Sakura Taisen

"An anime fan's wet dream"

Okay, pop quiz, hot shot. What is currently one of Sega's most successful franchises in Japan? Most people would probably yell out ''Sonic'' instantly, but the truth of the matter, Sakura Taisen has far surpassed the popularity of the little blue hedgehog overseas. What started as a simple game on the Saturn that combined strategic RPG elements with dating simulators has grown into a successful franchise that includes numerous sequels and remakes (featured on the Saturn, Dreamcast, and eventually the PS2), an anime OAV and TV series, an animated feature film, countless fansites, and even a manga (comic book).

Oddly enough, despite the series' run away success in Japan, it has never seen the light of day in the US. This shocks me to no end, as if any anime fan were to get their hands on this game, they would be in total heaven from the moment they popped the disc in their machine. Fortunately, although the series is six years old, it looks like Sega has finally seen it fit to grant us a chance to learn what Japanese fans have known all along - Sakura Taisen is the ultimate video game tribute to the anime art style, and is a kick ass game to boot at that. A series of new games and remakes are on the way to the Playstation 2, and Sega has already made plans to bring some of them here. With this recent announcement, I thought I'd take a look back at the one that started it all - Sakura Taisen for the Saturn.

As the game opens, the year is 1923, and Japan's military is still a strong force in the world. Ichirou Oogami is a young, talented recent graduate from the Japan Naval Academy, and he is excited to begin serving his country. Imagine his shock when his military superiors give him his assigned location...an old opera house theater. It seems that Oogami will be ''serving his country'' by tearing tickets at the door. He is naturally confused, but doesn't mind having to work with the many beautiful women who work at the theater.

However, Oogami soon learns that the theater is only a cover up for a much larger military operation. It seems that there is an army of monsters known as the Hive of Darkness that has been threatening Japan's prosperity. Whenever the Hive attacks, the girls of the theater spring into action, and the truth is revealed. These girls are more than just pretty actresses, they pilot powerful steam-powered mechs that are Japan's last and best line of defense against these attacks. Working together with these girls, Oogami must turn the team into a powerful fighting force, and eventually win the heart of one of the six girls.

What makes this game a real treat for fans of anime and manga is just not the anime-style visuals and storyline. It's the fact that the entire game is set up exactly like a cartoon TV series. The game begins with an opening theme song sequence, which is nothing new with most RPGs. However, when you get into the game itself, you find that the story is divided into episodes. (9 in all) Each ''episode'' in the game features it's own story arc, while continuing the overall story of the game. And when you complete an ''episode'', you get a preview of what's to come in the next one, just like they do at the end of a real anime TV series. Sega and developer, Red Company, really did a great job of making you feel like you are living an actual fantasy cartoon series.

In the area of gameplay, Sakura Taisen offers an interesting mix of strategic giant robot battles (somewhat similar to Square's Front Mission series, though simpler) and interacting with the other characters who work at the opera house with you. During the scenes when you're in the opera house, you can explore the various rooms, talking to the six girls you command in battle, and some of your military superiors. In each ''episode'', there is usually some kind of personal situation, or crisis that must be resolved. But, the real aim of these scenes is to win fall in love, so to speak.

Each of the six girls you work with have their own unique personalities. These range from the adventurous Sakura (the female lead of the game) to the young and ultra-bubbly Iris. Now, just because Sakura is the lead woman in the story, it doesn't mean she's the one you have to fall in love with. During the course of the game, the girls will ask you questions when you meet them. Answer correctly, and you'll score points with them. Score enough points, and that girl may start to fall in love with you. This can be useful in future battles, as the more a girl likes you, the more willing she will be to help you out when you are in a jam during a fight. You can choose which girl you like the best, and which one you'd like to hook up with. The one you score the most points with by the end of the game will be the one you spend your future with. (Sing it with me, everyone! ''Love is in the air, everywhere I look around...'')

Of course, you can't spend your time playing Casanova forever. At least once or twice every ''episode'', the Hive of Darkness will attack, and it is time to spring into action. Oogami and the girls must board their steam-powered giant robots, and launch themselves into battle. This is where most of the RPG elements come in. You are given a large battlefield map where you see your party, and the enemy's party. You must strategically command your army to attack, and protect Japan's future. Each character has their own advantages and disadvantages, as well as their own special attacks that you can utilize in battle. Each mech can also heal itself during a fight, but you can only use this twice per battle, so use it wisely. What's especially cool is that later on in the game, Oogami can perform a super attack, where he combines his powers with that of the girl he has scored the most points with during the theater sequences of the game.

Now, I'm not the biggest fan of strategic RPGs (I lean more toward traditional and action-based), but I had a lot of fun with the battles in Sakura Taisen. Even though the game is in Japanese, the battles are simple and easy to understand, thanks to the easy to use menus that allow you to select commands. Also, the battles are fast-paced, exciting, and never seem to go on too long, so they are more fun than a chore, like in some strategy-based RPG games. The battles are appropriately challenging, without ever becoming frustrating or unfair.

The wonderful storyline and great characters are brought to vivid life, thanks to the talented graphic artists at Red Company and Sega. This game has a great use of color and design. They did a great job of giving the game a feeling of another time period, especially with the old fashioned, clunky, steam-based giant robots you pilot. The character sprites are large and detailed, and have a wonderfully detailed anime look to them. They look like they came right out of a manga.

Speaking of anime, that's another great point of the graphics, the beautiful cinemas that are featured at certain parts of the game. These cinemas are a mixture of hand-drawn art and CGI animation, and they're very clean in animation quality and clarity. Best of all, the game's character designs were drawn by my favorite artist, Kosuke Fujishima (Best known for Ah/Oh My Goddess, You're Under Arrest, and the art for the original Tales of Phantasia game). His character designs are absolutely wonderful, and they all fit the characters' personalities. I really liked Sakura's design, with her blue hair and traditional Japanese outfit. I also liked the design for the tomboyish Kanna. The animation during the cinemas is fluid and vibrant, and really help bring out the charm in Fujishima's designs.

The music and sound will grab your attention right from the start. From the moment I heard the wonderful theme song played during the game's opening cinema, I knew I was in love. Each girl in your group has her own theme song that is played during the game, actually. Even the music during the actual game itself is wonderful, and always fits the mood of the scene. From the relaxed atmosphere of the theater, to the fast and frantic battle theme, every track is memorable. Definitely a game to seek out the soundtrack for.

Given the game's heavy anime influence, many of Japan's top seiyuu (voice actors) were hired to perform the dialogue for the characters. Chisa Yokoyama (best known as the voice of Sasami in Tenchi Muyo and Lucia in the Lunar: Eternal Blue video game) supplies the voice of Sakura, the lead heroine. My favorite voice work in the game, however, comes from Michie Tomizawa (Rei/Sailor Mars in Sailor Moon). She plays the snobbish rich girl of the group, and her snobby laugh makes me crack up every time I hear it.

Sakura Taisen is an absolutely wonderful game that anyone who is even remotely interested in anime should experience. The only problem is that the game is not available in English (yet). This can make advancement in the game a bit difficult, since most of the game's success is due to how well you handle the question and answer scenes with the girls at the theater. Still, there are plenty of fan-made walkthroughs available online, and the language barrier should not stop you from experiencing this incredible game.

Sakura Taisen rightfully deserves all the attention and hype it's gotten in Japan. Sega of America has been crazy not to port this series over here sooner, especially with the rising interest in anime and manga in the US. I find it hard to believe that people would not fall in love with this game if they gave it a chance. Sakura Taisen is an experience you'll not soon forget, and a constant reminder of how great the Sega Saturn could have been if more people had given it a chance.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/14/02, Updated 06/09/03