H2O: Footprints in the Sand
Encyclopedia
H2O: Footprints in the Sand is a Japan
ese adult
visual novel
by Makura
that was released on June 23, 2006 for the PC
as a DVD
; a version playable on the PlayStation 2
under the title H2O + followed on April 24, 2008 with adult content removed, but in its place will be additional scenarios and graphics not seen in the original release. H2O is Makura's first game; a sequel named Root After and Another
was later produced in October 2007. The gameplay
in H2O follows a plot line that offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the three female main characters. There are two modes of gameplay, the Blindness Effect and Normal Effect, where the former plays on the fact that the protagonist is blind, and the latter mode removes the added element of gameplay the Blindness Effect has. The story is broken into three parts: the original introduction and meeting, following by a separation and reunion, and finally ending with the protagonist choosing one of the girls and spending the rest of the game with her.
A manga
adaptation, drawn by Japanese
artist
Kira Inugami
, started serialization in the seinen manga magazine Comp Ace
on January 26, 2007, published by Kadokawa Shoten
. An anime
by the animation studio Zexcs
began airing in Japan on January 4, 2008 on the Fukui TV
television network. The maxi single
s containing the game's opening and ending themes were released at Comiket 70
in August 2006. The game's original soundtrack came bundled with the original game as a pre-order bonus. The name H2O comes from the first letter of the three main heroines: Hayami, Hinata, and Otoha. Footprints in the Sand comes from a poem
; the first part of this poem appeared in episode one of the anime and the second half in the final episode.
between the various characters, or the inner thoughts of the protagonist. A single choice the player makes determines which girl the protagonist chooses. There are three main plot lines that the player will have the chance to experience, one for each of the heroines in the story. To view the three plot lines to their entirety, the player must replay the game multiple times and choose a different choice at the single decision point to further the plot in an alternate direction. In contrast to visual novel
adventure game
s where the text appears near the bottom of the screen leaving the rest of the window open for viewing the game's visual content, the text in H2O appears over the entire screen in a shaded, but otherwise transparent box. However, there is an option to hide the text in order to see the background without obstruction.
The game can be played in two modes, a Blindness Effect Mode or a Normal Effect Mode. The former takes into account that the protagonist is blind, and while he can imagine what the people he talks with look like, he cannot discern the color of the world around him, which renders the artwork in an almost black and white tone, additionally giving it a stylish and dream-like appearance. As gameplay progresses and the protagonist's condition gradually heals, this convention eventually fades away as the protagonist can now see with his own eyes the world around him. The Normal Effect Mode does not use the effect from the Blindness Effect Mode and therefore the visuals are otherwise unchanged from their originally colored state. The two modes can be interchanged at any moment throughout the gameplay.
There are three parts in the gameplay. The first part, entitled the serves to set up the story and for the protagonist to meet and get to know the characters, especially the three heroines. Following the first part, there is a time where the protagonist must leave for several years only to come back in the so-called and meet the girls he knew before who have changed somewhat. After the player chooses one of the girls, the third part in the story called the concludes the game, which is also where the majority of the erotic content is viewable. The story consists primarily of the first two parts, which are a flashback from the protagonist's point of view. Within this flashback are around fifty smaller flashbacks from the past of the protagonist and the girls'. While the game is intended to be a serious drama, the gameplay is peppered with unrelated bouts of humor, which come with computer graphic artwork of the characters in a humorous situation depicted in a super deformed
style. The pacing of the game is rather slow and tends to reuse the same flashback scenes. Additionally, certain flashbacks are viewable no matter which girls' scenario is pursued and these cannot be skipped.
There is an additional "emergency" button that can be activated if the player does not want other people to know they are playing an adult game
. This option shows a random piece of artwork unrelated to the game's content out of around one-hundred images. These images are rather bizarre, one such image containing a black and white photograph of a toy horse head with red "blood" splattered around the edge of the image.
for the PC
on June 23, 2006; an artbook came bundled with the game. A version for the PlayStation 2
entitled H2O + with adult
content removed was released on April 24, 2008 by Kadokawa Shoten
. The PS2 version contains new computer graphics and scenarios not seen in the original release.
is undetermined. After his mother died an unexpected death, it left a deep emotional scar on him, which caused him to become very lonely and reserved. Due to this, Takuma and his uncle move from the city out into a rural area and Takuma is enrolled into a new junior-high school. At his new school, he meets several new girls, though three of whom he gets to know the most out of anyone else. They are, the firm and obstinate Hayami Kohinata, the kind and obliging Hinata Kagura, and the cheerful and mysterious Otoha, who is a spirit of Hinata's dead sister. As Takuma interacts with these girls, his medical condition gradually begins to heal. When the summer festival came, Takuma realized that he needs Hayami and said to her that he wants her to stay by his side. Rumors spread and the village elder knew about their relationship so he revealed to Takuma that the reason of his mom's death was because of the Kohinata family. Takuma became confused and out of his mind, which lead him to hurt Hayami and lost his sight. Takuma then realized that the whatever he can see is nothing but an illusion. In the final episode, Takumi gained mental disorder due to emotional depression and considers Hayami as his mom. He then saves Hayami from being killed by the village elder and decides to move in Tokyo with Hayami. While they were living in Tokyo, Hayami makes Takuma realize that he have to accept the death of his real mom and Hayami dies while saving a boy from being hit by the train. Many years later, Takuma's blindness had been healed and he makes a windmill where he and Hayami will always stay, then Otoha approached him, for the first time in many years. She tells him that the spirits allowed Hayami to be alive again. She runs away and Hayami approaches Takuma.
adaptation began serialization in the seinen manga magazine Comp Ace
on January 26, 2007, published by Kadokawa Shoten
. The story was based on the visual novel version that preceded it, and illustrated by Kira Inugami
. The first bound volume
was released on December 26, 2007, and the second was released on March 26, 2008.
adaptation by the animation studio
Zexcs
began airing in Japan on January 4, 2008 on the Fukui TV
television network, and is directed by Hideki Tachibana
; the final twelfth episode aired on March 21, 2008. A preview
video was streamed on Kadokawa Shoten
's official website for their magazine Newtype
on December 19, 2007. Most notably, the video contains an English
narration, a rarity for Japanese trailers. The first episode of the series was previewed on December 23, 2007 in Akihabara
, Japan
, and the final episode was previewed on March 20, 2008, in Machida
, Japan. The first episode opens with a partial recitation of the poem "Footprints
", and the end of the poem is recited in the second half of the final episode. The anime has been licensed for release in English
by Kadokawa USA
.
s for the opening and ending themes were released at Comiket 70
on August 12, 2006. Two more theme songs used in the game were "Dream" and "Footprints in the Sand", also both sung by Monet. A character song album for Otoha entitled , sung by Mia Naruse
, was released on October 22, 2006 at the DreamParty Tokyo convention. An arrange
maxi single titled H2O: Prelude containing arranged versions of "H2O" and "Tomorrow", was released on December 21, 2007. The game's original soundtrack came bundled with the original game as a pre-order bonus. The opening theme for the anime version is by Yui Sakakibara
and the maxi single was released on January 25, 2008. The ending theme for the anime is by Haruka Shimotsuki
and the single was released on February 22, 2008. "Footprints in the Sand" by Monet is the ending theme in the anime's final episode.
s in amount sold in Japan, H2O premiered at number two, and ranked in again the following ranking at number thirteen. H2O was the second highest selling game for the month of June 2006 on Getchu.com, just behind Summer Days
, and for the first half of 2006 was the fourteenth highest selling game on the same website. H2O dropped to the twenty-fifth highest selling game on Getchu.com for the entire year of 2006.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese adult
Eroge
An or Ero-ga is a Japanese video or computer game that features erotic content, usually in the form of anime-style artwork. Eroge originated from galge, but unlike galge, they feature erotic/pornographic content.-History:...
visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
by Makura
Makura
is a Japanese adult visual novel studio. They are a sister brand to Kero Q.-Games produced:*H2O: Footprints in the Sand *√After and Another *Supreme Candy...
that was released on June 23, 2006 for the PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
as a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
; a version playable on the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
under the title H2O + followed on April 24, 2008 with adult content removed, but in its place will be additional scenarios and graphics not seen in the original release. H2O is Makura's first game; a sequel named Root After and Another
Root After and Another
Root After and Another is a Japanese adult visual novel by Makura which was released on October 26, 2007 for the PC as a DVD in limited and regular first editions. Root After and Another is Makura's second game and is the sequel to their first game H2O: Footprints in the Sand...
was later produced in October 2007. The gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
in H2O follows a plot line that offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the three female main characters. There are two modes of gameplay, the Blindness Effect and Normal Effect, where the former plays on the fact that the protagonist is blind, and the latter mode removes the added element of gameplay the Blindness Effect has. The story is broken into three parts: the original introduction and meeting, following by a separation and reunion, and finally ending with the protagonist choosing one of the girls and spending the rest of the game with her.
A manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
adaptation, drawn by Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
artist
Mangaka
is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...
Kira Inugami
Kira Inugami
is a female Japanese manga artist. She often participates in cosplaying events.-Works illustrated:*H2O: Footprints in the Sand artbook & manga*√After and Another artbook-External links:*...
, started serialization in the seinen manga magazine Comp Ace
Comp Ace
is a Japanese computer game and manga magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten. Comp Ace began as a special edition version of another one of Kadokawa Shoten's magazines, Comptiq. The first issue was released on March 26, 2005, and was published quarterly for the first three volumes which had cover...
on January 26, 2007, published by Kadokawa Shoten
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
. An anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
by the animation studio Zexcs
Zexcs
is a Japanese animation studio located in Koganei, Tokyo, Japan. It was established on January 23, 1998 and is known for doing the animation production of a number of series such as MY HiMe, Sister Princess, and Speed Grapher...
began airing in Japan on January 4, 2008 on the Fukui TV
Fukui Television Broadcasting
, doing business as , is a Japanese terrestrial commercial television broadcasting company headquartered in Fukui, Japan. The company was established on October 1, 1969...
television network. The maxi single
Maxi single
A maxi single or maxi-single is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an a-side song and a b-side song.-The first maxi singles:...
s containing the game's opening and ending themes were released at Comiket 70
Comiket
, otherwise known as the , is the world's largest self-published comic book fair, held twice a year in Tokyo, Japan. The first Comiket was held on December 21, 1975, with only about 32 participating circles and an estimated 600 attendees. Attendance has since swelled to over a half million people....
in August 2006. The game's original soundtrack came bundled with the original game as a pre-order bonus. The name H2O comes from the first letter of the three main heroines: Hayami, Hinata, and Otoha. Footprints in the Sand comes from a poem
Footprints (poem)
"Footprints," also known as "Footprints in the Sand," is a popular allegorical text written in prose.-Content:This popular text describes a dream, in which the person is walking on a beach with God. They leave two sets of footprints in the sand behind them. Looking back, the tracks are stated to...
; the first part of this poem appeared in episode one of the anime and the second half in the final episode.
Visual novel
Gameplay
The gameplay requires almost no interaction from the player as nearly the entire duration of the game is spent on simply reading the text that will appear on the screen; this text represents either dialogueDialogue
Dialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people....
between the various characters, or the inner thoughts of the protagonist. A single choice the player makes determines which girl the protagonist chooses. There are three main plot lines that the player will have the chance to experience, one for each of the heroines in the story. To view the three plot lines to their entirety, the player must replay the game multiple times and choose a different choice at the single decision point to further the plot in an alternate direction. In contrast to visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
adventure game
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
s where the text appears near the bottom of the screen leaving the rest of the window open for viewing the game's visual content, the text in H2O appears over the entire screen in a shaded, but otherwise transparent box. However, there is an option to hide the text in order to see the background without obstruction.
There are three parts in the gameplay. The first part, entitled the serves to set up the story and for the protagonist to meet and get to know the characters, especially the three heroines. Following the first part, there is a time where the protagonist must leave for several years only to come back in the so-called and meet the girls he knew before who have changed somewhat. After the player chooses one of the girls, the third part in the story called the concludes the game, which is also where the majority of the erotic content is viewable. The story consists primarily of the first two parts, which are a flashback from the protagonist's point of view. Within this flashback are around fifty smaller flashbacks from the past of the protagonist and the girls'. While the game is intended to be a serious drama, the gameplay is peppered with unrelated bouts of humor, which come with computer graphic artwork of the characters in a humorous situation depicted in a super deformed
Super deformed
Super deformed or SD is a specific style of Japanese caricature where characters are drawn in an exaggerated way, typically small and chubby, with stubby limbs and oversized heads, to make them resemble small children...
style. The pacing of the game is rather slow and tends to reuse the same flashback scenes. Additionally, certain flashbacks are viewable no matter which girls' scenario is pursued and these cannot be skipped.
There is an additional "emergency" button that can be activated if the player does not want other people to know they are playing an adult game
Eroge
An or Ero-ga is a Japanese video or computer game that features erotic content, usually in the form of anime-style artwork. Eroge originated from galge, but unlike galge, they feature erotic/pornographic content.-History:...
. This option shows a random piece of artwork unrelated to the game's content out of around one-hundred images. These images are rather bizarre, one such image containing a black and white photograph of a toy horse head with red "blood" splattered around the edge of the image.
Release history
The game was first introduced to the public in Japan as an adult gameEroge
An or Ero-ga is a Japanese video or computer game that features erotic content, usually in the form of anime-style artwork. Eroge originated from galge, but unlike galge, they feature erotic/pornographic content.-History:...
for the PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
on June 23, 2006; an artbook came bundled with the game. A version for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
entitled H2O + with adult
Hentai
is a Japanese word that, in the West, is used when referring to sexually explicit or pornographic comics and animation, particularly those of Japanese origin such as anime, manga, and computer games. The word hentai is a kanji compound of 変 and 態...
content removed was released on April 24, 2008 by Kadokawa Shoten
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
. The PS2 version contains new computer graphics and scenarios not seen in the original release.
Story
H2Os story revolves around Takuma Hirose, a blind young male junior-high school student, though the cause for his blindnessBlindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
is undetermined. After his mother died an unexpected death, it left a deep emotional scar on him, which caused him to become very lonely and reserved. Due to this, Takuma and his uncle move from the city out into a rural area and Takuma is enrolled into a new junior-high school. At his new school, he meets several new girls, though three of whom he gets to know the most out of anyone else. They are, the firm and obstinate Hayami Kohinata, the kind and obliging Hinata Kagura, and the cheerful and mysterious Otoha, who is a spirit of Hinata's dead sister. As Takuma interacts with these girls, his medical condition gradually begins to heal. When the summer festival came, Takuma realized that he needs Hayami and said to her that he wants her to stay by his side. Rumors spread and the village elder knew about their relationship so he revealed to Takuma that the reason of his mom's death was because of the Kohinata family. Takuma became confused and out of his mind, which lead him to hurt Hayami and lost his sight. Takuma then realized that the whatever he can see is nothing but an illusion. In the final episode, Takumi gained mental disorder due to emotional depression and considers Hayami as his mom. He then saves Hayami from being killed by the village elder and decides to move in Tokyo with Hayami. While they were living in Tokyo, Hayami makes Takuma realize that he have to accept the death of his real mom and Hayami dies while saving a boy from being hit by the train. Many years later, Takuma's blindness had been healed and he makes a windmill where he and Hayami will always stay, then Otoha approached him, for the first time in many years. She tells him that the spirits allowed Hayami to be alive again. She runs away and Hayami approaches Takuma.
Characters
- (anime)
- Takuma is the main protagonist of the story. He has a moderately quiet personality partly because he suffers from blindnessBlindnessBlindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
and for his condition, he carries around a white caneWhite caneA white cane is used by many people who are blind or visually impaired, both as a mobility tool and as a courtesy to others. Not all modern white canes are designed to fulfill the same primary function, however: There are at least five varieties of this tool, each serving a slightly different...
he named , a pun on the word . His mother committed suicide, which left a deep emotional scar on Takuma. To rectify this, he moves to the countryside to live with his uncle. Takuma is naturally friendly and likes to befriend everyone he meets in his new town. There is a rift between the rich and the poor, with Takuma being on the former end of the divide.
- Hayami is a girl in Takuma's class who sits next to him. She has an unsociable personality and a sharp attitude towards others, not wanting to become friends. Hotaru is Hayami's best friend. Due to this, she is often bullied and is referred to by her schoolmates as the , but for some reason she does not fight back when being bullied. She has an intense fear of spidersArachnophobiaArachnophobia or arachnephobia is a specific phobia, the fear of spiders and other arachnids such as scorpions. It is a manifestation of zoophobia, among the most common of all phobias. The reactions of arachnophobics often seem irrational to others...
. She is poor and lives alone. Even though she owns a bathing suit, she will not participate in swimming classes because she is poor at it. Hayami's family was rich once because her parents are doctors. Since they charged high prices in medical examinations and were unwilling to take any patients in without the fees, the village people revolted against them, burned their house and kicked them out of the village with the exception of Hayami.
- Hinata is the granddaughter of the village headman, and is one of the rich members of town. She is in Takuma's class and is the council presidentClass PresidentA class president is usually the leader of a student body class, and presides over its class cabinet or organization within a student council, in a grade school class presidents are generally elected by the class, a constituency composed of all students in a grade level.The practice of electing a...
for her class. She has a kind of obliging personality, and is popular in her school. She tends to fall down and be clumsy, and once she even fell down a flight of stairs at school, though luckily Takuma was there to break her fall. She refers to Takuma as "Hirose-sama", a very polite form of expression. Her real name is actually , the younger sister to Hinata — known as Otoha by Takuma. When Hinata drowned, her grandfather forced Hotaru to become Hinata, and made the village people think that it was Hotaru that drowned.
- Otoha appears to be a normal girl, but she is in fact a spirit, and only Takuma can hear or see her. She is always cheerful, and will appear out of nowhere, clinging suddenly to Takuma. She refers to herself with the masculine pronounGender differences in spoken JapaneseThe Japanese language is unusual among major languages in the high degree to which the speech of women collectively differs from that of men. Differences in the ways that girls and boys use language have been detected in children as young as three years old ....
, meaning "I". She refers to Takuma as the . It is revealed that Otoha is the real Hinata Kagura who fell into a river and drowned. She took the name Otoha from Hotaru's picture book that she drew herself. Otoha shows Takuma a strange world before disappearing, in this world she is his fiancé. Just before she disappears, she confesses her love for him but says that she is not the one he belongs with.
- Yui is a girl in Takuma's class. She has a self-aggrandizing personality and always has two male henchmen tagging along. She often calls Hayami a "cockroachCockroachCockroaches are insects of the order Blattaria or Blattodea, of which about 30 species out of 4,500 total are associated with human habitations...
" and along with her henchmen will bully Hayami relentlessly, and while she gets along with Takuma, she likes to tease Hinata. She is very rich and often uses formal speech so as to distinguish herself from the "commoners". She was given a scenario in H2Os sequel Root After and AnotherRoot After and AnotherRoot After and Another is a Japanese adult visual novel by Makura which was released on October 26, 2007 for the PC as a DVD in limited and regular first editions. Root After and Another is Makura's second game and is the sequel to their first game H2O: Footprints in the Sand...
. Yui's grandfather died because Hayami's parents would not give him a medical examination without the fees since they were poor back then. This led to the village's revolt against the Kohinata family, and Yui's hatred for Hayami. However, she does show concern for Hayami and saves her in episode eleven of the anime from being killed by one of her henchmen.
- Hamaji is one of Takuma's classmates. Despite his feminineFemininityFemininity is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with girls and women. Though socially constructed, femininity is made up of both socially defined and biologically created factors...
appearance and voice, he is in fact a boy who crossdresses like a girl. He has an optimistic personality, and likes to play innocent when he plays bad jokes on others. He seems to favor Takuma. He has a little sister named , and his family owns a convenience store. In the epilogue of the story, he has a child with Maki, who was his best friend in the series. Maki is seen holding the child at the Kagura household, who could have been mistaken to be Takuma's child due to the hairstyle, but the hair color belongs to Hamaji, therefore, making him the father.
- Rin, like Takuma, is an exchange student from the city. She has a kind and gentle personality, and is a hard worker, but is rather clumsy. Rin is the main heroine in Makura's third game Sakura no UtaSakura no Uta: The tear flows because of tenderness. is an unreleased Japanese adult visual novel by Makura which has been delayed since 2004. Tentative dates of release have been planned every year, but the game still remains unreleased. Sakura no Uta is Makura's third game along with the title H2O: Footprints...
.
Related media
Manga
A mangaManga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
adaptation began serialization in the seinen manga magazine Comp Ace
Comp Ace
is a Japanese computer game and manga magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten. Comp Ace began as a special edition version of another one of Kadokawa Shoten's magazines, Comptiq. The first issue was released on March 26, 2005, and was published quarterly for the first three volumes which had cover...
on January 26, 2007, published by Kadokawa Shoten
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
. The story was based on the visual novel version that preceded it, and illustrated by Kira Inugami
Kira Inugami
is a female Japanese manga artist. She often participates in cosplaying events.-Works illustrated:*H2O: Footprints in the Sand artbook & manga*√After and Another artbook-External links:*...
. The first bound volume
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
was released on December 26, 2007, and the second was released on March 26, 2008.
Anime
An animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
adaptation by the animation studio
Animation studio
An animation studio is a company producing animated media. The broadest such companies conceive of products to produce, own the physical equipment for production, employ operators for that equipment, and hold a major stake in the sales or rentals of the media produced...
Zexcs
Zexcs
is a Japanese animation studio located in Koganei, Tokyo, Japan. It was established on January 23, 1998 and is known for doing the animation production of a number of series such as MY HiMe, Sister Princess, and Speed Grapher...
began airing in Japan on January 4, 2008 on the Fukui TV
Fukui Television Broadcasting
, doing business as , is a Japanese terrestrial commercial television broadcasting company headquartered in Fukui, Japan. The company was established on October 1, 1969...
television network, and is directed by Hideki Tachibana
Hideki Tachibana
is a male Japanese writer, and director of anime.-Anime involved in:*Azumanga Daioh : Storyboard , Animation director *Best Student Council : Key Animation *Bleach: Memories of Nobody : Storyboard, Chief Unit Director...
; the final twelfth episode aired on March 21, 2008. A preview
PREview
PREview is a requirements method which focuses on the early stage of Requirements Engineering: discovering and documenting requirements. PREview uses a Viewpoint-Oriented Approach to enable the conversion of top-level goals into requirements and constraints...
video was streamed on Kadokawa Shoten
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
's official website for their magazine Newtype
Newtype (magazine)
is a monthly magazine publication originating from Japan, covering anime and manga . It was launched by publishing company Kadokawa Shoten on March 8, 1985 with its April issue, and has since seen regular release on the 10th of every month in its home country...
on December 19, 2007. Most notably, the video contains an English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
narration, a rarity for Japanese trailers. The first episode of the series was previewed on December 23, 2007 in Akihabara
Akihabara
, also known as , is an area of Tokyo, Japan. It is located less than five minutes by rail from Tokyo Station. Its name is frequently shortened to in Japan...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and the final episode was previewed on March 20, 2008, in Machida
Machida, Tokyo
is a city located in the western part of the greater metropolis of Tokyo, Japan. The city was founded on February 1, 1958.As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 424,669 and a population density of 5,928.65 persons per km². The total area is 71.63 km²...
, Japan. The first episode opens with a partial recitation of the poem "Footprints
Footprints (poem)
"Footprints," also known as "Footprints in the Sand," is a popular allegorical text written in prose.-Content:This popular text describes a dream, in which the person is walking on a beach with God. They leave two sets of footprints in the sand behind them. Looking back, the tracks are stated to...
", and the end of the poem is recited in the second half of the final episode. The anime has been licensed for release in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
by Kadokawa USA
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
.
Music
The game's opening theme is "H2O" and the ending theme is "Tomorrow", both sung by Monet. The maxi singleMaxi single
A maxi single or maxi-single is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an a-side song and a b-side song.-The first maxi singles:...
s for the opening and ending themes were released at Comiket 70
Comiket
, otherwise known as the , is the world's largest self-published comic book fair, held twice a year in Tokyo, Japan. The first Comiket was held on December 21, 1975, with only about 32 participating circles and an estimated 600 attendees. Attendance has since swelled to over a half million people....
on August 12, 2006. Two more theme songs used in the game were "Dream" and "Footprints in the Sand", also both sung by Monet. A character song album for Otoha entitled , sung by Mia Naruse
Mia Naruse
is a female Japanese voice actress from Tokyo, Japan. She is also known as . On April 30, 2010, she announced that she will not be a seiyū anymore.-Anime cast in:*Demonbane as Ennea*Happiness! as Anri Hiiragi*H2O: Footprints in the Sand as Otoha...
, was released on October 22, 2006 at the DreamParty Tokyo convention. An arrange
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
maxi single titled H2O: Prelude containing arranged versions of "H2O" and "Tomorrow", was released on December 21, 2007. The game's original soundtrack came bundled with the original game as a pre-order bonus. The opening theme for the anime version is by Yui Sakakibara
Yui Sakakibara
, is a female Japanese choreographer, dancer, singer, songwriter, and voice actress from Hyōgo, Japan. She appeared on Kōhaku Uta Gassen as back ground dancer behind Ami Suzuki in 1999 and 2000. She used to use the name and others in her previous voices...
and the maxi single was released on January 25, 2008. The ending theme for the anime is by Haruka Shimotsuki
Haruka Shimotsuki
is a Japanese singer and dōjin music composer known for her vocal themes in the Atelier Iris and Ar tonelico series. She also wrote the lyrics and sang the ending themes to the two seasons of Rozen Maiden as well as the OVA under the name Kukui, with Myu. Shimotsuki's original music mainly consists...
and the single was released on February 22, 2008. "Footprints in the Sand" by Monet is the ending theme in the anime's final episode.
Reception
Across the national ranking of bishōjo gameBishojo game
A , or , is "a type of Japanese video game centered on interactions with attractive anime-style girls". These games are a sub-genre of dating sims targeted towards a male audience....
s in amount sold in Japan, H2O premiered at number two, and ranked in again the following ranking at number thirteen. H2O was the second highest selling game for the month of June 2006 on Getchu.com, just behind Summer Days
Summer Days
is a Japanese erotic visual novel developed by 0verflow and published by Stack, released on June 23, 2006 for Windows. It was later adapted into a DVDi by AiCherry, released on April 11, 2008. The original computer game is notorious for being released in a highly unstable condition littered with...
, and for the first half of 2006 was the fourteenth highest selling game on the same website. H2O dropped to the twenty-fifth highest selling game on Getchu.com for the entire year of 2006.