Sukisho

Suki na Mono wa Suki Dakara Shōganai! (好きなものは好きだからしょうがない!!), also known as Sukisho! is a light novel that has since expanded into a BL-anime-style video game, an anime series and OVA. The title translates into English as "I like what I like, so it can't be helped", or "I like what I like, so there!" The best known of the versions is the BL game, which features shōnen-ai and, in some versions, yaoi.

TV Series Plot
High-school student Sora Hashiba has been hospitalized after falling from an upper floor of his school building. On his first night back in the dormitory, he wakes to find a strange boy addressing him by the name "Yoru." The stranger identifies himself as "Ran" and says he's Sora's new roommate. The next day, Sora's childhood friend and dorm manager, Matsuri Honjou, informs Sora that the other boy, whom Matsuri identifies as Sunao Fujimori or "Nao," is actually another childhood friend of Sora's. Sora doesn't remember meeting Sunao before. In fact, Sora can't remember much of anything regarding his past, and the series follows his quest to regain his memory.

Sora soon learns why Sunao identified himself as "Ran" that first night: Both he and Sora have alternate personalities. Sora's is Yoru, a powerful protector and the lover of the more dependent, feminized Ran. The existence of these alternate personalities, and the relationship between them, has some mysterious connection with Sora's fall from the window and his forgotten past. The alternate personalities' passionate relationship is a far cry from the hostility and distrust between Sora and Sunao. Because Yoru and Ran possess them arbitrarily, Sora and Sunao frequently find themselves in embarrassing situations when they regain control of their minds.

Other comical situations arise from Matsuri's efforts to draw Sora and Sunao into his moneymaking schemes, known as the group "Do-It-Alls" and from such minor characters as a bishōnen ghost and three younger boys who resemble the trio. No parents are ever mentioned, and the only authority figures are school nurse Kai Nanami and math teacher Shinichirou Minato. Both have some connection with Sora and Sunao's dark past, which also involves one of the older students at the school, Kai Nagase, and a mysterious doctor named Aizawa.

Characters
Sora Hashiba: The main character of Sukisho. Sora can't remember his past and at first doesn't know he has an alternate personality named Yoru. Sora is usually easy going and loves to eat. He is usually the dominant male, though there are instances in the game where he becomes the uke instead. He has a complicated and occasionally hostile relationship with his roommate and former childhood friend Sunao Fujimori. Normally, he refers to Sunao by his last name, Fujimori. Sora has spiky blue hair and blue eyes. (Seiyuu: Hikaru Midorikawa)

Sunao Fujimori: Sunao is Sora's childhood friend and current roommate. Easily angered, he isn't above punching anyone who makes him lose his temper, especially Sora. At first, he claims he hates Sora, but he becomes closer to Sora with each game/episode. Just as Sora calls Sunao by his last name, Sunao refers to Sora as "Hashiba" and in some episodes with the nickname "Kuu-chan." He has an alternate personality named Ran. Sunao has long pink hair and pink eyes. (Seiyuu: Souichirou Hoshi)

Yoru: Sora's alternate personality. Unlike Sora, Yoru is both shrewd and flirtatious. Yoru loves Ran, but he isn't above flirting with anyone else (in the games, he has been seen flirting with Sunao, Nanami, Sei, Hiromu, and even Sora). Nonetheless, he loves Ran and will often show it when in bed with him (which embarrasses Sora and Sunao in the aftermath). However, Yoru will protect Sora when he feels there is need to. In the game, he also likes to joke around with Sora by placing images of Sora's friends in odd positions (These include Sunao and Ran, Hiromu, Nanami, and oddly enough Yoru himself). Yoru can be distinguished from Sora by his slightly darker hair, increased height, deeper voice and a glowing amber left eye. He is also usually seen with a long white piece of cloth tied to his right arm. (Seiyuu: Takehito Koyasu)

Ran: Just as Sora has Yoru, Sunao has an alternate personality by the name of Ran. In contrast to Sunao, Ran is dependent, demanding and in some cases more feminine. Ran loves Yoru to the point of obsession. He will occasionally flirt with Sora only to bring out Yoru. Ran can be distinguished from Sunao by his slightly brighter pink hair color (only in the game), higher voice, and red eyes. Ran (蘭) in Japanese means 'orchid'. Note that Kappei Yamaguchi is the voice actor for Ran in the Drama CD and games. However, the voice actor changes to Hoshi Souichirou (the voice actor of Sunao) in the anime. (Seiyuu: Game/Drama CD: Kappei Yamaguchi / Anime: Souichirou Hoshi)

Matsuri Honjou: The manager of the dorm, the head of the Do-It-All Club (in the anime), and best friend of both Sora and Sunao since they were children. Matsuri is a very upbeat person who loves coming up with plans and teasing his friends. Most of his plans usually revolve around getting Sora and Sunao together or making money. Sora and Sunao rarely like any of Matsuri's ideas, but they go along with them. He always carries a photo camera and takes snapshots for fun. Matsuri has long blond hair and green eyes. Note that the Jack-of-All-Trades club that Matsuri establishes in the anime does not exist in the games. (Seiyuu: Susumu Chiba)

Kai Nanami: The school nurse and somewhat of a foster mother for Sora. Nanami is possibly the most feminine character in Sukisho (second most feminine would probably be Ran). The perfect housewife, Nanami cooks and cleans with a smile on his face. He lives with Shinichirou, whom he apparently has affection for (they are seen sharing the same bed in the anime). He is very nice and easy to talk to. There is hardly any difference between the games and the anime when concerning Nanami, but in the games he tends to be slightly more high strung (he can and WILL punch Shinichirou when he feels the need for it). Nanami has brown shoulder length hair (may be slightly longer) and blue eyes. (Seiyuu: Akira Ishida)

Shinichirou Minato: The school math teacher and pretty much Sora's foster father. He loves Nanami and cares very much for Sora and Sunao (who often refer to him as 'nii-chan'or "brother" though they are not blood related). Usually, Shinichirou is very easy going and somewhat immature, though caring. He will occasionally flirt with Nanami, but most of the time in a playful way. However, he has another side of him often referred to as 'Minato' or 'Minato-sensei'. As Minato, he is very flirtatious and will attempt to force people into sex (oftens times Sora or Nanami). Usually, Nanami just has to mess up Minato's hair or punch him to bring back Shinichirou. In White Flower, Minato acts more evil and becomes Aizawa's slave. Shinichirou has black spiky hair and blue eyes. As Minato, his hair is a lot more tidy and sometimes his eyes are pitch black. (Seiyuu: Shinichirou Miki)

Gaku Ichikawa: Sora's friend, he is a year younger than him. He has a crush on Nagase Kai, manager of the Chemistry labs. He seems to be always happy, and he tries to help his friend any way he can. A sincere boy of pure feelings, Sora says that "He expresses four times more his feelings than the majority of the people". In the game Mou Matte, Gaku is given the position of main character and must choose to either continue his relationship with Nagase (as the uke, or bottom) or start a new one with Shiina (as the seme, or top). (Seiyuu: Atsushi Kisaichi)

Kai Nagase: The chemistry lab manager. A quiet, serious and mysterious man, yet he is very intelligent and has gotten his thesis printed in numerous science magazines. Gaku is in love with him, admires him and always is praising him whenever he can. Nagase knows this, and takes advantage of this when needed. He is Professor Aizawa's son. (Seiyuu: Ryoutarou Okiayu)

Sei (Hashiba), Ren Shiina, and Fuuta Kitamura (aka the Chibis): Three children who have become attached to Sora, Sunao, and the rest. It is unknown if Sei and Shiina have parents, but Kitamura has become Hano Yoshihiro's step-brother (which he resents in the anime). Sei resembles Sora while Shiina resembles a young Nanami. Kitamura does not really resemble anyone, but fans have said he somewhat resembles Sunao due to his hot pink hair. After episode 3, they are never seen apart and seem to act identical for most of the series (except episode 13, the OVA). In the games, their personalities are a lot more diverse and they are very similar Sora, Sunao, and Matsuri when they were in school. Sei acts the most immature of three (Sora), Kitamura comes up with various plans and likes to joke around (Matsuri), and Shiina tends to be more wary than the other two (Sunao). They also live together in the same dorms in the games and their teacher is Sora. Although not exactly related, Sei is sometimes seen as Sora and Sunao's child. In the games, Shiina also has a crush on Gaku and whether or not he ends up with Gaku depends on the player's choice (in both White Flower and Mou Matte). Kitamura can also end up with Gaku, but only in Mou Matte. In the game Sei is Sora's clone. He cannot speak first, but starts to trust Sunao and Sora after a while. After White Flower the three of them are like a family. Ren (蓮) or (恋) means 'lotus' or 'romance, love' in Japanese (Seiyuu: Sei: Kouki Miyata. Ren Shiina: Anime: Chiro Kanzaki / OVA: Motoki Takagi. Fuuta Kitamura: Anime: Yu Kobayashi / OVA: Takahiro Sakurai)

Kano-kun: The adopted child of Ayano, probably Aizawa's son. He is really shy and unexpressive, seems to be a chibi-Gaku as Sei-kun to Sora (chibi-Sora). The first time he smiled was when Ayano used his favourite plushie (a pink rabbit) for talking to him. Since then, Ayano always brings it with him. (Seiyuu: Michiru Yamazaki)

Soushi Asaka: Occasionally appears in the game and makes brief appearances in the anime. Soushi is a lawyer who loves to flirt with Nanami. Most of the time, he playfully flirts with Nanami just to anger Shinichirou. Compared to most of the character, he acts a lot more refined, but he will occasionally get mad (especially if children are making too much noise). In the games, there are scenes where he and Sora have sex (depending on the choices the player makes). The PS2 game and the Drama CDs show that Soushi and Matsuri could become a couple. (Seiyuu: Yuji Ueda)

Ryouya Kozuki (aka Ayano-chan): Shinichirou's and Soushi's older brother. He has a psychiatric clinic and he does double-personalities-analysis to Sora and to Sunao (with Soushi's and Nanami's approval). He brings always with him a pink rabbit and does ventriloquism with it to his adopted child, Kano-kun (seemingly a bit unexpressive and shy enough). Smiles often and loves children. In the games, he originally worked for Aizawa. (Seiyuu: Toshiyuki Morikawa)

Hiromu Sakura: A young boy who loves Sora (later on he loves Sunao in the game). He gets into an accident that puts him into the hospital. He then becomes a wandering spirit, but what he does differs between the anime and the games. In the anime, Hiromu haunts the halls of the school to find Sora. In the games, he possesses Sunao and tries to spend time with Sora (this is indicated by Sunao's sudden hair color change to white and the playful tune in the background). Hiromu acts very innocent and playful. Eventually, his spirit returns to his body. In First Limit, Sora can end up with Hiromu if the players makes the right choices. (Seiyuu: Daisuke Sakaguchi)

Yoshihiro Hano: Gaku Ichikawa's class mate, and is also close to Fuuta Kitamura. (Seiyuu: Kenji Nojima)

Episodes
Opening Theme: "Just A Survivor"  Ending Theme: "Daydreamin'"

1: Sukisho!

2: The Campus Jack of All Trades Appears!

3: Mini Triangle

4: A Bandit Appears!

5: Spirit Boy Hiromu

6: Formation of Angel-chans!

7: Sunao's Suspicion

8: Midnight Embrace

9: Sora and Sunao

10: Hatred!

11: Revenge!

12: Rescue!

13: OVA - Let's Go to the Onsen!

Games
Currently, there are four games and one spin-off in the Sukisho series. The games were originally point-and-click visual novels released for PC, containing sexual content, though certain body parts are censored (as is all pornographic material in Japan).

Three of the games have been released on the Sony PlayStation 2. The PS2 versions have been heavily edited and many new CG scenes have been added. In addition, they feature the voice acting from the Drama CD cast, which were absent in the PC release. As of yet, these games do not have an official English translation.

First Limit: The first game in the series. Sora Hashiba was put into the hospital for quite some time after falling from one of the school buildings. He didn't receive any major injuries, but he has lost some of his memories in the process. However, he continually sees a vision of him being carried through several dark corridors and the voice of someone calling out to him. After being released from the hospital, Sora heads back to the dorms to find that a new boy by the name of Sunao Fujimori, who will now be his roommate. He is told that Sunao is his childhood friend, but he cannot recall spending his childhood with Sunao. As he spends time with Sunao, he notices some strange things about him, including his transformation into his alternate personality Ran. On top of that, the spirit of a hospitalized schoolmate possesses Sunao and confesses his love for him. Depending on the player's decisions, Sora can either end up with Sunao, Hiromu, Ran, or Minato.

Target Nights: After spending some time in Shinichirou and Nanami's place, Sora and Sunao come across a mysterious cosplaying bandit known only by the number 416. He claims that he has come to take away something precious from Sora. Meanwhile, Sora and Sunao meet Chris, who works at the nearby church. While he seems harmless, he begins to spend more time with Sora. To top it all off, Sora begins to realize that there are times when he and Sunao are mysteriously in bed together. He already knows about Sunao's connection with his alternate personality Ran, but could that mean he has his own alternate personality as well? Depending on the choices of the player, Sora will either end up with Sunao, Chris, Ran, Matsuri, or Minato. Also, obtaining all the CGs rewards the player with a special ending involving bandits 416, 773, and most recently 848.

Rain: Possibly the turning point in the series. Sora and Sunao continue their life in school. All seems normal until Sora notices a child that looks very similar to himself. Also, some of his schoolmates are beginning to act a little strange. Even Sora begins to notice that something odd about his connection to Sunao and the relationship between their alternate personalities Yoru and Ran. Depending on the choices of the player, Sora may end up with Sunao, Shinichirou, Matsuri, Soushi, or Minato. Collecting all the CGs allows the player to access secret endings that involve Sora, Sunao, Matsuri, Shinichirou, and Nanami banding together as cosplaying bandits 848, 370, 332, 416, and 773.

Sukisho cast's status prior to White Flower:

Sora: Working as a teacher in the nearby school (which is no longer an all boy's school). Sunao: Has been missing since Rain. Said to be working for Aizawa. Matsuri: Working in an animal shelter (needs to be confirmed). Shinichirou: Has been missing since Rain. Nanami: Still the school nurse Sei and Kitamura: Students in Sora's class Gaku: Still working with Nagase in the chemistry labs, but no longer as a student Nagase: Still chemistry lab manager Hiromu: Working as a model with Kirito Nakahara Chris: Still working at the nearby church Soushi: Still a lawyer. Professor Aizawa: Has been missing since Rain. Said to have taken Sunao and Shinichirou with him.

White Flower: The final game in the series. Taking place a couple of years after Rain, many changes have been made to the school. Not only is it no longer an all boys school, several of the former students are now working as teachers while others move onto other jobs. Sora, as one of the teachers, has been living a fairly normal life as he takes Minato's place as teacher. However, he realizes that it won't stay normal for long when he sees that Sunao, who he has not seen since the events in Rain, reappears in one of the halls. This game finally wraps up the story between Sora and Sunao and ends their conflict with Professor Aizawa. Depending on the player's choices, Sora can either end up with Sunao, Nanami, Hiromu, Matsuri, Soushi, or Minato. There are two hidden endings in this game. The Yoru/Ran ending is received when achieving the true ending, while the Kaito ending is obtained when all the CGs are collected.

Mou Matte: A spin off of the Sukisho games. Takes place some time in between Rain and White Flower. The player now controls Gaku Ichikawa, one of Sora's friends who worked in the Chemistry Lab. Gaku must now choose whether to continue his relationship with Kai Nagase or start a new one with Ren Shiina. Depending on the player's choice, Gaku may end up with Shiina, Nagase, or Kitamura. Most of the main cast from the previous Sukisho games are visibly absent, including Sora and Sunao. Of the original cast, only Gaku, Nagase, Shiina, Kitamura, Nanami, Nakahara, and Hano make appearances.

Hajimemashite: A game released on September 10, 2007 in which many of the Sukisho characters appear. The game is set during First limit and progresses through White flower in which a girl named Kei Yaguchi appears as a test to see if girls would be a good addition to the school, along with three other females. She seems to be another childhood friend of Sora whom he doesn't remember and the story eventually unfolds about past events. Depending the player's choices, Kei can either end up with Sunao, Sora, Minato, Ayano, or one of the three other female students; Mari, Haeti, or Karin.