Da Capo II

Did You Know?

• Da Capo II takes place 53 years after the events of Da Capo, with protagonist Yoshiyuki Sakurai being a son wished upon a prototype magical cherry tree by Sakura Yoshino.
• The game was the most widely sold title of 2006 on Getchu.com.
• In Dengeki G's Magazine's October 2007 poll of the fifty best bishōjo games, Da Capo II ranked seventh with forty-seven votes.

Gameplay

Da Capo II uses the same system as its predecessor, requiring minimal player interaction as most time is spent reading text representing dialogue or the protagonist's inner thoughts. At decision points, the player chooses from two to three options, pausing gameplay until a selection is made that advances the plot in a specific direction. Choices may affect the protagonist Yoshiyuki's actions or his location. Early choices focus on actions, later introducing location-based choices accompanied by a heroine's image, and an alarm clock setting that determines the following morning's events. There are six main plot lines, one per heroine, requiring multiple playthroughs with different choices to see all stories. The game is split into three arcs: the first revolves around a Christmas party, the second takes place during winter break, and the third returns to school in the new year.

Development

Da Capo II was Circus' twenty-ninth game and the eleventh developed by Circus Northern, who also produced Suika and Da Capo. Production was headed by Tororo, Circus president, who worked on music with Comet Nekono. Scenario writing was divided among five people: Kōta Takeuchi wrote Minatsu's and Anzu's stories; director Chihare Ameno wrote most of Otome's and Yume's scenarios; Mochizuki JET wrote Nanaka's and Koko's stories; Nonoka Maihama served as scenario assistant; and Mori no Me contributed. Initial character design was by Natsuki Tanihara, with GotoP designing Sakura's pet dog Harimao. Five additional artists illustrated characters and settings: Mochi Chinochi, Mitsumamu, Yuka Kayura, Eko, and Meikai. A free demo titled The Spring Breeze's Ultimate Battle! was released on April 15, 2007. The full game launched as a limited edition DVD on May 26, 2006, with a regular edition on June 23, 2006, and a CD-ROM version on July 7, 2006. A Windows Vista-compatible version appeared on June 29, 2007, and a gratitude pack on January 25, 2008.

Adaptations

Multiple drama CDs were produced for Da Capo II. The first, D.C.II prestorys entrata, written by Chihare Ameno, was released on February 24, 2006. A second, D.C. II: Otome no "Chocolate Box Memories", written by Kōta Takeuchi, came out on February 10, 2007. A third, D.C. II: Setsugekka no "Dokidoki Omimai Daisakusen", was given to Circus fan club members in mid 2007. Two further CDs were released, and a CD titled Seiya no Misukon Daisōdō! was released for the anime's second season on May 21, 2008. An Internet radio show, Da Capo II: Kazami Academy Broadcasting Club, aired from April 3, 2006, to September 24, 2007, hosted by Ai Hinaki, Hijiri Kinomi, and Aya Tachibana. A second show, D.C.toEF Radio, began on October 1, 2007. Two novel series were published by Paradigm: the first, written by Circus staff, had two volumes released in 2006 and 2007; the second, by Tasuku Saika, had seven volumes covering each heroine's story, with the last two covering Otome.

Music

A CD single with the main opening and ending themes was released on June 7, 2006, by Lantis. The opening "Da Capo II: Asaki Yumemishi Kimi to" was sung by Yozuca, and the ending "Spring has come" by Rino. Two other openings were "Beautiful flower" by Aki Misato and "Especially" by Miyuki Hashimoto. Four additional endings were used: "Mabushikute Mienai" by Yozuca for Nanaka's route; "Little Distance" by Seiko Modaka for Anzu's and Koko's routes; "If...I wish" by Aki Misato for Otome's and Yume's routes; and "Aogeba tōtoshi" by twenty cast members for Minatsu's route. The insert song "Time will shine" was sung by Alchemy+. An album VocalAlbum Songs From D.C.II was released on July 26, 2006, and the original soundtrack on August 23, 2006. A single for the first radio show, "Dream on: Koiseyo Otome", came out on October 25, 2006. A character song album was released on December 13, 2006. A maxi single for Spring Celebration, "Happy my life: Thank you for everything!!", was released on May 9, 2007, followed by a mini album on May 23, 2007. A vocal album for Plus Situation was released on June 4, 2008.