You might want to read Hatsuyuki Sakura 


Hatsuyuki Sakura is a tale about a boy that walks the border of life and death. Kawano Hatsuyuki lives only to carry out the revenge of faceless ghosts so that he may be reunited once more with the long-lost souls of his past. With the date of his deadly revenge set on the same day as his high school graduation, the act of graduating itself represents a yearning for life beyond the one that was written for him.  

It may be hard to understand reading just the plot synopsis, but Hatsuyuki Sakura is a monumental game. If it were possible reduce the game to just the entirety of the events that happen, it lacks the grand themes and philosophical questions that typically come with those works that we consider truly great. But the act of reading is much more than the consumption of the plot, and if you enjoy writing more for its stylistic elements, you really might want to read Hatsuyuki Sakura. 

The game opens with two schoolgirls gossiping about rumors of “The Ghost Child,” a living human being that rules over the spirits of the dead. As the plot unfolds, we repeatedly return to the perspective of the schoolgirls, as the gossip grows more and more fantastic. These scenes are a microcosm of the game’s overarching narrative. Hatsuyuki Sakura is structured episodically, like a collection of ghost stories or fairy tales. Just as the folk tradition lived through the performances of storytellers across generations, it is in the performative aspect that the game truly shines. 

Niijima Yuu is a writer that breathes life into every written line. The energy that pulses through his words keeps the narrative moving at a spirited pace. His prose is dynamic. His dialogue is snappy. The text’s bursting desire to live is what makes this modern-day ghost story so effective. This style is uniquely fitting for a game whose core conflict is the choice of the living over the dead. 

The living nature of the text is best illustrated in the characters themselves. Take for example, the titular Sakura. She is quite the performer herself. “Bunny!” she shouts as she poses with Nemu.  She cries, “Pyaa!” as she bounces away in embarrassment (a particularly effective combination of the usual “Kyaa” and “Pyon-pyon,” the onomatopoeia for the jumping of rabbits). Even the theme-song that plays when she is on the screen bounces and prances around (it is impossible to oversell just how effective the game’s music is at recreating the tone of the game, adding yet another layer of life to the characters). The characters in the game are loud, bustling, and vivacious, and every piece of the game’s presentation, whether it is the dynamic writing, the energetic voice acting, or the whimsical music, engages you with the movements of these characters. 

That is not to say that the game is solely about appreciating this lively menagerie of characters. The plot takes quite a turn in the second act, transforming into a grandiose fantasy adventure featuring betrayal, violent conflict, and a bittersweet denouement. Niijima unapologetically panders to the ideals and passions that boys romanticise, and his dynamic style is unsurprisingly good for this kind of writing too. It was this game in particular (largely in part to the dialogue in Nozomu’s route) that made me appreciate just how effective the stereotypical masculine perspective can be at driving a good story.

I suggested at first that the game doesn’t address grand themes. I admit that that was a bit of a misdirection. Yes, it is a ghost story, and yes, it is a fairy tale, but there is no inherent reason that these types of traditional folk stories must be lesser in thematic value than the types of literature we usually consider great. Every atom of the game’s existence is a celebration of the fleeting beauty of life, perhaps *the* great theme that permeates Japanese art. 

It is not really about Love, though the characters fall in love at the end. It is not really about Loss, though the characters have all lost things in their pasts. It is about living youth to the fullest, hanging out with really fun (girl) friends, and when that is all done, graduating and moving on to the next chapter in life. If you have ever yearned for such an experience, then you just might want to read Hatsuyuki Sakura. 


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