| Type: | manga |
| HoneyComing: Sweet Love Lesson | |
| Author: | Hooksoft |
| Illustrator: | Ui Takano |
| Publisher: | Kadokawa Shoten |
| Demographic: | Seinen |
| Imprint: | Kadokawa Comics Ace |
| Magazine: | Comptiq |
| First: | February 2007 |
| Last: | October 2008 |
| Volumes: | 3 |
| Volume List: | List of HoneyComing chapters#HoneyComing: Sweet Love Lesson |
| Type: | manga |
| HoneComi The 4-koma | |
| Author: | Hooksoft |
| Illustrator: | Yuki Kiriga |
| Publisher: | ASCII Media Works |
| Demographic: | Seinen |
| Imprint: | Dengeki Comics EX |
| Magazine: | Dengeki G's Magazine Dengeki G's Festival! Comic |
| First: | February 28, 2007 |
| Last: | April 25, 2009 |
| Volumes: | 1 |
| Volume List: | List of HoneyComing chapters#HoneComi The 4-koma |
| Developer: | Hooksoft |
| Publisher: | Hooksoft (Windows) Kadokawa Shoten (PS2) |
| Genre: | Eroge, Visual novel |
| Platforms: | Windows, PlayStation 2 |
| Type: | light novel |
| Author: | Jōji Kamio |
| Illustrator: | Makako Matsumoto Rakko |
| Publisher: | GoodsTrain |
| Demographic: | Male |
| Imprint: | TwinTail Novels |
| First: | October 25, 2007 |
| Last: | July 2008 |
| Volumes: | 3 |
| Volume List: | List of HoneyComing light novels#HoneyComing (GoodsTrain) |
| Type: | light novel |
| Author: | Hack Masamune Yotsuya |
| Illustrator: | Makako Matsumoto Rakko |
| Publisher: | Harvest |
| Demographic: | Male |
| Imprint: | Harvest Novels |
| First: | December 1, 2007 |
| Last: | March 2008 |
| Volumes: | 3 |
| Volume List: | List of HoneyComing light novels#HoneyComing (Harvest) |
| Type: | manga |
| SweetHoneyComing | |
| Author: | Hooksoft |
| Illustrator: | Akuru Uira |
| Publisher: | Kadokawa Shoten |
| Demographic: | Seinen |
| Imprint: | Kadokawa Comics Ace |
| Magazine: | Comp Ace |
| First: | March 2009 |
| Last: | July 2009 |
| Volumes: | 1 |
| Volume List: | List of HoneyComing chapters#SweetHoneyComing |
| @HoneyComing RoyalSweet | |
| Developer: | Hooksoft |
| Genre: | Eroge, Visual novel |
| Platforms: | Windows |
| Type: | light novel |
| @HoneyComing RoyalSweet | |
| Author: | Renri Akatsuki |
| Illustrator: | Makako Matsumoto |
| Publisher: | Eagle Publishing |
| Demographic: | Male |
| Imprint: | Pumpkin Novels |
| Published: | January 15, 2010 |
| Volumes: | 1 |
| Volume List: | List of HoneyComing light novels#@HoneyComing RoyalSweet |
is an adult Japanese visual novel developed by Hooksoft which was released on June 29, 2007, for Windows. Kadokawa Shoten published a PlayStation 2 port of the game on September 3, 2009. HoneyComing is Hooksoft's sixth title, along with other games such as Orange Pocket, and _Summer. A fan disc called @HoneyComing RoyalSweet was released on August 28, 2009. The gameplay in HoneyComing follows a plot line which offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the five female main characters. The game offers three different modes: Amusement, Feeling, and Only One. The story revolves around Kōichirō Ogata, a young man entering his first year of high school into a former all-girls school. However, at this school, there are still mandatory subjects taught on love and romance, much to the dislike of Kōichirō.
There have been three manga adaptations based on HoneyComing published by ASCII Media Works and Kadokawa Shoten. Five character song CDs were released between December 2006 and April 2007. Many drama CDs have also been produced. Two light novel series were published by GoodsTrain and Harvest, and another light novel adaptation consisting of one volume was published by Eagle Publishing.
The gameplay requires little interaction 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. There are five 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 five 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 begins with a choice of three modes: Amusement, Feeling, and Only One. Amusement Mode is intended for beginners where each of the heroines will have a favorable impression, and an icon on the screen shows the player how far in the game they have progressed. The Feeling Mode does not have an icon to show how far the player has progressed, and is seen as the typical setting for an adult visual novel. The last mode, Only One, starts with a selection for the player to choose one of the five heroines. Whichever girl the player chooses will determine which route the player will experience.
HoneyComings story revolves around the protagonist Kōichirō Ogata, a male first-year high school student who does not have any interest in matters such as love or romance. The high school he is admitted to, named, used to be an all-girl school formally named, and still carries a high population of female students. He starts school with his childhood friend Asahi Kamijō, his younger stepsister Mio Ogata, and best male friend Masanori Shinozaki. Kōichirō eventually meets two more female upperclassmen from the same school named Clarissa Satsuki Maezono, and Yuma Shichiri, along with a female underclassman from an affiliated school named Marino Tagaya; Kōichirō becomes friends with them. Since the school used to only have female students, there are certain classes oriented towards girls which are still required to take, such as lessons on love and romance.
These lessons are known as, and students at Aikyō are required to take these classes on how to fall in love, and the ways of proper romance techniques. Each lesson, two people (of the opposite sex) pair up to make something, such as a meal for example, and they must form good communication if they intend to pass the test. There are also tests on practical skills which required note taking to later be studied for tests. During these lessons, students from Aikyō, and a nearby affiliated junior-high school, are combined for a total range of six grades from the lowest to the highest. Each time, forty new students from either school are chosen to take part in a special class for the Love-making Lessons. The students in the special class this year include: Kōichirō, Asahi, Clarissa, Mio, Yuma, Marino, Kaoru, Masanori, and Hiroko. Two teachers are assigned to this class: Ichigo Raidō (who is in charge of the boys), and Tsukasa Kurebayashi (who is in charge of the girls).
The producer for HoneyComing was Akira Asami, while supervision of the project was headed by Mujin Kawanami, who was also the main scenario writer. The art director for the game was Shitano, but the character artwork was headed by Makako Matsushita, and Racco. General computer graphics was headed by Rohei Yamane, who was accompanied by Mitsuki, and Mahiro. The music in the game was composed by Takao Matsūra, while sound in general was done by VII.[6]
On May 16, 2007, a free game demo of HoneyComing, "Ver. 1.00", for Clarissa's scenario became available for download at HoneyComings official website via a direct download link or BitTorrent. More free game demos followed, one for each heroine, and then yet another free game demo, "Ver. 1.02", for all five heroines later became available for download in early July 2007. An update for Ver. 1.02 was released on September 13, 2007. The full game was first introduced in Japan as a limited edition version on June 29, 2007 as a DVD playable on a Microsoft Windows PC.[7] The regular edition was released on August 24, 2007.[8] A fan disc of HoneyComing, called @HoneyComing RoyalSweet, was released in both premium and basic editions for the PC on August 28, 2009. @HoneyComing RoyalSweet features short stories for the five heroines of HoneyComing and contains additional scenarios for four sub-heroines.[9] A version of HoneyComing without adult content playable on the PlayStation 2 was published by Kadokawa Shoten and released on September 3, 2009 titled SweetHoneyComing.[10] [11]
See main article: List of HoneyComing chapters. A manga adaptation, under the title, was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's Comptiq magazine under their Kadokawa Comics Ace imprint between the February 2007 and October 2008 issues, illustrated by Ui Takano. Three bound volumes were released for the series between August 10, 2007, and October 10, 2008.[12] [13] A second manga, this time a four-panel comic strip, under the title, was serialized in ASCII Media Works' Dengeki G's Magazine under their Dengeki Comics EX imprint between February 28, 2007, and January 30, 2008, illustrated by Yuki Kiriga. The manga was subsequently transferred to Dengeki G's Festival! Comic, a special edition version of Dengeki G's Magazine, on April 26, 2008, and ran in that magazine until the publication of its sixth volume on April 25, 2009. The four-panel comic strip had also appeared in Dengeki G's Festival! Comic with the first issue sold on November 26, 2007. A single bound volume for HoneComi The 4-koma was released on July 27, 2009, by ASCII Media Works.[14] A short-lived third manga entitled illustrated by Akuru Uira was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's Comp Ace magazine under their Kadokawa Comics Ace imprint between the March and July 2009 issues.[15]
See main article: List of HoneyComing light novels. There are two erotic light novel series based on HoneyComing. The first series is written by Jōji Kamio, with illustrations by Makako Matsumoto and Rakko, and is published by GoodsTrain under their TwinTail Novels label. The first novel was released on October 25, 2007, featuring Asahi on the cover,[16] and the second novel was released in February 2008 featuring Clarissa on the cover.[17] The third and final novel was released on July 25, 2008, featuring Marino on the cover.[18] The second light novel series is written by Hack and Masamune Yotsuya with the same illustrators, and is published by Harvest, under their Harvest Novels label. Three novels were published in the second series released between December 1, 2007, and March 2008.[19] [20] [21] Lastly, an adult light novel based on the game's fan disc @HoneyComing RoyalSweet, was published by Eagle Publishing on January 15, 2010, under their Pumpkin Novels label. It was written by Renri Akatsuki, and illustrated by Makako Matsumoto.[22]
A 60-page visual fan book for HoneyComing, entitled HoneyComing Official Perfect Visual Book, was published by ASCII Media Works on December 7, 2007. The book includes a promotional illustration gallery, a character and story introduction, interviews with staff and voice actors, and more.[23] Another visual fan book, for @HoneyComing RoyalSweet, entitled @HoneyComing RoyalSweet Official Fan Book, was published by Eagle Publishing on January 15, 2010, consisting of 111 pages.[24]
HoneyComing's opening theme is "Love Hell Rocket" by Haruko Aoki. The short version of the opening theme is available for download at HoneyComings official website;[25] an "eight-bit-shooting" arrange version of the song is also available for download.[25] The game's ending theme is by Miki Tsuchiya. A music album entitled HoneyComing Variety Sound Collection "IF" was sold with the limited edition version of the game; the album contained the opening and ending themes along with background music featured in game.[26] Five character song CDs under the main title of HoneyComing First Impression were released; each CD covers one of the heroines from the game. The first, Asahiism, was released on December 29, 2006; the second, Clairism, followed on January 26, 2007; the third, Mioism, went on sale on February 23, 2007. The last two, Yumaism, and Marinoism, were released on March 23, 2007, and April 27, 2007, respectively.[27] The game's original soundtrack was released on January 9, 2008. A drama CD entitled HoneyComing: one more chime! was released by Marine Entertainment on December 29, 2007. The voices were the same as provided for the visual novel.[28]
Three different drama CDs were released on May 25, 2007, all of which containing two drama tracks and an insert song for one of the heroines. One of these drama CDs was HoneyComing Getchuya Original Drama CD, which was released by Getchuya.[29] The second drama CD, titled HoneyComing LAOX Original Drama CD, was released by LAOX;[30] and a third, titled HoneyComing Messe Sanoh Original Drama CD, was released by Messe Sanoh.[31] Lastly, Sofmap released a drama CD titled HoneyComing Sofmap Original Drama CD, which consists of two discs, each disc containing two audio drama tracks and an insert song.[32]
In the October 2007 issue of Dengeki G's Magazine, poll results for the fifty best bishōjo games were released. Out of 249 titles, HoneyComing ranked nineteenth with fourteen votes, and was tied with ToHeart.[33]
Two character popularity polls were held on the official website. The first character poll started on June 8, 2007, and results were announced on June 22, 2007.[34] A total of 28,960 votes were counted.[35] Clarissa came first; Asahi came second; Marino came third; Mio came fourth, and Yuma came fifth. Four other characters were included in the poll. As a prize for gathering the most votes, Clarissa received both a wallpaper and screensaver. A second character poll ran on the official website from June 29, 2007, from July 31, 2007, notably longer than the first one. A total of 18,211 votes were made, and Clarissa resulted in gathering the most votes again, respectively.[36]
HoneyComing was the highest selling game for the month of June 2007 on Getchu.com, and dropped to eleventh in the ranking the following month.[37] [38] HoneyComing was the third most widely sold game for the first half of 2007 on Getchu.com, just behind D.C.II Spring Celebration in second and Kimi ga Aruji de Shitsuji ga Ore de in first.[39] Furthermore, HoneyComing was the fourth most widely sold game of 2007 on Getchu.com.[40]