Lamune


Lamune is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Neko Neko Soft. Originally released on July 30, 2004, for the PC. It was followed by an all-ages version for the PlayStation 2, and was released on August 25, 2005. A twelve-episode anime series based on the visual novel, entitled Lamune: Garasu Bin ni Utsuru Umi, was produced by Trinet Entertainment and Picture Magic and aired between October 11, 2005, and December 27, 2005. Light novels, drama CDs, and one volume of a manga adaption have also been produced.

Plot

Kenji Tomosaka moves to a coastal town as a child. The sea spread in front of him shines like ramune, reflecting the sunlight of the summer.
He meets Nanami Konoe, who lives next door. As time passes, their shared memories have accumulated. They think of their normal lives and relationship as precious things.
The sun begins to shine strongly, cicadas begin to buzz, and the sky clears up. For Kenji and Nanami, it is not just another ordinary summer.

Characters

Main characters

;Kenji Tomosaka
;Nanami Konoe
;Suzuka Tomosaka
;Hikari Nakazato
;Tae Isawa
;Hiromi Sakura
;Misora Ayukawa

Side characters

;Hatano
;Kagami Konoe
;Kenryū Tomosaka

Music (game)

;Opening Theme
  • "Just Kidding 76's"
  • :Performed by: Hiromi Satou
  • :Lyrics by: Tomo Kataoka
  • :Composition and arrangement by: Hitoshi Fujima
;Ending Theme
  • "Lamune"
  • :Performed by: Duca
  • :Lyrics by: Tomo Kataoka
  • :Composition by: Hijiri Anze
  • :Arrangement by: Katsumichi Harada
;Insert Theme
  • "Evening Calm"
  • :Performed by: KAKO
  • :Lyrics by: Yanachī
  • :Composition by: Jan Amano
  • :Arrangement by: Takehiro Kawabe
;Insert Theme
  • "Two"
  • :Performed by: KAKO
  • :Lyrics by: Nachi Kio
  • :Composition and arrangement by: Hitoshi Fujima

Music (anime)

;Opening Theme
  • "The Melody of Lemonade’s Color": Episodes 01 - 12
  • :Performed by: Mayu
  • :Lyrics by: Tomu
  • :Composition by: Raito
  • :Arrangement by: Yougo Kanno
;Ending Theme
  • "Summer vacation": Episodes 01 - 11
  • :Performed by: Ayumi Murata
  • :Lyrics by: Tomu
  • :Composition and arrangement by: TARAWO
  • "Just Kidding 76's": Episode 12 insert ending theme.
  • :Performed by: Hiromi Satou
  • :Lyrics by: Tomo Kataoka
  • :Composition and arrangement by: Hitoshi Fujima
;Insert Theme
  • "A Sea Bluer than Ever": Episode 01
  • :Performed by: Tae Isawa
  • :Lyrics and composition by: Yuuko Yamaguchi
  • :Arrangement by: Kazuo Satou
  • "The Meteor of Dreams": Episodes 03 & 05
  • :Performed by: Suzuka Tomosaka
  • :Lyrics by: Tomu
  • :Composition by: Nozomu Nakamura
  • :Arrangement by: KANKE
  • "Kira Kira": Episodes 06 & 10
  • :Performed by: Nanami Konoe
  • :Lyrics and composition by: Nozomu Nakamura
  • :Arrangement by: Kazuo Satou
  • "Time Machine": Episodes 07 & 09
  • :Performed by: Misora Ayukawa
  • :Lyrics and composition by: Ritsuko Miyajima
  • :Arrangement by: Fumikazu Takenaka
  • "Lovely Season": Episode 07
  • :Performed by: Hikari Nakazato
  • :Lyrics and composition by: Rie
  • :Arrangement by: Yasufumi Yamashita
  • "The Sky of Sometime": Episode 09
  • :Performed by: Hiromi Sakura
  • :Lyrics by: Himi Izutsu
  • :Composition by: YORI
  • :Arrangement by: Yousuke Sugimoto
  • "Eyes Sunshine": Episode 10
  • :Performed by: Tae Isawa
  • :Lyrics and composition by: Yuuko Yamaguchi
  • :Arrangement by: Kazuo Satou

DVD

Six DVDs of anime series were released by Interchannel in Japan.
  • Lamune DVD Vol.1
  • Lamune DVD Vol.2
  • Lamune DVD Vol.3
  • Lamune DVD Vol.4
  • Lamune DVD Vol.5
  • Lamune DVD Vol.6

CD Albums

Opening and ending Single albums
  • Opening theme song Single: "The Melody of Lemonade’s Color" performed by Mayu.
  • Ending theme song Single: "Summer vacation" performed by Ayumi Murata.
  • Lamune Original Soundtrack Complete Edition composed by Yūko Fukushima.
Character image songs and drama albums
Six character image songs and drama albums were released by Interchannel in Japan.
  • Lamune Characters Collection Vol.1 Nanami Konoe "Kira Kira"
  • Lamune Characters Collection Vol.2 Hikari Nakazato "Lovely Season"
  • Lamune Characters Collection Vol.3 Suzuka Tomosaka "The Meteor of Dreams"
  • Lamune Characters Collection Vol.4 Tae Isawa "Eyes Sunshine"
  • Lamune Characters Collection Vol.5 Misora Ayukawa "Time Machine"
  • Lamune Characters Collection Vol.6 Hiromi Sakura "The Sky of Sometime"

Media

Books

One game fanbook for the PS2 version was published by JIVE in Japan.
A light novel mainly adapted between episode 07–08, was published by Megami Bunko. Written by Takamitsu Kouno, and illustrated by Genichiro Kondo.
  • Lamune -
  • :Release date: February 2006
Paradigm has published two 18 prohibited light novels based on the game, the first was published in early November 2004, the second was published in January 2005. both books were written by Okada Runa and illustrated by Ankoromochi. One focuses on Nanami's scenario, and the other focuses on Tae.

Manga

A manga illustrated by Rino Fujii was published in the Japanese manga magazine Comp Ace on Jan 26, 2006, published by Kadokawa Shoten.

Anime

A twelve-episode anime series was produced by Trinet Entertainment and Picture Magic. It is based on the visual novel and is entitled Lamune: Garasu Bin ni Utsuru Umi. The anime was directed by Jun Takada, and airs on the networks Chiba TV, Kansai TV, Teletama, Tokai TV, and tvk.

Staff

  • Original Work: Neko Neko Software
  • Director: Jun Takada
  • Producer: Yoshihiro Ikeda, Saburo Ōmiya, Takashi Nakanishi
  • Executive Producer: Masaki Kobayashi, Akira Akamatsu
  • Series Composition: Takamitsu Kōno
  • Script: Daisuke Ishibashi, Takamitsu Kōno, Tsutomu Kaneko
  • Storyboard: Jun Takada, Tetsuya Endo
  • Episode Director: Jun Takada, Shintaro Itoga
  • Character Draft: Yūki Osamu, Mochi Ankoro
  • Character Design: Gen'ichiro Kondo
  • Composite Director: Atsushi Nakayama
  • Art Supervision: Tadao Kubota
  • Color Design: Maki Tanaka
  • Sound Manager: Kaoru Machida
  • Sound Producer: Kōichi Izuka
  • Sound Works: Trinet Entertainment
  • Music: Yuuko Fukushima
  • Music Producer: Kazuo Ōnuki
  • Music Works: Interchannel
  • Animation Director: Chiyoko Sakamoto, Megumi Noda, Yuka Hasegawa
  • Animation Producer: Toshirō Sakuma, Takashi Nomura
  • Assistant Producer: Kōsaku Sakamoto
  • Animation Production: Trinet Entertainment, Inc., Picture Magic
  • Animation Production Assistant: Radix Ace Entertainment Co., Ltd.