One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese adult
visual novel
, developed by Tactics
, a brand of the joint company Nexton
, and released on May 26, 1998 playable on the PC
for Windows 95
. Much of the staff that created the game later became the founding members of the visual novel company Key
. The game was later ported to the PlayStation, and re-released as a full-voice version for the PC. A sequel
loosely based on the original One visual novel entitled One2: Eien no Yakusoku was produced by BaseSon, another brand under Nexton, and was first released in April 2002.
Two original video animation
(OVA) series were created loosely based on One. The first, which had the same title as the original game, was an all-ages OVA published by KSS
between 2001 and 2002 with four episodes. The second series, by the title of One: True Stories, was adult
in nature, and published by Cherry Lips
between 2003 and 2004 with three episodes. One: True Stories was later licensed for English language
distribution by Media Blasters
. Other adaptations include four novels, drama CDs
, and manga
anthologies.
According to a national ranking of how well bishōjo game
s sold nationally in Japan, the One full-voice edition for the PC premiered at number twelve out of fifty in the ranking, and ranked the following two weeks at forty. In the month that followed, the One full voice edition ranked first in sixtieth place, and then again in the following ranking at forty-four. The six heroines from One have appeared in the Eternal Fighter Zero
dōjin games
by Twilight Frontier
.
Ones gameplay
requires little interaction from the player as most of the game is spent on reading the text that appears on the game screen, which represents either dialogue
between the various characters, or the inner thoughts of the protagonist. Every so often, the player will come to a "decision point" where he or she is given the chance to choose from options displayed on the screen, typically two to three at a time. The time between these decision points is variable and can occur anywhere from a minute to much longer. During these times, gameplay pauses until a choice is made that furthers the plot in a specific direction, depending on which choice the player makes.
There are six main plot lines that the player will have the chance to experience, one for each of the heroines in the story. Each plot line can be achieved through multiple replays. One of the goals of the original version's gameplay is for the player to enable the viewing of adult scenes
depicting Kōhei and one of the six heroines having sexual intercourse
.
. Beyond the forest is a park with a fountain and a flight of stairs on a hill. Other than the school, the shopping district in town and the usual path Kōhei takes to school are shown, but otherwise the only other place depicted is Kōhei's two-story house.
Kōhei also meets a blind upperclassman named Misaki Kawana who has a sociable personality where she can be unreserved with anyone. A mute underclassman girl named Mio Kouzuki meets Kōhei one day and uses a sketchbook to carry on written conversations. She belongs to the drama club, and despite not being able to speak, can still show emotion through various abundant expressions. The last girl Kōhei gets to know is a junior high school student named Mayu Shiina who has a hot temper and refuses to go to school. Her one and only friend she could trust in life, a ferret named Myū, dies shortly before she meets Kōhei and the other main characters.
The Eternal World is a place similar to the afterlife accessible to anyone, though returning to the real world is difficult. The person's "other self" awaits in that world. If a bond is found in the real world, a person in the Eternal World can be returned after approximately one year. The area is a common territory where anyone in the Eternal World can meet each other. Once inside, it might be necessary to take a girl as a guide by forming a pledge where a grace period can be granted. The guide to the Eternal World's avatar exists in the real world, but one's memories surrounding the pledge become hazy. This world is only accessible once one has lost his or her grounding in the real world, and nothing can prevent someone from going to the Eternal World. A person about to leave to the Eternal World starts to be forgotten approximately one week before going. However, he or she is remembered the moment that person returns. The amount of time before someone forgets differs based on how much someone thinks about the person leaving.
Kōhei is living a normal life in high school with his childhood friend Mizuka Nagamori, and gets to know five other girls throughout the story whom he tries to help with their various personal problems. While Kōhei likes to joke and tease the girls he knows, deep down he is nice to girls and genuinely wants to help them. In the story, Kōhei is able to form intimate relationships with the six main heroines who include: Mizuka Nagamori, Rumi Nanase, Misaki Kawana, Mio Kouzuki, Mayu Shiina, and Akane Satomura. While a given relationship will start out well, before long those around him start to forget him as he begins to retreat further into the Eternal World within his mind. This process continues until even the girl he loves forgets him, at which point he falls into the Eternal World completely, making it seem as if he never existed in the real world. Kōhei's only hope of returning is to form a strong bond in the real world prior to leaving, and being able to follow his guide in the Eternal World back to the real world.
and Dōsei
. Ones production was headed by YET11, who also contributed to the music in the game. Planning was led by Jun Maeda
, who worked on the scenario with fellow writer Naoki Hisaya
. Art direction was given to Itaru Hinoue
who also worked on the computer graphics
along with Miracle Mikipon and Shinory. The music was composed primarily by OdiakeS
and Shinji Orito
.
in CD-ROM
format; the limited edition included the game's first original soundtrack. Both the limited and regular editions of the original game contained no voice acting. On April 1, 1999, KID
released an all-ages version in regular and limited editions playable on the PlayStation under the title Kagayaku Kisetsu e; the PS version contained full-voice acting. On September 14, 2000, AI System released One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e Memorial Selection, which was essentially the original game, though the price was cheaper at a little less than half the original price. On January 1, 2003, a full voice version of the PC game was released by Nexton
. Kōhei was not voiced in any of the versions.
On February 9, 2007, One was released playable on FOMA
cell phones via a Java
program by NTT DoCoMo
. A second mobile release playable on au mobile phones
was released on March 1, 2007 by KDDI
. A third mobile release, also playable on FOMA cell phones, was released by SoftBank Mobile on July 2, 2007. The last release by Nexton was on June 1, 2007 as a Windows Vista
compatible edition for the PC. Only the version for the PlayStation did not contain adult
material. The opening video of the original release is still available for download at Tactics' One website.
, were published by Movic
between August 1998 and April 2000. The novels contained erotic material not suitable for children. Each volume focused on one of the main heroines in the story; volumes one through four focused on Mizuka, Akane, Misaki, and Rumi, respectively. A 143-page official fan book, which focused on Moon.
and One, was released by the publisher Compass in October 1998. Aspect released a 95-page official fan book for the PlayStation version of One in October 1999.
Compass also released a manga
anthology called Tactics Anthology Comic One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e Chapter in May 1999. Movic released a two-volume manga anthology called One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e Comic Anthology between October and December 1999. Ohzora released five volumes of manga anthologies: three in one series, and the last two as stand-alone volumes. The three-volume series is entitled One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e Anthology Comics and were released between May 2002 and February 2003. The first stand-alone volume called One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e Dōjin Selection was released in September 2003, and the second stand-alone volume titled Hidamari One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e was released in January 2004.
based on the original game were released by Movic
between November 6, 1999 and January 30, 2000. Two drama CDs based on the all-ages OVA series were released by KSS
between November 2001 and July 2002. The first original soundtrack for the game was released on December 6, 1998, and a second followed on September 24, 1999 as a piano arrange
album. An arrange
album came bundled with the full voice PC edition of the game entitled Sea Roars. A soundtrack for the all-ages OVA series entitled One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e Music from the Animation (also known as One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e Vocal Mini album) was released on August 10, 2001 by KSS. An original soundtrack for One: True Stories was released by ChamberRecords/HOBiRECORDS on November 21, 2003.
(OVA) series. The first was an all-ages OVA entitled One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e produced by KSS
; four DVD volumes were released in Japan between August 10, 2001 and May 24, 2002. The all-ages OVA is loosely based on the original One visual novel and is drawn with a different setting. The second series, produced by Cherry Lips
, was an adult OVA under the title One: True Stories. Three DVD volumes containing a single episode each were released between November 21, 2003 and May 28, 2004. One: True Stories was later licensed for English distribution by Media Blasters
and the three episodes were released in a single volume on August 16, 2005.
s sold nationally in Japan, the One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e Memorial Selection PC release ranked in on seven separate occasions. The game premiered at number six in the rankings during the first two weeks of September 2000. During the first two weeks of January 2001, the Memorial Selection ranked in at number thirty, and a month later during the first two weeks of February 2001, ranked in at number 38. Memorial Selection ranked in again at forty-one between the end of February and March 2001, and the following two weeks ranked in at thirty-two. Memorial Selection placed on the list again between May 7, 2001 and May 20, 2001, ranking in at forty-seven, and then for a final time during the first two weeks of July 2001, ranking in at thirty-seven. The One full-voice edition for the PC premiered at number twelve out of fifty in the ranking, and ranked the following two weeks at forty. In the month that followed, the One full voice edition ranked first in sixtieth place, and then again in the following ranking at forty-four.
The One: True Stories adult OVA series was reviewed at Mania.com where the reviewer remarked, "One: True Stories is the perfect kind of entry level or couples type of show that focuses just as much on the story and emotions of the characters as the sex, if not more so." The characters were found to be "appealing", and the story is described as a "fantasy but it's a nice fantasy."
Suzu ga Utau Hi in 1999. The rest of the main production staff for One, along with its predecessor Moon.
, were later credited with the creation of the visual novel Kanon
under the brand name Key
attached to Visual Art's
.
A sequel
loosely based on the original One visual novel entitled was produced by the visual novel studio BaseSon, another brand under Nexton
. One2 was released first on April 26, 2002, and then again on April 25, 2003 with added voice acting. One2 used the concept of the Eternal World established in One as a major motif as One had done. The Eternal World in One2 is better explained than in One, though the two versions of the world differ to a certain extent due to the scenario writers that worked on One not being credited on the production staff of One2.
Characters from One have appeared in other media not directly based on the One series. The six heroines from One have appeared in the Eternal Fighter Zero
dōjin game
s by Twilight Frontier
. Additionally, Rumi Nanase can be seen as a background character in several episodes of the Kanon anime
series by Kyoto Animation
. Itaru Hinoue
, the art director of One, included illustrations from One in her art book White Clover: Itaru Hinoue Art Works released in 2009.
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...
, developed by Tactics
Tactics (company)
Tactics is a Japanese visual novel studio which specializes in the development of dating sim and eroge style games. Tactics is actually a branch of the joint company Nexton. Their debut release was a game entitled Dōsei in mid-1997, followed by Moon. in the same year, and One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e in...
, a brand of the joint company Nexton
Nexton
is a Japanese software company specializing in the publishing and distribution of visual novel video games for a nine game developers that Nexton is partners with. The company is located in Osaka Prefecture, Osaka, Japan...
, and released on May 26, 1998 playable on 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...
for Windows 95
Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products...
. Much of the staff that created the game later became the founding members of the visual novel company Key
Key (company)
Key is a Japanese visual novel studio which formed on July 21, 1998 as a brand under the publisher Visual Art's and is located in Kita, Osaka, Japan. Key released their debut visual novel Kanon in June 1999, which combined an elaborate storyline, an up-to-date anime-style drawing style, and a...
. The game was later ported to the PlayStation, and re-released as a full-voice version for the PC. A sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
loosely based on the original One visual novel entitled One2: Eien no Yakusoku was produced by BaseSon, another brand under Nexton, and was first released in April 2002.
Two original video animation
Original video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
(OVA) series were created loosely based on One. The first, which had the same title as the original game, was an all-ages OVA published by KSS
KSS (company)
KSS Inc. is a Japanese company that provides anime studio services including production, music, subtitles and translation. At one time, they had also published video games.-Anime that KSS has been associated with:*Barbapapa*Battle Angel *Calimero...
between 2001 and 2002 with four episodes. The second series, by the title of One: True Stories, was 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...
in nature, and published by Cherry Lips
Cherry Lips (company)
-Anime produced:*Legend of the Wolf Woman: Production*One: True Stories: Production*Slave Nurses: Production...
between 2003 and 2004 with three episodes. One: True Stories was later licensed for English language
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...
distribution by Media Blasters
Media Blasters
Media Blasters is an entertainment corporation founded by John Sirabella and Sam Liebowitz, based in New York City. They are in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American market manga compilations and anime and live-action movies and television series to home-video...
. Other adaptations include four novels, drama CDs
Radio drama in Japan
Radio drama in Japan has a history as long as that of radio broadcasting in that country, which began in 1925. Some consider the first Japanese radio drama to have been "" which was a radio broadcast of a stage play. Others consider the Japanese translation of Richard Hughes's "Danger" or to be...
, and 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...
anthologies.
According to a national ranking of how well bishōjo game
Bishojo 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 sold nationally in Japan, the One full-voice edition for the PC premiered at number twelve out of fifty in the ranking, and ranked the following two weeks at forty. In the month that followed, the One full voice edition ranked first in sixtieth place, and then again in the following ranking at forty-four. The six heroines from One have appeared in the Eternal Fighter Zero
Eternal Fighter Zero
Eternal Fighter Zero is a dōjin fighting games for Microsoft Windows produced by Twilight Frontier, including characters from the visual novels Moon., One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e, Kanon, and Air...
dōjin games
Dojin soft
, also sometimes called , are video games created by Japanese hobbyists or hobbyist groups , more for fun than for profit; essentially, the Japanese equivalent of independent video games. Most of them are based on pre-existing material, but some are entirely original creations...
by Twilight Frontier
Twilight Frontier
Twilight Frontier is a Japanese doujin game developer. They are noted for making high quality derivative works of other games.-Productions:...
.
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...
requires little interaction from the player as most of the game is spent on reading the text that appears on the game screen, which represents either dialogue
Dialogue
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. Every so often, the player will come to a "decision point" where he or she is given the chance to choose from options displayed on the screen, typically two to three at a time. The time between these decision points is variable and can occur anywhere from a minute to much longer. During these times, gameplay pauses until a choice is made that furthers the plot in a specific direction, depending on which choice the player makes.
There are six main plot lines that the player will have the chance to experience, one for each of the heroines in the story. Each plot line can be achieved through multiple replays. One of the goals of the original version's gameplay is for the player to enable the viewing of adult scenes
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...
depicting Kōhei and one of the six heroines having sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
.
Setting
Ones story takes place from November 30, 1998 through March 30, 1999, although only Akane's route lasts that long. The main part of the story takes place at a Japanese high school, though little is shown except for Kōhei's classroom, the cafeteria, and a little of the surrounding area. The main school building is three-stories, and the roof is accessible, albeit with a sign on the roof's access door saying "No Entry", but the door is never locked regardless. Adjacent to the main building is another which houses club rooms. The school borders a forest on one side with a chain link fenceChain link fencing
A chain-link fence is a type of woven fence usually made from galvanized or LLDPE-coated steel wire...
. Beyond the forest is a park with a fountain and a flight of stairs on a hill. Other than the school, the shopping district in town and the usual path Kōhei takes to school are shown, but otherwise the only other place depicted is Kōhei's two-story house.
Main characters
Kōhei Orihara is a young man in high school living a normal life. He tends to tease the girls he knows, especially his childhood friend Mizuka Nagamori, but deep down he is generally nice to girls. Mizuka usually takes good care of him, and worries about Kōhei, wondering if he could suddenly get a girlfriend. She is constantly sighing, being made to go along with Kōhei's meaningless jokes. Kōhei meets a transfer student named Rumi Nanase early in the story whose goal is to become a "true maiden" and to that end, she behaves maidenly toward those around her, but she shows her true character just to Kōhei, who leaves a terrible first impression. Kōhei gets to know a quiet classmate named Akane Satomura who does not readily open her heart up to those around her, and refuses any help Kōhei may offer.Kōhei also meets a blind upperclassman named Misaki Kawana who has a sociable personality where she can be unreserved with anyone. A mute underclassman girl named Mio Kouzuki meets Kōhei one day and uses a sketchbook to carry on written conversations. She belongs to the drama club, and despite not being able to speak, can still show emotion through various abundant expressions. The last girl Kōhei gets to know is a junior high school student named Mayu Shiina who has a hot temper and refuses to go to school. Her one and only friend she could trust in life, a ferret named Myū, dies shortly before she meets Kōhei and the other main characters.
Story
The story revolves around Kōhei Orihara, the main protagonist, who suspects that at some point his current life will change while living a peaceful daily routine. His parents died when he was very young, and after his younger sister dies, he begins to seclude himself in the Eternal World, a world within his mind. The game's main recurring motif is a focus on the Eternal World, a mystical alternate space which is never clearly explained, and the details of which are unknown. Shun Hikami's remarks in the original game are possible clues about the Eternal World.The Eternal World is a place similar to the afterlife accessible to anyone, though returning to the real world is difficult. The person's "other self" awaits in that world. If a bond is found in the real world, a person in the Eternal World can be returned after approximately one year. The area is a common territory where anyone in the Eternal World can meet each other. Once inside, it might be necessary to take a girl as a guide by forming a pledge where a grace period can be granted. The guide to the Eternal World's avatar exists in the real world, but one's memories surrounding the pledge become hazy. This world is only accessible once one has lost his or her grounding in the real world, and nothing can prevent someone from going to the Eternal World. A person about to leave to the Eternal World starts to be forgotten approximately one week before going. However, he or she is remembered the moment that person returns. The amount of time before someone forgets differs based on how much someone thinks about the person leaving.
Kōhei is living a normal life in high school with his childhood friend Mizuka Nagamori, and gets to know five other girls throughout the story whom he tries to help with their various personal problems. While Kōhei likes to joke and tease the girls he knows, deep down he is nice to girls and genuinely wants to help them. In the story, Kōhei is able to form intimate relationships with the six main heroines who include: Mizuka Nagamori, Rumi Nanase, Misaki Kawana, Mio Kouzuki, Mayu Shiina, and Akane Satomura. While a given relationship will start out well, before long those around him start to forget him as he begins to retreat further into the Eternal World within his mind. This process continues until even the girl he loves forgets him, at which point he falls into the Eternal World completely, making it seem as if he never existed in the real world. Kōhei's only hope of returning is to form a strong bond in the real world prior to leaving, and being able to follow his guide in the Eternal World back to the real world.
Development
One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e is Tactics' third title, after Moon.Moon.
Moon. is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Tactics, a brand of the joint company Nexton, and first released on November 21, 1997 playable on a Windows 95 PC as a CD-ROM; the game was re-released five more times between 1998 and 2003. The game was described by the development team as a...
and Dōsei
Dosei
is a Japanese adult social simulation game developed by Tactics, a brand of the joint company Nexton, and first released on May 23, 1997, the same day as the famous To Heart by Leaf...
. Ones production was headed by YET11, who also contributed to the music in the game. Planning was led by Jun Maeda
Jun Maeda
is a Japanese writer working for the software company Key; he has majorly contributed as a scenario writer, lyricist, and musical composer for the visual novels the company produces. His birth name in kanji was written as , though there is no change in pronunciation...
, who worked on the scenario with fellow writer Naoki Hisaya
Naoki Hisaya
, born , is a Japanese screenwriter who has worked for Tactics, Key and Siesta, but as of 2006, he is a freelance writer. He is well known for being the main writer of the popular visual novel Kanon while working under Key. Additional works include Moon., One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e, and Moon Childe....
. Art direction was given to Itaru Hinoue
Itaru Hinoue
is a female Japanese artist from Osaka, Japan, and is one of the founding members of the software company Key. Hinoue's choice of her pseudonym stems from the manga C by Shō Kitagawa; the protagonist in the manga was named...
who also worked on the computer graphics
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
along with Miracle Mikipon and Shinory. The music was composed primarily by OdiakeS
OdiakeS
OdiakeS is a Japanese composer from Tokyo, Japan who has worked for a variety of visual novel companies. His first work was on the game One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e under Tactics. When the staff of One left Tactics to create the company Key, OdiakeS became a member of Key and had a hand in the musical...
and Shinji Orito
Shinji Orito
is a Japanese musical composer originally from Hyōgo, Japan working for the software company Key. Before forming Key, Orito worked for another software company named Leaf where he contributed to four games...
.
Release history
One was first released on May 26, 1998 in regular and limited edition versions playable on the PCPersonal 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...
in CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
format; the limited edition included the game's first original soundtrack. Both the limited and regular editions of the original game contained no voice acting. On April 1, 1999, KID
KID
KID, whose name is an acronym of Kindle Imagine Develop, was a Japan-based company specializing in porting and developing bishōjo games....
released an all-ages version in regular and limited editions playable on the PlayStation under the title Kagayaku Kisetsu e; the PS version contained full-voice acting. On September 14, 2000, AI System released One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e Memorial Selection, which was essentially the original game, though the price was cheaper at a little less than half the original price. On January 1, 2003, a full voice version of the PC game was released by Nexton
Nexton
is a Japanese software company specializing in the publishing and distribution of visual novel video games for a nine game developers that Nexton is partners with. The company is located in Osaka Prefecture, Osaka, Japan...
. Kōhei was not voiced in any of the versions.
On February 9, 2007, One was released playable on FOMA
Freedom of Mobile Multimedia Access
Freedom of Mobile Multimedia Access is the brand name of the W-CDMA-based 3G telecommunications services being offered by the Japanese telecommunications service provider NTT DoCoMo...
cell phones via a Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
program by NTT DoCoMo
NTT DoCoMo
is the predominant mobile phone operator in Japan. The name is officially an abbreviation of the phrase, "do communications over the mobile network", and is also from a compound word dokomo, meaning "everywhere" in Japanese. Docomo provides phone, video phone , i-mode , and mail services...
. A second mobile release playable on au mobile phones
Au (mobile phone operator)
, or au by KDDI, is a mobile phone brand in Japan marketed by KDDI Corporation in the main islands of Japan and Okinawa Cellular in Okinawa.-Naming:...
was released on March 1, 2007 by KDDI
KDDI
is a Japanese telecommunications operator formed in October 2000 through the merger of DDI Corp., KDD Corp., and IDO Corp. It has its headquarters in the Garden Air Tower in Iidabashi, Chiyoda, Tokyo....
. A third mobile release, also playable on FOMA cell phones, was released by SoftBank Mobile on July 2, 2007. The last release by Nexton was on June 1, 2007 as a Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
compatible edition for the PC. Only the version for the PlayStation did not contain 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...
material. The opening video of the original release is still available for download at Tactics' One website.
Books and publications
Four novels based on the series, written by Midori TateyamaMidori Tateyama
is a female Japanese game scriptwriter and novelist from Aichi, Japan.-Works:*Bakumatsu Renka Shinsen Gumi*Meine Liebe II*Memories Off 2nd*Nasare Hina no Asa-External links:*...
, were published by Movic
Movic
is a Japanese company which specializes in the publication of trading cards, figures, CDs, and other general media related to the anime industry. Movic is a part of the Animate group.-Anime involved in:*Ah! My Goddess: The Movie: Production...
between August 1998 and April 2000. The novels contained erotic material not suitable for children. Each volume focused on one of the main heroines in the story; volumes one through four focused on Mizuka, Akane, Misaki, and Rumi, respectively. A 143-page official fan book, which focused on Moon.
Moon.
Moon. is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Tactics, a brand of the joint company Nexton, and first released on November 21, 1997 playable on a Windows 95 PC as a CD-ROM; the game was re-released five more times between 1998 and 2003. The game was described by the development team as a...
and One, was released by the publisher Compass in October 1998. Aspect released a 95-page official fan book for the PlayStation version of One in October 1999.
Compass also released 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...
anthology called Tactics Anthology Comic One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e Chapter in May 1999. Movic released a two-volume manga anthology called One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e Comic Anthology between October and December 1999. Ohzora released five volumes of manga anthologies: three in one series, and the last two as stand-alone volumes. The three-volume series is entitled One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e Anthology Comics and were released between May 2002 and February 2003. The first stand-alone volume called One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e Dōjin Selection was released in September 2003, and the second stand-alone volume titled Hidamari One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e was released in January 2004.
Audio CDs
Three drama CDsRadio drama in Japan
Radio drama in Japan has a history as long as that of radio broadcasting in that country, which began in 1925. Some consider the first Japanese radio drama to have been "" which was a radio broadcast of a stage play. Others consider the Japanese translation of Richard Hughes's "Danger" or to be...
based on the original game were released by Movic
Movic
is a Japanese company which specializes in the publication of trading cards, figures, CDs, and other general media related to the anime industry. Movic is a part of the Animate group.-Anime involved in:*Ah! My Goddess: The Movie: Production...
between November 6, 1999 and January 30, 2000. Two drama CDs based on the all-ages OVA series were released by KSS
KSS (company)
KSS Inc. is a Japanese company that provides anime studio services including production, music, subtitles and translation. At one time, they had also published video games.-Anime that KSS has been associated with:*Barbapapa*Battle Angel *Calimero...
between November 2001 and July 2002. The first original soundtrack for the game was released on December 6, 1998, and a second followed on September 24, 1999 as a piano 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...
album. 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...
album came bundled with the full voice PC edition of the game entitled Sea Roars. A soundtrack for the all-ages OVA series entitled One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e Music from the Animation (also known as One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e Vocal Mini album) was released on August 10, 2001 by KSS. An original soundtrack for One: True Stories was released by ChamberRecords/HOBiRECORDS on November 21, 2003.
Anime
One was adapted twice into original video animationOriginal video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
(OVA) series. The first was an all-ages OVA entitled One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e produced by KSS
KSS (company)
KSS Inc. is a Japanese company that provides anime studio services including production, music, subtitles and translation. At one time, they had also published video games.-Anime that KSS has been associated with:*Barbapapa*Battle Angel *Calimero...
; four DVD volumes were released in Japan between August 10, 2001 and May 24, 2002. The all-ages OVA is loosely based on the original One visual novel and is drawn with a different setting. The second series, produced by Cherry Lips
Cherry Lips (company)
-Anime produced:*Legend of the Wolf Woman: Production*One: True Stories: Production*Slave Nurses: Production...
, was an adult OVA under the title One: True Stories. Three DVD volumes containing a single episode each were released between November 21, 2003 and May 28, 2004. One: True Stories was later licensed for English distribution by Media Blasters
Media Blasters
Media Blasters is an entertainment corporation founded by John Sirabella and Sam Liebowitz, based in New York City. They are in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American market manga compilations and anime and live-action movies and television series to home-video...
and the three episodes were released in a single volume on August 16, 2005.
Reception
According to a national ranking of how well 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 sold nationally in Japan, the One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e Memorial Selection PC release ranked in on seven separate occasions. The game premiered at number six in the rankings during the first two weeks of September 2000. During the first two weeks of January 2001, the Memorial Selection ranked in at number thirty, and a month later during the first two weeks of February 2001, ranked in at number 38. Memorial Selection ranked in again at forty-one between the end of February and March 2001, and the following two weeks ranked in at thirty-two. Memorial Selection placed on the list again between May 7, 2001 and May 20, 2001, ranking in at forty-seven, and then for a final time during the first two weeks of July 2001, ranking in at thirty-seven. The One full-voice edition for the PC premiered at number twelve out of fifty in the ranking, and ranked the following two weeks at forty. In the month that followed, the One full voice edition ranked first in sixtieth place, and then again in the following ranking at forty-four.
The One: True Stories adult OVA series was reviewed at Mania.com where the reviewer remarked, "One: True Stories is the perfect kind of entry level or couples type of show that focuses just as much on the story and emotions of the characters as the sex, if not more so." The characters were found to be "appealing", and the story is described as a "fantasy but it's a nice fantasy."
Legacy
After the release of One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e, the game's producer YET11 was the only staff member who worked on the game who was later credited for future titles produced by Tactics, such as Tactics' next visual novelVisual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
Suzu ga Utau Hi in 1999. The rest of the main production staff for One, along with its predecessor Moon.
Moon.
Moon. is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Tactics, a brand of the joint company Nexton, and first released on November 21, 1997 playable on a Windows 95 PC as a CD-ROM; the game was re-released five more times between 1998 and 2003. The game was described by the development team as a...
, were later credited with the creation of the visual novel Kanon
Kanon
is a Japanese visual novel developed by Key and originally released as an adult game on June 4, 1999, playable on a Microsoft Windows PC. An all ages version for the PC was released in January 2000, and was later ported to the Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable...
under the brand name Key
Key (company)
Key is a Japanese visual novel studio which formed on July 21, 1998 as a brand under the publisher Visual Art's and is located in Kita, Osaka, Japan. Key released their debut visual novel Kanon in June 1999, which combined an elaborate storyline, an up-to-date anime-style drawing style, and a...
attached to Visual Art's
Visual Art's
, formally , is a Japanese publishing company specializing in the publishing and distribution of visual novels for a large list of game developers. Visual Art's has developed the game engines their brands currently use, including the current engine, called Siglus, and older engines RealLive and...
.
A sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
loosely based on the original One visual novel entitled was produced by the visual novel studio BaseSon, another brand under Nexton
Nexton
is a Japanese software company specializing in the publishing and distribution of visual novel video games for a nine game developers that Nexton is partners with. The company is located in Osaka Prefecture, Osaka, Japan...
. One2 was released first on April 26, 2002, and then again on April 25, 2003 with added voice acting. One2 used the concept of the Eternal World established in One as a major motif as One had done. The Eternal World in One2 is better explained than in One, though the two versions of the world differ to a certain extent due to the scenario writers that worked on One not being credited on the production staff of One2.
Characters from One have appeared in other media not directly based on the One series. The six heroines from One have appeared in the Eternal Fighter Zero
Eternal Fighter Zero
Eternal Fighter Zero is a dōjin fighting games for Microsoft Windows produced by Twilight Frontier, including characters from the visual novels Moon., One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e, Kanon, and Air...
dōjin game
Dojin soft
, also sometimes called , are video games created by Japanese hobbyists or hobbyist groups , more for fun than for profit; essentially, the Japanese equivalent of independent video games. Most of them are based on pre-existing material, but some are entirely original creations...
s by Twilight Frontier
Twilight Frontier
Twilight Frontier is a Japanese doujin game developer. They are noted for making high quality derivative works of other games.-Productions:...
. Additionally, Rumi Nanase can be seen as a background character in several episodes of the Kanon 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....
series by Kyoto Animation
Kyoto Animation
, abbreviated , is a Japanese animation studio located in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It was established in 1981, became a limited company in 1985 and then became a corporation in 1999. Presided by Hideaki Hatta, the company is affiliated with noted studio Sunrise and is also parent to the studio...
. Itaru Hinoue
Itaru Hinoue
is a female Japanese artist from Osaka, Japan, and is one of the founding members of the software company Key. Hinoue's choice of her pseudonym stems from the manga C by Shō Kitagawa; the protagonist in the manga was named...
, the art director of One, included illustrations from One in her art book White Clover: Itaru Hinoue Art Works released in 2009.