Morenatsu
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Morenatsu | |
---|---|
(Japanese Morenatsu logo) | |
Genre | Kemono, yaoi |
Developer | Morenatsu Team |
Ratings | 18+ |
Country | Japan |
Language | Japanese (with unofficial English translation) |
Platforms | Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 |
Release Date | 2003 (2007 prototype) |
Media Type | Digital download |
Morenatsu (漏れなつ。[1] My Summer Vacation) is a Japanese adult kemono gay visual novel/dating sim initially created by Japanese artist gamma-g until his departure from the project.[2]
Contents
Overview[edit]
Players roleplay as a Japanese human teenager who spends one month of his last summer vacation back in his rural hometown, where he has the opportunity to hang with eight of his anthropomorphic childhood friends. The game was developed by users from a gay furry thread in the early 2000s, [3] Despite never being officially completed, the game has attracted thousands of pieces of fanart, multiple fan translations, and a few fan revival attempts.
Plot[edit]
The player plays as the teenage human Hiroyuki Nishimura, an aimless male high school junior. Hiroyuki Nishimura receives a letter inviting them to visit his rural hometown of Minasato Village (水郷村 Minasato-mura) from the city after moving away five years ago. He decides to return for August as his last summer vacation and stay with his grandparents in Minasato Village.
Upon arriving at the village from the bus stop, he is greeted by his childhood friend Torahiko, an anthropomorphic tiger, and attends a welcome-back party at a restaurant with several of his anthropomorphic childhood friends and new village inhabitants.
Gamelay[edit]
For the rest of the month, the player has the option to hang out with his friends and develop one character as a love interest, resulting in several nonlinear paths. For instance, the player may be presented with the opportunity to visit the candy store, the river, or his old school one day, but will eventually be presented with one linear path based on the love interest around the second half of the game.
Despite the varied routes and endings, several plot points are shared amongst all the characters. These include a welcome back party at a restaurant on August 1st, a beach trip on August 7th, and a camping trip on August 14th and 15th. Some scenes that are shared among many characters but not all include fireworks on the riverbed on August 11t, A Bon Festival on the 22nd and a farewell at the bus stop on the last day. In addition, most routes include a good and bad ending, with some routes having joke endings as well.
Characters[edit]
- Hiroyuki Nishimura - The human player. An aimless high school junior, he moved away from Minasato Village five years ago to live and study in the city with his parents. He is interested in men and has a sexual preference for beastmen.[4]
- Torahiko Ooshima (大島虎彦) - A charismatic athlete tiger, he works with his family at the Ooshima Inn. He has harbored a crush on Hiroyuki for years. His official route is unplayable, but unofficial routes based on the drafts and Morenatsu ver 3.5 reveal that he is an active swimmer who wants to be a chef. [5]
- Shin Kuroi (黒井深) - A cat, and despite his sprite being purple, he is a black cat. A reserved student, he enjoys baking and making sweets. He has rich working parents and lives in a mansion with his servant Tsukishiro Amaki, taking residence in the village as a treatment for his asthma.
- Tatsuki Midoriya (翠屋辰樹) - An outgoing carpenter dragon, he works with his father and a group of in-residence carpenters. His dream is to create and fly an airplane.
- Kouya Aotsuki (蒼月洸哉) - A husky, he is an easy-going musician, he ran away from home to pursue his dream of being a guitarist with his band Musikus. He lives in an apartment alone and maintains himself with part-time work.
- Juuichi Mikazuki (三日月柔一) - A bear who is a stoic judo student, he wants to make the most of his last year as a high school athlete. He is reclusive about sexual matters and has a soft spot for honey.
- Shun Kodori (古酉峻) - A wolf and fun-loving gamer, Shun wants nothing more than the people around him to be happy. However, he comes from the prestigious Kodori family and does not fit with its traditions.
- Kounosuke Kuri (九狸孝之助) - A Japanese raccoon (Tanuki), he is a carefree photographer who dreams of getting his photographs published. Although he is careless with his friends, he is clever when he wants things done.
- Kyouji Takahara (高原京慈) - A Labrador retriever, he is a thoughtful soccer player and a good friend of Soutarou Touno. He is an NPC.
- Soutarou Touno (橙野宗太郎) - A lion who is a cheerful soccer player. He is the only character at the welcome party who is not one of Hiroyuki's childhood friends. He is also an NPC.
History[edit]
The original version[edit]
First period (2003 - 2005)[edit]
In January 2003, on a gay furry thread (Title: "獣人、獣キャラが好きなゲイ集まれ!"), on a gay board (大人の同性愛板[6]), of the Japanese textboard 2ch, a user named "640", who was an amateur musician, posted a plan for a visual novel.[7] It was warmly accepted by the other users and in the first half of the same year, 640 launched the whole project of Morenatsu.[8] By 15 June, developers had been recruited from 2ch. [9] The first member was 640, the director, new, the writer, Kukiwakame (茎わかめ), the programmer, and gamma-g (γ), the designer and illustrator.[10] Their first aim was the release in Summer 2004,[11] however, it seems that the project hit a snag by the end of 2004, possibly due to the lack of management of 640. [12]
In May 2005, after the trouble between the staff, the team was re-organized.[13] However, the team was re-organized again due to the trouble and discussion, beginning with the post by 640 on the Paint BBS[14] in November 2005.
Second period (2005 - 2007)[edit]
In December 2005, gamma-g, the main and the most influential among the former team became the director, and in August 2006 the new staff weblog was re-opened[15] However, as a result, he was unable to develop the plan.
Third period (2007 - 2015)[edit]
In May 2007, the project resumed under Penpen (ペンペン), one of the members of the former team, having been writing the scenario of Torahiko. At the same time, gamma-g quit the project.[16]When they released the prototype version in November 2007[17], they announced they were going to release the complete version in the end of March 2008. However, it was postponed on March 26, 2008.[18] It was then determined that it was to be released at the end of 2008, only for it to be postponed again due to the lack of the quality, for detail, the delay of writing of the script and drawing of some graphics.[19]
Indeed, it was in the first half of the 2010s that this game was developed and released, no matter how early the project was started. It was in August 2010, after over two years, that they finally released the route of Tatsuki and Konosuke.[20] In September 2011, the route of Shun and Kouya was released[21] It was in December 2012 that the route of Juuichi and Shin was released,[22] but this was the final release.
Discontinuance[edit]
In 2013, the project was stopped once again, and finally, on July 20, 2015, the development of the game suddenly ceased[23], leaving the routes of Torahiko, Kyouji, and Soutarou to remain undeveloped.
Unofficial English translation[edit]
The first unofficial English fan translation was released in March 2012. Labeled unofficial due to the original developers not wishing for translations to be made, under threat of IP bans from the download site, this version is how many in the furry visual novel community came to know about and appreciate Morenatsu.
Fan Revivals[edit]
Several fan fevivals exist. Many have been archived on the r/MorenatsuGame Reddit alongside download links. [24] The following are some details in chronological order of release.
Morenatsu ~Revisited~ (2017)[edit]
Morenatsu ~Revisited~ began in November 2017 with Tumblr user DzahnDragon recreating the game with many alterations to the story in an attempt to resolve plot contrivances in the original game. Notably, Morenatsu ~Revisited~ sought to bring a completion to the undeveloped routes, and flesh out the existing story. After positive reviews of its first demo, the development team expanded by three members and grouped as Stormsinger Studios. However, as time passed the game grew beyond the realm of the original game and Stormsinger Studios focused instead on a reimagining called Homecoming ~Morenatsu Revisited~.
Homecoming ~Morenatsu Revisited~ (2017 - current)[edit]
Morenatsu Homecoming is a reimagining of the Morenatsu game by Stormsinger Studios. After altering several parts of Morenatsu in its fan revival Morenatsu ~Revisited~, Stormsinger Studios started Morenatsu Homecoming using original assets based on the original Morenatsu game, altering elements such as the gameplay, character descriptions, and setting. Like Revisited, undeveloped routes are completed, and characters who were not playable in the original game are datable. Whereas in the original Morenatsu, Hiroyuki would have only one interaction per day, in Homecoming, there are multiple interactions per day. This leads to increased play time, and as paths intersect, a much more varied experience.
Homecoming has often been the topic of controversy within the furry VN scene due to the many artistic licenses taken. For example, Hiroyuki has had his species altered and is now an Arctic fox. All references to humans have also been removed, and fewer references to Japanese culture are present in Homecoming. Characters have had their ages adjusted, most likely due to legal reasons. Homecoming's art has also been criticized for having new assets traced from the original art or barely altered from their original designs.
Homecoming ~Morenatsu Revisited~ changed hands twice. In 2019, while DzahnDragon shifted his primary focus to his original project, he handed control of Homecoming to Frostclaw, who became the primary developer in his place. In mid-2021, Frostclaw stepped down as project director, returning control to DzahnDragon. However, Frostclaw still maintains an active role in the project, as both a writer and the director of the iOS version. With this shift in leadership came the announcements that all sprites would be receiving a renewal which would see them more closely resemble those found in the original Morenatsu, while also having their unique elements to them.
The current build can be found on the group's project page[25] or on their official website[26].
Morenatsu Revival (2018)[edit]
A Ren'Py port of the English translation of the original game was published by rtlstien in 2018. [27] An android port by Ghinishi based on rtlestien's Ren'Py port was published in 2023. [28]. Both ports require an active Furaffinity account to view as they are adult content.
Notes[edit]
There was no official patch for translating to foreign languages due to staff concern about being unable to accommodate them in the game.[29]
References[edit]
- ↑ "More" was the slang online mostly used in 2ch (the largest anonymous BBS service in Japan), meaning "Ore (俺)", the bold male first-person-owned pronoun that ceased by the 2000s. This title is the of More no Natsuyasumi which might be a parody of the major commercial video game "Boku no Natsuyasumi (僕の夏休み, My summer vacation)" released in 2000.
- ↑ Morenatsu's entry page on TV Tropes. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ↑ (see history subsection) https://web.archive.org/web/20030618193125/http://wolf23.hp.infoseek.co.jp:80/bosyu/index.html
- ↑ Hiroyuki's preferences are made explicitly clear in a scene in Kounosoke's route where Hiroyuki buys a gay magazine loosely called F-Men of Different Species
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/MorenatsuGame/comments/111v3uo/announcement_morenatsu_torahikos_route
- ↑ Even the official website of the third team mistakenly thought that it was on Kemono-Community thread (獣コミュニティスレッド) in doujin board (同人板).
- ↑ https://love.5ch.net/test/read.cgi/gay/1039700030/ Since res. No. 600. "640" was his response number. All those kinds of games abroad at that time were unknown to Japanese fanzine.
- ↑ http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm12212594/ 漏れなつの軌跡 (Trace of Morenatsu): The commentary text-video of the history and the first plan of characters of Morenatsu, edited in 2010, the primary source of which is deleted or hard to see as of 2017 (*Account of Niconico Douga needed). The most of references in this chapter were quoted from this "video", putting aside the problem of reliable sources.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20030618193125/http://wolf23.hp.infoseek.co.jp:80/bosyu/index.html
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20050418181632/http://morenatsu.jugem.cc:80/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20040423184808/http://wolf23.hp.infoseek.co.jp:80/about.html
- ↑ http://morenatsu.jugem.cc
- ↑ See ref. 4.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20071204133156/http://morenatsu.seesaa.net/archives/200608.html
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20070716033750/http://morenatsu.sakura.ne.jp:80/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20080405180113/http://morenatsu.sakura.ne.jp:80/index2.html
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20080617162023/http://morenatsu.seesaa.net:80/article/91106974.html
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20090208180952/http://morenatsu.seesaa.net:80/article/111960022.html#more
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120629210839/http://morenatsu.seesaa.net:80/article/159531061.html
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120229084504/http://morenatsu.seesaa.net/article/226456172.html
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20140502223602/http://morenatsu.seesaa.net/article/305869108.html
- ↑ https://twitter.com/PEKA_JEANKEN/status/623133492826603520
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/MorenatsuGame/wiki/index/
- ↑ https://stormsingerstudios.itch.io/homecoming-morenatsu-revisited
- ↑ https://stormsingerstudios.com
- ↑ https://www.furaffinity.net/view/26153752/
- ↑ https://www.furaffinity.net/view/46931109/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20141106063835/http://morenatsu.seesaa.net:80/article/308322204.html
External links[edit]
First period[edit]
- The official website in 2003
- The official website in 2004
- The new official BBS
- The paint BBS - It was maintained until 2008, the early of the third period.
- The weblog - Only updated in Sep 2003
- The BBS for the readers
- The weblog
Third period[edit]
Unofficial pages[edit]
- Morenatsu Wiki on Fandom (English)
- 獣人、獣キャラが好きなゲイ集まれ! - The very first beginning of the development of this game was res. no. 626. (Japanese)
- Morenatsu on TV Tropes (English)
- Morenatsu Archive Project - Data Archive - Morenatsu Archive Project - Data Archive contains information relating to Morenatsu and its spinoffs. Including but not limited to development, project information, information guides, and more. (English)
- MorenatsuGame.com host website of modern day Morenatsu fans and directory to archives, servers, and other content. (English)
Downloads[edit]
- Morenatsu and Morenatsu Revival downloads - A list of Morenatsu and Morenatsu Revival download links.
- Morenatsu Revival - A Ren'Py port of the original Morenatsu, using the unofficial English translation.
- Homecoming ~Morenatsu Revisited~ - The most well-known remake of Morenatsu, currently in active development.
- Morenatsu Archive Project - File Archive - The Morenatsu Archive Project - File Archie containing various editions of Morenatsu and its spinoffs.