Kana: Little Sister (加奈～いもうと～, Kana～Imōto～), is a Japanese visual novel originally developed and released by D.O. in 1999. G-Collections [ja] translated and published the English version in 2002.[1]
Kana: Little Sister has received widespread attention from the eroge player community. The plot was well-received by critics. However, their reactions to the endings and the relationship between Takamichi and Kana were mixed.
Gameplay
Kana: Little Sister is a visual novel,[2][3] which falls into the subgenre of "nakige".[4][5][6] The player assumes the role of Takamichi Toudou.[7] Most of the gameplay is spent reading text, representing the story's dialogue.[8] In PSP version, the text is accompanied by character sprites, which represent who Takamichi is talking to, over background art.[8] Throughout the game, the player encounters CG artwork in the story.[8]
Kana: Little Sister follows a branching plot line with multiple endings, and depending on the decisions that the player makes during the game, the plot will progress in a specific direction.[1][9] Being an erotic visual novel, relationships between characters become sexual; this include the sexual relationship between Takamichi and his younger sister Kana Toudou.[1][7] The game has six different endings.[3][1]
Plot
Kana Toudou (藤堂 加奈, Tōdō Kana) suffers a chronic kidney disease that requires her to be hospitalized for long periods of time.[10] Although her older brother Takamichi Toudou (藤堂 隆道, Tōdō Takamichi) resents the resulting diversion of attention from their parents,[11] he changes his attitude towards Kana during a family trip; Kana and her family are separated, so Takamichi must find her in the forest. He creates wishes that he will protect Kana during the searching process.
Takamichi falls in love with his classmate Yumi Kashima (鹿島 夕美, Kashima Yumi) while studying in Year 5, so he writes her a love letter and leaves it on her desk. However, other classmates know about his feelings towards Kashima and start teasing him the next day. He believes that Kashima deliberately showed the love letter to everyone,[10] stops communicating with her until he graduates from high school, and concentrates on looking after his younger sister. Kana relies on her brother for emotional support as she rarely goes back to school.[11]
Kana develops romantic feelings for Takamichi when he graduates from high school. Kashima confesses her feelings for Takamichi at the same time. At this time, however, Kana's condition deteriorates, and she is given a few months left to live at most. Takamichi begins a relationship with Kashima while studying at university. However, his feelings for Kana begin to bother him, and he becomes aware of the fact that Kana is not related to him by blood. After this, the plot will unfold differently depending on the player's previous choices, and Kana dies in most endings.[12]: 111
Development and release
Kana: Little Sister is the first visual novel developed by D.O.,[2] and was released for Windows on June 25, 1999.[2][4] The game's First Press Limited Edition included a Kana-themed mobile phone charm.[13] The novel marked Hajime Yamada's debut as scenario writer.[4][6] Yamada continued to work for D.O. after the game's release, going on to write the scenario for the visual novels Hoshizora ☆ Planet and Family Project. Alongside Kana: Little Sister, these three works became known as "Hajime Yamada Trilogy" by D.O staff.[5]
The development team believed that visual novels have the same elements as other video games; for example, both require the player to solve a puzzle, in a way. At the same time, they regarded visual novels as having the same advantages of a novel, including the involvement of the player's imagination as the protagonist, as well as their unique writing style. For these reasons, D.O. decided to develop Kana: Little Sister as their first visual novel.[13] According to Japanese magazines BugBug and Tech Gian, they team focused more on the feeling of caring rather than likes and love.[2][14] The team also stated that the game has a gentle atmosphere.[13]
An email application featuring Kana, where the user was prompted by Kana on-screen when an email was sent, was released on March 17, 2000.[4] On that same day, a remastered Windows edition of the game was released under the title Kana... Okaeri‼ (加奈⋯おかえり！！, Kana… Welcome Home!!). This new version retains the original storyline but features new character designs and full voice acting.[4] A Mac OS version was subsequently published on June 30, 2000.[15] In 2003, Panther Software announced plans to release an Xbox port,[16] which was ultimately cancelled.[4]
As reported by GNN News and Game Watch in July 2010, Cyber Front announced that the game would be ported to the PlayStation Portable in two different editions, Regular Edition and Limited Edition. The latter was to be bundled with the game's soundtrack and art book.[17][18] The PSP version of the game featured the character designs and artwork from the original PC version of the game, although with re-recorded voices and artwork created specifically it.[4][8] Cyber Front released two demo videos in the same month and next month.[19][20] Both editions were released on October 7 2010.[4] An English translation of Kana... Okaeri!! was released in 2015 by JAST USA.[citation needed]
Reception
Kana: Little Sister has received widespread attention from the eroge player community. Some players have registered as bone marrow donors after playing the game.[4] However, Kazuya Haneda's comment on Bishōjo Games Maniacs indicated that the game has received mixed reviews from players.[12]: 110 When the game was released, it quickly became a hot topic on the Internet,[4] with most online reviews focus on the plot and artwork, although some online reviews have accused the game of sexualising minors because of Kana's appearance.[7] Writing for Introduction to Cultural Studies Adult Games, Naoki Miyamoto said that Kana: Little Sister along with the games developed by Key were considered as masterpieces of "nakige" in the late 1990s.[5]
The plot of Kana: Little Sister was well-received by critics, who felt that it deals with themes such as love, life and family.[1][3][21] Au Yeung Yu Leung of IGN Japan voted the game as the best video game of 1999,[6] comparing it to Air, and praised the game for its emotional portrayal of the relationship between Takamichi and Kana, as well as its ability to make one realize the value of life.[21] In Complete Work on the History of PC Bishōjo Games this feeling was attributed to all players in general.[3] The game is known for its "depressing" and "touching" storyline.[1][3][21]Pasokon bishōjo gēmu rekishi taizen: 1982-2000 specifically commented that the development of Takamichi and Kana's romantic relationship under their "tragic encounter" was "touching".[3] In addition to the character's encounters, The Escapist'sLeigh Alexander also find "simple empathy" for "well-drawn individuals".[1] Haneda, on the other hand, criticized its setting as "too common", but also praised for its unexpected mid-to-late development.[12]: 110–111
Another aspect of Kana: Little Sister that was commended includes the player's empathy. According to Pasokon bishōjo gēmu rekishi taizen: 1982-2000, the player would experience the same psychological pain as Takamichi.[3] Au Yeung felt that Kana was her real-life younger sister while playing, and attributed this to the plot's focus on Kana.[21] In Boku-tachi no bishōjo gēmu Kuronikuru 2, Hiroyuki Maeda analyzed that the player's empathy came from the text, especially the psychological description of the characters.[4]
Critical responses to the endings and the relationship between Takamichi and Kana were mixed. Alexander said the incest was "handled delicately" in regards Takamichi and his young sister's relationship, which distinguishes it from other eroge.[1] Au Yeung criticized the team for setting Kana as an unrelated younger sister due to public's perception.[21] Regarding the endings, Haneda mentioned the ending 2 "Recollection" as the most touching, and felt that the ending where Kana survives became meaningful only after completing the other endings.[12]: 111 Au Yeung, however, criticized the latter, calling it "unnatural" compared to the other endings as there's no explanation of Kana's miraculous recovery.[21]
See also
Autumn in My Heart, a South Korean romantic television drama with a similar theme to Kana: Little Sister.
^ abcd 加奈 〜いもうと〜. BugBug (in Japanese). Vol. 58. June 1, 1999. p. 106.
^ abcdefgPasokon bishōjo gēmu rekishi taizen: 1982-2000 パソコン美少女ゲーム歴史大全1982‐2000 [Complete Work on the History of PC Bishōjo Games] (in Japanese) (1st ed.). Fungasha. October 10, 2000. p. 45. ISBN4-8211-0717-1.
^ abcdefghijkMaeda, Hiroyuki (July 28, 2016). "加奈 〜いもうと〜". Boku-tachi no bishōjo gēmu Kuronikuru 2 ぼくたちの美少女ゲーム クロニクル 2 [Our Pretty Girl Game Chronicle 2] (in Japanese). オークス. p. 13. ISBN978-4799008560.
^ abc宮本直毅 (2013). "シナリオライター• 山田一の三部作、泣きゲーのうねり". エロゲー文化研究概論 (in Japanese). 総合科学出版. ISBN978-4-88181-829-9.
^ abcMartinez, Michelle; Manolovitz, Tyler (2010). "Pornography of Gaming". In Riha, Daniel (ed.). Videogame Cultures and the Future of Interactive Entertainment. Inter-Disciplinary Press. pp. 65–74. ISBN978-1-84888-040-5.
