2012 video game
Girl Friend Beta (ガールフレンド（仮）, Gāru Furendo Kakko Kari, literally "Girlfriend (provisional)")[FN 1] is a 2012 Japanese smartphone game developed by CyberAgent for iOS and Android devices. As of June 2014, it has over 5.3 million users.[1] An anime television series produced by Silver Link aired in Japan between October and December 2014. There are also five manga adaptations based on the game, and a PlayStation Vita spin-off game was released in November 2015.
Gameplay
The game is a dating simulator which features over 100 different virtual girls, each with a unique voice actress. The player progresses their relationship with the virtual girlfriend by taking her on dates.[2] The game is free-to-play, however the player pays real-world money to gain premium services.[3] The game features various events that occur, including battle events when bad guys appear. The player can engage in club activities and school class events to solicit romance and increase intimacy with female students. There is a card-based system within the game, where the player collects different cards of varying rarity; each card has different attributes, such as attack and defense costs. Cards can be enhanced by engaging in a part-time job.
Related media
Print media
A manga adaptation illustrated by Tsukako Akina titled Girl Friend (Kari): Shiina Kokomi-hen ~Koishite Madonna~ (ガールフレンド(仮) 椎名心実編 ～恋してマドンナ～, Girl Friend Beta: Kokomi Shiina Stories ~Fall in Love Madonna~) began serialization in the September 2014 issue of ASCII Media Works's Dengeki Maoh magazine,[10] released on July 26, 2014.[11]
The first issue of the official Girl Friend Beta Magazine was released by ASCII Media Works on August 22, 2014, and four different manga series that cover specific characters began serialization in that issue.[11][12] The first manga is illustrated by Takahiro Seguchi and is titled Girl Friend (Kari): Murakami Fumio-hen ~Secret Smile~ (ガールフレンド（仮）村上文緒編 ～Secret Smile～). The second manga is illustrated by Sawayoshi Azuma and is titled Girl Friend (Kari): Chloe Lemarie-hen ~Chole to Nihon to Mirai no Tobira~ (ガールフレンド（仮）クロエ・ルメール編 ～クロエと日本と未来のトビラ～). The third manga is illustrated by Kakao and is titled Girl Friend (Kari): Sakurai Akane-hen ~Kokoro o Komete, Yūki no On Air!~ (ガールフレンド（仮）櫻井明音編 ～心を込めて、勇気のOn Air!～). The fourth manga is illustrated by Na! and is titled Girl Friend (Kari) ~Seiō Gakuen Girl's Diary~ (があるふれんど（かり）～聖櫻学園 girl's diary～).[13][14]
Anime
An anime television series based on the original smartphone game was announced in June 2014, with an official announcement press conference taking place at the Akihabara UDX Theater.[2][15] Produced by Silver Link, the series was directed by Naotaka Hayashi, with anime character designs by Noriko Tsutsumitani based on the original designs by QP:flapper, and story written by Michiko Yokote.[16] The series began airing in Japan on TX Network (TV Tokyo) from October 13 to December 29, 2014. It was simulcasted by Crunchyroll.[11][17] The opening theme is "Tanoshiki Tokimeki" (楽しきトキメキ) by Neuron★Creamsoft (main vocalist Haruka Kazemachi (voiced by Saori Hayami)), and the ending theme is "Hareru kana" (はれるかなぁ) by Satomi Satō as Kokomi Shiina.
An original net animation adaptation of Girl Friend Note, produced by Encourage Films, was released from October 14 to 21, 2016.[18][19]
| No.
|
Title
|
Original air date
|
| 1 | "Our First Promise"
Transliteration: "Hajimete no Yakusoku" (Japanese: はじめての約束) | October 13, 2014 (2014-10-13) |
|---|
|
Kokomi Shiina searches all over school for exchange student Chloe Lemaire after she drops a photo of her family. |
| 2 | "Blue Melon Buns"
Transliteration: "Burū Meron Pan" (Japanese: ブルー・メロンパン) | October 20, 2014 (2014-10-20) |
|---|
|
While preparing for a rhythmic gymnastics tournament, Kokomi becomes concerned about her weight and decides to go on a diet, receiving help from her fellow students. |
| 3 | "Cameras and Shortcake"
Transliteration: "Kamera to Shōtokēki" (Japanese: カメラとショートケーキ) | October 27, 2014 (2014-10-27) |
|---|
|
Kokomi is curious about Erena and Fumio, so Erena narrates the story about how she and Fumio met. |
| 4 | "Cats and a Rainy Night"
Transliteration: "Neko to Ame no Yoru" (Japanese: 猫と雨の夜) | November 3, 2014 (2014-11-03) |
|---|
|
After a group of abandoned kittens are found, a group of potential owners must first increase their grades in order to keep them. |
| 5 | "Darjeeling with Everyone"
Transliteration: "Dājirin o Minna to" (Japanese: ダージリンをみんなと) | November 10, 2014 (2014-11-10) |
|---|
|
When the cafeteria staff end up stranded on vacation due to weather, the student council steps in to run the cafeteria. |
| 6 | "Sweet Bitter Potato"
Transliteration: "Suīto Bitā Poteto" (Japanese: スイート・ビター・ポテト) | November 17, 2014 (2014-11-17) |
|---|
| 7 | "Doggy and Scramble"
Transliteration: "Dogī & Sukuranburu" (Japanese: ドギー&スクランブル) | November 24, 2014 (2014-11-24) |
|---|
| 8 | "On the Other Side of the Cream Soda"
Transliteration: "Kurīmu Sōda no Mukō" (Japanese: クリームソーダの向こう) | December 1, 2014 (2014-12-01) |
|---|
| 9 | "Evolutionary Girl"
Transliteration: "Shinkakei Gāru" (Japanese: 進化系Girl) | December 8, 2014 (2014-12-08) |
|---|
| 10 | "Princess & Pride"
Transliteration: "Purinsesu & Puraido" (Japanese: プリンセス&プライド) | December 15, 2014 (2014-12-15) |
|---|
| 11 | "Goodbye à la Mode"
Transliteration: "Sayonara a·ra·Mōdo" (Japanese: さよならア・ラ・モード) | December 22, 2014 (2014-12-22) |
|---|
|
Chloe felt depressed after her father decided to get her back to France during the New Year. Chloe's friends help her, and in the end, it was revealed that the whole thing was from a huge misunderstanding about the New Year's Eve culture in Japan, partly due to Chloe still had a long way to learn, therefore allowing Chloe to stay in Japan. |
| 12 | "Girlfriend xxx"
Transliteration: "Gārufurendo xxx" (Japanese: ガールフレンド xxx) | December 29, 2014 (2014-12-29) |
|---|
|
Kokomi Shiina, Fumio, and Akane show Chloe Lemaire and Yulia how the Japanese celebrate New Year's. They participate in traditional Japanese activities, wear kimono, and count down until the New Year. |
Other
Girl Friend Beta: Summer Vacation Spent With You (ガールフレンド（仮） きみと過ごす夏休み, Girl Friend (Kari): Kimi to Sugosu Natsuyasumi) is a spin-off adventure visual novel game developed by CyberAgent and published by Bandai Namco Games for the PlayStation Vita,[20] released on November 19, 2015.[21] The game involves the player romantically interacting with eight different characters from the original smartphone game.[22] Game features include Live2D character movements, binaural voices, touchscreen events and microphone voice communication, and involves an original story.[23]
An Internet radio show began broadcasting weekly from October 8, 2013 onwards, hosted by voice actors involved in the game.[24] A similar smartphone game targeted at females, titled Boy Friend Beta (ボーイフレンド（仮）), was released by the same developers.[25][26]
Girl Friend Note (ガールフレンド（♪）, Girl Friend (Onpu)) is a spin-off rhythm game developed by R-Force Entertainment and published by CyberAgent for Android and iOS. Released on December 1, 2015,[27] the game underwent a two-week long maintenance due to unforeseen complications regarding various game systems. Maintenance ended on December 16, 2015 for Android and December 17, 2015 for iOS. It got a web anime adaptation in October 2016.[18]
In July 2018, a stageshow will be held in Shinagawa Prince Hotel and the main cast is portrayed by the idol group =Love (イコールラブ, Ikō Rabu), with an original character named Tomoe Ichinose (一ノ瀬 友恵, Ichinose Tomoe).[28][29]
Reception
There are over 5.3 million users of the smartphone game as of June 2014.[1] Virtual currency expenditures within March 2014 were valued at 1.8 billion yen, accounting for over 40% of Ameba's entire smartphone division earnings.[30]
During the New Year celebratory period in early 2014, a promotional commercial for the game featured a handful of character introductions, including the character Chloe Lemaire (クロエ・ルメール);[31][32] her self-introduction became an Internet meme on Niconico due to her awkward-sounding speech.[33][34] More than 100 parody remixes of the original video were created on Niconico, with some reaching over 660,000 hits within the few days following the initial release.[35]
