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Yosuga no Sora

Yosuga no Sora
Yosuga no Sora original visual novel cover
ヨスガノソラ
Genre	Drama, Romance, Comedy,Harem
Game
Developer	Sphere
Publisher	Sphere
Genre	ADV, Visual novel
Rating	18+ (PC)
Platform	PC
Released	December 5, 2008
Manga
Written by	Takashi Mikaze
Published by	Kadokawa Shoten
Demographic	Seinen
Magazine	Comp Ace
Original run	May 26, 2010 – ongoing
Volumes	1
TV anime
Directed by	Takeo Takahashi
Studio	feel.
Network	AT-X
Original run	October 4, 2010 –December 20, 2010
Episodes	12
Anime and Manga Portal

Yosuga no Sora (ヨスガノソラ^?, lit. "Sky of Connection") is a Japanese romance/drama adultvisual novel developed by Sphere. The game was originally released for Windows PC on December 5, 2008.^[1] It has since been adapted into a serialized manga and a TV anime series. A sequel/fan disk titled Haruka na Sora was released later on October 24, 2009 which contains new and expanded scenarios for several characters from the original game.^[2]

Tragically orphaned by an automobile accident, the Kasugano twins travel to their grandparents' countryside residence via railcar, hoping to reconstruct the shards of a shattered life. With an uncertain future, Haruka Kasugano clings to memories of the past, hoping to find the strength he needs to protect his ailing sister. With a destiny irrevocably tied to that of another, Sora Kasugano clings to moments of the present, drawing comfort and security from the company of her brother. Two lonely souls so physically alike, yet spiritually divergent, unaware of the challenges these conflicting expectations will unveil in the days to come.^[3][edit]Plot

[edit]Characters

[edit]Main characters

Haruka Kasugano (春日野 悠 Kasugano Haruka^?)

Voiced by: none (game), Hiro Shimono (anime)

The protagonist of the series. With a gentle appearance and slim profile, in many ways Haruka is the splitting image of his fraternal twin sister Sora. Personable and honest, he forges lasting friendships with remarkable ease. Haruka copes with the loss of his parents with a stout heart, burdened with the knowledge that the future of his delicate sister depends on him. As a result, he has a tendency to dote on his sister and worry about her constantly. He cannot swim either. The Kasugano siblings are well regarded around the village, as their grandfather was once a doctor there.

Sora Kasugano (春日野 穹 Kasugano Sora^?)

Voiced by: Hiroko Taguchi (game, anime)

The main heroine of the series, she is a quiet, fragile and reclusive girl, and fraternal twin sister to the main protagonist. Ill and frail since birth, Sora was denied the sort of independent life that many take for granted. Yet beneath Sora's angelic doll-like appearance lies a troublesome personality that’s prone to withdrawn laziness and demonstrates a rather severe lack of social graces. In all honesty, Sora doesn't care for anyone else, and would much rather just surf the Internet and eat instant food, for as long as Haruka is always by her side. It's implied that her strong bond with Haruka, strengthened as a result of the tragic loss of their parents, may be leading her towards fantasies of incest between twins. She hates Nao, although it is implied that they were once good friends. She is often seen carrying a rabbit doll, which she received as a present before she and Haruka left the village.

Nao Yorihime (依媛 奈緒 Yorihime Nao^?)

Voiced by: Yuka Inokuchi (game, anime)

Beautiful, intelligent and an excellent swimmer, Nao is Haruka's next-door neighbour and childhood friend. When the Kasugano twins last visited the area, their departure was particularly painful for Nao, who had grown quite close to Haruka, to the point of having sex with him on one occasion, about which she feels guilty. Upon their return, she attempts to rekindle their former close relationship. Nao’s compassion and maturity projects a sense of sisterly love towards others, though for Haruka there is a deeper and more intimately sensual feeling. Sora harbors great resentment towards the popular Nao, though she resists every request to explain the reasons why, although it is likely because Sora saw the pair having sex when they were younger.

Akira Amatsume (天女目 瑛 Amatsume Akira^?)

Voiced by: Kayo Sakata (game, anime)

The ever-cheerful Akira lives alone at a small yet sacred Shinto shrine. Since the passing of her foster father two years ago, she has been in the care of Yahiro, who lives nearby. Akira’s energetic liveliness is contagious to those around her, with an innocent personality that makes befriending the girl second nature. Due to her residence, Akira spends much of her time practicing the habits and traditions of a miko (shrine maiden), including performance of requisite ceremonies and holiday festivals. She also devotes a lot of her time to helping the elderly in the village, making her beloved by all. She is later revealed to be Kazuha's half-sister.

Kazuha Migiwa (渚 一葉 Migiwa Kazuha^?)

Voiced by: Ryōko Ono (game, anime)

The stunning daughter of an influential magnate, Kazuha lives a cultured life that some might compare to that of modern princesses. Sharp-minded and attentive to detail as a result of her parents' constant travels and long distance liaisons, she learned from a young age to behave responsibly and befitting her social standing. Nevertheless, Kazuha does not consider herself superior to others, and doesn't hesitate to lend a helping hand whenever asked. Kazuha is an experienced viola player, yet she shies away from playing in competitions, preferring to play only for those she cares for. She dotes on Akira constantly and worries excessively for her well-being, and this leads some to speculate that they may be romantically involved. However, it is later revealed that Akira is Kazuha's older, illegitimate sister from a different mother.

Motoka Nogisaka (乃木坂 初佳 Nogisaka Motoka^?)

Voiced by: Tae Okajima (game, anime)

Motoka is a college student struggling to make ends meet, working as a maid in the Migiwa Household to pay for her tuition expenses. While not ideally suited for household chores, her warm compassion and captivating personality offset these deficiencies. She is best friends with Ifukube Yahiro, a notorious drinker, which makes Motoka’s low tolerance to alcohol a particularly hazardous social issue, especially since she has a particular fondness for the taste of sake.

[edit]Supporting characters

Kozue Kuranaga (倉永 梢 Kuranaga Kozue^?)

Voiced by: Yukari Minegishi (game, anime)

Chairman of the Student Body, a position of serious responsibility and important functions, Kozue is often seen as a stick in the mud by her peers. She nevertheless cares for them, only nagging to mitigate the potential community damage. This often proves to be a full time job however.

Yahiro Ifukube (伊福部 やひろ Ifukube Yahiro^?)

Voiced by: Ryōko Tanaka (game, anime)

Best friend to Nogisaka Motoka and proprietor of a family owned candy store, the rouge looking Yahiro would prefer spending her time sleeping and drinking. In truth, the ill tempered and sardonic mannerisms hide Yahiro’s true personality: a woman whose past is a field littered with the shattered glass of lost dreams, forgotten promises, and broken romances.

Ryouhei Nakazato (中里 亮平 Nakazato Ryōhei^?)

Voiced by: Takurou Nakakuni (game, anime)

For all his faults and freakish behavior, Ryouhei is the kind of person you can always count on, in spite of being a self-confessed idiot. Carefree and spontaneous, he brands himself as the ultimate ladies man, applying cheesy pickup lines whenever a pretty face draws near. Yet when the situation calls for it, Ryouhei can offer profoundly sound advice, with an eye that quickly identifies the root of a problem.

[edit]Development

[edit]Staff

• Illustrations by: Takashi Hashimoto, Hiro Suzuhira
• Script by: Yukiji Tachikaze, Seiri Asakura
• Music by: Manack

[edit]Release history

The game was originally released for Windows PC on December 5, 2008.^[4] A sequel/fan disk titled Haruka na Sora was released later on October 24, 2009 which contains full scenarios for Kozue and Yahiro, an expansion to Sora's story from the original game, and additional bonus material.^[5]

[edit]Adaptations

[edit]Anime

Yosuga no Sora was adapted into a 12-episode anime series that started airing on October 4, 2010. Each episode consists of a 22-minute feature segment and a 3-minute omake segment. The main plot of the anime is presented in a multi-arc branching format that independently tells the stories of Kazuha, Akira, Nao, and Sora while sharing certain common episodes. The title of each episode incorporates the names of the characters it concerns. The bonus segment focuses on Motoka's story, relying more extensively on humor and super deformed character designs. Each segment has its own ending credit sequence in each episode.

[edit]Episode list (Main Feature)

(In brackets are the episode numbers for each arc, e.g. (A3) is the third episode in Akira's arc)

#	Title	Original air date
01 (AKNS1)	"Distant Memories" "Haruka na Kioku" (ハルカナキオク)	October 4, 2010
After the sudden death of their parents, Haruka and his twin sister Sora move to the house formerly inhabited by their late grandfather, in a small village they often visited as children. There, Haruka encounters several of the residents, some of whom are old friends, but Sora stays at home, refusing to go to school even as Haruka starts attending. Realizing that Haruka is growing more and more distant and slipping from her grasp, Sora goes to Haruka's room at night and appeals to Haruka as she removes her clothes...
02 (AK2)	"Akira Embarrassed" "Akira Hazukashi" (アキラハズカシ)	October 11, 2010
Sora asks Haru to take her measurements so she can have a uniform made, and finally starts attending school with Haruka, though she is disappointed to find that she and Haruka are in different classes. While cleaning the swimming pool as part of a mixed gym, Akira accidentally soaks Kazuha who forgot her swimsuit, and so Akira takes her to dry off. Haruka finds Kazuha's phone and goes to return it, only to overhear a sensual-sounding conversation in which Kazuha addresses Akira as "Onee-chan" (big sister).
03 (K3)	"Indecision" "Tsukazu Hanarezu" (ツカズハナレズ)	October 18, 2010
When Kazuha realizes that Haruka has overheard their conversation, she chases him down to clear up any misunderstanding. She reveals that Akira is, in fact, her illegitimate older sister, born of a different mother. Due to her family's societal standing, Kazuha's father is not able to acknowledge Akira as his daughter, causing Kazuha to be resentful of her father and to feel a burden of guilt and responsibility towards the always-hard-working Akira. To help lift Kazuha's spirits, Haruka invites her out on a date, and they subsequently realize and admit their rapidly-progressing feelings towards each other. Meanwhile, Akira continues to try her best on her own, but collapses, apparently due to exhaustion.
04 (K4)	"Haruka's Heart" "Harukazu Hāto" (ハルカズハート)	October 25, 2010
On their way home from school, Haruka and Kazuha are interrupted by a frantic Yahiro, who is concerned over the non-appearance of the always-responsible Akira as usual. They discover Akira at her home, collapsed due to exhaustion, and Kazuha proceeds to blame herself and her infatuation with Haruka for not noticing Akira's condition. Akira recovers a few days later, but confronts Kazuha about her abandonment of Haruka and the inappropriate sense of guilt she feels regarding their father's actions. Realizing the truth of Akira's words, Kazuha withdraws into a state of depression while struggling to determine what to do. The day of the festival arrives, and Kazuha works up the courage to appear, where she is reunited with Haruka. Haruka informs Kazuha that her father had been supporting Akira financially in secret all this time and, when Kazuha witnesses her father praising Akira, she realizes that she had misjudged him. Thus, she was able to move past her codependency towards Akira and pursue a whole-hearted romantic relationship with Haruka.
05 (A3)	"Darkness Revealed" "Yami Akiraka ni" (ヤミアキラカニ)	November 1, 2010
Haruka is standing near the girls locker room, overhearing Akira's and Kazuha's conversation. Haruka notices that Akira has been acting strange lately, and decides to talk to her alone at school the next morning. He sees the sad look on Akira's face and becomes worried, and wants to help Akira find her mother's pendant (after remembering her losing it as a child). They go in search for the pendant by a tree they would play by as kids, only to Haruka's horror that the tree had been removed by a landslide. He attempts at digging around for it, but without any luck. The two go to Akira's to take a bath, and have a romantic moment together. From there, Haruka goes to the festival, and, after seeing Akira cry while dancing the sacred dance, rushes off to see what had happened.
06 (A4)	"I Won't Give Up" "Akiramenai yo" (アキラメナイヨ)	November 8, 2010
Haruka enters Akira's room and stops her from burning something, which is her mother's missing journal, where it is written that Kazuha and Akira has a chance of mistaken identity. With the journal, he suggests to Yahiro and Kazuha a DNA test to prove things once and for all. Yahiro refuses, but, despite disapproval from her mother, Kazuha agrees. Haruka informs Akira at the shrine the next day that the DNA results will be out in five days, but Akira disappears on the fifth day. Haruka finds her at the train station, where they talk until the evening. When the DNA results arrive that night, Kazuha and Sora delivers it to Akira, who is still at the station, but she buckled, too scared to read it. It is then that Kazuha's mother appears, and tells everything at their home, where Akira is shown the lost pendant, returned to her by someone who found it at the mountains, basing on the name engraved on its back. She reveals that she and Akira's mother had shared the same hospital room, and, one day Akira pulled the pendant off of her neck as Mrs. Migiwa held her in her arms. After hearing that Akira's mother had passed away, she gave the pendant to her to make her feel, at least, the presence of a mother. Akira then reads the DNA results, and it read negative, which means Akira is born of a different mother. There, Kazuha's mother let her keep the pendant, and apologizes to Akira. She later confesses her love for Haruka and vice-versa.
07 (NS2)	"Sinful Maidens" "Tsumi na Otomera" (ツミナオトメラ)	November 15, 2010
Sora asks Haru to take her measurements so she can have a uniform made. The next day Nao comes over to bring Haruka some mosquito repellent, since Sora is scared of mosquitoes, and then leaves almost immediately. The next day Ryouhei invites Haruka to the school rooftop to take a peek at the girls cleaning the pool. Haruka warns Ryouhei, though, not to peek at Nao, and leaves. Much later Ryouhei tells Nao that Haruka, “the prince she has been waiting for,” has a crush on her; but she thinks he does not like her. The truth is that something happened between the two many summers ago: Nao, trying to escape the noise of her arguing parents, ran to Haruka's house. At that time Haruka was sleeping at their veranda, and was surprised to see Nao on top of him with her clothes undone. Until now Nao feels guilty for what she did. However, Ryouhei, even Akira and Kazuha, is into the act of bringing Haruka and Nao together. They did so by making the two meet at school pool on a Sunday. When they were changing after the swimming lesson, Haruka rushes into the girls' locker room when Nao was scared by a black cat inside a box. The school supervisor hears their chatter, but the two were able to hide inside a box before he catches them. Thinking it was just the cat, he leaves. There, Nao gets to know that Haruka does not hate her, only that he was just surprised at the events of that summer day, dispelling her assumptions. Meanwhile, Sora shows her hatred of Nao, whom she thinks is the reason why Haruka has been preoccupied the past couple of days, at home on her laptop.
08 (N3)	"Darkened Sky" "Nao Kuraki Sora" (ナオクラキソラ)	November 22, 2010
By now Sora is showing her hatred of Nao in the open, even infront of Ryohei and Nao herself. One afternoon Sora, attracted by the smell of curry cooking in the kitchen, catches Haruka and Nao making love in the living room. Sora throws Nao out of the house, warning her not to see Haruka ever again, since it is the second time she catches the two doing the "dirty deed." She then throws the curry they cooked down the drain, as she only wants Haruka's cooking. Nao becomes lonely after that, and though she wants to see Haruka, she has to hide because Sora is always nearby. However, Haruka is always optimistic Sora will forgive and accept them both, as he, after knowing from Ryouhei that she changed, wants Nao to return to being a cheerful, caring, and lighthearted person. Sora lightens up a bit to the sight of Haruka and Nao being together, but still has some resistance, and prefers to distance herself from the two. It is for this reason that she never joined Haruka and Nao along with Ryouhei, Kazuha, Akira, and Motoka for the annual summer trip to the beach.
09 (N4)	"Distant Feelings" "Haruka na Omoi" (ハルカナオモイ)	November 29, 2010
Sora decides to follow everyone at the beach, but at the moment she got off the bus, news that a young man was rescued from drowning unconscious. As Sora looks over, she finds out that the boy in question is Haruka. However, Nao acted quickly and performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. With that event, Sora becomes even more insecure, eventually telling Haruka not to leave home and tells all sorts of excuses just to make him stay. One day, Sora made Haruka choose between her and Nao, but he just shrugs it off and proceeds to school with Nao as if nothing is wrong. That afternoon Haruka finds Sora missing after receiving a text from her saying "they'd leave the place." Akira, Kazuha, and Ryouhei joins Nao and Haruka in search of her, until, amidst the rain, Nao finds Sora at the bus stop. Refusing to go with Nao, Sora runs out of the bus stop, angrily telling her that she is the reason why Haruka has changed. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning strikes the bus stop and burst into flames. Sora then remembers she forgot her stuffed bunny inside. Nao rushes in to retrieve the only memento Sora has of her mother, causing her to be nearly trapped inside. After receiving the rescued item, Sora reveals to Nao her insecurities with her, that she is afraid Haruka would leave her alone. The next night, Sora joins everyone during the Summer Festival at the shrine. This time, Sora is more receptive of Nao.
10 (S3)	"As for a Bird's Faked Cry" "Tori no Sorane wa" (トリノソラネハ)	December 6, 2010
Haruka is trying to start a new life over with Nao, but Sora is always at the back of his mind, since, lately, she seems not to accept Nao, and that she seems to be teasing him. Haruka suggests a date with Nao, but cannot get to tell Sora about it, even disguising it as if he will be spending time with Ryouhei. During the date, though, Nao notices that Sora is never far from Haruka’s mind, him buying things for his sister rather than for her, and eventually spoiling their date. They plan to make croquette curry upon arriving home, but is canceled when Haruka finds Sora not feeling well in her room after having a bad dream. The next day Nao notices that Haruka tries to hide his date with her from Sora, but she just went along. One night, Haruka catches Sora masturbating in her room while mentioning his name, much to his dismay—she is enamored with him ever since that one summer day in their childhood when Haruka kissed Sora while playing.
11 (S4)	"The Uncertain Pair" "Sorameku Futari" (ソラメクフタリ)	December 13, 2010
Haruka takes Nao on a date again, but he cannot shake the sight of Sora masturbating that night from his mind. Eventually Haruka hits his limit and tries to get rid of those thoughts by taking Nao to a hotel, but she rejects his act and asks if he really loves her. Haruka is unable to answer and returns home. Soon after, Sora gets a fever and Haruka stays home to take care of her. That evening, Sora, with her fever subsided, confesses her feelings to Haruka and the two make love, beginning a relationship. This did not go unnoticed, as everyone, especially Kozue and Nao, begins to see the twins spend more and more time with each other. Until, one afternoon, when Kozue and Nao decide to visit the Kasugano residence, they catch the twins in the middle of making love.
12 (S5)	"To the Distant Sky" "Haruka na Sora e" (ハルカナソラヘ)	December 20, 2010
Kozue runs away in shock at the sight of the twins making love, while Nao calmly left the scene, but Sora wouldn't even care. Haruka thinks of ditching school, but she tells him to think little of it. Kozue tells him the next day that she'll never talk to him again, while Nao effectively ends her relationship with him after his apology. That night Haruka fights with Sora when he tells her that they stop doing it, even inadvertently hitting her. Things get complicated when they find out that their parents left no money for the two, and in order to survive they have to be taken under custody of their relatives, but this means them living apart. That afternoon Haruka awakens to find Sora missing and her room in a mess. He goes looking for her after receiving a text from Sora which sounds like a suicide note. Nao even helps him in looking for her everywhere, mentioning to him about her confrontation with Sora, saying she has seen the two making love that summer day, and that "now they are even." Haruka then remembered the lake Akira mentioned the other day. Haruka finds Sora there, and his attempt to stop her from going deeper in to the lake ended in them drowning, nearly resulting in a double suicide. Days later the two leave the place to live overseas with a distant relative, hoping to find happiness elsewhere. Though Kozue disagrees, Nao believes they will do just fine, even if she knows that they may be wrong.

[edit]Drama CD

The game release of Yosuga no Sora was supplemented by several drama CDs made available to pre-ordering customers at select Japanese retailers.

[edit]Manga

Yosuga no Sora has been adapted into a manga of the same title, serialized since the May issue of Kadokawa Shoten's Comp Acemagazine.^[6]

[edit]Music

The OST for the original game, with music composed by Manack, was released by Sphere on 27 February 2009.

The OST for the anime adaptation, with music composed by Manabu Miwa (Manack) and Bruno Wen-li, consists of both new compositions and newly-arranged versions of tracks from the original game. It will be released on two CDs, subtitled "Arrange" and "New", accompanying the Japanese Blu-ray Disc release of the anime with volumes 1 and 3 respectively.^[7]

[edit]References

1. ^ "Official game website for Yosuga no Sora" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2010-09-15.
2. ^ "Official game website for Haruka na Sora" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2010-09-15.
3. ^ "Eroge Review Yosuga no Sora". Retrieved 2010-09-17.
4. ^ "Official game website for Yosuga no Sora" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2010-09-15.
5. ^ "Official game website for Haruka na Sora" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2010-09-15.
6. ^ "Comp Ace's official Yosuga no Sora manga webpage" (in Japanese). Comptiq. Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved 2010-09-15.
7. ^ "Official Yosuga no Sora Anime Blu-Ray/DVD Release Webpage" (in Japanese). Starchild. King Records. Retrieved 2010-10-26.

[edit]External links

• Sphere's official Yosuga no Sora website (Japanese)
• Sphere's official Haruka na Sora website (Japanese)
• Official Yosuga no Sora anime website (Japanese)
• Kodokawa Shoten Yosuga no Sora manga volume 1 (Japanese)
• Kodokawa Shoten Yosuga no Sora manga volume 2 (end) (Japanese)
• Yosuga no Sora (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia

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