Da Capo II

[eggplant]

TV anime cast announced.

Asakura Otome = Takagaki Ayahi (Lucia in Venus Versus Virus, Jasmine in Deltora Quest)
Asakura Yume = Horie Yui (Shirakawa Kotori in Da Capo, D.C.S.S, etc.)
Shirakawa Nanaka = Chihara Minori (Sumire in VVV, Nagato Yuki in Suzumiya Haruhi)



Being a Starchild production, I kind of figured Horie Yui would be casted, but the two VVV leads was unexpected.

Also interesting is the fact that the seiyuus from the game were replaced, even though they were rookies from RAMS (agency for the seiyuu of the heroines for the first two TV series), and appeared on TV promoting the game.

Airing date for 23:30 on CTC announced, meaning we can expect the earliest broadcast on Saturday nights from 24:30 on TVK, starting from Oct 6th.

[relentlessflame]

That really is quite a unique re-casting. Despite it being Starchild, I didn't think they would cast Yui Horie again for continuity reasons -- so this is sort of unexpected. It'll be a bit hard for me to disassociate the voice with her as Yume, but they couldn't very well cast her as Nanaka (obviously). Hopefully they'll make it sound a bit distinct (beyond the personalities of the characters, which are already quite different). I can sort of picture it in my mind, and sort of not -- Yume's a pretty sarcastic, understated sort of character.

And yeah, with the amount of PR the RAMS rookies had been getting, I sort of wondered if they might be re-cast, but I guess not. They're all getting lead roles in Circus's new production anyway, so I guess they're just continuing the tradition of seperate anime/game casts.

All in all, I'm looking forward to hearing the new cast in action in a month's time. The slow trickle of information continues...

Edit: After re-listening to (Lovely Idol) Hina's character song album, I can now totally see Minori Chihara as Nanaka. Good blend of cute, spunk, and silly; should be good.

[relentlessflame]

A lot more information on Moonphase today. It seems the director will actually be Hideki Okamoto, currently directing Nagasarete Airantou. It also seems to mention that Circus would like to make a D.C. II movie, along with an original anime project with Starchild down the road. And, apparently the person doing the series composition for the anime is actually the person who originally wrote the Otome/Yume stories and D.C. path for the original game -- so that's probably a good sign.

Cast List:
Yoshiyuki Asakura: Shintaro Asanuma
Otome Asakura: Ayahi Takagaki
Yume Asakura: Yui Horie
Nanaka Shirakawa: Minori Chihara
Koko Tsukishima: Yoshino Nanjou
Anzu Yukimura: Tae Okajima
Minatsu Amakase: Sayaka Aoki
Akane Hanasaki: Natsume Yanase
Maya Sawai: Kaori Mizuhashi
Mayuki Kousaka: Shizuka Itou
Maika Mizukoshi: Yuu Asakawa
Sakura Yoshino: Yukari Tamura
Suginami: Daisuke Kishio
Wataru Itabashi: Kappei Yamaguchi

[holyman282]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

A lot more information on Moonphase today. It seems the director will actually be Hideki Okamoto, currently directing Nagasarete Airantou. It also seems to mention that Circus would like to make a D.C. II movie, along with an original anime project with Starchild down the road. And, apparently the person doing the series composition for the anime is actually the person who originally wrote the Otome/Yume stories and D.C. path for the original game -- so that's probably a good sign.

That's also a huge stab in chest for those hoping for a Nanaka ending..... I guess that is to be expected, since Otome/Yume storyline is the most relevant..

[DanielSong39]

Shuffle! went for a side character ending, which turned out to be a suicidal move... my guess is that the makers of D.C. II will play it closer to the vest.

This isn't the To Heart franchise, so I don't think you'll get a no girl ending - does this bode well for Otome?

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by holyman282

That's also a huge stab in chest for those hoping for a Nanaka ending..... I guess that is to be expected, since Otome/Yume storyline is the most relevant..

Spoiler for More anecdotal evidence:

There's also no cast assignment for Yuzu and her father Shin, who played a major role in Nanaka's path in the game. But you're right -- it's to be expected.

I still suspect that, at this point, most people hoping for a Nanaka ending (who haven't played the game) are still just carrying a torch for Kotori. Nanaka isn't Kotori, though.

Originally Posted by DanielSong39

Shuffle! went for a side character ending, which turned out to be a suicidal move... my guess is that the makers of D.C. II will play it closer to the vest.

This isn't the To Heart franchise, so I don't think you'll get a no girl ending - does this bode well for Otome?

Well, "suicidal" in some senses, but not for sales. But to answer your question...

Spoiler for speculation:

Yes -- although, even if they didn't have that writer, the Otome/Yume/D.C. path stuff are still the most essential paths in the game.

Hopefully I'll be able to finish my summaries of the Otome/Yume paths before the anime airs... *crosses fingers*

[holyman282]

Originally Posted by DanielSong39

Shuffle! went for a side character ending, which turned out to be a suicidal move... my guess is that the makers of D.C. II will play it closer to the vest.

This isn't the To Heart franchise, so I don't think you'll get a no girl ending - does this bode well for Otome?

What do you mean by shuffle went for a side character ending... If by side character you mean Asa, I hardly believe her character can be called a "side character" If you play the game, i believe Asa and Kaede's story line to be the most dramatic....

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by holyman282

What do you mean by shuffle went for a side character ending... If by side character you mean Asa, I hardly believe her character can be called a "side character" If you play the game, i believe Asa and Kaede's story line to be the most dramatic....

Well, it's a discussion for another thread, obviously, but being the main heroine(s) in a story doesn't have anything to do with how dramatic the storyline is, how popular the character is, or anything like that. It's simply the one(s) that tie(s) the most to the basic setup/premise of the overall story itself. You can usually also tell by the character's prominance/importance in the common scenario/early parts of the story. In the original D.C., the main heroines were Nemu and Sakura, followed by Kotori, Moe, and Miharu; they're the ones most tied to the sakura tree. In Shuffle, the main heroines were Sia, Nerine, and Kaede, followed by Primula and Asa; again, it has to do with the story setup, not quality of story or "best character" or anything. In D.C. II...

Spoiler:

...the main heroines are Otome and Yume, followed by Koko/Nanaka, Anzu, and Minatsu. Interestingly enough, you could only unlock the Otome and Yume paths after playing at least 1 each of the other two pairs, but they're most essential to understanding the overall storyline.

Whenever people talk about being a "secondary character", some people assume that it means they're "not as good" or "not as well-written", which isn't necessarily true at all.

[jwthechamp]

I saw an promo video today. (You need to have an account to view it)

http://www.crunchyroll.com/showmedia?id=168229

I really didn't like how the character look. It's was just way off than the original game design and it didn't even look similiar. I hope they change the way they look.

[suguru]

Originally Posted by jwthechamp

I saw an promo video today. (You need to have an account to view it)

http://www.crunchyroll.com/showmedia?id=168229

I really didn't like how the character look. It's was just way off than the original game design and it didn't even look similiar. I hope they change the way they look.

I actually like the character designs--they're a lot like D.C.S.S. and Otoboku's, and not having played the game I guess being different from it doesn't bother me so much. Hopefully the animation quality will be high...definitely can't wait for this to air...

[relentlessflame]

What it reminds me of most is the D.C. II manga, actually. Just like the manga, it's a bit different, but I'll get used to it. The character designs for Otome, Yume, and Sakura seem to have made the best transition, IMO. Scenery and background art definitely look quite nice.

Most of the scenes in the trailer actually look like they come from the pre-stories, since there's no snow...
Edit: Bad memory -- the snow comes later in the story. Plus, the island itself doesn't get that much snow.

[MeganeShounen]

Well, after watching the promo video, I'm sure that everyone else including me got the Otoboku vibes from the characters. Heck, I even mistook Otome's sideview as Kana-chan in the clip.

Even though they deviated the artwork from Naru Nanao's style.. I guess it might be worth a shot. Like seeing it in a new light, so to speak.

Still.... extremely anticipating this series.
(Though, not really placing my standards too high. I got burned out from anticipating too much from the last season's shows.. auuu~)

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by MeganeShounen

Even though they deviated the artwork from Naru Nanao's style.. I guess it might be worth a shot. Like seeing it in a new light, so to speak.

The point definitely still stands, but in fact Naru Nanao didn't work on D.C. II at all - the lead character designer was Natsuki Tanihara. I didn't realize that she's also the one who drew the original D.C. manga -- cool.

[Aoie_Emesai]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

The point definitely still stands, but in fact Naru Nanao didn't work on D.C. II at all - the lead character designer was Natsuki Tanihara. I didn't realize that she's also the one who drew the original D.C. manga -- cool.

That's good to hear, since the artwork for the DC manga is pretty gorgeous too.

[kct]

Well, wasn't placing much in the anime (have not played the game myself but knows bits and pieces of it), but it will be a fun ride.

[changeup]

It should be airing now. Do you guys know where I can find the raw version of it? (not a big fan of fansubbing....)

[aroduc]

I wasn't a big fan of the first Da Capo, and this seemed to me to be more or less just a reboot.

Caps/OP
http://blog.seiha.org/?p=364

The production values for the scene at the end were pretty nice though, and I do like that little quasi-twist. So, I'm vaguely interested in the plot, but I already hate most of the cast. *shrug* If you enjoyed the first series though, I'm pretty sure you'll like this one too... assuming you don't remind the total rehash of the characters.

[relentlessflame]

Well, what can I say? That is a very, very surprising twist for the first episode, and a complete departure from the game. All bets are off!

In response to your blog, though, aroduc, I should point out that...

Spoiler for Yume/Nemu comparison:

Yume really isn't bitchy like Nemu in the game. At least, very, very little. That being said, as I said above, it's already departed from the game in a major way, so who knows.

[aroduc]

About 95% of the time she was on screen, she was glaring at whose-his-face. From what I knew of the game, I didn't think she'd be like Nemu either... but... *shrug*

Hopefully they'll at least stick to the DC2 story
(not foolin)

Spoiler:

Of the tree going out of control instead of bitchiness ruining things

but I'm already kind of tuning it out. I'm sure Omni will follow it and if things do go in that direction then I'll probably give it a bit more of a shot.

[Cyz]

Looks like the first ep. is here at last. Screenshots of episode 1 courtesy of Random Curiosity

Spoiler:

Where's Utamaru? Don't tell me he was replaced by that doggy without legs?