Futakoi

Futakoi (双恋, （ふたこい）, lit. "Twin Love") is a light novel, visual novel and anime television series created by Hina Futaba and Mutsumi Sasaki. The anime aired in Japan in 2004. It replaced Sister Princess as Dengeki G's Magazine premiere flagship title. It tells the story of a boy named Nozomu Futami who goes back to his hometown, moves in near a shrine and encounters beautiful six pairs of twin girls.

Futakoi
The cover of Futakoi--Ama Kara: Night & Day CD issued in Japan on September 24, 2004.
双恋 （ふたこい）
Genre	Comedy, Harem, Romance
Anime television series
Directed by	Nobuo Tomisawa
Produced by	Mareyoshi Takano Gō Yadori Kazuya Watanabe Kōji Takeuchi
Written by	Tomoko Konparu
Music by	Hajime Kikuchi
Studio	Telecom Animation Film
Licensed by	NA: Discotek Media
Original network	TV Tokyo
Original run	6 October 2004 – 29 December 2004
Episodes	13
Video game
Developer	MediaWorks
Publisher	MediaWorks
Genre	Romantic comedy
Platform	PlayStation 2
Released	December 9, 2004
Video game
Futakoijima ~Koi to Mizugi no Survival~
Developer	MediaWorks
Publisher	MediaWorks
Genre	Romantic comedy
Platform	PlayStation 2
Released	August 25, 2005
Other titles
Futakoi Alternative

Story

The story begins with Nozomu Futami returning to the town where he was born and raised as a child. He moves in near a shrine which houses a legendary stone that was rumoured to have been the place where twin girls turned into birds. The stone is rumoured to be the cause of an abundance of twin girls who are born in the town. The twins who turned into birds did so because of their love for a man who couldn't choose between them. Shortly after Nozomu enters town he begins to run into the same problems as six pairs of twins fight for his love.

Characters

Protagonist

Nozomu Futami (二見望, Futami Nozomu)

Nozumu is voiced by Motoki Takagi.

The main protagonist character of the anime version. He is a childhood friend of the Ichijō twins and helps the Sakurazuki twins through the "trials" set by their father.

Twins Heroines

Sumireko Ichijō (一条董子, Ichijō Sumireko) and Kaoruko Ichijō (一条薫子, Ichijō Kaoruko)

Sumireko is voiced by Ami Koshimizu and Kaoruko is voiced by Yui Horie.

Twin girls who are Nozomu's childhood friends. They also attend the same school as Nozomu throughout the anime version. They both harbor secret feelings for Nozomu. In kindergarten, they said they would both marry him. Although they are close, they keep their feelings secret from each other and everyone else.

Yura Sakurazuki (桜月ユラ, Sakurazuki Yura) and Kira Sakurazuki (桜月キラ, Sakurazuki Kira)

Yura is voiced by Hiromi Tsunakake and Kira is voiced by Yui Itsuki.

It is explained during the story that these twin girls lived a luxury life together in their mansion. Their father travels often and employs their butler to take care of them. They undergo many tests written out by their father so they are able to fit into society and live as normal high school girls. In the first episode, they are fifteen years old, but have never been in a convenience store. Unlike Sumireko and Kaoruko, Kira and Yura work together to win Nozomu's favor.

Lala Hinagiku (雛菊らら, Hinagiku Rara) and Lulu Hinagiku (雛菊るる, Hinagiku Ruru)

Lala is voiced by Yurika Ochiai and Lulu is voiced by Shizuka Hasegawa.

The youngest set of twins in the series who live with Nozomu, their mother Miyabi, and pet goat Billy. They are affectionate towards Nozomu and claim him as their future husband which makes Billy jealous.

Ui Chigusa (千草初, Chigusa Ui) and Koi Chigusa (千草恋, Chigusa Koi)

Ui is voiced by Kozue Yoshizumi and Koi is voiced by Natsuko Kuwatani.

Twin daughters of a veterinary doctor and in the story they help their father in the clinic. Nozomu meets them when he takes Billy to the vet clinic after he ate a fax addressed to Nozomu which got it stuck in his throat.

Ai Momoi (桃衣愛, Momoi Ai) and Mai Momoi (桃衣舞, Momoi Mai)

Ai is voiced by Chiaki Takahashi and Mai is voiced by Minako Sango.

The oldest of the twins appearing in the series. Ai is the teacher responsible for Nozomu's, Kira's, Yura's and Keisuke's class, while Mai is the school nurse.

Sara Shirogane (白鐘沙羅, Shirogane Sara) and Sōju Shirogane (白鐘双樹, Shirogane Sōju)

Sara is voiced by Kaori Mizuhashi and Sōju is voiced by Mai Kadowaki.

Twin girls who are the same in all but personality: Sōju is mild-mannered and ill-bodied, whereas Sara is rougher in her speech and more energetic. Nozomu meets Sōju while she was painting at the shrine, and Sara wanted him to be loyal to her. Sara herself has a love-hate relationship with Nozomu. They leave the city before the end of the series and come back at the end.

Supporting Character

Miyabi Hinagiku (雛菊みや姫, Hinagiku Miyabi)

Miyabi is voiced by Ai Orikasa.

The mother of Lala and Lulu and the shrine maiden of Sourin Temple. Because she is a childhood friend of Nozumu's mother, she allows him to live at her temple while Nozumu's father is studying astronomy in the United States. Nozumu looks to her as a maternal figure after his deceased mother.

Billy (ビリー, Birii)

Billy is voiced by Chiaki Takahashi.

The Hinagiku twins' pet goat. He initially developed a dislike for Nozumu because of Lala and Lula's affections for the main character and often showed his disdain for him by means such as eating his homework, headbutting, or biting him. As the series progresses, Billy and Nozumu develop a friendly rivalry.

Kenmochi (監物, Kenmochi)

Kenmochi is voiced by Masaharu Satō.

The Sakurazuki twins' butler and chief bodyguard. He carries out Kira and Yura's daily tests written out by their father so they are able to fit into society and live as normal high school girls. He at first developed a dislike for Nozumu because he thought Nozumu was trying mug Kira and Yura inside a convenience store in which Nozumu was cleared of wrongdoing. His dislike for the main character continues over the series because of Kira and Yura's affections for Nozumu. At the end of the series, he eventually warms up to him, but he still keeps his suspicions in case Nozumu treats the Sakurazuki twins wrongly.

Keisuke Kosaka (古坂佳右, Kosaka Keisuke)

Keisuke is voiced by Reiko Kiuchi.

Nozumu's best friend and classmate. He rekindles his friendship with Nozumu after the latter returns to his home town. He is sometimes envious of Nozumu's popularity around the twins he encounters through the series.

Juntarō Gonda (近田淳太郎, Gonda Juntarō)

Juntarō is voiced by Daisuke Ono.

A judo student who is a P.E. classmate of Nozumu and Keisuke. He is the leader of the Ichijō Extreme Fan Club, a small group of male students who are fiercely devoted to the adoration and protection of Kaoruko and Sumireko (the twins are unaware of the club). As a result, Nozumu is often at odds with Juntarō and his entourage because of the latter's childhood friendship with the Ichijō twins.

Yūya Hiyama (蔭山結耶, Hiyama Yūya)

Yūya is voiced by Makoto Ishii.

One of Nozumu's childhood friends and an aspiring student in aeronautics. During the beach episode, he tells Nozumu he is planning on confessing his love to Kaoruko, which causes Nozomu to act strangely around the Ichijō sisters. He returns at the end of the series in which he tells Nozumu that they will be friendly and respectable rivals for Kaoruko's affections.

List of episodes

#	Title	Original air date
01	"The Town with the Twins' Grave" Transliteration: "Futagotsuka no Arumachide" (Japanese: 双子塚のある街で)	October 6, 2004 (2004-10-06)
Nozomu comes back to the town he grew up before his mother died. He sees a pair of twin girls whom he thinks is his old childhood friends, the Ichijō twins. He realizes they are not his old friends after following them but when he tries to help them after they unknowingly lose their purse in a convenience store, he is accused of being a thief. After he leaves, it turns out that he was wrongly accused. He meets Miyabi and the Hinagiku twins with whom he will be living, along with their pet goat Billy. He finally meets the real Ichijō twins who call at the house. Later when he starts school as a transfer student, he meets the twins he met in the convenience store who are also transfer students. They introduce themselves as the Sakurazuki twins. He also meets Ai, his teacher, and Keisuke, another old childhood friend.
02	"The Ice Cream From My Memories" Transliteration: "Omoide no Aisukuriimu" (Japanese: 思い出のアイスクリーム)	October 13, 2004 (2004-10-13)
Nozomu goes to the movies with Keisuke. After meeting with the Ichijō sisters' fan club for the first time, Nozomu gets sidetracked and goes into the department store that he and the Ichijō twins used to play in. He meets the Ichijō and Sakurazuki sisters there.
03	"The Flavour of Love in Apple Pie" Transliteration: "Appurupai wa Koi no Aji" (Japanese: アップルパイは恋の味)	October 20, 2004 (2004-10-20)
The Sakurazuki twins join the home economics class with the Ichijō twins. They are to make apple pie while Nozomu attends the technology class. Both twins ask Nozomu to taste their pies, but their pies end up as failures.
04	"Appointment With Strawberry Tart" Transliteration: "Ichigotaruto de Machiawase" (Japanese: イチゴタルトで待ち合わせ)	October 27, 2004 (2004-10-27)
Nozomu is planning to meet the Ichijō twins at a cafe to eat strawberry tart the next day, but he doesn't remember where the cafe is. They send him directions by fax because he has to run an errand with the Hinagiku twins. The next day, he is unable to find the fax or the Kaoruko's phone number, but Billy is sick. Nozomu meets Ui and Koi Chigusa at the vet where they discover that Billy had eaten the fax.
05	"Time Starts to Move" Transliteration: "Ugokidashita Jikan" (Japanese: 動き出した時間)	November 3, 2004 (2004-11-03)
The mid-term tests are coming up and Nozomu has to study, but Billy chews up his English notes. He goes to the Ichijō twins' house and borrows Sumireko's notes and later meets Kaoruko when he is photocopying the notes at the convenience store. He discovers that both Sumireko and Kaoruko only made the childhood promise with him because of the rivalry between them.
06	"The Rocket of Summer" Transliteration: "Natsu no Roketto" (Japanese: 夏のロケット)	November 10, 2004 (2004-11-10)
Nozomu applies for a holiday course together with Keisuke and the Sakurazuki twins, although it was only Keisuke's idea to apply. There he meets an old friend, Hiyama Yuuya, along with the Ichijō twins, who has earlier invited Nozomu to the beach. Nozomu then became displeased, seeing how the Ichijō twins are being more close to his old friend. Later, Yuuya tells Nozomu of how he feels for Kaoruko.
07	"A Midsummer's Jewel Box" Transliteration: "Manatsu no Houseki Bako" (Japanese: 真夏の宝石箱)	November 17, 2004 (2004-11-17)
Nozomu, the Ichijō twins, the Hinagiku twins, and Keisuke are invited to the Sakurazuki mansion. After fishing and a barbecue, the group decide to play hide and seek. As Nozomu is trying to find a hiding spot, Yura and Kira let him inside the locked room because he is a special person to them. They confess their love to him and allow him to tell them what he feels about them later.
08	"The White Sketchbook" Transliteration: "Shiroi Sukecchibukku" (Japanese: 白いスケッチブック)	November 24, 2004 (2004-11-24)
Nozomu meets Sōju painting at the shrine and they become friends. As Nozomu is buying supplies for the culture festival, he realizes that he is being shadowed by a mysterious person and there have been a girl asking about him at school. As he leaves school, Sara appears before him and demands him to go out with Sōju and separate himself from the other twins.
09	"Pastel Sunset" Transliteration: "Yūyake no Pasuteru" (Japanese: 夕焼けのパステル)	December 1, 2004 (2004-12-01)
Nozomu invites Sōju and Sara to the culture festival. After Sara causes a ruckus at the spooky cafe Nozomu's class had put on, his classmates allow him to have the rest of the day off to get her out. At the art club's room, Sōju is allowed to draw portraits with the art club members but as the festival comes to a close, she faints. Nozomu discovers that one of Sōju's pastel's is gone and searches the dumpster because Sōju's once told him that it was precious to her.
10	"Triangle Christmas" Transliteration: "Toraianguru Kurisumasu" (Japanese: トライアングル.クリスマス)	December 8, 2004 (2004-12-08)
Nozomu meets with Yuuya at the bookstore and Yuuya decides that he'll confess to Kaoruko on Christmas eve. He then shows a bad attitude towards her unintendingly and then proceeds to the Christmas party, But the Christmas party isn't for everyone. It turns out it's a party just for him and Yura and Kira.
11	"The Wandering Heart's New Year Temple Visit" Transliteration: "Mayoishin de Hatsumōde" (Japanese: 迷い心で初詣)	December 15, 2004 (2004-12-15)
It's New Years and Nozomu visits the temple with Yura and Kira. At the temple, they run into the Ichijō twins and together they go to a cafe. Nozomu has things on his mind and confuses Kira and Yura for the first time. Kenmochi tells Nozomu that he should be true to his feelings so he doesn't hurt the Sakurazuki twins' feelings.
12	"Valentine Panic" Transliteration: "Barentain Panikku" (Japanese: バレンタイン.パニック)	December 22, 2004 (2004-12-22)
Valentine is coming soon and the girls are preparing to make chocolate. On Valentine's Day, the Ichijō twins confesses their love for him, followed by the Sakurazuki twins also confessing their love for him. Kenmochi picks up the Sakurazuki twins and tells Nozomu that they will be transferring to another school.
13	"Spring is in the near future" Transliteration: "Harudō Karaji" (Japanese: 春遠からじ...)	December 29, 2004 (2004-12-29)
After Nozomu hears the confession of love from the Ichijō and Sakurazuki twins, he doesn't know how to react to their feelings. Soon after he goes to the rock at the shrine which represents the "legend of the twins who loved the same man". He blames all that has occurred on the "Curse of the Twins". Then Miyabi-san notices Nozomu and lectures him on how he was just trying not to get hurt himself and blaming all this on everyone else's feelings. After realizing his mistake Nozomu chases after the Sakurazuki twins who are on their way to finalize their transfer. Kenmochi who is driving the car doesn't stop for Nozomu. Finally after Nozomu's gets tossed off his bike, Kenmochi stops the car. Nozomu starts begging Kenmochi to stop the transfer. Soon after all of the Sakurazuki twins' classmates arrive and Kenmochi reconsiders. In the end the Sakurazuki twins and Ichijō twins agrees to being rivals for Nozomu's love and the story ends with Nozomu thinking how great it was he came back to this town.

Video game

The Futakoi video game was released on December 9, 2004. It was originally planned for a November 11 release but was delayed. A second video game, Twin Love Island: Survival with Love and Swimsuits (双恋島 〜恋と水着のサバイバル〜, Futakoijima ~Koi to Mizugi no Sabaibaru~) was released August 25, 2005. Both games were made by MediaWorks for the PlayStation 2.

Novel

The Futakoi Novel was released in 2005 in addition to recording the novel from the second season of the series, it also includes newly written new works and comics. Another novel, Futakoi~The season with the twins~ (双恋 〜双子たちといた季節〜, Futako〜futago tachi toita kisetsu〜) is a novelization of the TV anime adaptation of Futakoi.

See also

• Futakoi Alternative – While this series contains the same characters as the original, it has a different storyline and continuity altogether.

External links

• Starchild's official Futakoi website (in Japanese)
• Futakoi (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Futakoi at The Visual Novel Database
• Futakoijima ~Koi to Mizugi no Survival~ at The Visual Novel Database