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Shizuku (雫, Shizuku, lit. "Drip") is an adult visual novel by Leaf originally released for DOS on January 26, 1996. It has since received releases for Windows, including an enhanced version featuring voice acting and enhanced graphics called Shizuku Renewal in 2004. It is the first game in Leaf's Visual Novel Series, the origin of the term "visual novel".[1][2]
| Shizuku | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Leaf |
| Publisher(s) | Aqua |
| Platform(s) | 19962004 (98/Me/2000/XP) |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Eroge, Visual novel |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
The game translates the format of Chunsoft's "sound novel" titles such as Otogirisō and Kamaitachi no Yoru, in which players read text and select choices in order to advance the narrative, into an eroge.[3] The story focuses on psychological horror, exploring themes of mind control, conspiracy theory, sexual assault and social alienation.
Characters
edit- Yūsuke Nagase (長瀬 祐介, Nagase Yūsuke)
- The game's protagonist.
- Saori Shinjo (新城 沙織, Shinjō Saori)
- Voiced by: Sakura Takatsuki
- A cheerful and talkative member of the volleyball team. She is an eyewitness to a certain event and is quickly swept up in the aftermath.
- Ruriko Tsukishima (月島 瑠璃子, Tsukishima Ruriko)
- Voiced by: Sakura Ichinomiya
- A former classmate of Yūsuke's. She can often be found reading books in a secluded area.
- Kanako Ota (太田 香奈子, Ōta Kanako)
- Voiced by: Kaoru Imai
- Yūsuke's classmate and vice-president of the student council.
- Mizuho Aihara (藍原 瑞穂, Aihara Mizuho)
- Voiced by: Mai Tachibana
- The shy student council secretary with a hidden stubborn side. She has been best friends with Kanako since middle school.
- Genichiro Nagase (長瀬 源一郎, Nagase Gen'ichirō)
- Yūsuke's uncle and a teacher at the same school. He often provides useful advice in relation to the game's events.
- Takuya Tsukishima (月島 拓也, Tsukishima Takuya)
- Voiced by: Daisuke Tanaka
Legacy
editThe game was the first game to incorporate "erotic content" into the visual novel genre, using the format used in Otogiriso. It has also been described as similar to the visual novel Kizuato, also produced by Leaf,[4] with themes of bloodshed, violence, and humiliation, with a "dark narrative."[5] The game has also been described as a "landmark" for Leaf, in the company's visual novel genre, and mentioned in the anime adaptation of 16bit Sensation.[6]
References
edit- ^ "ビジュアルノベルはいつ成立し、そして現在に至るのか？ ストーリーゲーム研究家・福山幸司氏が解説する歴史" [When did visual novels come into being, and do they still exist today? History explained by story game researcher Koji Fukuyama]. GameBusiness.jp (in Japanese). July 24, 2019. Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- ^ Therrien, Carl (2019). The Media Snatcher: PC/CORE/TURBO/ENGINE/GRAFX/16/CDROM2/SUPER/DUO/ARCADE/RX. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. p. 111. ISBN 9780262042901.
- ^ "TINAMIX Vol. 1.30 Leaf". www.tinami.com. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
- ^ Koyama, Yusuke (2023). History of the Japanese Video Game Industry. Singapore: Springer Nature. p. 146. ISBN 9789819913428.
- ^ Chan, Ko On (2023). "From Fantasy to Trauma: Sound and Sex in School Days". In Scoggin, Lisa; Plank, Dana (eds.). The Intersection of Animation, Video Games, and Music: Making Movement Sing. Milton Park, Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis. pp. 122, 131. ISBN 9781000871067.
- ^ Farris, Christopher (October 19, 2023). "16bit Sensation: Another Layer Episodes 1-3". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023.
External links
edit- Official website[dead link] (in Japanese)
- Shizuku at The Visual Novel Database
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