Happiness!

Happiness! (はぴねす!) is a Japanese adult visual novel originally for the PC first released on October 21, 2005, and followed by the release of a fan-disk sequel ''Happiness! Re:Lucks'' on July 28, 2006. Both games were developed, produced, and published by Windmill. Later, a manga illustrated by Rino Fujii based on the games was created and first serialized in the first issue of the manga magazine Monthly Comic Alive on June 27, 2006. A light novel was first published by Harvest in April 2006, and so far three volumes have been released. An anime based on the game aired in Japan between October and December 2006, containing twelve episodes. Happiness! was also ported to the PlayStation 2 as ''Happiness! De:Luxe on January 25, 2007 with the adult content removed; a special OVA episode of the Happiness!'' anime was released with the limited edition of this game. The PS2 port will be published by Marvelous Interactive. The series has the tagline: It's a happy & heartful school life.

Plot
Happiness! centers around Yūma Kohinata, who is a high school student attending Mizuhosaka Academy's regular section of the school, along with his close friends Jun Watarase and Hachisuke Takamizo. The other section, aptly named the magic section, was founded in order to train mages in the art of using magic.

The story begins with Valentine's Day coming up in just a few days and there's a rush for all the girls to get the chocolate they want in order to give it to the boys they like, in accordance with Japanese custom. Haruhi Kamisaka, a mage in training, is out with her friend Anri Hiiragi, also a mage in training, in order to do just this. While walking outside in the park, after buying the chocolate she wanted to give to a boy she met when she was a child, Haruhi meets Yūma, who stops some younger boys bullying a young girl, and Haruhi thinks that he may be the boy she's been searching for all this time. The next day is Valentine's Day and at school, all the girls are giving their gifts to the boys of their choice. Later that day, Anri challenges Haruhi to a magic battle in order to take the chocolate she has by force for the reason that Haruhi wouldn't tell her who she was going to give it to. Before long, Anri loses control of her magic and it is flown outside, almost falling onto Yūma and his friends. Ultimately, Haruhi gives him the chocolate she had bought, and in turn Anri does the same, which was her plan - to give her chocolate to the same boy as Haruhi and see who would win his favor more. The next day there is a gas explosion at the magic section of the school and all the mages in training must transfer over to the normal section for the time being. Coincidentally, Haruhi and Anri are placed within Yūma's class. Now Haruhi and her friends must adjust to the transfer into the normal section of Mizuhosaka Academy.

Characters

 * Yūma Kohinata (小日向雄真)
 * (anime)
 * Yūma is the main protagonist in the story. He has a nice, helping personality and is not afraid to help girls in need. His two close friends are Hachisuke Takamizo, and Jun Watarase, who seems to have a crush on him. When he was younger he was able to do some magic in order to help Haruhi who was being bullied, but now he professes that he cannot use magic (though in reality he still can). Additionally, he seems to be put off by the notion of using magic whatsoever, even if it is able to help people. Eventually, he realizes that magic can bring happiness if used in the right way and transfers to the magic section. In the end, he learned that his real mother is Suzuri Minagi (a teacher in the magic section). He is actually one of a kind and one of the most powerful and quickest of learners when it comes to magic, although he doesn't use it because of a few accidents when he was younger and because his mother erased his memory when he was young. He eventually started to harbour feelings for Haruhi Kamisaka.


 * Haruhi Kamisaka (神坂春姫)
 * Haruhi is the main heroine in the story. She is a mage in training and is seen as very skilled amongst her peers, who have been known to think of her as a genius when it comes to using magic. When she was younger, Yūma was able to use some magic in order to help her from some bullies which made her want to become a mage herself. Her magic wand is named soprano (ソプラノ), which owes its form from a trumpet that Haruhi used to play before she started to study magic. She harbours feelings for Yuma Kohinata. She was mistaken by Ibuki Shikimori to be the daughter of "that" woman (the woman who stole the Shikimori treasure) and even tried to control her to break the barrier that seals the treasure in the Shikimori Forest. In the end, she got together with Yuma when he was transferred to the Magic Section.
 * Haruhi is the main heroine in the story. She is a mage in training and is seen as very skilled amongst her peers, who have been known to think of her as a genius when it comes to using magic. When she was younger, Yūma was able to use some magic in order to help her from some bullies which made her want to become a mage herself. Her magic wand is named soprano (ソプラノ), which owes its form from a trumpet that Haruhi used to play before she started to study magic. She harbours feelings for Yuma Kohinata. She was mistaken by Ibuki Shikimori to be the daughter of "that" woman (the woman who stole the Shikimori treasure) and even tried to control her to break the barrier that seals the treasure in the Shikimori Forest. In the end, she got together with Yuma when he was transferred to the Magic Section.


 * Anri Hiiragi (柊杏璃)
 * Anri is Haruhi's close friend and also her a fellow mage in training. She tends to have a very strong-willed type of personality which she uses to try to get the things she wants. It can also make her reckless when it comes to her using magic, due to her being overconfident and underskilled compared to Haruhi. She is left handed according to the seventh anime episode. Her magic wand is named Paella (パエリア) and was formed from her favorite feathered pen. She applied for a part-time job as a waitress in the Oasis cafeteria to save some money for her to be able to go abroad and study at a Magic Institution. Eventually, she begins working for Otoha Kohinata in the school's cafeteria.
 * Anri is Haruhi's close friend and also her a fellow mage in training. She tends to have a very strong-willed type of personality which she uses to try to get the things she wants. It can also make her reckless when it comes to her using magic, due to her being overconfident and underskilled compared to Haruhi. She is left handed according to the seventh anime episode. Her magic wand is named Paella (パエリア) and was formed from her favorite feathered pen. She applied for a part-time job as a waitress in the Oasis cafeteria to save some money for her to be able to go abroad and study at a Magic Institution. Eventually, she begins working for Otoha Kohinata in the school's cafeteria.


 * Koyuki Takamine (高峰小雪)
 * Koyuki is a friend of Haruhi and Anri who is one year above them and is also in the magic section. Her magic wand is named sphere Tom (スフィアタム) though it is also known to be nicknamed "Tama-chan" (タマちゃん). It takes the form of a staff with a small green spehere on the end that floats on the staff. Unlike the other magic wands featured that can speak spiritually, sphere Tom has a face from which to voice its opinions. Koyuki inherited the craft of making "Tama-chan"s and puts a lot of effort not only into their creation but going as far as to remember the order in which she made each one despite them appearing all to be relatively similar in appearance. As this dedication to magic has shown, she seems to be very skilled in her use of magic, especially divination magic or fortune telling.
 * Koyuki is a friend of Haruhi and Anri who is one year above them and is also in the magic section. Her magic wand is named sphere Tom (スフィアタム) though it is also known to be nicknamed "Tama-chan" (タマちゃん). It takes the form of a staff with a small green spehere on the end that floats on the staff. Unlike the other magic wands featured that can speak spiritually, sphere Tom has a face from which to voice its opinions. Koyuki inherited the craft of making "Tama-chan"s and puts a lot of effort not only into their creation but going as far as to remember the order in which she made each one despite them appearing all to be relatively similar in appearance. As this dedication to magic has shown, she seems to be very skilled in her use of magic, especially divination magic or fortune telling.


 * Ibuki Shikimori (式守伊吹)
 * (PC), Oma Ichimura (PS2/anime)
 * Ibiki is a young girl and powerful mage who transfers into Sumomo's class. Most of the time, she is very standoffish and will push people away from her either figuratively or literally, so as to be left alone. Her family is known for being well-advanced in terms of magic, and even at such a young age Ibuki has shown herself to be well skilled as she uses her magic wand named Bisaim (ビサイム), which takes the form of an umbrella. The Kamijyo family has been serving the Shikimori family for generations. This explains why Saya and Shinya Kamijyo are always with Ibuki and act as her protectors and followers. She wanted to retrieve the Shikimori treasure for a reason that she wanted to see her sister, Natsumi, who died from sealing the angel demons that came out of the treasure. She mistakenly thought that Haruhi, because of her great skills in using magic, is the daughter of the woman who stole and hid the treasure.


 * Saya Kamijyo (上条沙耶)
 * (PC), Shizuka Itō (PS2/anime)
 * Saya is a young girl who transfers into Yūma's class along with her twin brother Shinya, who is also a mage. She was initially mistaken for a ghost by Hachisuke after he met up with her one night by chance at school. Her magic wand is named Sanbach (サンバッハ) and takes the form of a violin bow. They have been serving the Shikimori family for generations. They never knew their mother because she is already dead. The reason is unknown. Their, she and her brother Shinya, wanting to see and meet their mother, urged their father to steal the Shikimori treasure for it was believed to have powers that can bring back the spirit of the dead but it turned into chaos. The treasure was provoked and unleashed the angel demons contained in it. Thus, it must be sealed again. Suzura Minagi, Natsumi Shikimori and Takamine's mother tried to stop it. This however, ends up with Natsumi sacrificing her life seal it and stop the demons, much to Ibuki's sorrow.


 * Sumomo Kohinata (小日向すもも)
 * (PC), Mai Goto (PS2/anime)
 * Sumomo is Yūma's younger sister who seems to have an energetic personality. She has known Haruhi since childhood and they used to play together. Due to family circumstances, Sumomo didn't become Yūma's sister until after she had entered elementary school. She has amazing skills in cooking.


 * Hachisuke Takamizo (高溝八輔)
 * (PC), Takuo Kawamura (PS2/anime)
 * Hachisuke, otherwise known simply as Hachi, is one of Yūma's close friends and hangs out with him and Jun Watarase constantly. He seems to be desperate for any affection from girls, as the closest chance he has at getting a girl is with his friend Jun, who, despite his feminine appearance, is in fact male. He is often very perverted as well.


 * Jun Watarase (渡良瀬準)
 * (PC), Michiru Yuimoto (PS2/anime)
 * Jun is another of Yūma's close friends. Despite his feminine appearance, he is in fact an androgynous okama boy who crossdresses like a girl. He himself says he does this because the female school uniform suits him better and does make him popular among male students. Also, he has the desire to date Yūma himself, but Yūma being entirely heterosexual strongly refuses. He often says or does things that would be seen as ironic, such as saying how perverted men are, when he himself is male. Jun's signature attack, the Patriot Missile Kick, is a flying side kick, normally used as a means to keep Hachi under control.


 * Otoha Kohinata (小日向音羽)
 * (PC), Chizuko Hoshino (PS2/anime)
 * Otoha is the unorthodox mother of Yūma and Sumomo. She runs the school cafeteria called Oasis. Otoha often does not act her age, but rather she acts closer to her daughter's age. She is close friends with Suzura Minagi. This is why Suzura entrusted Yuma to her and take good care of him.


 * Shinya Kamijyo (上条信哉)
 * (PC), Kentarō Itō (PS2/anime)
 * He is the twin brother of Saya Kamijyo. His family has served Shikimori for every generations. He has a wooden, katana-like magic wand though the name is unknown. One of his defining traits is that he has a horrible sense of direction where he even gets lost walking to school with his sister as they manage to get separated constantly. However, if Saya is in any danger, he instantly knows where she is and runs to her in seconds.


 * Suzuri Minagi (御薙鈴莉)
 * (PC), Hitomi (PS2/anime)
 * She is the biological mother of Yūma Kohinata. She is a teacher in the magical section. She was forced to entrust her son, Yuma, to her close friend, Otoha, because of many tragic things that had happened. She erased Yuma's memory of her before going separate ways. She revealed the whole story to Haruhi and Anri of what had happened in the past.

Visual novel
Happiness! began as a visual novel for the PC first released on October 21, 2005. Later, a sequel was made entitled ''Happiness! Re:Lucks'' first released on July 28, 2006 in Japan also for the PC. Also, a PlayStation 2 version entitled Happiness! De:Luxe was released on January 25, 2007. The PC games are developed and published by Windmill. The PS2 port was published by Marvelous Interactive. Two pieces of theme music are used for each of the three visual novel versions; one opening theme and one ending theme each. The opening theme of Happiness! is "Zero" by Hiromi Satō, and the ending theme is "Mezame no Asa" by Yui Sakakibara. The opening theme of ''Happiness! Re:Lucks'' is "Happi-day♪" by Yui Sakakibara, and the ending theme is "With You..." by Hiromi Satō. The opening theme of ''Happiness! De:Luxe'' is "Happiness Hōteishiki" by Yui Sakakibara, and the ending theme is "Ohayō" by Ayumi Murata.

Light novels
The Happiness! light novel, illustrated by Ko~cha and initially written by Nikaidō Kageyama was first published in April 2006 by Harvest. While Kageyama wrote the first two novels in the series, the third was written by Satoshi Mikado.

Manga
The Happiness! manga illustrated by Rino Fujii was first serialized in Japan in the premiere issue of the manga magazine Monthly Comic Alive on June 27, 2006 published by Media Factory. The first bound volume went on sale on December 31, 2006 in Japan.

Anime
The Happiness! anime aired on Japan television between October 5 and December 21, 2006. It was made by the animation studio Artland and contains twelve episodes. On January 25, 2007, an original video animation episode was released. This OVA episode was bundled exclusively with the first print limited edition of ''Happiness! De:Luxe''. Two pieces of theme music are used for the anime; one opening theme and one ending theme. The opening theme is "Happiness!" by Ayumi Murata, and the ending theme is "Magical Generation" by Yui Sakakibara. The anime's was released on November 22, 2006 in Japan, published by Media Factory.