Title: ここから夏のイノセンス！
Developer: Clochette
Release Date: 27th November 2015
Age Rating: 18+
Length: 20+ Hours
Links: Official Website, VNDB
In the distant future, humanity has become a more sterile, cold society and has thrown away the concepts of romantic relationships in favour of a more formal arrangement where offspring are produced in labs. The protagonist Chigusa Yoshitsugu is one of the few children born naturally to two loving parents and has always felt out of place in modern society.
As part of their graduation, some students are selected to do a short study project in the past called a “promenade” thanks to time travel technology being available for the upper-class. Yoshitsugu was not meant to be going on this trip but accidentally ends up being teleported 100 years into the past to the small mountainous Akio-mura.
After a few things happen, its decided that he will be allowed to stay and help the other students with their project. Being close to these new girls in a completely new setting, just what will happen in this eventful summer?
My Thoughts
I’ve made it pretty clear since I played it that my previous experience with Clochette (Haruru Minamo Ni!) did not end up well and that my opinion of the brand was pretty low. That being said, I did originally buy a few of their games in a bundle so had to get to them eventually and this summer seemed like the perfect time for this sleepy summer story. I wasn’t expecting the overly complicated futuristic aspect but did Kokonatsu manage to at least be a decent moege?
Whilst I am a little conflicted about Kokonatsu overall, I will give the game props for managing to create a relaxing, calming small village atmosphere that almost evokes nostalgia for lazy summer days. The common route of this game was generally decent and the character interactions were enjoyable enough that I found myself sailing through the early parts of the game.
The time travel aspect is the unique twist to this moege and I did find the fact that future relationships and childrearing to be so detatched romantically an interesting concept but it just seemed like a bit of a weird addition to what is mostly a standard moege. I felt like this plot angle was a bit of a waste of time and would rather have had a more focused game.
With this being a moege, the heroines (and how much you like them) are pretty imperative to your enjoyment of this title. In general, the four main heroines are pretty decently cute but not all are particularly interesting and/or developed characters imo.
Beginning with the two sisters who come from the future – Arika and Yuno. Arika is the elder of the two and was a classmate of the protagonist when they were in the future. The two sisters are betrothed for convenience and because they come from a society that greatly favors those from upper-class families such as theirs.
Arika herself is the more calm and mature sibling who finds the ways of the past interesting in a more passive way – she is here to complete her research and that’s all. The enjoyment of her route comes from her slowly realising that love and relationships can be so much more than what is offered in the future. A decent heroine but I found the execution of her route a little underwhelming.
Yuno is the younger of the two Hotaruzuka sisters and is the more outgoing of the pair, enjoying teasing the protagonist Yoshitsugu often. Unlike her sister, Yuno is actually interested in the past from the get-go and she finds herself bonding with Yoshitsugu over the feeling that they maybe don’t exactly belong in their time period which was something that I found quite endearing. I feel like Yuno has the best rapport with the protagonist in the common route also.
Iroha is the girl you first meet – of course romantically in a lake surrounded by fireflies at night. She was born and raised in Akiomura, currently living with her elderly grandmother. Iroha is a sweet, perhaps a little naive girl who takes a liking to Yoshitsugu immediately. Whilst Iroha was cute, she also felt a little bland to me personally.
Kotobuki is a friend of Iroha and the daughter of Akiomura’s village chief. What makes her a bit more unique is the fact that she feels out of place in her time – she feels that men are only interested in her for her body and finds this repulsive. Therefore, a more “sterile” approach to relationships like that in the future appeals to her more. Despite how detatched she may seem from love, she is actually an aspiring romance novellist. I enjoyed the more unusual twist to Kotobuki’s route and personality, although it was rough reading it from the protagonist’s perspective because he was 100% interested in her body from the start lmao.
There are two “mini routes” for side characters Benio and Claretta that can be unlocked. Both of these girls were really appealing during the main game but their “routes” are really there for an extra H scene and miss most of the fluffy romance one would want.
I’m a big fan of Sesena Yau’s art style and find it pretty cute/appealing so did enjoy it in this game. As with the other clochette game I played, there was a lack of group CGs & SFW CGs.
The music is one of the areas where KokoNatsu really does excel, primarily the vocal tracks. Innocent Summer in particular was one of my favourite ending songs in a long time.
Final Thoughts
My Score: 6/10
Whilst not the best title in the world, KokoNatsu delivered a fairly enjoyable experiene with nice artwork, cute heroines and a really relaxing countryside setting. The downsides for me were the overly convoluted plot and the fact the routes are more H focused than romance focused.
I do still have one more Clochette game to play – Prism Recollection – but I don’t think I will be getting around to it anytime soon. I’m super sad that my experiences with the brand haven’t been great because I love their music and artwork. I might still get Suzunone Seven at some point too…
Thanks for reading!
Zettai Renai! 