More Hanabira Stuff – Amai Hanazono and Background Music
To many yuri fans, Sono Hanabira ni Kuchizuke wo is a series of visual novels that quintessentially define the genre in terms of eroges. Further, the franchise has since its inception grown to such popularity and success to branch into many differnet mediums, including light novels, drama CDs, comic strips, anime, and music albums.
On Listless Ink, I have blogged ad nauseum on Hanabira; in fact, those posts comprise of a really large portion of my views. Recently, I have gotten a few comments about the various music that appear in Hanabira visual novels and on drama CD’s. Thus, I’ve decided to make a Music Monday post.
Amai Hanazono ~Complete MIX~ (甘い花園～コンプリートMIX～) contains the theme song for all the visual novels and the drama CD. Performed by Yumi Haruna, Amai Hanazono is a nice listen. While it is a bit generic as J-Pop, it nevertheless has quite a relaxing, soft, and catchy refrain.
The album includes seven tracks, but all seven songs are almost exactly the same… I would not recommend buying this only for its music.
01 Amai Hanazono ~Complete MIX~ 4:38
02 Amai Hanazono (Game Version) 1:43
03 Damp evening Sky (Game Version) 1:43
04 Seductive Etude (Game Version) 1:43
05 Amai Hanazono (Bonus Version) 2:24
06 Damp evening Sky (Bonus Version) 2:24
07 Seductive Etude (Bonus Version) 2:21
Disc length 16:56
As for the background music for the visual novels, the main theme is actually quite an addictive tune. In fact, it is one of those songs that is immediately recognizable if you have ever played the games.
I was a bit surprised that there were people interested in the soundtrack. With most visual novels, the background music tend to be overlooked. In fact, I definitely do not pay as much attention to the BGM as openings and endings, especially for visual novels, h-anime, and eroge. Actually, do people listen to background music in general?
Anyway, I think Hanabira 7 and 8 as well as the anime are soon to be released. Hanabira 7 in particular should be out sometime this month. (Edit: It seems that this has been delayed according to a recent announcement…) I am really looking forward to the new characters in Hanabira 8 as well. Gothic lolita and kimono. Yes, please.
Hanabira Games and Announcements
Well, given my tendencies, it’s pretty much a given that I’ll pay attention to the music in the background regardless of whether it’s a game, visual novel, or anime series. :p
As far as the music sample you’ve provided, it captures the upbeat themes, but doesn’t really stand itself out from music of most visual novels. The theme song is far better in my book despite its J-pop feel. Like you said, it’s pretty calming and if it weren’t for that upbeat part halfway through, it’d remind me of Aoi Hana’s OP.
Actually, imo music plays a huge part in eroge nowadays. Many new and coming games get big name artists to do their OPs; it’s the very first thing that breaks the game to the public. Whenever my friends and I discuss new titles it always starts at the OP – how it sounds, who sang it, how it’s executed – it pretty much defines the new games, and often makes the difference of ‘looks great, I’ll give it a shot’ or ‘looks stupid/generic, nvm’ for us.
As for BGMs, they play a big part for me – and I think that some of the games that left the deepest impressions in me did so partly because their BGMs complemented their dramatic scenes so well, making it all the more memorable (Planetarian immediately comes to mind).
Well, that’s for the classics, anyhow. I’ve yet to see the effect of the BGMs in games such as My Childhood Friend is the President or Majikoi (but I gotta say, the OP of the former immediately won me over).
Really loving the art style, it’s like a combination of some eroge I’ve seen shots of in Dengeki Hime and Tony Taka’s style. Cute faces, but more.. differentiated than Tony gives us.
Very cute.
i don’t like yuri but girl in kimono is just so delicately yummy it’s hard for me to resist.
@zzeroparticle: I like your site. I really appreciate reviews for OST’s besides openings, endings, and insert songs. Anyway, I think the music for Hanabira isn’t bad. It certainly fits the relatively tame feel of the eroge.
@Ningyo: Agreed that OP’s and ED’s play a huge role in my preference in anime. In terms of eroge, many of them now include its own intro theme songs and ending themes as well, so I definitely do listen to those.
As for BGM, I hardly pay too much attention, unless the music is really exceptional, such as those composed by Yuki Kajiura. In eroge especially, like you, I have yet to see a dramatic effect of BGM except for very few.
@Guy: Yep yep. The artist is Peko, who draws really cute characters.
@kluxorious: Yuri is not for everyone. My sister hates yuri too, and she hates it when I try to trick her into watching/ reading yuri material.
Anyway, Kimono + Hime cut will always do it for me.
Definitely looking forward to the anime.
I’m rather curious though, who exactly is Hanabira’s target audience? Most guys like lesbians, so I can see this appealing to guys, but the games themselves seem very shoujo-like. So are males or females the target demographic?
Guys don’t like lesbians.
Guys like “lesbian porn”. Because in porn made by guys, these are not really women, but guys with female sex organs. Same as in slash, there are basically “chicks with di**s”.
It’s not really “The other side”.
i am really looking forward to hanabira 7 >.<
hope it release soon
Lol, 7 different versions of the same song. Only buy it if you really, really like the theme. ^^
@Snark: I believe the target audience would be male readers. The game itself, while very very tame compared to other straight eroges (no BDSM, no hardcore stuff, no rape… etc.) is still quite explicit at times. For truly shoujo like yuri material, think Marimite or Aoi Hana. Comparatively, Hanabira is more action than delicate detailing of emotions and relationships.
@Guy: That’s somewhat true. However, I think guys do like hot real, as in not in porn, lesbians as well. Guys like anything good looking.
@hyun: Me too. Can’t wait for teacher x elementary school kid.
@phossil: Seriously… Those versions don’t even sound significantly different… The only possible reasons I could think of anyone buying it would be if the person is a huge Hanabira fan and is out collecting all related merchandise or for the few slides of cover and insert art.
@Snark yes i agree too with @Yi on Hanabira targeting to males. Sadly
I find this eroge is quite enjoyable since it’s not some mindless men-handling rape/torture all the time. There’s actually some plot to it and the best of all, love could be seen quite clearly between the girls.
I guess that’s one of the reasons why I liked Hanabira so much ^^ (well… and the hot and clean images and seiyuu voices
) but I can see why Snark would think that Hanabira might target female audiences as I have thought of that too since it is not the usual eroge.
@Yi Thanks for the tip on the regional proxy on viewing the fuguriya website.
Now I’m super excited for Hanabira 7 . Hope it will come out soon
They’re quite cute. Please notify us when it is out? Please Yi?
I guess goth lolita x kimono could be our early or late Christmas present
I’ve always seen these two and assumed it was some erogame, but I never knew it was quite so broad.
It looks very sweet; I’ll check it out. Cheers.
Ah, to be clear: I mean the ponytailed redhead and the blonde. Interesting that there are multiple couples in this series.
omg then hanabira 7 isnt going to be released this month??
@Akira: Those are the same reasons I like Hanabira as well. Most other eroges are simply too much mindless unoriginal sex with uninspired boring characters.
Actually, I think it seems that the loli-teacher one has been delayed, so it will not come out until mid December.
“ただ、新作ゲームの 「あまとろ」 の方が１１月中が少々厳しくなって来まして……
「エリス＆雫」ペアと合わせ、１２月中に２本同日頒布と言うことになりそうです。
１１月の頒布を楽しみにして下さったユーザーさん達には申し訳ないのですが、
なにとぞご理解を～”
I should also be a little more conservative about assuming that it will be a visual novel.
@2dT: It did start out as an eroge. Because of the mass success of the series among yuri fans, Fuguriya has branched out to different media.
@matt: Seems like it was delayed. See the response to Akira.
Thank you for the links to the music.
I haven’t actually finished any of the games, but I did find the music pretty soothing.
I’m looking forward to Hanabira 8.
I’ve always been a fan of those ojou-sama/Yamato Nadesico types. =)
Came here from the forums. Just a suggestion. The no. of tags/categories together should not exceed 10-12 or WP will treat it as spam and this blog as spam blog. Keep in mind.
I am waiting for the new games too and also I really hope we can see some images about the anime soon, but I think that it will late a little bit…
@shijima: You should really try the games. They’re really short and takes about 2-3 hours to finish playing through. I’m loving the combo in Hanabira 8 too. ^ ^
@VIKAS: I appreciate your suggestion, although I probably would’ve liked it better through private contact or something rather than a random irrelevant comment. Thanks though; I’ll keep that in mind.
@Yuri Downloads: Yea, can’t wait for more previews of the anime. Fuguriya has some really small resolution sketch images.
You’re right about the calming music. I like the character designs as well, but yuri isn’t for me. =/
@ Reltair
“but yuri isn’t for me”
You don’t like lesbians? What are you? Communist?
@Reltair + Snark: What Snark said. jkjk.
I suppose some people just don’t like yuri… The characters sure are really cute though.
Wow. I’m really excited for the following Hanabira series too! Gothic Lolita and Kimono, how I expect that the Yamato Nadeshiko is such a tsundere, and then the Transfer student is such a seme. XD
And oh yeah, Yi, I’m kinda having a bit of problems for Windows 7. @.@ Well I got it to work, with the Japanese characters appearing. Now I lost the Voices. @.@ Do you have any clue on what to do? XDDDD
@Yuki: Yea, I’m guessing for a tsundere x seme super S personalities too.
Sorry, I can’t help you there. I don’t have Windows 7… This sounds really bad though. The voices are integral to Hanabira. Good luck figuring this out.
@Yi: Haha yes. I want to see that. very awesome clashing of personalities and yet sweet. XD Well, if I find a solution for this, I’ll inform you, so we can all help everyone, having the seem difficulties. Thanks for the Good Luck, gotta need it. XD
@Yuki: Please do post somewhere your solution to this if you find out. I’m sure many people who have switched to Windows 7 would find it helpful.
@Yi: Sure would. =DDD
^ ^