Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi (Series)

Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi (星空へ架かる橋), sometimes shortened to Hoshikaka and also known by the translation A Bridge to the Starry Skies, is an erotic visual novel developed and published by Feng, released on October 15, 2010 for Windows. The story, a mostly comedic slice-of-life, centers on Kazuma Hoshino, an adolescent boy who moves into rural Japan with his brother, and the personal and romantic encounters he has with a handful of the female residents there. Though the game requires little interaction from users, Hoshikaka engages the player through a nonlinear plot that they are given opportunities to change the course of during play.

Feng announced work on Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi in May 2009 and marketed it through public venues and the broadcast of a radio drama throughout development. The game was postponed a total of nine times and released almost a year after its initial date but was met with relatively positive reception. On November 11, 2011 Feng announced work on a fan disc for the game, set to be released on February 24, 2012.

Following the game's release, Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi made transitions into other media. Two light novels were published, as was an art book, audio dramas and several albums of music. A twelve-episode animated television series and direct-to-video (OVA) single release was also produced by.

Gameplay
As a visual novel, Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi contains extremely minimal gameplay. The game is presented in a traditional fashion, with static backgrounds and moderately altered character poses viewed from a mostly first-person perspective. At predetermined intervals, the game stops, and players are presented with one to two responses or actions relevant to the scene in progress to make, or not make, on behalf of characters. Each selection branches the game's progress up to that point in an alternate direction, while also causing the player's love toward a character to blossom, plateau, or diminish, thus providing for a nonlinear storytelling experience.

Plot
Kazuma Hoshino is a young student who, in the company of his younger brother Ayumu, move from undisclosed urban Japan into the rural city of Yamabiko. On their way to Yorozuyo Inn, where they are prearranged to lodge, the boys get on the wrong bus, forcing them to wait out the next ride at a stop. Lounging around and passing time, a wild monkey mischievously steals Ayumu's hat, and an upset Kazuma gives chase into surrounding forest.

Minutes pass, and though scuffed and worn, Kazuma is able to recover the hat to the realization that he is lost. Ui Nakatsugawa, a schoolgirl, happens upon Kazuma and happily leads him in the direction of the bus stop, skipping across a river he'd passed earlier with ease. Encouraged by her to do the same, Kazuma lands wrong, causing him to tackle Ui to the ground with a kiss. Having been seen and scolded by her friend Ibuki Hinata, Kazuma leaves, disheartened that his time with Ui was momentary.

The following day, having moved into their room at the inn, Kazuma and Ayumu head to their new school, Yamabiko South Academy. Much to his surprise, it is during his introduction to the class that Kazuma meets Ui and Ibuki again.

Main Characters
Kazuma Hoshino (星野 一馬) is the main protagonist of the series. A rather ordinary, though warmhearted teenage boy, he moves out of the city and into the countryside for the sake of his brother Ayumu's delicate health. His acclimation to this environment is an initially rough and humiliating one, attracting the ridicule and distrust of some of his peers; over time however, his gentleman demeanor and true intentions earn him respect and even the ardency of his female companions. Partially unaware that his childhood took place in Yamabaki, Kazuma experiences occasional flashbacks.

Ui Nakatsugawa (中津川 初) is a lively and upbeat second-year high school student who is arguably the most iconic character of the series. An energetic, carefree individual, Ui is fun, outgoing and adored by everyone, though she is comparatively naive to her peers. Of her most outward traits, Ui has an outrageous appetite for food.

Ibuki Hinata (日向 伊吹) is a fellow second-year student, her class representative, and Ui's closest if not best friend. Besides her academic excellence and status on the student council, she is also an active member of the archery club, having practiced the sport since middle school.

Madoka Koumoto (神本 円佳) is a first-year student, who outside of her time at school, doubles as the local Shinto shrine miko. Bashful and delicate, she is often found sweeping leaves off the sandō, reading books to children at the Yamabiko library or less commonly, in the company of friends. Having grown up sheltered, Madoka dresses old-fashioned, is mildly, and beyond her time in school, is not familiar with or interested in subcultures.

Tsumugi Toudou (藤堂 つむぎ) is a prim and quaint third-year student and one of the most respectable cast members. A gentle, down-home country girl, Tsumugi is courteous, knowledgeable and acts as a sort of mediator for those around her. Tsumugi is a lover of nature and the rural life, enforced by her part-time work at the Yorozuyo Inn. She is the oldest of three sisters, Koyori and Kasane Toudou. With a brassiere size of F, Tsumugi sports the largest bust of the female cast.

Hina Sakai (酒井 陽菜) is a calm and peculiar third-year student, who unlike the rest of the cast, is one of the more difficult to discern. Her habitually aloof and reticent nature distinguish her as an intrapersonal, somewhat mysterious person, a trait she is well known and admired for at school; her encounter with Kazuma, and the time she spends with him and the group however, serve to relieve this. Despite her refined image, Hina madly adores anything cute and even personifies plush toys. Her parents own a famous distillery, a common motif of hers is to study marketing in college. Of the entire cast, Hina is the tallest character.

Koyori Toudou (藤堂 こより) is a first-year student and the vivacious younger sister of Tsumugi, second oldest to Kasane. An animated, headstrong, tenacious and often loud girl, Koyori, much like Ibuki, does not welcome Kazuma with open arms at the start of their introduction, though after cushioning her fall from a tree she has a change of heart. In spite of her almost spitfire disposition, Koyori enjoys helping others and appreciates those who help her. With the exception of Kasane, Koyori is the shortest character of the main cast.

Development
According to D-Dream, a distributor of visual novels and domestic anime products, Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi was officially announced by Feng on May 8, 2009. The official website had also gone live around this time, and from September 28 to November 16, character profiles, sample artwork, and voice clips were added.

On November 26, 2009, D-Dream reported that Hoshikaka had been postponed from its original release date on December 11, 2009 to February 26, 2010. In the following month, on December 18, Feng announced that it would be attending the Akihabara Electric Festival on December 27 at the Akihabara Sofmap Amusement Hall to promote the game, selling phonecards and dakimakura cases. From December 25, 2009 to February 4, 2010, Feng remained relatively quiet about the game's development, until on February 5 it was announced that the game had been postponed from February 26 to April 23. More artwork samples were added from March 5 to 12, and on April 13, the game was postponed for a third time from April 23 to May 28. On April 30, after adding more sample artwork, Feng announced that it would be attending Dream Party 2010, an anime convention, on May 23 at in, selling dakimakura cases and t-shirts. After adding more sample art on March 7, the company postponed the game for a fourth time on March 14, from May 28 to June 25.

More art and voice samples were added from May 28 to June 11, with a fifth postponement on June 16 from June 25 to July 30. On June 24, the company announced that it would be distributing free Hoshikaka posters the following day at the retail establishment in. The shortened version of the game's ending theme "Hiroga ru Yozora no Shita de" was published on July 2, and on July 16 the game's opening movie was released along with a sixth postponement from July 30 to August 27. A week later on July 24, Feng posted the game's first collection of purchasable merchandise. The company announced days later on July 30 that it would be attending 78 at Tokyo Big Site from August 13 to 15, selling dakimakura cases, wall scrolls, keyboard covers, cellphone screen wipes, bath salts, hand fans, towels and air fresheners.

On August 12, 2010 Feng released a public trial of Hoshikaka. The game was postponed for a seventh time on August 19 from August 27 to September 24. A second trial was released on September 10, followed shortly by an eighth postponement on September 14 from September 24 to September 30. This date change was then followed by a ninth postponement on September 22, when it was changed from September 30 to October 15. In the following week, Feng announced that it would be attending the Dream Party Autumn 2010 at Tokyo Big Sight on October 3, selling dakimakura cases. With the absence of a tenth postponement, Feng announced on October 8 that it would be hosting a celebratory event for the game's release on October 15 at Sofmap retailers in, holding a raffle and autographing copies of the game. A third trial was released on October 10, and on October 15, the game was released.

Release history
On the day of release, Feng published a patch for Hoshikaka, adding additional functionality to the game and crushing numerous bugs, bringing the game to version 1.01. The following year on February 15, 2011, Feng released a free, downloadable expansion to the game called the St. Valentine's Day Patch, which added extra story routes for Ui and Hina.

Feng announced Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi AA, a fan disc, on November 11, 2011, set for release February 24, 2012. Getchu.com ranked AA in their 50 most reserved games for its time of recently announced titles.

Books and publications
Hoshikaka never transpired into a manga, though it did make it into other print. The first of these was the "Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi Visual Fan Book" published by on March 30, 2011, an artbook of character illustrations and staff interviews and commentaries. Two light novels, written by Kurumi Morisaki, were also published by. Retelling the story of the original game, the first volume was published July 26, 2011. Morisak would follow up the book with a second, published December 26.

Anime
Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi was notably adapted into a twelve-episode television series by. News of this first appeared on December 29, 2010 when Dogakobo announced via their blog that information about the show had been posted on its then-new website. Stations participating in the broadcast included, , , , , and , the premiere of which would air on AT-X on April 4. From July 6 to December 7, 2011, Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi was published into six DVDs and Blu-rays containing two episodes each.

Dogakobo also produced one direct-to-video (OVA) episode of Hoshikaka. News of it was posted on August 12, 2011, mentioning that a new character would be voiced by singer-songwriter. Updates were added from September 5 to November 28, and on December 21, the episode was released as a limited and regular edition DVD and Blu-ray.

Audio CDs
From 2010 to 2011, five albums of Hoshikaka music were published. The "Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi Opening Theme" single, containing the game's opening theme of the same name, the closing theme Hirogaru Yozora no Shita de (広がる夜空の下で), performed by and, and their instrumentals, was the first to be distributed on December 29, 2010 at Comiket 79, published under Feng's own label.

The following year, published four albums. The singles "Hoshikaze no Horoscope" (星風のホロスコープ), a four-track disc performed by Nomico, and "Dashed Cinderella" (だっしゅどシンデレラ), another four-track featuring the voices of and, the voice actresses for Ui and Madoka, were released on May 27, 2011. A month later, on June 27, the company released the game's original soundtrack, and on August 3, the "Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi Character Song Album", an eight-track album featuring music performed by the anime's voice actresses was released.

Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi Radio, a radio drama that was broadcast during development, was also published into two albums, released October 3, 2011.

Reception
Getchu.com, a major distributor of visual novels and domestic anime products, ranked Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi as the number one visual novel sold for the month of its release but failed to chart any further. It was, however, ranked as the third most sold game for the entire year in the company.