Twinkle Crusaders

Infobox animanga/Header
name = Twinkle Crusaders


caption = "Twinkle Crusaders" logo
ja_name = ティンクル☆くるせいだーす
ja_name_trans = Teinkuru Kuruseidāsu
genre = Drama, Fantasy, RomanceInfobox animanga/Manga
author = Lillian
illustrator = Kotamaru
publisher = flagicon|Japan ASCII Media Works
demographic = Seinen
magazine = Dengeki Hime
first = October 30, 2007
last = August 30, 2008
volumes = Infobox animanga/Manga
author = Lillian
illustrator = Jin Arima
publisher = flagicon|Japan ASCII Media Works
demographic = Seinen
magazine = Dengeki Daioh
first = February 21, 2008
last = ongoing
volumes = Infobox animanga/Game
developer = Lillian
publisher = flagicon|Japan Lillian
genre = Eroge, Visual novel
ratings = 18+
platforms = PC
released = flagicon|Japan September 26, 2008Nihongo|"Twinkle Crusaders"|ティンクル☆くるせいだーす|Teinkuru Kuruseidāsu|commonly abbreviated as Nihongo|Kurukuru|クルくる is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Lillian, and was originally released on September 26, 2008 for the PC as a limited edition DVD-ROM. The game is described by the development team as a Nihongo|"Heart-pounding exciting student council love comedy"|どきどきワクワク生徒会ラブコメ|Dokidoki Wakuwaku Seitokai Rabukome. The gameplay in "Twinkle Crusaders" follows a linear plot line, which offers pre-determined scenarios and courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the five female main characters.

"Twinkle Crusaders" has also been adapted into other media. Before the game's release, a four-panel comic strip manga adaptation illustrated by Japanese illustrator Kotamaru began serialization in the bishōjo magazine "Dengeki Hime" between October 30, 2007 and March 29, 2008. A second manga adaptation illustrated by Jin Arima began to be serialized irregularly in the manga magazine "Dengeki Daioh" on February 21, 2008. An adult one-shot manga chapter drawn by Yasushi Kawakami was also serialized in the adult magazine "Megastore" on May 17, 2008.

Plot

Principal characters

The player assumes the role of Nihongo|Shin Sakura|咲良シン|Sakura Shin, the protagonist of "Twinkle Crusaders". Shin is the student council president of Nihongo|Ryūsei Academy|流星学園|Ryūsei Gakuen, a position that is given free meals from the cafeteria, which is fortunate for him as he has been raised in a poor family and is in need of money. [citeweb|url=http://www.lillian.jp/kurukuru/chara_sin.html|title=Shin's character profile at "Twinkle Crusaders"' official website|publisher=Lillian|language=Japanese|accessdate=2008-10-04] Nihongo|Nanaka Yugiri|夕霧ナナカ|Yūgiri Nanaka|"Voiced by:" Keito Mizukiri, one of the five heroines, is Shin's lively childhood friend. Nanaka actually has a crush on Shin, and has been following him around since little, as far as enrolling into the same school and joining the student council due to such reason. She has an affection towards sweet confectioneries, and is the president of the sweets club at school. [citeweb|url=http://www.lillian.jp/kurukuru/chara_nanaka.html|title=Nanaka's character profile at "Twinkle Crusaders"' official website|publisher=Lillian|language=Japanese|accessdate=2008-10-04] Nihongo|Lolotte Rosenkreuz|ロロット・ローゼンクロイツ|Rorotto Rōzenkuroitsu|"Voiced by:" Motomi Nanaho, another heroine, is a first year student and is the student council's secretary. Despite her attempts to hide that she's actually an angel, it is generally known to the other characters, unbeknownst to her. [citeweb|url=http://www.lillian.jp/kurukuru/chara_lolotte.html|title=Lolotte Rosenkreuz's character profile at "Twinkle Crusaders"' official website|publisher=Lillian|language=Japanese|accessdate=2008-10-04]

"Twinkle Crusaders"'s third heroine, Nihongo|Misa Brigitta Cristelis|聖沙・ブリジッタ・クリステレス|Misa Burijitta Kurisuteresu|"Voiced by:" Kayo Sakata, is the student council's vice-president. Misa thinks of Shin as a rival, and always challenges him despite always ending up in second, falling behind Shin. [citeweb|url=http://www.lillian.jp/kurukuru/chara_misa.html|title=Misa Brigitta Cristelis' character profile at "Twinkle Crusaders"' official website|publisher=Lillian|language=Japanese|accessdate=2008-10-04] Nihongo|Ria Kujoh|九浄リア|Kujō Ria|"Voiced by:" Yuki Sakata, the fourth heroine in "Twinkle Crusaders", is a clumsy and soft-spoken third year student. Ria serves as an adviser to the student council due to her past experience as the student council president. Like Nanaka, she has an affection towards wagashi, and participates in the wagashi club at school. [citeweb|url=http://www.lillian.jp/kurukuru/chara_ria.html|title=Ria Kujō's character profile at "Twinkle Crusaders"' official website|publisher=Lillian|language=Japanese|accessdate=2008-10-04] The final heroine in "Twinkle Crusaders" is Nihongo|Azel|アゼル|Azeru|"Voiced by:" Rumi Abe, a second year student who transferred into Shin's class in the middle of the story. Azel is very quiet and has a cold attitude towards others. She does not participate in any school activities, and like Shin, comes from a poor family. [citeweb|url=http://www.lillian.jp/kurukuru/chara_azel.html|title=Azel's character profile at "Twinkle Crusaders"' official website|publisher=Lillian|language=Japanese|accessdate=2008-10-04]

Development

"Twinkle Crusaders" was first announced as the first project to be developed by the visual novel developer Lillian in the Japanese bishōjo magazine "Tech Gian", on November 21, 2006.citeweb|url=http://www.lillian.jp/kurukuru/info.html|title=Information archive of news related to "Twinkle Crusaders"|publisher=Lillian|language=Japanese|accessdate=2008-10-01] Art direction and character designs were provided by Rei Kannagi and Kotamaru who assisted Kannagi in the process.citeweb|url=http://www.lillian.jp/kurukuru/spec.html|title=A list of staff and specifications of "Twinkle Crusaders"|publisher=Lillian|language=Japanese|accessdate=2008-10-01] [citeweb|url=http://erogamescape.ddo.jp/~ap2/ero/toukei_kaiseki/creater.php?creater=7|title=A list of visual novel contributions by Kotamaru|publisher=ErogameScape|language=Japanese|accessdate=2008-10-01] While the scenario in the game was worked on by Shigeta and Hideto Mayura, with Hozumi Nakamoto who provided assistance in the preparation of the story. [citeweb|url=http://erogamescape.ddo.jp/~ap2/ero/toukei_kaiseki/creater.php?creater=1159|title=A list of visual novel contributions by Hozumi Nanamoto|publisher=ErogameScape|language=Japanese|accessdate=2008-10-01] The music in the game was composed entirely by Amedio. With the exception of Hozumi Nakamoto, the entire development team has previously worked on previous titles developed by Pajamas Soft, such as "Prism Ark".

Release history

Before the game's release, three game demos were distributed online at the visual novel's official website, while a separate demo were distributed at retail stores. The demos gave the player a glimpse into the characters and the story of the game, and also introduced the player to the gameplay system, typically the battle system used in the game. The full game was first released on September 26, 2008, as both a limited edition and a premium edition. The limited edition release included the game itself, an arrange album titled "Kira-kira Sound Festival", an art collection by twelve different artists, and a clear plastic casing.citeweb|url=http://www.lillian.jp/kurukuru/kuru_syokai.html#syopre|title=Information on the "Twinkle Crusaders" limited and premium edition releases|publisher=Lillian|langauge=Japanese|accessdate=2008-10-01] The premium edition release included the extras found in the limited edition release along with a silver necklace, and is limited to one-thousand units.

Related media

Internet radio show

An internet radio show to promote the "Twinkle Crusaders", titled Nihongo|"Radio Twinkle Crusaders"|RADiO ティンクル☆くるせいだーす|Radio Teinkuru Kuruseidāsu was first streamed online on August 27, 2008 as a pre-broadcast episode. It began its regular broadcast on September 10, 2008, and was streamed online bi-weekly on Mondays. The radio show is hosted by Kimiko Koyama and Shizuka Itō, who voiced Melilot and Herena in the visual novel, [citeweb|url=http://www.kurukuru.cc/cast.html|title=Introduction of the hosts of "Radio Twinkle Crusaders"|publisher=Onsen|language=Japanese|accessdate=2008-10-02] and is produced by Onsen.

Manga

Before the game's release, a four-panel comic strip manga adaptation began serialization in the bishōjo magazine "Dengeki Hime" between October 30, 2007 and August 30, 2008, and is published by ASCII Media Works.citeweb|url=http://www.lillian.jp/kurukuru/info.html|title=Information archive of news related to "Twinkle Crusaders"|publisher=Lillian|language=Japanese|accessdate=2008-10-01] The story of the manga is based on the visual novel, despite it not having been released yet, and was illustrated by Japanese illustrator Kotamaru, who has also contributed to the art in the game. A second manga adaptation began to be serailized irregularly in the manga magazine "Dengeki Daioh" by ASCII Media Works, on February 21, 2008. The second manga was illustrated by Jin Arima, and unlike the first manga which is inspired from the visual novel, the story of the second manga's story is instead based on the game's storyline. An one-shot manga chapter was also serialized in the adult magazine "Megastore" on May 17, 2008. The manga chapter was drawn by Yasushi Kawakami, and contained adult content not found in the other two manga adaptations.

Reception and sales

From mid-February to mid-March, the limited edition of "Twinkle Crusaders" was the eighth most pre-ordered title,citeweb|url=http://www.pc-press.net/reservationrog.html|title="PCpress" back issues pre-order rankings|publisher=PCPress|language=Japanese|accessdate=2008-10-05] according to a Japanese national ranking of PC games. It was then ranked as the most pre-ordered title in Japan from mid-March to mid-April, the fifth from mid-April to mid-May. The game was also the second most pre-ordered game from mid-May to mid-June, only falling behind "Little Busters! Ecstasy", after which the game was again placed as the most pre-ordered title in Japan for two consecutive months.

References

External links

* [http://www.lillian.jp/kurukuru/index.html Official "Twinkle Crusaders" visual novel website] ja icon