Aokana: Four Rhythms Across the Blue

Overview

Aokana: Four Rhythms Across the Blue is a visual novel developed and published by sprite. The game was released in Japan on November 28, 2014 for the PC as an eroge before later being published for the PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch with its adult content removed. An anime adaptation was later produced by Gonzo in 2016 and the story was also adapted into a manga series the previous year in 2015.

Later on, English visual novel localizer NekoNyan and Chinese publisher Hikari Field teamed up to publish Aokana around the world. A Kickstarter campaign was also launched on June 18, 2019 to fund a phycial release of Aokana which managaed to raise €130,766. The English translation of Aokana was initially released through various PC platforms on September 27, 2019. PQube would eventually publish the Nintendo Switch version in the West in 2020.

Gameplay

The game is set up in a serialized format, broken up into multiple chapters, with a preview for the next episode playing after chapter completion. The common route follows the FC clubs' formation and the members' different FC matches. After the lengthy common route a player is presented with various choices that allow you to choose which path to follow, there are a total of 4 routes in the game.

Story

The game is set in a world where human flight in relatively simple thanks to anti-gravity shoes. This invention gives rise to the sport of Flying Circus. Protagonist Hinata Masaya use to adore the sport as child, excelling in every way when it came to the sport even winning competitions but after a terrible experience, he fell out of love for it. Now much older he meets a new transfer student, Kurashina Asuka, whom he agrees to train in the sport after being asked by his teacher Kagami Aoi, thus reigniting his passion for Flying Circus. He is the second coach for Kunahama Academy's Flying Circus school club, other members include Aoyagi Shion the club founder, Aoyagi Madoka the club manager, and Tobisawa Misaki, Arisaka Mashiro and Kurashina Asuka who participate in Flying Circus.

Flying Circus

Flying Circus is a sky sport utilizing grav-shoes and personal flying suits, using these competitors battle it out with a horizontal and vertically bound field where they compete over who can obtain the most points within a certain time limit.

Grav-shoes

By wearing Grav-shoes one can be enveloped by an anti-gravitational field and fly freely in the sky. There are 2 different kinds of Grav-shoes.

• General use Grav-shoes - These are used in normal day-to-day life. The look like regular shoes but with a gravity function installed directly in the heel of the shoe.
• Competitive Grav-Shoes - These shoes are the ones used in Flying Circus matches. They are specifically developed for flying with variety of different types speeder type, all rounder type and a fighter type.

FC Classes

There are 3 different types of classes in the Flying Circus sport.

• Speeder - This class specialize in high speed movement with their sights set on touching the 4 buoys (1 point per buoys).
• Fighter - A fighter class specializes in dog fighting in the air. The are quick in making agile movements at close ranges. Their main goal is to tag an opponent in the back (which equals 1 point).
• All-Rounder - The balanced class of the 3, an all-rounder can adapt to the current situation.

Characters

Protagonist

• Hinata Masaya - The main protagonist of the game. Masaya is your typical visual novel protagonist. He is a high school student who tends to be popular among his peers. He used to love the sport of Flying Circus when he was a child, constantly training and winning competitions. But after a terrible defeat in a race against another child, he fell out of love for it.

Main Heroines

• Arisaka Mashiro - One of the main heroines of the game, she is a underclassmen who admires Misaki and joins the Flying Circus club along with her.
• Kurashina Asuka- A new transfer student that Masaya meets before her first day of school. She is a very polite person. She is very energetic and has a go-getter attitude, setting out to achieve her goals once she has set her mind to them.
• Tobisawa Misaki - A fellow classmate of Masaya, she has a laid back attitude but is very intelligent. She likes doing what she wants while going at her own pace.
• Ichinose Rika - A timid person at times, she enjoys the sport of Flying Circus. She moves into the house next the Masaya, although she attends a different school.

Secondary Characters

• Aoyagi Madoka - A classmate of Masaya and his friends, she is the manager of the Flying Circus club.
• Aoyagi Shion - The Flying Circus club president, he was the only member of the Flying Circus club until Masaya and Asuka joined. He is a very energetic person, as well as muscular. He is also Madoka's older brother.
• Arisaka Botan - She is Mashiro's mother.
• Kagami Aoi - A person who Masaya is very close to. She is the counselor of the Flying Circus club. She use to train Masaya in the sport when he was a child.
• Shirase Hayato - A young man who runs an Flying Circus specialized shop in the shopping district.
• Shirase Minamo - A very shy girl who continues to secretly hide herself. She is a the younger sister of Hayato.
• Satouin Reiko - A self proclaimed ojou-sama who is fixated on ruining the reputations of different academies for some unknown reason.
• Kazunari Shindou - President of the Tajafuji Flying Circus club. The 2-year reigning champion from the Flying Circus tournament that Masaya and his friends aim to win. He seems to know Masaya very well.
• Ganeko Mayu - A promising player from the Shitou Suisan Academy.
• Hosaka Minori - A boisterous and extremely lively girl. She is part of the broadcasting club and enjoys to cover FC games live.
• Inui Saki - A mysterious and expressionless FC player.
• Irina Avalon - She acts as some kind of proxy for Saki due to her lack of expression.
• Kurobuchi Kasumi - A violent looking FC player.
• Okoze Arika - A childhood friend of Mashiro.
• Undercover Player - A mysterious masked player.

Soundtrack

Single

The game's soundtrack is scored by Japanese music group Element Garden with Japanese J-pop singer Kotoko contributing vocals.

• Title: Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm Shudaika MAXI SINGLE CD
• Release Date: November 28, 2014
• Composers: Tomoyuki Nakazawa, Noriyasu Agematsu
• Performances: Mami Kawada, Kotoko
• Lyric Contribution: Mami Kawada, Kotoko

Original Soundtrack

This 4-disk released of the original soundtrack contains the music of the game, both vocal, non-vocal, piano and instrumental versions of the opening song.

• Title: Four Rhythm Across The Blue Vocal & Sound Collection
• Release Date: May 02, 2015

Disc 1

Disc 2

Disc 3

Disc 4