Starry Sky Explained
is a Japanese otome game series created and developed by software game company Honeybee and HuneX. Starry Sky is separated into four games, the first of which was released in 2008, with three love interests in each, for a total of twelve possible love interests across all four games. Starry Sky has released multiple Drama CDs, countless manga adaptations, and a 26-episode anime adaptation.[1] In addition, sequels of the four original games were created for both Windows and PlayStation Portable in 2008–2009 and 2011 respectively.
Gameplay
The player takes control of Tsukiko Yahisa, the heroine of the Starry☆Sky games. The plot of the game is told in visual novel format, where the decision of the player affects the relationships she has with potential love interests.
Plot
Tsukiko Yahisa is the first female student to enroll at Seigetsu Academy, a former all-boys school that specializes in astronomy. She is closely watched over by her childhood friends, Kanata Nanami and Suzuya Tohzuki, who often protect her from the male student body. Throughout the game, she befriends other young men whose personalities are based on the Western zodiac constellations.
In the first game Starry☆Sky~in Spring~, shortly after Tsukiko transfers to Seigetsu Academy, a half-French boy named Yoh Tomoe pursues Tsukiko. This action stirs up emotions in Kanata and Suzuya, both of whom had long been in love with Tsukiko.[2]
In the second game, Starry☆Sky~in Summer~, Tsukiko joins the academy's archery club. As she practices for the summer competition, she simultaneously solves the problems between her teammates (Homare Kanakubo, Ryunosuke Miyaji, and Azusa Kinose).[3]
In the third game, Starry☆Sky~in Autumn~, Tsukiko becomes involved with three teachers at her school (Iku Mizushima, Naoshi Haruki, and Kotarou Hoshizuki).[4]
The last game, Starry☆Sky~in Winter~, details Tsukiko's involvement with the student council, which includes Tsubasa Amaha, Kazuki Shiranui, and Hayato Aozora.[5]
Characters
- Tsukiko is the heroine of the Starry☆Sky games. She is the first female student to attend Seigetsu Academy, a traditionally all-boys school, and is in her second year.
Spring
- Yoh represents Capricorn. His French name is Henri Samuel Jean Aimée. He is half-French and was often teased for that as a kid. He met Tsukiko when he was young, and because she was the only person who didn't make fun of him for being half-French, he fell in love with her and asked his father to let him transfer to Seigetsu Academy in order to pursue her. Initially disdainful of everyone except Tsukiko, eventually, he learns the importance of having friends. His father hopes to work in America to develop a special astronomy project. He is in his second year at the school.
- Kanata, also a student in his second year, represents Pisces. Brash and impulsive, he has been friends with Tsukiko since childhood and has developed feelings for her. He does not get along very well with Yoh. Kanata has a terminal illness that leaves him in a lethargic state, which is why he often skips classes and faints without reason. However, he refuses to seek medical help and often gets involved in school fights that worsen his health to protect Tsukiko.
- Suzuya represents Cancer. Calm and friendly, he was friends with Tsukiko and Kanata since childhood and often watches out for them like an older brother. He is very good at cooking and often uses the school's kitchen to prepare food for his friends. Suzuya is also in love with Tsukiko, but because he knows that Kanata also loves her, he holds back. Beneath his warm exterior, Suzuya has a dark side and worries about Tsukiko constantly. He is in his second year as well.
Summer
- Azusa represents Sagittarius. Although he is a newcomer to the archery club, he has met Tsukiko before and inspired her to become better at it. He is a cold, serious introvert with not too much to say. While he appears confident, even to the point of overt boasting, he is actually quite insecure and struggles to make a real effort to achieve his goals. He is revealed as a distant relative of Tsubasa, whose hot-blooded and playful personality starkly contrasts with his own. He has a feminine, Emo appearance that becomes especially obvious when he is around other boys only. Azusa often flirts with Tsukiko, and his actions annoy Ryunosuke. He is a first year.
- Homare represents Taurus. He is the captain of the archery club. He is openly friendly and often settles arguments between Ryunosuke and Azusa, but is prone to feel pressured for the success of the archery club. He is in his third year. His best friends are Shiranui Kazuki and Shirogane Oushirou from the same year.
- Ryunosuke represents Scorpio. He is the sub-captain of the archery club. He appears to be serious and calm but hides a penchant for sweets. Ryunosuke has kept an eye out for Tsukiko ever since he first saw her. He is in his second year.
Autumn
- Naoshi represents Leo. He is Tsukiko's homeroom teacher and the advisor for the archery club. He is energetic and enjoys the "youth" part of high school since he spent high school mostly studying, and because of that, a lot of students can't take him seriously and often play pranks on him. Naoshi's best friend, Hiroki, got him to enjoy high school, but Hiroki was hit by a car saving the girl he liked. Because of that, he was afraid to fall in love until he met Tsukiko.
- Iku represents Gemini. He is currently a student teacher and friends with the school nurse, Kotarou, since they were children. Iku and his twin sister Yui were both born with poor health, and Yui died while they were in high school. He was formerly the lead singer of a band the heroine liked but destroyed his voice while overworking himself due to the pain of his sister's death. His band members turned out to be using him for money and promptly dismissed him when he could no longer sing. Iku lost trust in everyone until a girl, Tsukiko, helped him gain it back.
- Kotarou represents Libra. He is the school nurse who once had ambitions to become a doctor. Iku's sister, Yui, had feelings for him, but after her death, Kotarou blamed himself for not being able to save her. His father is the chairman of the academy, but after his father's retirement, the position was given to Kotarou's sister, Koharu. However, he ended up obtaining the position due to Koharu's wish to work overseas.
Winter
- Kazuki represents Aries. He is the president of the student council. He is gifted with the power of foresight, although this ability does not allow him to see everything. He blames himself for the death of his parents because of his lack of understanding of his own power. Because of this, he hates his power. As a child, he was often involved in fights to prove his own strength. The day he met Tsukiko, she told him that only people who think they are weak try and show their strength through brute force. He had become friends with her, and Kanata and Suzuya as well. He is in his third year (apparently he repeated a year, together with Shirogane)
- Tsubasa represents Aquarius. He is the treasurer of the student council. He often lights up the mood in the student council. However, he is emotionally unstable. At a very young age, he was abandoned by his parents, who got divorced. He was taken in by his grandparents on his mother's side. When Tsubasa was young, he spent a lot of time with his grandfather, and they often made inventions together. Even now, Tsubasa still likes to invent things. His grandfather's dying wish made Tsubasa promise to take care of his grandmother. His grandmother sent Tsubasa away to school, and ever since Tsubasa likes to be alone. He thinks that being alone is better than being with people because he is afraid of losing things that are important to him. He is a first year.
- Hayato represents Virgo. He is the vice president of the student council. He comes from a well-known family of pianists but lacks self-confidence and feels pressured to be up to par with his family's talent. In the end, he decided to leave his house and stay in the school dorm. He is a second-year student.
Special character
- Represents Ophiuchus, the 13th constellation. This special "13th Character" was introduced in the 13th secret date CD. Not much information is given. His Greek name translates to “serpent-bearer” and he is often seen holding an albino snake in many official illustrations. In the fourth game Starry Sky in Winter it's mentioned that he has greater, stranger power than Kazuki Shiranui.
Minor characters
- ,, and are members of the archery club and are dubbed as the "idiot trio".
- Oushirou is an acquaintance of Kazuki's and Homare's, he carries a camera everywhere due to being a journalist for the school paper. He is a third-year student.
- Izumi is a first-year student in the Mythology department who appears in the After Spring game. He has a serious and straightforward personality despite his devil-may-care appearance. He tends to act on his thoughts, does not think very deeply, and does not lie either. Despite coming from a yakuza background, he is a pacifist at heart and is weak at fighting.
- Oshinari is a student teacher who appears in the After-Spring game. When he is free, he helps out at the dormitories.
- The name of this character is changeable. Haruna appears in the After Spring, Summer, and Autumn games. She is a boyish character whom the protagonist relies on for advice.
Family
- Yoh's father is French. He often teases Yoh for fun. Yoh's father has a cheerful personality. He tends to dote on his wife to the point that he sometimes forgets about Yoh's existence.
- Yoh's mother. She actually knows the protagonist's mother as they were classmates. She and her husband are still passionately in love.
- Kanata's mother. Despite her coarse language, she is good at looking after others. After her husband's death, she raised Kanata by herself. Although she hits Kanata quite often, she pampers the protagonist and Suzuya, and thinks of them like her own children.
- Suzuya's mother. As the result of being the only housewife within the three families in After Spring, she is the one who looks after the children the longest. Her husband is a salaryman and is not shown in the game.
Development
All character designs, covers, and background art were digitally painted by Kazuaki.
In 2011, JAST USA announced it was considering licensing the Starry Sky series for an English release.[6]
Media
Game
Starry☆Sky was separated into four games, each one taking place in a different season with three possible love interests, for the PC. The first game, Starry☆Sky~in Spring~, was released on March 27, 2008. The opening theme song was titled Starry Sky and was performed by Hikaru Midorikawa, the voice of Yoh Tomoe.[7] Following its release, the second installment, Starry☆Sky~in Summer~ was released on June 26, 2008. The opening theme song was titled Shoot High and was performed by Hiroshi Kamiya, the voice of Ryunosuke Miyaji.[8] The third game, Starry☆Sky~in Autumn~, was released on September 25, 2008, and its theme song was titled Lies, Truth, and Our Destiny performed by Daisuke Kishio, the voice of Naoshi Haruki.[9] The last game, Starry☆Sky~in Winter~, was released on December 25, 2008, and the opening theme song was Grayed Out performed by Yuichi Nakamura, the voice of Kazuki Shiranui.[10] Starting in 2009, all four games were ported onto the PlayStation Portable.
The original games were followed by a spin-off, which takes place between the epilogue and the original time of the game. Starry☆Sky~After Spring~ was the first of the spin-off games to be released on the PC.
CDs
The limited-edition versions of all the games were bundled with a CD with the full version of the opening theme and a separate drama CD featuring the male characters in the game.[11] A full-length drama CD for the spring characters was released on August 28, 1999.[11] In addition, a soundtrack for the game's music was released on September 25, 1999.[11]
Throughout 1999, twelve date CDs were released monthly, starting with Yoh Tomoe (the Capricorn) on January 30, 1999, to Azusa Kinose (the Sagittarius) on December 25, 1999.[11] The date CDs feature the voice actors for each of the twelve possible love interests in the game and simulate a date and a romance between the listener and the character. Each CD came with a special coupon. If the coupons from all twelve CDs were submitted to Honeybee at the end of the year, one would receive a secret date CD featuring a 13th character, Shiki Kagurazaka (voiced by Mamoru Miyano), who represents the Ophiuchus, the 13th constellation.
Manga
Short manga stories about the characters of each game have been collected into anthologies by DNA Media Comics. Starry☆Sky~in Spring~ Comic Anthology was released on October 24, 1996, and features all the characters from the spring game. Similarly, Starry☆Sky~in Summer~ Comic Anthology was released on December 25, 1996.
Anime
An anime adaptation was distributed through Animate.tv's website and Sun TV. It was written by Makoto Nakamura and directed by Kiyoko Sayama.[1]
There are 26 episodes lasting 11 minutes each. The first airing of the episodes was on Animate.tv in late December 2008. In February 2011, Sun TV started also simulcasting this series, airing two parts of episodes of this series as a whole episode (meaning 13 episodes by 22 minutes each). They are done in an episodic format, with each episode (or two parts of the episode) focusing on one character or subset of characters from the storyline.
Reception
The game was well-received upon its release in Japan. The Spring game was featured in magazines such as Dengeki Girls'Style.[12]
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: Starry Sky Drama CD/Game Series Gets Anime Green-Lit . Anime News Network . 2009-12-07 . 2009-12-26.
- Web site: Starry☆Sky~in Spring~ STORY . Honeybee . 2009-12-26.
- Web site: Starry☆Sky~in Summer~ STORY . Honeybee . 2009-12-26.
- Web site: Starry☆Sky~in Autumn~ STORY . Honeybee . 2009-12-26.
- Web site: Starry☆Sky~in Winter~ STORY . Honeybee . 2009-12-26.
- Web site: Important Importables: JAST USA's Peter Payne Discusses the State of Starry Sky. Lada. Jenni. 10 January 2014. TechnologyTell. 17 June 2014.
- Web site: Starry☆Sky~in Spring~ SPEC . Honeybee . 2009-12-26.
- Web site: Starry☆Sky~in Summer~ SPEC . Honeybee . 2009-12-26.
- Web site: Starry☆Sky~in Autumn~ SPEC . Honeybee . 2009-12-26.
- Web site: Starry☆Sky~in Winter~ SPEC . Honeybee . 2009-12-26.
- Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20091212163202/http://www.honeybee-cd.com/datecd/cont/d-product.html. December 12, 2009 . Starry☆Sky - PRODUCT . Honeybee . 2015-11-16.
- Web site: Starry☆Sky~in Spring~ TOPICS . Honeybee . 2009-12-26.
