Senran Kagura

Senran Kagura
Cover art from the video game Senran Kagura: Shōjo-tachi no Shinei
閃乱カグラ
Genre	Action
Game
Senran Kagura: Skirting Shadows
Developer	Tamsoft
Publisher	Marvelous Entertainment
Genre	Action, side-scrolling
Platform	Nintendo 3DS
Released	JP September 22, 2011
Manga
Senran Kagura: Skirting Shadows
Written by	Kenichirō Takaki
Illustrated by	Amami Takatsume
Published by	Media Factory
English publisher	NA Seven Seas Entertainment
Demographic	Seinen
Magazine	Monthly Comic Alive
Original run	August 27, 2011 – ongoing
Volumes	2
Manga
Senran Kagura: Guren no Uroboros
Illustrated by	Manabu Aoi
Published by	Ichijinsha
Demographic	Shōnen
Magazine	Comic Rex
Original run	September 27, 2011 – July 27, 2013
Volumes	3
Manga
Senran Kagura Spark!
Published by	Enterbrain
Demographic	Seinen
Magazine	Famitsu Comic Clear
Original run	August 19, 2011 – February 17, 2012
Volumes	1
Game
Senran Kagura Burst
Developer	Tamsoft
Publisher	JP Marvelous AQL NA XSEED Games PAL Marvelous AQL Europe
Genre	Action, side-scrolling
Platform	Nintendo 3DS
Released	JP August 30, 2012 NA November 14, 2013 PAL February 28, 2014
Manga
Senran Kagura: Senshi Bankō no Haruka
Published by	Enterbrain
Demographic	Seinen
Magazine	Famitsu Comic Clear
Original run	September 7, 2012 – February 1, 2013
Volumes	1
Manga
Senran Enji Kyonyū-gumi
Illustrated by	Hikage Asahina
Published by	Enterbrain
Demographic	Seinen manga
Magazine	Famitsu Comic Clear
Original run	September 7, 2012 – February 1, 2013
Volumes	1
Anime television series
Directed by	Takashi Watanabe
Written by	Takao Yoshioka
Studio	Animation Studio Artland
Licensed by	NA Funimation Entertainment
Network	AT-X, Tokyo MX
Original run	January 6, 2013 – March 24, 2013
Episodes	12
Game
Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus: Shōjo-tachi no Shōmei
Developer	Tamsoft
Publisher	Marvelous AQL
Genre	Action
Platform	PlayStation Vita
Released	JP February 28, 2013
Game
Senran Kagura: NewWave
Developer	Tamsoft
Publisher	Marvelous AQL
Genre	Social network game
Platform	iOS, Android
Released	JP February 28, 2013
Game
Dekamori Senran Kagura
Developer	Meteorise
Publisher	Marvelous AQL
Genre	Cooking/Rhythm
Platform	PlayStation Vita, PlayStation Portable
Released	JP March 20, 2014
Game
Senran Kagura 2: Shinku
Developer	Tamsoft
Publisher	JP Marvelous AQL
Genre	Action, side-scrolling
Platform	Nintendo 3DS
Released	JP August 7, 2014

Senran Kagura (閃乱カグラ) is an action video game series developed by Tamsoft and produced by Marvelous Entertainment. The franchise revolves around a group of female ninjas.

The first game, a side scrolling game titled Senran Kagura: Skirting Shadows (閃乱カグラ -少女達の真影-, Senran Kagura: Shōjo-tachi no Shinei), was released in Japan for the Nintendo 3DS on September 22, 2011. A sequel, Senran Kagura Burst (閃乱カグラ Burst, Senran Kagura Bāsuto), which contains the original game and a new story titled Crimson Girls (紅蓮の少女達, Guren no Shōjo-tachi), was released in Japan for Nintendo 3DS on August 30, 2012 and was later released digitally on the Nintendo eShop on January 10, 2013.^[1] The game was released as a digital release in North America on November 14, 2013 and it will be released as a physical and digital release in Europe and Australia on February 28, 2014.^[2][3][4] A third game, a 3D fighting game titled Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus: Shōjo-tachi no Shōmei (閃乱カグラ SHINOVI VERSUS -少女達の証明-, Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus: The Girls' Proof), was released for PlayStation Vita on February 28, 2013. A social network game, Senran Kagura: NewWave (閃乱カグラ NewWave), was released the same day for iOS and Android devices.

The series has received several manga adaptations. A television anime adaptation produced by Artland aired in Japan between January and March 2013.^[5] The anime has been licensed by Funimation Entertainment in North America.

Plot

Kept secret from the rest of the world, high school girls are secretly trained in the art of ninjitsu. Skirting Shadows revolves around the trainee shinobi of Hanzō Academy; Asuka, Ikaruga, Katsuragi, Yagyuu and Hibari, as they complete missions and battle against rival ninjas. Crimson Girls on the other hand follows the students of the dark academy, Hebijo Clandestine Girls' Academy; Homura, Yomi, Hikage, Mirai and Haruka.

Gameplay

Senran Kagura is a side scrolling action game for the 3DS. The player will assume the control of 5 different female ninja characters. The more they are damaged by enemies, the more their clothes are torn off. The game also features erotic elements that use the features of the Nintendo 3DS system such as stereoscopic 3D, 3D cleavage along with 3D images of other body parts. Senran Kagura will feature character designs by Nan Yaegashi and scenario work from Yukinori Kitajima.

Novel

Where the main information of each characters' back stories, major plot points, and general information on the universe of Senran Kagura is told. This section is in the style of a 3D visual novel. It is structured like a book and the R button will take you to the next section of text, or let you skip through to the end. The Novel part is introduced at major plot points in the story and acts as character set up as well as progression of the story.

Adventure

Where most of the main story, as well as all character interaction, takes place using the in game character models, it is considered the main HUB world. This part uses text and is fully voiced. The Adventure part will come up at the start and end of each main mission. There are times where the Novel part will end and the Adventure part will pick up, giving more information on the story before starting the mission.

Action

Where the main gameplay takes place. This part consists of battling through the main story as well as side missions. When progressing through the action part, you level up your character while gaining new moves and abilities, as well as unlocking various things for the game, such as art work, achievements, music, costumes, and new characters. The structures of the missions in the action part consist of beat-em up, hack and slash, survival and boss fights. There are also specific missions, such as time, collect and destroy. The main missions are split into 5 chapters and each chapter contains a number of story missions as well as extra missions that are optional. Once a story mission is complete, you can then play that mission again with any of the unlocked characters. At the end of a mission you are given a grade based on your health, attack, and speed in completing the mission.

Development

Game producer Kenichiro Takaki came up with the idea for the game around April, 2010 when he decided to make a 3DS game. Apparently, within 30 seconds of thinking about a possible game he decided that one of the things people want to see the most in 3D are breasts.^[6] The producer then began Senran Kagura's design document as well as working on a budget, creating characters, a plot and deciding upon gameplay elements. Takaki also met with character designer Nan Yaegashi and scenario writer Yukinori Kitajima.

On April 1, 2012 Marvelous Entertainment announced a sequel to the first game, featuring male ninjas replacing the busty female ninjas original characters cast, titled Kagura: Aoaki no Shonentachi. According to the official blog, planning for the game started before the first Senran Kagura, but was rejected because the producers thought it needed breasts to sell. However, the staff continued making the game in secret. The game was in development for an undisclosed platform for release in 201X. In the end, was revealed that the game was an April Fools' Day joke.^[7]

Ken Berry of North American publisher Marvelous USA has stated that it may consider releasing Senran Kagura Burst digitally outside of Japan, though points out it is a "scary proposition due to the subject matter and difference in attitudes between Japanese culture and the more conservative culture here in the U.S."^[8] On August 6, 2013, XSEED officially announced it would be releasing the game digitally via the Nintendo eShop in Fall 2013. The game will be a compilation of both Skirting Shadows and Crimson Girls.^[9] Zen United will publish the game in Europe as both a physical and digital release in 2014.^[10]

In January 2014 it was announced in Famitsu that a PlayStation Vita game developed by Meteorise, titled Dekamori Senran Kagura, is to be released in Japan on 20 March 2014. The game was described as a "hyper big breasts cooking rhythm game".^[11] The game is estiamated to be roughly 3-4GB in size.^[12] A Chinese localization of Dekamori Senran Kagura was announced by producer Kenichiro Takaki at the Taipei Game Show.^[13]

Other media

Manga

There are currently five manga series based on the franchise. The main adaptation, written by Kenichirō Takaki and illustrated by Amami Takatsume, began serialization in Media Factory's Monthly Comic Alive magazine from August 27, 2011. Seven Seas Entertainment will begin releasing the series in North America in November 2013 as Senran Kagura: Skirting Shadows.^[14] Senran Kagura: Guren no Uroboros, illustrated by Manabu Aoi, began serialization in Ichijinsha's Comic Rex magazine from September 27, 2011. Senran Kagura Spark! was published in Enterbrain's Famitsu Comic Clear between August 19, 2011 and February 17, 2012, followed by Senran Kagura: Senshi Bankō no Haruka and Senran Enji Kyonyū-gumi, both published between September 7, 2012 and February 1, 2013.

Anime

A television anime adaptation produced by Animation Studio Artland aired in Japan between January 6, 2013 and March 24, 2013. The series is directed by Takashi Watanabe with scripts by Takao Yoshioka and character designs by Takashi Torii.^[15] The anime is licensed in North America by Funimation Entertainment, who streamed the series as it aired and will release it on home video in Summer 2014.^[16][17]

Theme songs

Opening theme

• "Break Your World" by Sayaka Sasaki

Ending themes

• "Fighting Dreamer" by Hitomi Harada, Asami Imai, Yū Kobayashi, Kaori Mizuhashi and Yuka Iguchi (eps 1-3, 8)
• "Yamiyo wa Otome wo Hana ni Suru" (闇夜は乙女を花にする, The Flowers of the Girls of the Night) by Eri Kitamura, Ai Kayano, Ryōko Shiraishi, Saori Gotō and Megumi Toyoguchi (eps 4-6, 9)
• "Shissōron" (疾走論, Theory Sprint) by Hitomi Harada (ep 7, 10-12)

Reception

Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus: Shōjo-tachi no Shōmei on the PlayStation Vita sold 94,324 physical retail copies within its first week of release in Japan,^[18] adding to a total of figure of 120,000 copies which includes digital sales.^[19] The game also ranked as the third most purchased digital Vita game and the fifth most purchased digital game overall on the Japanese PlayStation Network in 2013.^[20]

GameZone's Mike Splechta gave Senran Kagura Burst a 7.5/10, stating "If you like your anime chicks badass with a healthy dose of jiggle physics, Senran Kagura Burst satisfies on those levels and more. However, be prepared for some painful framerate dips."^[21]

References

External links

• Senran Kagura official website (Japanese)
• Burst official website (Japanese)
• Shinovi Versus official website (Japanese)
• Kagura NewWave official website (Japanese)
• Anime official website (Japanese)
• Senran Kagura (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia