Title: Shinigami to Shoujo [死神と少女]
Console: PSP
Genre: Otome, Visual Novel
Language: Japanese
Company: Takuyo
Summary: New Takuyo game ffff.
I was actually surprised to hear the main girl has a VOICE!… Just for the prologue apparently. XD; And of course you can customize which voices you hear and don’t.

So warning, I’ve ONLY done Hinase (Tattsun)’s route, and I don’t know how long it’ll be before I have the heart to go after anyone else even though this game interests me so… ^^;;

But I really have to give it my highest rating. Takuyo’s otome games just DO NOT DISAPPOINT.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR HINASE’S ROUTE UNDER THE CUT

Story: Story is a HUGE element to this game. There are 6 total chapters, but depending on what route you go with, you can clear the game without going through the later chapters. The first three are mandatory before branching off to individual character routes. Every chapter is VERY LONG and fulfilling, as expected of Takuyo. So long that one chapter is almost a full playthrough in other PSP otoge titles I’ve played (cough QuinRose’s titles).

For some people, it might even be TOO much story. I hate reading long walls of text without voices, and there are a few in this game. Each chapter is correlated with a separate fairytale that coincides with the chapter’s theme, and if you reach far enough into each chapter (if you don’t reach a dead end which leads back to the main screen), you’ll be able to read through the entire tale. Fortunately, everything is really easy to skip if you don’t want to bother with it, but then you’ll of course lose a lot of the emotion that goes with it.

As for the story setting itself, I was actually really skeptical about the setting at first. The whole main girl being a “princess” and having amazing good looks to attract all the guys… actually turned me off because I prefer my main girl to be more average… XD; Plus, she also gave off that “princess”-y aura with her speech patterns. It’s easier to take with her voice off in the prologue. I also wasn’t too sure about being part of a famously rich family either, but that actually turns out to be a really interesting part of the story later down the line. Takuyo knows what they’re doing.

But yeah, there’s TONS of story to this game. Each chapter focuses on different characters, each with deep stories, while still involving the full cast along the way to keep things interesting. Takuyo’s “all-staff” writing is just admirable.

Characters: Ueda Kana, Kanna Nobutoshi, Kawashima Tokuyoshi, Suzuki Tatsuhisa, Chiba Susumu, Nojima Kenji, Sanpei Yuuko, Nonaka Ai, Tanaka Hideyuki, Shouji Umeka, Miura Hiroaki, Morita Masakazu, Saitou Kimiko

According to the walkthrough, there are romantic endings with four different characters (bolded). Wish I could pair with Sanpei Yuuko’s~ :< (crushes on this trappy voice)~ There are endings with two other characters (Nojiken's and Nanoka Ai), I assume as friends. I personally recommend turning off the main girl's voice, even if she only comes up in the prologue. It's not like her voice was BAD or anything (I like Ueda Kana's voice for series such as Fate/Stay Night), but I personally prefer not having an image of another girl's voice when playing Takuyo's games. Anyway, I went for Suzuki Tatsuhisa's character (Hinase) first and have not regretted it. He's also the first character route you can go with anyway (chapter 4). I've put up a whole bunch of spoilerish screenshots on the link at the bottom, but I won't really say much more beyond that, because you've just got to enjoy it for yourself! And hopefully, I'll go for the other routes some day... Graphics: 10. Definitely the best art I’ve seen for Takuyo’s games, everrrrrr. Just utter beauty.

Also, the CGs EXPAND BEYOND THE PSP SCREEN. SCROLLABLE SIZE. Like this:

Character models in the extras can also be scrolled from head to toe. If this game comes out with an artbook, I think I’ll get it……….. (although I think I missed it since they just do these store-exclusive limited pressings >_>)

Sound: 10. Very few tracks, like most of Takuyo’s games, but they are all very effective in creating the mood and pleasant to listen to for long lengths of time. Although the music itself isn’t a strong point, the USE of sound in general for this game is what makes me give this a 10. It’s silent in just the right parts, to keep things real.
Gameplay: Just when I thought Takuyo’s controls couldn’t get any better, they finally added in line progressing with the right arrow button on the left side of the PSP. Double-handed line progression FTW. I’m also grateful for the “skip to next choice” option in this game, since Takuyo doesn’t always include it in their games. It’s VERY useful for this title.
Replay Value: One of my favorite things about Takuyo’s games is that I can play a route, leave the game alone for months or a year or so… go back to try another character’s route, and I end up enjoying the game pretty much like I was playing it for the first time again.
Overall: 10. Giving Takuyo the bump it deserves, because they simply just did not disappoint me with this title. The top things I want in an otoge are characters I can really FALL IN LOVE WITH (and voiced), a story that TRULY INVOLVES THE MAIN CHARACTER, and a story LONG ENOUGH to really feel engrossed… Takuyo just generally doesn’t disappoint me when it comes to these things. Not only that, but everything else including the music, gameplay and graphics are top-notch too. These guys really need more attention in the otoge world (they just don’t market as much as the ones that show up large in the magazines), but I’m also fine with them as they are, and I’ll continue to cheer them on.

I’ve read some of the AmazonJP reviews for this game, and with that I do want to note that there’s not as much gag as some other Takuyo titles (particularly Panic Palette), but isn’t that kind of OBVIOUS from the cover? Some weirdo gave the game a lower score solely because of that, and things of similar relevance. .____.; Cries out KY. There IS some humor in this game though, in the neat way Takuyo usually does it, albeit with a more subtle effect. Such as the main girl’s eating habits…

This title is definitely one of the best otoge games I’ve ever played. DO NOT PASS THIS UP if you have a PSP and are looking for a good otoge to fulfill your crushes! XDDDD

Official Site
benri
Screenshots (Mostly Hinase, and LOTS OF HINASE SPOILERS)

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