Starry ☆ Sky
| Starry☆Sky | |
| Genre | Romance, slice-of-life |
|---|---|
| Game | |
| Developer | Windows Honeybee PlayStation Portable HuneX |
| Publisher | Windows Honeybee PlayStation Portable Asgard |
| Genre | Console role-playing game, life simulation game, visual novel,otome game |
| Rating | PlayStation Portable
|
| Platform | Windows, PlayStation Portable |
| Released | Windows
|
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Kiyoko Sayama |
| Studio | Frontier Works |
| Network | Animate.tv |
| Original run | December 23, 2010 – ongoing |
| Episodes | 25 |
Starry☆Sky (スターリースカイ Sutārī Sukai), known as Sta☆Ska (スタ☆スカ Suta Suka) for short in Japan, is an otome gamedeveloped by Honeybee in 2009. It was separated into four games with three love interests in each, making a total of twelve possible love interests in total. It was well-received in Japan and an anime adaptation is in the making.
The player takes control of Tsukiko Yahisa, the heroine of the Starry☆Sky games, although her name can be changed by the player. The games are primarily told in visual novel format, where the player's decisions inadvertently affects the relationships she has with potential love interests in the game.
Gameplay
Plot
Tsukiko Yahisa is the first female student to enroll at Seigatsu Academy, a former all-boys school specializing 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 games, she befriends other young men whose personalities are based on the Western zodiac constellations.
In the first game, Starry☆Sky~in Spring~, not long after Tsukiko transfers to Seigatsu Academy, a half-French boy named Yoh Tomoe follows suit to pursue her. This action stirs up emotions from Kanata and Suzuya, both of whom had long loved Tsukiko.
In the second game, Starry☆Sky~in Summer~, Tsukiko has joined 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).
In the third game, Starry☆Sky~in Autumn~, Tsukiko becomes involved with three teachers at her school (Iku Mizushima, Naoshi Haruki, and Kotarou Hoshizuki).
The last game, Starry☆Sky~in Winter~, details Tsukiko's involvement with the student council, which includes Tsubasa Amaha, Kazuki Shiranui, and Hayato Aozora.
Characters
- Tsukiko Yahisa (夜久 月子 (ヤヒサ ツキコ) Yahisa Tsukiko) Voiced by: Fumiko Orikasa (anime)
- Tsukiko is the heroine of all of the Starry☆Sky games, although her name can be changed by the player. She is the first female student to attend Seigatsu Academy. She is a second year.
Spring
- Yoh Tomoe (土萌 羊 Tomoe Yō) Voiced by: Hikaru Midorikawa
- Yoh represents the Capricorn. His French name is Henri Samuel Jean Aimée. Likewise, 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 Seigatsu Academy in order to pursue her. Initially disdainful to 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 a second year.
- Kanata Nanami (七海 哉太 Nanami Kanata) Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita
- Kanata represents the 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 suffers from 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 into school fights that worsen his health to protect Tsukiko. He is a second year.
- Suzuya Tohzuki (東月 錫也 Tōzuki Suzuya) Voiced by: Daisuke Ono
- Suzuya represents the 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 held back. Beneath his warm exterior, Suzuya has a dark side and worries about Tsukiko constantly. He is a second year.
Summer
- Azusa Kinose (木ノ瀬 梓 Kinose Azusa) Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama
- Azusa represents the 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 cocky and confident of himself; while he declares himself as a natural genius, he is in fact insecure of his abilities as he can't put his heart into anything. Azusa often flirts with Tsukiko and his actions annoy Ryunosuke a lot. He is a first year.
- Homare Kanakubo (金久保 誉 Kanakubo Homare) Voiced by: Soichiro Hoshi
- Homare represents the 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 a third year. His best friends are Shiranui Kazuki and Shirogane Oushirou from the same year.
- Ryunosuke Miyaji (宮地 龍之介 Miyaji Ryūnosuke) Voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya
- Ryunosuke represents the 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 a second year.
[edit]Autumn
- Kotarou Hoshizuki (星月 琥太郎 Hoshizuki Kotarō) Voiced by: Akira Ishida
- Kotarou represents the Libra. He is the school nurse who 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.
- Iku Mizushima (水嶋 郁 Mizushima Iku) Voiced by: Kouji Yusa
- Iku represents the Gemini. He is currently a student teacher and is 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 helped him gain it back.
- Naoshi Haruki (陽日 直獅 Haruki Naoshi) Voiced by: Daisuke Kishio
- Naoshi represents the 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.
Winter
- Kazuki Shiranui (不知火 一樹 Shiranui Kazuki) Voiced by: Yuichi Nakamura
- Kazuki represents the 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 his power. Because of this, he hates his power. As a child, he was often involved in fights to prove his own strength. He is a third year (apparently he repeated a year, together with Shirogane).
- Tsubasa Amaha (天羽 翼 Amaha Tsubasa) Voiced by: Kenichi Suzumura
- Tsubasa represents the Aquarius. He is an officer 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 Aozora (青空 颯斗 Aozora Hayato) Voiced by: Daisuke Hirakawa
- Hayato represents the 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 stays in the school dorm. He is a second year.
Special character
- Shiki Kagurazaka (神楽坂 四季 Kagurazaka Shiki) Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano
Represents the Ophiuchus, the 13th constellation. Special "13th Character" that 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 strange power than Kazuki Shiranui.
Minor characters
- Idiot Trio (バカトリオ baka torio) Voiced by: Kazuma Horie (Koguma), Takashi Kondo (Shiratori), and Hiroyuki Yoshino (Inukai)
- Shinya Koguma (小熊 伸也 Koguma Shinya), Yahiko Shiratori (白鳥 弥彦 Hiratori Yahiko), and Takafumi Inukai (犬飼 隆文 Inukai Takafumi) are members of the archery club and are dubbed as the "idiot trio.".
- Ooshirou Shirogane (白銀 桜土郎 Shirogane Ōshirō) Voiced by: Junichi Suwabe
- Ooshirou is an acquaintance of Kazuki's and Homane's, he carries a camera everywhere due to being a journalist for the school paper. He is in third year.
Development
All character designs, covers, and background art were digitally painted by Kazuaki. However, in October 2010, Japanese netizens accused her of using copyrighted stock images as references without permission. As a result, both Honeybee and Kazuaki issued formal apologies on their websites and the release of the first spinoff game, Starry☆Sky~After Spring~, was pushed back.
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, 2009. The opening theme song was titled Starry Sky and was performed by Hikaru Midorikawa, the voice of Yoh Tomoe. Following its release, the second installment, Starry☆Sky~in Summer~ was released on June 26, 2009. The opening theme song was titled Shoot High and was performed by Hiroshi Kamiya, the voice of Ryunosuke Miyaji. The third game, Starry☆Sky~in Autumn~, was released on September 25, 2009, and its theme song was Lies, Truth, and Our Destiny performed by Daisuke Kishio, the voice of Naoshi Haruki. The last game, Starry☆Sky~in Winter~, was released on December 25, 2009, and the opening theme song was Grayed Out performed by Yuichi Nakamura, the voice of Kazuki Shiranui. Starting in 2010, 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 release onto the PC, but its release was postponed from November 26, 2010 to December 10, 2010 due to accusations of character art designer Kazuaki plagiarizing.
CDs
The limited edition 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. A full-length drama CD for the spring characters was released on August 28, 2009. In addition, a soundtrack for the game's music was released on September 25, 2009.
Throughout 2009, twelve date CDs were released monthly, starting with Yoh Tomoe (the Capricorn) on January 30, 2009, to Azusa Kinose (the Sagittarius) on December 25, 2009. 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.
[edit]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, 2009, and features all the characters from the spring game. Similarly, Starry☆Sky~in Summer~ Comic Anthology was released on December 25, 2009.
Anime
An anime adaptation is currently running and is being distributed through Animate.tv's website and Sun Tv. It is directed by Kiyoko Sayama.[1]
There are currently 26 episodes announced (11 minute for each episode), as of January 2011. First airing of the episodes was on Animate.tv in late December 2010. In February 2011, Sun TV started also simulcasting this series, airing two parts 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.
| No. | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | "Dakara, Boku wa Are Kara Itsumo Sora o Nagameru. Tōku Hanareta Kimi o Omoinagara" (だから、僕はあれからいつも空を眺める。遠く離れた君を思いながら) | December 23, 2010 |
| Yoh meets Tsukiko as a small child when he drops his telescope. In the present, he no longer is living in Japan. His father, an astronomer, is pitching a lecture series to an American college, and plans to travel there with his wife and son. Yoh asks if, before the lecture circuit is approved, if he can spend time back in Japan. His father realizes that this about the girl that Yoh had met long ago, and grants his approval and support to find his own "first evening star." Yoh goes to a school focusing on astronomy, where he quickly meets Tsukiko again, who is the only female student at the school | ||
| 02 | "Merci. Je l'aime" | December 30, 2010 |
| After a time skip of one month, Yoh is seen, having become friends (and rivals for Tsukiko's affections) with Kanata Nanami and Suzuya Tohzuki. He talks to his father on the phone, who tells him that the lecture circuit has been approved, and they will be going to America in a few weeks, where Yoh is expected to join them. Yoh is a little sad, but decides that his time in Japan has been well spent, kissing Tsukiko on the cheek, and playfully fighting with Kanata. | ||
| 03 | "Daijina Shunkan wa...Hitomi no Oku ni Gyutto Tojikomete Oku. Wasurenai Yōni......Tebanasanai Yōni" (大事な瞬間は…瞳の奥にぎゅっと閉じ込めておく。 忘れないように……手放さないように) | January 6, 2011 |
| 04 | "Ore wa Tanoshiinda. Minna de Sugosu, Kono Jikanga" (俺は楽しいんだ。みんなで過ごす、この時間が) | January 13, 2011 |
| 05 | "Mamoritakattanda. Kono te de, Daijina aitsu-ra o" (守りたかったんだ。この手で、大事なあいつらを) | January 20, 2011 |
| 06 | "Naki Yamu Made, Soba Niite Yaruyo" (泣きやむまで、そばにいてやるよ) | January 27, 2011 |
| 07 | "Jibun ni Chikazuku Mono wa, Fukō ni Naru??" (自分に近づく者は、不幸になる??) | February 3, 2011 |
| 08 | "Sō, Kore Gaore no Mamoritai Mono" (そう、これが俺の守りたいもの) | February 10, 2011 |
| 09 | "――Bokuwa, Puresshā ni Yowai" (――僕は、プレッシャーに弱い) | February 17, 2011 |
| 10 | "Yumiwa, Jibun no Tame ni Kiku Mono" (弓は、自分のために引くもの) | February 24, 2011 |
| 11 | "Junsuide Kirei na Mono Hodo......Yogoshitaku Narunda" (純粋で綺麗(きれい)な物ほど……汚したくなるんだ) | March 3, 2011 |
| 12 | "Arifureta Deai no Hitotsu ni Suginaito - Sō Omotte Itanda" (ありふれた出会いの一つに過ぎないと――そう思っていたんだ) | March 10, 2011 |
| 13 | "Ore niwa, Mamoritai Mono ga Aru――" (俺には、守りたいものがある――) | March 17, 2011 |
| 14 | "Tonari ni Irareru Dakede Yoi. Sō Omotsu Tetakedo――" (隣にいられるだけで良い。そう思ってたけど――) | March 24, 2011 |
| 15 | "Kono Shigoto ga, Ore wa Daisukida" (この仕事が、オレは大好きだ) | March 31, 2011 |
| 16 | "Ano himade, Seishun Nante Zutto Kudaranai to Omotsu Teta" (あの日まで、青春なんてずっとくだらないと思ってた) | April 7, 2011 |
| 17 | "That Time, My Life Has Greatly Begun to Change" "Boku no Jinsei ga Ōkiku Kawari Hajimeta no Wa, Anotoki" (僕の人生が大きく変わり始めたのは、あのとき) | April 14, 2011 |
| 18 | "Namae o Yoba Reru Ureshisa o Shitte Shimattara, Yoba Renai Kanashimi ni wa, Mōtae Raresō ni nai" (名前を呼ばれる嬉しさを知ってしまったら、呼ばれない悲しみには、もう耐えられそうにない) | April 21, 2011 |
| 19 | "Donna Tsurai Kioku de mo, Ore Nitotte wa Hōmotsuna nda" (どんな辛い記憶でも、俺にとっては宝物なんだ) | April 28, 2011 |
| 20 | "Itoshii to Omou Jikan Hodo, Ore wa Wshinatte iku" (愛おしいと思う時間ほど、俺は失っていく) | May 5, 2011 |
| 21 | "I Want to Meet a Hard-Working Specialist" "Ore wa, Doryoku no Supesharisutodearitai" (俺は、努力のスペシャリストでありたい) | May 12, 2011 |
| 22 | "Ore wa Shiranakatta. Kō Yatte Nakama to Nani ka o Kyōyū Suru Yorokobi. Tomoni Doryoku Suru Tanoshi-sa o..." (オレは知らなかった。こうやって仲間と何かを共有する喜び。共に努力する楽しさを…) | May 19, 2011 |
| 23 | "Something Like Being a Genius Doesn't Matter to Me" "Tensai Toka, Sonna no wa dō demoii" (天才とか、そんなのはどうでもいい) | May 26, 2011 |
| 24 | "I Didn't Know Something Like a Strongly Shining Color Exists" "Boku wa Shiranakatta. Konnani Tsuyoku Kagayaku iro ga aru toyuu koto o" (僕は知らなかった。 こんなに強く輝く色があるというコトを) | June 2, 2011 |
| 25 | "Mirai ga Tomatta. Unmei ga Mirai o Mienaku sa Seta" (未来が止まった。 運命が未来を見えなくさせた) | June 9, 2011 |
Reception
The game was well-received upon its release in Japan. The Spring game was featured in magazines such as Dengeki Girls'Style.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment