Shizuku (video game)
1996 video game
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shizuku[a] is an adult visual novel by Leaf originally released for NEC PC-9801 and Microsoft Windows 95 on January 26, 1996.[1][2] An enhanced edition with voice acting and new visuals, often called Shizuku Renewal[b], was released on January 23, 2004, targeting Windows 98, Me, 2000, and XP.[3] It is the first game in Leaf's Visual Novel Series, the origin of the term "visual novel".[1][4][5]
| Shizuku | |
|---|---|
 Cover art of Shizuku Renewal | |
| Developer | Leaf |
| Publisher | Aqua |
| Series | Leaf Visual Novel Series |
| Platforms | NEC PC-9801, Microsoft Windows (95, 98, Me, 2000, XP) |
| Release | |
| Genres | Eroge, visual novel |
| Mode | Single-player |
The game translates the format of Chunsoft's "sound novel" titles such as Otogirisō and Kamaitachi no Yoru, in which players read text and select choices in order to advance the narrative, into an eroge.[1][6] The story focuses on psychological horror, exploring themes of mind control, conspiracy theory, sexual assault and social alienation.
Although no official English translation has been released, a fan translation of the 1996 version of the game released in 2026.[7]
Characters
- Yūsuke Nagase (長瀬 祐介, Nagase Yūsuke)
- The game's protagonist.
- Saori Shinjo (新城 沙織, Shinjō Saori)
- Voiced by: Sakura Takatsuki
- A cheerful and talkative member of the volleyball team, she is an eyewitness to a certain event and is quickly swept up in the aftermath.
- Ruriko Tsukishima (月島 瑠璃子, Tsukishima Ruriko)
- Voiced by: Sakura Ichinomiya
- A former classmate of Yūsuke's, she can often be found reading books in a secluded area.
- Kanako Ota (太田 香奈子, Ōta Kanako)
- Voiced by: Kaoru Imai
- Yūsuke's classmate and vice-president of the student council.
- Mizuho Aihara (藍原 瑞穂, Aihara Mizuho)
- Voiced by: Mai Tachibana
- The shy student council secretary with a hidden stubborn side, she has been best friends with Kanako since middle school.
- Genichiro Nagase (長瀬 源一郎, Nagase Gen'ichirō)
- Yūsuke's uncle and a teacher at the same school, he often provides useful advice in relation to the game's events.
- Takuya Tsukishima (月島 拓也, Tsukishima Takuya)
- Voiced by: Daisuke Tanaka
Legacy
Shizuku was the first game to incorporate "erotic content" into the visual novel genre, using the format used in Otogiriso. It has also been described as similar to the visual novel Kizuato, also produced by Leaf,[8] with themes of bloodshed, violence, and humiliation, with a "dark narrative".[9] The game has also been described as a "landmark" for Leaf, in the company's visual novel genre, and mentioned in the anime adaptation of 16bit Sensation.[1][10]
A grown-up Yusuke and Mizuho make a cameo in the anime adaptation of To Heart: Remember my Memories. In this continuity, Yusuke married Mizuho, only for her to neglect their relationship by focusing more on her work as a robot engineer and later dies in an accident.
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