Sakura Wars is a video game series developed and published by Sega. Its first game premiered in Japan in 1996 and Sakura Wars games have later been on nearly every video game console since the Sega Saturn, including Dreamcast, Sega Titan, Game Boy Color, PlayStation Portable, Microsoft Windows, Wii, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 4 and several models of mobile phone.

In addition to the six games released as part of the main series and their many spin-offs and related titles, the Sakura Wars series has spawned many works in other media including anime, movies, novels and manga, and radio dramas. For the Sakura Taisen World Project, seven games were announced: Sakura Taisen: Atsuki Chishio ni, Sakura Taisen V: Saraba itoshiki hito yo, Sakura Taisen V: Episode 0, Sakura Taisen Monogatari - Teito-hen & Paris-hen, a title that tells the story of the Anti-Kouma Battle Squadron and the Kouma War. Also announced was a game that took place during the Sengoku Jidai and a PC port of Is Paris Burning.

Video games

Prequels and side stories

Hanagumi Taisen Columns

Original release date:
March 28, 1997[1]

1997: Sega Saturn
1997: Sega Titan

Notes:

  • Falling-blocks puzzle video game
  • Takes place during Sakura Taisen, featuring the original Imperial Combat Revue cast.

Sakura Wars

Original release date:
January 6, 2000[1]

2000: Dreamcast

Notes:

  • Falling-blocks puzzle video game
  • Takes place during Sakura Taisen 2, featuring the Imperial Combat Revue cast.

Sakura Taisen GB ~Geki • Hanagumi Nyuutai!~

Original release date:
July 28, 2000[1]

2000: Game Boy Color

Notes:

  • Takes place during Sakura Taisen, featuring the original Imperial Combat Revue cast.
  • Subtitle roughly translates to Go Forth—Flower Division Enlist!
  • Published by Media Factory instead of Sega

Sakura Taisen GB2 ~Thunder Bolt Sakusen~

Original release date:
December 6, 2001[1]

2001: Game Boy Color

Notes:

  • Takes place in 1925 during Sakura Taisen 2, featuring the Imperial Combat Revue cast.
  • Subtitle roughly translates to Operation Thunder Bolt

Sakura Taisen Monogatari ~Mysterious Paris~

Original release date:
March 18, 2004[1]

2004: PlayStation 2

Notes:

  • Takes place between Sakura Taisen 3 and Sakura Taisen 4, featuring the Paris Combat Revue cast
  • Title translates to Sakura Wars Story ~Mysterious Paris~
  • Part of the Sakura Taisen World Project

Sakura Taisen V Episode 0 ~Kouya no Samurai Musume~

Original release date:
September 22, 2004[1]

2004: PlayStation 2

Notes:

  • Prequel to Sakura Taisen V
  • Subtitle literally translates to The Samurai Girl from the Wild though it might be interpreted to mean The Samurai Girl from the Wild West
  • Shares its subtitle as the title of the play Gemini Sunrise and Diana Caprice write in Sakura Taisen V resulting in a cyclical connection
  • Part of the Sakura Taisen World Project

Dramatic Dungeon Sakura Taisen ~Kimi aru ga tame~

Original release date:
March 19, 2008[1]

2008: Nintendo DS

Notes:

  • Roguelike game featuring the Imperial, Paris and New York Combat Revues exploring randomly generated dungeons[2]
  • Takes place after the five mainline Sakura Taisen games
  • Subtitle roughly translates to "Because you are here"

Soundtracks

The composer of the series is Kohei Tanaka. In addition to the original soundtracks, listed below, many games have inspired orchestral or vocal albums as well as compilation albums featuring music from several Sakura Wars games.

Novels and manga

Many Sakura Wars games have been adapted as novels and manga series. With the advent of the Internet, web novels and digital publishing have also become common. These stories act as companion pieces, offering an interpretation of the game's events or expanding the plot of the games by depicting additional scenarios.

Sakura Taisen: Zenya
1997:[3] light novel

Notes:

Sakura Taisen
1999:[3] light novel

Notes:

  • 4-volume light novel written by Satoru Akahori.
  • Never released outside Japan.
Sakura Taisen: Gouka Kenran
2001:[3] light novel

Notes:

  • Light novel written by Hiroyuki Kawasaki.
  • Never released outside Japan.
Sakura Taisen: Taishou Renka
2001:[3] light novel

Notes:

  • 2-volume light novel written by Hiroyuki Kawasaki.
  • Never released outside Japan.
Sakura Taisen: Katsudou Shashin
2002:[3] light novel

Notes:

Sakura Taisen: Pari Zenya
2004:[3] light novel

Notes:

  • 2-volume light novel written by Satoru Akahori.
  • Never released outside Japan.
Sakura Taisen
2003:[3] manga

Notes:

Live performances

From 1997 onwards, the voice actors of the series performed onstage and in-character as their Sakura Wars counterparts in a series of live-action musical stage shows. By 2001 to 2006, the Imperial Combat Revue performed two major musicals in a year: a New Year's Show and a Summer Kayou Show, in addition to multitudes of other smaller shows where one or more characters make appearances. Some of the stage performances could be seen in the series' other forms of media.

In August 2006, the Imperial Combat Revue held their final summer show. Although the live-action shows still continue as of May 2007, they are no longer focused entirely on the Imperial Combat Revue.

Summer Kayou Shows

Ai Yueni
(Because of Love)

Notes:

  • First Summer Kayou Show
  • Performed from July 19 to 21, 1997
  • Appeared briefly in Sakura Taisen and in the manga.
Tsubasa
(Wings)

Notes:

  • Second Summer Kayou Show
  • Performed from August 11 to 16, 1998
  • First show to include characters Reni Milchstraβe and Soletta Orihime
  • First to introduce Dandy Boss and his gang
Beni Tokage
(紅蜥蜴 Crimson Lizard)

Notes:

  • Third Summer Kayou Show
  • Performed from August 4 to 7, 1999
  • Appeared briefly in Sakura Taisen: Gouka Kenran
Arabia no Bara
(アラビアのバラ Rose of Arabia)

Notes:

  • Fourth Summer Kayou Show
  • Performed from July 23 to August 4, 2000
Kaijin Bessō
(The Sea God's Villa)

Notes:

  • Fifth Summer Kayou Show
  • Performed from August 10 to 18, 2001
  • Based on Kyōka Izumi's "Kaijin Bessō"[4]
  • Includes the Paris Hanagumi Tokubetsu ("Paris Flower Division Special) Mini Live Show on August 13, where the Paris Flower Division performed live for the first time.
  • Appeared near the ending of Sakura Taisen: Katsudou Shashin, though the content was altered

Super Kayou Shows

Shin-pen Hakkenden
(The New Hakkenden)

Notes:

Shin Takarajima
(The New Treasure Island)

Notes:

  • Second Super Kayou Show
  • Performed from August 15 to 21, 2003
  • Based on Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island
  • Recorded album received the 17th Japanese Gold Disc Award for the best Anime Album of the Year in 2003
  • Appeared briefly in Sakura Taisen
Shin Saiyuki
(The New Journey to the West)

Notes:

Shin Aoi Tori
(The New Blue Bird)

Notes:

Shin Ai Yueni
(The New Because of Love)

Notes:

  • Final Super Kayou Show
  • Performed from August 12 to 22, 2006
  • Last summer live show focusing on the Teikoku Kagekidan

New Year Kayou Shows

Shinshun Kayou Show 2001
(2001 New Year Show)

Notes:

  • Performed from January 3 to 7, 2001
  • First live show featuring the Teikoku Kagekidan performing the taiko
Harukoi Shisumireyume Nowakare

Notes:

  • Sumire Kanzaki's retirement performance, in lieu of a regular New Year show
  • Performed from January 2 to 6, 2002
  • Title is reminiscent of kabuki and translates to "Calling up the image of blooming violets at the time of separation, how far I long for spring..."
Shichi Fukujin
(Seven Lucky Gods)

Notes:

Utae! Hanagumi!
(Sing! Hanagumi!)

Notes:

  • Performed from January 2 to 5, 2004
Warae! Hanagumi!
(Laugh! Hanagumi!)

Notes:

  • Performed from January 7 to 10, 2005
Tonderu! Hanagumi!
(Soar High! Hanagumi!)

Notes:

  • Performed from January 4 to 8, 2006
  • Villain from Super Kayou Show "Shin Aoi Tori" returns, continuing the "Aoi Tori" story arc.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Games" "Sakura-Taisen.com". Retrieved 2007-04-25.
  2. ^ "Taishou Legend: Sakura Taisen: Kimi aru ga tame". Retrieved 2007-09-06.
  3. ^ "Books" "Sakura-Taisen.com". Retrieved 2007-05-16.
  4. ^ "Fifth Anniversary Performance Kaijin Bessou". Retrieved 2007-04-26.
  5. ^ Maria: "Yes, Squad Leader. I'm looking for Maeterlinck's 'The Blue Bird.' I was thinking if I would reread it again as a reference for this play...... and I've finally found it. A mysterious journey during which Tyltyl and Mytyl search for the blue bird." Translated by Kayama at GameFAQs.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-26.