#the day they put anastasia characters into this game was a day that was... divisive lmao

[cookinguptales]

so there's this disney bejeweled knock-off that I play on my phone (what can I say, I'm a sucker for repetitive movement games that also allow me to propel gonzo or sora at the board) and they keep introducing new characters for the game but like. they have hundreds now and they are clearly starting to scrape at the bottom of the barrel.

they've been delving into properties that disney technically owns but that you would never expect to see in a disney game, like, I shit you not, the golden girls, and at this point I am just counting down the days until they finally introduce my beloved and very stupid vampires.

please, disney. it would be so funny. I know you'll never put colin robinson in a kingdom hearts game, but you can at least let me attack vampire mickey mouse (a character that currently exists within the game) with guillermo de la cruz or something. you own both properties. you have the power. let me do it. let me force donald duck and nadja of antipaxos to fight to the death. let me do it. it would be so funny.

[satoshi-mochida]

Sega has detailed Project Sakura Wars sub-characters Itsuki Saijou and Hiromi Hongou, various additional in-game locations, and the performances staged by the game’s main cast, as well as released the character song music video for Azami Mochizuki.

The song, titled “Ninja Azami,” is sung by Azami Mochizuki voice actor Hibiku Yamamura, written by Jirou Ishii, composed by Kouhei Tanaka, and arranged by Tada Akifumi.

Previously released character songs include Elise, Hatsuho Shinonome and Sakura Amamiya.

Get the new details below.

■ Characters

Itsuki Saijou (voiced by Mayu Yoshioka, designed by Noizi Ito)

A hardcore fan of the Imperial Opera Troupe that loves the Imperial Theater and Floral Division.

Whether it is day or night, she will visit the Imperial Theater is she has the free time for it, and deepens her exchanges with the theater’s staff and customers. Her hobby is collecting Imperial Theater merchandise, and works day and night to have a full collection of everything from the old Floral Division to the current Floral Division. Regarding bromide collection, there is a scene where she is full of competitive spirit towards Seijuurou Kamiyama.

Hiromi Hongou (voiced by Haruka Terui, designed by Noizi Ito)

An employee of Okashidokoro Mikazuki.

With a kind attitude and soft, comfortable smile, many customers come to the store just to see her.

While she normally sells Japanese sweets as store employee, she is also hard at work making new sweets. The new sweets she makes tend to cause bizarre effects when eaten, so they are feared by many.

■ Locations

Imperial Capital Central Station

A station that serves as the key point of traffic in the Imperial Capital. It is the gateway to the Imperial Capital, servicing in both trains and airships. There is a pathway to the left of the station that connects to the Great Imperial Hotel.

Ginza Oodori

Ginza Oodori is the main street of Ginza. To the left is the Cafe Gilles du Lait cafe, and to the right the Ginroku Hyakkaten department store. In the back of main street is a small square crowded with people.

Cafe Gilles du Lait

A cafe on Ginza Oodori. The interior has a modern atmosphere, and the store receives many customers.

Rooftop Amusement Park

An amusement park on the rooftop of the Ginroku Hyakkaten. Its huge ferris wheel stands out above all else.

Tram Stop

An area with a tram stop. The Japanese sweets shop and book store can be found on the opposite side of the road.

Okashidokoro Mizuki

A Japanese sweets shops located opposite the tram stop. Hiromi Hongou works the shop counter.

Kabuki Theater

Japan’s representative Kabuki theater, located in Ginza in the Imperial Capital. Various kabuki performances are held here, and it is generally crowded with customers.

Mikasa Memorial Park

A park built to commemorate the air battleship Mikasa, which protected the Imperial Capital in a past war. The park, which faces the sea, is a place where people can relax.

■ Imperial Opera Troupe: Performances

In times of peace, the Imperial Combat Revue: Floral Division practices day and night at the Great Imperial Theater, and performs as an opera troupe. Here is a look at some of their various performances.

“Momotaro”

A play performed in the first chapter. The lead role is played by Sakura Amamiya, but she lacks acting experience and the stage setting is worn and tattered. It is a messy performance that symbolizes the state of the Floral Division immediately after the start of the game. Sakura Amamiya plays the role of Momotaro, Hatsuho Shinonome plays the demon, and Claris plays the monkey.

“Da Nang’s Love”

A play written by Claris, and put on as a performance commemorating Anastasia becoming a member of the Floral Division. While the lead role is played by Anastasia, the heroine is played by Sakura Amamiya. The play uses a stage setting prepared by Reiji Shiba, who is also in charge of the stage props for the Imperial Theater.

Project Sakura Wars is due out for PlayStation 4 on December 12 in Japan, and in spring 2020 in North America and Europe. Read more about the game here, here, here, here, and here.

Watch the Azami Mochizuki character song, as well as today’s full “Imperial Theater Propaganda Department Report” broadcast below. View a new set of screenshots at the gallery.

Azami Mochizuki Character Song

Imperial Theater Propaganda Department Report No. 8

[demifiendrsa]

Project Sakura Wars details story, setting, characters, and mechs

Sega has released new information and screenshots of Project Sakura Wars introducing the game’s story, setting, characters, and mechs.

■ What is Project Sakura Wars?

Project Sakura Wars is a dramatic 3D adventure game set in the Imperial capital Tokyo in a fictional “Taisho Era” that tells the story of the Imperial Combat Revue and their battle against evil.

The main characters are designed by Tite Kubo, who is well-known as the author the Weekly Shonen Jump manga Bleach. Kouhei Tanaka, who has worked on a number of songs for the series in the past, will return as composer. The story structure will be handled by Jiro Ishii, who has worked in games, anime, movies, and beyond.

Sega is putting their all into the latest Sakura Wars, so please look forward to it.

■ Story

Taisho Year 19. In the Imperial capital Tokyo, a battle called the “Great Kouma War” had begun. The Combat Revues of Tokyo, Paris, and New York boldly confronted the threat and saved the world.

But the heroic Combat Revues were annihilated as a result—.

After that, the Combat Revues’ city defense initiatives were recognized worldwide for their achievements in the Great Kouma War. And the “World Combat Revue Federation (WLOF)” was established. Combat Revues formed in cities throughout the world. And the World Combat Revue Federation organized a “Combat Revue Competition” where the Combat Revues of each country compete in opera and battle, enhancing each other’s strength. Onlookers the world over went crazy for the battle between young ladies that comes only once every two years known as the “Great Combat Revue World War.”

Ten years have passed since then, and it is now Taisho Year 29.

The Imperial Combat Revue has been resurrected in the Imperial capital Tokyo, where the Combat Revue had long come to an end. The “New Combat Revue” will fight in the Great Combat Revue World War with their sights set on victory.

However, this festival of peaceful competition between friends and comrades in arms will take a sudden turn for the worse—from a “peaceful festival” to a “battle for the fate of the world”—when the Kouma resurface throughout the world and a mysterious new enemy appears.

Will the New Combat Revue led by new protagonist Seijuurou Kamiyama be able to show justice and protect peace in the Imperial capital and the world?

A new Sakura Wars story begins now!

■ The Setting

Project Sakura Wars is set in the Imperial capital Tokyo in Taisho Year 29.

Twelve years have passed since the events of Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love. The streets of Ginza have become more modern with a greater mix of western and Japanese culture, and the city itself has evolved into an advanced steam-based civilization.

Adventure parts play out on a 3D map from start to finish. Both the interior of the Great Imperial Theater and streets of Ginza are expressed in CG that only PlayStation 4 could produce.

The time limited choices system known as “LIPS” and “Trust Levels” that have appeared in previous Sakura Wars games will also return in Project Sakura Wars.

■ Characters

Seijuurou Kamiyama (voiced by Yohei Azakami)

The protagonist of Project Sakura Wars. The leader of the “Imperial Combat Revue: Floral Division.” 20 years-old. He originally served as a special service ship captain in the navy, but was reassigned to the Imperial Combat Revue, where he was appointed the commanding officer of the newly reborn “Imperial Combat Revue: Floral Division.”

Sakura Amamiya (voiced by Ayane Sakura)

A member of the “Imperial Combat Revue: Floral Division.” 17 years-old. She admires Sakura Shinguuji, the top star of the former Floral Division, and enlists in the Floral Division as a novice member. She has strong feelings for the Imperial Combat Revue: Floral Division that protects Tokyo, as well as the Imperial Opera Troupe that boosts the citizens’ spirits, and greatly desires the reconstruction of both sides.

Hatsuho Shinonome (voiced by Maaya Uchida)

A member of the “Imperial Combat Revue: Floral Division.” 17 years-old. A shrine maiden of the Shinonome Shrine, passed down from generation to generation in the Imperial Capital. Born in the old town, she is a pure woman of Edo who loves the old town, festivals, and the town’s people. While she usually comes off as rude, she is a mediator who proves reliable to everyone in the Floral Division.

Azami Mochizuki (voiced by Hibiku Yamamura)

A member of the “Imperial Combat Revue: Floral Division.” 13 years-old. The descendant of a ninja family that practices in the Mochizuki Style, she is a young prodigy that has mastered martial arts, strategy, weaponry, and the like. Since before she could even perceive the world, she had a strict upbringing, and strongly believes in the “108 Laws” passed down from the ancient ninja village. Protecting those laws are of great importance to her.

Anastasia Palma (voiced by Ayaka Fukuhara)

A member of the “Imperial Combat Revue: Floral Division.” 19 years-old. A star who played an active role in European theater. She wandered from troupe to troupe before joining the Imperial Combat Revue. Her singing and acting abilities are top class, and given her looks, she can easily handle a wide range of roles, from male roles to sexy female roles.

Claris (voiced by Saori Hayami)

A member of the “Imperial Combat Revue: Floral Division.” 16 years-old. She is from Luxembourg. She is a sweet literary girl who loves reading books. Through books, she is learning various things each day and is filled to the brim with curiosity. Her full name is Clarissa Snowflake. She is the successor of “Juumadou” black magic, which utilizes books and is passed down from generation to generation in the noble Snowflake family of Luxembourg.

■ Spiricle Fighters

Spiricle Armor are humanoid spiricle weaponry that can only be operated by steam, which has strong spiritual power, that were developed for anti-magic battle. Spiricle Fighters are based on the traditional Spiricle Armor, but use a new framework of spiricle weaponry drawn up by the World Combat Revue Federation (WLOF). Unlike Spiricle Armor, Spiricle Fighters have a higher output of spiricle systems. Since they have much higher spiricle conversion efficiency and require less spiritual power from the pilot, Spiricle Fighters have been developed as the standard format to utilize in every country following the Great Kouma War.

Spiricle Fighter: Mugen

Kanzaki Heavy Industries’ first mass-produced Spiricle Fighter. A mech designed as an official Spiricle Fighter based on the development of the Spiricle Armor Sanshiki Koubu. It is even equipped with a Spiricle Supercharger. It is an easy to operate mech with little negative traits in performance, as well as the main weapon of the Imperial Combat Revue: Floral Division.

—Seijuurou Kamiyama’s Mugen

Spiricle Armor: Sanshiki Koubu

A mech developed by Kanzaki Heavy Industries with an eye toward shifting the framework from Spiricle Armor to Spiricle Fighter. It was an attempt at making a lighter model based on the Koubu Nishiki using Anshar steel. However, its infrastructure is not notably different from the Koubu Nishiki, and it does not have a Spiricle Supercharger, so its overall output and spiritual efficiency is not very good. While its general fighting power is lacking compared to a Spiricle Fighter, it became the basis for the Spiricle Fighter Mugen that came after it.

—Sakura Amamiya’s Sanshiki Koubu

[4colorrebellion]

4cr Plays - Sakura Wars (2020)

I attended high school in the United States at the beginning of this century - what feels like an eternity ago at this point. The early 2000s felt like a great time to be an anime fan, and we were discovering new series to obsess over left and right. In the midst of this, the woman who I would eventually get married to came in one day in a huge, fluffy dress. Seeing her in cosplay was not really all that unusual, but I had no idea who it was that she was dressed as. It turns out that this fluffy dress belonged to a character named “Iris Chateaubriand”, and that this would be my first - and, to this point, one of my few - interactions with the Sakura Wars series. I fell in love immediately with the core premise - a theater troupe fighting demons with steam-powered mecha in early 20th-century Tokyo. 

Although I enjoyed the anime, I kind of forgot about Sakura Wars over time. Vaguely, I remembered that the TV show was based on a series of games, but none of those games made it to the US. To this date, the only game in the series to get localized was the fifth entry, which was released with little fanfare on the PS2 and Wii. I ended up missing out on it. 

Flash forward to early 2020, where I learned that a new Sakura Wars game was launching on the PS4 and that it would be coming to the west. The new entry, simply titled Sakura Wars, acts as a soft reboot for the series with a new cast and redesigned gameplay. Given my long-standing interest in the series, there was no way that I was going to miss out on trying it out. 

How does it fare? Read on for my impressions.

Sakura Wars takes place in an alternate steampunk version of 1940′s Tokyo. This version of our world is constantly under attack by vicious demons, and the only hope for the citizens are teams of warriors who fight the demons using powerful mech suits. Tokyo was formerly protected by the famous Imperial Combat Revue. Stationed out of Tokyo’s Imperial Theater, the Revue would pull double duty protecting Tokyo in their mech suits and entertaining the masses as a roving theater troupe. 

Unfortunately, the original Tokyo Combat Revue disappeared following a cataclysmic event. In their place, the rookie Flower Division has been tasked with bringing hope to Tokyo. They have an uphill battle ahead of them - they’re broke, barely able to hold their own in combat, and completely unable to hold their own on the stage. Your character, Seijuro Kamiyama has been put in charge of getting the Flower Division into shape, just in time for the Combat Revue World Games. 

As Seijuro, you must inspire the ladies of the Flower Division. Sakura Amamiya hopes to follow in the footsteps of her idol, the Imperial Combat Revue’s Sakura Shinguji. Hatsuho Shinonome is a brash shrine maiden who just wants to protect her home city. Azami Mochizuki is a mysterious - and mostly baffling - teenage ninja. Clarisa Snowflake (yes, really) is a bookworm from Luxembourg with a dark secret. Finally, Anastasia Palma is a star of the stage, whose confidence and talent may be the key to getting the troupe ready for the stage. Together - along with commander-in-chief Sumire Kanzaki - your troupe may be the last hope of the Tokyo public. 

Honestly, I love the core premise of the series. The idea of having to simultaneously manage a theater - putting on shows, racking up ticket sales - and fight demons in deadly mech combat is delightful. It’s cheesy, but kind of unironically marvelous. In my mind, I’ve built up this vision of Sakura Wars as some kind of merger of Fire Emblem with The Producers - the Mel Brooks musical about a couple of crooks using the stage to swindle a bunch of investors out of their cash. That game could be incredible. Unfortunately, that isn’t quite what the game actually is, but the core idea of the Sakura Wars series is rife with potential for a great game. 

The actual game is mostly a visual novel with occasional Dynasty Warriors-style combat. The game is split into a series of chapters - treated basically as TV episodes, complete with intros and “next time” segments. Each episode mostly consists of working your way through story scenes - conversations with the characters - interrupted by occasional combat scenes. 

Most of the game takes place as conversations between the characters that either advance the core story or just build the relationships between the characters. You can navigate in 3D through the theater building and a few select locations in Tokyo, and can initiate conversations with the characters that you run into.  Scenes marked with green exclamation points continue the core plot - and are required. There are also tons of optional scenes, marked with blue exclamation marks. You can, of course, plow through the main plot. However, the optional scenes really flesh out the cast, and give each character their own arc. 

During the story scenes, you mostly just read dialogue. At times, you can choose a response. In general, there’s really only one right answer, and it’s usually pretty obvious. You can basically boil the conversations down to the right answer, the stupid answer, and the creepy pervert answer. For instance, one of the girls might wail in despair, and you might be asked to choose one of the following: “We can get through it together”, “We’re all going to die”, and “We’ll only survive if I can grab your ass”. I know that this sounds ridiculous, but that example isn’t too far off from the actual game. 

Choosing the right answer is important in these conversations, as those answers can increase or decrease the level of trust that the girls have in you. If you can get the level of trust high enough, you can unlock new conversations - marked with hearts on the map. Eventually, these conversations will allow you to romance the girl of your choice. 

My feelings on the visual novel portion of the game are mixed. The positive side first - the core story is cheesy, but I found myself enjoying it. It’s fun, but charmingly endearing. There is a lot of melodrama, but the cast is kind of enjoyable. You can’t help but cheer a little for this merry band of absolute weirdos. I dig the setting and the core premise, and actually kind of enjoy seeing the cast interact. The writing is not what you’d really call good, but I can enjoy it on the level where I like things like 90′s X-Men comics. It’s over the top, colorful melodrama. 

Unfortunately, the pacing is often quite bad. The actual split between visual novel and mech combat is probably about 90% to 10%. The visual novel sequences feel like they stretch on forever, and a large part of that is how those sequences are set up. Between conversations, you walk through the theater and a couple of spots in Tokyo in a 3D space. However, the walking controls do not feel particularly great, movement is weirdly imprecise and neither the walking or running speeds feel quite right. Since there is almost nothing to do in those 3D environments - the only “gameplay” other than conversations is finding hidden portraits, called “bromides” - walking through the exact same hallways over and over again gets tedious quickly. The visual novel portions feel padded. Many of the pacing problems would be dramatically improved just by letting you click on rooms on a 2D map. 

The other part that really turned me off was the romance segments. Unless you’re dating pigeons, ala Hatoful Boyfriend, I’m just not a fan of dating sims. I know - seriously, I know - that dating elements are core to the Sakura Wars series. I knew coming in that romance was a part of the game. I’m fine with the existence of dating sims, and fans of the genre are more than welcome to enjoy those kind of games. They just aren’t my thing. 

Even knowing that there would be dating elements, I didn’t expect to feel so creepy taking part in them. I actually like the dating scenes in games like Persona 5, where they are just cute little dates. Here, the scenes are first-person sequences where you have to click on objects to answer questions or advance the conversation with the girl in question. This is fine when you’re clicking on a book to give Claris advice on what kind of script to write. It is somewhat less fine when Claris has fallen on top of you and you’re clicking on her lips to try to kiss her or when she is bent over in front of you and you are prompted to click on her ass. 

Basically, these are scenes where a bunch of impressionable teenagers get into quasi-sexual situations with you, their 20-year-old boss. You’re basically encouraged to poke and prod these women, and it is really off-putting in a way that I didn’t really expect. I should stress that these scenes are optional - though necessary to get the “full experience” - but they were really not something I enjoyed, and I wonder if they are more of a detriment for the series than a benefit. For me, they certainly decreased by enjoyment of the overall game. 

As I mentioned earlier, the story is occasionally interrupted for a fight scene. The battles play out as a simple brawler - in line with a game like Dynasty Warriors - Your mech can jump, dodge, and unleash combinations of light and heavy attacks. When your SP meter fills, you can unleash powerful special moves. You can also perform team attacks with the women in the troupe. Most of the time, there are two mechs on the battlefield. You can switch between them freely, and the other will be controlled by an AI. Each mech has their own skills. For instance, Sakura is focused on quick sword attacks, while Claris can perform ranged attacks. 

The combat is functional, but nothing special. Again, the actual controls leave a little to be desired. Movement feels imprecise - for instance, you can jump quickly upward, but you can’t cover much ground by trying to jump forward. This is fine in pure combat, but the light platforming required of you can get annoying. 

In some ways, this game has the biggest gap between potential and execution of many that I’ve played recently. I’m really bummed out by how negative this review sounds. I really like parts of this game. The characters are kind of charming, the story is fun. The game looks nice for the most part - the core art direction is mostly great. I really like a lot of the character designs, even if the characters are oversexualized (gravity-defying breasts aren’t really necessary). The character animation is also a little weird - people move in ways that don’t look all that natural. Again, though, I think the game mostly looks really nice. The art style is great, the costume design is fun, and the setting itself is awesome. The soundtrack is also fantastic, and I’ve found myself humming a few of the tracks from it at random times. 

However, the pacing isn’t great. The game feels slow, bloated, and heavily padded. The combat feels like an afterthought, and comes rarely enough that is somehow simultaneously both a welcome break and kind of annoying. In a way, I feel like the developers are afraid of fully committing to this being a visual novel - or, at least, that they had a time or budget crisis. They should have either cut out the portions where you cross the same 3D hallways endlessly, or given you more to do during those sections. They should have either improved the combat scenes (and given you more of them) or just removed them entirely. Either committing to this being a visual novel or improving the non-visual novel elements could have made this a great game. The result they ended up with is kind of infuriating. 

The end product is really hard to evaluate. I don’t hate it, but I don’t really love it either. There are a lot of individual elements that I enjoyed, but the product as a whole does not come together in a cohesive manner. In the end, I do hope that the series itself continues. I feel like something special can come from the core concept. Will you enjoy it? It may help to know what to expect coming in. If you’re interesting in the core concept, like visual novels, and are more into dating sim elements than I am, then this may be up your alley. It is a charming game with a nice colorful art direction and a catchy soundtrack. Just be prepared for shallow combat, slow pacing, and some questionable sexual elements. 

A copy of Sakura Wars was provided for this review.

Official Website

[entergamingxp]

Shin Sakura Taisen The Animation Takes Place Slightly After the Game’s Story

January 29, 2020 9:20 PM EST

New details on Shin Sakura Taisen The Animation and the Moscow Combat Revue designed by Kaguya Luna character designer Mika Pikazo. Staff, cast comments.

Sega held on January 29 the 11th Sakura Taisen Imperial Communication Department’s Broadcast stream. You can find the full stream here. It was the first stream since 2020 began. As usual, it featured MC Mami Yamashita, Yohei Azakami, who was cosplaying Seijuro, and Producer Tetsu Katano. The stream included many new details on the upcoming anime adaptation, Shin Sakura Taisen The Animation. The Moscow Combat Revue was finally revealed, along with a new trailer, story details, screenshots, and comments from the cast and staff.

First off, here is the trailer, narrated by Sho Hayami, revealing the new characters from the Moscow Combat Revue:

The biggest shock about the anime is how it takes place on Taisho 30, meaning it’s a sequel to the game, which takes place on Taisho 29. Producer Katano said the anime takes place “slightly after the game”. This is surprising as when the anime was first revealed, Sega said it would cover more or less the same story events as in the game. This is fine by me, as hopefully, I will have finished the game by April, but this is a bummer for fans waiting for the game’s localization. Fans who wish to avoid spoilers won’t be able to watch the anime as it airs. This is just a guess though, but I believe the anime won’t spoil the game much and will focus on its own story instead. This was the case with most previous Sakura Taisen anime.

Here’s the story pitch from the Shin Sakura Taisen The Animation official site: “Taisho 30 (1941). The Imperial City, Tokyo, regained its peaceful days. Seijuro Kamiyama, the captain of the Imperial Combat Revue Flower Division, was assigned to Europe, and Sakura Amamiya is temporarily replacing him as acting captain. The Flower Division’s days without their captain are full of troubles. One day, Seijuro momentarily comes back, bringing along a girl named Clara, the only survivor of the Moscow Combat Revue, destroyed after a certain incident. Seijuro transfers Clara into the Flower Division, entrusting her to Sakura Amamiya and the others, who warmly welcome here However, individuals who claim to be the supposedly destroyed Moscow Combat Revue appear in the imperial city. What is Clara’s real identity? And what is the objective of the Moscow Combat Revue? The curtain rises on the Imperial Combat Revue Flower Division’s new battle.”

On stream, we were then introduced to Clara and the Moscow Combat Revue characters:

From left to right: first, we have Clara, voiced by Misaki Watada. Next, we have the captain of the Moscow Combat Revue, Kaminsky Valery, voiced by Akabane Kenji. Lastly, we have his squadmate, Leila, voiced by Haruka Shiraishi.

All three characters were designed by Mika Pikazo. We translated her comments: “When I first heard of Sakura Taisen in my school days, it was already a legendary game. I was overwhelmed by the passion emanating from the series, the cuteness of the character designs, and the myriads of songs. Each member of the Moscow Combat Revue has multiple facets to their personalities and backgrounds. They’re all very charming. Taking all this into account, I put a lot of thought into how to design them. I’m looking forward to how they will interact with the main characters and how their feelings will clash with each other”.

自分がアニメ作品に関わらせて頂くのはサクラ大戦が初めてで、嬉しさと同時にドキドキしています…

クラーラ・レイラ・カミンスキーはすごくお気に入りのキャラです！

メインキャラデザインの久保帯人先生、そして尊敬するイラストレーターの先生方の作られたキャラと交わるのが楽しみです！！

— Mika Pikazo

PARCO全国ツアー (@MikaPikaZo) January 29, 2020

On Twitter, Mika Pikazo added: “This is my first time being involved with anime production, and it’s Sakura Taisen! I’m so excited! I’m so happy the characters I designed will be interacting with Kubo Tite’s characters and the characters created by artists I admire”.

Mika Pikazo shared more illustrations for Clara, Kaminsky, and Leila of the Moscow Combat Revue on Twitter. Mika Pikazo often uses highly vivid colors in her drawings, giving her art an eastern Europe feel at times. This is a perfect fit for the Moscow characters, as the Sakura Taisen series purposefully exaggerates stereotypes.

Personally speaking, I didn’t expect at all that Mika Pikazo would be Moscow Combat Revue’s character designer. She’s 26 and a very new pro artist compared to the other designers on Shin Sakura Taisen: Tite Kubo (Bleach), Yukiko Horiguchi (K-On), Abec/Bunbun (Sword Art Online), Fumikane Shimada (Strike Witches), Noizi Ito (Haruhi Suzumiya), and Shigenori Soejima (Persona). All of these are popular series who originated in the early 2000s or early 2010s that would be considered old by today’s Japanese teenagers, fitting Sakura Taisen‘s old atmosphere. Mika Pikazo, in counterpart, is the character designer of Kaguya Luna, one of the five most popular virtual youtubers in Japan, and, in my opinion, the only one who’s actually funny. This shows how Sega strives to make Sakura Taisen more popular among a younger audience. Besides Kaguya Luna’s design, Mika Pikazo is also the illustrator of an isekai novel themed around real-life magic tricks, titled Saikyou Juzoku Tensei: Majutsu Otaku no Utopia. The manga adaptation is drawn by Asahi Shinomura, yet another great illustrator.

Each of the seiyuu voicing the Moscow Combat Revue also shared comments on their characters:

Comments from Clara’s seiyuu Misaki Watada: “I was so happy when I heard I’d be voicing a Sakura Taisen character I started crying and we all celebrated together at my agency. Look forward to how Clara will interact with the other characters. I’m sure both older fans and newcomers who discovered the franchise with Shin Sakura Taisen will enjoy the anime”.

During the stream, Yohei Azakami mentioned he does know more about Clara, since he already recorded his lines for the anime, but he can’t say anything. He and MC Mami Yamashita jokingly added that Kohei Tanaka would have spoiled everything if he was there.

Comments from Kaminsky Valery’s seiyuu Kenji Akabane: “I got into Sakura Taisen in my school days, after watching Sakura Wars: The Movie. And I never imagined I’d be voicing a captain character one day. I was so surprised and so happy. Kaminsky is a true gentleman, but he’s also a bit weird (laughs). I hope you’re enjoying the game, and are looking forward to the anime.”

On stream, Producer Katano mentioned Kaminsky is a bit similar to Seijuro in the game, mixing seriousness and weirdness. In the anime, Seijuro acts overall cooler and more serious than in the game, seeing he can’t pick any dumb or perverted dialogue choices. Yohei Azakami and Kenji Akabane are both at Aoni Production. Azakami funnily remembered that back when it was decided he would voice Seijuro (this should be over a year ago now seeing how early in development Japanese videogames are dubbed), Akabane was acting super envious, saying he wanted to do it too. I remember a similar comedic scene that happened during a Super Robot Wars stream where they appeared together. Nice for Akabane, he ended up in Shin Sakura Taisen now.

Comments from Leila’s seiyuu Haruka Shiraishi: “The character I’m voicing, Leila, has a complicated past. She’s suffering because of it. Expressing her pain, loneliness and all her emotions in my acting was something quite difficult. Leila becomes more and more interesting as the story goes on, so look forward to the anime, and what kind of choices will she make.”

Next, we were introduced to the Spirit Particle Fighters used by the Moscow Combat Revue. They’re called Ekaterina and were designed by Mika Akitaka, the game’s mecha designer. He designed the five Spirit Particle Fighters Mugen used by the Flower Division, and all the other Spirit Particle Fighters and mecha in Project Sakura Wars.

Comments from Shin Sakura Taisen Mecha Designer Mika Akitaka: “I’m happy I was able to make new mecha designs not only for the PS4 game but for the anime as well. These are the units used by the Moscow Combat Revue, who appears for the first time in the series. Manabu Ono, the anime’s director, asked me to design a mecha that feels reminiscent of a bird. So it looks pretty different than the other mecha. Look forward to the anime.”

A new key visual for Shin Sakura Taisen The Animation was shared as well. It shows Sakura Amamiya, Hatsuho, Claris, Azami, and Anastasia, weapons ready, protecting Clara. Azakami said it echoes the anime’s story.

Comments from Shin Sakura Taisen The Animation Director Manabu Ono: “I’m happy but feeling a lot of pressure participating in Sakura Taisen‘s revival.  However, I’ve fallen in love with the series once again after the meetings for the anime with Sega’s staff and the game’s development team. Sakura Taisen focuses on intense battles, friendship, and love. Along with comedy and hot-blooded story developments. I wish to show all the aspects of the franchise with the anime, so look forward to April 2020.”

Last but not least, Producer Katano, Yohei Azakami, and Mami Yamashita commented on the anime as some screenshots were revealed.

They first explained that the anime’s protagonist is Sakura Amamiya instead of Seijuro, something we already knew. As previously mentioned, Seijuro got assigned to Europe. Katano mentioned Seijuro is with Lancelot and Elise over there.

They also mentioned the anime will give more occasions to shine to Reiji Shiba and Hakushu Murasame. As a reminder, Reiji is the Flower Division’s mechanic voiced by Tomokazu Sugita. Hakushu is Sakura Amamiya’s swordmaster, designed by Soejima and voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro.

This is the Moscow Combat Revue, Kaminsky and Leila, doing Russian Ballet together. They like to dance like this whenever discussing together. Sega also hired ballet dancers to do motion capture for these ballet scenes.

Lastly, we have screenshots showing te Flower Division fighting against Kouma.

【1月29日(水)生放送終了】 皆様、ご視聴ありがとうございました！ 次回は2月26日(水)放送予定！お楽しみに

#新サクラ大戦#サクラ大戦 pic.twitter.com/aajgyGASco

— サクラ大戦公式@SEGA (@Sakura_Taisen) January 29, 2020

The usual end of stream photo with Mami Yamashita, Yohei Azakami, and Tetsu Katano.

Shin Sakura Taisen The Animation will start airing in April 2020. The next Sakura Taisen stream will be held on February 26 and will include more info on it.

Shin Sakura Taisen is temporarily named Project Sakura Wars in the west and is scheduled to release on PlayStation 4 in Spring 2020. If you don’t want to wait, we’re translating the game via a let’s play. You can find the episodes we did so far on our YouTube channel. The first episode is also included below, along with our full coverage of the game.

First story details, first trailer

Unfinished French trailer incident

Comments on the Sakura Taisen series from original creator Oji Hiroi

Famitsu staff interview Part 1 Part 2

Main cast comments

Toshihiro Nagoshi comments, story, mecha details

Sumire, Kaoru,Komachi Gameplay introduction videos

Michie Tomizawa/Sumire comments

Shangai characters designed by Lucky Star’s Yukiko Horiguchi, new gameplay

Toshihiro Nagoshi comments on switch to action RPG battles

London characters designed by Sword Art Online‘s Abec, new gameplay

Berlin characters designed by Strike Witches‘ Fumikane Shimada, Yasha’s introduction trailer, story, gameplay trailers

Anime announcement trailer 

Game opening movie, Japanese Limited Edition details

Stage play announcement, OST comments from Kohei Tanaka, Limited Edition details

Producer Katano, Director Otsubo comments

Itsuki, Hiromi introduction trailer, designed by Haruhi Suzumiya‘s Noizi Ito.

Gameplay, screenshots, story details

Demo, Combination attacks details

Character Song Music Videos

Character design introduction videos, screenshots, tournament battles

Hakushu Murasame introduction trailer, designed by Shigenori Soejima, character design introduction videos

Gameplay, commercials, staff comments, collabs, DLC teaser

Chisa Yokoyama, Michie Tomizawa interview 

Stage play cast, anime trailer

DLC details

January 29, 2020 9:20 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/01/shin-sakura-taisen-the-animation-takes-place-slightly-after-the-games-story/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=shin-sakura-taisen-the-animation-takes-place-slightly-after-the-games-story

[demifiendrsa]

Project Sakura Wars details sub-characters Itsuki and Hiromi, locations, and performances.

■ Characters

Itsuki Saijou (voiced by Mayu Yoshioka, designed by Noizi Ito)

A hardcore fan of the Imperial Opera Troupe that loves the Imperial Theater and Floral Division.

Whether it is day or night, she will visit the Imperial Theater is she has the free time for it, and deepens her exchanges with the theater’s staff and customers. Her hobby is collecting Imperial Theater merchandise, and works day and night to have a full collection of everything from the old Floral Division to the current Floral Division. Regarding bromide collection, there is a scene where she is full of competitive spirit towards Seijuurou Kamiyama.

Hiromi Hongou (voiced by Haruka Terui, designed by Noizi Ito)

The clerk at Okashidokoro Mikazuki.

With a kind attitude and soft, comfortable smile, many customers come to the store just to see her.

While she normally sells Japanese sweets as a clerk, she is also hard at work making new sweets. The new sweets she makes tend to cause bizarre effects when eaten, so they are feared by many.

■ Locations

Imperial Capital Central Station

A station that serves as the key point of traffic in the Imperial Capital. It is the gateway to the Imperial Capital, servicing in both trains and airships. There is a pathway to the left of the station that connects to the Great Imperial Hotel.

Ginza Oodori

Ginza Oodori is the main street of Ginza. To the left is the Cafe Gilles du Lait cafe, and to the right the Ginroku Hyakkaten department store. In the back of main street is a small square crowded with people.

Cafe Gilles du Lait

A cafe on Ginza Oodori. The interior has a modern atmosphere, and the store receives many customers.

Rooftop Amusement Park

An amusement park on the rooftop of the Ginroku Hyakkaten. Its huge ferris wheel stands out above all else.

Tram Stop

An area with a tram stop. The Japanese sweets shop and book store can be found on the opposite side of the road.

Okashidokoro Mizuki

A Japanese sweets shops located opposite the tram stop. Hiromi Hongou works the shop counter.

Kabuki Theater

Japan’s representative Kabuki theater, located in Ginza in the Imperial Capital. Various kabuki performances are held here, and it is generally crowded with customers.

Mikasa Memorial Park

A park built to commemorate the air battleship Mikasa, which protected the Imperial Capital in a past war. The park, which faces the sea, is a place where people can relax.

■ Imperial Opera Troupe: Performances

In times of peace, the Imperial Combat Revue: Floral Division practices day and night at the Great Imperial Theater, and performs as an opera troupe. Here is a look at some of their various performances.

“Momotaro”

A play performed in the first chapter. The lead role is played by Sakura Amamiya, but she lacks acting experience and the stage setting is worn and tattered. It is a messy performance that symbolizes the state of the Floral Division immediately after the start of the game. Sakura Amamiya plays the role of Momotaro, Hatsuho Shinonome plays the demon, and Claris plays the monkey.

“Da Nang’s Love”

A play written by Claris, and put on as a performance commemorating Anastasia becoming a member of the Floral Division. While the lead role is played by Anastasia, the heroine is played by Sakura Amamiya. The play uses a stage setting prepared by Reiji Shiba, who is also in charge of the stage props for the Imperial Theater.

[satoshi-mochida]

Sega has released new information and screenshots of Project Sakura Wars introducing the game’s story, setting, characters, and mechs.

Get the details below.

■ What is Project Sakura Wars?

Project Sakura Wars is a dramatic 3D adventure game set in the Imperial capital Tokyo in a fictional “Taisho Era” that tells the story of the Imperial Combat Revue and their battle against evil.

The main characters are designed by Tite Kubo, who is well-known as the author the Weekly Shonen Jump manga Bleach. Kouhei Tanaka, who has worked on a number of songs for the series in the past, will return as composer. The story structure will be handled by Jiro Ishii, who has worked in games, anime, movies, and beyond.

Sega is putting their all into the latest Sakura Wars, so please look forward to it.

■ Story

Taisho Year 19. In the Imperial capital Tokyo, a battle called the “Great Kouma War” had begun. The Combat Revues of Tokyo, Paris, and New York boldly confronted the threat and saved the world.

But the heroic Combat Revues were annihilated as a result—.

After that, the Combat Revues’ city defense initiatives were recognized worldwide for their achievements in the Great Kouma War. And the “World Combat Revue Federation (WLOF)” was established. Combat Revues formed in cities throughout the world. And the World Combat Revue Federation organized a “Combat Revue Competition” where the Combat Revues of each country compete in opera and battle, enhancing each other’s strength. Onlookers the world over went crazy for the battle between young ladies that comes only once every two years known as the “Great Combat Revue World War.”

Ten years have passed since then, and it is now Taisho Year 29.

The Imperial Combat Revue has been resurrected in the Imperial capital Tokyo, where the Combat Revue had long come to an end. The “New Combat Revue” will fight in the Great Combat Revue World War with their sights set on victory.

However, this festival of peaceful competition between friends and comrades in arms will take a sudden turn for the worse—from a “peaceful festival” to a “battle for the fate of the world”—when the Kouma resurface throughout the world and a mysterious new enemy appears.

Will the New Combat Revue led by new protagonist Seijuurou Kamiyama be able to show justice and protect peace in the Imperial capital and the world?

A new Sakura Wars story begins now!

■ The Setting

Project Sakura Wars is set in the Imperial capital Tokyo in Taisho Year 29.

Twelve years have passed since the events of Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love. The streets of Ginza have become more modern with a greater mix of western and Japanese culture, and the city itself has evolved into an advanced steam-based civilization.

Adventure parts play out on a 3D map from start to finish. Both the interior of the Great Imperial Theater and streets of Ginza are expressed in CG that only PlayStation 4 could produce.

The time limited choices system known as “LIPS” and “Trust Levels” that have appeared in previous Sakura Wars games will also return in Project Sakura Wars.

■ Characters

Seijuurou Kamiyama (voiced by Yohei Azakami)

The protagonist of Project Sakura Wars. The leader of the “Imperial Combat Revue: Floral Division.” 20 years-old. He originally served as a special service ship captain in the navy, but was reassigned to the Imperial Combat Revue, where he was appointed the commanding officer of the newly reborn “Imperial Combat Revue: Floral Division.”

Sakura Amamiya (voiced by Ayane Sakura)

A member of the “Imperial Combat Revue: Floral Division.” 17 years-old. She admires Sakura Shinguuji, the top star of the former Floral Division, and enlists in the Floral Division as a novice member. She has strong feelings for the Imperial Combat Revue: Floral Division that protects Tokyo, as well as the Imperial Opera Troupe that boosts the citizens’ spirits, and greatly desires the reconstruction of both sides.

Hatsuho Shinonome (voiced by Maaya Uchida)

A member of the “Imperial Combat Revue: Floral Division.” 17 years-old. A shrine maiden of the Shinonome Shrine, passed down from generation to generation in the Imperial Capital. Born in the old town, she is a pure woman of Edo who loves the old town, festivals, and the town’s people. While she usually comes off as rude, she is a mediator who proves reliable to everyone in the Floral Division.

Azami Mochizuki (voiced by Hibiku Yamamura)

A member of the “Imperial Combat Revue: Floral Division.” 13 years-old. The descendant of a ninja family that practices in the Mochizuki Style, she is a young prodigy that has mastered martial arts, strategy, weaponry, and the like. Since before she could even perceive the world, she had a strict upbringing, and strongly believes in the “108 Laws” passed down from the ancient ninja village. Protecting those laws are of great importance to her.

Anastasia Palma (voiced by Ayaka Fukuhara)

A member of the “Imperial Combat Revue: Floral Division.” 19 years-old. A star who played an active role in European theater. She wandered from troupe to troupe before joining the Imperial Combat Revue. Her singing and acting abilities are top class, and given her looks, she can easily handle a wide range of roles, from male roles to sexy female roles.

Claris (voiced by Saori Hayami)

A member of the “Imperial Combat Revue: Floral Division.” 16 years-old. She is from Luxembourg. She is a sweet literary girl who loves reading books. Through books, she is learning various things each day and is filled to the brim with curiosity. Her full name is Clarissa Snowflake. She is the successor of “Juumadou” black magic, which utilizes books and is passed down from generation to generation in the noble Snowflake family of Luxembourg.

■ Spiricle Fighters

Spiricle Armor are humanoid spiricle weaponry that can only be operated by steam, which has strong spiritual power, that were developed for anti-magic battle. Spiricle Fighters are based on the traditional Spiricle Armor, but use a new framework of spiricle weaponry drawn up by the World Combat Revue Federation (WLOF). Unlike Spiricle Armor, Spiricle Fighters have a higher output of spiricle systems. Since they have much higher spiricle conversion efficiency and require less spiritual power from the pilot, Spiricle Fighters have been developed as the standard format to utilize in every country following the Great Kouma War.

Spiricle Fighter: Mugen

Kanzaki Heavy Industries’ first mass-produced Spiricle Fighter. A mech designed as an official Spiricle Fighter based on the development of the Spiricle Armor Sanshiki Koubu. It is even equipped with a Spiricle Supercharger. It is an easy to operate mech with little negative traits in performance, as well as the main weapon of the Imperial Combat Revue: Floral Division.

—Seijuurou Kamiyama’s Mugen

Spiricle Armor: Sanshiki Koubu

A mech developed by Kanzaki Heavy Industries with an eye toward shifting the framework from Spiricle Armor to Spiricle Fighter. It was an attempt at making a lighter model based on the Koubu Nishiki using Anshar steel. However, its infrastructure is not notably different from the Koubu Nishiki, and it does not have a Spiricle Supercharger, so its overall output and spiritual efficiency is not very good. While its general fighting power is lacking compared to a Spiricle Fighter, it became the basis for the Spiricle Fighter Mugen that came after it.

—Sakura Amamiya’s Sanshiki Koubu

Project Sakura Wars is due out for PlayStation 4 this winter in Japan, and in spring 2020 in North America and Europe.

View the screenshots at the gallery.