Да Капо II: Школьный романтический приквел

2006 video game

Da Capo II (〜ダ・カーポII〜) is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Circus which was first released on May 26, 2006, for Windows computers. It is a part of the ongoing Da Capo series of games by Circus, and is the direct sequel to Circus' previous title Da Capo released in 2002. Da Capo II is described by Circus as a "ticklish school romance adventure (こそばゆい学園恋愛アドベンチャー). A fan disc, Da Capo II: Spring Celebration, was released on April 27, 2007, and features springtime stories set after the endings for each of the six Da Capo II heroines. An all ages consumer port titled Da Capo II: Plus Situation containing additional scenarios was released for the PlayStation 2 in May 2008. The PlayStation 2 version was later ported to PC, titled Da Capo II: Plus Communication and containing the hentai scenes found in the original release, in December 2008. There have been many drama CDs, and two separate sets of novels and manga created based on the original game. An anime adaptation aired in Japan between October and December 2007 on TV Aichi, and was also broadcast on other networks as well. A second season of the anime aired between April and June 2008; each anime season contained thirteen episodes and were produced by Feel. A sequel set 20 years after the end of Da Capo II, Da Capo III, was released on April 27, 2012.

The gameplay in Da Capo II utilizes the same system used in Da Capo, in which little interaction is required 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 dialogue 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. The consequences of these decisions varies, in which they may either affect the protagonist, Yoshiyuki's action, or his location. At the beginning of the gameplay, the player will mostly be given choices based on the protagonist's actions, but is soon introduced to choices based on locations and the alarm clock. Choices based on locations are accompanied by an image of a heroine, to allow the choices to be easier. The player may also adjust the protagonist's alarm clock, determining the events which occurs the following morning in the game. There are six 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 six 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. The game is split into three main parts: the first story arc revolves around an upcoming Christmas party, the second arc takes place during the winter holiday break, and the last arc is back at school in the new year.

Da Capo II takes place 53 years after the events of Da Capo, when Sakura Yoshino, weary of being alone for so long, wished upon a prototype artificial wish granting magical cherry tree for a son—Yoshiyuki Sakurai. In the first arc, while Yoshiyuki attends Kazami Academy, beneath the school, he awakens Minatsu Amakase, a robot. Yoshiyuki helps her adapt to a life with humans despite robots being nothing more than mere tools. In the second arc, Yoshiyuki begins to harbor feelings for his stepsisters, Otome and Yume, the granddaughters of Jun'ichi and Nemu. However, the cherry tree starts malfunctioning, granting all wishes, regardless of how impure, which is causing numerous incidents to occur in Hatsune. The situation gradually worsens and Otome has to choose whether or not to wither the cherry tree, which would erase Yoshiyuki's existence in the process, so as to save Hatsune. The game centers on Hatsunejima (初音島) the same island as Da Capo from the original story. Yoshiyuki Sakurai is the protagonist of the game. Sakura and Jun'ichi are the only returning characters, and Nemu is the only other Da Capo character to be mentioned by name. Moe, Mako, Kotori, Miharu, and Yoriko are also mentioned, but indirectly. Yume, Nanaka, Minatsu, and Sakura's themes are remixes of themes from previous Circus games. Yume, Minatsu, and Sakura's are remixes of Nemu, Miharu, and Sakura's from Da Capo, and Nanaka's is a remix of Sayaka's from Suika.

Da Capo II was Circus' twenty ninth game, but was the eleventh game developed by the development group Circus Northern who had also produced their second title Suika and their fourth title Da Capo. The game's production was headed by Tororo, president of Circus, who also worked on the game's music with Comet Nekono who worked on the game's background music. The scenario in the game was divided between five people who worked on the different stories for the heroines who include Kōta Takeuchi who mainly worked on Minatsu's and Anzu's stories, the director of the project Chihare Ameno who wrote most of Otome's and Yume's scenarios, Mochizuki JET who wrote Nanaka's and Koko's stories, Nonoka Maihama as a scenario assistant, and Mori no Me. Initial character design was mainly created by Natsuki Tanihara, but GotoP designed Sakura's pet dog Harimao. Using Tanihara's designs, five more artists in addition to Tanihara illustrated the characters and settings used in the game; these artists include Mochi Chinochi, Mitsumamu, Yuka Kayura, Eko, and Meikai. Tanihara designed Yume, Minatsu, and Sakura; Chinochi designed Nanaka, Koko, and the supporting cast; Mitsumamu designed Anzu; and Kayura designed Otome.