Tsukihime | |
Cover of Tsukihime
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月姫 | |
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Genre | Mystery, Romance, Supernatural, Dark fantasy, horror |
Game | |
Developer | Type-Moon |
Publisher | Type-Moon |
Genre | Dojin, Eroge, Visual novel |
Platform | Windows – NScripter engine |
Released | December 2000 |
Game | |
Tsukihime Plus-Disc | |
Developer | Type-Moon |
Publisher | Type-Moon |
Genre | Dojin, Eroge, Visual novel |
Platform | Windows - NScripter / KiriKiri engine |
Released | January 2001 |
Anime television series | |
Shingetsutan Tsukihime | |
Directed by | Katsushi Sakurabi |
Produced by | Yuichi Sekido, Takeshi Jinguji, Yuji Matsukura |
Written by | Hiroko Tokita |
Music by | Toshiyuki Omori |
Studio | J.C.Staff |
Licensed by | |
Original network | Animax, TBS, BS-i |
English network | |
Original run | 9 October 2003 – 25 December 2003 |
Episodes | 12 |
Manga | |
Shingetsutan Tsukihime | |
Written by | Sasaki Shōnen |
Published by | ASCII Media Works |
English publisher | |
Demographic | Shōnen |
Magazine | Dengeki Daioh |
Original run | October 2003 – September 2010 |
Volumes | 10 |
Related media | |
Tsukihime (Japanese: 月姫, lit. "Lunar Princess") is a Japanese adult dōjin visual novel created by Type-Moon, who first released it at the Winter Comiket in December 2000. It was adapted in 2003 into an anime series, Shingetsutan Tsukihime, produced by J.C.Staff and Geneon, and a manga series, which was serialized between October 2003 and September 2010 in MediaWorks' seinen magazine Dengeki Daioh, with 10 volumes released.
Its fame and renown is often attributed to its comprehensive and expansive storyline and its writer Kinoko Nasu's unique style of storytelling. As well as its anime and manga adaptations, it has also spawned numerous merchandising and memorabilia franchises. A remake to the visual novel is also currently being planned.
Tsukihime's gameplay requires little interaction from the player as most of the game's duration is spent on reading the text that appears, representing either dialogue between the characters or the inner thoughts of the protagonist. The player is presented with choices, some affect the story in large ways, others do not affect the story at all or affect it in small ways. Changes that affect Shiki's opinion on the characters and heroines usually change the direction of the story drastically. There are two scenarios: the Near-Side Route (as in "near-moon") which includes Arcueid and Ciel as selectable heroines, and the Far Side Route (as in far-moon) which includes Akiha, Hisui, and Kohaku as selectable heroines. Every heroine except Kohaku has two possible endings. When the player has achieved all possible endings, a new section is unlocked, entitled Eclipse. Eclipse is an ending to all routes, and an epilogue of sorts.
Tsukihime's follows the perspective of Shiki Tohno (遠野 志貴 Tōno Shiki), a second year high school student of Misaki Town, who suffered a life-threatening injury when he was young. When he regained consciousness, Shiki was able to see "death lines", lines by which things will eventually break when they die. This includes the death of inanimate objects as well as living beings and undead beings. Because of his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception making him see death lines Shiki has immense headaches as his mind cannot cope with the sight of death. Soon after he is given a pair of glasses that blocks the sight of these lines. The game then advances to Shiki's second year of high school. After his injury, he was banished to a branch family of the Tohno household. After eight years he is called back home by his younger sister, Akiha Tohno (遠野 秋葉 Tōno Akiha), when she assumed the responsibility as the family's head. After moving back Shiki has trouble adjusting to the old-fashioned lifestyle his sister lives by.