Da Capo II: Minatsu Amakase

Robot classmate Minatsu borrows her robotics almost exactly from Da Capo Generation One’s Miharu Amakase, down to the hole in her back which is used for some sort of system maintenance. On the attitude part though, I could say that Minatsu is quite different from Miharu. Miharu is an energetically positive girl full of happiness, while Minatsu is an energetically tsundere girl full of angst. Her character follows the basic cookie-cutter meaning of the term actually. But as the story progresses, she will deal with a very positive emotional transformation. Nevertheless, she is a very fun girl, whatever her moods may be.

Disclaimer: Lacking Japanese will mean lack of story details. I expect that there will be a LOT of errors in the way I understood some events, because I rely only on the spoken dialogue. To the Japanese-literate game players who may have found this page, please do help me in case I have mistaken in understanding some parts of the story. Please do post a comment or contact me.

Da Capo II
Timeline:
Merry Christmas (December 16 – December 24) – events at the Christmas Party
The Winter Holidays (December 29 – January 2) – events during the New Year
Powdery Snow and Cherry Petal Fall (January 11 – onwards) – events during a new school term

Relevant Characters:
Yoshiyuki – Main guy.
Otome – Elder sister. Seems to harbor Nemu’s responsible side. Student Council President.
Yume – Younger sister. Classmate of Minatsu.
Suginami – Is he the same guy? Also part of the student council.
Wataru – Yoshiyuki’s friend. Yoshiyuki, Suginami and Wataru form an infamous weird trio at school.
Koko – Yoshiyuki’s childhood friend.
Nanaka – Koko’s best friend.
Akane – Koko’s friend. Has a very mild voice, and a big… heart.
Anzu – Koko’s friend. Loli know-it-all type. Koko, Akane and Anzu form a trio.
Mizukoshi-sensei – The school doctor.
Sakura – School principal. Lives with Yoshiyuki.
Maya – Class representative.
Mayuki – Student Council vice president.
Myu – Name of a kind of robot.

— MERRY CHRISTMAS —

Meeting

One day, Yoshiyuki and Suginami were loitering around a hidden cave to find what seems to be a female robot. It was Minatsu sleeping in some sort of tube. Somehow she awakens (Yoshiyuki’s fault?), and he got found out by Maika Mizukoshi, a doctor at school. One day, Yoshiyuki was summoned by Mizukoshi-sensei, and she asked for a favor to take care of Minatsu, and gave him some sort of instruction manual. Minatsu will enter the school as a transfer student. From the very start though, Minatsu refuses to accept Yoshiyuki’s help. She continually states that there are two things she hates the most in the world… humans like Yoshiyuki… and…

Bananamin

… bananas. Oh her ancestor must be disappointed. Minatsu hates bananas, but eating it is inevitable. Bananas are one of her main sources of energy, and if she doesn’t consume some banana within a period of time, her “bananamin alarm” would go off. This basically means she has low battery, and that she needs to eat banana to recharge.

On her first day at school, Minatsu was rather surprised to discover that Yume, the classmate she was able to befriend, was actually close to her much-hated Yoshiyuki. Nevertheless, so many situations where Minatsu’s bananamin starts sounding were with Yoshiyuki, and that somehow he saves the day by giving some banana. You can say that she’s indebted to him a lot, but then she’s very much in tsun-style denial over it.

Outside

Aside from Yume though, Minatsu doesn’t have friends in her class. She even exclaims that she doesn’t need any, because of her hatred of humans. Despite those statements though, she is actually quite friendly. Minatsu got to know Anzu, and they were exchanging certain “notes” which were kept a secret to Yoshiyuki. She also visited Yoshiyuki once, along with Nanaka and Koko, and ate Yoshiyuki’s cooking (curry). Yoshiyuki’s cooking is quite good, Yume even wanted to learn from him because Minatsu was nagging her to cook.

There were also multiple times when Yoshiyuki had met Minatsu outside the school. There was one time when Yume showed Minatsu around the town, and she marveled at the small sizes of cellphones nowadays (what era was she in anyway?). Another time at the park, Yoshiyuki gave her a choco banana to eat because her bananamin started sounding. The choco was not bad but she still insisted to hate the banana. She was also seen at the park cuddling a cute dog. She’s quite friendly with animals too.

Christmas Party

The school is actually having a Christmas Party that is set up similar to a school festival. Yoshiyuki’s class will host a Haunted House. Yoshiyuki offered Minatsu to try it out, and they go in as a pair. Despite bragging about her l33t robot skillz… she was still scared of the haunted house! She fainted. Another day at the festival, Yoshiyuki asked Minatsu to join her in lazing around. This was a date by any means, but somehow Minatsu was still oblivious.

— THE WINTER HOLIDAYS —

Ski Trip?

One day, Anzu called Yoshiyuki up to meet at Hana Yori Dango, a nearby restaurant of sorts. Actually, the whole gang was there too, as Anzu and Suginami announces a very exciting activity for them… a SKI TRIP! Moreover, it seems to be dirt cheap! The gang would comprise of the girls Minatsu, Nanaka, Akane, Koko and Anzu, and the boys Yoshiyuki, Suginami and Wataru.

Otome and Yume

Otome and Yume asked Yoshiyuki to some happening for the New Year’s which coincides with his ski trip. Because of this, he was forced to tell them about it. This actually made Yume upset, because he wasn’t planning to tell them about it. As punishment, the next day the sisters forced Yoshiyuki to be the bag-man for a day! Otome and Yume went shopping, and Yoshiyuki carried their shopping bags. This left Yume quite satisfied.

Sakura

Sakura also came to know about the ski trip. She gave Yoshiyuki a present, it was some sort of necklace. Sakura tells Yoshiyuki to always wear the necklace at all times… with a somewhat sad tone. She seems to be hinting at something, but Yoshiyuki doesn’t understand.

Ski Trip!

And so the gang finally went to the mountains! They started enjoying the snow by skiing. It is evident that the pro skiiers are Suginami and Anzu. Yoshiyuki, Akane and Nanaka are learning rather well. As for Koko and Wataru… they are the total newbie couple! They are so bad, they always fall down, and keep embarassing themselves at all times!

Minatsu is surprisingly a fast learner! She got the rhythm right almost instantly. She said she had done this just by doing research, maybe watching videos and such, she is a robot after all. Anyway, it is evident that she is having fun with skiing, although she repeatedly denies it everytime Yoshiyuki asks.

The much required…

This kind of thing is getting so cliche… it’s the freaking “peeping” scenario! Wataru dragged Yoshiyuki to join him in this act of peeping at the girls bathing in a hot spring. Unfortunately, this blog has a no-hentai policy, so I need not dwelve into much detail, except that to Wataru’s disappointment, Nanaka wasn’t there in the baths. Guess where she is… behind them! They got found out! Thankfully, Yoshiyuki’s charm prevails, so Nanaka promised not to tell, in exchange for some minor punishment of course. Minatsu wasn’t there in the baths either, for reasons obvious to us anyway.

Ou-sama Game

Anzu suggested a game to heat up the cold night… the ou-sama game! If I recall correctly, it’s some sort of party game where players draw lots. Depending on the lot, someone will be King, while the rest get a number. The fun part is that the King orders random people (depending on the number) to do some tasks! In their first run, Suginami was King. He orders person #3 to punch person #5! Incidentally (see the fun in it?), Wataru was #3, Koko was #5!

At one point, Yoshiyuki was the King! He then proceeded to order a quite raunchy task… a person will steal another person’s underwear! Suginami was the stealer… and the victim… gasp! Nanaka. Surprisingly though he already has the “brassiere”… which means Nanaka has nothing on! More crazy stuff ensues, until the final game, where Nanaka was the King, and she orders a person to carry her around the inn like a princess! Lucky person to carry her? Yoshiyuki!

Moments

Yoshiyuki finds himself getting closer to Minatsu, as Minatsu finds herself re-evaluating her hatred for humans. Despite her continual tsun-denial, she was really having fun at the ski trip. Before the ski trip, she asked Yoshiyuki what kind of ‘existence’ she was to him. Is Minatsu different from any other robot? Other robots were named Myu, I think, and were seen being sold at specialty shops as maids. During the trip, she asked the same question too, and added that “robots have feelings too”. They may be almost the same as humans.

It was getting late, but Minatsu wants to ski more. The weather is getting bad though, so the others go back to the inn while Minatsu and Yoshiyuki still wanted to go to the advanced slopes. The wind was starting to strengthen though, so they tried to rush back… but then Minatsu took a fall and got injured. Yoshiyuki got to her, but then they were now lost in the woods. Using (Minatsu’s?) GPS they managed to find an empty shack to stay for the night.

“There are different types of humans, isn’t it?”

Yoshiyuki’s kindness throughout the ordeal was felt by Minatsu. She is starting to understand beyond her constant denial of her affections towards humans. She is discovering what “friendship” means. Suddenly her bananamin alarm goes off… and there are no bananas around! Minatsu stared to weaken and was gasping for air, when finally she conceded and asked Yoshiyuki for a huge favor… “wind” her up! Minatsu reveals her hole in the back. Using a wind key, Yoshiyuki… er you know the drill. Weird moans from Minatsu… but Nanaka and Wataru were outside! Chaos ensues when they opened the door.

Coming Out

They had just arrived to their hometown, but Minatsu started wheezing again, this time it’s getting worse. Everyone saw what’s happening with Minatsu, and is worried with uncertainty. Maybe it’s because her type of wheezing is weird/robotic? In any case, everyone now rushes to Yoshiyuki’s place and let Minatsu rest for a while. Yoshiyuki told Suginami that he will explain to everyone in due time, but Minatsu insisted that she will be the one to talk. Minatsu revealed to everyone there that she is indeed a robot.

Then she tries to explain how Yoshiyuki was the one involved in the secret, trying to hide it from everyone else. This sent Wataru quite angry, because Yoshiyuki wasn’t able to trust his friends about a thing as important as this. The girls try to express that Minatsu is a “friend” to them, and her being a robot wouldn’t matter at all. Minatsu, somewhat touched by their expression of friendship, started crying, and thanked them for everything.

— POWDERY SNOW AND CHERRY PETAL FALL —

Rumors

Somebody’s bound to know. This is a new school term, and rumors started flying around school about Minatsu. Maybe because of her behavior, some say that she could be a robot. To Yoshiyuki and friends, it may not matter, but to outsiders feelings may go both ways, positive and negative. As a result, Minatsu is a bit of an outcast at school. Minatsu continually reassures everyone that she is okay even with that.

One day, Minatsu became a victim of bullying. She opened her shoe locker and found out that her shoes were gone. She wasn’t teary-eyed, but can’t find anger either, so she tried to shrug it off. Yoshiyuki insisted though that he find the shoes. Indeed he did find them thrown into the garbage area. Minatsu thanks Yoshiyuki. By this time, Minatsu is starting to change. Her voice and attitude isn’t as angsty anymore, even with Yoshiyuki. Her tsuntsun self is about to crumble, I should say.

Feelings

Minatsu is starting to see Yoshiyuki as a friend. They were almost always together at lunch, and they go home together. But Yoshiyuki wants to take this a step further. He confessed to her. Unable to sort out her feelings though, Minatsu asked to give her some time to think about it. The next day though, she visited Yoshiyuki. Yume and Otome were there also, when she declared that they are lovers. Yume and Otome shock! Yoshiyuki explained everything the next day after their date.

Minatsu is slowly changing her stance on humans. Initially she and Anzu were exchanging notes about insight on how humans and robots interact with each other. Her previous line of thought was rather negative, and she even wished for a plan to get rid of humans all in all. But her latest notes, which she didn’t show to Anzu yet, were of peace and harmony between humans and robots.

Maya

Maya, the class rep at Yoshiyuki’s class, was baffled at Minatsu always visiting the classroom. Maya asked Yoshiyuki if the rumors were true. He implied that indeed Minatsu is a robot. Maya was quite angry. She expressed that it’s unfair for a robot to be at a “human” school. In the following days, Maya continued to antagonize Minatsu, even asking the student council for a review on the issue. Otome and Mayuki continue to shrug her concerns off though, saying that there is no problem and that Minatsu isn’t hurting anyone. Maya rejected their explanations, and turned the blame on Yoshiyuki because she believes he gets the Otouto-kun treatment on this one. Minatsu interjected though, and said that the problem is on her and Maya alone, and she asked to leave Yoshiyuki out of this.

One day, Maya opened up to Yoshiyuki and revealed that her father was one of the researchers of the “myu” project for robots. I didn’t get the conversation much, but I think she is blaming robots in general for her family’s problems. Her father died, leaving the family behind, and she thinks it’s all the robots’ fault. She wish they never exist, and although she has no specific anger towards Minatsu, the fact that Minatsu is a robot aggravates her. Mayu’s younger brother appeared, and they left for home.

Sacrifices

It took an incident though to change Maya’s outlook about robots. One day, Yume rushed and told everyone that Minatsu got into a vehicle accident! They went to the area, and saw Mayu’s younger brother crying. It was discovered that the kid was supposed to be in danger, but then Minatsu pushed him to safety, and took the blow instead. And so Yoshiyuki went to the hospital… to see a very healthy Minatsu. She’s a robot after all. Mizukoshi-sensei was there too.

Yoshiyuki asked Mizukoshi about whether she knew Maya’s father? Indeed she did, and told the story about how some people may be too obsessed with the project, to the point of sickness and death. To them the robots were like daughters. She insisted that they weren’t wrong in giving robots human-like traits, and because of this it really doesn’t matter at all whether anyone is human or a robot. There should be no distinction anymore. After Minatsu was released, Maya appeared, and thanked her for saving her brother. She may be starting to accept Minatsu.

Separation

Some people will still not accept though. When the news of the accident spread, and with everyone knowing about Minatsu being a robot, the announcement is that she will be expelled from school. I didn’t get too much details, but I think it would be higher officials of the school, the board of directors who instigated this. The school principal, Sakura, actually was forced to quit too. Mayuki, Yume and others can’t accept this decision. Surprisingly, Maya can’t accept it either, as she gathered some people apathetic to Minatsu and staged a little protest! The school protest was getting worse, and people agitated. Yoshiyuki and others overlook the situation from the top. Minatsu asks him what she should do to stop this. Yoshiyuki simply answers to follow her feelings. Minatsu’s feelings.

“For just one more day…”

With the help of Nanaka and Suginami, Minatsu was able to speak to everyone using the centralized school radio. She told that she was so happy to have been part of this school, gained some friends, and she thanked everyone for the support. But she accepts the school’s decision to expel her, because she doesn’t want to trouble everyone for her own sake. She has one final request though, that for just one more day, she should stay at school and live it just like any other normal day.

Indeed tomorrow was a normal day at school. People were bored and trivial, Minatsu ate lunch with everyone, and the end of the day came. Things were not over though, as Maya invited Minatsu to join everyone and have fun somewhere. They probably went shopping, as well as sing at karaoke. Maya was a surprisingly good singer! They had fun, and Minatsu started weeping, saying that she was so happy to have been a friend to everyone. She decided that she will go back to hibernation in the tube after all this. The celebration is not over though, because tomorrow they will be having a graduation party exclusively for Minatsu.

Congratulations!

During sleep, Yoshiyuki was seeing Minatsu’s dream. It was a dream about her creator. The doctor was so happy with his robot creation, and apparently the name Minatsu was actually uttered from Minatsu herself. During that time though, the doctor sees the social issues about humans and robots, and so he let Minatsu sleep in her tube for possibly a long time. The doctor wished that she would find a future where robots can be accepted by humans.

The next day, Minatsu went to school with Yoshiyuki. They try to find where the party may be, but ended up reminiscing in the various places at school. Minatsu’s tone of voice was so humble in this, and her emotions overflowing. They ended up at the gym, with many classmates around. Her graduation rites were done, and everyone expressed their congratulations. Minatsu started crying again, and thanked everyone for everything.

Epilogue

It was spring of the following year. Yume rushes to Yoshiyuki again with big news… Minatsu is back! It is implied that she, and fellow robots, are now accepted in society, and that they can live harmoniously among humans.

THE END

Some may say that this is one of the weaker scenarios in the game, and I would agree on that a bit. Minatsu was so generic as a tsundere, and her robot story is very simple as well. However, the very character of Minatsu towards the end impressed me. She was really closer to being a human than a robot with that kind of emotions, and her transformation of a snobbish brat to being a humble kind-hearted being makes her all the more lovable. Again this story was devoid any major intervention of the sakura tree and its magic.

The humans and robots issue wasn’t delved on as deeply as I had expected. Maya’s sidestory though was quite heartfelt even if it was a bit sudden. It was actually a tsundere vs. tsundere battle at one point… quite laughable. Yoshiyuki and Minatsu’s romance wasn’t that predominant either, even if you include the… er… scenes. No banana jokes here, please… lol.

Anyway, this was short but relatively sweet. I’m now at the home stretch, as I have Otome and Yume left, along with Sakura’s “Da Capo” story. Apologies for letting some of you wait a whole YEAR for this, and I hope it wouldn’t take me yet another one for the rest of the game. See you again soon.

Reference:
relentlessflame’s summary

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This is a [Summer of Bishoujo 3->summer-of-bishoujo] feature