Harukoi Otome

Harukoi Otome: Otome no Sono de Gokigen'yō (春恋＊乙女 ～乙女の園でごきげんよう. ～) is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Baseson released on January 27, 2006 playable on the PC as a DVD.

The gameplay's plot line offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the six female characters. Harukoi Otome is BaseSon's fourth title.

An anime adaptation titled Harukoi Otome: Otome no Sono de Aimashō (春恋＊乙女 ～乙女の園で逢いましょう. ～) was released in 2008.

Story
Harukoi Otome's revolves around the protagonist Akihito Hayasaka, a male high school sophomore. The high school he attends, named St. Francesca Academy (聖フランチェスカ学園), used to be an all-girls school, and its female students are still proportionally high. Akihito's younger sister Umi Hayasaka and his childhood friend Yuika Serizawa are also students there. Akihito meets many girls there, becoming friends with them.

Kazuto Hongō, the protagonist of BaseSon's fifth title Koihime Musō: Doki Otome Darake no Sangokushi Engi, is also a student at St. Francesca Academy. The school is also the setting of Koihime Musō OVA episode.

Main characters

 * Akihito Hayasaka (早坂 章仁)
 * Voiced by Uta Kijima (OVA)
 * Akihito, the protagonist, used to go to another school named Takamiya Academy (鷹宮学園) last year until it closed due to financial difficulties. He is only male student in his class. His class, 2-5, is also called Soleil.


 * Umi Hayasaka (早坂 羽未)
 * Voiced by Yui Sakakibara (game/OVA)
 * Akihito's younger sister and a first-year student, she gets along very well with her brother. She is an excellent student and was admitted to St. Francesca on scholarship. She is pretty and a little innocent, but despite this she loves watching horror films. Her class, 1-3, is also called Lyon.


 * Kisaya Fuyurugi (不動 如耶)
 * Voiced by Maki Tezuka (game/OVA)
 * Kisaya is a third-year student. She acts as the student council president and is the captain of kendo cluband and is skilled in various other activities. Her father is the president of Fuyurugi Zaibatsu (Fuyurugi Conglomorate). Her class, 3-1, is also called Rosa Eglanteria or Rosa Rubiginosa.


 * Yuika Serizawa (芹沢 結衣佳)
 * Voiced by: Ran Tōno (game), Kōri Natsuno (OVA)
 * Yuika is Akihito's childhood friend and classmate. She is a happy-go-lucky person, always smiling. She was Akihito's first love when they were both in junior high. She sits behind him in their classroom and belongs to the school's cooking club.


 * Sōnya Kiryū (桐生 ソーニャ)
 * Voiced by: Yura Hinata (game/OVA)
 * Sōnya is Umi's classmate and her best friend. Her mother is Italian, father Japanese. When she was little, her father died in an accident, and her mother went back to Italy, leaving Sōnya in Japan. Sōnya was adopted by a Japanese woman named Mai Kiryū. Sōnya is a Christian and a novice sister.


 * Riru Orito (織戸 莉流)
 * Voiced by: Yukari Aoyama (game/OVA)
 * Riru is Akihito's classmate. She is very strong-minded girl and often quarrels with Akihito about little things. She sits next to him in class and belongs to the swim club.


 * Ayaka Kusuhara (楠原 彩夏)
 * Voiced by: Mina Motoyama (game/OVA)
 * Ayaka is a third-year student. She has heart trouble and sometimes needs to leave for the hospital. Her class, 3-4, is also called Rosa Moscharta. Unlike most of the other students, she does not live in a student dormitory, but lives alone in an apartment outside the school. She belongs to the school's art club.

Supporting characters

 * Tasuku Oikawa (及川 佑)
 * Voiced by: Ayumu Nakazawa (OVA)
 * Oikawa is a second-year student and Akihito's friend. He speaks the Kansai dialect (kansai ben).


 * Natsuko Mikoshiba (御子柴 夏子) and Fuyuko Araki (新城 冬子)
 * Voiced by: Mia Naruse (game) and Izumi Maki (game)
 * Both Natsuko and Fuyuko are girls in Akihito's class. They are interested in Akihito and Umi.


 * Reika Matsubara (松原 麗架)
 * Voiced by: Elena Kaibara (game/OVA)
 * Reika is Ayaka's friend and classmate. She is the captain of swim club, and Riru looks up to her.


 * Yūki Arise (有瀬 悠季)
 * Voiced by: Mia Naruse (game/OVA)
 * Yūki is in Akihito's class. She too belongs to swim club and looks up to Reika.


 * Satsuki Ōtori (鳳 皐月)
 * Voiced by: Konami Ōnami (game)
 * Satsuki, like Reika, is Ayaka's classmate and friend. She is their class representative and sub-leader of the art club.


 * Ririka Mamiya (真宮 璃々香)
 * Voiced by: Konami Ōnami (game)
 * Ririka is in Umi's class. She is distantly related to Kisaya and looks up to her.


 * Chizuna Nagisawa (那岐沢 千砂)
 * Voiced by: Mina Motoyama (game/OVA)
 * Chizuna is a waitress working at Dawn Hall (黎明館), a restaurant in the school. Umi and Sōnya work part-time there as waitresses, too.


 * Chie Ōgami (大神 千絵)
 * Voiced by: Minami Hokuto (game)
 * Ōgami is Akihito's class's homeroom teacher. She is also in charge of Japanese literature lessons.


 * Mai Kiryū (桐生 舞衣)
 * Voiced by: Minami Hokuto (game)
 * Mai is a sister working at the school chapel. She is Sōnya's foster mother and the matron of the girls' dorm.


 * Tetsuya Ryūzenji (竜禅寺 徹哉)
 * Ryūzenji is St.Francesca Academy's school doctor. He is short and looks as if he were a boy.


 * Hirotsugu Ennokōji (越小路 博嗣)
 * Hirotsugu is Kisaya's fiancé. He is a son of the distinguished Ennokōji family. He has a snobby attitude always looks down on others. He is not a St. Francesca Academy student.

Development and release
Characters were designed by Hinata Katagiri and Kishinisen. Scenario was written by Takuya Aoyama, K.Baggio, Shōta Onoue, and Hozumi Nakamoto. Music was composed by Loser Koshiwagi, Torapon, and Bjoern. Hinata Katagiri, K.Baggio, and Shōta Onoue also took part in the development of Koihime Musō.

Harukoi Otome was first released as a limited edition version for the PC on January 27, 2006. A regular edition followed on December 14, 2007. The game was also adapted into mobile phone games by Magicseed and Masys.

Music and audio CD
Harukoi Otome's opening theme is "Seishun Ōka" (青春＊桜歌) sung by Rita, and the theme song is "Harukoi" (春恋) by H?m?. The game's original soundtrack was released by BaseSon on December 14, 2007 and contained thirty-one tracks. The soundtrack was also attached to a regular edition of the game released on the same day.

Original video animation (OVA)
Harukoi Otome was adapted into OVA series titled Harukoi Otome: Otome no Sono de Aimashō (春恋＊乙女 ～乙女の園で逢いましょう. ～). It was produced by the animation studio Media Bank and directed by Katsuma Kanazawa. The first volume was released on April 18, 2008; the latter volume was released on July 18, 2008. The OVAs contain adult material not suitable for children. The first volume covers Kisaya and Yuika; the latter volume covers Riru and Umi.