Kaikan Phrase

"One of the better anime out there finally gets it's own game"

The only people who will probably even read this review are the people who already know the anime so I won't introduce it anymore.

Graphics 9/10
Not much to judge the game on. It only has weird backgrounds and some pictures of whoever you chose popping up now and then(which is eye candy for the female fans of this anime since the characters are bishonen or ''pretty boys'') during gameplay and the only reason this game got quite high here is because of all the kick-ass anime cutscenes and the awesome intro. High quality video baby.

Sound 10/10
The same voices from the show and they also use some music from the show. Great music and voice-acting and top notch sound quality.

Gameplay 10/10
It plays like Parappa the rapper but without a leader you have to follow. You have to time button presses as little bars go down and when they pass through little areas with bars of different colors. These are only the basics however and there is much much more to learn. You can choose any of the 5 band members and use their instruments. Sakuya however, does not sing the words and instead a harmonica-like sound plays in the background similar to the melody of whatever Sakuya is singing in the background. I suggest you stick with Sakuya(the lead singer)when you're a beginner and move up the ladder to Santa(the drummer)slowly because when you play as Santa, the beats can be fast and frantic. You start with only one song(the opening song of the anime)and unlock more as you play. The game is great fun. A few problems are here however that the songs are quite long and if you use Santa, you will finish a few games with very sore fingers. Also many modes to play through, including a quite lame two-player mode(whoever the first player selects always has a fixed partner). In Scenario mode, you go around the world doing gigs and choosing the songs you play at every gig. As you go through the stages, when you pick the same song over and over, it gradually gets harder more complicated and harder to play.. For example, if you choose Silent Melody in all the stages in a game, when you are at the last stage, it will be quite hard.

Story 7/10
Same story as in the anime. You and your buddies make a band with the help of your friend who makes great lyrics which are quite erotic. You become very famous and you go around doing gigs everywhere.

Replay 6/10
Sore fingers after playing as Santa in the hardest difficulty won't make you want to come back for more.

Overall 8/10
Great great game. Get it if you're a fan of the anime. Otherwise, try to borrow it from your friend or something.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/26/01, Updated 03/26/01