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Clear (visual novel)
Encyclopedia
is an adult
Japan
ese visual novel
developed by Moonstone
which was released on August 24, 2007 playable on the PC
as a DVD
. An all ages version of Clear, published by Sweets, was released on February 19, 2009 for the PlayStation 2
. Clear is Moonstone's sixth game; Moonstone has also developed Gift
. The gameplay
in Clear follows a plot line which offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the five female main characters. Before the game's release, a manga
based on the story, drawn by Japanese
artist
Yukiwo
, was serialized in the seinen
magazine Comp Ace
between June 2007 and May 2008, published by Kadokawa Shoten
. An image song
single
was released in May 2007 three months before the game's release. A vocal mini album was released in September 2007. Drama CDs
have been produced, along with a single short story collection.
between the various characters, or the inner thoughts of the protagonist. Every so often, the player will come to a "decision point" where he or she is given the chance to 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 five 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 five 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.
playable on a Microsoft Windows
PC
. The limited edition came bundled with three additional gifts: a rectangular clock with an image of Miki looking out on a beach, a hardcover illustration book with images from the game, a drama CD which came with the book, and a two-disc original soundtrack. An all ages version of Clear, published by Sweets, was released on February 19, 2009 for the PlayStation 2
.
, though he cannot attack people.
, under the title , was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten
's Japanese seinen
magazine Comp Ace
between June 26, 2007 and May 26, 2008. Despite the manga being released before the visual novel, the story is based on the game and is illustrated by Japanese
artist
Yukiwo
. The first bound volume
was released on March 26, 2008, and the second followed on June 26, 2008.
collection entitled Clear Short Stories is written by Nikaidō Kageyama and was first published in Japan by Harvest in February 2008 with Miki and Sayu on the cover drawn by the staff of Moonstone
. An art book entitled Clear Visual Fan Book was published by Ichijinsha
on April 26, 2008 with Miki and Natsuki on the cover.
, by Rekka Katakiri
, and "One-way Shining" by Chata
. The first music single for the visual novel, entitled "Perfect Tears", was released on May 23, 2007 in Japan as an image song
single by Lantis
; this single contained an image song, and a remix of the game's opening theme. The game's original soundtrack was released with the limited edition version of the game; the soundtrack contained two discs, along with two bonus drama tracks. A vocal mini album was released on September 26, 2007 by Lantis containing the opening theme, both ending themes, and the three insert songs featured in the visual novel. A free drama CD entitled was distributed at Clear promotional events in Osaka
and Tokyo
, Japan in May and June 2007. Another drama CD will be released by Lantis on May 9, 2008.
Eroge
An or Ero-ga is a Japanese video or computer game that features erotic content, usually in the form of anime-style artwork. Eroge originated from galge, but unlike galge, they feature erotic/pornographic content.-History:...
Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
developed by Moonstone
Moonstone (company)
Moonstone is a Japanese visual novel studio known for creating adult-oriented bishōjo games. The founding members of Moonstone had once been members of Circus, a similar visual novel studio...
which was released on August 24, 2007 playable on the PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
as a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. An all ages version of Clear, published by Sweets, was released on February 19, 2009 for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
. Clear is Moonstone's sixth game; Moonstone has also developed Gift
Gift (visual novel)
is an adult Japanese visual novel developed by Moonstone which was released as a limited edition version on May 27, 2005 playable on the PC as a DVD; a regular edition followed on June 10, 2005. The original game was a collaboration project where the company Circus helped to produce it, though...
. The gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
in Clear follows a plot line which offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the five female main characters. Before the game's release, a manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
based on the story, drawn by Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
artist
Mangaka
is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...
Yukiwo
Yukiwo
is a Japanese manga author who has illustrated the manga adaptations to two visual novels developed by Moonstone: Gift, and Clear.-External links:*...
, was serialized in the seinen
Seinen
is a subset of manga that is generally targeted at a 20–30 year old male audience, but the audience can be older with some manga aimed at businessmen well into their 40s. In Japanese, the word Seinen means "young man" or "young men" and is not suggestive of sexual matters...
magazine Comp Ace
Comp Ace
is a Japanese 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 was published quarterly for the first three volumes which had cover...
between June 2007 and May 2008, published by Kadokawa Shoten
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
. An image song
Image song
An image song or character song is a song on a tie-in single or album for an anime, game or dorama that is usually sung by the seiyū or actor of a character, in character...
single
CD single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
was released in May 2007 three months before the game's release. A vocal mini album was released in September 2007. Drama CDs
Radio drama in Japan
Radio drama in Japan has a history as long as that of radio broadcasting in that country, which began in 1925. Some consider the first Japanese radio drama to have been "" which was a radio broadcast of a stage play. Others consider the Japanese translation of Richard Hughes's "Danger" or to be...
have been produced, along with a single short story collection.
Gameplay
The gameplay requires little interaction from the player as most of the duration of the game is spent on simply reading the text that will appear on the screen; this text represents either dialogueDialogue
Dialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people....
between the various characters, or the inner thoughts of the protagonist. Every so often, the player will come to a "decision point" where he or she is given the chance to 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 five 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 five 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.
Release history
Clear was first introduced in Japan, in limited and regular editions, on August 24, 2007 as a DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
playable on a Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
. The limited edition came bundled with three additional gifts: a rectangular clock with an image of Miki looking out on a beach, a hardcover illustration book with images from the game, a drama CD which came with the book, and a two-disc original soundtrack. An all ages version of Clear, published by Sweets, was released on February 19, 2009 for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
.
Story
Clears story is set on the island Harukajima. The protagonist, Kōichi Yukino, used to live on the island, but moved to Tokyo as a child. Kōichi comes back from Tokyo to this very ordinary and small island off the coast from mainland Japan and lives with his grandfather. When he returns, a part of his childhood memory on the island is missing. Kōichi is not a normal human; he is a type of blood-sucking vampireVampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
, though he cannot attack people.
Characters
- Kōichi is the male protagonist in the story. He is a type of blood-sucking vampireVampireVampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
and has come to attend his current school because this secret was exposed in his old town on an island offshore Japan. Even though he does drink blood, due to a certain rule he cannot attack people.
- Natsuki is Kōichi's younger female cousin. After her parents died, she was adopted into his family as his sister. After her brother transfers schools, she does as well so she can still go to the same school as him.
- Miki is Kōichi's childhood friend. She has a graceful personality, and is thought to be very beautiful. She belongs to the Volunteer Club which makes her popular around town. She is also skilled at AikidoAikidois a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...
.
- Nonoka, otherwise known as Nono-chan, works as a maid at Kōichi's house, though she often makes many mistakes. She has amnesiaAmnesiaAmnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
so has become a live-in maid until she can remember anything about her old life.
- Haruno is an apprentice mikoMikois a Japanese term that anciently meant a "female shaman, spirit medium" who conveyed oracles from kami , and currently means a "shrine maiden; virgin consecrated to a deity" who serves at Shinto shrines.-Word:...
at a shrine, though this is only something that is part-time. She is haunted by a ghost, and became an apprentice miko so she could figure out how to get rid of it. Despite this, she usually has a cheerful personality.
- Sayu always carries around a small doll named Sayurin designed to look similar to her. Due to her youthful personality and appearance, she is often mistaken for a child.
Manga
A mangaManga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
, under the title , was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
's Japanese seinen
Seinen
is a subset of manga that is generally targeted at a 20–30 year old male audience, but the audience can be older with some manga aimed at businessmen well into their 40s. In Japanese, the word Seinen means "young man" or "young men" and is not suggestive of sexual matters...
magazine Comp Ace
Comp Ace
is a Japanese 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 was published quarterly for the first three volumes which had cover...
between June 26, 2007 and May 26, 2008. Despite the manga being released before the visual novel, the story is based on the game and is illustrated by Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
artist
Mangaka
is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...
Yukiwo
Yukiwo
is a Japanese manga author who has illustrated the manga adaptations to two visual novels developed by Moonstone: Gift, and Clear.-External links:*...
. The first bound volume
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
was released on March 26, 2008, and the second followed on June 26, 2008.
Books
A single short storyShort story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
collection entitled Clear Short Stories is written by Nikaidō Kageyama and was first published in Japan by Harvest in February 2008 with Miki and Sayu on the cover drawn by the staff of Moonstone
Moonstone (company)
Moonstone is a Japanese visual novel studio known for creating adult-oriented bishōjo games. The founding members of Moonstone had once been members of Circus, a similar visual novel studio...
. An art book entitled Clear Visual Fan Book was published by Ichijinsha
Ichijinsha
is a Japanese publishing company focused on manga-related publication, including magazines and books. The company was first established in August 1992 as a limited company under the name Studio DNA which main purpose was to edit shōnen manga. In January 1998, Studio DNA became a public company and...
on April 26, 2008 with Miki and Natsuki on the cover.
Music and audio CDs
The game's opening theme is , sung by Riryka. The game has two ending themes: "Crystal Love" sung by Kazko, and "Brilliant Days" by Riryka. There are also three insert songs: "Bitter sweet pain" by Haruka ShimotsukiHaruka Shimotsuki
is a Japanese singer and dōjin music composer known for her vocal themes in the Atelier Iris and Ar tonelico series. She also wrote the lyrics and sang the ending themes to the two seasons of Rozen Maiden as well as the OVA under the name Kukui, with Myu. Shimotsuki's original music mainly consists...
, by Rekka Katakiri
Rekka Katakiri
, born December 18, is a female Japanese singer. Her doujin circle is called CLOSED/UNDERGROUND.- About :* Influenced by anime, she started working in the fields as a vocal, net seiyuu, composer and lyricist when she first started high school. In 2004, she released the album "Min no Uta." as her...
, and "One-way Shining" by Chata
Chata
is a Japanese singer who has performed theme songs for games and anime.She has also participated in various dōjin music circles. Her own private circle is called Usagi Kinoko.-History:...
. The first music single for the visual novel, entitled "Perfect Tears", was released on May 23, 2007 in Japan as an image song
Image song
An image song or character song is a song on a tie-in single or album for an anime, game or dorama that is usually sung by the seiyū or actor of a character, in character...
single by Lantis
Lantis (company)
is a Japanese company that specializes as a music publisher label for Japanese musicians, anime soundtracks and video game soundtracks. It was established on November 26, 1999, and in May 2006, it was bought by, and became a subsidiary of, Bandai Visual...
; this single contained an image song, and a remix of the game's opening theme. The game's original soundtrack was released with the limited edition version of the game; the soundtrack contained two discs, along with two bonus drama tracks. A vocal mini album was released on September 26, 2007 by Lantis containing the opening theme, both ending themes, and the three insert songs featured in the visual novel. A free drama CD entitled was distributed at Clear promotional events in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
and Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan in May and June 2007. Another drama CD will be released by Lantis on May 9, 2008.