White Album 2
Encyclopedia
is a duology of Japanese adult
visual novel
s developed by the visual novel company Leaf for the Microsoft Windows
PC
, and is the sequel to Leaf's earlier visual novel, White Album. The first part of the series, named White Album 2: Introductory Chapter, was released on March 26, 2010. The second part in the series is named White Album 2: Closing Chapter and will be released on December 22, 2011. The gameplay of White Album 2 follows a linear plot line which offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the female main characters.
club and has excellent grades. Haruki plays second guitar. is one of the two heroines of Introductory Chapter. Setsuna is a third year student at Hōjō High. She has been Miss Hōjō two years in a row and enjoys singing karaoke. Setsuna likes singing "White Album", a song from the original White Album visual novel. is the other heroine of Introductory Chapter. Kazusa is a third year student at Hōjō High and is in the same class as Haruki. She often dozes off in, is late for, or skips class. is a classmate of Setsuna's and used to be the captain of the basketball team. Io was in the same class as Haruki during first year although the two of have known each other since junior high. is a close friend of Haruki and is the president of the light music club. Takeya plays the guitar and is surprisingly popular with girls.
Some time later, Setsuna decides to host a birthday party at her place. While en route to Setsuna's place, Haruki remembers how much Setsuna wanted Kazusa to attend and becomes concerned about whether Kazusa ever got the notice so he decides to go to Kazusa's place directly to see if she is around but instead finds Yōko Touma, Kazusa's mother, there. Yōko tells Haruki that Kazusa will be living with her next month and that she will not make the party because her plane arrives an hour after it has started. Haruki goes to pick Touma at the airport and tries to convince Touma to go to the party. The two get into an argument and Kazusa runs away but not before the two confesses their love for one another. Kazusa shows up to school one last time to tell Setsuna that she will be leaving for Vienna and then never returns to school again.
Kazusa does not show up to their school's graduation ceremony but when Haruki is told by Setsuna that Kazusa was at school at one point because she found a letter from Kazusa, Haruki runs all across the city looking for her. He goes home fruitless but receives a call from Kazusa and finds her standing near his house and the two of them reconciles with each other. On the next day, Setsuna convinces Haruki to go to the airport together to see Kazusa off.
and the PlayStation 3
port of Tears to Tiara
. The scenario for White Album 2 is written by Fumiaki Maruto and Kikakuya. The pair has worked together before on other visual novels such as Kono Aozora ni Yakusoku o
. The producer for White Album 2 is Naoya Shimokawa.
According to Shimokawa, Maruto was the one who came up with the original design and concept for White Album 2. After hearing the details from Maruto, Shimokawa felt that Maruto may be able to create a game that surpassed the original and decided to run with the idea. When Nakamura was told that he would be the artist for the game, he went to speak with Hisashi Kawata, the artist for the original White Album, Kawata stated that he wanted to see the painful winter images that Nakamura would create. Nakamura admits that because White Album 2 is a sequel that he does feel some pressure about the work. Despite being busy with Kimi ga Yobu, Megido no Oka de and the PlayStation 3's Tears to Tiara, Nakamura went ahead and created the character designs for the game even though no one had asked him for them.
When asked about the release date of the second part of the game, Shimokawa stated that it would be nice to release it some time during the winter season to align with the feelings that the title "White Album" evokes. Shimokawa believes that the scenario should be all complete by then and that it would come down to whether the art is completed in time or not. Unlike December When There is No Angel where there were two artists, Nakamura is alone this time and has to work on both the heroines and the supporting characters, making it a rather big effort.
model figure
of Setsuna Ogiso. Both the limited and regular editions of Introductory Chapter was originally planned to be released on February 26, 2010 but it was delayed, Introductory Chapter officially went gold on March 12, 2010 and was then released two weeks later on March 26, 2010. The limited edition of the game includes a hardcover novel with it. The novel is named , and was written by Maruto and illustrated by Nakamura. The novel that comes with Introductory Chapter is told from a different perspective. The novel that will come with Closing Chapter will be a story set between the events of Introductory Chapter and the second game. Closing Chapter will be released on December 22, 2011.
. The ending theme is performed by Akari Tsuda. Shinya Ishikawa composed both "Todokanai Koi" and "After All: Tsuduru Omoi" while Junya Matsuoka composed "Twinkle Snow". Matsuoka handled the arrangement of "Todokanai Koi" and Michio Kinugasa arranged "Twinkle Snow" and "After All: Tsuduru Omoi". A CD single containing all three songs was released on May 26, 2010. The single peaked at 65th place in Oricon
's rankings for one week.
The opening theme to Closing Chapter named will also be sung by Rena Uehara.
78. The script was written by Fumiaki Maruto and the illustrations were done by Takeshi Nakamura. A short novel was also included in the drama CD. The premise of the drama CD was about the day before the school festival. Haruki Kitahara, Setsuna Ogiso, and Kazusa Touma are voiced by Takahiro Mizushima
, Madoka Yonezawa, and Hitomi Nabatame
respectively.
preorders in Japan between the months of December 2009 and January 2010. It was the second most widely sold PC game in March 2010 on Getchu.com.
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...
s developed by the visual novel company Leaf for the 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...
, and is the sequel to Leaf's earlier visual novel, White Album. The first part of the series, named White Album 2: Introductory Chapter, was released on March 26, 2010. The second part in the series is named White Album 2: Closing Chapter and will be released on December 22, 2011. The gameplay of White Album 2 follows a linear plot line which offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the female main characters.
Gameplay
The gameplay in White Album 2 requires minimal interaction from the player as the player spends the majority of their time on reading the text that is displayed at the bottom of the screen. The player's only interaction with the game is to click a button to advance the game by rolling the next line of text onto the screen. Unlike other visual novels, there is only one ending in Introductory Chapter and there are no choices for the player to select. In that regard, Introductory Chapter could be regarded as more like a movie than a video game.Settings
White Album 2 takes place in the same setting as its predecessor with approximately ten years having been elapsed since the events of the first White Album. Introductory Chapter begins during the second half of October. Closing Chapter will begin three years after the events of Introductory Chapter.Characters
The player assumes the role of , the protagonist of White Album 2. He is a third year student at Hōjō High and a member of the light musicLight music
Light music is a generic term applied to a mainly British musical style of "light" orchestral music, which originated in the 19th century and had its heyday during the early to mid part of the 20th century, although arguably it lasts to the present day....
club and has excellent grades. Haruki plays second guitar. is one of the two heroines of Introductory Chapter. Setsuna is a third year student at Hōjō High. She has been Miss Hōjō two years in a row and enjoys singing karaoke. Setsuna likes singing "White Album", a song from the original White Album visual novel. is the other heroine of Introductory Chapter. Kazusa is a third year student at Hōjō High and is in the same class as Haruki. She often dozes off in, is late for, or skips class. is a classmate of Setsuna's and used to be the captain of the basketball team. Io was in the same class as Haruki during first year although the two of have known each other since junior high. is a close friend of Haruki and is the president of the light music club. Takeya plays the guitar and is surprisingly popular with girls.
Story
The story of Introductory Chapter begins around the second half of October with Haruki Kitahara and Takeya Iizuka troubled over the fact that all the band members they gathered for the school festival have left. After a bit of hard work, Setsuna Ogiso and Kazusa Touma are recruited into the club. With Haruki, the three of them plays together at the school festival. They perform Yuki Morikawa's "White Album", Rina Ogata's "Sound of Destiny", and an original song named "Todokanai Koi". When the day draws to an end, Setsuna finds Haruki and then confesses to him and the two of them starts going out together.Some time later, Setsuna decides to host a birthday party at her place. While en route to Setsuna's place, Haruki remembers how much Setsuna wanted Kazusa to attend and becomes concerned about whether Kazusa ever got the notice so he decides to go to Kazusa's place directly to see if she is around but instead finds Yōko Touma, Kazusa's mother, there. Yōko tells Haruki that Kazusa will be living with her next month and that she will not make the party because her plane arrives an hour after it has started. Haruki goes to pick Touma at the airport and tries to convince Touma to go to the party. The two get into an argument and Kazusa runs away but not before the two confesses their love for one another. Kazusa shows up to school one last time to tell Setsuna that she will be leaving for Vienna and then never returns to school again.
Kazusa does not show up to their school's graduation ceremony but when Haruki is told by Setsuna that Kazusa was at school at one point because she found a letter from Kazusa, Haruki runs all across the city looking for her. He goes home fruitless but receives a call from Kazusa and finds her standing near his house and the two of them reconciles with each other. On the next day, Setsuna convinces Haruki to go to the airport together to see Kazusa off.
Development
The director, artist, and character designer for White Album 2 is Takeshi Nakamura who had previously worked on Leaf's other games such as December When There Is No AngelDecember When There Is No Angel
is a Japanese adult visual novel developed and published by Leaf. It is known to Japanese fans as "TenIna". The game was released in both CD-ROM and DVD formats on September 26, 2003....
and the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
port of Tears to Tiara
Tears to Tiara
Tears to Tiara is a Japanese eroge tactical role-playing game developed by Leaf. It was first released for PC on April 28, 2005 in Japan. Then it was followed by 12 years old and up version released for the PlayStation 3 platform on July 17, 2008 in Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan in which the...
. The scenario for White Album 2 is written by Fumiaki Maruto and Kikakuya. The pair has worked together before on other visual novels such as Kono Aozora ni Yakusoku o
Kono Aozora ni Yakusoku o
is a Japanese adult visual novel produced by Giga, originally released on March 31, 2006. The game was ported to the PlayStation 2 in 2007 and the PlayStation Portable in 2009 came with additional content although the adult content was removed...
. The producer for White Album 2 is Naoya Shimokawa.
According to Shimokawa, Maruto was the one who came up with the original design and concept for White Album 2. After hearing the details from Maruto, Shimokawa felt that Maruto may be able to create a game that surpassed the original and decided to run with the idea. When Nakamura was told that he would be the artist for the game, he went to speak with Hisashi Kawata, the artist for the original White Album, Kawata stated that he wanted to see the painful winter images that Nakamura would create. Nakamura admits that because White Album 2 is a sequel that he does feel some pressure about the work. Despite being busy with Kimi ga Yobu, Megido no Oka de and the PlayStation 3's Tears to Tiara, Nakamura went ahead and created the character designs for the game even though no one had asked him for them.
When asked about the release date of the second part of the game, Shimokawa stated that it would be nice to release it some time during the winter season to align with the feelings that the title "White Album" evokes. Shimokawa believes that the scenario should be all complete by then and that it would come down to whether the art is completed in time or not. Unlike December When There is No Angel where there were two artists, Nakamura is alone this time and has to work on both the heroines and the supporting characters, making it a rather big effort.
Release history
A preorder campaign for Introductory Chapter began on September 25, 2009. Preorders that were received within an unspecified time period received a super deformedSuper deformed
Super deformed or SD is a specific style of Japanese caricature where characters are drawn in an exaggerated way, typically small and chubby, with stubby limbs and oversized heads, to make them resemble small children...
model figure
Model figure
A model figure is a scale model representing a human, monster or other creature. Human figures may be either a generic figure of a type , a historical personage , or a fictional character .Model figures are sold both as kits for enthusiast to construct and paint and as pre-built, pre-painted...
of Setsuna Ogiso. Both the limited and regular editions of Introductory Chapter was originally planned to be released on February 26, 2010 but it was delayed, Introductory Chapter officially went gold on March 12, 2010 and was then released two weeks later on March 26, 2010. The limited edition of the game includes a hardcover novel with it. The novel is named , and was written by Maruto and illustrated by Nakamura. The novel that comes with Introductory Chapter is told from a different perspective. The novel that will come with Closing Chapter will be a story set between the events of Introductory Chapter and the second game. Closing Chapter will be released on December 22, 2011.
Music
Introductory Chapter has three theme songs, the opening theme , the ending theme "Twinkle Snow", and the insert song . Both the opening theme and insert song is sung by Rena UeharaRena Uehara
is a female Japanese singer-songwriter originally from Hyogo, Japan and now residing in Osaka. She is known for performing theme songs for OVAs of Utawarerumono and To Heart 2. She will be singing the opening for White Album 2: Introductory Chapter....
. The ending theme is performed by Akari Tsuda. Shinya Ishikawa composed both "Todokanai Koi" and "After All: Tsuduru Omoi" while Junya Matsuoka composed "Twinkle Snow". Matsuoka handled the arrangement of "Todokanai Koi" and Michio Kinugasa arranged "Twinkle Snow" and "After All: Tsuduru Omoi". A CD single containing all three songs was released on May 26, 2010. The single peaked at 65th place in Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
's rankings for one week.
The opening theme to Closing Chapter named will also be sung by Rena Uehara.
Drama CD
A drama CD entitled was released on August 13, 2010 during ComiketComiket
, otherwise known as the , is the world's largest self-published comic book fair, held twice a year in Tokyo, Japan. The first Comiket was held on December 21, 1975, with only about 32 participating circles and an estimated 600 attendees. Attendance has since swelled to over a half million people....
78. The script was written by Fumiaki Maruto and the illustrations were done by Takeshi Nakamura. A short novel was also included in the drama CD. The premise of the drama CD was about the day before the school festival. Haruki Kitahara, Setsuna Ogiso, and Kazusa Touma are voiced by Takahiro Mizushima
Takahiro Mizushima
is a Japanese seiyū. He is affiliated with Production baobab. When voicing adult games, he is known as .-TV Anime:Lead roles in bold.* Adam * Amezo * Billy * Bob...
, Madoka Yonezawa, and Hitomi Nabatame
Hitomi Nabatame
is a Japanese voice actress. She is affiliated with Ken Production. When voicing adult games, she is known as , , , or . She also sings opening themes for Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu under the name Miran Himemiya and Chocolate Rockers.-Anime:...
respectively.
Reception
Introductory Chapter tied for second place in 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....
preorders in Japan between the months of December 2009 and January 2010. It was the second most widely sold PC game in March 2010 on Getchu.com.