Kana - Imoto

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Kana - Imoto
Kana - Imouto.PNG
Original title 加奈 〜 い も う と 〜 (Japanese, PC, PSP),
Kana - Little Sister (eng.),
加奈… お か え り !! ( Okaeri !! )
Studio DO
Publisher DO (jap., PC),
G-Collections (eng.),
Takayashiki Development ( Okaeri !! ),
Cyberfront (jap., PSP)
Erstveröffent-
lichung		 Windows: June 25, 1999 August 7, 2002 Nov. 19, 2004 ( Okaeri !! )
JapanJapan
North AmericaNorth America
JapanJapan

Mac: June 15, 2001 August 7, 2002
JapanJapan
North AmericaNorth America

PSP: October 7, 2010
JapanJapan
platform PC ( Windows , Mac ), PlayStation Portable
genre Ren'ai adventure , eroge
Subject Drama , romance
Game mode Single player
control Keyboard Mouse
system advantages
preconditions		 233 MHz CPU , 32 MB RAM (PC);
500 MHz CPU, 64 MB RAM ( Okaeri !! )
medium CD-ROM (PC, Japanese + Eng.), Download (Eng.), UMD (PSP)
language Japanese , English

Kana - Imōto ( Japanese 加奈 〜 い も う と 〜 , "Kana - little sister") is a computer game belonging to the Ren'ai adventure genre . It is an eroge and accordingly contains pornographic scenes.

Publications

The original version of the game was developed by DO ( Digital Objet ) for the Windows operating system and released in Japan in 1999. The scenario was written by Hajime Yamada ( 山田 一 , Yamada Hajime ). A version for Mac OS was released in 2001.

An English translation under the title Kana - Little Sister was published by G-Collections in 2002 . In contrast to the Japanese version, the pornographic scenes here appear uncensored (without mosaics). This version is also available as a download.

In 2003 Panther Software announced the development of a version for the Xbox game console , which never appeared and was officially abandoned in May 2005 after several postponements.

Under the title Kana… Okaeri !! ( 加奈… お か え り !! , “Kana… Welcome back!”) Takayashiki Development released a revised version in 2004, also for Windows. The text of the original version was not changed, but the graphics were recreated and the game was provided with voice output throughout.

In 2010 Cyberfront released a port of the game for the PlayStation Portable . Again, the graphics of the original version were used, which were supplemented by some new graphics. This version also has speech output that has been newly recorded. The pornographic scenes were removed so that the PSP version of the game was given the CERO rating (suitable for ages 15+ ).

action

The game tells the melodramatic story of the two siblings Takamichi (called Taka) and Kana. Central themes are the life-threatening illness of the title heroine and the incestuous relationship that is gradually emerging between the main characters.

The action begins when ten-year-old Taka and his eight-year-old sister Kana are on a family outing. Because Kana suffers from chronic kidney failure , the parents take special care of her, which arouses Taka's jealousy. But after realizing how weak and vulnerable Kana is, he changes his mind and saves her life when she gets lost in the forest. In the years that followed, Taka made every effort to stand by and protect his sister.

At the age of 16 (in the English-language version: 18 years), Kana's health deteriorated considerably; the doctors only give her a few months to live. Taka, who hides this fact from Kana, now tries to make the remaining time for Kana as pleasant and varied as possible. In this situation, the siblings also gradually realize that their love for one another is beyond the normal framework of fraternal affection, which makes them feel insecure and guilty. Eventually it turns out that Kana was adopted by Taka's parents as a small child and that the two are therefore not related by blood.

Depending on the decisions made by the player during the game, the game ends with Kana's death or her dramatic rescue.

Game mechanics

As usual with visual novels, people and scenery are shown in the background, while the dialogue between the characters and Taka's narration are shown as text in the foreground. Music and sound effects are also used. The player can make decisions at around 30 points in the plot that determine the course of the story and what conclusion it ultimately comes to. There are a total of six different exits the story can take. It takes about five to ten hours to complete the game.

Characters

Takamichi "Taka" Tōdō ( 藤 堂 隆 道 , Tōdō Takamichi )
The hero of the story, from whose perspective the plot is told. He has a strong affection for his sister Kana, who is two years his junior, and takes good care of her.
Kana Tōdō ( 藤 堂 加奈 , Tōdō Kana )
Taka's younger sister, who has suffered from chronic kidney failure since early childhood. Due to her serious illness, she spends a large part of her time in the hospital. As a result, she has little opportunity to make friends and becomes heavily dependent on her brother Taka.
Yumi Kashima ( 鹿島 夕 美 , Kashima Yumi )
A classmate and later friend of Takas. After greatly disappointing him in fifth grade, Taka developed strong feelings of hatred towards Yumi. Only after years does she manage to regain his affection and start a relationship with him.
Miki Kondō ( 近藤 美 樹 , Kondō Miki )
A nurse who has looked after Kana since she was a child.
Yūta Itō ( 伊藤 勇 太 , Itō Yūta )
A classmate of Canada. After teasing her at school, he gradually developed an inclination for her and now tried to protect her from other students. He tries repeatedly to get to know Kana better and to date her, but she remains very reserved and distant towards him.
Sumako Kirihara ( 霧 原 須 摩 子 , Kirihara Sumako )
Takas and Kana's aunt. She developed breast cancer and spent her final months in the hospice.
Kana Kirihara ( 霧 原 香奈 , Kirihara Kana )
Sumako's little daughter. She suffers from a congenital liver disease and therefore also spends a lot of time in the hospital. During Sumako's illness, she temporarily lives with the Tōdō family.

reception

Kana - Imōto was rated by critics as an extraordinary, emotionally touching game with special depth. Jason Young described the plot as “one of the most emotional and meaningful stories”, which can be encountered in games, anime, films or books, and described Kana - Imōto as “a celebration of life and a search for what it means to be alive ”(“ a celebration of life and a search for what it means to be alive ”).

James Jursudakul described the game as “the most heart-felt tale that I've ever experienced in a game” and cited it as an outstanding example of this, “how fascinating the stories of visual novels can actually be ”(“ how fascinating the stories of visual novels can actually be ”).

Leigh Alexander emphasized the sensitive treatment of incest issues in the game and characterized Kana - Imōto as “much less a sex game than it is a self-generated essay on deep-rooted human essentials” (“much less a sex game than a self-made one Essay on Basic Questions in Human Life ”).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 加奈 ～ い も う と ～ （Xbox 版） 発 売 中止 の お 知 ら せ　(Notice of the end of sales of the Xbox version of Kana - Imōto ) , Panther Software , accessed February 13, 2016 (Japanese)
  2. ↑ PSP 版 に つ い て　(About the PSP version) ( Memento from March 16, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), Cyberfront , accessed on February 13, 2016 (Japanese)
  3. ↑ Jason Young: Rewind Review: Today, I saw the ocean. I'm not afraid anymore. , in: Gaming Target , August 1, 2006, accessed February 13, 2016
  4. ↑ James Jursudakul: "... a visual novel I will remember, always." ( Memento of February 19, 2012 in the Internet Archive ), in: Advanced Media Network , January 18, 2007, accessed on February 13, 2016 (English)
  5. ↑ Leigh Alexander: heart-wrenching Hentai: playing porn games for the story , in: The Escapist , July 31, 2007, accessed on February 13, 2016 (English)

Web links