Sakura Taisen: Difference between revisions

Roar, Imperial Floral Assault Group, full of power!)|from ''Geki! Teikokukagekidan'', the [[Anime Theme Song|original theme song]]}}

Known as ''[[Sakura Wars]]'' in the UnitedNorth StatesAmerica, this is a franchise starting with video games by [[Sega]] (starting on the [[Sega Saturn]]) and RED Company (now Red Entertainment), branching out into [[OVA]]s, several TV series and a movie. The games, now{{when}} at their sixth release in the series, are a combination of [[Dating Sim]] and [[Turn-Based Strategy|tactical combat]], and have a near-fanatical following. Though [[No Export for You|most have seen no release outside Japan]], the first two games were officially released in Russia in 2006 and 2008 respectively, and the fifth game was released in North America on March 30, 2010. A hilariously fun play-through of the first ''Sakura Taisen'' game can be found at the [http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2564759&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=1 SomethingAwful.com forums], for those curious about just ''how'' this blend works (warning: may not be suitable for [[Creepy Child|Iris]] and [[Stalker with a Crush|Sakura]] fans).

Taking advantage of a pun in Japanese that actually translates into English as-is ("Teikokukagekidan" can mean "Imperial Floral Defense '''Troop'''" or "Imperial Theatrical '''Troupe'''", depending on the kanji used), the Hanagumi make their headquarters underneath the Imperial Theatre in Tokyo. When they are not fighting the forces of Hell, they maintain their cover identities as the cast and crew of the theatre, allowing for a lot of music in between the battle scenes, and no small amount of incidental comedy.

As of early 2005, there are also a third and fourth set of OVAs, focusing on the new Hanagumi team established in Paris, France. The third series has been [https://web.archive.org/web/20070509173927/http://www.sakurataisen.tv/ licensed] by [[FUNimation]], and was released under the name ''Sakura Taisen: Ecole de Paris'' in North America in late 2005. The fourth series is named ''Sakura Taisen: Le Nouveau Paris'', and continues following the Paris Hanagumi. The fifth series of OVAs (based appropriately enough on the fifth game) is titled ''New York, New York'', with a new adventure for the New York-based Hoshigumi.

{{tropelistfranchisetropes}}

* [[Battle Royale With Cheese]]: {{spoiler|In the first game, each member of your crew (except your [[Love Interest]]) [[Heroic Sacrifice|dies while killing a member of the Knights of the twilight]]. The traitor, Ayame severlyseverely wounds your LI (she gets better), then [[The Starscream|Aoi]] [[True Final Boss|Satan]] came and either tempts you to kill Ayame or kills her himself. Yonada rams the ship towards the weapon and after defeating Satan the first time, Ayame comes in her true form and resurrect all your friends for one final battle against Satan}}.

** Again with the PariGumi, only this time, they come to the Hanagumi's rescue, in ''Sakura Taisen 4''. Of course, this was only after Ohgami's Paris heroine convinced him to order the PariGumi to launch and come to their aid.

* [[Bling Bling Bang]]: Rikkarita\Rosita's pistols in ''Sakura Taisen 5V''.

* [[But Not Too Foreign]]: In ''Sakura Taisen 5V'', which is set in New York, not only is the main character Japanese, but so are Subaru and the merchant you can get special bromides from. [[Mission Control]] member Anri is also half-Japanese, and Sunnyside and Gemini are Americans who are fans of Japanese culture.

* [[Chilly Reception]]: Ogami in the games. Sakura in the TV series/OVA. Shinjiro in ''So Long, My Love.'' Ogami is belittled and used as errand boy as part of a [[Secret Test of Character]], Sakura is mocked and looked down upon as a newbie [[Country Mouse]], and Shinjiro isn't who the Star Division wanted -... perhaps ironically, he's put through much the same as his uncle endured (except more hostile, given that [[Hot-Blooded]] Cheiron and [[Emotionless Girl]](?) Subaru are the ones putting him through his paces) because they expected to be sent Ogami himself.

* [[Color Character]]: "Red Lad", hero of one of the [[Story Within a Story|Stories Within the Story]] (and [[Meta Humor|namesake of ''Sakura Taisen''{{'}}s production company]]).

** Sumire's first scene in ''Sakura Taisen 1'' has her asking Ohgami to get a replacement fork for the one she dropped. {{spoiler|Guess what Sumire's first event with Ohgami involves,... in ''Sakura Taisen 3''}}.

** The angel who shows up during Erica's special skill in ''Sakura Taisen 3'' looks rather familiar. {{spoiler|That's because it happens to be Ayame}}.

* [[Determinator]]: Everyone to an extent, but mostly Ohgami. In ''Sakura Taisen 4'', there is a part where the boss disables everyone's kohbus, so everyone else is down except for him, and he has a few seconds left before he himself gets taken out of the fight. So what does he do? Fly right into the enemy's face, stab at it with his kohbu's swords, then get out of the pilot's seat moments after his kohbu has been totally wrecked, only to stab his sword at the monster's face. Followed by an [[Unflinching Walk]] out of the explosion that occurs.

* [[Dub Name Change]]: Some names were changed in the English translation for ''Sakura Taisen V'', but in the English dub only. The original names are preserved in the script of the Japanese dub edition, though a typo still lists Sagiita's English name on some of her bromides, as do Plum's and Rikaritta's. Her original name is also on her office door in the English disc. While the name changes were never explained, in at least the case of Sagitta and Rikaritta, it may have had to do with both characters having names wildly inaccurate for their cultural backgrounds.

* [[Filler]]: The [[PlayStation 2]] Version of the first game has an exclusive chapter that was added on for the sole purpose of 1) providing a Kohran-centered chapter which the original version of the game lacked, and 2) to provide {{spoiler|the Three Star Division pilots who appear in later sequels}} with an early cameo to keep their fans happy.

* [[Gratuitous English]]: Constantly. Particularly annoying in the English release of ''Sakura WarsTaisen V'' because if you're playing the Japanese disc, you can actually tell when the characters are using English but the translation doesn't match.

* [[Honest Axe]]: Rikkarita in ''Sakura Taisen 5V'' is fond of asking criminals, "[[Bling Bling Bang|The gold gun or the silver gun...]] which do you want to get shot with?"

* [[It's Raining Men]]: Prevalent in ''Sakura Taisen 4''. This is also how {{spoiler|the PariGumi arrive in Tokyo in their kohbus}}.

* [[Let's Play]]: Spirit Armor's LP of ''Sakura Wars I'' has been ongoing for ''four years''{{when}} and is nearing completion. The man has pledged to do ''Sakura Wars I-V'', so at this rate, he very well might have a ''Sakura Wars VI'' or even ''Sakura Wars VII'' to deal with by the time he finishes ''Sakura Wars V'' ([[Marth Debuted in Smash Bros|Although that last one might be unnecessary]]). The LP can be found [http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2564759 here]. He literally went through and ''translated'' the ''entire game'' for your enjoyment, so you'd better be appreciative.

** [[The Abridged Series]]: ''Inverted''—in: in addition to the literal translation of actual game dialogue, Spirit Armor includes additional dialogue in most scenes that [[Abridged Series Tropes|carries on in the finest traditions of Abridged Series]].

* [[The Musical]]: This starts to get confusing as it becomes a case of "A Show Within A Show Within A Show" at times. Aside from the in-game musicals performed by the various teams, there have actually been several musicals performed in [[Takarazuka]] style (although it should be noted that these musicals do feature the majority of the male seiyuu playing their respective characters too). What makes it even more special is that, unlike a lot of musicals based on anime/games, all the seiyuu respectively play their characters leading to some very funny scenes such as the seiyuu who plays Ohgami being extremely short and Iris' seiyuu makes a joke on it since she is taller than him. (Andand [[Boisterous Bruiser]] Kanna's seiyuu is ''tiny'').) Usually, a musical takes the form of two parts. The first part is a story that focuses on the characters themselves, and the second part actually has the characters perform a play/musical such as ''Blue Bird''. The latter got significantly longer as the musicals progressed. The Hanagumi team naturally had the most musicals. The Paris and New York troupes did not get that many. In fact, the Paris troupe only had one mini-musical made.

*** Technically speaking though that didn't happen so much musical-wise as she continued (and still does) to make guest appearances and even attends the live events. Seiyuu-wise, it's actually Orihime's seiyuu who doesn't attend them since she now lives in the USA.

* [[Old Save Bonus]]: Use the Same Memory Card on your [[PlayStation 2]] that you saved ''Sakura Wars 1'' with to play ''Sakura Wars 3'' and Episode 5-0, and oh boy, you'll be in for a world of fun!!

* [[The One Guy]]: Ohgami for ''Sakura TaisensTaisen 1-4'' and Taiga for ''Sakura Taisen 5V''.

* [[Secret Test of Character]]:* When Ohgami is first transferred to Tokyo, he's only told about the theatrical side of the Hanagumi, as a test to see whether he's compatible with the group outside of battle, and the kind of person they'd be willing to follow in battle.

* [[Show Within a Show]]: As part of their cover, the Hanagumi put on plays in the Theatre, (e.g. "Crimson Lizard" or "Les Miserables"); Sumire's family owns a movie studio which occasionally employs the troupe in films; they also take part in radio dramas ''and'' model for characters in manga.

** They are also partly based on the Schochiku Kagekidan, which was one of Takarazuka's first competitors. The TKD's theatre is on the same spot and has the same design of the (now demolished) Shochiku Theatre; Ouji Hiroi's aunt was a founding member of Shochiku. The flower for Takarazuka is the sumire (the established Top Star in the games), where the Shochiku theatre's flower was the sakura; so the rivalry between their namesake characters is representitiverepresentative of the rivalry of the two theatres.

* [[Title Drop]]: Yoneda's soliloquy at the end of ''Sakura Taisen 4''. Also doubles as a [[Tear Jerker]].

* [[You Fail History Forever]]: There was no World War I, yet the Russian revolution of 1917 still somehow happened despite Russia's constant failures in WWI were the chief reason that the revolution happened in the first place. If not for the war, Russia would probably have turned into a constituionalconstitutional monarchy, since that was where it headed after the revolution of 1905.

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