Nekopara

Nekopara
Nekopara Vol. 1 cover art
Genres Visual novel
Developer(s) Neko Works
Publisher(s) Sekai Project
Creator(s) Sayori
Platforms
First release Nekopara Vol. 1
December 30, 2014
Latest release Nekopara Extra
July 27, 2018

Nekopara (Japanese: ネコぱら) is a series of erotic visual novel video games developed by Neko Works and published by Sekai Project. The first game in the series, Nekopara Vol. 1, was released on December 30, 2014.[1] The series is set in a world where humans live alongside catgirls, known as "Nekos", and are able to keep them as pets.

An all-ages anime OVA adaptation was released on Steam in December 2017; it became one of the top earners in Steam in December 2017.[2]

Gameplay

Nekopara is a visual novel series, so the majority of the gameplay consists of the player reading the game's story. Nekopara does not offer choices to the player throughout gameplay, and the player has no influence over the story. The games are fully voiced (except for the protagonist) and use a system called "E-mote" that allows the in-game characters to be animated, instead of stationary sprites.[3] Nekopara Vol. 0 added a new feature where the player can click on characters in-game, to "pet" them. The characters will react in different ways depending on where the player pets them.

Plot

Vol. 1

Kashou Minaduki is an aspiring chef who moves away from home to open his own confection shop. While he is unpacking in his new shop, he discovers that two of his family's Nekos, Chocola and Vanilla, came along with him by hiding in cardboard boxes. After the two Nekos convince Kashou to let them stay and live with him, the three of them work together to run his shop, La Soleil. During the story, Kashou receives a couple of visits from his younger sister Shigure and the other four Nekos owned by their family.

Vol. 0

This prequel to Vol. 1 provides a look at a day in the life of Shigure and the six catgirls in the family home. With little to no involvement of the previous protagonist Kashou Minaduki.

Vol. 2

Shigure and the other four Nekos, Azuki, Cinnamon, Maple, and Coconut, begin working at La Soleil. This part focuses primarily on Azuki and Coconut and their sometimes contentious relationship as they struggle to find their place at the shop.

Vol. 3

The story of La Soleil continues. This part focuses primarily on Cinnamon and Maple and their strong relationship when Maple is trying to make a dream come true.

Extra

Taking place six months before Vol 1, this part focuses on the Minaduki household back when Chocola and Vanilla were kittens struggling to adapt to the family.

Characters

Kashou Minaduki (水無月 嘉祥, Minazuki Kashou)
Voiced by: Shinnosuke Tachibana[4]
The protagonist of the series. Kashou comes from a long line of chefs, and decides to move away from home and open his own shop.
Chocola (ショコラ)
Voiced by: Maki Tomonaga[5] (credited as Himari in visual novels)[6]
Chocola is a cheerful and energetic brown haired Neko. She is very fond of Kashou, and calls him "master". She could not bear the thought of being separated from her master, so she came along with him when he moved to his new shop. She is Vanilla's twin sister.
Vanilla (バニラ)
Voiced by: Yuka Inokuchi[7] (credited as Amu Nakamura in visual novels)[8]
Vanilla is a quiet and calm white haired Neko. She rarely expresses her emotions, making her a somewhat of a kūdere character. She loves her twin sister Chocola, and will follow her anywhere she goes. Chocola and Vanilla are the youngest of the Minaduki family Nekos.
Shigure Minaduki (水無月 時雨, Minazuki Shigure)
Voiced by: Emi Sakura (visual novels);[9] Mai Nagai (OVA)[10]
Kashou's younger sister. She appears to have romantic feelings for Kashou in an incestuous way. She and her older brother are the owners of the Minaduki family Nekos.
Azuki (アズキ)
Voiced by: Mia Naruse[11][12]
Azuki is the oldest of the Minaduki family Nekos. Despite being the oldest, she has a mischievous personality. However, she lives up to being the eldest catgirl by effortlessly managing and leading her sisters as they work in Kashou's cafe. She also has a tsundere personality, acting sarcastic and tough to hide her real emotions towards everyone. She is a Munchkin cat.
Maple (メイプル)
Voiced by: Yui Ogura[13][14]
Maple is the second oldest of the Minaduki family Nekos. She has an independent/mature personality, as well as a hint of tsundere given that she is typically dishonest with herself. She enjoying visiting cafes to try different food and drinks. She aspires to be a singer, but is held back by her own lack of self-confidence as well as the prospect that she will only ever make it big because she is a catgirl. She is an American Curl.
Cinnamon (シナモン)
Voiced by: Uyū Arisaka (visual novels);[15] Tae Okajima (OVA)[16]
Cinnamon is the third oldest of the Minaduki family Nekos. She has a dirty mind, so she frequently interprets things in a sexual manner, and ends up becoming aroused. She has the largest busts of all the Nekos. She is closest with Maple, and thus aspires to be by her side to support her life decisions. She is a Scottish Fold.
Coconut (ココナツ)
Voiced by: Ryōko Tezuka (visual novels);[17] Megumi Tateishi (OVA)[18]
Coconut is the third youngest of the Minaduki family Nekos. Other characters praise her for her "cool" personality, but she wishes she were cute rather than cool. She suffers from low self-esteem because of her klutziness and self-proclaimed lack of skills. She also tries to do more than she can to seem more like an older sister, as well as not seem burdening to Kashou and the other catgirls. She was revealed that she tries to be someone she's not. She is a Maine Coon.

Release history

Timeline of release years
2014Vol. 1
2015Vol. 0
2016Vol. 2
2017Vol. 3
2018Extra

Nekopara Vol. 1, was released in two versions: an uncensored adult version that includes explicit sex scenes and nudity, and a censored all ages version where the explicit content is removed.[19] Volume 1 received a release date of December 30, 2014.[20][21] An all ages Fan disc titled Nekopara Vol. 0 was released on August 17, 2015.[22][23] Nekopara Vol. 2 was released on February 20, 2016.[24] Nekopara Vol. 3 was originally scheduled to be released on April 28, 2017,[25] but was later delayed to May 26, 2017.[26] Shortly after volume 3 was released, Neko Works announced that volume 4 was "coming soon".[27] Nekopara will be released on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch in 2018.[28]

A spin-off game, NekopaLive, was released on Steam on June 1, 2016.[29]

A mini visual novel based on the childhood of Chocola and Vanilla was confirmed to be produced after reaching the $800 000 stretch goal on the Nekopara OVA Kickstarter.[30] It was later announced that the title would be Nekopara Extra, and was released on July 27, 2018.[31]

Sales

As of May 2016, the Nekopara series had sold over 500,000 copies.[32] By April 2017, that number had doubled, surpassing one million copies.[33] One year later, in April 2018, the series had sold over 2 million copies.[34]

Reception

Hardcore Gamer gave Nekopara Vol. 1 a positive review, stating that "Nekopara is a light and fluffy visual novel that fans of catgirls will enjoy," but noted that "some may be put off by the sexual storyline aspect."[35]

Adaptations

Nekopara
ネコぱら
Original video animation
Directed by Hayashi Hiroki
Produced by Ankou
Takashi Nakanishi
Written by Yūta Kikuchi
Music by Yūgo Maeda
Studio ixtl
Felix Film
Released December 22, 2017
Runtime 58 minutes
Manga
Illustrated by Tam-U
Published by ASCII Media Works
English publisher
Demographic Seinen
Magazine Dengeki G's Comic
Original run May 30, 2018 – present
Original video animation
Nekopara Extra
Directed by Yasutaka Yamamoto
Produced by Ankou
Takashi Nakanishi
Written by Go Zappa
Music by Yūgo Maeda
Studio anchor
Felix Film
Released July 27, 2018
Runtime 21 minutes

Anime

In July 2016, Sekai Project announced that it would be running a Kickstarter campaign to fund an all-ages Nekopara original video animation adaptation.[36] The campaign launched in December 2016, and reached its US$100,000 funding goal "mere hours" after launching.[37] The campaign ended on Kickstarter on February 11, 2017, and raised US$963,376 from 9,322 backers,[38] however, was extended in order to reach the final stretch goal. In March 2017, the campaign formally ended on Sekai Project's "slacker backer" service, and raised a total of US$1,049,552.[39] On December 4, 2017, Sekai Project announced that the OVA would be released on December 26, 2017,[40] however, was later moved to December 22, 2017[41] due to a shipping error by Tokyo Otaku Mode, the company responsible for physical goods.

The opening theme for the OVA is Baby→Lady LOVE by Ray, while the ending theme is ▲MEW▲△MEW△CAKE by KOTOKO.

A second OVA, based on the Nekopara Extra visual novel, was released alongside the visual novel on July 27, 2018.[42] The ending theme for Nekopara Extra is Symphony by Luce Twinkle Wink☆.[43]

Manga

A manga adaptation illustrated by Tam-U is currently being published in Dengeki G's Comic magazine.[44] The manga began serialisation in the July issue of Dengeki G's Comic on May 30, 2018.[45] During Anime Expo 2018, Sekai Project announced that they would release the manga in English digitally, with the first chapter scheduled for release in August 2018.[46]

References

  1. ↑ "NEKOPARA Vol. 1 on Steam". Valve Corporation. December 5, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  2. ↑ http://store.steampowered.com/sale/2017_top_new_releases/
  3. ↑ "Meet the Catgirls of Sekai Project's Visual Novel Nekopara Vol 1". Silicon Era. December 29, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Character: Minaduki Kashou". Nekopara OVA. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Character: Chocola". Nekopara OVA. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  6. ↑ "ショコラ". Nekopara (in Japanese). Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Character: Vanilla". Nekopara OVA. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  8. ↑ "バニラ". Nekopara (in Japanese). Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  9. ↑ "水無月 時雨". Nekopara (in Japanese). Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Character: Minaduki Shigure". Nekopara OVA. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  11. ↑ "アズキ". Nekopara (in Japanese). Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Character: Azuki". Nekopara OVA. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  13. ↑ "メイプル". Nekopara (in Japanese). Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Character: Maple". Nekopara OVA. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  15. ↑ "シナモン". Nekopara (in Japanese). Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Character: Cinnamon". Nekopara OVA. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  17. ↑ "ココナツ". Nekopara (in Japanese). Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Character: Coconut". Nekopara OVA. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  19. ↑ "The Sex Games That Steam Censors". Kotaku. January 21, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Catgirl visual novel Nekopara out today on Steam". Destructoid. December 29, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Sekai Project Adds Nekopara Vol. 1 Visual Novel to Steam Greenlight". Anime News Network. November 12, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  22. ↑ "【ダウンロード版】ネコぱらvol.0～水無月ネコたちの日常！" (in Japanese). Neko Works. August 15, 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  23. ↑ "NEKOPARA Vol. 0 on Steam". Valve Corporation. August 12, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  24. ↑ "NEKOPARA Vol. 2 on Steam". Valve Corporation. February 12, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  25. ↑ @sekaiproject (January 5, 2017). "NEKOPARA Vol 3 Trailer!! www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmtUVUQWt5g" (Tweet). Retrieved April 11, 2017 – via Twitter.
  26. ↑ @nekopara_pr (April 9, 2017). "Notice of Delay for the Release of NekoPara Vol. 3" (Tweet). Retrieved April 10, 2017 – via Twitter.
  27. ↑ "Nekopara Vol. 4 Announced by Neko Works". Hardcore Gamer. May 29, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  28. ↑ "Nekopara coming to PS4, Switch". Gematsu. January 28, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  29. ↑ "NEKOPALIVE". Steam. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  30. ↑ Sekai Project (February 10, 2017). "Update #13 - Mini VN Stretch Goal REACHED!". Kickstarter. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  31. ↑ @sayori_nw (July 7, 2018). "ネコぱらExtra ゲームとアニメが発表されました！7月27日steamで配信予定です！" (Tweet). Retrieved July 7, 2018 – via Twitter.
  32. ↑ @nekopara_pr (May 4, 2016). "ネコぱらシリーズの売り上げが累計50万本突破しました" (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved April 10, 2017 – via Twitter.
  33. ↑ @nekopara_pr (April 1, 2017). "Nekopara series surpassed one million copies total" (Tweet). Retrieved April 2, 2017 – via Twitter.
  34. ↑ "Nekopara Games Have Sold 2 Million Copies". Anime News Network. April 25, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  35. ↑ "Review: Nekopara Vol. 1". Hardcore Gamer. December 29, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  36. ↑ "Sekai Project, Degica Plan to Launch Kickstarters for NEKOPARA Anime, Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien Game Remake". Anime News Network. July 4, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  37. ↑ "Nekopara Anime Kickstarter Funded on First Day". Hardcore Gamer. December 28, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  38. ↑ ""Nekopara" Anime OVA Kickstarter Crushes Goal With $963K Total". Crunchyroll. February 13, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  39. ↑ "Nekopara OVA Crowdfunding Meets Final Goal in Overtime". Anime News Network. March 9, 2017. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  40. ↑ "Update #31 Shipping Alert! Shipping Alert!". Kickstarter. December 4, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  41. ↑ "NEKOPARA OVA on Steam". Valve Corporation. December 21, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  42. ↑ "Update #44 Update on NEKOPARA Extra Game and OVA!". Kickstarter. July 8, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  43. ↑ "Nekopara OVA". Neko Works. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  44. ↑ "Catgirl-Themed Visual Novel "Nekopara" Gets a Manga Makeover". Crunchyroll. December 30, 2017. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  45. ↑ Ressler, Karen (April 15, 2018). "Manga Briefs Roundup: March 2018". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  46. ↑ Sherman, Jennifer (July 7, 2018). "Sekai Project Adds NEKOPARA Extra, 6 Other Games". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  • Official website (in Japanese)
  • Official OVA website (in Japanese)
  • Nekopara on Steam
  • "Nekopara". The Visual Novel Database.
  • Nekopara (OVA) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
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