, commonly known as , is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Caramel Box and released on January 28, 2005, playable on Windows PCs. The game was later ported to the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable (PSP) with the adult content removed. The Windows version was released in English by MangaGamer in 2012. The story follows the life of Mizuho Miyanokouji, an androgynous male high school student, who transfers into an all-girls school due to his grandfather's will.
The gameplay in Otoboku follows a branching plot line which offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the six female main characters by the player character. The game ranked as the second best-selling PC game sold in Japan for the time of its release, and charted in the national top 50 several more times afterwards. Caramel Box went on to produce two fan discs released in 2005 and 2007 in Caramel Box Yarukibako and Caramel Box Yarukibako 2, respectively. Caramel Box later produced a sequel to Otoboku titled Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru: Futari no Elder, released on June 30, 2010, playable on Windows PCs. Futari no Elder was ported to the PSP with the adult content removed. The story follows Chihaya Kisakinomiya, an androgynous male, who transfers into the all-girls school that was the setting of Otoboku. A third Otoboku game titled Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru: Trinkle Stars was released on February 23, 2018, playable on Windows PCs.
A manga adaptation of Otoboku was serialized in ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Daioh, and a manga adaptation of Futari no Elder was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's Comp Ace. Comic anthologies, light novels and art books were also published, as were audio dramas and several music albums. A 12-episode Otoboku anime produced by Feel aired in Japanese between October and December 2006, and an extra original video animation (OVA) episode was released in April 2007. Media Blasters licensed the anime and released the series in three DVD volumes. The Otoboku anime was generally panned in reviews at Anime News Network where the series was described as "cruelly unimaginative" with "obnoxious quirks and technical shortcomings". In a review of the anime by Mania Entertainment, the series is thought to be "very predictable and bland". A three-episode OVA adaptation of Futari no Elder produced by Silver Link was released between August and October 2012. An OVA adaptation of Trinkle Stars produced by EXNOA with animation by Blue Bread was released in January 2022.
Gameplay
Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru is a romance visual novel in which the player assumes the role of Mizuho Miyanokouji. Its gameplay requires little player interaction as much of the game's duration is spent on reading the text that appears on the screen, which represents the story's narrative and dialogue. Otoboku 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 six main plot lines that the player will have the chance to experience, one for each of the heroines in the story. Every so often, the player will come to a point where he or she is given the chance to choose from multiple options. Text progression pauses at these points until a choice is made. 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. Each scenario is divided into eight episodes, one interlude episode and an epilogue. At the end of an episode, an announcement of the next episode appears showing a preview of what is to consist in the next episode. Each episode takes place within the span of one month between June and March from episode one through the epilogue. The interlude episode is placed between the second and third episodes.
In the adult versions of the game, there are scenes with sexual CGs depicting Mizuho and a given heroine having sex. When the game was ported to the PlayStation 2 (PS2) console, the gameplay was somewhat altered. The PS2 version, and later the PlayStation Portable (PSP) version, both had the sexual content removed, and in these versions there is no evidence that physical relationships actually take place between any of the students.
There are ten additional sub episodes and a special sub episode. The CD and DVD Windows editions contain four sub episodes, the fan disc Caramel Box Yarukibako contains four sub episodes and a special episode, Caramel Box Yarukibako 2 contains two sub episodes, and the PS2 version contains six sub episodes, though the order in which they appeared was altered. Sub episodesEpisodeCDsDVDYarukibako*1Yarukibako2*2PS2/PSP*3Episode IXXX(V)Episode IIXXEpisode IIIXXX(VI)Episode IVXXEpisode V*4*5XX(IV)Episode VIXX(I)Episode VII*6XX(III)Episode VIII*5XX(II)Episode XXEpisode XIXSpecialX*1:Caramel Box Yarukibako and its Fukkoku-ban*2:Caramel Box Yarukibako 2*3:Episode numbers are different.*4:Contained in the special favor disc for advance order*5:Merged to a certain path*6:Contained in the magazine Tech Gian (Feb. and Mar. 05)
In Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru: Futari no Elder, the player assumes the roles of the main protagonist Chihaya Kisakinomiya and the secondary character Kaoruko Nanahara. There are six main plot lines that the player will have the chance to experience, one for each of the heroines in the story. In the adult versions of Futari no Elder, there are scenes with sexual CGs depicting Chihaya and a given heroine having sex. The gameplay is somewhat altered in the PSP version. The PSP version has the sexual content removed, the scenarios of Utano Sasou and Kaori Kamichika that appeared in the Windows version are removed, and it contains newly added scenarios of You Kashiwagi and Hatsune Minase. There are three additional sub episodes in the Windows version of Futari no Elder.
Plot
Setting The primary setting is at a private all-girls school named Seio Girls' Academy, also called Seio Jogakuin Christian Education, which was founded in 1886 by Mizuho's ancestor. Seio was originally named , which was used in original Windows version, the drama CD of the visual novel, and for the Caramel Box Yarukibako fan disc. This name was later ascertained to be similar to a name of an actual school, and the school's name was changed to . Seio is used in the PlayStation 2 version, DVD Windows edition, Caramel Box Yarukibako Fukkoku-ban and anime series. The secondary setting is at a dormitory building named , which Mizuho, Mariya, Yukari and Kana are boarding at. There are four other former dormitories named Tsubaki-yakata, Enoki-yakata, Hisagi-yakata and Hiiragi-yakata.
Main characters The player assumes the role of Mizuho Miyanokouji, the protagonist of Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru. He is a kind high school student who impersonates a girl at an all-girls school, which he transfers into per his grandfather's will. He spends his time with many fellow attendees, some of which live in the nearby dormitory, and enjoys helping them with any problems they may have. His childhood friend Mariya Mikado attends the school with him, and helps in his female transition. She has a spirited personality with a bit of a temper, and has been a support for Mizuho in the past. Mizuho meets a classmate named Shion Jujo who has a silent voice and demeanor; she quickly figures out that Mizuho is actually a boy, but tells no one. The previous year, she had to be hospitalized soon after she was elected as the Elder due to an illness.
At the dormitory lives an energetic first-year student named Yukari Kamioka. She is on the track and field team along with Mariya, who is her , and has low confidence in her ability to run. Another first-year at the dormitory named Kana Suoin meets Mizuho on the day he moves in, and soon after Mizuho becomes her Oneesama. Kana is more than happy to serve Mizuho any way she can, since she admires him immensely. A hyperactive ghost resides in Mizuho's room named Ichiko Takashima and is shown to speak very fast when excited. She says that Mizuho looks very much like her previous Elder love interest, who turns out to be Mizuho's deceased mother. The student council president at Seio is Takako Itsukushima who tends to have a serious personality.
Story Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru revolves around the main protagonist Mizuho Miyanokouji, a male high school student. After Mizuho's grandfather dies, his will is reviewed, which explains his desire to have his grandson transfer to Seio Girls' Academy, the same one his own mother attended and his ancestors founded. Abiding by the will, Mizuho cross-dresses to attend the school. The headmistress, the deputy head teacher (visual novel only), Mizuho's homeroom teacher Hisako Kajiura and Mariya Mikado initially know his secret; Shion Jujo and Ichiko Takashima also eventually find this out. Mizuho is very popular among the other students, who often talk about how pretty, nice, and athletic Mizuho is. This rampant popularity escalates to him even being nominated against his will to join in on the Elder election. By these terms, the current student council president, Takako Itsukushima, runs against Mizuho.
The Elder election is an old tradition at Seio Girls' Academy where every June one of the students is elected by her peers to be the "Elder", who is seen as the number one "Elder Sister" in the school. Until her graduation, she is referred to by her peers as . To become an Elder, a candidate must gain at least 75% of the votes. If none of the candidates get at least 75% in the first round of voting, one of the candidates hands over her votes to another candidate, and the candidate who finally obtains at least 75% of the votes becomes the Elder. If there is no one else in the election, the current year's student council president becomes the Elder. In Otoboku, Mizuho gains 82% of the votes in the first round, effectively becoming the 72nd Elder in the school's history. After becoming Elder, Mizuho progressively gets more popular among the student body, since he is now a symbol of the school's excellence. In the following months, Mizuho starts to get to know some of the girls better and helps them with their problems.
Futari no Elder Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru: Futari no Elder is written from the viewpoints of main character Chihaya Kisakinomiya and secondary character Kaoruko Nanahara. Futari no Elder begins about two years after Mizuho's graduation. The main protagonist Chihaya Mikado was truant at his school because of harassment in the school and of a distrust in men. His mother cannot bear to watch him be in trouble, so she makes him transfer to Seio Girls' Academy, her old school. He dresses as a girl and introduces himself as Chihaya Kisakinomiya. Chihaya meets another protagonist Kaoruko Nanahara, who once rescued him from a playboy, and he begins to live in the dormitory building. He becomes the focus of public attention due to his attractive face and figure, and due to high grades at studies.
In the 75th Elder election, there are four finalists; Hatsune Minase hands over her votes to Kaoruko and Makiyo Shingyouji hands over her votes to Chihaya. Then Chihaya and Kaoruko gain the same votes of 368 together. Though a candidate which gains 75% or more of the votes becomes the Elder, Hatsune, as the student council president, proposes that both Chihaya and Kaoruko become the Elders; the motion is adopted unanimously. This is the first time there have been two Elders in the history of Seio Girls' Academy.
Development