Aokana: Four Rhythm Across the Blue is a romance visual novel in which the player assumes the role of Masaya Hinata. Much of its gameplay is spent on reading the story's narrative and dialogue. The text in the game is accompanied by character sprites, which represent who Masaya 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. The game 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 four main plot lines that the player will have the chance to experience, one for each heroine. 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, which 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 with sexual CGs depicting Masaya and a given heroine having sex.
In an alternate universe, shoes with anti-gravity properties are invented called Grav-Shoes, which allow people to fly freely. This leads to the development of a sport known as Flying Circus, where participants either race from one buoy to another or touch the opponent's back to score points. Masaya Hinata is a student at Kunahama Institute, which is located in a four-island archipelago south of Japan. In the past, he was active in the sport, but quit due to an overwhelming defeat. His life changes when a cheerful girl named Asuka Kurashina transfers to his school. There, Asuka becomes interested in Flying Circus, and despite being unfamiliar with the sport and a newcomer to the use of Grav-Shoes, she manages to score a point during a match with the Vice-Captain of a powerhouse school, which is a truly amazing feat. This leads Asuka and Masaya, together with their classmate Misaki Tobisawa, a first-year student called Mashiro Arisaka and siblings Shion and Madoka Aoyagi to form a Flying Circus team, with the goal of finding success during the Flying Circus summer tournament. At the tournament, the world of Flying Circus is rocked by a new technique known as Birdcage, which leads to defeats for all the participants by a relative newcomer, Saki Inui, becoming the tournament's champion. As a result of her defeat, Misaki temporarily quits Flying Circus, and the club thinks of a strategy on how to beat Saki at the fall tournament. At the fall tournament, Asuka manages to defeat Saki during overtime, and Saki and the club members become friends.
Main characters
Masaya Hinata (日向 晶也, Hinata Masaya)Voiced by: Ryōta Ōsaka (anime)The main protagonist in the visual novel and the coach of the Kunahama Institute Flying Circus team. He was destined to be a world-class FC player, but after suffering a crushing defeat in a match, he retired from the sport and went on with his high school life wanting to have nothing to do with FC. Upon meeting Asuka, he becomes her coach, but he still refuses to play. It is only after Misaki's return to the team and the determination of the other girls he decides to train alongside the girls. At the end of the series, he regains his desire to play FC again and is shown in his full gear while training the girls. He is a supporting character in the anime.
Asuka Kurashina (倉科 明日香, Kurashina Asuka)Voiced by: Natsu Sawada (
PC game),
Misato Fukuen (PSV game, anime)Flying style: All-rounderThe main heroine in the visual novel and main protagonist in the anime. Being a transfer student at Kunahama Institute, Asuka had never worn Grav-Shoes prior to moving to the island, but is able to pull off an air kick turn (a very difficult maneuver) her first time flying with them. Despite her ditziness she is also determined at times, training hard while having fun. She met Masaya when they were children and he inspired her to fly, but neither seems to remember the encounter. She forms a strong friendship with Misaki as the anime series progresses.
Misaki Tobisawa (鳶沢 みさき, Tobisawa Misaki)Voiced by: Yuri Konno (PC game),
Azumi Asakura (PSV game, anime)Flying style: FighterA second-year student at Kunahama Institute. Out of all the new Kunahama FC club members, she is the only one with previous experience in the sport. She and Mashiro are good friends, but in the anime Misaki forms a very strong friendship with Asuka as the series progressed. She has a fascination of cats and sometimes tends to add the word "nyaa" (
Japanese for the sound "meow" that cats make) into her speech. Her favorite food is udon. While at first she only joined the team on a whim, Asuka convinced her to return, coming to really enjoy the FC. It is heavily implied she's the rookie that defeated Masaya during the last game of his career, causing him to stop playing FC.
Mashiro Arisaka (有坂 真白, Arisaka Mashiro)Voiced by: Mito Sera (PC game),
Nozomi Yamamoto (PSV game, anime)Flying style: SpeederA first-year student at Kunahama whose family owns a restaurant that serves Misaki's favorite food, udon. She is very overprotective of Misaki and joins the FC club to be with her. She starts out as a Fighter because that is Misaki's flying style, but after befriending and training alongside Rika she realizes that she is more suited to be a Speeder.
Rika Ichinose (市ノ瀬 莉佳, Ichinose Rika)Voiced by: Mako Mishiro (PC game),
Madoka Yonezawa (PSV game, anime)Flying style: SpeederMasaya's neighbor and a first-year student at Takafuji Academy, a school with one of the top FC teams. She befriends Mashiro when she helps her improve her playing style. Her favorite food is meat. While one of the heroines in the visual novel, she is a supporting character in the anime.
Reiko Satōin (佐藤院 麗子, Satōin Reiko)Voiced by: Rikka Kitami (PC game),
Ryōko Ono (PSV game),
Risa Taneda (anime)Flying style: All-rounderA second-year student at Takafuji and the Vice-Captain of the Takafuji FC club. She tend to be a little proud and self-centered, often making 'grand entrances'. She actually added the "-in" to the end of her family name "Satou", and Kazunari likes teasing her by calling her by her real name. Her family runs the Satou Food Group, a catering company famous for their high-quality seafood.
Saki Inui (乾 沙希, Inui Saki)Voiced by: Yūka Kotorii (PC game),
Natsumi Takamori (PSV game, anime)Flying style: SpeederA second-year student at Kairyou Academy. She had previously participated in FC in England and is one of the fastest players in the world. She has a rather emotionless demeanor on the surface, but has a soft spot for cats, as such having the two cat-shaped hairclips around her plaits. She has been best friends with Irina since they were children and follows her every command while playing. In her final match with Asuka, she truly starts to enjoy FC and becomes friends with Asuka and her friends.
Aoi Kagami (各務 葵, Kagami Aoi)Voiced by: Megumi OgataThe physical and health education teacher at Kunahama Institute and a former national FC player. She serves as Masaya's mentor and the FC club's advisor. During her player days she created a style called Birdcage which consists on controlling the opponent, something she's not proud of and dislikes that Irina and Saki brought back the technique. After Masaya returns to play, she also joins her students in training. After Asuka unlocks her balancer in her final match with Saki, Aoi comes to realize that her Birdcage ultimately had a positive effect, now causing the current FC to evolve again with no balance limiters.
Shion Aoyagi (青柳 紫苑, Aoyagi Shion)Voiced by: Teppei Hirabayashi (PC game), Takayuki Kondō (PSV game, anime)Flying style: SpeederA third-year student at Kunahama Institute and the president of the Kunahama FC club. He is the last remaining member of the club before Masaya and others joined and tends to be overly dramatic in his actions.
Madoka Aoyagi (青柳 窓果, Aoyagi Madoka)Voiced by: Miyako Suzuta (PC game),
Naomi Wakabayashi (PSV game, anime)Manager of the Kunahama FC club and classmate of Asuka, Masaya and Misaki. She is Shion's younger sister. When her brother graduates she becomes the team's new captain, and tends to be the straight man in the antics of the other members.
Minori Hosaka (保坂 実里, Hosaka Minori)Voiced by: Hozumi Momoi (PC game),
Yūko Gibu (PSV game, anime)Mashiro's classmate and member of the newspaper club in Kunahama. She's very energetic and always carries around a microphone. She is also the commentator for the FC tournaments.
Hayato Shirase (白瀬 隼人, Shirase Hayato)Voiced by: Uta Kijima (PC game),
Takahiro Mizushima (PSV game, anime)A worker at Sky Sports Shirase, a sporting goods store owned by his family that sells FC equipment. He's also an old acquaintance of Aoi.
Minamo Shirase (白瀬 みなも, Shirase Minamo)Voiced by: Yami Toyotaki (PC game),
Ai Shimizu (PSV game, anime)Hayato's younger sister. She helps out at the store and has a shy personality.
Botan Arisaka (有坂 牡丹, Arisaka Botan)Voiced by: Emi Yamato (PC game),
Hitomi Nabatame (PSV game, anime)Mashiro's mother and owner of the family restaurant Mashiro Udon.
Kazunari Shindō (真藤 一成, Shindō Kazunari)Voiced by: Charlie Umesaki (PC game),
Kazuyuki Okitsu (PSV game, anime)Flying style: All-rounderCaptain of the Takafuji FC club. He is a world-class FC player. He was inspired by Masaya to participate in FC hoping to beat him someday. He comes to see Asuka as a worthy opponent and uses his best tactics to defeat her after seeing she can keep up with him. He's defeated by Saki in the finals, but takes his lose surprisingly well. He later assists Masaya and co in training preparation for Saki's Birdcage after Misaki requests his help.
Irina Avalon (イリーナ・アヴァロン, IrīNA Avaron)Voiced by: Yūko Nōmi (PC game),
Kaori Mizuhashi (PSV game, anime)A second-year student at Kairyou Academy and Saki's coach. Originally from England, she is the daughter of a famous Grav-Shoe maker. She is obsessed in creating the "perfect and beautiful" FC based on Aoi's style and believes the current game is "false", convincing Saki that only their methods are necessary to win, wishing for a chance to prove her point by winning two tournaments in a row and forcing the FC Community to admit that their FC is far superior to that "circus imitation". However, after Asuka and Saki face each other with no balance limiters, she begins to enjoy the current FC and even shows remorse to Aoi after the match, acknowledging that her view of FC was wrong.
Arika Okoze (虎魚 有梨華, Okoze Arika)Voiced by: Hiori Hitsuki (PC game),
Ema Kogure (PSV game, anime)Flying style: SpeederA first-year student at Shitou Suisan Academy. She is a close friend of Mashiro having known her since she was a baby. Her favorite food is tuna and is mockingly nicknamed "Maguro-chan".
Mayu Ganeko (我如古 繭, Ganeko Mayu)Voiced by: Mima Yūki (PC game),
Nozomi Sasaki (PSV game, anime)A second-year student at Shitou Suisan Academy and Arika's 'senpai' or senior and coach. She is admired greatly by Arika, who calls her 'milady'.
Masked player (覆面選手, Fukumen senshu)A side character in the novel series (not in anime).
Kasumi Kurobuchi (黒渕 霞, Kurobuchi Kasumi)Voiced by: Kanami Fukashiro (PC game),
Yuki Kaida (PSV game, anime)A second-year student at Dougaura High and Asuka's opponent in the second round of the Summer Tournament.
Development and release
Aokana: Four Rhythm Across the Blue is Sprite's second game after their debut title Love, Election and Chocolate. The game's producer was Akira Sakamoto. The project's planning was headed by Nachi Kio, who also contributed as the main scenario writer alongside Ryōichi Watanabe and Ryūsuke Mutsu. Artist Suzumori served as the art director and co-character designer with Itsuka Yūki. The background music was produced by members of Elements Garden. The game was released on November 28, 2014 as a limited edition version, playable on a Windows PC. A PlayStation Vita version of the game was released on February 25, 2016, while a high-definition version for the PlayStation 4 will be released on January 26, 2017. A smartphone game titled Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm: Eternal Sky was released on October 5, 2016, while a sequel titled Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm: Zwei was announced at the AnimeJapan event in March 2016.
A manga adaptation illustrated by Hideyu Tōgarashi began serialization in Kadokawa Corporation's Comp Ace magazine with the December 2015 issue sold on October 26, 2015. The first tankōbon volume was released on January 26, 2016.
An anime television series adaptation, produced by Gonzo and directed by Fumitoshi Oizaki, aired on TV Tokyo between January 12 and March 29, 2016. Crunchyroll is streaming the anime. Although there are romantic plot lines with Masaya and each of the four heroines in the visual novel, this is averted in the anime adaptation.
Aokana: Four Rhythm Across the Blue has seven pieces of theme music: one opening theme, one insert song, and five ending themes. The opening theme is "Wings of Courage (Sora o Koete)" (Wings of Courage ～空を超えて～, "Wings of Courage (Beyond the Sky)") by Mami Kawada. The insert song is "Infinite Sky" by Kotoko. Each heroine has her own ending theme, starting with Asuka's theme "Sora Koi" (空恋, "Sky Love") by Misato Fukuen. Misaki's theme is "Sense of Life" by Azumi Asakura. Mashiro's theme is "Millions of You" by Nozomi Yamamoto. Rika's theme is "Night Flight" by Madoka Yonezawa. The main ending theme is "Sky is the Limit" by Kawada. In addition, an image song single titled "Rays of the Sun" by Kawada was released on December 28, 2014 at Comiket 87.
The anime's opening theme is "Contrail (Kiseki)" (Contrail～軌跡～, "Contrail (Track)") by Kawada and the ending theme is "A-gain" by Ray. The single for "Contrail (Kiseki)" was released on January 27, 2016 and the single for "A-gain" was released on February 17, 2016; The opening theme to Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm: Eternal Sky is "Believe in the Sky" by Kawada. A vocal collection of music for the series, which includes "Believe in the Sky", was released on May 1, 2016.
In the 2014 Moe Game Awards, Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm placed first.
