Canvas 2: Niji Iro no Sketch

Canvas 2: Akane Iro no Palette (Canvas2 〜茜色のパレット〜, lit. Canvas 2 ~Red Colored Palette~), also known as just Canvas 2, is a Japanese visual novel developed by F&C FC01, a brand of F&C, released for the PC on April 23, 2004. The game was later ported to the PlayStation 2 by Kadokawa Shoten, on January 26, 2006. AiCherry produced a DVD Player Game version of Canvas 2 on November 28, 2008. An iOS version was released on January 12, 2013. A fan disc called Innocent Colors ~Canvas 2 Fan Disc~ was released for the PC on September 24, 2004. The game is a sequel to Canvas ~Sepia-iro no Motif~. Two other spin off games part of the Canvas series were released by F&C.

A 24-episode anime television series called Canvas 2: Niji Iro no Sketch (Canvas2 〜虹色のスケッチ〜) was produced by studio Zexcs, and licensed by Kadokawa Pictures USA in North America. It aired on eight different channels in Japan between October 3, 2005, and March 27, 2006, and was streamed on Crunchyroll. Two manga adaptations were published by Kadokawa Shoten, and three light novels have also been published, as well as multiple drama CDs.

Gameplay

An example of the gameplay in Canvas 2. Here, the protagonist Hiroki is conversing with Elis.

Canvas 2 is a romance visual novel in which the player assumes the role of Hiroki Kamikura. Much of its gameplay is spent reading the text that appears on the screen, which represents the story's narrative and dialogue. The text is accompanied by character sprites, which represent who Hiroki is talking to, over background art. Throughout the game, the player encounters CG artwork at certain points in the story, which take the place of the background art and character sprites. Canvas 2 follows a branching plot line with multiple endings, and depending on the decisions that the player makes during the game, the plot will progress in a specific direction.

There are seven main plot lines that the player will have the chance to experience, one for each of the heroines in the story. Throughout gameplay, the player is given multiple options to choose from, and text progression pauses at these points until a choice is made. Some decisions can lead the game to end prematurely and offer an alternative ending to the plot. To view all plot lines in their entirety, the player will have to replay the game multiple times and choose different choices to further the plot to an alternate direction. Throughout gameplay, there are scenes depicting Hiroki and a given heroine having sexual intercourse, except in the PlayStation 2 and iOS versions, where these scenes cannot be viewed.

Plot

The series focuses on the lives of some students and teachers at Nadesico Academy both at school and their private lives. The main character of the series is Kamikura Hiroki, who lives with his younger cousin Elis. Hiroki is training to become a full-fledged art teacher while also trying to take care of Elis. When his childhood friend Kiri starts working at the school, drama begins to flare as he has to juggle his work, private life, and the feelings for these two important girls.

Characters

Nadesico staff

Hiroki Kamikura (上倉 浩樹, Kamikura Hiroki)

Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai (Anime)

The main character of the series. He is the older cousin of Elis as well as her current guardian. While in high school, he was considered to be an artistic prodigy. At the time of the series, he is an adviser to the art club as well as an art teacher in training. In his high school years, Hiroki was close friends with Kiri and Yanagi. When Kiri confessed that she liked him, Hiroki turned her down, even though he had feelings for her. It is believed he did this because he knew that Yanagi also liked Kiri so he didn’t want to get in the way of his friend’s feelings. However, Yanagi didn’t know of Hiroki’s good intentions and stole Hiroki’s composition of Kiri for a national art contest. This destroyed their relationship and left Hiroki alone and heartbroken since he had also turned down Kiri. Since then, he took Elis into his home and is her legal guardian. Throughout the series, Hiroki struggles with his emotions for both Elis and Kiri and tries to paint again.

Kiri Kikyo (桔梗 霧, Kikyō Kiri)

Voiced by: Yuri Sawa (PC), Hitomi Nabatame (Anime)

Childhood friend of Hiroki as well as a Physical Education teacher at Nadesico Academy. She confessed her feelings for Hiroki (by the rooftop on school) while the two of them were in high school but was turned down. Kiri still has feelings for Hiroki but has had a difficult time in telling him. She finally works up enough courage to confess to him again as adults (by the rooftop again in the school in the anime).

Saya Saginomiya (鷺ノ宮 紗綾, Saginomiya Saya)

Voiced by: Himawari Natsuno (PC), Yuka Inokuchi (Anime)

She is the acting superintendent at Nadesico Academy. This tall and purple-haired beauty has a well-meaning and caring personality but is, surprisingly, disliked by the rest of the administration at Nadesico Academy. She looks up to her younger sister, who is a very competent superintendent at a French school that is associated with Nadesico. She likes to practice with her naginata in the school gym as a way to relieve the stress of her job.

Students

Elis Hosen (鳳仙 エリス, Hōsen Erisu)

Voiced by: Naho Nakatani (PC), Kaori Nazuka (Anime)

Elis is a freshman at Nadesico Academy. Her parents died in a car accident and she was left in the foster care of her cousin, Kamikura Hiroki. The accident traumatized her to the point that she is unable to tolerate the colour red since it reminds her of blood. This extends to not eating red foods and being unable to paint using red hues. Like Hiroki, she is a very talented artist but her fear of the color red prevents her from realizing her full potential. Elis develops strong affections for Hiroki and confesses her feelings for him but only to be turned down because Hiroki thinks of her as a little sister rather than a woman that he could love. She has a tough time dealing with her feelings as well as the distance that seems to be created between her and Hiroki when he begins to spend more time with Kiri. She eventually intends to go to France on a scholarship and live with a relative there and is elated when Hiroki returns her feelings. Based on the anime's ending scenes, the Champs Elysees is shown deriving that they both end up in France together.

Kana Hagino (萩野 可奈, Hagino Kana)

Voiced by: Kanoko Hatamiya (PC), Ai Tokunaga (Anime)

Despite her short stature, Hagino is actually a sophomore at Nadesico Academy. She is a novelist who writes mainly romance stories. To keep her identity hidden, she writes under the pen name of Naka Nogiwa (那珂 野際). She is very interested in the relationships of the other characters in the series which she uses as inspiration for her novels. She is constantly badgered by her editor, Sugihara Shie, to finish writing novels by her many deadlines. She has a crush on Hiroki.

Tomoko Fujinami (藤浪 朋子, Fujinami Tomoko)

Voiced by: Ayako Ninomiya (PC), Mikako Takahashi (Anime)

Elis' classmate. She has a medical problem concerning her heart, and is often absent from school. When she was a child she was always being moved from one hospital to another. This prevented her from making friends and led to her developing anti-social behavior. Hiroki reaches out to her and she eventually begins to open up and become friends with the other girls. She is the 'tsundere' character of the anime and over the time she develops minor feelings for Hiroki. She was in the hospital in Hokkaido at the same time that Elis was recovering from the accident that took her parents and remembers meeting with a person who would show her his sketchbook, and from whom she developed feelings. It turns out that the person whom she remembers as "the onii-chan from the hospital" is actually Hiroki. She undergoes surgery at the end of the anime and is shown opening her eyes during the end credits hinting at the success of the operation.

Mami Takeuchi (竹内 麻巳, Takeuchi Mami)

Voiced by: Rino Kawashima (PC), Megumi Toyoguchi (Anime)

The president of the art club at Nadesico Academy. Although she sees Elis as a rival, she is always willing to help Elis when she is in need of advice. She encourages Elis to try to use the color red.

Sumire Misaki (美咲 菫, Misaki Sumire)

Voiced by: Misa Kimura (PC), Aya Hirano (Anime)

Youngest daughter of a family of great musicians. She is always compared to her parents and older sister and thus has, possibly unreasonably, high expectations of herself. She feels a lot of pressure and anxiety because of this. She cares deeply for Elis. She is part of the choir and sings the soprano solos.

Shota Hashidsume (橋爪 彰太, Hashizume Shōta)

Voiced by: Junji Majima (Anime)

One of Elis’s classmates. He is a good natured boy but he likes to have fun with the occasional prank. An enthusiast in ceramics and pottery, he can occasionally be found looking through wooded areas for good quality clay. He has a crush on Elis and confesses to her during a camping trip but is rejected.

Other characters

Shie Sugihara (杉原 紫衣, Sugihara Shie)

Voiced by:Kaeru Haruno (PC), Miho Miyakawa (Anime)

She is Kana’s editor and is constantly pressuring her to finish within writing deadlines. She is strict but understanding of others. She is also a college friend of Kiri and gives her advice on love and how to approach Hiroki.

Shin-ichiro Yanagi (柳 慎一郎, Yanagi Shin'ichirō)

Voiced by: Kishō Taniyama (Anime)

Childhood friend of Hiroki and Kiri. His relationship with Hiroki went sour after Yanagi stole Hiroki’s composition of Kiri and then went on to win a national award with the painting. They make up with each other later thanks to the efforts of Kiri and Saya.

He has a crush on Kiri and confesses to her but Kiri turns him down. He then supports Kiri in confessing her feelings for Hiroki.

Theme songs

PC Game

Opening

• Plastic Smile(^^ by A BONE featuring YURIA

Ending

• Hibi by Rena

PlayStation 2/DVDPG version

Opening

• Blue Sky by Honey Bee (YURIA)

Ending

• Primary Memory by Sweets Tankentai

Anime

Opening

• Plastic Smile (Niji Iro Guiter VERSION) by Honey Bee (YURIA)

Ending

• NA NA IRO by Sweets Tankentai

Adaptations

Light novels

The first light novel was published by Enterbrain on July 30, 2004, under their Famitsu Bunko imprint. It was written by Izumi Okazaki, and illustrated by Fumio.^[2] A light novel series written by Tooru Tamegai and illustrated by Naru Nanao, spanning two volumes, was published by Kadokawa Shoten between December 21, 2005 and March 25, 2006.^[3][4] The first volume is titled Canvas 2 ~Niji Iro no Sketch~ Before RED, and the second volume is titled Canvas 2 ~Niji Iro no Sketch~ Beyond RED.

Manga

The first manga adaptation of Canvas 2, titled Canvas 2 Extra Season, illustrated by Miki Kodama, was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's Monthly Ace Next magazine (later switching to Monthly Shōnen Ace magazine) between September 2004, and December 2005 issues. Five chapters were collected into a single tankōbon volume.^[5] The second manga adaptation of Canvas 2 was serialized in the Monthly Shōnen Ace magazine from April 2005 to September 2006, and later switched to the Comp Ace magazine. The series was authored and illustrated by Miki Kodama, and four tankōbon volumes were published by Kadokawa Shoten.^[6][7]

Drama CDs

Drama CDs based on the game have been produced. Firstly, a drama CD titled Canvas2 Indian Summer ~Chiisana Usotsuki~ Raspberry Original Drama was published by Raspberry on April 23, 2004. It consists of one disc containing five tracks.^[8] The second drama CD, titled Canvas2 Drama CD - Prism Iro no Summer Festa, was published by Marine Entertainment on October 29, 2004. It consists of one disc containing four tracks.^[9] The third drama CD, titled Canvas2 Drama CD - Rhapsody de Noel, was published by Headquarter on February 20, 2005. It consists of one disc containing eight tracks.^[10] Three more drama CDs were published, the first one of these being a drama CD called Canvas2 Extra Season Drama CD, published by Kadokawa Shoten on January 26, 2006. It contains one single track which is fifty minutes and six seconds long.^[11] The next drama CD was published by Elements Garden on May 26, 2006, titled Canvas2 Drama CD ~First KISS wa, Nani iro?~. It consists of one disc containing six tracks.^[12] The last drama CD, titled Canvas2 DVD EDITION Drama CD ~Seven Color Party = Surprise!~, was published by Elements Garden on December 29, 2006. It consists of one disc containing ten tracks.^[13]

Spin off games

Canvas 2: Akane Iro no Palette itself is a spin-off of Canvas ~Sepia-iro no Motif~, a visual novel first released for the PC by a subsidiary of F&C, called Cocktail Soft on November 24, 2000. Interchannel released a Dreamcast version of the game on April 5, 2001. The game was later ported to the PlayStation 2 on April 10, 2003 by Interchannel. Canvas ~Sepia-iro no Motif~ was also released for the iOS on June 6, 2013. An original video animation (OVA) series has been produced by TripleX, Studio Kyuuma, and Lemon Heart, the two OVA episodes were released in Japan on December 25, 2001.

The first sequel to Canvas 2: Akane Iro no Palette (not including the fan disc) is Canvas 3 ~Hakugin no Portrait~, a PC game released by F&C on March 20, 2009. Piacci released a PlayStation 2 port of the game on September 17, 2009, and then a PlayStation Portable version of Canvas 3 was released on April 22, 2010. On July 24, 2012, an Android version was produced, and an iOS version was produced on June 14, 2013. A novel series, and manga adaptation have been published. Also, a fan disc for Canvas 3 called Valentine Pink was released for PC on April 23, 2010.

Lastly, a visual novel called Canvas 4 ~Achrome Etude~ was released for the PC on January 28, 2011 by F&C. GN Software released Canvas 4 for PlayStation Portable on November 23, 2011. A manga adaptation for Canvas 4 was published by Akita Shoten.

Anime

A 24-episode anime television series directed by Itsuro Kawasaki, called Canvas 2 ~Niji Iro no Sketch~, was produced by studio Zexcs, and aired on the networks Chiba TV, TVS, TV Kanagawa, KBS, SUN-TV, TV Aichi, Perfect Choice, and AT-X in Japan from October 3, 2005, to March 27, 2006. The anime was simulcast on Crunchyroll, along with two other titles, Venus to Mamoru and Macademi.^[14] The anime was licensed in North America by Kadokawa Pictures USA.^[15] Episodes in the anime are named after colors.

Reception

On Getchu.com, a major redistributor of visual novel and domestic anime products, Canvas 2 was ranked as the second most widely sold game of April 2004, only falling behind Clannad, which ranked first in terms of sales.^[16] The visual novel failed to chart any further, however, its fan disc, Innocent Colors ~Canvas 2 Fan Disc~, was ranked as the fifth most widely sold game of September 2004, on Getchu.com.^[17] In the first half of year 2004 on Getchu.com, Canvas 2 ranked No. 4 in terms of sales, falling behind Shuffle!, Clannad, and Fate Stay Night.^[18] For sales in the entirety of year 2004 on Getchu.com, Canvas 2 ranked at No. 21, whilst the fan disc was ranked at No. 28.^[19] One of the heroines from the game, Elis Hosen, was ranked as the tenth best heroine in a visual novel as of 2004, on Getchu.com's MOE game rankings.^[20] In Getchu.com's 2004 MOE game rankings, Canvas 2: Niji Iro no Sketch was ranked No. 11 in the synthesis department,^[21] ninth in the scenario department,^[22] and eighth in the video department.^[23]

References

External links

• Canvas 2 at Kadokawa Shoten (in Japanese)
• Canvas 2: Niji Iro no Sketch (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• "Canvas 2: Niji Iro no Sketch". The Visual Novel Database. 

Works of Zexcs
Television series	Sister Princess (2001) Sister Princess RePure (2002) Kikō Sen'nyo Rouran (2002–2003) Da Capo (2003) Final Approach (2004) Sukisho (2005) Canvas 2: Niji Iro no Sketch (2005–2006) Venus to Mamoru (2006–2007) Rental Magica (2007–2008) H2O: Footprints in the Sand (2008) Our Home's Fox Deity. (2008) Magician's Academy (2008) Chrome Shelled Regios (2009) Umi Monogatari (2009) Omamori Himari (2010) Chu-Bra!! (2010) The Legend of the Legendary Heroes (2010) Fortune Arterial (2010) I Don't Like You at All, Big Brother!! (2011) A Dark Rabbit Has Seven Lives (2011) Say "I love you" (2012) Cuticle Detective Inaba (2013) The Flowers of Evil (2013) Diabolik Lovers (2013) The Comic Artist and His Assistants (2014) Lady Jewelpet (2014–2015) Shōnen Hollywood -Holly Stage for 49- (2014) Shōnen Hollywood -Holly Stage for 50- (2015) Diabolik Lovers More, Blood (2015) Ketsuekigata-kun! 3 (2015) Ketsuekigata-kun! 4 (2016) The Great Passage (2016) Frame Arms Girl (2017)
OVAs/ONAs	10 Tokyo Warriors (1999–2002) Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time ~Ajisai Yumegatari~ (2002–2003) Happy World! (2002–2003) Saishū Shiken Kujira (2007) Da Capo: If (2008–2009) Jewelpet Twinkle☆: A Rainbow of Smiles Doki☆Doki! (2013) The Comic Artist and His Assistants (2014) Kurage no Shokudō (2016) Your Light ~Kase-san and Morning Glories~ (2017)
Films	Aruvu Rezuru: Kikaijikake no Yōseitachi (2013)
Category