Re: My Introduction to the Sakura Taisen ML
Niki-chan (niki-chan@SANCTUM.COM)
Wed, 16 Jun 1999 07:17:10 -0400
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2314.1300
Message-ID: <000701beb7e9$c7a20660$1b46a5ce@sanctum.com>
Date: Wed, 16 Jun 1999 07:17:10 -0400
From: Niki-chan <niki-chan@SANCTUM.COM>
Subject: Re: My Introduction to the Sakura Taisen ML
Leni and Reni are interchangeable basically...since there is no L in the
Japanese language...both are used, so Leni is acceptable.
----- Original Message -----
From: Richard E. Rae <76174.1410@COMPUSERVE.COM>
To:
Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 1999 10:33 PM
Subject: Re: My Introduction to the Sakura Taisen ML
> Omar:
>
> >>I know that Quattro Stagioni (Soletta's sure-kill) means Four Seasons,
> but what does Das Rheingold (Leni's sure-kill) mean?<<
>
> Incidentally, it's not Leni- it's "Reni". This is official in all RED
> publications. See her signature as well.
>
> And BTW, "Soletta's" first name is Orihime, not Soletta; Soletta's the
> family name of her mother (Ogata's the family name of her father). This is
> evidenced too in that everyone calls her "Orihime" in the same situations
> where "Sakura", "Sumire", etc are used.
>
> Anyway, to (finally) answer your questions:
>
> Being of German descent, Reni's Deadly attacks are named after Wagner
> operas and characters; "Das Rheingold", "Siegfried", "Die Walkure", etc.
> (which, translated, are "The Rhinegold", "Siegfried", and "The Valkyrie")
>
> >>Are there any stores that still sell Sakura Wars 2, or any of the other
> Sakura Wars games?<<
>
> Try National Console Support (www.ncsx.com). If they don't have it in
their
> store, inquire to their e-mail address. If they can get it, they will.
>
> >>When the rest of you played Sakura Wars for the first time, which girl
> did you end up with at the end?<<
>
> Kouran the first time through. I then exhausted all the possibilities and
> cleared the game in fairly quick order, though I admit I used the saved
> position breakpoint at the end of episode 7 to manipulate the top three
> characters into position to get their endings, then manipulated the early
> episodes to get the other three into those positions and did it again.
>
> Once you've done this, there are few things more fun than to shuffle the
> "dates" in episode 8. When you have Iris in #1 position and if you choose
to
> reject her in favor of taking another girl to the New Year festival, the
> performance of crying and wailing is a sight to see/hear- and a credit to
> Kumiko Nishihara's skills . It broke my heart, but was fun to elicit.
>
> In some ways, your introduction via the OAVs is unusual but "sequential",
> since OAVs 1-3 are the "prequel" and episode 4 fills in between episodes 4
> and 5 of the game. The OAVs are really aimed at true fans (since the game
> was first) and I don't recommend them to anyone who hasn't played the
game.
>
> I KNEW problems would happen when ADV chose to release them, and I
certainly
> found their decision to pick them up to be a dubious one at best.
>
> Anyway, music-wise, you would be well-advised to not only get the Vocal
> Collection and OST 1, 2, and OAV CDs, but seek out the "Ai Yueni", "Ai wa
> Daiya", and "Cinderella" drama CDs. There's also a "Shonen Red" Steam
Radio
> drama CD, a "King Lear" comedic musical CD, and a couple of others. The
live
> show soundtrack "Sakura Taisen Kayou Show Ai Yueni" CD is great, as is the
> entire musical itself (your chance to see all the seiyuu performing in
> character and in costume)- it's on video. I haven't gotten the videos of
the
> "Tsubasa" live musical or Christmas musicals yet.
>
> Software-wise, besides the games, "Hanagumi Tsushin" was the first (and
> somewhat lowest quality) fan multimedia disc for Saturn (released in
> February 1997), but is unique for many of its features, including the
first
> interviews with the main seiyuu and the ONLY one with the seiyuu of the
> Sannin being interviewed.
>
> "Steam Radio Show" is a more elaborate 2-disc set featuring video clips
from
> the live musical and more interviews, including the only one with Akio
> Suyama (who plays Oogami). The Radio Show disc has product info, and fun
> Teigeki stories where you help your chosen seiyuu to prepare for her show
> (and play minigames). If you succeed at the minigame, you get to see that
> character's unique radio show . Lots of fun fake commercials in it,
too.
> It also has a unique story and "dating game" with multiple endings, of
> course.
>
> "Teigeki Graph" is in a similar vein to the above, however the main story
in
> this one is a production of "Sleeping Beauty" and through game play (and
> minigame success) you get to determine the cast of the play. And then you
> get to see the play performed (via "SD sprites") in all its Hanagumi
> funniness. This "play" mode is amazing, especially since characters are
> often juggled all over the place and every line of dialogue is spoken in
the
> play. There's also an incredible on-line encyclopedia (via Cinematron) of
> everything Teigeki, another Koikoi tournament, and a great "Stratego" game
> among the minigames.
>
> Of course, if you can ever find "Hanagumi Taisen Columns", it's the
rarest-
> and one of the most wonderful- games for Sakura fans. There are nine
unique
> "episodes" in the disc which are full-length "side" stories, as well as a
> "Cinderella" mode where you pick who's going to be "Cinderella" by your
> success at Columns. The quality is as good as that in the original game,
and
> the differing art and stories are wonderful.
>
> And you haven't even scratched the surface- there are the artbooks, the
> Aspect tactical and "ren'ai" guides, the Kodansha "Haoh" guidebooks, the
> Real Models and dolls, and the myriads of garage kits (I own the Kaiyodo
> Maria kit, and am collecting the WAVE "Koubu-kai" kits). And other stuff-
> trading cards, etc. etc.
>
> I happen to have been a fan from December of 1996 (discovering it only
weeks
> after its release) and thus jumped on (nearly) everything Sakura Taisen I
> could find- including getting Sakura Columns when it first was released.
> Still going strong
>
> Welcome to the Hanagumi world... you have a lot of catching up to do .
>
> --Richard