07th Expansion is a Japanese

dōjin circle In Japan, a is a group of people who share an interest, activity, or hobby. The word is sometimes translated into English as " clique", "fandom", "coterie", "society", or "circle" (as in " sewing circle"). Self-published creative works pro ...

specialized in the creation of

visual novel A visual novel (VN) is a form of digital interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with static or animated illustratio ...

s. They started out drawing for the trading card game ''Leaf Fight'', but are better known for creating the game series '' When They Cry''. The remake games on additional consoles for ''

Higurashi When They Cry is a Japanese murder mystery dōjin soft visual novel series produced by 07th Expansion that comprises the first two entries of the ''When They Cry'' franchise. The series focuses on a group of young friends living in the fic ...

'' were produced by

Alchemist Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...

History

Started off producing original cards for the trading card game called ''Leaf Fight'' as a way to present their work. They would sell their works at various events including

Comiket , more commonly known as or , is a semiannual Doujinshi convention, ''doujinshi'' convention in Tokyo, Japan. A grassroots market focused on the sale of ''doujin'' (self-published) works, Comiket is a not-for-profit fan convention administered ...

where they met BT who later became the manager of their homepage. After two years of selling cards they began thinking about switching to another genre. During this time, '' Tsukihime'' by Type Moon rose in popularity opening the door for many aspiring doujin circles including 07th Expansion as co-founder Yatazakura began learning how to use

NScripter , officially abbreviated as Nscr, also known under its Working title, production title Scripter4, is a game engine developed by Naoki Takahashi between 1999 and 2018 functioning with its own script language which facilitates the creation of both ...

. Along with Ryukishi07, they began their attempt at making a

using a scrapped stage play written by Ryukishi07 called ''Hinamizawa Bus Stop'' as the main part. This would later be turned into their first work ''Higurashi When They Cry''.

Members

* Ryukishi07: Founder of 07th Expansion. Began drawing

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

Junior High School Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school. Afghanistan In Afghanistan, middle school includes ...

in order to express his creativity. In high school, he started to notice the difference in artistic abilities with his peers leading him to quit drawing manga. During this time, he would become interested in

doujin In Japan, a is a group of people who share an interest, activity, or hobby. The word is sometimes translated into English as "clique", "fandom", "coterie", "society", or "circle" (as in "sewing circle"). Self-published creative works produ ...

activities but due to not having his own circle, he would help out other doujin circles with coloring illustrations. Later studied at a

vocational school A vocational school (alternatively known as a trade school, or technical school), is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary education#List of tech ed skills, secondary or post-secondar ...

. *Yatazakura: Co-founder of 07th Expansion. Early member of 07thExpansion. Inspired by ''Tsukihime'', he learned how to use NScripter which led to the creation of ''Higurashi When They Cry'' with Ryukishi07. *BT: Homepage manager. Initially a customer while 07th Expansion were producing cards for ''Leaf Fight''. Later died in 2009 from an illness.

Mascot

Rena Ryukishi is the company

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...

. At first she was wearing something resembling an

armor Armour (Commonwealth English) or armor (American English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, e ...

, then it was changed to a uniform in style of '' Pia Carro''. Her 4th outfit eventually become the uniform of Angel Mort, a fictional restaurant in ''Higurashi When They Cry''. She was officially introduced in ''Higurashi When They Cry'' as one of the main characters under the name

Rena Ryūgū is a fictional character in the Higurashi When They Cry, ''Higurashi When They Cry'' series. Born as , she adopts the name "Rena" upon moving back to her hometown of Hinamizawa following a mental breakdown. Whilst on the surface, she adopts a nai ...

Works

Visual novels

''When They Cry''

;''Higurashi'' * ''

'' ** ''Ch.1 Onikakushi'': August 10, 2002 (

62) ** '' Ch.2 Watanagashi'': December 29, 2002 (Comiket 63) ** ''Ch.3 Tatarigoroshi'': August 15, 2003 (Comiket 64) ** ''Ch.4 Himatsubushi'': August 13, 2004 (Comiket 66) * ''Higurashi When They Cry Kai'' ** ''Ch.5 Meakashi'': December 30, 2004 (Comiket 67) ** ''Ch.6 Tsumihoroboshi'': August 14, 2005 (Comiket 68) ** ''Ch.7 Minagoroshi'': December 30, 2005 (Comiket 69) ** ''Ch.8 Matsuribayashi'': August 13, 2006 (Comiket 70) * ''Higurashi When They Cry Rei'' (fan disc): December 31, 2006 (Comiket 71) * ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Hō'' (fan disc): August 17, 2014 (Comiket 86) * ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Hō +'' (fan disc): January 28, 2022 ;''Umineko'' * ''

Umineko When They Cry is a Japanese dōjin soft visual novel series produced by 07th Expansion. Its first episode debuted at Comiket 72 for Windows in August 2007. The story focuses on a group of eighteen people on a secluded island for a period of two days, ...

'' ** ''Episode 1: Legend of the Golden Witch'': August 17, 2007 (Comiket 72) ** ''Episode 2: Turn of the Golden Witch'': December 31, 2007 (Comiket 73) ** ''Episode 3: Banquet of the Golden Witch'': August 16, 2008 (Comiket 74) ** ''Episode 4: Alliance of the Golden Witch'': December 29, 2008 (Comiket 75) * ''Umineko When They Cry Chiru'' ** ''Episode 5: End of the Golden Witch'': August 15, 2009 (Comiket 76) ** ''Episode 6: Dawn of the Golden Witch'': December 30, 2009 (Comiket 77) ** ''Episode 7: Requiem of the Golden Witch'': August 14, 2010 (Comiket 78) ** ''Episode 8: Twilight of the Golden Witch'': December 31, 2010 (Comiket 79) * ''Umineko no Naku Koro ni Tsubasa'' (fan disc): December 31, 2010 (Comiket 79) * ''Umineko no Naku Koro ni Hane'' (fan disc): December 31, 2011 (Comiket 81) * ''Umineko no Naku Koro ni Saku'' (fan disc): October 4, 2019 ;''Ciconia'' * ''

Ciconia When They Cry ''Ciconia When They Cry'' is an episodic video game, episodic visual novel game series in development by 07th Expansion, collectively considered the fifth entry in the ''When They Cry'' series, following ''Higurashi When They Cry'' and ''Umineko ...

'' ** ''Phase 1: For You, the Replaceable Ones'': October 4, 2019 ** ''Phase 2'' : Delayed

Others

* '' Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni'' ** ''Dai-ichi Ya'': August 13, 2011 (Comiket 80) ** ''Dai-ni Ya'': December 31, 2011 (Comiket 81) * '' Rose Guns Days'' ** ''Season 1'': August 11, 2012 (Comiket 82) ** ''Season 2'': December 31, 2012 (Comiket 83) ** ''Season 3'': August 10, 2013 (Comiket 84) ** ''Last Season'': December 31, 2013 (Comiket 85) * ''Trianthology: Sanmenkyō no Kuni no Alice'': August 31, 2016 (Comiket 90)

Fighting games

* '' Umineko: Golden Fantasia'': December 31, 2010 (Comiket 79) ** ''Ōgon Musōkyoku Cross'': December 31, 2011 (Comiket 81)

Card games

* ''Leaf Fight'' * ''Tagai o Otoko no Ko Maid ni Chōkyōshiau Game'': November 18, 2012

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Doujin soft developers Video game companies of Japan Video game development companies