It's a little late in the year, but happy new year, nonetheless! I hope everyone had a good winter break!

Right now I'm thinking about Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side Plus. Yeah, B's Log hasn't mentioned it yet, but I found it on the Konami site while looking for TMGS stickers ^///^; Yeah, I'm going to get it. It's amazing how stupid this makes me feel, but it's a lot easier playing TMGS on the DS than on the J-PS2 for me. I actually got the TMGS First Love on DS first....then Second DS title and then I went and got the PS2 versions because I wanted more. I haven't had a chance to play the PS2 versions at all...and I'm probably going to the the Plus. Gee. But you see, it'd be *so* *much* *better* full voice on the DS!

I wish they'd add a new character or more scenes, but it kind of doesn't sound like it from what they say :*( It's due out March 12th. I'm really surprisedit hasn't been mentioned in B's Log. Maybe I need to check a couple issues back when I wasn't reading it that closely...

So what does it say you'll get?!

1. Full Voice
With their 2GB ROM and their new compression technology, there's 3 times as much voice than in the prior version!

2. Voice has been added to Album Mode
When you look through the CG's in Album Mode, you will hear your guy talk to you like he's flipping through the pages of the album with you. I guess this wasn't in the PS2 or 1st DS version.

So well, this fan girl wants it anyway *sigh* ...so I can play it on my new DSi

Gamespot changed their layout colors and now my stuff all my images look stupid :P Well, I don't really have time to change them :P Oh well, mea culpa :P I should have planned things for change, I suppose.

***AoTan Gaming News ***

I've been playing Hana yori Dango DS (going for Rui)...and I'm afraid it's not terribly exciting. Unlike TMGS, you play *EVERY* day of a school year instead a week at a time. A lot of it is very repetitious. There are only three dates places...with only 2 scenarios each...so you play through them pretty quickly. The lunch making is pretty interesting, though. Oh, and it's not full voice...and they don't care if you wear the same thing all the time for a season.

It really seems they didn't put much effort into this one. They have potentially exciting plots lines...like staying in the same hotel room as the guy...but they wind up flat with no dokidoki /exciting to them at all! How can you not make that a tense exciting scenario?! Really! Disappointing. Despite all the "rich" people presents and parties, it just doesn't *feel* luxurious. I think this was a "make money off the success of the manga" dealie. I can see why it had *NO* B's Log coverage.

Redeeming qualities for the game? Well, I like the clock feature. You can use your DS as a clock...and an alarm clock, but *NOT* while playing the game. Kind of stupid. I really like the card game. It's not terribly exciting, but if you play Windows Solitare (yeah, I get hooked on that every once is a while *blush*), you'll love it *hearts*

I may not finish this one :P I really want the Death Note game, so I'm going to try to get a hold of the first one soon...so :P

I kind of wonder if it's a remake of the Gameboy Color game :*( I mean the engine seems pretty archaic. They should have just used the TMGS one :P

[spoiler] So well, Rui's lunch. He likes the Croissant Roll, the Cucumber Slices, and Jello. Well, that's what I figured out so far. Oh and he likes casual- cool clothes, so the T-shirt stuff. Doumoto seems to like cute. I'm assuming Nishikado likes sexy...Don't give up on the game when Rui goes to France, btw. The heart gauge takes forever to fill. He likes when you whisper to him and touch his tummy. Don't stare at him at first, but after 1/4 of the heart guage is full, then you can stare, too. [/spoiler]

I've also been "moonlighting" with Otsu! Tatakae! Ouendan...which is was really hard at first, but I've actually gone through about 9 "rescues." It's pretty amusing with all the funny, cheesy scenarios. It's pretty challenging, too. The really nice thing is that you can play in in small chunks and not really miss anything. The storyline isn't one big things so you don't need to remember anything about the previous story to play the next rescue. There is some continuity, though. Some of the characters from previous stories appear in later ones.

I just didn't have enough time to really play Koi Koi Zanmai so I had to put that one on hold...it's really hard to play an otome game if you don't have a lot of "sit down and savor" time...because you forget pieces of the plot and then it's not really so enjoyable.

***Other***

I hadn't forgotten about the previous entry, but I don't feel like looking for the B's Log issue to translate it right now...so...sorry! I'll do it...a little later :P

As you well know, I like collecting older issues of B's Log. As I'm still relatively a novice in terms of Otome Games (I've been playing for a little over a year now! My first game was Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side 1st Love...which I got at the end of March 2007 *hearts*) and so I figure reading old mags gives me a little more insight into things...and then I get to find out about neat games that aren't really advertised anymore because they're not new.

So while paging though the May 2005 issue of B's Log I found out about "Glamourous Knight"! The characters are wearing Arabic looking clothing and are gorgeous! From this page:
http://bunnyhole.cocolog-nifty.com/about.html
I found out that it was scheduled to be released in winter ~ spring of 2007. It wasn't. What happened to it? So I searched harder and found this on their cell site:
http://www.bunnyhole.jp/i/gk.html
It's from 5.24.2006 and gives more information about the game!

The Story

Zakuro and Makuru have continued to battle over a long period of over a 1000 years.

Zakuro lost the battle and to seal the peace agreement, the young King of Makuru, Van, selected not the Queen of Zakuro, who was said to be a peerless beauty, but Verunei, her newborn prince. There was opposition at Van's adoption of Verunei, but Van created a palace in the middle of the desert for Verunei. There Van, who found peace living there quietly with his son, lovingly taught his son the arts of war and wisdom. Verunei, too, loved Vaan and the two's relationship become one that was more than parent and child.

However things began to fall apart when Vaan had to marry a fourth wife, Isadora Neferuteesu due to a political agreement. Isadora noticed Vaan's special love for Verunei and she brims with hatred at the site of Verunei's passionate red eyes. This was because it was Vernunei's mother who killed Isadora's beloved elder half brother.

Isadora pledges revenge and comes up with a terrifying plan to trick Verunei. However, though she hates him, somewhere in her heart she is also enamoured of the isolated and beautiful boy.

Verunei is slandered as "the Devil that lives in the desert," "the dark prince", etc. by society because of the lies Isadora spreads. He became a terrifying legend to even the people who had known nothing of him prior.

Eriaade, a merchant's son from the neutral kingdom of Kurisokoora, hears this legend and visits the castle in the desert with curiousity and treachery. Eriaade fills his hands with mountains of books and jewelry...and plans to use Verunei, but instead finds himself pitying the prince who lives such a lonely life and doesn't know anything about the world on the other side of the desert. He realizes that Verunei isn't a devil but just a boy and tries to strike a friendship.

The drama between Verunei, his lover the King of Makuru, his firend Eriaade, the aide Zaza and Isadora who loves and hates him, unfolds in the castle in the desert.

The Characters
Verunei Makuru Viis (the main character) 15 years old
...is the youngest son of the Queen of the Kingdom of Zukuro. He is gurrenly the 3rd prince of the Kingdom of Makuru. At a very young age, he becomes the King of Makuru, Vaan's adopted son to seal a peace treaty when his motherland of Zakuro loses the war. While he is a prince of Makuru, in reality, h'es a hostage. He lives a lonely existence with a few servants in a castle built in the middle of the desert. He is a pure and loyal youth who repects the King of Makuru, who was the only person gave him love, from the bottom of his year. He is slandered as a devil's child because of his red eyes and black hair, which are peculiar to the people of Zakuro.

Eriaade Varisusaito (son of a merchant from Kurisokoora)16 years old
Vaan (the King of Makuru) 34 years old
Isadora Neferuteisu (the 4th Queen)20 years old
Zaza Kurosaito (aide) 22 years old
Hmm...that's strange. That's not what the May 2006 issue of B's Log said...

The Other Story

(I'll finish this later)

So I had to get one of each of them. I couldn't resist. The idea of having a harem of SD characters hanging off my DS was too much for me to resist. Right now I have only Shinichiro -tan hanging off my SD. These Duel Love Metal Netsuke are by CafeReo, so pretty much like the TsukiHikari ones... SD enamel on one side and the back is a a solid color of their hair with the copyright in raised letters...but they don't have lobster clasps. I wish they did. That would have been nicer. I guess I can just add one anyway though. I'd have to get gunmetal ones, though. I don't have any that color. As you can see you can get all six guys:

1. Yuuma Asakura
2. Shinichirou Nagao
3. Tomohiko Tachibana
4. JinYuuki
5. Masayoshi Date
6. Kei Ryuuzouji

They look exactly like the SD figures in the bonus disk. Haha! Show your otome game love with these, eh? Yeah, same bird cage cover (baby blanket) background. I have to find something better to use as a background :P

Anyhoo, I can't think of much else to write about these. I really like these charms, though *hearts*

Yay! A goods post! I like doing goods posts because I like stuff. I was just paging through Messe Sanoh's goods catalog when I found out they have SD charm straps of the characters from Tsuki no Hikari Taiyou no Kage! You can get them separately at Messe Sanoh, or you can get the set from a store in Amazon.co.jp.

I got the set, which consists of one of each of the straps:

1. Akira Kai - he has one white wing and one dark metal one.
2. Tomoya Takami - looks like he's wearing ajogging suit?
3. Takumi Yusa - is winking and waving
4. Nobuhiko Sudou - looks unhappy and has a textbook in his hand
5. Kazuki - looks shy.

They all come with clasps? (I forget what they're called...lobster claps?) so you can use them as fastener accessories, too! The backs are just a solid color (the same color as their hair) with the copyright symbol and "aromarie" in the middle.

I'd never heard of merchandise for 18+ otome games, so I thought they're really neat. They are manufactured by CafeReo, the same company that did the Duel Love straps...which I also got and will post about later :) I wonder if Aromarie will have SD character accessories for their new game? I hope so :) I want a strap harem on my DS...I wish Mirai had some made. Maybe I should write and ask. Wouldn't it look so cute to have a little Ise-tama hanging off my DS *squee*

I wish I took better pictures of things :P

That's right! Aromarie is releasing a new title in 2008! The tentative title is "Gin no Kanmuri, Ao no Namida" *hearts* I don't have time for a full writeup today, but well, it's about a newly married wife, who's husband is already taking her for granted. Up for grabs is the husband's friend, the delivery boy, the hairstylist, an younger associate? and well, the husband. The character designs are quite mature! No high school angst here! *nice* The art reminds me of Love Drops, but it's not the same character designer. If you don't remember. Aromarie is the brand that brought otome gamers the dark, ero of "Tsuki no Hikari, Taiyou no Kage," which was a huge hit among Japanese gamers!

***Coming Soon***

This coming week, I'll probably write about goods. I finally got my Duel Love cell straps...and some that I didn't know existed that are too cool *grins*. I'll also have to write B's Log August 2008 (now that September 2008 is almost out -_-; It just arrived a few days ago :P). I'm still planning to write about Glamourous Knight. So I have plenty to write about...just not much time!

***IMHO***

Oh, and I'm at "Ring King" now...kind of Duel Love sounding, eh?

***Aotan Gaming Front***

BTW, I'm playing Jingi Naki Otome Koi Koi Zanmai instead of Hiiro no Kakera DS...I couldn't resist Koi Koi and Hiiro wasn't too interesting...

Anyhoo, I was looking for a picture of the Treasure Box since my mad photography skillz are non-existant ^^; and I found that the site for Harukanaru Toki no Naka de Yume no Ukihashi is up! Since no one else that I know of's written much about this, I thought I'd do it! New stuff's exciting *blush* Oh, it's due out 8.21.2008!

The Story

When the miko awakened, she was in strange hereto unknown location. Could this be...?

She gets away from the one who called themselves the "Tenkai no Shusaisha" (Chairman of the Heavens) who wanted her to become the "Tenkai no Shinshou" (The Leader of the Beasts of the Heavens) , but--

...all the Hachiyou except the two nearby have been captured. The apparitions that attack, the mysteries that need to be solved, the ingenious traps set...

Gaining the power of the Hachiyou from other ages, the miko now rises--

The dream performance of a total of 24 Hachiyou from three different ages! When you cross the Bridge of Dreams, you will know a new love.

That's all they have written for the story part right now :) The BGM (Back Ground Music) is really pretty and quiet. The art is, of course, gorgeous!

The System

Cheer on the Hachiyou with the DS Mike!
When you use spells your meter goes down so you will need to refill your meter. With the "Ouen" (cheering) command, you can choose a decision branch that will recover the meter for a character. The amount recover will depend on which decision branch you choose. Choose the words the character will like and...

Blow! Blow! Blow to blow them away!
The apparitions/monsters appear on the area map. Use the DS mike to blow away the monsters and make things easier!

Spin your army with the touch pen! Touch and spin!
As more Hachiyou join you, they will be placed in a circle. When a battle erupts, only the 8 characters in the circle can participate. Each characters uses different spells, so choose wisely. The three characters located at the top of the circle are the only ones who will directly battle your foes. When you want to change which characters will fight during a battle, rotate the circle with the touchpen.

Touch gently! Events appear when you touch the small box!
When you raise your "Miko no Kizuna" stat after an event or battle, a "Yume no Kobako" (small box of dreams) appears on top of the map. If you fill yourself up with emotions and touch the box, a love or friendship event will occur.

I don't get the cheering one. They show word balloons that you pick with your touch pen...so how does that use the mike? It doesn't really say :P Maybe it's a typo? I double checked and there's nothing about the mike in the cheering section.

The Characters

Harukanaru Toki no Naka de

1. Minamoto no Yorihisa
(Shinichirou Miki, 三木 眞一郎 )
2. Fujiwara no Takamichi
(Shigeru Nakahara, 中原 茂 )
3. Tenma Morimura
(Tomokazu Seki, 関 智一 )
4. Tachibana no Tomomasa
(Kazuhiko Inoue, 井上 和彦 )
5. Inori
(Naozumi Takahashi, 高橋 直純 )
6. Eisen
(Souichirou Hoshi, 保志 総一朗 )
7. Shimon Nagareyama
(Kouki Miyata, 宮田 幸季 )
8. Abe no Yasuaki
(Akira Ishida, 石田 彰 )
9. Akuram
(Ryoutarou Okiayu, 置鮎 龍太郎)

Harukanaru Toki no Naka de2

1. Minamoto no Yoritada
(Shinichirou Miki, 三木 眞一郎 )
2. Fujiwara no Yukitaka
(Shigeru Nakahara, 中原 茂 )
3. Taira no Katsuzane
(Tomokazu Seki, 関 智一 )
4. Hisui
(Kazuhiko Inoue, 井上 和彦 )
5. Isato
(Naozumi Takahashi, 高橋 直純 )
6. Minamoto no Motomi
(Souichirou Hoshi, 保志 総一朗 )
7. Akifumi
(Kouki Miyata, 宮田 幸季 )
8. Abe no Yasuaki
(Akira Ishida, 石田 彰 )
9. Akuram
(Ryoutarou Okiayu, 置鮎 龍太郎)

Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3

1. Masaomi Arikawa
(Shinichirou Miki, 三木 眞一郎 )
2. Yuzuru Arikawa
(Shigeru Nakahara, 中原 茂 )
3. Minamoto no Kurou Yoshi.tsune
(Tomokazu Seki, 関 智一 )
4. Kagetoki Kajiwara
(Kazuhiko Inoue, 井上 和彦 )
5. Hinoe
(Naozumi Takahashi, 高橋 直純 )
6. Taira no Atsumori
(Souichirou Hoshi, 保志 総一朗 )
7. Benkei Musashibou
(Kouki Miyata, 宮田 幸季 )
8. Ridvan
(Akira Ishida, 石田 彰 )
9. Taira no Tomomori
(Kenji Hamada, 浜田 賢二)
10. Shirogane
(Kenji Hamada, 浜田 賢二)

The Boxes

Yeah, I like merchandising, so I'm going to start writing here:

Premium Box (MSRP 6,800yen)
* Harunakaru Toki no Naka de Yume no Ukihashi Game
* Seiyuu Script signed by the Hachiyou (photocopy of signatures, prbly)
* Original CD - Epilogue Collection

Treasure Box (MSRP 12,800yen)
* Harunakaru Toki no Naka de Yume no Ukihashi Game
* Seiyuu Script signed by the Hachiyou (photocopy of signatures, prbly)
* Original CD - Epilogue Collection
* Hokuto, Nanto Charm Set
* Hachiyou Shikashuuge (illustration booklet)
* Original CD - Hachiyou Shikashuu

The PreOrder Bonuses

Game City Original Bonus
(Not announced as of this writing)

Maker PreOrder Bonus
Harukanaru Toki no Naka de Yume no Ukihashi Special Sleeve
(Picture not available as of this writing)

The System and Gallery buttons aren't active yet, so this is as much as I can tell you :) Sounds exciting, yes? So well, that's all for now! Now I'm going to play Hiiro...I think I'll still try for Takuma...but I havent' gotten to the point where I'd have to decide yet so I can still change my mind...

I've been wanting to do a post like this for a while, but I wasn't sure if I was able to post links like this. Now that I know I can, I will!

There are a few really old sites and a lot of new sites about Otome Games up :) Please note that I won't be posting any sites that engage in illegal activity...I fully support otome and bl game makers and want them to make money off me so they can make more games *hearts*

BLGHQ - The Boy's Love Game Headquarters has been up for a long, long time! Contrary to the title, it's not just about Boy's Love Games. It covers otome games and other games as well. The forum is relatively active, too (and it's inhabitants friendly and helpful, too!)! There is help for using automatic translation software for PC games here.

Lijakaca's Otome Gaming Blog - This site has lots of pictures and news about new and upcoming games (mainly PS2). I look here a lot to make sure I'm not covering the same material :) The site has been up a lot longer than mine...and might continue after I get bored of writing mine *gigglies* It looks like they are about to move from IGN to Wordpress. I wish I could...but I don't want to have to spend any money for a host...so I'll be stuck here indefinately :)

Ex-Fansubber Hitorigoto - This site periodically reviews otome games. Please beware that the reviews contain a *lot* of spoilers, but I think it's nice to read after you play a game to see what other people thought of the games. There seems to be more reviews of 18+ PC games than not...but the site and reviews are not 18+.

White Butterfly - I found this just last week. It's a new site with only an Ijiwaru My Master review on it so far (as of this writing).

Otome Game Digest - I found this one today and this is and the White Butterfly site (above) made me think of creating this post! I recognize the blogger's name from the BLGHQ. This person's been playing otome games for a long time! Actually I think all of them except the White Butterfly person have been playing otome games for years longer than me!

If you'd like me to post a link here, just comment! I'll give you credit unless you tell me not to, of course! Please note that I'm not going to link any sites with illegal downloads and stuff.

***Aotan's Gaming Front***

On Aotan's Gaming Front...well, I've completed Suguru-tama's (Suguru Oomi) route in Hiiro no Kakera DS (link), and I think he's a bit of a pansy...though he does get a little more manly near the end. I like that he's a nice guy and has pretty long hair, but he still sounds like a bit like a pansy...from the way he talks and all.

So after finishing and capturing one of the guys, you can go on to the "Ano Sora no Shi.ta part...which is much more romantic and cute, imho. It's a little spoilerish...so you may want to play more people before playing this part. It looks like the order they should be played is Person Name, Festival, Christmas and Valentine's Day :) Otherwise the O-chan parts don't make much sense.

And well, as for the rest of my Suguru-tama thoughts:

[spoiler] Hmm...I wish they did a close-up on the engagement ring he gives you. It would have been pretty. He looks wierd in that camel colored coat. I like him better in kimono. Most of them are wearing kimono, not yukata in the Festival chapter. Multilayer = kimono, single visible layer = yukata. I don't think guys wear hada juban under yukata, so...I'm still wishing for a captureable, older O-chan *dreamy sigh* Oh, and in one part they mention that Grandma (Baba-sama) was thinking of sacrificing Tamaki (I think...but I fell asleep while gaming during that part, so I don't remember well)...but she didn't seem to bothered by this. That was strange! [/spoiler]

I think I'll go for Takuma next...or Mahiro-senpai. I'm saving Ryou and Yuuichi-senpai for last...because they look good :) Yuuichi-senpai's voice sounds like velvet *dreamy sigh*

And then well, I'm off to finish the character bios on my drastic Killer entry...sigh. Lots of typing :P Welp, I finished them and even added the contents of the Excellent Box, you so can decide if you want it or not. I've also added a link to the official drastic Killer page :)

I think I'll add some pictures to my previous entry about the HaruToki 4 Treasure Box and then call it a day. I'll probably talk about Glamourous Knight (Lapin) in my next blog entry, so stay tuned...:) Oh, and psst...KoiKoi Zanmai came out on Friday...but I haven't got a shipping notice for mine...well, I ordered from Animate via Himeya, so I knew it'd take a few days longer than ususal, but Keigo-kun, Mutou-sensei and Aso-san (without glasses! *squee*)!

Hello! I added the PreOrder Bonus information to the Drastic Killer entry :) I can't wait to pre-order it! I can wait to finish the character bios. It's starting to feel tedious...and I'm not sure how interested everyone is in it...though there were a lot of hits yesterday, so maybe you guys do want character bios? It's a lot of typing though. I wish I could type as fast as I read. Then it wouldn't be a problem at all...

Oh, and my Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 4 Treasure Box came! (Yeah, PS2. The Wii version doesn't get any special stuff. The picture here is pink, but it's actually a lavender color...but the picture I took of my box didn't come out very nice so I decided to use the "official" picture...) The books are very, very pretty...so Koei. I think they look nicer than the books that came with the La Corda Oro II Encore Super Premium Box or the Neo Angelique Full Voice Super Premium Box. I don't think I'll wear the necklace, though. It's nice that the "chain" part is that rubber/leather stuff. Fake metals give me a rash :P

I don't know if I'll play it today. I really want to, but if I play it, then I might not ever finish playing Hiiro no Kakera DS. It's hard for me to pick up a game once I put it down...*cries* I want to play it though...but then again, there are a lot of things I want to do that I never seem to have time for.

It's funny. When you do a search on stuff...like "Drastic Killer" on Google...this blog shows up...but the Movie Tome one does...not the GameSpot one. The Movie Tome background is white, so all my images look stupid on it. So if you are reading my blog from Movie Tome, please go to GameSpot instead:

http://www.gamespot.com/users/AoTan/

It looks better and is much easier to read. I promise :)

Edit: Yay! I asked the Mods and found out it's okay to link to the official game sites from my blog :) So now instead of just talking about the pictures I see, you can click the links and see the pictures/stuff I'm talking about, too! Yay!

***Aotan's Gaming Front***

Hiiro no Kakera DS Spoilers:
[spoiler] Okay, I don't get this. Granted sometimes I play late at night when I'm really sleepy, but where did the rest of the Shugosha go? There's only Suguru. What's Takuma, Mahiro, Yuuichi and Shinji-kun doing (oh, yobistute!　EDIT: According to the ending they were still hurt and recovered a while after everything was done. Uh, but Mahiro-senpai seemed fine earlier? Oh well, the story says they were still hurt, so they were still hurt. Can't argue with the story, right?)?! And what's with Suguru-tama kissing Tamaki all of a sudden for like no apparent reason? Like twice? And calling it a "chigiri"? Uh, sorry, but there's no Japanese that I know where a "chigiri" is just a kiss. "Chigiri" is the whole nine yards, Mr. Suguru. Methinks you should use a different word or get with the program (either way is fine with me, but I think CERO says you should use a different word) Me also thinks you need to take "how to date a girl" lessons. We're not impressed with your "woo-ing" skills. It seems like, "Oh, so I have to defend you. Rats. Okay, let's reseach this Tamayori stuff together. Oh, Drei's trapped us in the mansion. We can only get out when Eins and Zwei die. Okay, I love you, Tamaki and I'm going to kiss you now." *kiss* Uh? Hello?! What happened to the "We get to know each other and really fall in love and make googley eyes at each other" parts? Was that "Oh, Suguru-tama's staying over. Whoa, who's this pretty lady in a yukata?" dealie the "falling in love" part? Hmm...sorry not impressed. Not romantic. Suguru-tama, this doesn't moeyuru at all! *humph!* Give me more Shinichirou-tama! Hmm...Suguru-tama, you've been out-romanced by a high school kid! [/spoiler]

Hmm... I don't think there's much information out about Drastic Killer. I initially thought the character design was a bit... generic...but the illustrations in the last B's Log (July 2008 issue) caught my eye and I read about it...and the plot's rather...intriguing XD So I thought I'd write a little blurble about that today :)

Drastic Killer started out as a PS2 otome game by Banpresto. Bandai Namco bought up Banpresto in May of 2006 and was fully consolidated into Bandai Namco in April of 2008...which is why B's Log had Drastic Killer as a Banpresto game for a few issues. The character design is by Kuro and the scenario/script is written by Madoka/Youko Matsumoto. The release date is set for 7.31.2008.

The Story

"It was out of the blue.

After living abroad for a few years, Touko Tachibana (user may select any name), returns to the town she used to live in. On the night of her 16th birthday, she fell asleep with her heart full of hopes about her new school. When she next opened her eyes, what she saw was...

There was a strange man in strange clothing. He smiles and extends a hand to the bewildered girl, "I have come to welcome you...my lady."

Confused yet curious, she takes his hand. What awaited her was unbelievable...

She arrived at a different world, Inoraado (Inorad?).

The man that brought her here, Gryuudo, suddently proclaims that she has connections with this world of Inorad and that hidden within her is a power that normal humans do not posses. All this is due to her mother and thus she must declare herself a candidate to become the Queen of Inorad. As though hiding everything, Gyuudo does not try to explain anything to the girl who is surprised by his sudden proclamation.

Why does she, and her mother, have a connection to another world? Why a candidate to become Queen? In an instant her existance is veiled in mystery. Gryuudo tells her that she does not know now, but the time will come when she will understand all. "If I take action as a candidate to become Queen will something become apparent...," she wonders and decides to strengthen her ties to Inorad.

However, to that end as one of the tasks of a candidate to become Queen she must increase her magical powers, and completely awaken her true self.

The powers hidden within her are unknown. Even Gryuudo does not know of them. However, the moment when those powers awaken, is the moment when she will first be connected with her magic. When the time comes you will intuitively know. So states Gryuudo.

"What changes will come over me...," with uncertainty and anticipation in her heart, her days begin. What awaits her at school are many new meetings, strange experiences...and the sense of discomfort she begins to feel towards her body. The ability to steal love that begins to awaken as her powers awaken. She delves into them, shouldering her corruption..."

Wow. That was a pretty ...provocative sentence, wasn't it?

The System

Moving...around is accomplished with a map window. There are different maps, one for school and one for town. The places within these maps will change by night and day. Shadows indicate locations where someone is. As you love steal, the shadows will become more solid.

Conversing...various events will come to pass as you move. Your conversations alone with someone will start when the bar appears in the bottom right. Talking about things they like and agree with will make the atmosphere change. Ignoring people's greetings will cause them to think worse of you.

Acting...successful conversations will reveal the person's likes and dislikes. It's important to answer keeping their inclinations in mind. Even with the same sentences, your expressions and emotions will change depending on which of the "action decision branches" you select:

*Angel
*Normal
*Devil

Choose the attitude that the person likes the best.

Stealing...a heart beat is the signal that you may begin to Love Steal. You may also choose not to steal from them, but to increase your powers you must sneak inside their heart and steal from them. Press the confirmation button the instant the two pictures overlapp into one and you will be in Love Steal mode. You will find yourself in their hearts. When you see the "Rolling" mark at the botom right, continue to turn the analog stick and your magical power gauge will begin to fill. They might cry out...

Advancing..."Fragments of Memories" according to you magical power level, and the number of times you have accomplished a Love Steal. These Fragments of Memories are things in their hearts that they don't want to remember. By uncovering these memories you will be able to accept them for who they are and thus become closer to them.

Extras...Glasses Mode. After you've fulfilled certain prerequisites you will be able to put on and take off glasses off of people at will.

Okay, the glasses thing is wierd. I guess there are a lot of Megane-Moe people in Japan? The Love Steal is where the pretty CGs appear *blush* I guess they may "cry out" like in Duel Love here OxO! So she's pretty much some kind of succubus. Whoa. Hmm...since this is Bandai Namco, maybe they'll do some merchandising :) Chibi cell charms!

The Characters

The characters from Earth:

Aki Sakurai - Masaru Suzuki ( 鈴木賢 )
...is the eldest son of the Sakura family and is a 3rd year student at Kamiya* Academy High School Department. He's a flawless (or so he thinks), genius, elite.　Though his personality is flawed, a lot of people watch out for him because he makes people unconciously consent to his leadership with his objectivity and accuracy in the way he sees things. He's the ****president of the high school division which he and his brothers attend.

Nagi Sakurai- Keisuke Koumoto ( 河本啓佑 )
...is the fourth son of the Sakura family and is a 1st year student at Kamiya* Academy High School Department. He's a year younger than Riku, but is in the same grade. He doesn't speak much and when he does, it's hard to know what he's thinking. He isn't very interested in anything and is often alone. He's branded as strange but this doesn't bother him at all.

Sou Sakurai - Jyunichi Miyake ( 三宅淳一 )
...is the second son of the Sakura family and is a 2nd year student at Kamiya* Academy High School Department. His gentle manner and quiet personality is practically the opposite of his older brother's. Because he usually takes a conservative attitude, he stands out when he's with his more flamboyant brothers. He likes his princess cut hair****

Riku Sakurai - Hiroshi Okamoto ( 岡本寛志 )
...is the third son of the Sakura family and is a 1rst year student at Kamiya* Academy High School Department. He has a bright and good humoured attitude and is proficient at sports. He's popular in his c.lass because he does everything perfectly. Because he's a quick witted and takes action, people flock to him quickly.

Ren Satsuki - Jyunichi Suwabe ( 諏訪部順一 )
...is the director of Kamiya Academy, the school Touko is to attend. He always has a quiet manner and never loses his gentlemanly attitude. His neat and tidy butler's outfit and glasses give him an intellectual air.

Arisa Mano - (not announced)
...is a girl who transfers to Kamiya at the same time as Touko. Her words are on the sharp side but her attitude completely changes around guys?! She's acquainted and friendly with the Sakurai brothers.

Eva - Kouta Nemoto ( 根本 幸多 )
He looks cool, but sometimes he gets hot. He's a strong fighter, a lone wolf that has the qualities of a leader, and his friends seem to rely on him.

Kaito Tachibana - Daisuke Oono ( 小野 大輔 )
...is Touko's older brother who's attending graduate school. At first glance he seems like a nice, fresh-faced youth, but he also has a curt side. Surpisingly his special skill is cooking and he teaches his little sister cooking every once in a while. He cares for his family and is kind at heart.

Shigure Suou - (not announced)
...is Toukou's childhood friend and lives next door. Right now he's also her c.lassmate. His father is the board chairman of Kamiya Academy and he, who's very honest, is a ****representative.

The characters from Inorad:

Sein Doruaajyuu - Hiroshi Kamiya ( 神谷浩史 )
...is also Inoraado royalty and is the son from a distinguished family that governs light. He's positive and hopeful attitude overwhelms those around him. Even Karura can't oppose him?!

Karura Vaideruniusu - Masaru Suzuki ( 鈴木賢 )
...is the eldest son of the Vaideruniusu Family, the royal line of Inoraado. He is entrusted with the rule of the northern district. He doesn't think well of Aashu, because he schemes to be the next King. His name in the world of humans is "Sakurai, Aki."

Rafaera Vaideruniusu - Jyunichi Miyake ( 三宅淳一 )
...is the second son of the Vaideruniusu Family. He is entrusted with the rule of the southern district. He love nature and peace and often acts as a buffer between his brothers, who don't get along. His name in the world of humans is "Sakurai, Sou."

Earu Vaideruniusu - Keisuke Koumoto ( 河本啓佑 )
...is the fourth son of the Vaideruniusu Family. He is entrusted with the rule of the western district. Because he has no interest in governing, monsters appear in the ruined western district. His name in the world of humans is "Sakurai, Nagi."

Aashu Vaideruniusu - Hiroshi Okamoto ( 岡本寛志 )
...is the third son of the Vaideruniusu Family, and was nomitated to be the next King 10 years ago. He acts as his father's advisor in the central district, where the palace is. He's a bit moody. His name in the world of humans is "Sakurai, Riku."

Gryuudo - Jyunichi Suwabe ( 諏訪部順一 )
...is the personage who ties Touko and the world of Inoraado together. He also serves the royal family as a caretaker of the 4 brothers, who are also princes of Inoraado. Touko sets foot in Inoraado by taking Gryuudo's hand. He and Sein are close friends. His name in the world of humans is "Satsuki, Ren."

* These kanji may also be read as "Hanamiyabi" but I choose the reading Kamiya because it sounds like "biter" which is kind of what a vampire does, right? I haven't seen an official reading. I'll have to go look through my B's Logs later...I haven't any English spellings of their names so I'm leaving them as Romaji! I like Sein! Sein! Sein! I'm not sure he's capture-able, though *tears* Gryuudo's pretty nice, too...

I took the character information from B's Log (Feb -July 2008) and the site...some days I was too lazy to fish out my B's Logs and some days I was too lazy to translate the longer bios from the sites. Hey, at least I'm honest about it, eh?

The Excellent Box

I like merchandising. Actually, I love merchandising, so maybe some of you do, too. Here's some information about the Excellent Box (which I'm definately going to pre-order). The Excellent Box includes:

* An Illustrated Box with a Custom Illustration
* Premium Illustration Booklet
* Special Drama CD "Tachibana Kaito no Tomadoi"
* PS2 "drastic Killer" software

So nothing new or really special. It seems like a standard limited edition box. Still, I think I'll get it because I like drama CDs (which I used to think were useless), and illustration booklets.

The Pre-Order Bonuses

Messe Sanoh
Drama CD "Otona no Shakaikengaku" - The four siblings have begun to accustom themselves to the world of humans. They hadn't been out together in a while and so they decided to go where Ren told them not to go, a club at night! Eva yells at them but has to give up as they do whatever they like in the dark building. Things calm down when Ren arrives, but now they're fighting over Touko, who just got there?!

Cast: Nagi Sakurai (Keisuke Koumoto), Sou Sakurai (Jyunichi Miyake), Riku Sakurai (Hiroshi Okamoto), Ren Satsuki (Jyunichi Suwabe), Eva (Kouta Nemoto)

Animate
Drama CD "4Kyoudai Rainichi Kouza" - The 4 Vaideruniusu princes must study in the world of humans as per their father the king. They hold a cram session about the human world, taught by Gyuudo, who is in charge of their care. They are taught common sense and not common sense, manners, coaching regarding their positions and even how to dress! Sein joins the princes who do whatever they want and...

Cast: Karura (Masaru Suzuk), Rafaera (Jyunichi Miyake), Aashu (Hiroshi Okamoto), Earu (Keisuke Koumoto), Gryuudo (Jyunichi Suwabe), Sein (Hiroshi Kamiya)

Sofmap
Drama CD "Sein's Onayami **** ~Suki na Hito ga Irundesho Hen~" - Sein will show you lost sheep the way! One day the Vaideruniusu princes call Sein, who gets involved in some kind of strange counseling, without knowing what's going on...? Sein runs wild in front of the princes, who don't go for the ordinary. Can Gryuudo who runs to their rescue stop Sein?!

Cast: Karura (Masaru Suzuk), Rafaera (Jyunichi Miyake), Aashu (Hiroshi Okamoto), Earu (Keisuke Koumoto), Gryuudo (Jyunichi Suwabe), Sein (Hiroshi Kamiya)

Amazon
Illustrated Clear File

Hmm...the Messe Sanoh Drama CD sounds the funniest, but then the Sofmap and Animate ones have Sein in it...the clearfile from Amazon is nice, too...Hmm...I can't decide which one I want *tears* Maybe the Sofmap one because it sounds like Sein's the main character in that one?