personality when awake, though still has problems getting up for school during the week despite now being in high school. Her best friend is Chiwa Amano who hangs out with her constantly. ; : :Chiwa is Sana's best friend who has an odd personality. She always speaks with a silent tone and will often point the obvious during times relating to something perverted that either Takumi or Osamu have done. She will usually do certain things that give her a creepy visage and is known to be unpredictable. ; : (OVA) :Wakana is a very beautiful girl who is one year above Takumi. She seems to have a crush on Takumi, of which he is unaware of. At school, Yuno Kawakami will often follow her around either helping her out with simple things or by fending off pushy guys with a wooden sword. ; : :Hinako is Takumi's homeroom teacher. She is apparently hooked on buying strange and often useless mail-order products with the money she earns in her job. Since most of her money is spent in this fashion, she is usually found wandering the halls of the student cafeteria during lunchtime in hopes of getting free food. Hinako has a teacher friend called Kasumi.

Supporting characters

; : :Yuno is a second-year girl who will follow Wakana around school, protecting her with a wooden sword from pushy guys or just helping her with simple things like purchasing meal tickets at the cafeteria. She has a forceful personality which helps whenever she is protecting Wakana, whom she addresses while adding the Japanese honorific to the end of her name as a sign of intense respect. ; : :Kasumi is a teacher from another school and a friend of Hinako's. She has a cool, collected, and generally kind personality. ; : (game) :Chizuru is a young woman who is a Yamato nadeshiko, which means the "personification of an idealized Japanese woman". Chizuru is also the tea ceremony club adviser. Most of the time, she is a calm and composed person, however, she is scary when made angry. ; : (OVA) :Osamu is Takumi's best male friend who has a bold personality, often not turning up the chance to peek at a girl changing her clothes or is otherwise partially or completely naked. Shino will attempt to beat him to persuade him otherwise, though despite this he still finds some way to get around her onslaughts. Due to this personality, it can be said that he has perhaps a higher than average liking to the opposite sex, something Takumi himself has noted. His nickname is ''Funamushi'', meaning sea slater. ; : (OVA) :An old man who owns a cafe, where Takumi and the others will often visit. His real name and age are a mystery. He is often seen smoking tobacco, and likes to give advice to those who are in need.

Development and release

Makako Matsuhita and Racco worked as the character designers and illustrators for the game, while Mujin Kawanami and Celsior were the scenario writers, but primarily Mujin. Rohei Yamane mostly took charge of graphics, however, Uto Yakamoto and Mitsuki assisted in this. Uto also worked as the event planner. All art was directed by Radio Fish (officially written as RADiO FiSH), and Hattan handled the background coloring. Music in the game was provided by Takao Matsuura, and sound effects by VII. Ichirouji worked as the programmer, and Noah Kuroki handled the editing. Kei took the job of being the general manager, and Akira Asami was the game's producer. The chief writer of the game, Mujin Kawanami, also worked as the director, and Yoshimi Kuze takes credit as the voice director. ''_Summer'' is self-described as a , according to Hooksoft. ''_Summer'' was released in Japan on July 15, 2005, as a

CD-ROM A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains data. Computers can read—but not write or erase—CD-ROMs. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold both comput ...

playable on

. A version for the

with

content removed, called , was developed by GN Software and released in Japan on August 24, 2006, in limited and regular editions. The limited edition PS2 release came bundled with a drama CD, a cell phone strap featuring Konami Hatano, and a double-sided hug pillowcase, also featuring Konami. The PS2 version was re-released at a cheaper price on October 4, 2007. An updated version of the original game, called , which is compatible up to

as a

, was released on December 21, 2007.

Related media

Print media

Before the visual novel's official release, a four-panel web comic illustrated by Haruka Ogataya began serialization on Hooksoft's official website from April 27 to July 4, 2005. These and ''

Like Life is a Japanese Eroge, adult visual novel developed by Hooksoft which was released on May 28, 2004 playable on Microsoft Windows, Windows as a CD-ROM, CD; a PlayStation 2 consumer console port called ''Like Life An Hour'' followed on April 28, ...

'' comic strips were later published in the MTG corner of

Enterbrain , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing founded on 30 January 1987 as . Magazines published by Enterbrain are generally focused on video games and computer entertainment as well as video game and strategy ...

's ''Tech Gian'' magazine. In the comic, characters are drawn to give the appearance of chibis. A

illustrated by Kankiriko for ''_Summer'' was published by

and was published in the Japanese video game magazine '' Comp Ace'' in its June 2005 issue. There have been four

erotic Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, scul ...

character light novels based on the game written by Japanese author Jōji Kamio and illustrated by Araiguma, published by

Softgarage is a Japanese company that produces anime, games, character goods, music, and books. Softgarage was the company that produced the '' GR: Giant Robo'' anime. Though Softgarage primarily focuses on the production of original video animation (OVAs), ...

under their Sofgare Novels imprint. Cover illustrations for all four volumes were by Makako Matsushita. The first novel covers Konami, the second covers both Chiwa and Sana, the third covers Shino and Wakana, and the fourth is a general novel titled ''Omnibus''. The first novel was released on October 14, 2005, and the final novel was released on September 25, 2006. A six-chapter illustrated story of ''_Summer##'', titled ''_Summer## Official Illust Story'', was serialized in MediaWorks' '' Dengeki G's Magazine'' between the March and August 2006 issues. There would be one chapter per issue focusing on a different heroine. It was written by Mujin Kawanami, also the chief writer for the game, and illustrated by two artists, Makako Matsuhita and Racco, who worked as the illustrators for the game. Two visual fan books have been published for ''_Summer''. The first, entitled ''_Summer Visual Fan Book'', was published by Kill Time Communication in November 2005. The book consists of 135 pages and contains a character and story introduction, an illustration gallery, voice actor and staff interviews, strategy guides, and more. A 129-page visual fan book, titled ''_Summer ## Perfect Visual Book'', was published for the

port of the game by MediaWorks in August 2006. The visual fan book contains part of a six-chapter illustrated story called ''_Summer## Official Illust Story'', a drama CD of ''_Summer##'', voice cast interviews, character introductions, and ecchi illustrations.

Music and drama CDs

''_Summers opening theme from the game is sung by

Miyuki Hashimoto is a female Japanese singer from Saitama Prefecture. She is signed to Lantis, a label which contribute songs to anime and video games. Discography Singles * ''Koko ni Iru kara...'' (Released August 25, 2004) # Koko ni Iru kara... — anim ...

, and the ending theme from the game is by YuNa; "Important Person" was also used as an insert song. The game's original soundtrack was released by Lantis on November 23, 2005, and contained thirty-one tracks. In July 2005, Messe Sanoh released a retailer bonus CD titled ''_Summer Original Arrange SoundTracks''. A maxi single containing the opening and ending themes of the OVA was released on September 29, 2006. The OVA's opening theme is by Yuma Kosaka, and the OVA's ending theme is "_Summer", also by Yuma Kosaka. A soundtrack consisting of nine tracks titled ''Underbar Summer Soundtrack with Drama'' was released by Hooksoft on July 25, 2005, and it also came bundled with the limited edition of the ''_Summer'' game. It contains two in-game songs, a 20-minute-long drama, and the six heroines' background music

leitmotifs A leitmotif or leitmotiv () is a "short, recurring musical phrase" associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical concepts of ''idée fixe'' or ''motto-theme''. The spelling ''leitmotif'' is an anglici ...

. Konami's theme is ; Shino's theme is ; Sana's theme is ; Chiwa's theme is ; Wakana's theme is , and lastly, Hinako's theme is . There are several drama CDs based on the series produced by different companies. Hooksoft released a drama CD called ''_Summer The Secret Disc Character Voice Drama Collection'' on December 29, 2004, which contains six tracks, each track featuring a different heroine. The six tracks came bundled with the April 2005 issue of

's ''Tech Gian'' magazine. The first produced set of drama CDs contains three CDs titled ''_Summer: Everblue Days'' released between December 29, 2005, and April 21, 2006, by Marine Entertainment. On August 24, 2006, a drama CD titled ''_Summer## Appendix Special Drama CD'' was released by Hooksoft; it contains two discs, each track has a different heroine's story. The drama CD was included in the perfect visual book. On the same day, a drama CD titled ''_summer## First Press Bonus Drama CD'' was released, containing one disc of fifteen tracks. Another CD was released on September 29, 2006 by Softgarage as a

prologue A prologue or prolog (from Greek πρόλογος ''prólogos'', from πρό ''pró'', "before" and λόγος ''lógos'', "word") is an opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier story that ...

to the OVA series.

Anime

(OVA) series produced by animation studio Rikuentai, and directed by Takahiro Okao, was distributed by

. Softgarage released the first episode of the ''_Summer'' OVA in Japan as a DVD titled ''_Summer Season 1'' on October 27, 2006 in both regular and limited editions, and the second episode was released as a DVD titled ''_Summer Season 2'' on January 26, 2007, also in both regular and limited editions. The limited editions were released on UMD ( Universal Media Disc), and include illustrations by the staff of Hooksoft. After the ending credits of the two episodes, there is a short, humorous bonus episode around five minutes long each. Takumi Kaizu, who was not voiced in the game, is voiced by

in the OVA. The anime's opening theme, , is sung by Yuma Kosaka, who also provided vocals for the anime's ending theme, "_Summer". A character from ''

'' named Keshiko makes a small cameo appearance as the blackboard eraser in both episodes, though she is left unnamed in the OVA series. ''Like Life'' is an earlier visual novel by Hooksoft released on May 28, 2004.

Episodes

Miscellaneous

Solid Theater has produced two PVC figures for ''_Summer''. They are of the characters Konami and Chiwa, and were released in February 2007. Character goods such as phone danglers, an underlay, a clear file, a mouse pad, and fastener accessories were all produced by Exhaust, and sold at

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 ...

. Also, a dakimakura cover depicting Konami was produced by Axia; the cover came bundled with the limited edition PS2 release. At Comiket 68, a paper bag containing ''_Summer'' and ''

'' related items was given out. The bag contained a CD folder, a mini-clock depicting two characters from ''Like Life'', Okiru and Keshiko (the latter had a cameo appearance in the ''_Summer'' OVA series), a mini lantern imitating the lanterns from the fictional

shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy sacred space, space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daem ...

in ''_Summer'', a cold bottle cover, a booklet-type post card set, a sticker set, a bookmark, a drawn underlay, a telephone card, and lastly, a drama CD. An

fan disc to ''_Summer'' and ''Like Life'', titled was released for Windows by Hooksoft on December 16, 2005. The disc includes a collection of wallpapers, screen savers, and opening movies for both ''_Summer'' and ''Like Life'', as well as unpublished voice actor interviews.

Reception

The Japanese video game magazine ''

Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the fo ...

'' reviewed the

port of the game ''_Summer##'', and gave it a total review score of 20/40 (out of the four individual review scores of 5, 6, 5, and 4). According to a national sales ranking of bishōjo games sold in Japan, the PC release of ''_Summer'' premiered at No. 1 during the first half of July 2005. The game made another appearance in the charts during the second half of July, and ranked as the 18th most sold game, before charting for the last time as the 40th most sold game during the first half of August. On Getchu.com, a major redistributor of visual novel and domestic anime products, ''_Summer'' was ranked as the most widely sold game in Japan in July 2005, the month and year of the visual novel's release. The visual novel failed to chart further, but it was ranked as the fifth most widely sold game of 2005 on Getchu.com, but outranked by ''

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 ...

'', '' Yoake Mae yori Ruriiro na'', ''

Fate/hollow ataraxia is a 2005 PC visual novel video game developed by Type-Moon, and the sequel to ''Fate/stay night''. The word "ataraxia" in the title is a Greek term for "tranquility", giving the title the combined meaning of "empty (or false) tranquility". ...

'', and '' To Heart 2 XRATED'', which ranked first. ''_Summer'' did however beat visual novels such as '' Happiness!'', ''

Tick Tack! ''Tick! Tack!'' is the second eroge visual novel in the ''Shuffle!'' series created by Navel for Microsoft Windows. The game is the first sequel to Navel's first game, ''Shuffle!'', continuing Nerine's path. The basic set-up is that Rin, Nerine, ...

'', '' Tomoyo After: It's a Wonderful Life'', and '' School Days'' in sales that year. The theme song for ''_Summer'' appeared in ''Tech Gian'' The Best Hits listing in September 2009. Hooksoft held a popularity poll for the characters of ''_Summer'' between August 5–26, 2005. With a total of 15,740 votes, results were rallied up and announced on September 26, 2005, and recorded in the download section. Konami came in first place with a total of 4,196 votes, and with 4004 votes, Chiwa came second. Wakana came third with 2,616 votes; with 1,757 votes, Shino came fourth. Sana came fifth with 1,297 votes; with 484 votes, Yuno came sixth, and Hinako came seventh scoring 472 votes. Six other characters were included in the poll. As a prize for gathering the most votes, a downloadable wallpaper featuring Konami was made available on the website in various resolutions.

References

External links

''_Summer'' official website

''_Summer Renewal Edition'' official website
*
''_Summer'' OVA official website
* *{{vndb, 89, , _Summer 2005 Japanese novels 2005 video games 2006 anime OVAs Anime OVAs Bishōjo games Dengeki G's Magazine Drama anime and manga Harem anime and manga Eroge Japan-exclusive video games Kadokawa Shoten manga Lantis (company) Light novels OVAs based on video games Romance anime and manga Romance video games PlayStation 2 games School life in anime and manga Seinen manga Video games developed in Japan Visual novels Windows games Yonkoma Articles with underscores in the title