Moo... Still milking the Ai yori Aoshi cow. This is the first game released after the second season was finished. It had an original release date of 4/29/04, but was delayed until 5/20/04. And believe it or not, they're still milking it with the upcoming release of another drama CD at the end of September.

The game engine itself sucks compared to other adventure games. You can't scroll back through the text and there's barely any choices to make in the game. Each chapter takes about an hour to complete and doesn't even have an intro nor ending movie.

The stories are what I've come accustomed to Ai yori post-season 1. Short, episodic, and not much substance with a little sentimental scene between Kaoru and Aoi at the end. I really hope the manga can make up for the serious shortfall of the anime.

The only redeeming factor is that the CDs come with a bunch of wallpapers of previously published Ai yori images. I don't know how complete they are, but I remember seeing all of them somewhere before, many from the artbook and media covers. At least I don't have to scan pictures in anymore as I have the direct digital transfers I can use for wallpapers.

First edition of this game comes with postcards of previously used pictures as well as a pack of cards with previously used pictures. There's a special mail-in offer for those two bought both games but the deadline was end of July. The box is gigantic but the packaging comes in regular shrinkwrap instead of a resealable plastic, so I had to scan it with the sticker on.

Rating: 2/4

1. 春 (Spring): It's a spring day and the Sakura leaves are falling. Since it's so busy during the day, Kaoru and Aoi decide to invite everyone to visit the park at night. They arrive only to find that it's as crowded as it was during the day. After some searching, they find a spot to sit and enjoy the night singing, drinking, and playing card games. Chizuru and Natsuki come visit too. Aoi and Kaoru manage to find some time alone, only to be interrupted by a drunk Tina. Kaoru carries Tina home and Aoi remarks that she's a bit jealous of Tina.

2. 夏 (Summer): Kaoru has been assigned summer vacation homework to do some research in Okinawa. It just so happens that the Sakuraba group has a beach house there, so the gang heads to Okinawa. They play at the beach and visit some of the historical landmarks there. That night, Aoi accompanies Kaoru as he's writing up his report and ends up falling asleep on his shoulders.

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