Sukisho

Japanese visual novel

Sukisho, released in Japan as , is a Japanese visual novel developed by UNiSONSHIFT and released on September 10, 1999. It has since been adapted into a light novel series and an anime television series animated by Zexcs and aired from January to March 2005. The best known of the versions is the visual novel, which features mild yaoi, and, in the original Windows release, hardcore yaoi. The story is owned by SOFTPAL and Platinum Label, and the illustrations to the novels and games is by Tsutae Yuzu.

High school student Sora Hashiba was hospitalized after falling from the fourth floor of his school building. On his first night back in the dormitory, he wakes to find a strange boy addressing him by the name of "Yoru". The stranger identifies himself as "Ran" and says he's Sora's new roommate. The next day, Sora's childhood friend and dorm manager, Matsuri Honjou, informs Sora that the other boy, whom Matsuri identifies as Sunao Fujimori or "Nao kun", is actually another childhood friend of Sora. Sora doesn't remember meeting Sunao before. In fact, Sora can't remember much of anything regarding his past, and the series follows his quest to regain his memory. Sora soon learns why Sunao identified himself as "Ran" that first night: he and Sora have alternate personalities. Sora's is Yoru, a powerful protector and the lover of the more dependent, feminized Ran. The existence of these alternate personalities, and the relationship between them, has some mysterious connection with Sora's fall from the window and his forgotten past. The alternate personalities' passionate relationship is a far cry from the hostility and distrust between Sora and Sunao. Because Yoru and Ran possess them arbitrarily, Sora and Sunao frequently find themselves in embarrassing situations when they regain control of their minds. Other comical situations arise from Matsuri's efforts to draw Sora and Sunao into his moneymaking schemes, known as the group "The School Do It Alls" and from such minor characters as a bishōnen ghost and three younger boys who resemble the trio. No parents are ever mentioned, and the only authority figures are school nurse Kai Nanami and math teacher Shin'ichirou Minato, but it is known that Sora and Sunao are both orphans. Both have some connection with Sora and Sunao's dark past, which also involves one of the older students at the school, Kai Nagase, and a mysterious doctor named Aizawa.

Currently, there are four games and one spin off in the Sukisho series. The games were originally point and click visual novels released for Windows, containing sexual content, though certain body parts are censored (as is all pornographic material in Japan). Three of the games have been released on the Sony PlayStation 2. The PS2 versions have been heavily edited and many new CG scenes have been added. In addition, they feature the voice acting from the Drama CD cast, which were absent in the Windows release. These games do not yet have an official English translation.

The first game in the series. Sora Hashiba was put into the hospital for quite some time after falling from one of the school buildings. He didn't receive any major injuries, but he has lost some of his memories in the process. However, he continually sees a vision of him being carried through several dark corridors and the voice of someone calling out to him. After being released from the hospital, Sora heads back to the dorms to find that a new boy by the name of Sunao Fujimori, who will now be his roommate. He is told that Sunao is his childhood friend, but he cannot recall spending his childhood with Sunao. As he spends time with Sunao, he notices some strange things about him, including his transformation into his alternate personality Ran. On top of that, the spirit of a hospitalized schoolmate possesses Sunao and confesses his love for him. Depending on the player's decisions, Sora can either end up with Sunao, Hiromu, Ran, or Minato.

After spending some time in Shin ichirou and Nanami's place, Sora and Sunao come across a mysterious cosplaying bandit known only by the number 416. He claims that he has come to take away something precious from Sora. Meanwhile, Sora and Sunao meet Chris, who works at the nearby church. While he seems harmless, he begins to spend more time with Sora. To top it all off, Sora begins to realize that there are times when he and Sunao are mysteriously in bed together. He already knows about Sunao's connection with his alternate personality Ran, but could that mean he has his own alternate personality as well? Depending on the choices of the player, Sora will either end up with Sunao, Chris, Ran, Matsuri, or Minato. Also, obtaining all the CGs rewards the player with a special ending involving bandits 416, 773, and most recently 848.

The final game in the series. Taking place a couple of years after Rain, many changes have been made to the school. Not only is it no longer an all boys school, several of the former students are now working as teachers while others move onto other jobs. Sora, as one of the teachers, has been living a fairly normal life as he takes Minato's place as teacher. However, he realizes that it won't stay normal for long when he sees that Sunao, who he has not seen since the events in Rain, reappears in one of the halls. This game finally wraps up the story between Sora and Sunao and ends their conflict with Professor Aizawa. Depending on the player's choices, Sora can either end up with Sunao, Nanami, Hiromu, Matsuri, Soushi, or Minato. There are two hidden endings in this game. The Yoru/Ran ending is received when achieving the true ending, while the Kaito ending is obtained when all the CGs are collected.

A spin off of the Sukisho games. Takes place some time in between Rain and White Flower. The player now controls Gaku Ichikawa, one of Sora's friends who worked in the Chemistry Lab. Gaku must now choose whether to continue his relationship with Kai Nagase or start a new one with Ren Shiina. Depending on the player's choice, Gaku may end up with Shiina, Nagase, or Kitamura. Most of the main cast from the previous Sukisho games are visibly absent, including Sora and Sunao. Of the original cast, only Gaku, Nagase, Shiina, Kitamura, Nanami, Nakahara, and Hano make appearances.