Sakura Wars Trivia Video

I've been a fan of the Sakura Wars franchise for a while, and have posted about the series several times on this site, so I experimented with making a video where I share some random fun facts about this once prolific Japanese franchise. Hope you enjoy it!

Thanks for the great video! Very informative & well put-together.

I've been Taisen-curious since playing through X-Zone 2; even the tiny bits of characterization in that game were enough to hint at a really interesting world & relationships.

@quantris: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the video!

If you are curious about jumping into the series I'd highly recommend checking out So Long, My Love. It is how I got into the series and is the only game that is playable in English so it is the most accessible. Otherwise, you could wait for the recently announced reboot of the series, Shin Sakura Taisen, which is planned to be released in the West in 2020. There is also a fan translation of the original Saturn version of Sakura Wars 1 currently being worked on that might actually drop very soon, so you could potentially play that in the near future as well.

Great video! Thanks for making and posting it.

After Shin Sakura Taisen was announced last year, I decided to get into the series by using YouTube and Kayama's translation guides on GameFAQs to go through Sakura Taisen 1 & 2. Those games have a warmth and earnest old-fashionedness in setting, characters, and story that is complemented very nicely by the loving attention to detail in the presentation. Those games just feel classic somehow. And the main theme is an instant all-time great.

I found myself hesitant to move straight into Sakura Taisen 3 and leave behind the original cast. I also picked up a like-new copy of So Long My Love for PS2, so now I'm thinking I might try jumping ahead to that one.

As for Shin Sakura Taisen, sadly I'm not feeling it so far. To me it lacks that classic vibe that's so distinctive to the original games. I don't care for the character designs or the remix of the main theme either. But I'll still keep an eye on it in case I come around on it.

Nice work! I enjoyed watching it.

I love this franchise since the first one on Saturn. At the time I was buying imported games randomly, not knowing what kind of game I could fall on. The first one blew my mind, a mix of visual novel and tactical combat was completely original for me. Since then I bought every version I could find on every platform save for PC. I even bought the PSP version.

I'm not convinced by the new character design of the new Sakura Taisen (some would say I dislike it greatly) and the art direction overall. The move to real-time action is also disappointing but expected. I know it's not realistic but I would've liked them to keep 2D visuals for the visual novel parts and the turn-based combat. We'll see how it will turn out even if I'm not optimistic.

@savage: Thank you, glad you enjoyed it. Also I totally agree with your sentiments on Sakura Wars 1 & 2. I played through a few hours of each game in the series for this video and, even though titles like Sakura Wars 1 feel a bit clunky compared to the other entries in the series, I was reminded of that classic feel that each game has. Also I would not be hesitant to jump into Sakura Wars 3. So Long, My Love is a lot of fun but SW3 is by far the best entry in the franchise. The setting and cast is so much fun and there is a polish to that game's presentation/gameplay that the series never reached again. Even the animated cut-scenes are of an almost movie-like quality. I feel like if that game had been localized back in the day it would be held in similar regrade to classics like Skies of Arcadia today. You can jump into whatever entry you want next but SW3 will be a treat whenever you get to it.

@tatsuyarr: Thank you! I actually first heard of the games when I saw a trailer for the Sakura Wars TV series on some random ADV DVD and my older sibling, who had heard of the series through gaming magazines, told me it was based off a video game from Japan. I never watched the TV show but I became a fan after playing through So Long, My Love with my brothers.

As for the comments about the new game. I was definitely concerned about the direction of the game when I saw the character designs and action combat but as Sega has revealed more about the game it is looking better and better. The footage shown at this year's TGS was especially impressive. They really seem to be putting their all into this new title so I am optimistic about the game. Thankfully we won't have to wait long to see what the game will be like, with the title releasing in Japan in a few months and in the West in early 2020.

@bowl-of-lentils: to be honest I already pre-ordered the limited edition on Amazon Japan. I've always imported games of this franchise and for nostalgia's sake, I'm going to continue. Anyway they had me at "Hashire! Kosuko no teikokukagekidan..." ^^

This song is so good.

@tatsuyarr: Nice. I'm hoping the US will get that limited edition as well since it looks pretty good. I especially like the painted cover illustration for that edition.