In this first episode of the most excellent sequel to Sakura Taisen, Oogami Ichirou returns to the Imperial Theater after one year of naval training in South America. Warm welcome awaits Oogami even though several of the Hanagumi members are absent (Maria is in New York, Kanna in Okinawa, Sumire's back home because her grandpa is sick, and Kohran's in the Hanayashiki branch of the Hanagumi).

Enters the proud and arrogant new Hanagumi member Soletta Orihime, who absolutely hates all Japanese men, Oogami included. ^_^ But before Oogami has a chance to figure out Soletta, new enemies appear and the Hanagumi has to fight once again to preserve peace and stability in the Imperial Capital...

Here's a list of LIPS that occur in this episode (approximately in order of appearance). In some cases, a snapshot of the actual LIPS choices can be seen by clicking on the camera icon . The translation of the LIPS choices are listed together with the effects of the responses on the confidence/love index of Hanagumi members (++ means big increase, + means normal increase, - means normal decrease, -- means big decrease, @ means no change). If known, effects on Oogami's personality will also be noted ("SOFT" means Oogami's softness (red) increases, "TOUGH" means Oogami's toughness (blue) increases). For timed-LIPS which changes mid-way, the colors below are used to indicate which choice appears/disappears after half-time:

In the opening movie, we see the leader of Black Demon Society, the mysterious masked Demon Lord, resurrected someone from the dead on an island (presumably the sunken Holy Evil City in Sakura Taisen 1?)... Meanwhile,

LIPS #1: Oogami meets with Yoneda on a boat-house, where Yoneda informs Oogami that he has been recalled from naval training to resume his duty as leader of the Hanagumi. Oogami answers:
Yes Sir I'd do my best no matter what!!	TOUGH
I'm in your hands!	@
that means I'll have to go back to my old ticket boy job...	SOFT
(no answer)	@
LIPS #2: Yoneda asks Oogami whether there's anyone in the Hanagumi that's special to him. Oogami replies:
yes, there is	@
no, there isn't anyone special	@, goto LIPS #5g
(no answer)	@, goto LIPS #5g
LIPS #3: Yoneda asks Oogami who that special person is. Oogami:
Sakura	@, goto LIPS #5a
Sumire	@, goto LIPS #5b
Maria	@, goto LIPS #5c
(no answer)	@, goto LIPS #4
LIPS #4: more choices:
Kanna	@, goto LIPS #5d
Iris	@, goto LIPS #5e
Kohran	@, goto LIPS #5f
(no answer)	@, goto LIPS #5g?

At this point, depending on Oogami's response to Yoneda's earlier queries, the Hanagumi member of his liking will happily greet him on the pier. If Oogami didn't select anyone, Sakura will greet Oogami by default, but in a more business-like manner...

LIPS #5a: Sakura greets Oogami at the pier, but she's so happy she forgot what she wanted to say ^_^ Oogami says:
...I'm home	Sakura ++
...I've so wanted to meet you!	Sakura ++
(no answer)	@
LIPS #6a: A slightly melancholic Yoneda tells Sakura and Oogami that he's worried that their feelings for each other may interfere with their work in the Hanagumi. Outside of the Imperial Theater, Sakura tells Oogami that she agrees with Yoneda and that she'd try to restrain her feelings in front of others, but her real feelings for Oogami will not change. Oogami replies:
Thank you.	@
but I... cannot tolerate this.	Sakura -
me also, my feelings towards Sakura...	Sakura ++, SOFT
(no answer)	Sakura -
goto LIPS #8

LIPS #5b: Sumire greets Oogami at the pier. Oogami greeted Sumire with a standard "I'm Home", but Sumire says she's expecting a different greeting. Oogami replies:
you're so beautiful	Sumire ++, SOFT
I've so wanted to meet you!	Sumire +
?	Sumire +
(no answer)	Sumire ++, TOUGH
LIPS #6b: A slightly melancholic Yoneda tells Sakura and Oogami that he's worried that their feelings for each other may interfere with their work in the Hanagumi. Outside of the Imperial Theater, Sumire tells Oogami that she thinks that their feelings should not be the business of Yoneda's. Oogami says:
I understand Yoneda's point	@
but it cannot be helped	@
I also cannot agree with Yoneda	Sumire ++
(no answer)	?
goto LIPS #7

LIPS #5c: Maria greets Oogami at the pier. She entrusts the Hanagumi in Oogami's charge. Oogami says:
It's me who should entrust things to you	Maria ++
I'm back to the basics, but I'd do my best	@
(no answer)	?
LIPS #6c: A slightly melancholic Yoneda tells Maria and Oogami that he's worried that their feelings for each other may interfere with their work in the Hanagumi. Outside of the Imperial Theater, Maria tells Oogami that she'll be leaving to New York for 3 months and she asks him to take care of the Hanagumi. Oogami says:
Leave everything to me!	Maria ++, TOUGH
I'm feeling uneasy about this	Maria -
... please don't go	@, SOFT
(no answer)	@, SOFT
goto LIPS #7

LIPS #5d: Kanna greets Oogami at the pier. As usual, she challenges Oogami to a friendly fight. Oogami says:
Alright, let's do it!	Kanna ++, TOUGH
Wait wait just a minute!	@, SOFT
(no answer)	@, SOFT
LIPS #6d: A slightly melancholic Yoneda tells Kanna and Oogami that he's worried that their feelings for each other may interfere with their work in the Hanagumi. Outside of the Imperial Theater, Kanna tells Oogami that she has to go back to Okinawa for karate training since she hasn't had much practice in the Hanagumi. Oogami says:
Do your best!	Kanna +
?	Kanna ++
Why... go for training?	?
(no answer)	?
goto LIPS #7

LIPS #5e: Iris greets Oogami at the pier. Iris asks Oogami to promise not to leave her alone again. Oogami says:
Yes, I promise	Iris ++
but I can't promise...	Iris +
(no answer)	@
LIPS #6e: Outside of the Imperial Theater, Iris asks Oogami whether she has changed. Oogami replies:
... what?	Iris -
you look more pretty	Iris +
you look like an adult	Iris ++
(no answer)	@
goto LIPS #7, but skip #8 (which is the same as above)

LIPS #5f: Kohran greets Oogami at the pier. Kohran says because she's in a hurry, she didn't bring her new "party gadget" ^_^ to celebrate Oogami's return. Oogami replies:
I'm satisfied just to meet with Kohran	Kohran ++
one day you can show me	@
(no answer)	@
LIPS #6f: Outside of the Imperial Theater, Kohran told Oogami that she's going to be working on some secret project in the Hanayashiki branch of the Hanagumi until summer and she asks Oogami to wait for her. Oogami says:
I'll be glad to wait for you.	Kohran +, TOUGH
but I can't wait that long	Kohran ++, SOFT
what secret project?	@
(no answer)	@
goto LIPS #7

LIPS #5g: If Oogami didn't choose anyone special when asked by Yoneda, Sakura will meet him at the pier by default. But then of course everything will just be business-like, almost as though they're strangers. Sakura even asks silly questions like whether Oogami remembers where the Imperial Theater is located ^_^ Oogami replies:
It's in Asakusa right?	?
It's in Ginza right?	Sakura ++
It's in Sendai right?	?
(no answer)	?
LIPS #6g: In front of the Imperial Theater, Sakura tells Oogami that the Hanagumi members are entrusting themselves to Oogami's hands. Oogami replies:
Leave eveything to me	Sakura ++, TOUGH
?	?
?	?
(no answer)	?
goto LIPS #8

LIPS #7: Sakura greets Oogami at the theater entrance. She's very happy to see Oogami and says it's like a dream come true. Oogami says:
I'm Home.	Sakura +
This isn't a dream	Sakura +
me too, I've dreamed about this many times	Sakura +, SOFT
(no answer)	@, TOUGH
LIPS #8: Iris greets Oogami in the theater entrance and asks him how has she changed. Oogami replies;
...what is it?	Iris -
you've become more pretty	Iris +
You're becoming like an adult	Iris ++
(no answer)	@
LIPS #9: Yoneda asks Oogami to get the letter of appointment from the business office and meet him in the director's office at 12:00pm. Oogami replies:
Yes, I understand.	@
Yes yes, I understand	?
(no answer)	@

Oogami has now 40 minutes for the free-roam mode. If Oogami goes to the director's office on-time or early, his "toughness" will increase. Oogami can visit the following places (doesn't have to be in order):

Theater Shop: Meets with Tsubaki. Tsubaki says she's happy to meet Oogami again because she can have more business in the theater shop ^_^ She then takes Oogami to the business office to meet with Kasumi and Yuri and to take care of the appointment details.

Business Office: Meets with Kasumi and Yuri. Yuri is looking forward to hearing about and telling gossips, Kasumi is looking forward to Ooagmi's help in the business office, while Tsubaki is looking forward to Oogami buying some new bromide ^_^.

LIPS #10: Outside of the Business Office, Tsubaki asks Oogami what makes him most happy about returning to the Imperial Theater. Oogami replies:
to be able to work for peace	TOUGH
to be able to meet Tsubaki	SOFT

Tsubaki then explains toughness and softness to Oogami (the player i.e.).

Garden: Meets Sakura, who's out for a walk because of the beautiful weather. If looking at Sakura's hair twice, Sakura asks why Oogami's staring at her hair, Oogami says her hair is very beautiful, whereupon Sakura +.

LIPS #11: If talking to Sakura, Sakura says that Spring is the season of rendezvous, and that today is the day of their new encounter. She wishes that they will create happy memories together from this day onward. Oogami replies:
Of course, let's make lots of happy memories	Sakura +
this too, is one such memory	Sakura +
(no answer)	@

Outside the Business Office: Sakura bumps into Oogami ^_^

LIPS #12: Sakura says sorry and says she's in a hurry. Oogami says:
Do you need help with that?	Sakura +
What are you hurrying to do?	@
(no answer)	@

Theater Shop: Can buy picture of Sakura or others (first choice), can also chat with Tsubaki (2nd choice).

Corridor leading to Salon: Meets Iris. If looking at Iris' big ribbon twice, Iris +.

LIPS #13: If looking at Jean-Paul, Iris says Jean-Paul says Hello. Oogami:
talk with Jean-Paul	Iris +
shake hand with Jean-Paul	Iris +
(do nothing)	@

Oogami's room: two choices: 1.leave 2.go in. If going in:

LIPS #14: Oogami tries to open the door but it's locked. A naughty voice from inside the room asks Oogami whether he knows who she is. Oogami replies:
Iris?	@
Sakura?	Sakura +
Yoneda? ^_^	Sakura -
(no answer)	@

In front of the rooms of the Hanagumi members: Meets Iris.

LIPS #15: Iris tells Oogami that all the rooms are locked because all Hanagumi members are absent except she and Sakura. Oogami looks disappointed, so Iris asks whether Oogami feels lonely. Oogami replies:
as long as Iris is by my side, I'll be OK	Iris +
a little, but I can bear it	@
...really lonely	@
(no answer)	@

Game Room:

LIPS #16: Oogami overheard Sakura and Iris talking in the Salon about himself. Oogami decides to:
announce his presence	@
(do nothing)	Iris +, Sakura +

Free-roam mode ends when Oogami goes to Yoneda's office. Yoneda asks Oogami to change into his civilian uniform.

LIPS #17: Sakura and Iris are waiting outside of Yoneda's office, and both of them want to accompany Oogami to his room. Oogami says:
Sakura please accompany me	Sakura +, Iris -
Iris please accompany me	Iris +, Sakura -
I'd like you both to accompany me	@
(no answer)	@

In Oogami's room, Iris and Sakura tell Oogami that they have prepared a surprise welcome party for him and that everybody is already waiting in the dressing room, so Oogami should hurry and change. Next comes the very challenging Multiple LIPS choices about Oogami changing clothes. If you don't choose correctly, Oogami will embarrass himself in front of the ladies ^_^ There's not enough time to wait for the dialog text to finish scrolling, so you need to hit the B-button fast to skip forward. Choose the choices marked "OK" below to get the best result.

LIPS #18.1: first Oogami decides to:
undress in a hurry	Iris -
undress carefully	OK
(no answer)	?
LIPS #18.2: next Oogami decides to:
Put on neck tie	@
Put on shirt	@
Fold his clothes	OK
(no answer)	?
LIPS #18.3: next Oogami decides to:
Open the door ^_^;	Iris -, Sakura -, skip LIPS #18.4
Put on trousers	OK
(no answer)	?
LIPS #18.4: finally Oogami decides to:
Comb his hair	OK, Iris +, Sakura +, Iris +, Sakura +
Open the door	?
(no answer)	?

LIPS #19: Sakura asks Oogami what kind of person he thinks the new member will be. Oogami replies:
I wonder if she's a strange person...	Sakura -, Iris -
we have to be more friendly to her (since she's new to Japan)	Sakura +
...I wish she's kawaii ^_^	Sakura -
(no answer)	@
LIPS #20: Enters Soletta. Yoenda introduces Oogami to Soletta. Oogami decides to use:
serious greeting	@, TOUGH
informal greeting	Soletta -, SOFT
(no answer)	Soletta -
LIPS #21: Oogami tries to be nice and says that since Soletta is new to Japan, she must have a lot of adjustments to make. Oogami asks her to treat the other Hanagumi members as relatives and to talk with them when in need etc. etc. To everybody's surprise, Soletta gets angry suddenly and says she's going back to her room. Oogami decides to:
Shout after Soletta asking her to stop	@
Chase after Soletta	@
(do nothing)	Sakura --

Just when Oogami was about to go to bed, he found out that Kohran had left a gadget called the "Kinematron" in his room. It works like a video phone and allows him to communicate with Hanagumi members while they're away. After Kohran demonstrated how to use the machine, other Hanagumi members (Kanna, Sumire and Maria) also join in for a 5-way call. And of course, it isn't long before Kanna and Sumire get into a long-distance fight ^_^

LIPS #22: After Oogami finished using the Kinematron, Sakura knocks on his door and asks if he'd like to take a night walk with her in the Imperial Theater. She also suggests they ask Soletta to come along so they can talk. Oogami replies:
Yes, let's go	Sakura +
... meeting Soletta?	Sakura -
but I want to get more sleep...	Sakura --
(no answer)	@

Oogami knocked on Soletta's door and she came out and asked Oogami what he's up to. She said she wants to sleep so Oogami has to say it fast or else she'll leave before he finishes. And so, it's multiple LIPS challenge again ^_^

LIPS #23.1: Oogami decides to:
get to the point and invite Soletta for a walk	OK, TOUGH
talk in roundabout way	?
(no answer)	?
LIPS #23.2: Oogami asks Soletta:
do you have any free time before you sleep?	OK
why don't you change to a better mood?	?
(no answer)	?
LIPS #23.3: Soletta says she wants to have a look at the music room. She asks Oogami until when will they be walking. Oogami replies:
until 10pm	OK
until 11pm	?
until 12am	?
(no answer)	?
LIPS #23.4: Soletta asks Oogami what do they plan to do. Oogami replies:
we're thinking about chatting with you about all kinds of things	OK
we're thinking about giving you a guided tour of the Imperial Theater	OK
(no answer)	?
LIPS #23.5:
so let's stop talking and get moving	FAIL
but I don't always say unreasonable things	OK
(no answer)	?

If Oogami succeeded in asking Soletta out for a walk, Sakura +. Otherwise @ and Oogami and Sakura will go for a walk themselves. Thus Oogami and company has 30 minutes of free-roam time within the Imperial Theater. Can go to the following places (not necessarily in order):

Music Room: Soletta is delighted to see that there's an excellent piano and she played seriously a little piece of music.

LIPS #24: After she finished playing, Soletta asks Oogami whether he knows what she just played. Oogami replies:
The German March?	@
The Italian March?	@
The Turkish March?	Soletta +
(no answer)	@

First Floor Guest Seating: Sakura comments that the Imperial Opera Company will be playing "King Lear" in June.

LIPS #25: Soletta asks Oogami whether he knows who wrote "King Lear". Oogami replies:
Dostoevsky?	Soletta -
Shakespeare?	Soletta +
Mozart?	@
(no answer)	@

Theater Shop: If Oogami bought Sakura's picture earlier, Sakura +.

Outside the costume room: Meets Iris, who's looking for Oogami.

LIPS #26: Oogami says:
what are you doing so late at night?	@
you shouldn't stay up so late	Iris -
(no answer)	@
LIPS #27: Iris says she'll go to sleep if Oogami plays a game of hide and seek with her. Oogami has to find her in the costume room before time runs out. To find Iris, click on the shadow at the lower left corner of the picture. If found Iris, Iris +

Guest Entrance: Oogami checks whether the door has been locked.

LIPS #28: Soletta asks why Oogami has to check the door himself. Oogami replies
this is my responsibility as captain	Sakura +
I thought so. What do you think?	Sakura -
(no answer)	@

Basement Level: Sakura tells Oogami that the basement is under construction and thus cannot go in. Oogami asks what they are innovating, Sakura says the pool, the clinic etc. Also the shower room is changed to a Japanese style public bath.

LIPS #29: Oogami says:
public baths are limited to Japanese	@
public bath...	@
I love mixed bath ^_^	Sakura -, Soletta --
(no answer)	@

Soletta's Room:

LIPS #30:
knock on the door	@
open the door	Soletta -, and she'll refuse to continue walking with Oogami
(no answer)	@

Sakura's Room:

LIPS #31: Soletta asks whether Oogami comes here because there's something between him and Sakura. Oogami says:
I'm only coming here as part of our walk	@
How, how did you know that!?	Sakura -
(no answer)	Soletta -

At 10pm their walk around the Imperial Theater ends.

LIPS #32: Sakura says it's time to go back. Oogami says:
Let me escort both of you back to your rooms	@, but Soletta will go back first by herself
alright, good night	@
(no answer)	?
LIPS #33: The next day, Oogami resumes his boring job of bookkeeping. While he's counting the receipts, he got distracted by Yuri and almost lost count. The next count should be:
127	@
129	@
131	@
(no answer)	@, SOFT
LIPS #34: After finishing his job in the business office, Oogami decides to go to:
the Theater Shop	(can buy a bromide if haven't done so already)
the theater stage	@
LIPS #35: Oogami meets Iris in the hallway. Iris is looking very worried and tells Oogami that Sakura and Soletta has gotten into a quarrel. It turns out that Soletta has refused to rehearse the stage dialog with Sakura because she says she never needed to rehearse but act on inspiration instead ^_^ Sakura wasn't successful in convincing her to do otherwise and Soletta says she's leaving again. Oogami decides to:
not to let her pass	Sakura +, Iris +, TOUGH, gets water in face ^_^
let her pass	?
(do nothing)	?
LIPS #36: At this point the siren sounds and everybody gathers at the command room. Oogami chooses to ask Yoneda about:
the enemy	@
Soletta's uniform	@
nothing	@
LIPS 37#: Soletta surprised everybody by taking her mecha unit out alone ahead to fight the enemies. Oogami gives the order:
Hanagumi of the Teigekidan, Launch Attack!	Sakura +, Iris +
Be prepared to view the flowers!	@, SOFT
(no answer)	@

LIPS #38: At the beginning of battle, Sakura will ask Oogami whether he needs her to remind him how to operate the koubu. Oogami replies:
Yes please remind me	@, Sakura teaches the controls
No need, I remember.	@, no lessons
(no answer)	?
LIPS #39: In the first part of the battle (before Sa'tan appears), if Oogami and Sakura are next to each other, Sakura will comment that this reminds her of the first time they fought together. Oogami says:
yes it's almost a year ago	@
yes it's almost 2 years ago	Sakura +
it's like 20 years	Sakura -
(no answer)	@
LIPS #40: Also in the first part of the battle, if Iris and Oogami are next to each other, Oogami comments:
Iris is much taller now	Iris +
Jean-Paul is much bigger now	@, Iris thinks Oogami is "hen" (weird) ^_^
(no answer)	@
LIPS #41: In the second part of the battle. The resurrected Sa'tan is about to strike the final blow on Soletta when Oogami decides to:
protect Soletta	@
(do nothing)	@, but Sakura will protect Soletta instead

After Sa'tan's defeated, he's still alive and Yoneda recognized him as Yamazaki Shinnosuke, who had disappeared mysteriously after the last Demon War 7 years ago (now why didn't Yoneda or Ayame recognize him before then...?). He says he hates the capital and the people in it and he has put a curse on them. The mysterious masked Demon Lord then appears behind him and finishes him off...

The battle in this episode is just a warm-up battle which presents no challenge. In the first part of the battle, simply get rid of all the goons. It's easier to use the captain's command "FIRE" so that the attack powers of each koubu will be maximized and can kill the goons with one strike.

The second part of the battle (after Sa'tan/Yamazaki appears) is also pretty easy, since the mecha unit of Sa'tan isn't really very powerful. Even a couple of normal attacks is enough to finish him off.

Since the enemies do not present enough challenge in this battle, you may turn to maximizing your team members' confidence index as a challenge: Use "protect" moves on Sakura/Iris to increase their confidence indices (seems like one can't increase a Hanagumi's confidence index beyond about 4 units using the protect move, but I'm not sure...) Note that Soletta's confidence index doesn't increase (she only looks puzzled) if Oogami uses his protect move on her, so better not waste it on her ^_^ Also try to put Iris and Sakura next to Oogami at least once so that they can talk and you can have a chance to raise their confidence indices. Combine attacks are not possible in this episode it seems.

Back to Sakura Wars 2 Episode Guide