Dōkyūsei (video game)

(Redirected from Dokyusei)

Dōkyūsei (同級生, lit. classmates) is an erotic dating sim visual novel. It is the first game in the Dōkyūsei series of adult-themed dating sims by ELF Corporation. It was released in 1992, with a heavily altered Windows version released in 1999.

Dōkyūsei
Cover art from the PC Engine CD version of Dōkyūsei released in 1995
同級生
GenreErotic, romance, slice of life
Video game
PublisherELF Corporation
GenreVisual novel, Dating sim
PlatformPC-98, FM Towns, Sharp X68000, MS-DOS, Windows, PC Engine, Sega Saturn
Released
  • JP: December 17, 1992 PC-98
  • JP: February 10, 1993 X68k
  • JP: March 23, 1993 FM Towns
  • JP: November 23, 1995 PCE
  • JP: August 9, 1996 Saturn
  • JP: August 27, 1999 Windows
(updated)
  • JP: May 22, 2008 Windows
(with original script)
  • JP: February 26, 2021 Windows
(Remake)
  • NA/CHN: April 15, 2022 Windows
(Remake)
Video game
Jankyusei
PublisherELF Corporation
GenreVisual novel
PlatformGame Boy Color
Original video animation
End of Summer
Directed byKinji Yoshimoto
Written bySukehiro Tomita
StudioPink Pineapple, Triple X
Released July 8, 1994 May 12, 1995
Episodes4

A remake (based on the Windows version)[1] was released on February 26, 2021 in Japan.[2]

Game system

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The gameplay in Dōkyūsei revolves around wandering through different locations in a town, conversing with whatever character the player happens to meet. To finish the storyline of a particular girl, the main challenge is to learn the times of day when the girl will be in a location.

Remake

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Logo of the English translation of the 2021 remake.

An international version of the remake was developed by the company Shiravune, a subsidiary of DMM Games,[3][4] and released on April 14, 2022.[citation needed]Both an all-ages and adult version was released, with the adult version containing erotic scenes and racier dialogue.[5]

The international version was well received by critics, with Ivanir Ignacchitti of GameBlast commenting on the historical value of the title[6] and Thomas Knight of NookGaming noting that the remake does well at fixing most of the issues that would make the game seem dated.[7]

There was an OVA series made from Dōkyūsei, which was originally a 45-minute one-shot, but the original release was expanded into two half-hour episodes, with two more episodes added, for a total four. The first two episodes were released as End of Summer, and episodes three and four were released as End of Summer 2 in the North American market by SoftCel Pictures, an imprint of ADV Films. A two-episode sequel, titled Dōkyūsei Climax Files, was also released.

End of Summer is about a boy who seeks after a redheaded girl named Mai and along the way runs into difficulties (and trysts) with several other girls, namely, Kurumi, Miho, Misa, and Satomi. It was renowned for its romantic attributes[8] and quality of animation.[9] The depth of character development has been reviewed as being above average, although the format forced on it by OVA requires some compromises with realism.[10]

An OVA based on the remake, Doukyuusei Remake The Animation, was released in 2022.

Music

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The OVAs use some classical music, including:

Musics in the Dōkyūsei's OVAs
Episode Music
1
2
3
4
5
6

Reception and legacy

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Jun Maeda, co-founder of visual novel studio Key, credits Dōkyūsei as a pioneer in the nakige ("crying game") genre and as an influence on Key's own such games.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Dōkyūsei Dating Sim Game Gets Remake in February". Anime News Network. 2020-10-23. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  2. ^ "Romance visual novel Dokyusei remake coming west on March 11". Gematsu. 2022-02-18. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
  3. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn. "Shiravune to Release Dōkyūsei Visual Novel Remake in English, Chinese". Anime News Network. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  4. ^ "Shiravune Twitter Account". Twitter. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  5. ^ Davidson, Pete (25 April 2022). "Day one in Doukyuusei: Bangin' Summer". Rice Digital. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  6. ^ Ignacchitti, Ivanir. "Análise: Doukyuusei: Bangin' Summer (PC) é a primeira vez de um clássico dos dating sims no Ocidente". GameBlast. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  7. ^ Knight, Thomas (15 April 2022). "Dōkyūsei: Bangin' Summer – Review". NookGaming. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  8. ^ The Animé Café - A Parent's Guide to Anime
  9. ^ THEM Anime Reviews 4.0 - End of Summer
  10. ^ AMR: End of Summer Archived 2008-08-04 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ Galbraith, Patrick W. (2014). The Moé manifesto: an insider's look at the worlds of manga, anime, and gaming. North Clarendon, VT: Tuttle Publishing. p. 105. ISBN 978-4-8053-1282-7.
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