Subarashiki Hibi

Subarashiki Hibi logo.
Developer(s) KeroQ
Publisher(s) KeroQ
Producer(s) SCA-JI
Artist(s) Kagome
Motoyon
Suzuri
Karory
Writer(s) SCA-JI
Platform(s) PC
Release date(s)
  • JP: March 26, 2010
Genre(s) Eroge, Visual novel
Mode(s) Single-player

Subarashiki Hibi: Furenzoku Sonzai (素晴らしき日々 ～不連続存在～ lit. Wonderful Every Day: Discontinuous Existence) is a Japanese adult visual novel developed and published by KeroQ. It was released on March 26, 2010 for Microsoft Windows. Subarashiki Hibi is KeroQ's fourth game after the titles Tsui no Sora, Nijūei and Moekan; it shares many characters and plot elements with their first game, Tsui no Sora.

Gameplay

The game requires minimal interaction from the player, as the duration of the game is spent on reading the text that appears onscreen; this text represents either dialogue between the various characters, or the inner thoughts of the protagonist. A number of choices exist, some of which determine the plot branch on which a story continues. Viewing all the branches is necessary to proceed to the next story. The game generally follows adventure game conventions, with the text appearing at the bottom of the screen, but segments exist where it is overlaid on the entire screen.

Plot

Subarashiki Hibi contains six stories,[1] the titles of which are taken from chapters in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Most of the stories take place in the fictional Suginomiya neighborhood of Tokyo and recount the month of July 2012 from different perspectives.

Down the Rabbit-Hole
"The story of the sky and the world."[1] The protagonist of this story is Yuki Minakami, who one day encounters a girl named Zakuro Takashima as she is throwing stuffed animals off a rooftop. Zakuro soon begins living in Yuki's house with her, as do her childhood friends, Kagami Wakatsuki and Tsukasa Wakatsuki. Together, they enjoy a peaceful school life and help Zakuro search the stars for a local legend - the 'girl of the sky.' The branches allow Yuki to either enter a yuri relationship with one of the Wakatsuki sisters and live happily ever after with them, or pursue the mystery of Zakuro and continue onward to Down the Rabbit-Hole II.
Down the Rabbit-Hole II
Though considered part of the Down the Rabbit-Hole story by the game, according to the scriptwriters, this branch is the true beginning of Subarashiki Hibi's plot.[2] The protagonist of this story is Yuki Minakami, who one day encounters a girl named Zakuro Takashima whom she does not remember meeting before, but who seems to know her well. The next day, she learns that Zakuro has killed herself. A boy in Yuki's class named Takuji Mamiya makes a speech claiming that Zakuro's death was an omen of the coming apocalypse, to take place in one week - on July 20th. As Yuki investigates the strange circumstances of Zakuro's suicide and Takuji Mamiya's prophecy, events grow ever stranger and people continue to die.
It's my Own Invention
"The story of the beginning and the end."[1] The protagonist of this story is Takuji Mamiya, who one day encounters a girl named Zakuro Takashima. It reveals the events that led him to make his prophecy and the cult that develops around him, retelling the chronology of Down the Rabbit-Hole II from his perspective, as well as introducing his conflict with Tomosane Yūki. The branch instead focuses on his relationship with Kimika Tachibana, the girl who professes herself his servant.
Looking-glass Insects
"The story of the literature girl and the chemistry girl."[1] The protagonist of this story is Zakuro Takashima, who one day encounters a boy named Takuji Mamiya. Occurring prior to Down the Rabbit-Hole II, the story focuses on her relationship with Takuji and the events that led to her suicide, while the branch is a "happy ending" in which tragedy is averted when she mends her ties with her estranged friend, Kimika Tachibana - and when she meets a strange boy who looks just like Takuji, but will not tell her his name...
Jabberwocky
"The story of the savior and the hero."[1] The protagonist of this story is Tomosane Yūki, who one day encounters a girl named Yuki Minakami. It reveals the truth of many of the bizarre events in Down the Rabbit-Hole II and It's my Own Invention, while introducing further mysteries related to Yuki, Takuji and Tomosane's past. Hasaki Mamiya first becomes a major character in this story.
Which Dreamed It
"The story of the brother and the sister."[1] The protagonist of this story is Hasaki Mamiya, who one day encounters her brother, Takuji Mamiya. Shorter than the other stories, it offers a third perspective- perhaps the first reliable one- on the events of the final week, as well as providing the first concrete details of the Mamiya family's past, foreshadowed in Jabberwocky and fully revealed in Jabberwocky II.
Jabberwocky II
"The story of the sunflowers and the hill."[1] The first part of this story takes place seven years in the past in the isolated village of Sawaimura, where the Mamiya and Minakami families once lived. From the recollection of their past, the protagonists finally find the strength to change their fate and arrive at one of three endings: Sunflower Road, Wonderful Every Day or Endsky II.

Characters

Yuki Minakami (水上 由岐 Minakami Yuki)
Voiced by: Rino Kawashima
Yuki is the protagonist of the Down the Rabbit-Hole story. A habitual truant with a taste for cigarettes who considers herself antisocial, but in fact has an aptitude for getting along with other girls (and for intimidating boys,) she is a fan of classical literature who spends much of the school day reading on the rooftop. As a result of her grandfather's stewardship of a kobudō dojo, she is a skilled martial artist.
Takuji Mamiya (間宮 卓司 Mamiya Takuji)
Voiced by: Shin Sayama
"The one who perceives the pre-established harmony of the world."[3] Takuji is a boy in Yuki's class and the protagonist of It's my Own Invention. A timid boy who is an otaku and stammers when he speaks to others, he rarely attends class and spends most of his time in a secret hideout he has constructed. He undergoes a profound transformation after the death of Zakuro.
Zakuro Takashima (高島 ざくろ Takashima Zakuro)
Voiced by: Sui Suzuya
"The girl by whose will the world was split asunder."[3] The protagonist of the Looking-glass Insects story, Zakuro is a girl from the class neighboring that of Yuki and most of the other characters. Timid and soft-spoken with a tendency to space out, she is the frequent target of pranks and bullying by the rest of her class. She considers Kimika her friend, though their relationship is frequently troubled.
Tomosane Yūki (悠木 皆守 Yūki Tomosane)
Tomosane is the protagonist of the Jabberwocky and Jabberwocky II stories. Considered the strongest fist-fighter in the school, he rules its most unsavory elements by fear and is also a source of dread for Takuji, whom he brutalizes and extorts money from frequently. He works part-time as a piano player at a transvestite bar, and has a tumultuous friendship with Yuki Minakami. His secret hobby is playing retro video games.
Hasaki Mamiya (間宮 羽咲 Mamiya Hasaki)
Voiced by: Komugi Nishida
Hasaki is the protagonist of the Which Dreamed It story and Takuji's younger sister. She is a shy and quiet girl, who carries a stuffed animal with her everywhere she goes. She is very attached to her brother and likes to visit him at his school, though she doesn't attend school herself. She works at the same bar as Tomosane by helping out in the kitchen.
Kagami Wakatsuki (若槻 鏡 Wakatsuki Kagami)
Voiced by: Yui Ogura
Kagami is Yuki's childhood friend, and acts as a stereotypical tsundere towards her, as well as frequently arguing with Takuji. She is fiercely protective of her twin sister, Tsukasa, of which she is the older of the two.
Tsukasa Wakatsuki (若槻 司 Wakatsuki Tsukasa)
Voiced by: Aoi Kisaragi
Tsukasa is Yuki's childhood friend, a gentle girl who acts as the mediator between Yuki and her sister Kagami and is a member of the school's disciplinary committee. She is a fan of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Kimika Tachibana (橘 希実香 Tachibana Kimika)
Voiced by: Minami Hokuto
Kimika is a girl in the same class as Zakuro, and her friend, though she considers herself to have betrayed Zakuro and often treats her coldly in an attempt to alienate her. Like Zakuro, she is the frequent target of bullying. After Zakuro's death, she becomes Takuji's devoted follower.
Ayana Otonashi (音無 彩名 Otonashi Ayana)
Voiced by: Mia Naruse
Ayana is a mysterious girl who is typically encountered by the various protagonists on the school rooftop. She speaks enigmatically, and frequently makes literary references and strange jokes that others find more unsettling than amusing. Her conversations often concern Endsky (終ノ空 Tsui no Sora), a concept only she herself seems to truly understand.

Development

SCA-JI is the producer, planner, and scenario writer for Subarashiki Hibi.[4] Character designs and graphics are provided by Kagome, Motoyon, Suzuri, and Karory.[4]

Release history

Prior to the release of Subarashiki Hibi, a demo of the game was made available on the official website on January 30, 2010.[5] Subarashiki Hibi was originally planned to be released on February 26, 2010 but a release was announced on December 26, 2009, pushing the release date one month back to March 26, 2010.[5]

Music

The theme song of Subarashiki Hibi, "Kūkirikigaku Shōjo to Shōnen no Uta" (空気力学少女と少年の詩), is performed by Hana.[6] The lyrics were written by SCA-JI and the music was composed and arranged by Szak.[6]

Reception

Subarashiki Hibi won the bronze prize in the overall category of the Moe Game Awards 2010,[7] as well as the gold prize in the Scenario category.[8]

The game also made a good showing in the 2010 PC game rankings on Getchu.com, a popular online Japanese games shop. It ranked second place overall as well as first place in the Scenario and Music categories, and 3rd in Graphics. Additionally, Yuki Minakami was voted the 4th best character from games of that year.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "素晴らしき日々~不連続存在~ Story" [Subarashiki Hibi: Furenzoku Sonzai official home page, story summary] (in Japanese). KeroQ. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  2. ↑ 素晴らしき日々~不連続存在~公式ビジュアルアーカイヴ [Subarashiki Hibi ~Furenzoku Sonzai~ Official Visual Archive]. Futabasha. July 21, 2010. ISBN 978-4-575-30246-2.
  3. 1 2 "素晴らしき日々~不連続存在~ Character" [Subarashiki Hibi: Furenzoku Sonzai official home page, character profiles] (in Japanese). KeroQ. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  4. 1 2 "Subarashiki Hibi: Furenzoku Sonzai "Information" section" (in Japanese). KeroQ. March 26, 2010.
  5. 1 2 ケロＱオフィシャルホームページ [KeroQ Official Homepage] (in Japanese). KeroQ. January 3, 2010.
  6. 1 2 "Subarashiki Hibi: Furenzoku Sonzai "Download" section" (in Japanese). KeroQ.
  7. ↑ 2010年度 萌えゲーアワード大賞 [Moe Game Awards 2010 Grand Prizes] (in Japanese). Moe Game Awards. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  8. ↑ 2010年度 萌えゲーアワードシナリオ賞 (in Japanese). Moe Game Awards. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Getchu.com 美少女ゲーム大賞2010" [Getchu.com Bishoujo Game Awards 2010] (in Japanese). Retrieved 2013-02-06.
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