6/6/08
D.C.: Da Capo
D.C.: Da Capo (D.C. ～ダ・カーポ～ D.C. ~Da Kāpo~) is an adult Japanese visual novel developed by Circus which was released as a limited edition on June 28, 2002 playable on the PC as a CD-ROM; a DVD-ROM version followed on July 26, 2002, in addition to an English release on August 30, 2008. Da Capo began as a series of prelude short scenarios in the Suika fandisc Archimedes no Wasuremono, and since the initial release, there have been numerous different versions released for the PC and PlayStation 2 over the years with updated scenarios and characters. The gameplay in Da Capo follows a plot line which offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the six female main characters.Circus described Da Capo as a "ticklish school romance adventure" (こそばゆい学園恋愛アドベンチャー kosobayui renai adobenchā). A sequel set fifty-three years after the end of Da Capo, D.C. II: Da Capo II, was released on May 26, 2006 and features a new cast of characters living two generations after the original. Da Capo is set on a fictional island in modern Japan, Hatsunejima (初音島), where the sakura trees are always in full blossom. Da Capo is a musical term meaning "from the beginning", and the game was such named with parts of the storyline going into loop before approaching the "true" end.
There have been numerous adaptations into other media. Two manga series were serialized between 2003 and 2006 in Kadokawa Shoten's Comptiq magazine illustrated by different manga artists. Two anime series, produced by different animation studios and directed by different directors, were produced in 2003 and 2005, each containing twenty-six episodes. Two radio shows have been produced, many novels with different authors have been published, and drama CDs have been produced.
Plot
Da Capo centers around the period before Jun'ichi Asakura graduates from the affiliated section and enters the high school section of Kazami Academy (風見学園 Kazami Gakuen) where Sakura Yoshino returns to the island after moving to America several years before. Most of the main stories revolve around the magical unwilting sakura tree and its powers.
