A Kiss for the Petals

A Kiss for the Petals (その花びらにくちづけを, Sono Hanabira ni Kuchizuke o) is a series of Girls Love Eroge Visual Novels by Fuguriya. The series also includes some tie-in Light Novels, drama CDs, a couple of spin off Web Serial Novels, and an OVA. This series is notable for attempting to be more romantic than most Eroges. One way this is attempted is by having all pairings be monogamous and eschewing any Dating Sim elements. It is also known for its lack of hardcore material, a rarity in the hentai yuri genre.

Currently five couples star in this series. In the Visual Novels, the couples' Relationship Upgrades happen very early in the plot and most of the plot deals with Eroge scenes as well as how their relationships progress emotionally. There is also a spinoff Doujinshi series called Music Box of Memories released in October 2011 (available officially in English) that brings all of the characters together along with a few new ones as they work to produce a science-fiction film.

The five couples are as follows:

Nanami Oda/Yuuna Matsubara (pictured)

A Sempai-Kohai pairing between Nanami, an Ordinary High School Student and Yuuna, an Ojou as well as a Bunny Ears Lawyer. This couple is first introduced on opening day when Nanami accidentally tears her skirt. At that moment, she meets Yuuna and Yuuna uses her sewing kit to come to Nanami's rescue. Nanami ends up joining the student council with Yuuna and eventually catches Yuuna doing a rather embarrassing act while calling out Nanami's name...

Nanami and Yuuna star in the first game, the sixth game, two light novels, and two drama CDs (one released, one upcoming). This couple also plays a role in a Web Serial Novel found on Fuguriya's website. A Fan Translation of the first game has been released. A translation for the sixth has begun.

Kaede Kitajima/Sara Kitajima (pictured on Yuri Genre)

This pairing is a Kissing Cousins pairing between Kaede, a Shrinking Violet and Sara, a famous model/TeenIdol. Their story begins with Sara transferring to Kaede's school and also living with Kaede's family. Sara reveals to Kaede that she harbors feelings for her from when they were childhood friends.

Kaede and Sara star in the second game, the fourth game, two light novels, and one drama CD. Fan Translations of the second and the fourth game have been released.

Mai Sawaguchi/Reo Kawamura (pictured on Intertwined Fingers)

With this pairing we have Mai, a Dogged Nice Girl and Reo, a type A Tsundere. Mai and Reo don't get along initially until one day, Mai misses school because of sickness and a worried (but trying to hide it) Reo visits her that same night.

By far the most popular couple, Mai and Reo star in the third game, the fifth game, three light novels, two drama CDs, and an adult OVA (based loosely on the third game). To commemorate the anime, a ten-part (work-safe) audio drama series has been uploaded by Fuguriya at YouTube (translation for this has started as well). In addition, an Updated Rerelease of the third game was released with bugfixes, script fixes and updated music. Fan Translations for the third and the fifth game have been released.

Runa Houraisen/Takako Suminoe

Runa/Takako is a Teacher-Student Romance pairing between the Wise Beyond Their Years Kidanova Runa and her Moe teacher Takako. Things start out with Takako introducing Runa to class when Runa steals a kiss from Takako in front of everyone, declaring to the class that Takako now belongs to her.

Runa and Takako debuted in a Web Serial Novel found on Fugiriya's website. The web novel is significantly tamer than the visual novels although it does contain Lolicon content. A translated English version can be found here. This couple stars in the seventh game and one light novel released December 2009, and the tenth game and another light novel due in December 2010. These two items drop the relative tameness of the original web novel completely, but their significant age gap is not as controversial as expected outside the fandom. A Fan Translation of the seventh game is done. This couple stars in the ninth game (the tenth if you count Hanahira) as well.

Shizuku Kirishima/Eris Shitogi

This time we have Eris, a half-European girl paired up with the Yamato Nadeshiko Shizuku. Eris transfers into Shizuku's class from overseas and Shizuku finds herself instantly smitten by the tall blonde girl.

Eris and Shizuku star in the eighth game, the tenth game (or eleventh, if Hanahira! is counted) and one light novel released in February 2010. Both novels are currently being translated.

Kaori Hanemura/Amane Yuuki, Koharu Uozumi/Makoto Toudou

What was once assumed to be a sixth couple has turned out to be a non-hentai Spin-Off called Hanahira! released in September 2010 (officially the ninth game in the series) along with a side-story light novel. It follows four characters in St. Michael's elementary division. The main focus is on the Tsundere Kaori and Dogged Nice Girl Amane, with the overly-Moe Koharu and Tall, Dark and Bishoujo Makoto supporting. A Fan Translation is in progress.

Tropes used in A Kiss for the Petals include:

A Date with Rosie Palms: Some of the Visual Novel couples have their moments.
Baka: Reo calls Mai this frequently, even during love scenes!
Bleached Underpants: Hanahira! was created as an answer to demand for a non-hentai entry to the series, particularly from female fans and fans of the drama CDs (which are mostly pure Slice of Life) and the Reo/Mai Diaries (which are not Ecchi at all).
Cast Full of Lesbian: Parents seem to be the only straight characters in this series.
Cast Herd: Each game/CD/novel focuses on a single couple. The games feature occasional cameos from other characters.
Caught with Your Pants Down: Nanami finds out about Yuuna's feelings for her when she catches Yuuna Matsubaring.
Cherry Blossoms
Chivalrous Pervert: Reo says that Mai is one of the top three most admired Onee-Sama in the school. Guess who the other two are.
Contemptible Cover: For most of the Light Novels.
Cosplay: Happens a few of times in the fourth game with Meido, Miko, and Catgirl Cosplay.
Distracted by the Sexy: Mai's costume change in the fifth game just about turns Reo catatonic.
Double Entendre: Possible English translations of the title include To Kiss the Flower Petal and A Kiss for the Petals.
Elaborate University High: St. Michael's School for Girls is revealed to be quite large in the later games.
Elevator School
Everyone Can See It: Shizuku and Eris's classmates make it very clear that they're eager to see the two hook up.
Finger-Suck Healing: Mai to Reo in the third game.
First-Name Basis and Insistent Terminology: Runa keeps reminding Takako to call her by her given name.
Four-Girl Ensemble: Hanahira!
Fourth Wall Mail Slot: The omake tracks at the end of each drama CD have the characters read fan questions.
- An ongoing web radio series has Reo's seiyuu answer questions submitted on Fuguriya's website.
Girls Love
Gone Horribly Right: In Sara's mind this is what happened every time she tried to give Kaede a makeover to show up those who think her lover is too ordinary for her.
Hadaka Apron: In Valentine's Day for the two of us Yuuna makes Nanami wear one.
Hair Decorations: The four characters of Hanahira! all wear distinctive accessories to further differentiate themselves.
Has Two Mommies: Kaede confesses that in the future she'd like to raise a child together with Sara.
Headbutt Thermometer: In the OVA, Mai checks Reo's temperature this way much to Reo's embarrassment.
Homoerotic Dream: A couple of the girls have these dreams about their significant other.
Hotter and Sexier: The web novel featuring Runa and Takako manages to stay in the boundaries of Ecchi. The same can't be said of their visual novels and light novels.
I'm Taking Her Home with Me: The phrase is mentioned in passing a few times in regard to Sara and Reo but never actually said aloud.
The Immodest Orgasm: All of the girls, but Yuuna especially.
Fundamentally Female Cast: Male characters are mentioned but they're never given any spoken lines or appear on camera even when they're in the same scene (which is already pretty rare). Music Box Of Memories averts this with Yuu Nagino, who is still in a secondary role (and kept far away from the ladies). It's even implied he's gay.
Indirect Kiss: Surprisingly, this trope is used a couple of times after the characters have already done the more direct thing.
Intertwined Fingers: This series absolutely loves this trope.
Kissing Cousins
Lipstick Lesbian: All of the girls fall into this.
Look Behind You!: Yuuna uses this successfully on Nanami, as does Mai on Reo.
Luminescent Blush: All characters have them at almost all times.
Making Love in All the Wrong Places: Including places like the school clinic and the back garden, which are always empty when the time comes. Mai lampshades this in the third novel when she states that the clinic is always empty (and they always happen to be doing something there.) Word of God claims that this is possible due to the meddling of a certain perverted maiden in the school's environmental maintenance committee. Mai and Reo also do it in a dressing room at a clothing store and in the library while they're supposed to be studying.
Marilyn Maneuver: Happens to Nanami at a time where she isn't wearing any underwear!
Marshmallow Hell: Yuuna does this to Nanami in game one.
- Inversion: Sara enjoys burying herself in Kaede's chest. Kaede is the one who finds the experience unpleasant.
No Export for You: Averted in the case of a few of the light novels; Xenocross includes full translations of light novels relevant to Music Box of Memories.
No Name Given: Runa's sister
Omake: In the form of contemptible wallpapers and WAVs of ending songs for the games that have them for the disc versions.
- The Comiket bonus novels have the couples interacting with each other.
One Head Taller: Takako to Runa.
One-Gender School
The Other Darrin: The OVA features different seiyuu from the visual novel it's based on.
Panty Shot
Poor Communication Kills: A staple of the games that actually have plots.
- Mistaken for Cheating: The most common form.
Promotion to Parent: Runa's sister is her guardian.
Puni Plush: Prominent in the cover to the artbook as well as Hanahira!
Questionable Consent: Most of the relationships begin with one girl molesting the other while the latter is still unsure about her own feelings; even after the initial stage, some characters don't understand what "no" means and will keep going until their partners give in and agree to have sex with them. This is especially true for Mai, although Reo secretly loves it, usually gushing her appreciation.
Rape Is Love: The game makers were probably going for seduction but the language used in a few of the sex scenes from the first two games pushes those scenes into this category.
Remember the New Guy?: Music Box Of Memories introduces Meiling Lee and Yoshimi Makino, who are old acquaintences of the cast. However, Yoshimi is a subversion as she is actually from one of the light novels (but not said to be friends with anyone other than Sara), making her an Ascended Extra.
Romantic Two-Girl Friendship: Takako and Runa's sister had this kind of relationship when Takako was in high school. They both have regrets about not taking this further.
- The spinoff Hanahira! has two of these.
Satellite Character: Three of Nanami's friends from the second-year class. They are seen in a little-known Web Serial Novel "Joshikou no Waidan" thirteen chapters long (the last of which was published in 2007), two of the light novels and a few pieces of promotional artwork.
Say It with Hearts: This trope starts in the fourth game and is particularly used during love scenes and the Omake Yonkoma.
Schedule Slip: A sixth couple has been announced for debut in June 2010 but turned out to be two couples in a new non-H series for release in September.
School Newspaper Newshound
Schoolgirl Lesbians: Everyone except Takako, who is a teacher.
Screw the Rules, I Have Money: In Zutto Issho no Natsu, Reo invokes her family's status to access the pool at an upscale hotel, just so Mai can teach her how to swim there.
Secret Relationship: Nanami/Yuuna.
Sempai-Kohai
Shout-Out: To Mariasama ga Miteru
- The intro of the YouTube series parodies the famous MGM Vanity Plate.
Single-Target Sexuality: Applies to every character.
Skinship Grope: Eris does this to Shizuku in the eighth game.
Sleep Cute: A couple of scenes even though Relationship Upgrades have already happened by then.
Soundtrack Dissonance: Sometimes there'll be darker music played during a love scene.
Spit Trail Kiss: One of the images of the first game shows this quite vividly.
Story to Gameplay Ratio: Gameplay level is low, even for a Visual Novel. Whereas most visual novels have upwards of hundreds of branches, these games have no more than five each. And even then, the correct choices are blindingly obvious.
Suspiciously Specific Denial:

Nanami: I didn't see anything like Yuuna-senpai making a voice like that! Really, not at all! Not in the slightest!

Squee: See Yuri Fangirl below.
There Is Only One Bed: Sara is forced to share a bed with Kaede. Not that Sara minds.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: Makoto and Koharu respectively.
WAFF: The Light Novels and OVA play out like this sort of fanfic.
Wingding Eyes: In the OVA, Reo gets swirls in the eyes when she tries to sit up too quickly with a fever.
- Reo also gets hearts when she sees Mai dress up in the outfit Reo picks in the fifth novel.
- Eris has stars when she receives a bento lunchbox from a rather embarrassed Shizuku.
Years Too Early: Reo says this to a group of girls who try to befriend her.
You Are Number Six: The main characters' classmates who have voices are referred to in script as "Girl A", "Girl B", "Girl C", etc. Takako refers to her students who aren't Runa as these names in dialogue.
Yuri Fangirl: If a crowd of girls witnesses a Yuri act, expect lots of Squeeing.