Koihime Musō

Koihime Musō: Doki Otome Darake no Sangokushi Engi (恋姫†無双 ～ドキッ☆乙女だらけの三国志演義～, lit. "Love Princess†Unmatched: Throb Romance of Three Kingdoms Filled with Girls") is a series of Japanese adult visual novels and strategy video games primarily developed and published by BaseSon for the Windows and is based on the classic 14th century Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong. The first game was developed by BaseSon, and was first released on January 26, 2007, for Windows as two DVD-ROMs, followed by a re-release on April 11, 2008, containing an extra CD-ROM.

Koihime Musō
Koihime Musō original visual novel cover.
恋姫†無双 ～ドキッ☆乙女だらけの三国志演義～
(Koihime Musō: Doki Otome Darake no Sangokushi Engi)
GenreAction, comic fantasy[1]
Game
DeveloperBaseSon (Windows)
Yeti (PS2)
PublisherNexton (Windows)
Regista (PS2)
MangaGamer (Europe, US Windows)
GenreVisual novel, Strategy, Eroge
PlatformWindows
PlayStation 2
ReleasedJanuary 26, 2007 (Windows)
April 11, 2008 (Windows re-release)
November 20, 2008 (PS2)
February 28, 2011 (Europe, US Windows)
Game
Shin Koihime Musō:
Otome Ryōran Sangokushi Engi
DeveloperBaseSon (Windows)
Yeti (PSP, PS2)
PublisherNexton (Windows)
Yeti (PSP, PS2)
GenreVisual novel, Strategy, Eroge
PlatformWindows
PlayStation Portable
PlayStation 2
ReleasedWindows
December 26, 2008
July 23, 2010 (Shin Koihime Musou Moeshouden)
PlayStation Portable
September 22, 2010 (Wu-Hen)
October 28, 2010 (Wei-Hen)
November 25, 2010 (Shu-Hen)
PlayStation 2
November 10, 2011
Game
Shin Koihime Musō:
Otome Taisen Sangokushi Engi
DeveloperRain Entertainment
Publisher
  • JP: BaseSon
  • NA: Pentavision Global[2]
GenreFighting
PlatformArcade (RCI Neo Standard)
ReleasedJuly 30, 2011
Manga
Written byBaseSon
Illustrated byYayoi Hizuki
Published byASCII Media Works
MagazineDengeki G's Festival! Comic
DemographicSeinen
Original runApril 26, 2008 – present
Volumes1 (4 chapter so far)
Anime television series
Directed byNobuaki Nakanishi
Written byGō Zappa
StudioDoga Kobo
Licensed by
Original networkTokyo MX, Chiba TV, TV Aichi, KBS Tokyo, TV Saitama, AT-X, Anime Network
Original run July 8, 2008 – September 23, 2008
Episodes12 + OVA
Anime television series
Shin Koihime Musō
Directed byNobuaki Nakanishi
Written byGō Zappa
StudioDoga Kobo
Licensed by
Original networkTokyo MX, Chiba TV, TV Saitama, AT-X, Anime Network
Original run October 5, 2009 – December 21, 2009
Episodes12 + 2 OVAs
Anime television series
Shin Koihime Musō: Otome Tairan
Directed byNobuaki Nakanishi
Written byGō Zappa
StudioDoga Kobo
Licensed by
Original networkTokyo MX, Chiba TV, TV Saitama, AT-X, Anime Network
Original run April 4, 2010 – June 17, 2010
Episodes12

Koihime Musō: Doki Otome Darake no Sangokushi Engi has made several transitions to other media. A manga adaptation by Japanese illustrator Yayoi Hizuki was first serialized in the Japanese magazine Dengeki G's Festival! Comic on April 26, 2008. An anime adaptation produced by Doga Kobo began broadcasting on July 8, 2008, and has since released two additional seasons.

Premise
See also: List of Koihime Musō characters

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) of the Kingdom of Shu, the Gi faction (Chinese: 魏, Wèi) led by Queen Sōsō (Cao Cao) of the Kingdom of Wei, the Go faction (Chinese: 吳, Wú) led by Princess Sonken (Sun Quan) of the Kingdom of Wu and in the sequel, her older sister Queen Sonsaku (Sun Ce), 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 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' One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e. Direction and planning for Kohime Musō was done by K. Baggio,[3] who has also provided scenario used in the game, along with fellow writers Izumi Kumashiro, Takuya Aoyama, Assault, and Shiina Arai.[4] Art direction and character designs were split between five people, Kanan Yatsuha, Kantaka, Hinata Katagiri, Eiji Hikage, and Hokuto Saeki.[4] Music in the game was provided by Takumaru, Ryō Mizutsuki, and Ichinoryū Uehara.[4]

Release

Koihime Musō was first available to public on January 26, 2007, as an adult game playable only on Microsoft Windows PCs as two DVD-ROMs. 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 Sheishei Musō (謝謝†無双) was included with the re-release as a CD-ROM.[5] An all-ages consumer port for the PlayStation 2, retitled as Koihime Musō (恋姫†夢想), developed by Yeti and published by Regista was released on October 30, 2008.[6] An enhanced re-release of Koihime Musō, Shin Koihime Musō: Otome Ryōran Sangokushi Engi (真・恋姫†無双 〜乙女繚乱☆三国志演義〜) 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.[7] Additionally, Gamania formally launched a web-browser based MMO strategy game titled Web Koihime Musō (Web恋姫†夢想) on December 7, 2010,[8] 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 PlayStation 2 version, titled Koihime Musō (恋姫†夢想) developed by Yeti and published by Regista was released on October 30, 2008.[6] A new version of Koihime with many new characters Shin Koihime Musō: Otome Ryōran Sangokushi Engi (真・恋姫†無双 〜乙女繚乱☆三国志演義〜) was released on December 26, 2008. A third version of Koihime Shin Koihime Musō: Moe Shōden (真・恋姫†無双～萌将伝～) was released on July 23, 2010. MangaGamer acquired licensing rights to the first game and released it on February 28, 2011.[9] 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 - Shin Koihime Musō – Kakumei: Sōten no Haou (真・恋姫†夢想-革命- 蒼天の覇王). The release of the second part is the title - Shin Koihime Musō – Kakumei: Son Go no Ketsumyaku~ (真・恋姫†夢想・革命～孫呉の血脈～) scheduled for 2018, 27 Jule. The release of the third is the title - Shin Koihime Musō – Kakumei: Ryū-ki no Taimou (真・恋姫†夢想・革命～劉旗の大望～) scheduled for 2019.

A 2D fighting game titled Koihime Enbu (恋姫†演武) has been announced for a January 28, 2016 release on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4.[10]

Media

Manga

A manga adaptation based on the original visual novel drawn by Japanese illustrator Yayoi Hizuki, with its title renamed as Koihime Musō (恋姫†夢想) began serialization in the second issue of the manga magazine Dengeki G's Festival! Comic published by ASCII Media Works on April 26, 2008.[11]

Anime
See also: List of Koihime Musō episodes

An anime adaptation produced by Doga Kobo began broadcasting in Japan on July 8, 2008 on the Tokyo MX and the Chiba TV broadcasting networks, followed by other broadcasting networks later during the same month.[12] 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.[13] The second season of anime, a series based on the second game, entitled Shin Koihime Musō (真・恋姫†無双), continue where the last season left off, aired from October 5, 2009 to December 2009. The third season began airing April 2010, titled Shin Koihime Musō: Otome Tairan (真・恋姫†無双 ～乙女大乱～). The first season has been licensed in North America by Sentai Filmworks; distributor Section23 Films, who released the first season on DVD on January 4, 2011.[14] 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 Sentai Filmworks. The second season was released on March 1, 2011, while the third season was released on May 24, 2011.[15]

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 "Sōten no Mukō e" (蒼天の向こうへ, On Towards the Blue Skies), and was performed by ☆396☆. The opening theme song was "Hφwling Sφul", which was performed by Rekka Katakiri. The insert theme was "Kuon: Utakata" (久遠 〜詩歌侘〜, Eternity: Simple Poem), while the ending theme was "Shizai Senri: Koihime Yobite Hyakka no Ō to Nasu" (志在千里 〜恋姫喚作百花王〜, Aiming Far: The Princesses in Love Summon the Ruler of Flowers), 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 "Shizai Senri: Koihime Yobite Hyakka no Ō to Nasu" (志在千里 〜恋姫喚作百花王〜, Aiming Far: The Princesses in Love Summon the Ruler of Flowers) 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 "Yappari Sekai wa Atashi☆Legend!!" (やっぱり世界はあたし☆れじぇんど!!) 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 "Tōen no Chikai" (闘艶結義〜トウエンノチカイ〜), also performed by Rekka Katakiri. The ending is titled "Otome Ryouran☆Battle PARTY" (乙女繚乱☆ばとるPARTY) by Mai Goto, Nami Kurokawa and Miya Serizono. They also voice lead characters Ryūbi, Kan'u and Chōhi respectively.

Trivia
  • 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.

References
  1. Loo, Egan (September 12, 2009). "Crunchyroll Adds Koihime†Musō Anime Today at 5 p.m. PDT (Updated)". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  2. "Arcade Heroes Pentavision Global Brings 2D Fighter Koihime Musou To US Arcades". Arcade Heroes. 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  3. "Top page at Koihime Musō: Doki Otome Darake no Sangokushi Engi official website" (in Japanese). BaseSon. Archived from the original on 2013-06-06. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  4. "Information on Koihime Musō: Doki Otome Darake no Sangokushi Engi at ErogameScape" (in Japanese). ErogameScape. Archived from the original on 2008-09-01. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  5. "Top page at the Koihime Musō: Doki Otome Darake no Sangokushi Engi official website" (in Japanese). BaseSon. Archived from the original on 2012-09-04. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  6. "Top page at Koihime Musō PlayStation 2 game official website" (in Japanese). Yeti. Archived from the original on 2013-05-18. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  7. "Top page at Koihime Musō MangaGamer Adds Koihime†Musō, More Da Capo Games". Retrieved 2009-12-21.
  8. "Web Koihime Musō home page" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2013-04-09.
  9. "Top page at Koihime Musō MangaGamer Adds Koihime†Musō, More Da Capo Games". AnimeNewsNetwork. Retrieved 2009-12-21.
  10. "2D格ゲー『恋姫†演武』PS4/PS3でリリース決定、発売時期は9月". インサイド (in Japanese). June 22, 2015.
  11. "Koihime Musō TV anime adaptation by Yeti and manga adaptation announced" (in Japanese). Moonphase. 26 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
  12. "Top page of the Koihime Musō anime series at its official website" (in Japanese). Dogakobo. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
  13. "Information on Koihime Musō OVA at Dengeki" (in Japanese). Dengeki. Retrieved 2009-03-11.
  14. "Section23 Films Adds Koihime Muso, 11Eyes, Kampfer". Anime News Network. 2010-10-21.
  15. "Sentai Adds Shin Kohime Muso Sequel, Akasaka". Anime News Network. 2010-12-08.
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