Yosuga no Sora

Yosuga no Sora (ヨスガノソラ) is a Japanese romance/drama adult visual novel developed by Sphere. The game was originally released for Windows PC on December 5, 2008. It has since been adapted into a serialized manga and a TV anime series. A sequel/fan disk titled Haruka na Sora was released later on October 24, 2009 which contains new and expanded scenarios for several characters from the original game.

Plot
Tragically orphaned by an automobile accident, the Kasugano twins travel to their grandparent’s countryside residence via railcar, hoping to reconstruct the shards of a shattered life. Future uncertain, Haruka Kasugano clings to memories of the past, hoping to find the strength he needs to safeguard his ailing sister. With a destiny irrevocably tied to that of another, Sora Kasugano clings to moments of the present, drawing comfort and security from the company of her brother. Two lonely souls so physically alike, yet spiritually divergent, unaware of the challenges these conflicting expectations will unveil in the days to come.

Main characters

 * Haruka Kasugano (春日野 悠)
 * Voiced by: none (game), Hiro Shimono (anime)
 * The protagonist of Yosuga no Sora. With a gentle appearance and slim profile, in many ways Haruka is the spitting image of his fraternal twin sister Sora. Personable and honest, he forges lasting friendships with remarkable ease. Haruka copes with the loss of his parents with a stout heart, burdened with the knowledge that the future of his delicate sister depends on him. As a result, he has a tendency to dote on his sister and worry about her constantly. It is implied that he either cannot swim, or is generally afraid of large bodies of water, possibly due to a previous traumatic experience. He and Sora are well regarded around the village, as their grandfather was once a doctor there.


 * Sora Kasugano (春日野 穹)
 * Voiced by: Hiroko Taguchi (game, anime)
 * A quiet, fragile and reclusive girl, and fraternal twin sister to the main protagonist. Cursed with illness and frailty since birth, Sora was denied the sort of independent life that many take for granted. Yet beneath Sora's angelic doll-like appearance lies a troublesome personality that’s prone to withdrawn laziness and demonstrates a rather severe lack of social graces. In all honesty, Sora doesn't care for anyone else, and would much rather just surf the Internet and eat instant food, so long as Haruka is always by her side. It's implied that her strong bond with Haruka, strengthened as a result of the tragic loss of their parents, may be leading her towards incestual fantasies. She is the main heroine of the series.


 * Nao Yorihime (依媛 奈緒)
 * Voiced by: Yuka Inokuchi (game, anime)
 * Beautiful, intelligent and an excellent swimmer, Nao is Haruka's next-door neighbour and childhood friend. When the Kasugano twins last visited the area, their departure was particularly painful for Nao, who had grown quite close to Haruka. Upon their return, she attempts to rekindle their former close relationship. Nao’s compassion and maturity projects an sense of sisterly love towards others, though for Haruka there is a deeper and more intimately sensual feeling. Sora harbors great resentment towards the popular Nao, though she resists every request to explain the reasons why.


 * Akira Amatsume (天女目 瑛)
 * Voiced by: Kayo Sakata (game, anime)
 * The ever-cheerful Akira lives alone at a small yet sacred Shinto shrine. Since the passing of her foster father two years ago, she has been in the care of Yahiro, who lives nearby. Akira’s energetic liveliness is contagious to those around her, with an innocent personality that makes befriending the girl second nature. Due to her residence, Akira spends much of her time practicing the habits and traditions of a miko shrine maiden, including performance of requisite ceremonies and holiday festivals. She also devotes a lot of her time to helping the elderly in the village, making her beloved by all. She is later revealed to be Kazuha's half-sister.


 * Kazuha Migiwa (渚 一葉)
 * Voiced by: Ryōko Ono (game, anime)
 * The stunning daughter of an influential magnate, Kazuha lives a cultured life that some might compare to modern princesses. Sharp-minded and attentive to detail as a result of her parents' constant travels and long distance liaisons, she learned from a young age to behave responsibly and befitting her social standing. Nevertheless, Kazuha does not consider herself superior to others, and doesn't hesitate to lend a helping hand whenever asked. Kazuha is an experienced viola player, yet she shies away from playing in competitions, preferring to play only for those she cares for. She dotes on Akira constantly and worries excessively for her well-being, and this leads some to speculate that they may be romantically involved. However, it is later revealed that Akira is Kazuha's older, illegitimate sister from a different mother.


 * Motoka Nogisaka (乃木坂 初佳)
 * Voiced by: Tae Okajima (game, anime)
 * Motoka is a college student struggling to make ends meet, working as a maid in the Migiwa Household to pay the expenses of tuition. While not ideally suited for household chores, her warm compassion and captivating personality offset these deficiencies. She is best friends with Ifukube Yahiro, a notorious drinker, which makes Motoka’s low tolerance to alcohol a particularly hazardous social issue, especially since she has a particular fondness for the taste of sake.

Supporting characters

 * Kozue Kuranaga (倉永 梢)
 * Voiced by: Yukari Minegishi (game, anime)
 * Chairman of the Student Body, a position of serious responsibility and important functions, Kozue is often seen as a stick in the mud by her peers. She nevertheless cares for them, only nagging to mitigate the potential community damage. This often proves to be a full time job however.


 * Yahiro Ifukube (伊福部 やひろ)
 * Voiced by: Ryōko Tanaka (game, anime)
 * Best friend to Nogisaka Motoka and proprietor of a family owned candy store, the rouge looking Yahiro would prefer spending her time sleeping and drinking. In truth, the ill tempered and sardonic mannerisms hide Yahiro’s true personality: a woman whose past is a field littered with the shattered glass of lost dreams, forgotten promises, and broken romances.


 * Ryouhei Nakazato (中里 亮平)
 * Voiced by: Takurou Nakakuni (game, anime)
 * For all his faults and freakish behavior, Ryouhei is the kind of person you can always count on, in spite of being a self-confessed idiot. Carefree and spontaneous, he brands himself as the ultimate ladies man, applying cheesy pickup lines whenever a pretty face draws near. Yet when the situation call for it, Ryouhei can offer profoundly sound advice, with an eye that quickly identifies the root of a problem.

Staff

 * Illustrations by：Takashi Hashimoto, Hiro Suzuhira
 * Script by：Yukiji Tachikaze, Seiri Asakura
 * Music by: Manack

Release history
The game was originally released for Windows PC on December 5, 2008. A sequel/fan disk titled Haruka na Sora was released later on October 24, 2009 which contains full scenarios for Kozue and Yahiro, an expansion to Sora's story from the original game, and additional bonus material.

Anime
Yosuga no Sora has been adapted into a 12-episode anime series that started airing on October 4, 2010. Each episode consists of a 22-minute feature segment and a 3-minute omake segment. The main plot of the anime is presented in a multi-arc branching format that will independently tell the stories of Kazuha, Akira, Nao, and Sora while sharing certain common episodes. The title of each episode incorporates the names of the characters it concerns. The bonus segment focuses on Motoka's story, relying more extensively on humor and super-deformed character designs. Each segment has its own ending credit sequence in each episode.

Drama CD
The game release of Yosuga no Sora was supplemented by several drama CDs made available to pre-ordering customers at select Japanese retailers.

Manga
Yosuga no Sora has been adapted into a manga of the same title, serialized since the May issue of Kadokawa Shoten's Comp Ace magazine.

Music
The OST for the original game, with music composed by Manack, was released by Sphere on 27 February 2009.

The OST for the anime adaptation, with music composed by Manabu Miwa (Manack) and Bruno Wen-li, consists of both new compositions and newly-arranged versions of tracks from the original game. It will be released on two CDs, subtitled "Arrange" and "New", accompanying the Japanese Blu-Ray release of the anime with volumes 1 and 3 respectively.