''Bittersweet Fools'' is a

visual novel A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...

eroge An ''eroge'' ( or , ''erogē''; ; a portmanteau of ''erotic game'' , ''erochikku gēmu'') is a Japanese genre of erotic video game. In 1982, Japan's Koei, founded by husband-and-wife team Yoichi and Keiko Erikawa (and later known for stra ...

developed by Minori. It was ported to the

Dreamcast The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, N ...

and PlayStation 2 with H-content removed as part of the '' Simple'' series line of " ren'ai

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extr ...

" games. It is vol.1 on the Dreamcast and vol.9 on the PS2. The anime opening of the game was directed by

Makoto Shinkai , known as , is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, author, and manga artist. Shinkai began his career as a video game animator with Nihon Falcom in 1996, and gained recognition as a filmmaker with the release of the original video animation (OVA) ' ...

. The game takes place in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. The character design is by

Yu Aida is a Japanese mangaka, manga artist and illustrator, best known as the creator of ''Gunslinger Girl''. Aida has also done the character designs for the eroge visual novel, ''Bittersweet Fools''. Works * ''Bittersweet Fools'' (character design ...

, whose ''

Gunslinger Girl ''Gunslinger Girl'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series by Yu Aida. It began serialization on May 21, 2002 in '' Dengeki Daioh'' and ended on September 27, 2012. The chapters were also published in 15 ''tankōbon'' volumes by A ...

'' series also takes place in Italy.

Characters

; : The protagonist. A former

mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of ...

assassin. ; : ; :''Voiced by:''

Miwa Kōduki Miwa (みわ, ミワ) is a feminine Japanese given name which can also be used as a surname. Possible writings Miwa can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *三和 "three, harmony" *三輪 "three, wheel/ring" *美和 "beaut ...

; :''Voiced by:'' Ruri Asano ; : ; ; ; : A flower shop girl that works near the apartment that Alan lives in. ; : His name is a

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

taken from the Italian city of

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for it ...

.''Voiced by:''

Kenji Hamada is a Japanese voice actor from Fukuoka, Japan who is an affiliate of Mausu Promotion. On adult works, he goes under the alias of . Personal life In 1996, Hamada enrolled at Ezaki Production school. Since 1998, he has been affiliated with Mau ...

; : His name is a

derived from the Italian pasta eliche.
''Voiced by:''

Keiji Okuda Keiji (けいじ, ケイジ) is a Japanese given name usually used for males. Meaning varies depending on the kanji characters used. Possible writings Common kanji used include: * 啓司 * 啓治 * 圭二 * 圭司 * 慶次 * 慶治 * 敬二 * ...

; : ; ; : A mysterious man.

External links

Official page for the PC version
2001 video games Bishōjo games D3 Publisher games Dreamcast games Eroge HuneX games Japan-exclusive video games PlayStation 2 games Simple 2000 games Single-player video games Video games developed in Japan Visual novels Windows games Minori (company) games {{visual-novel-stub