Kara no Shoujo (Innocent Grey Visual Novel)

[izmosmolnar]

Spoiler for promotional movie:

So I took the courage to create this thread after Mangagamer finally managed to release the proper release to one of my favorite eroge/Visual Novels, named "Kara no Shoujo" (Girl in the Shell). The translation is done by a fantranslator group (including myself) who began to work on it in 2009 December and after getting a C&D from the developer Innocent Grey in 2010 May started working together with them and with MG. Unfortunately it is a voiceless release as the rights were unrealistically expensive to get for the license (you can see it explained in more detail here), but due to that the price of the game is really cheap (25 Euros), about half the price of the Japanese download release and like third of the original boxed price upon the original release.
It's a quasi-sequel of Cartagra, another Innocent Grey game and they share three characters between them.

It's an investigative Murder-mystery game set in 1956's Tokyo where you play as a widower private detective called Tokisaka Reiji who accepts three cases in the beginning.
At first he accepts a request of a strange, but quite cute girl called Toko who'd like to find "her true self".
After that his old friend approaches Reiji, who accepts to help out the police regarding a series of bizarre, seemingly random murders committed in brutal fashion randomly throughout Tokyo.
And lastly, the principal of the all girls school Reiji's sister also attends to hires him to try getting to the bottom of a few missing girls commuting to the school, who disappeared some time ago without any traces, and as he'd like to keep it confidential asks Reiji to do it under the disguise of a newly employed part time teacher in the school.
Then the story goes on there and gradually goes great as the plot thickens toward its grand scope, connecting more and more together while with the assistance of your detective notebook, you gather clues, draw conclusions yourself, theorize potential suspects, and trying to catch the culprit. It really gives a sense of satisfaction after solving stuff in it, and this notebook system you have to use is pretty stellar.

I hope more people will play it for themselves and see what a good game it is with gorgeous artwork, good charas, solid story and nifty interactive elements. It's my favorite Innocent Grey eroge they developed so far.
Be advised that aside of the erotic content, due to the very nature of murders, there is gore in it and you will have to read murders.

Spoiler for spoiler box to save space telling a bit about some of the characters:

Tokisaka Reiji
Occupation: Private investigator
Hobbies: Reading (history books in particular)

Our protagonist; a private detective that specializes in particularly brutal murder cases. Was formerly a detective in the police force, but quit after he lost his fiance. Lives together with his little sister Yukari. Doesn't stay at home much because he puts his work above everything else. Loves to pore over history books whenever he has free time. Infiltrates Ouba Girls Academy as a substitute history teacher.
"It's easy to understand why these criminals do what they do if you give it a little thought."

Reiji is pretty good guy, he's hardworking and really clever during the brainstorming sections. Enjoyable protagonist whose interactions with the other characters are quite nice.

Tokisaka Yukari
Occupation: Student at Ouba Girls Academy (member of the art club)
Hobbies: Entomology; raising and keeping bugs

An old-fashioned, reliable type of girl. Takes care of her older brother, who happens to be helpless when it comes down to household chores. Stops by Reiji's office periodically to help him clean it up. An academic like her brother, but with interests rooted in entomology. Keeps various insects inside her room. Don't let your guard down around her, as some of her insect friends may turn up on the dinner table when you least expect it.
"All I want to do is be there for you, Nii-san."

Reiji's little sister is also nice, supports him in everything and is kinda funny when she goes ranting about insects.

Kuchiki Toko
Occupation: Student at Ouba Girls Academy (member of the art club)
Hobbies: Sketching, going out for walks at night

Very pretty on the outside. Mature. Her manner of speech doesn't fit her image. A mysterious girl who doesn't seem to really fit in anywhere. Possesses conflicting emotions about who she really is, and hires Reiji to find her "true self". She's the type of girl who's apt to do some outlandish things if the thought strikes her.
"I want you to look for something. Me. My true self."

The main heroine, and my favorite heroine of the game. Won't say more as there are lots of spoilers with her not surprisingly.

Mizuhara Toko
Occupation: Student at Ouba Girls Academy (member of the art club)
Hobbies: Drawing picture books

Kuchiki Toko's best friend. They spend a lot of time together. Has a strong inferiority complex due to being a poor girl in a school of rich, well-to-do young ladies. As a result, she hates herself, her mother, and everyone else around her. Practically worships Kuchiki Toko because she's the only girl that ignores her background. Holds a grudge against Reiji because he gets close to her friend.
"Stay away from Toko, please."

Mizuhara Toko is the other Toko's best friend, and I can't imagine many people will like her!

Yosomiya Tsuzuriko
Occupation: Student at Ouba Girls Academy, aspiring writer
Hobbies: Writing and publishing

Possesses a bright, hyperactive personality. Can be rather noisy at times. Personality wise, the complete opposite of Yukari, but for some reason the two are best friends. She's already been published in literary magazines, but she keeps her activities a secret from the academy. Reiji calls her "Tojiko" because he thinks "Tsuzuriko" is too hard to pronounce. She seems to admire the student body president, Tsukishima Orihime.
"I specialize in mystery novels. ...And who the heck are you calling Tojiko!?"

Tojiko is pretty fun as she's like the only one really bright cheerful character throughout the story. Her convos with Reiji are amusing.

Hazuki Kyoko
Occupation: Owner of Cafe Moon World
Hobbies: Making snacks

A widow who owns Cafe Moon World. An old friend of Reiji's and one of the few people who knows his past. Used to be best friends with Reiji's deceased fiance, Yukiko. Since they've both lost someone important, they're able to connect on a different level. Her cafe has a lot of regulars including Detective Uozumi and Kuchiki Toko as well.
"Hold on a moment. Let me brew you up some of Kyoko's special blend."

The owner of the cafe Reiji always hangs out at, which is a rather relaxing place to take a break of all the anxiousness in this line of work.

Uozumi Kyozo
Occupation: Detective
Hobbies: Fishing

A detective with a towering frame. Adept at the physical aspects of the occupation, including footwork. Met Reiji when they were both students; they joined the force and worked under the same supervisor. Still relies on Reiji for help with some cases. Though they tend to joke around with each other, his brawny strength is a good compliment to Reiji's critical thinking skills.
"That's a hell of a way to greet your friend when he's going out of his way to get you what you requested."

Haha Uozumi is pretty good brocharacter. He's a reliable officer despite giving off the impression of a bull.

Amemiya Hatsune
Occupation: Waitress at Cafe Moon World
Hobbies: Cooking (still in training)

A girl who works at Cafe Moon World. Gives her all to everything she does. Used to help out at the brothel Yukishiro, but after the establishment was shut down, Madam Ujaku took Hatsune under her wing and gave her the name Amemiya. She learned how to write from Shugo when they both lived at the Yukishiro, so she gets mad if you say anything bad about him.
"Umm, you can just call me Hatsune. I'm not really used to it yet..."

Hatsune is a heroine in Cartagra (though her route is not the main ending, thus she never romanced with Shugo in this timeline), fond of Shugo a lot but as he's deeply in love with Kazuna she's free prey if one wants to help her finding a new love!

Takashiro Shugo
Occupation: Private investigator
Hobbies: None

A private detective based in Ueno. Used to work with Reiji and Uozumi and still helps out his friends when needed. Married to Kazuna, a former client with whom he shares a lot of history. Since she's currently pregnant, Shugo focuses on less dangerous tasks like investigating cheating spouses and searching for people in order to worry her less.
"Man, this really brings me back. It's been a while since we've been able to bounce ideas off each other like this."

The (un)reliable protagonist of the prequel, Cartagra. He's really head over heels over Kazuna and they live a healthy marriage while he works as a detective in Ueno occasionally helping out even Reiji.

Takashiro Kazuna
Occupation: Actress (on pregnancy leave)
Hobbies: Traditional Japanese things

Stage actress. Credited under her maiden name, "Kozuki Kazuna". A very well known actress. Went through a lot of crazy things in her past, but ultimately ended up marrying Shugo. Seems to be (comparatively) more calm and mature after getting married... or not. Her chest is still rather flat. Currently taking a break from acting due to pregnancy. Though she stays at home most of the time, she'll stop by Shugo's office from time to time to see to his needs.
"Oh, you don't have to go that far for me. Shugo-san will get mad!"

Kazuna is the prequel's, Cartagra's main heroine. She's late pregnant not far from delivering the fruit of their love when Kara no Shoujo starts. Funny airhead like girl whose treasured diary I hope many people will find!

Natsume-san
Occupation: Coroner
Hobbies: Autopsies

A coroner who forbids anyone to address her as anything but "Natsume-san". Though she can be rather shady with her words and actions, her skill as a coroner is undisputed. Reiji met her during his time on the force, and still relies on her for important information. However, he tries to stay away from her as much as possible, as she tends to require "something" in exchange for information.
"Oh, you're so cruel. I tried my best for you, too..."

Haha, Natsume is always funny. She's Shugo's older sister, and as with everyone in their family, she's rather strange to say at least.

Tsukishima Orihime
Occupation: Student at Ouba Girls Academy, student body president
Hobbies: Reading

A talented girl that serves as Ouba Girls Academy's student body president. Comes from an extremely wealthy and influential family. Her charisma makes her an idol of many of her classmates.
"Sensei, do you believe that Heaven and Hell exist?"

She's rather hard to grasp her full character as she opens up gradually bit by bit.

And other characters are also detailed on the official homepage.

Spoiler for sample CGs:

More sample CGs (including eroCGs), and the game itself is available at the official homepage here, and one can also download and try the free trial release too from here.

[Blue-kun]

I'll just post here as well, since I just finished the game earlier this morning. Overall, I don't have much to add to what izmos already said, aside that it quickly rose to be one of my favourite games in the genre. The interactive elements such as the notebook and investigation sequels aren't too hard to grasp, and although they are pretty basic they're also incredibly functional and invaluable to the story, so that's a pretty great point. To people who get interested in it for being a mystery, you might not get the same amount of interactivity from it as you'd get from, say, Phoenix Wright, but rest assured that the writing is -- in my opinion -- vastly superior, which helps setting a fantastic atmosphere throughout the game.

That said, the mystery part of it was really well developed. Often we see games which just toss around a culprit and make him it "because we can". That doesn't happen here -- the story starts off as if it's an unrelated everyday case, but quickly you'll realize just how intricate the plot really is. And to make things even better, it builds up in a fantastic way for the ending, which makes a lot of sense. After reading it, I find everything to be very clear, being able to understand pretty much how and, most importantly, why these things happened. Although, there's one point which we never get to know, but since a "Kara no Shoujo 2" was announced earlier this year, I'm guessing it'll be an important point later on!

Anyway... I could go on about what else is great about this game, but I'll just wrap up giving a big shout out to Sugina Miki's art which is just absolutely stunning. If anyone's looking for a good mature (and based on a realistic setting, no witches here guys, sorry!) mystery story, this one is right up your alley. Sure, it has some slightly violent/gore-ish parts, but it's not something too exaggerated, and I think most of the stuff people feel at these scenes are due to the effects of seeing certain people dead, and not quite how it's being done. It's not overplayed, and it doesn't try to be gratuitously violent just for the sake of it, and for that it deserves a lot of praise too.

I'll wait for a bit more people to post their impressions once the game is over, and maybe we can actually get some discussion going about stuff here. Of course, if anyone gets stuck and needs help, I'm also avaible to help out, since I know some people just don't like to follow walkthroughs (like myself), but may need an extra push or clue.

[Cantide]

Just finished the novel a few minutes ago.

Spoiler:

It was very well written, and had an engaging plot and interesting characters... but I don't I'll ever read anything from Innocent Grey again. It was just so depressing. If I'd read it in a normal book, it wouldn't be half as bad, but going through the story over and over again to see the different routes, each time hoping that the new ending would be happier and each time being denied, was excruciating.

Going through the "true end" was the worst, because at least in all the previous routes, I could console myself by thinking that they weren't really canon, and that certainly the final route would set things right. My general thought process as I was reading it:

Maybe this time Tojiko won't have to die! Fuck.
OK, so Tojiko is doomed. But since this route is focused on Toko, maybe she won't get hit by that car! Fuck.
But maybe they won't have to amputate her limbs this time. Fuck.
Can she at least avoid getting abducted by a serial killer? Fuck.
Maybe Reiji will rescue her again, and they'll at least get to be together? Fuck.
Fine. Orihime dies, Tojiko dies, and both Tokos die. The only person Reiji can save is Kazuna, and he does that in half the other routes anyway. But this is the true end, so something special has to happen, right? Something to balance out all this tragedy. And that is... Toko making a painting of a bird coming out of a shell... gee whiz, that makes everything all better! Sure, Shinji is wandering the countryside killing people and chopping their limbs off while carrying Toko's head in an urn, but that doesn't matter, because she got to draw a picture of a bird!

If any more innocent Grey novels get translated and I get the urge to read them, I think I'll save myself time and money by just banging my head against the wall a few times instead.

[izmosmolnar]

It's an utsuge (depressing game), so condemning it for what it sets out to do is kinda silly. It's like blaming a comedy game for having good comedy and making you laugh.

Spoiler:

Also uhh, it's a shame you pretty much completely missed all the symbolism the game presented to you though.

Besides, all the other Innogrey game haves good ending. They are lacklustre though in my opinion, unlike KnS's true ending with its impact and emotions. But seeing you didn't felt that, and rather concentrate on stuff not crucial much, so I'd guess, you might like those games' endings more.

[Bluemail]

I tried out the demo version and it was interesting. It already got me theorizing about things. The art is nice and not so typical as in some others. I haven't bought anything from Mangagamer yet, because I'm waiting for the Sonozaki-Futagotachi patch or for the time when I learn to read japanese better before getting Higurashi. And the other releases haven't sparked my interest. I think I could buy this, but still only sometime next year, when I have actually turned 18.

izmosmolnar, it seems like you've revealed something that's inside Cantide's spoiler tags... Though in my case it makes me anticipate unrevealing this story even more. Good thing I do have other things to distract myself with, like Rewrite, Higanbana and not the least final exams...

[hoarfrost]

Definitely a game worth buying. Innocent Grey wasn't on my radar but if this is typical of their work they are a group I'll keep my eye on. The interactivity works well with the engrossing plot and the game really works as a holistic artwork.

Don't underestimate how frustrating it can get. I remember scanning the walk through so many times hoping with each new set of choices that I could save someone and being really dismayed when that blood red screen and screeching strings kick in. Unlike torture porn, there's a real feeling of dread that you can't always win.

Spoiler:

Most people will probably hate Mizuhara for being the clingy, hostile type but I found myself really sympathizing with her. Her and Tsuzuriko's deaths were the two that kept hitting me the hardest.

Of course, if anyone gets stuck and needs help, I'm also avaible to help out, since I know some people just don't like to follow walkthroughs (like myself), but may need an extra push or clue.

At very least, I'd refer to a guide for the crime scene investigations given that a wrong choice might lead to it ending before you gather key evidence and since you don't have a clue what you did wrong, you end up dawdling at a dead end with no idea where to proceed.

[Arkanis]

I got to my first end today, a bad one that is. This game is really beautiful, but very depressing at the same time.

Spoiler:

Tsuzuriko's death was crushing.

While being aware that the experience would be the same, I feel, the story would give great material for a +18 Anime. To bad this will stay an unfulfilled wish.

[Geburah]

In fact there IS an anime from Kara no Shojo, but seems it butchers most of the story and becomes a porn movie

[Arkanis]

That is sad to hear

[David Watts]

I started playing Kara no shojo a couple of days ago and I really enjoyed it
but damn when

Spoiler for spoiler:

Tojiko died ugh I felt like I had just been hit in the gut really really hard I wish she didn't have to die in such a brutal way..she was like my favorite character

I really liked Reiji as the main character because he was really reliable
and I liked the relationships he had with everyone they all seemed real

[Khu]

Started playing this visual novel.

Holy shit this is better as mystery. Pretty gory prose, but if you can get past that, excellent writing.

[Kanzaki Urumi]

Sick story, literally. However, at least the music is pretty darn good.

Spoiler for spoiler:

Thankfully, I didnt manage to get too attached to any of the characters as I had to play it in parts as I have work but after the first few murders, I knew that its bad to get attached to them.

And fuck you Mizuhara

And I hope that KnS2 will not be so excruciating to read.

[tiya_novlita]

This is one of the best interactive visual Novel I've been playing so far. I don't really like how they emphasize the H-scene though, or it's just my preferences. The story is well-paced and intriguing, yet depressing at the same time (damn it I just can't save the character I symphatize with >.<, each one is murdered in a brutal way)

Spoiler for main character:

Reiji is an asshole. He enjoyed having a sex with high-school girl, eh ? Not just one. I've seen one with Orihime, both Toko, and Tojiko. Who else might be ? The total scene is 12. If I exclude Natsume, Kyoko, Akazaki, Yukiko, who will be the next ?
Hatsune-chan ? I suppose

It's not fun doing that with 30-years old man

Spoiler for medical:

Found some medical inconsistencies
Remember when Akazaki sedated Reiji with some kind of anesthetic drug called propofol ?

This is interesting. Found on some articles :
Propofol is a fast acting sedative/hypnotic drug that is used for a variety of purposes such as shoulder reductions, both out-patient and in-patient surgeries as well as continuous sedation in adults. It was first developed in 1976 by the company Imperial Chemical Industries was originally emulsified into caster oil and was able to progress through out clinical trials before being pulled from the market due to a high number of patients undergoing anaphylactic shock. Propofol was then reformulated and put in to an emulsion of soybean oil and water and was rereleased by the Astra Zeneca Pharmaceutical Company in 1986.

The setting on the story is 1956 right ? They should consider the date of drugs discovery/development then

Can't really blame the author/scriptwriter since he might not be any medical professional.

[Xefi]

Kara no Shojo - The Second Episode is currently listed on Mangagamer as "Release Date Pending".
hell yes! been waiting for the second episode for a long time now. hope they release it soon now. ^ ^

source: website is for 18+

NSFW

Warning: Not safe to view at work or school!

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