is a series of Japanese

adult An adult is an animal that has reached full growth. The biological definition of the word means an animal reaching sexual maturity and thus capable of reproduction. In the human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social an ...

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 and

strategy video game Strategy video game is a major Video game genres, video game genre that focuses on analyzing and strategizing over direct quick reaction in order to secure success. Although many types of video games can contain strategic elements, the strategy ...

s primarily developed and published by BaseSon for the Windows and is based on the classic 14th century Chinese novel ''

Romance of the Three Kingdoms ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD and ...

'' by

Luo Guanzhong Luo Ben (c. 1330–1400, or c.1280–1360), better known by his courtesy name Guanzhong (Mandarin pronunciation: ), was a Chinese novelist who lived during the Ming dynasty. He is also known by his pseudonym Huhai Sanren (). Luo Guanzhon ...

. The first game was developed by BaseSon, and was first released on January 26, 2007, for

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

as two

DVD-ROM The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

s, followed by a re-release on April 11, 2008, containing an extra

CD-ROM A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains computer data storage, data computers can read, but not write or erase. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold b ...

. ''Koihime Musō: Doki Otome Darake no Sangokushi Engi'' has made several transitions to other media. A

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 ...

adaptation by Japanese

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...

Yayoi Hizuki was first serialized in the Japanese magazine '' Dengeki G's Festival! Comic'' on April 26, 2008. An

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

adaptation produced by

Doga Kobo is a Japanese animation studio formed by former Toei Animation members Hideo Furusawa and Megumu Ishiguro, located in Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. The studio was established on July 11, 1973, and is a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation. Although the st ...

began broadcasting on July 8, 2008, and has since released two additional seasons.

Premise

The game is set in ancient China during and after the fall of the Han dynasty with some major differences, most notably; Most of the male characters in the novel have become female and The Three Kingdoms that were formed after the Han Dynasty, had already been established. Despite each kingdom being ruled by an independent monarchy, the three kingdoms are still loyal to the Han empire. However, the empire is on the verge of collapse as civil unrest, banditry and infighting bring turmoil to the nation. As the empire finally collapse and warlords wage war with each other, amidst the turmoil several major factions are formed, ready to rule and unite the fractured nation. These major factions (5 in Koihime Musō, 7 in the sequel) are the Shoku faction (Chinese: 蜀, Shǔ) led by Kazuto Hongō in Koihime Musō and in the sequel, Queen Ryūbi (

Liu Bei Liu Bei (, ; ; 161 – 10 June 223), courtesy name Xuande (), was a China, Chinese warlord in the late Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty who later became the founding Emperor of China, emperor of Shu Han, one of the Three Kingdoms of ...

) of the Kingdom of Shu, the Gi faction (Chinese: 魏, Wèi) led by Queen Sōsō (

Cao Cao Cao Cao (; ; ; 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde, was a Chinese statesman, warlord, and poet who rose to power during the end of the Han dynasty (), ultimately taking effective control of the Han central government. He laid the foundation f ...

) of the Kingdom of Wei, the Go faction (Chinese: 吳, Wú) led by Princess Sonken (

Sun Quan Sun Quan (; 182 – 21 May 252), courtesy name Zhongmou (), posthumous name, posthumously known as Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of Eastern Wu, one of the Three Kingdoms of China. He inherited control of the warlord regime established by hi ...

) of the Kingdom of Wu and in the sequel, her older sister Queen Sonsaku (

Sun Ce Sun Ce () () (175 – 5 May 200), courtesy name Bofu, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was the eldest child of Sun Jian, who was killed during the Battle of Xian ...

), the Tōtaku faction (Chinese: 董卓, Dong Zhuo) led by Governess Tōtaku, Governor of Dong province, the En/Yuan faction led by Lady Enshō, Lord of Yuan province, and in the sequel the Kōkintō/Yellow Turban Rebels led by the Zhang sisters, Chōkaku, Chōhō and Chōryō and the Nanban/Southern Barbarians led by Mōkaku.

Gameplay

The

gameplay Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game. The term applies to both video games and Tabletop game, tabletop games. Gameplay is the connection between the player and the game, the player's overcoming of challenges, and t ...

in ''Koihime Musō'' follows a linear plot line, which offers pre-determined scenarios and courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the female main characters.

Development

''Koihime Musō'' is the fifth game developed by BaseSon, known for creating their first title, ''One2: Eien no Yakusoku'', sequel to

Tactics Tactic(s) or Tactical may refer to: * Tactic (method), a conceptual action implemented as one or more specific tasks ** Military tactics, the disposition and maneuver of units on a particular sea or battlefield ** Chess tactics In chess, a tac ...

' '' One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e''. Direction and planning for ''Kohime Musō'' was done by K. Baggio, who has also provided scenario used in the game, along with fellow writers Izumi Kumashiro, Takuya Aoyama, Assault, and Shiina Arai. Art direction and character designs were split between five people, Kanan Yatsuha, Kantaka, Hinata Katagiri, Eiji Hikage, and Hokuto Saeki. Music in the game was provided by Takumaru, Ryō Mizutsuki, and Ichinoryū Uehara.

Release

''Koihime Musō'' was first available to public on January 26, 2007, as an adult game playable only on

Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

PCs as two

s. It was subsequently followed by a re-release on April 11, 2008. While the gameplay and scenario in the game is essentially the same, an extra fandisc not available in the original version titled was included with the re-release as a

. An all-ages consumer port for the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

, retitled as , developed by Yeti and published by Regista was released on October 30, 2008. An enhanced re-release of ''Koihime Musō'', was released on December 26, 2008, with extended scenario. An English translation of ''Koihime Musō'' was released by European publisher MangaGamer on February 28, 2011. Additionally,

Gamania Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. (Gamania) is a PC online game and digital entertainment corporation with its headquarters located in Taipei, Taiwan. It was the first Taiwanese online game brand to expand globally, with overseas branch offices ...

formally launched a web-browser based MMO strategy game titled on December 7, 2010, which has since been running on eight different servers. The game allows players to control up to 5 generals at a time from the Shin Koihime Musō cast, join one of the 3 warring factions and try to conquer players of the other two opposing factions with the Red Turban Bandit faction acting as a NPC faction. Like most other browser based MMOs, this game is free to play with a Gamania account, however paying users gain access to enhancements otherwise unavailable or very difficult to obtain. A

version, titled developed by

Yeti The Yeti ()"Yeti"
. ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. is an ape-like creature purported t ...

and published by Regista was released on October 30, 2008. A new version of Koihime with many new characters was released on December 26, 2008. A third version of Koihime was released on July 23, 2010. MangaGamer acquired licensing rights to the first game and released it on February 28, 2011. June 2012 the website Jlist.com began selling copies of Koihime Musō as a DX version with restored voices; in a partnership with MangaGamer. Another game named ''Koihime Eiyūtan'' has been announced; however, it is unknown if it is a follow-up or a remake of a preceding game. In 2017, 28 June the release of the first part of the Kakumei trilogy with the title - . The release of the second part is the title - scheduled for 2018, 27 Jule. The release of the third is the title - scheduled for 2019. A 2D fighting game titled has been announced for a January 28, 2016 release on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. A dungeon management and visual novel hybrid spin-off starring several of the characters from Koihime Musō titled Suzukuri Dungeon: Karin in the Mountain (巣作りカリンちゃん) has been released on Steam and other platforms. The story scenes and adult content have been removed from the Steam version with a patch required to restore them. An expansion called Hoshiyomi no Shintaku exists but this is not available in English.

Media

Manga

A manga adaptation based on the original visual novel drawn by Japanese

Yayoi Hizuki, with its title renamed as began serialization in the second issue of the

manga magazine 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 an ...

'' Dengeki G's Festival! Comic'' published by

ASCII Media Works , formerly , is a Japanese Publishing, publisher and brand company of Kadokawa Future Publishing headquartered in Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. It originally formed on April 1, 2008, as a result of a Mergers and acquisitions, merger bet ...

on April 26, 2008.

Anime

An anime adaptation produced by

began broadcasting in Japan on July 8, 2008 on the

Tokyo MX JOMX-DTV (channel 9), branded as Tokyo MX (officially stylized as TOKYO MX), is an independent station, independent television station in Tokyo, Japan, owned by the . It is the only television station that exclusively serves the city and parts ...

and the

Chiba TV , doing business as , is a Japanese commercial terrestrial television broadcasting company headquartered at 11-25 Miyako-chō 1-chōme, Chūō-ku, Chiba serving Chiba Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kan ...

broadcasting networks, followed by other broadcasting networks later during the same month. The anime television series, with its title shortened to simply ''Koihime Musō'', featured a story very different from that found in the original visual novel. The original protagonist, Hongo Kazuto, is not present in the anime, nor does the grand battle between the three kingdoms take place. Instead, it feature Kan'u's adventure in China, meeting many other characters from the game along the way. The anime is among those noted for sometimes depicting the characters in an exaggerated super deformed manner. After the last episode aired, it was announced an OVA was in production. The OVA was released on April 1, 2009, and actually featured all the characters in an alternate setting - that of a modern high school. The second season of anime, a series based on the second game, entitled , continue where the last season left off, aired from October 5, 2009 to December 2009. The third season began airing April 2010, titled . The first season has been licensed in North America by

Sentai Filmworks Sentai Filmworks, LLC (or simply Sentai) is an American entertainment company. Located in Houston, the company specializes in the dubbing and distribution of Japanese animation and Asian cinema. Its post-production arm is Sentai Studios. The ...

; distributor

Section23 Films SXION 23 LLC, doing business as Section23 Films, is an American multimedia distributor based in Houston, Texas specializing in releasing anime and Japanese films. Established in 2009, Section23 is one of five successors to ADV Films; alongside ...

, who released the first season on DVD on January 4, 2011. This release, however, uses the Japanese TV masters and omits improvements made to the animation for the Japanese DVD release. The second and third seasons of Koihime Muso are also licensed by

. The second season was released on March 1, 2011, while the third season was released on May 24, 2011.

Music

The visual novel has four main theme songs, one promotion theme, one opening theme, one insert song, and one ending theme. The promotion theme was , and was performed by ☆396☆. The opening theme song was "Hφwling Sφul", which was performed by Rekka Katakiri. The insert theme was , while the ending theme was , both performed by Chata. All of the songs were composed and arranged by Takumaru, with the lyrics written by K. Bajjo. The opening for ''Shin Koihime Musou'' is called "HE∀ting Sφul" also by Rekka Katakiri. The ending song is a Piano Arranged version of by Chata. The anime has two theme songs. The opening theme, titled "Flower of Bravery", was performed by fripSide, and was composed and written by Chiyomaru Shikura, and arranged by Satoshi Yaginuma. The ending theme, titled was performed by fripSide NAO project!, composed and arranged by Satoshi Yaginuma, and written by Nao, Shinichirō Yamashita, and Satoshi Yaginuma. The anime adaptation of ''Shin Koihime Musou'' also has two theme songs. The opening is titled , also performed by Rekka Katakiri. The ending is titled by Mai Goto, Nami Kurokawa and Miya Serizono. They also voice lead characters Ryūbi, Kan'u and Chōhi respectively.

Trivia

*''Koihime Musōs title names are allusions to Koei's ''

Dynasty Warriors is a series of Japanese hack and slash action video games created by Omega Force and Koei (now Koei Tecmo). The series is a spin-off of Koei's turn-based strategy '' Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' series, based upon the Chinese novel of ...

'' series. :*''Koihime Musō'' is a play on the Japanese title of ''Dynasty Warriors'', ''Sangoku Musō''. :*The sequel game, ''Shin Koihime Musō'', is derived from the ''Dynasty Warriors'' games after the first one, which are called ''Shin Sangoku Musō'' in Japan. :*The final game in the series, ''Shin Koihime Musō: Moeshōden'' is derived from the ''Xtreme Legends'' games for ''Dynasty Warriors'', which are called ''Mōshōden'' in Japan.

Notes

References

External links

*
PC visual novel official website
at

PS2 visual novel official website
at Yeti

at

Official ''Shin Koihime Musō'' PSP visual novel website
at Yeti
PC visual novel official website
at MangaGamer {{DEFAULTSORT:Koihime Muso Koihime Musō 2007 video games 2008 manga Action anime and manga Action games Anime and manga set in China Anime series Anime television series based on video games Arcade video games ASCII Media Works manga Bishōjo games Comedy anime and manga Dengeki Comics Doga Kobo Doujin video games Eroge Fantasy anime and manga Fighting games Japanese LGBTQ-related animated television series Manga based on video games Pink Pineapple PlayStation 2 games PlayStation Portable games Seinen manga Sentai Filmworks Tokyo MX original programming Video games based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms Video games developed in Japan Visual novels Windows games Works based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms Yeti (Japanese company) games Yuri (genre) anime and manga