Formerly, the I/O systems for most games were very keyboard oriented. For example, you would type in “GET KEY” to get a key on the screen to open a door later in the game. One problem is that computers are stupid. For example, the door wouldn’t open when you type in “open door,” but you’d had to type in “kick door” to have it budge.
Hence, many ero-games became mouse pointer oriented. Dokyusei had mouse pointers with selections such as “rub breasts,” or “finger the clitoris.”
But, as the visual novels started to become the standard for ero-games, less and less selection points came into play – the main point of visual novels was that selection points were popped up only when it became to deal with what is going to happen in the story:
You decide to run away (leads to bad ending)
You decide to face your fears up front (continues story)
Consumers didn’t want some flashy and hard to remember keyboard inputs nor spend two hours reading the manual just to figure out how to play the damn thing. They want it to install it and play it ASAP. Solution – simplify.
Since then, the gaming system engines for ero-games were tweaked little by little to give the best possible engine that is user-friendly to the consumers.
Now by this time, computers were running on the Windows 95 platform. Ero-game makers suddenly had much more freedom in doing CG art – now they can utilize as many colors as they want and store as much more data on a medium called the CD-ROM.
Elf’s “Kono Sekai no Hate de Utau mono ~YUNO~” was perhaps the last game that was released for the DOS format – with much acclaim and show that will be remembered as the pinnacle of artistic work of DOS ero-games.
Now, as I mentioned in the previous [chapter], “To Heart” was a major hit game. Multi’s story was so heart-warming that it gave a hypothesis to one softhouse that perhaps heart-warming stories that make the player cry were the thing to make a hit.
ONE ~kagayaku kisetsu e~ (1998)
The core members of the softhouse, Tactics thought up of a simple formula:
(comedic first half) + (heart-warming romantic middle) + (tragic separation) + (emotional get together) = “crying game”
“ONE” was exactly written in this formula.
You play the role of a high school students named Sasaori Kouhei, who on the surface is enjoying high school life by meeting several girls. But deep within in his inner self, you yearn to spend an eternity with your sister, who died several years ago – one in which you blame yourself for her death.
The first half of the game is very comedic and fun. However here and there, you have philosophical flashbacks about “sheeps in the field” and “the infinite sky.” Around the turning point, you have a heart-warming romantic relationship with a girl that you’d chosen. However, this where everything starts a down turn – suddenly, people that knew you before begins to forget about you. One by one, your friends and teachers starts to forget that you even exist – this is because you’ve chosen the path to spend an eternity rather than make yourself exist in this world. Tragedy is that you’d just started a romantic relationship…will the person that you professed that you love also forget about you as well!?
Of course, it is up to the scenario writer to how well he can write a story that makes the consumer read onto the story without ever realizing that its all a matter of a simple formula (think: Stephen King novels – they are all the same formula, but it’s still a best seller)
Kanon (1999)
The creators of “ONE” realized that their formula was indeed what made a game successful. The main creators broke off from tactics and started their own softhouse – Key, to create one of the pinnacles of ero-game history to date.
“Kanon” was released on June 4, 1999. Speculation was amounting that this game is a major “watch-for” item even before it went on sale. The beautiful CG art, the astounding music, and the atmosphere of the story was captivating. Consumers were wondering, “would these guys that disbanded from tactics be capable of doing something greater than their previous work?”
They did.
“Kanon” was created somewhat of a anti-thesis of “ONE.” Instead of the main character going to eternity, this time it was the heroines who had something. Mainly, Tsukimiya Ayu was indeed a spiritual being who runs around the town looking for her beloved Yuuichi – with a very emotional ending.
“Kanon” is touted as the best ero-game of all time. Well, that is a subject open to debate, but it sure did leave deep marks for not only the ero-game industry, but for otakus all across Japan. “Kanon” was such a big hit – that it is not that surprising to say “you cannot call yourself an otaku without going through the baptism of playing Kanon.”
The success of “ONE” and “Kanon” on their formula to creat a “crying game” was adopted by many softhouses. For example, just to mention a few:
- D.O.’s “Kana ~Imouto”
- KID’s “Memories Off” (non-ero game)
- CIRCUS’ “D.C.~da capo~”
- Studio Mebius’ “SNOW”
- minori’s “Wind ~a breath of heart”
Even age’s “Kimi ga Nozomu Eien” was somewhat of a twist of this formula by adding in a “diluted and dirty love triangle relationship” into the scenario play.
As the Visual Novel standard was adopted, the erotic parts in ero-games began to become less and less apparent. More and more people who used to reject such type of games began to become more open-minded that it isn’t just about sex anymore. And as more and more softhouses began to adopt the “crying game” standard, both the industry and the consumers began to look at “hey, ero-games CAN have great stories after all!”
Hence, a successful ero-game transformed itself from:
hard-core porno games with mindless sex → heart-warming love simulation game with an added touch of sex
Chapter 4 - Importation of such games into Console Consumer Market
It is obvious that “games with better story” had more “citizenship rights” to be imported over to the console market than cheap-sex games.
One of the first ero-games to be imported over to the console was Elf’s “Dragon Knight 2″ which was released on the PC-Engine.
To be imported meant several things:
- The game was successful enough that it could be sold on consumer consoles
- But of course, there are tighter restricitions on console systems, so erotic sex scenes need to be cut out
On the plus side, the consumer console market had some pretty good gaming systems that they were capable of doing something that the ero-games for the PC couldn’t back then – add character voices.
Elf’s “Dokyusei” also followed in a similar fashion – first on the PC-Engine and then on the Sega Saturn. F&C’s “Pia Carrot” series lead the path by importing much of their series onto the console format. And Leaf attained much success to non-PC users by heavily promoting their “To Heart” game onto the Sony Playstation.
During the mid 1990s, the console game industry was moving from the triad lead of Super Famicom/Sega Megadrive/NEC PC-Engine towards the dual superpowers of Sony Playstation vs Sega Saturn. During this time, the PC-Engine was becoming a dying format in which it managed to survive as long as it could by utilizing its voice capability on its CD-ROM2. The Sega Saturn and its successor, the Sega Dreamcast will inevitably follow a similar pattern as well. The last Dreamcast sale was on December of 2001, but still importation of ero-games onto the Dreamcast still continues to this date, such as:
- Tsuki wa Higashi ni, Hi wa Nishi ni ~Operation Sanctuary~ (2004.6)
- Patishe Nyanko ~hatsukoi wa ichigo aji~ (2004.9)
- Suigetsu ~Mayoi gokoro~ (2004.10)
- An ero-game is released on the Windows platform
- If the game was successful, it will be imported onto the Dreamcast with sex scenes cut out. As an added plus on removing sex scenes, new scenarios, event graphics, and possibly a new character may be introduced on the Dreamcast version
- Wait several months later, and release the game onto the more popular PS2 format. Some alterations are made, perhaps the OP theme might be changed to distinguish it from the Dreamcast version. As a plus for those who bought the Dreamcast version, they might add some more new scenarios
- After several months, they will re-import all the added items from the consumer console release back into the PC format as an “all ages version”
- Or they may re-import all the added items from the consumer console
release and re-add the sex scenes to all the new characters that they
added.
Hard-core maniacs are suckers. They will buy all of them. Each time a new “release” is made, the makers add something special into them that drags Mr. Yukichi (the guy on the 10,000 yen bill) out of our wallets.
Here’s an example of some extreme manipulation:
- An ero-game called “Green Green” was released
- They decide to release two different consumer console versions of “Green Green” – one for the XBox titled “Green Green ~Kane no Iro Dynamic~” and the other for the PS2 “Green Green ~Kane no Iro Romantic~.” Both had new extra characters on them…except that the added character on the XBox version was different from the the added character in the PS2 version
- HOWEVER! Since the XBox isn’t doing so well in Japan, they’ve decided to drop the XBox version “Green Green ~Kane no Iro Dynamic” all together and release that for the PS2 instead
- BUT! They still released the original PS2 version’s “Green Green ~Kane no Iro Romantic” as well
- Hence what you ended up was that you had two games with the same title on the same PS2 platform, with each version having two different extra characters than the other!
- Basically, what the softhouse is saying is that “if you want to play the two new characters, you have to buy both versions”
Hard core maniacs are suckers. We know it ourselves. They know it all too well too. But then, what the softhouses are doing is nothing more than following basic Japanese marketing strategy that had developed since the 1970s – milking money out of people who will buy them (I believe that the American anime distributor ADVFilms is practically following this marketing strategy from what I have been reading on this board for the past year or so).
What is happening here is that instead of “having your favorite game being imported onto the console game that you own,” it is more like “when your favorite ero-game is imported, you HAVE to buy all of them”
Chapter 5 - Ero-games becoming Anime
Actually, this isn’t all that new. Many ero-games did become animated. However, they were only restriced to being “18 and older” pornographic OVA anime releases. It is simple to say that “well duh, the original game was erotic, isn’t it obvious that the anime is going to be porno material for the adult video market?” However, the truth was that the anime versions of these ero-games barely touched on the actual story and plot lines – most of the animated parts were focused on sex scenes. In a sense, these OVAs were not truly “the anime version of the original ero-game.”
But then, one anime began to open a path to change all that. In 1998, an anime called “Night Walker ~Midnight Detective” was aired as a twelve episode anime series (obviously sex scenes were cut out). The original ero-game was released back in 1993. This is the first actual anime TV series that was based on an ero-game. Around the same time, “Dokyusei 2″ also aired, but this was more like “re-hashing the erotic OVA episodes, and editing them without the sex scenes for airing on TV.”
While it “Night Walker” and “Dokyusei 2″ did get attention at the time, the anime itself didn’t do so well.
However, in the same year, the TV series “Sentimental Journey” which was based on the gal-game “Sentimental Graffitti” did pretty well (pretty ironic since the original game was crap). The success of this ignited the light that “TV anime inspired by ero/gal-games actually had some market value”
The first real successful TV anime that was inspired by an ero-game was technically AQUAPLUS’ (the consumer arm of the softhouse Leaf) “To Heart” in April of 1999.
By this time, the Japanese anime industry was in a situation where dozens or so anime companies were scrambling against each other for short 13~26 episode late-night spots on TV channels. Otakus call this “shinya-waku ranritsu jidai” (The war of late night TV spots).
Anime companies wanted ideas fast to get a lead from their competitiors. Ero-game companies yearned to “make something like an anime, but don’t have the money to do so.” Eventually, the two got their points together, and you started have more and more anime based on ero/gal-games being released.
Just from what I can think of, here are the “anime based on ero/gal-games as they increased by year”:
1998
-Dokyusei 2
-Night Walker ~Midnight Detective~
-Kakyusei ~Anata dake o Mitsumete~
-Sentimental Journey
1999
-To Heart
-Kakyusei
2000
-Sakura Taisen
2001
-Comic Party
-Sakura Taisen ~the Movie~
2002
-Kanon
-Pia Carrot e Youkoso! the Movie ~ Sayaka no Koi Monogatari~
2003
-Lime-iro Senkitan
-Green Green
-D.C. ~da capo~
-Popotan
-Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito
-Kimi ga Nozomu Eien
-Shingetsutan Tsukihime
2004
-Kita he ~Diamond Dust Drops~
-Yumeria
-Tsuki wa Higashi ni, Hi wa Nishi ni ~ Operation Sanctuary~
-Wind -a breath of Heart-
-To Heart ~ Remember my Memories~
-Kakyusei 2 ~Hitomi no Nakano Shoujo Tachi~
-Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha
-Final Approach
-W ~Wish~
-Harukanaru Toki no Nakade
-Myneribe
2005
- AIR (TV series)
- AIR (the movie)
- Suki na Mono wa Suki dakara Shouganai
- IZUMO2
- Lime-iro Senkitan X
- MuvLuv
2005-2012
- Too much to include here.
As you can see, more and more big-hit ero-games started coming onto the TV anime format. Leaf’s “Comic Party,” CIRCUS’ “D.C. ~da capo~,” Key’s “Kanon,” and age’s “Kimi ga Nozomu Eien,” just to name a few.
Then again, there are also anime based on ero-games that didn’t do so modestly – such as “Popotan” and “Yami to Hon no Tabibito.” These were more like they were selected due to the high quality of their CG work (both of these ero-games were done by pretty famous illustrators). In the end, even a doujin game – TYPE-MOON’s “Tsukihime” went on to become an anime. Right now, it is not so modest to say that currently, “ero-games are created with an anime market in their view.” I mean I’m sure I am not the only one who already sees “Fate/stay night” as an obvious anime marketing material.
In 2001, the first movie based on a all-ages love simulation game was released – Sakura Taisen The Movie. In 2002, “Pia Carrot ~Sayaka~” became the first anime movie that was based on an ero-game. Early next year, the second anime movie based on an ero-game, “AIR” will be released. It is astounding that the director for this is Sir Dezaki Osamu – a highly respected veteran anime director who directed major classic anime hits such as “Kyojin no Hoshi” and “Ace o Nerae!” In 2005, the first TV anime based on a ero-bishounen game (ero-game targeted for girls), “Suki na Mono wa Suki dakara Shouganai” will also begin airing on TV. The momentum for ero-game turned anime is unstoppable.
Non-erotic bishoujo games turned anime also increased. As noted above, in addition to “Sentimental Journey” (based on “Sentimental Graffitti”), you have “Kita e ~Diamond Dust Drops~,” “Sakura Taisen,” and “Harukanaru Toki no Nakade.”
Perhaps, you can also add animes such as “Sister Princess” and “HAPPY LESSON” to the list. I mean, “you suddenly have 12 young sister all in love with you,” or “you have five beautiful moms as your teachers looking after you.” The plot line screams that it could’ve come from an ero-game. But, I intentionally left these two out since these two were original ideas that were serialized on Dengeki G’s Magazine.
Then what kind of anime do these ero/gal game based stories evolve into? Well, duh. If you take in what was in the original story as an anime, you have a single male lead revolving around dozens of pretty girls – a typical harlem anime. While going through each sub-heroines’ story, the main plot line evolves by maintaining and growing the relationship between the main male lead and the main heroine. Then there are those anime where no male lead exists at all and everything is told from the female characters’ point of view (“Popotan” and “Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito”). And then, there are those anime where each episode focuses on each individual female characters without the existence of a male lead (“Kita e” and “Sentimental Journey”)
And then there are some interesting titles such as the anime version of “Comic Party.” The main story of the anime involved the male lead, Sendou Kazuki working hard to attain the pinnacle of the doujin world. Interestingly, this ero-game based anime had the female characters as supporting roles rather than a love interest.
“Mahou Shoujo Lilikal Nanoha,” which currently started airing this season is also pretty interesting to note about. This all began as a spin-off of the ero-game “Triangle Heart 3 ~ Sweet Songs Forever~” as a joke. The extra joke story within the original game was “what if we take the main character’s younger sister and make it into a magical girl story?” (Think of it as something like the relationship of “Tenchi Muyo” to “Pretty Sammy” or “SoulTaker” and “Nurse Witch Komugi-chan”). Somehow this joke began to turn into reality (which is why the saying goes in Japanese anime industry “don’t make a joke without thinking about the consequences”). What you have here now is a mahou shojo story that was originally developed as a joke plot within an ero-game.
Another interesting note is on the voices for these types of ero-game turned anime (or ero-game turned consumer console games). There are usually two ways these occur:
- The seiyuu cast is entirely different from the ero-game and the anime/console version (“D.C. ~da capo~”)
- The seiyuus sound exactly the same, but the names are different
Focusing on “B,” you have a character on the ero-game version and a character in the anime whose seiyuu’s names are different, but they sound exactly the same. This is because the seiyuus use pseudonyms (even they themselves don’t mind, their talent agency does not want the image of their seiyuus doing the voices for an erotic game, especially if they are rather well known seiyuus). Hence, what you have is something written like “the reason why you think they sound the same is because the seiyuus are long-lost relatives to each other” (How it was explained on NekoNeko Soft’s HP for the consumer versus ero-game version for their game, “Mizuiro”)
Say for instance, you have a big name female seiyuu who has leads roles in NHK children’s anime show, using a pseudonym when she plays the role of a nice and grudging sister on a big hit ero-game (more bluntly: Mizuhashi Kaori = Uehara Tomomi). And you have a big name male seiyuu who in the light plays the role of a hard-broiled car driver while he uses a different name to make appearances in many ero-games. (Once again, more bluntly: Koyasu Takehito = Jumonji Hayato)
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