Sakura Santa

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From left to right: Itsumi, Santa, Akina.

"It's one thing to go out and buy someone a gift... It's another when a present is something extremely personal."

Sakura Santa is the eight installment in the Sakura series, developed and published by Winged Cloud, released on December 21, 2015. The visual novel was initially published by MangaGamer, but their partnership ended in 2016.

On the Christmas holiday season in Japan, after witnessing the luckiest day of his life, Koji, a university student, has the option to choose between dating a trickster fox spirit, his reserved childhood friend and Santa Claus's daughter.

Tropes used in Sakura Santa include:

• Accidental Pervert: Koji, according to himself.
• A-Cup Angst: Itsumi had this in the past, and it influenced her feelings for Koji.
• Agent Scully: (Harem Route) Itsumi can't believe that Akina is a fox spirit, even after touching her tail and Koji saying it's the real deal, and insists that she's a cosplayer.
• All for Nothing: Itsumi wonders if her feelings for Koji that she had for years were for nothing, as he could have rejected her.
• A Rare Sentence: In her route, while teleporting to Koji's apartment, Santa gets caught between her decoration in the usual Sakura way. Afraid, she says to Koji not to look at her skirt/panties again, as this is the second time that Koji has seen them. He responds:

"Look, don't think about your panties, okay? Just relax, everything will be fine."

• He then acknowledges it's "definitely one of the stranger things" he said in his life.

• Koji: I love you too, Santa... ...You know, this is the last sentence I ever expected to say in my life.

• Santa then says to not question how and why they got together, and to just enjoy it.

• As You Know: Koji and Itsumi talking about their friendship in middle school and now, as well as events that have happened at the time.
  • Used with Tamika and her father to prove that Santa knows every child on Earth.
• Artistic License Geography: Koji sees trees near Santa's workshop in the North Pole, even though there are none in real life.
• Author Appeal/Creator Thumbprint:
  • Fan Service: Check. Big Boobs: Check.
• Batman Gambit: Koji thinks Akina knew that he spent time with other women and planned something to get them all together.
• Call Back: During their first date, Itsumi says the same thing to Koji as when he saw her naked and changing her clothes:

Before: "We're adults now, Koji. So there's no need to act bashful." After: "There's no need to be bashful around me, Koji. We're adults now, aren't we?"

• Cannot Spit It Out: See Idiot Ball for Koji in Itsumi's route.
  • (Santa Route) Santa doesn't know why she is feeling nervous around Koji...
• Childhood Friend Romance: Koji and Itsumi. It's the premise of her route and Lampshaded in the good end.
• Childhood Marriage Promise (Harem Route) Itsumi reveals this, while talking in her sleep.
• Contemplate Our Navels: Santa lets out her happy thought on the Christmas holiday, during her night date with Koji.
• Cute Clumsy Girl: Santa, to a tee, and she's very self-conscious about it. Lampshaded and Discussed by Koji.
• Dangerously-Short Skirt: Santa's outfit and Itsumi's casual clothes. Even Akina's kimono has a really short skirt!
• Dare to Be Badass: Koji to Santa, when she's at her lowest.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?:
  • (Itsumi Route) Koji describes the way the cream spill all over Itsumi in the most suggestive way possible. Eventually Lampshaded.
  • (Santa Route) The scene in which Koji tries to untangle Santa from her decorations is described in a oh so evocative manner. It's almost as if, by Crossing the Line Twice, it becomes funny, especially with Santa's unfortunate comments.
  • Implied and Conversed in the scene where, at Koji's request, Santa puts her big magical candy cane wand between her breasts... and rubs it in between... (It's just for a hiding spot, but Koji had naughty ideas...)
  • (Harem Route) Akina's comments after Koji tackles her for the wand.
• Dumb Blonde: Santa, while not outright stupid, doesn't have the highest intellect around and is quite clumsy... On the other hand, she's very good at her job and can remember millions of children's names.
• Dutch Angle: Many of the titillating CGs.
• Family Business: The Claus Family do their Christmas thing once a year.
  • It Runs in The Family, Multigenerational Household
• The Four Loves: Koji asked for Storge. He got Eros.
• Freudian Slip:

Koji: Even Santa Claus him- I mean, herself, would just be as fallible as a normal person would be.

• Gender Blender Name Santa Claus's daughter is also named Santa, as is every other family member.
• Genre Savvy: Deconstructed. In Itsumi's route, Koji says to her that he knew she was attracted to him. Suddenly, she gets angry that he didn't tell the fact to her earlier in the past, saying she had regrets about her missed confession. She then confuses his answer in the process and leaves, heart-broken.
  • A straight example later on. The shop owner notices that there must have a fight between Koji and Itsumi. He orders Koji to fix the situation, because "it's affecting business".
  • (Harem Route) Itsumi says to Santa, after a confrontation, that she does like Koji, but that he already knew "the entire time". (This seemingly contradicts the events in Itsumi's route, but is hand waved later on.)
• Hand Wave: In Itsumi's first event, Koji says to the cafe owner that his schedule for work could be inconsistent since he might be seeing some friends. This is to let him see Akina or Santa if he ever desires.
  • Santa mentions her family to Koji and says they're tasked for different regions of the world, making their yearly tradition possible.
• Heroic BSOD: When Santa trips over her fragile presents she spent weeks on and they all break, she starts weeping in despair and goes into a Troubled Fetal Position, saying that she is a failure. This starts the Third-Act Misunderstanding.
• Kuudere: Downplayed with Itsumi, who didn't show her emotions a lot in the past, but she does have them.
• Idiot Ball: Never once during Itsumi's outburst did Koji say he had feelings for her. Justified, as he didn't know what to do.
  • Then again, saying that after his genre-savvy, but clumsy answer would have been blunt and confusing.
  • (Santa Route) Koji, who is normally Genre Savvy with girls, thinks Santa is being nervous around him because she didn't have contact with "anyone her age," except with her family.
• I Just Want to Have Friends: Type A. Koji wishes for someone to spend time with on Christmas Day and gets a fox spirit, a childhood friend and the mythical Santa Claus (or rather, a member of the family) in return.
• Innocent Fanservice Girl: Santa is very prudish and modest, even though her clothes and her Fan Service scenes are very revealing.
• Insistent Terminology: As Itsumi says to him in her route, Koji refers to the suggestive events he sought out to witness at middle school as "misunderstandings".
  • Koji mentions "fun things", or as Itsumi says back, adult magazines.
• Lampshade Hanging: (Harem Route) When Koji picks a fortune at the shrine, it says "Your harem will be complete very soon!" Koji then strongly suspects that it was another of Akina's pranks. She did say she wrote all the fortunes by herself...
• Male Gaze: Koji does this to his love interests many times, and he knows it. The girls even talk about it with him, having fun with the concept.
• Murphy's Law: In Santa's route, Koji Invokes it in order to dispel her worries about the things that could go wrong on Christmas.
• Mythology Gag:
  • In the Akina route, Koji says he's not an awkward teenager or anything...
  • In Itsumi's cafe, there are backgrounds of previous Sakura games (Beach, Fantasy) used as paintings. Koji seems to think he has seen them before, but dismisses the thought by saying it's probably his imagination.
  • In Itsumi's route, Koji has a thing for swimsuits...
• Out of Focus: When Koji focuses on one girl, it's like he never met the other two.
• Phrase Catcher: Koji says "You cheeky fox" to Akina a lot in her route.
• Planet of Steves Santa's family members are all named Santa. Koji imagines a funny situation at the dinner table.

"Hey, Santa, could you pass me the gravvy?"

• Playboy Bunny: Itsumi wears this costume for the shop promotions.
• Polyamory (Harem Route) Santa mentions to Koji, during her confrontation with Itsumi, that her brothers have multiple girlfriends.
  • The Harem Route ends with Koji in a relationship with the three girls.
• The Pornomancer: Koji wonders if Papa Claus fathered his unbelievable legacy all by himself.
• Reality Warper: (Harem Route) Koji theorizes that Santa is this, since Akina the fox spirit says that Santa is disturbing her shrine realm.
• Really 700 Years Old: Akina says it has been "several hundred years" since she volunteered for the shrine position.
  • Santa says to Koji that she's lost count of how many Christmases she was involved in.
• Retired Badass: Miss Claus's father has been retired for a few years, according to her, but is still the fastest toymaker in the world.
• Santa Claus: He does exist, and he is Miss Santa's father.
  • He is crucial to the resolution of her daughter's Heroic BSOD.
• Selective Obliviousness: In Itsumi's route, Koji fakes his oblivion to Itsumi's very obvious signals because he wants to avoid confronting his feelings for her.
• Sex Sells: In-Universe. The shop owner knows fully well that he is using Itsumi's sexiness to bring in customers.
• She's All Grown Up: Koji thinks and says this to Itsumi.
• Shout-Out: (Santa Route) After their shopping date, Santa gives Koji a snow globe of her workshop and says to "shake the globe three times and think about the Christmas spirit" for him to be able to visit her. It's a quote directly lifted from The Santa Clause.
  • (Harem Route) Santa, in anger, compares Akina to Jack Frost.
• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Akina the fox spirit and Santa the mythical figure.
• Stealth Pun: As Koji is untangling Santa in his apartment:

"Now then, the Christmas lights... ...Oh, they lead there. That's going to be a problem... A massive problem."

• Strangled by the Red String: Lampshaded on Christmas Eve with Akina on her route. After all, they only met a few days ago. Justified, since they had such a flirtatious and emotional bond over time.
• Strictly Formula: Each separate route with a Love Interest goes along this romantic structure: Meeting, mother's call, date at shopping mall, Fan Service scenes, dramatic misunderstanding, patch-up, final date at Christmas Eve, love confession, the kiss, and heartfelt gratitude.
• Stripperiffic: Santa's outfit, with a whole section of cloth cut off where it should cover her belly and her back. Lampshaded later on by Koji.
  • Conversed between Santa and Itsumi in the Harem Route, with Hypocritical Humor and Hand Waving on Santa's part.
• Super Speed: Santa is able to wrap five hundred presents in the time it took Koji to wrap thirty.
• Take Over the World: Koji theorizes that the Claus family, with their supernatural productivity, could have the potential to conquer the world, although he think that's the last thing on Santa's mind.
• Tangled Family Tree: Miss Santa struggled to guess how many members of her family exist and says they lost track a long time ago.
• That Makes Me Feel Angry: Way too many instance to count from Santa.
• Third-Act Misunderstanding: In each route:
  • After the revelation that Akina was using Koji's wish for her own reasons, she assumes that he is angry about the fact and locks herself up inside the shrine, even though Koji is extremely grateful to Akina and his experiences with her.
  • Itsumi gets offended by Koji's savvy response to her confession and grows frustrated at him, misunderstanding his intentions.
  • For Santa's misunderstanding, see Heroic BSOD.
    • Either, way, it's resolved very quickly.
• Trailers Always Spoil: Two images from the Steam Store spoil, or rather are Akina and Itsumi's ending CGs.
• Video Game Cruelty Potential: At a crucial and dramatic moment in the story, depending on the route and the Love Interest, the player can decide to meet someone other than the person he was involved with the most.
• What an Idiot!: Koji to himself, on the aftermath of Itsumi's outburst.
• What If: In-universe. At one point in her route, Itsumi thinks about what would have happened if she stayed in the town with Koji. Defied by him, who says not to think about that.
• When She Smiles: Koji's thoughts discusses this about Itsumi.
• Zettai Ryouiki: Santa's stockings.

---

Itsumi: Merry Christmas, Koji. Santa: Merry Christmas! Akina: Merry Christmas, you shameless pervert. Koji: (thinking) There's only one thing I can say in response to that. Koji: Merry Christmas.