.gif)
Suika (visual novel)
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese adult
visual novel
developed by Circus
and was first released on July 27, 2001 for the PC
as a CD-ROM
, followed by a DVD-ROM release on August 31, 2001. It was followed by two all-ages consumer ports for the PlayStation, retitled as Water Summer, and the Dreamcast on July 18, 2002, which was subsequently followed by an all-ages version for the PC, released on July 25, 2003. An expanded version, entitled , was released in Japan on September 24, 2004 with the adult content found in the original version, followed by a European release on April 25, 2009, and was again ported to the PlayStation 2
, released on August 30, 2007 with adult content removed. The gameplay
in Suika follows a linear plot line, which offers pre-determined scenarios and courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the main female characters.
Suika has made several transitions to other media. A light novel
was published by Paradigm
in November 2001 and a set of four drama CDs
were produced between August 2002 and January 2003. A four-episode adult
original video animation
created by Moon Rock was released between February 25, 2003 and June 25, 2003 as three DVDs containing one episode each, followed by a DVD box-set released on April 25, 2004 containing an extra episode, and was subsequently licensed for sale in North America under the title Wet Summer Days by Kitty Media.
Suikas gameplay
requires little interaction from the player as most of the game's duration is spent reading the text that appears on the game screen, which represents either dialogue
between the various characters or the inner thoughts of the protagonist. After progressing through the text, the player will come to a "decision point" where he or she must choose from multiple options. The time between these decision points varies. Gameplay pauses at these points and depending on which choice the player makes, the plot will progress in a specific direction. There are five main plot lines the player experiences—one for each heroine. The player must replay the game multiple times and make different choices during decision points to view all five plot lines. One of the goals of the original version's gameplay is for the player to enable the viewing of hentai scenes
depicting the given protagonist and one of the heroines having sexual intercourse
.
, and was one of the two scenario writers along with Ichirō Go. Art direction and character design was split between Naru Nanao
and Takanon Ikuta. Programming for the game was provided by Takanori. Tororo, Mikage, and Naru Nanao went on to create titles such as Da Capo, with the latter two later collaborating together to help develop Minori
's Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two.
playable on only a Microsoft Windows
PC
containing adult content. It was followed by a DVD-ROM release, with various technical improvements, on August 31, 2001. Both versions were released as both a limited edition and a regular edition. The limited edition contained an arrange soundtrack album, a calendar, in additional to a T-shirt included in only the DVD-ROM release; the regular editions did not contain the aforementioned extras.
The next year, the original releases of Suika were followed by two consumer console ports for the PlayStation, renamed as Water Summer, and the Dreamcast. Both versions were published by PrincessSoft
, and were released on July 18, 2002 as both a limited edition and a regular edition, with the adult content found in the original release removed. The limited edition of both the PS and the DC version were limited in quantity, with fifteen-thousand units manufactured for the PS version, and twenty-thousand for the DC version. It was subsequently followed by an all-ages version published by S.O.F.T., released on July 25, 2003 for the PC. An enhanced re-release based on the all-ages version, entitled , was published by Circus in Japan on September 24, 2004 with extended scenario and the adult content found in the original version. The game was ported to the PlayStation 2
in limited and regular editions on August 30, 2007 under the title with adult content once again removed. The game was released downloadable on the Internet in English published by the European-based company MangaGamer on April 25, 2009.
in October 2001. A light novel
written by Tasuku Saika with illustrations by Takanon Ikuta and cover illustration by Naru Nanao
was published by Paradigm
in November 2001 and covered the story from the fourth chapter in Suika. A guide book entitled was published by SoftBank Publishing in September 2002.
original video animation
series was produced by the animation studio Moon Rock and directed by Yasuhito Kikuchi. The studio adapted Suika initially over three episodes which were released on three separate DVDs and VHSs between February 25, 2003 and June 25, 2003 in Japan. A DVD box-set containing the first three volumes and an extra episode was released in Japan on April 25, 2004. The OVA series was licensed and released subtitled in English by Kitty Media as a single DVD containing the four episodes on August 17, 2004.
, one opening theme and one ending theme. The opening theme is "Fragment: The Heat Haze of Summer" sung by Kamin in the original PC version, and by Yozuca* in the two ports. A maxi single
containing the opening theme sung by Kamin was released by Circus on July 15, 2001. The ending theme is "Fragment: Thought to Wish to the Starlit Sky" sung by Miwa Kōzuki in the PC version, and by Rino
for the ports. Both songs were written and composed by Tororo. The Water Summer Original Soundtrack, the soundtrack for the PlayStation and Dreamcast versions, was released by Circus on August 11, 2001. A remix album
entitled was released by First Smile Entertainment on December 19, 2001. The Suika Original Soundtrack for the original visual novel was released by PetaBits Records on October 26, 2007.
The updated release of Suika entitled Suika A.S+ has three pieces of theme music, one opening theme and two ending themes. The opening theme is "Fragment: Luminous Ver" written and composed by Tororo and sung by Miyuki Hashimoto
. The first ending theme is , and the second ending theme is ; both ending themes were written and composed by Chiyomaru Shikura and sung by Ayane
. The PlayStation 2 version entitled Suika A.S+ Eternal Name has four pieces of theme music, one opening theme and three ending themes. The opening theme is "Fragment: Shooting Star of the Origin" written and composed by Tororo and sung by Minori Chihara
. The first, and main, ending theme is "Fragment: Eternal Infinity", also written and composed by Tororo, but sung by Jun Mirono. The second ending theme is sung by Yozuca*, and the third ending theme is sung by Kazco. A vocal album for the PlayStation 2 release of Suika entitled Since Fragment was released by Lantis
on July 25, 2007.
The OVA's opening theme is "Fragment: The Heat Haze of Summer" by Kamin and the ending theme is by Naotarou Moriyama. The original soundtrack of the OVA series was released by Frontier Works
on August 23, 2003 containing one disc. Suika was adapted into four drama CDs
released between August 30, 2002 and January 27, 2003 by Movic
. Each CD covers each of the four chapters in Suika starting with Minase Itsuki's story in chapter one, and ending with the story of the nameless girl in chapter four.
s based on amounts sold in Japan, the limited edition of Suikas CD-ROM release premiered at the second place out of fifty when it was first listed on the chart, and was then dropped to the fortieth in the next ranking. While it did not appear in the next ranking, it appeared again on the chart one month later, at the forty-eighth place, making its final appearance on the charts. The regular edition of the CD-ROM release premiered on the charts at the seventh place twice since its release, and dropped to the twenty-first in its next and last appearance on the charts. The DVD-ROM release premiered on the charts at the seventh place, before dropping to the forty-eighth place in the next, making its final appearance on the charts. When Suika A.S+ was first released, the limited edition release premiered on the chart at the second place, and did not make any further appearances, while the regular edition release debuted and made its only appearance on the charts at the thirty-seventh place.
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:...
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 Circus
Circus (company)
Circus is a Japanese visual novel studio known for creating adult-oriented bishōjo games. In addition to the normal Circus brand name, there are other brand divisions including Circus Northern, Circus Fetish, Circus Metal, and Sanctuary...
and was first released on July 27, 2001 for 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 CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
, followed by a DVD-ROM release on August 31, 2001. It was followed by two all-ages consumer ports for the PlayStation, retitled as Water Summer, and the Dreamcast on July 18, 2002, which was subsequently followed by an all-ages version for the PC, released on July 25, 2003. An expanded version, entitled , was released in Japan on September 24, 2004 with the adult content found in the original version, followed by a European release on April 25, 2009, and was again ported to 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...
, released on August 30, 2007 with adult content removed. 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 Suika follows a linear plot line, which offers pre-determined scenarios and courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the main female characters.
Suika has made several transitions to other media. A light novel
Light novel
A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...
was published by Paradigm
Paradigm (publisher)
is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Suginami, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan. The company mainly publishes novels based on adult visual novel video games....
in November 2001 and a set of four 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...
were produced between August 2002 and January 2003. A four-episode adult
Hentai
is a Japanese word that, in the West, is used when referring to sexually explicit or pornographic comics and animation, particularly those of Japanese origin such as anime, manga, and computer games. The word hentai is a kanji compound of 変 and 態...
original video animation
Original video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
created by Moon Rock was released between February 25, 2003 and June 25, 2003 as three DVDs containing one episode each, followed by a DVD box-set released on April 25, 2004 containing an extra episode, and was subsequently licensed for sale in North America under the title Wet Summer Days by Kitty Media.
Gameplay
The Suika visual novel is divided into four segments which contain different stories and characters, though all take place in the same rural town. In a short prologue upon starting a new game, the player assumes the role of Hiroshi Inaba as he arrives back in town for his annual visit of friends and family. It is here that the two heroines for the two upcoming chapters are seen through his eyes. In the first chapter, the player assumes the role of Akira Kazuma and centers around his interaction with the first chapter's sole main heroine Itsuki Minase. In the second chapter, the protagonist is Souji Kamishiro who interacts with the second chapter's two main heroines Sayaka Shirakawa and Mie Wakabayashi. In the third chapter, the player plays as Yoshikazu Masaki who interacts with two heroines, Akane Masaki and Touko Kyouya. In the fourth and final chapter, the player returns to Hiroshi Inaba. This chapter centers around his interaction with a heroine who remains nameless throughout the story.Suikas 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...
requires little interaction from the player as most of the game's duration is spent reading the text that appears on the game screen, which represents either dialogue
Dialogue
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. After progressing through the text, the player will come to a "decision point" where he or she must choose from multiple options. The time between these decision points varies. Gameplay pauses at these points and depending on which choice the player makes, the plot will progress in a specific direction. There are five main plot lines the player experiences—one for each heroine. The player must replay the game multiple times and make different choices during decision points to view all five plot lines. One of the goals of the original version's gameplay is for the player to enable the viewing of hentai scenes
Hentai
is a Japanese word that, in the West, is used when referring to sexually explicit or pornographic comics and animation, particularly those of Japanese origin such as anime, manga, and computer games. The word hentai is a kanji compound of 変 and 態...
depicting the given protagonist and one of the heroines having sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
.
Development
Suika is the fourth project developed by the visual novel studio Circus, and the second by their Northern subdivision. The producer for Suika was Tororo, president of Circus, who was also one of the two music composers, the other being Kometto Nekono. The planning for Suika was headed by MikageMikage
is a Japanese screenwriter and light novelist from Odawara, Kanagawa, Japan. Most of his work has been in adult games and drama CDs for such games. He has works primarily with Circus and Minori.-Works:Games*Archimedes no Wasuremono*D.C.: Da Capo...
, and was one of the two scenario writers along with Ichirō Go. Art direction and character design was split between Naru Nanao
Naru Nanao
is a female Japanese artist from Okinawa, Japan. Nanao's choice of her pseudonym stems from the Circus' game Aries; one of the characters was named . She is a free illustrator and thus is not affiliated with one single company; she is primarily a character designer...
and Takanon Ikuta. Programming for the game was provided by Takanori. Tororo, Mikage, and Naru Nanao went on to create titles such as Da Capo, with the latter two later collaborating together to help develop Minori
Minori
is a Japanese visual novel company which created the games Bittersweet Fools, Wind: A Breath of Heart, Haru no Ashioto and Angel Type. Their latest game as of 2009 is Eden*...
's Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two.
Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two.
Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two is the overall title of a two-part Japanese adult visual novel series by Minori for the PC as a DVD. The first game in the series, Ef: The First Tale, was released on December 22, 2006, and the second game, Ef: The Latter Tale, was released on May 30, 2008...
Release history
Suika was first available to be public on July 27, 2001, as a CD-ROMCD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
playable on only 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...
containing adult content. It was followed by a DVD-ROM release, with various technical improvements, on August 31, 2001. Both versions were released as both a limited edition and a regular edition. The limited edition contained an arrange soundtrack album, a calendar, in additional to a T-shirt included in only the DVD-ROM release; the regular editions did not contain the aforementioned extras.
The next year, the original releases of Suika were followed by two consumer console ports for the PlayStation, renamed as Water Summer, and the Dreamcast. Both versions were published by PrincessSoft
PrincessSoft
PrincessSoft is a Japanese company specializing in the publishing and development of visual novel video games.-List of games:*Day of Love *21: Two One *Hourglass of Summer *Cafe: Little Wish...
, and were released on July 18, 2002 as both a limited edition and a regular edition, with the adult content found in the original release removed. The limited edition of both the PS and the DC version were limited in quantity, with fifteen-thousand units manufactured for the PS version, and twenty-thousand for the DC version. It was subsequently followed by an all-ages version published by S.O.F.T., released on July 25, 2003 for the PC. An enhanced re-release based on the all-ages version, entitled , was published by Circus in Japan on September 24, 2004 with extended scenario and the adult content found in the original version. The game was ported to 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...
in limited and regular editions on August 30, 2007 under the title with adult content once again removed. The game was released downloadable on the Internet in English published by the European-based company MangaGamer on April 25, 2009.
Books
The was published by SoftBank PublishingSoftBank Creative
is a Japanese publishing company and a subsidiary of the SoftBank telecommunications company. It was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.-External links:* *...
in October 2001. A light novel
Light novel
A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...
written by Tasuku Saika with illustrations by Takanon Ikuta and cover illustration by Naru Nanao
Naru Nanao
is a female Japanese artist from Okinawa, Japan. Nanao's choice of her pseudonym stems from the Circus' game Aries; one of the characters was named . She is a free illustrator and thus is not affiliated with one single company; she is primarily a character designer...
was published by Paradigm
Paradigm (publisher)
is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Suginami, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan. The company mainly publishes novels based on adult visual novel video games....
in November 2001 and covered the story from the fourth chapter in Suika. A guide book entitled was published by SoftBank Publishing in September 2002.
OVA
An adult-orientedHentai
is a Japanese word that, in the West, is used when referring to sexually explicit or pornographic comics and animation, particularly those of Japanese origin such as anime, manga, and computer games. The word hentai is a kanji compound of 変 and 態...
original video animation
Original video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
series was produced by the animation studio Moon Rock and directed by Yasuhito Kikuchi. The studio adapted Suika initially over three episodes which were released on three separate DVDs and VHSs between February 25, 2003 and June 25, 2003 in Japan. A DVD box-set containing the first three volumes and an extra episode was released in Japan on April 25, 2004. The OVA series was licensed and released subtitled in English by Kitty Media as a single DVD containing the four episodes on August 17, 2004.
Music and audio CDs
The original visual novel and the ports to the PlayStation and Dreamcast each have two pieces of theme musicTheme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
, one opening theme and one ending theme. The opening theme is "Fragment: The Heat Haze of Summer" sung by Kamin in the original PC version, and by Yozuca* in the two ports. A maxi single
Maxi single
A maxi single or maxi-single is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an a-side song and a b-side song.-The first maxi singles:...
containing the opening theme sung by Kamin was released by Circus on July 15, 2001. The ending theme is "Fragment: Thought to Wish to the Starlit Sky" sung by Miwa Kōzuki in the PC version, and by Rino
CooRie
CooRie is a self-produced Japanese music unit by singer-songwriter Rino that performs songs for anime and games. CooRie used to be a two-persons unit when it debuted in 2003, with Rino doing the lyrics and vocals and doing the music compositions and arrangements...
for the ports. Both songs were written and composed by Tororo. The Water Summer Original Soundtrack, the soundtrack for the PlayStation and Dreamcast versions, was released by Circus on August 11, 2001. A remix album
Remix album
A remix album is an album consisting mostly of remixes or re-recorded versions of a music artists' earlier released material.One of the earliest remix albums was 1971's Aerial Pandemonium Ballet by Harry Nilsson, which was released by Nilsson after the successes of Everybody's Talkin and The Point!...
entitled was released by First Smile Entertainment on December 19, 2001. The Suika Original Soundtrack for the original visual novel was released by PetaBits Records on October 26, 2007.
The updated release of Suika entitled Suika A.S+ has three pieces of theme music, one opening theme and two ending themes. The opening theme is "Fragment: Luminous Ver" written and composed by Tororo and sung by Miyuki Hashimoto
Miyuki Hashimoto
is a Japanese female singer from Saitama Prefecture. She is signed to Lantis, a label which contribute songs to anime and video games.- Singles :* Koko ni Iru kara... # Koko ni Iru kara.....
. The first ending theme is , and the second ending theme is ; both ending themes were written and composed by Chiyomaru Shikura and sung by Ayane
Ayane (singer)
is a female Japanese singer who has performed theme songs for games and anime. She made her major singing debut in 2004 with the single KIZUNA～絆. Her first album ARCHIVE LOVERS was released in 2007. She is attached to 5pb...
. The PlayStation 2 version entitled Suika A.S+ Eternal Name has four pieces of theme music, one opening theme and three ending themes. The opening theme is "Fragment: Shooting Star of the Origin" written and composed by Tororo and sung by Minori Chihara
Minori Chihara
is a Japanese voice actress who has had roles in several anime series, and a J-pop singer. As a seiyū, she works under the agency Avex Planning & Development, while in her musical career, she has been signed under King Records and is currently with Lantis...
. The first, and main, ending theme is "Fragment: Eternal Infinity", also written and composed by Tororo, but sung by Jun Mirono. The second ending theme is sung by Yozuca*, and the third ending theme is sung by Kazco. A vocal album for the PlayStation 2 release of Suika entitled Since Fragment was released 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...
on July 25, 2007.
The OVA's opening theme is "Fragment: The Heat Haze of Summer" by Kamin and the ending theme is by Naotarou Moriyama. The original soundtrack of the OVA series was released by Frontier Works
Frontier Works
is a Japanese company specializing in the creation and distribution of media related to anime, such as producing OVAs, radio dramas, drama CDs, anime soundtracks, or other related products...
on August 23, 2003 containing one disc. Suika was adapted into four 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...
released between August 30, 2002 and January 27, 2003 by Movic
Movic
is a Japanese company which specializes in the publication of trading cards, figures, CDs, and other general media related to the anime industry. Movic is a part of the Animate group.-Anime involved in:*Ah! My Goddess: The Movie: Production...
. Each CD covers each of the four chapters in Suika starting with Minase Itsuki's story in chapter one, and ending with the story of the nameless girl in chapter four.
Reception and sales
According to a national ranking of bishōjo gameBishojo game
A , or , is "a type of Japanese video game centered on interactions with attractive anime-style girls". These games are a sub-genre of dating sims targeted towards a male audience....
s based on amounts sold in Japan, the limited edition of Suikas CD-ROM release premiered at the second place out of fifty when it was first listed on the chart, and was then dropped to the fortieth in the next ranking. While it did not appear in the next ranking, it appeared again on the chart one month later, at the forty-eighth place, making its final appearance on the charts. The regular edition of the CD-ROM release premiered on the charts at the seventh place twice since its release, and dropped to the twenty-first in its next and last appearance on the charts. The DVD-ROM release premiered on the charts at the seventh place, before dropping to the forty-eighth place in the next, making its final appearance on the charts. When Suika A.S+ was first released, the limited edition release premiered on the chart at the second place, and did not make any further appearances, while the regular edition release debuted and made its only appearance on the charts at the thirty-seventh place.