Kindred Spirits on the Roof

Plot

Schoolgirl Toomi Yuna encounters two ghost girls on the roof of her school, who are bound to the building site, and unable to leave. The two ghosts, Enoki Sachi and Nagatani Megumi are in love with each other, and want to experience their first time together so that their spirits can be at peace, and pass on. The problem is, neither one of them knows how to do it. The two ghosts persuade Yuna to help them create other yuri couples at school, so that they may observe them, and gain the necessary knowledge to consummate their relationship. The story takes place over eight months of a school year, following sixteen different characters, and their relationships.

Main characters

Toomi Yuna (遠見結奈)

Voiced by: Kawashima RinoThe protagonist of the story. A schoolgirl who encounters the two ghosts at her school one day and ends up helping them. She enjoys cooking and is quite good at it.

Enoki Sachi (榎木サチ)

Voiced by: Takaido ShizukuOne of the two ghosts haunting the school. She died in an accident 80 years ago. She has a calm and mature personality.

Nagatani Megumi (永谷恵)

Voiced by: Kusayanagi JunkoThe second ghost haunting the school. She died from pneumonia 30 years ago. She gets jealous easily, and doesn't like when Yuna gets close to Sachi.

Other characters

Maki Seina (牧聖苗)

Voiced by: Oukawa MioA Freshman girl who falls in love at first sight with her senior Miki. She is very strong, despite her small size.

Aihara Miki (相原美紀)

Voiced by: Misumi NanahoA kind third year student who is always helping other people. She is the vice president of the school beautification committee.

Miyama Nena (三山音七)

Voiced by: Notsuki MahiruA second year student in the broadcasting club. She is always tired and wanting to sleep, but gets dragged around by her friends to various things anyway.

Ichiki Umi (一木羽美)

Voiced by: Kanade MahiruA second year student in the broadcasting club. She is very honest, and enjoys nothing more than spending time with her friends Nene and Sasa.

Futano Sasa (双野沙紗)

Voiced by: Haruna RenA second year student in the broadcasting club. A somewhat goth girl who outwardly appears cold, but deep down does cherish her friends a great deal.

Tsurugimine Kiri (剣峰桐)

Voiced by: Haruna RenA second year student, and the only member of the math club. She is in love with Sonou-sensei, who she lovingly calls "Tsukuyo-chan."

Sonou Tsukuyo (園生月代)

Voiced by: Kusayanagi JunkoA classical literature teacher, and also the adviser of the math club. She is very popular among students due to her kindness and cute appearance.

Koba Youka (古場陽香)

Voiced by: RitaA second year student, and rock musician in a band. She is in love with Aki from the disciplinary committee. She frequently comes to school late.

Ariu Aki (有遊愛来)

Voiced by: Togashi KeiA second year student on the disciplinary committee. She takes tardiness very seriously.

Amishima Matsuri (網島茉莉)

Voiced by: Oukawa MioA third year student and captain of the track and field team. She has been in a relationship with Miyu for several years. She is the more spontaneous of the two.

Inamoto Miyu (稲本美夕)

Voiced by: Notsuki MahiruA third year student and vice captain of the track and field team. Unlike Matsuri, she is more serious, and always plans ahead.

Komano Hina (狛野比奈)

Voiced by: Kanade MahiruA first year student on the track and field team. She is Yuna's neighbor and childhood friend. She loves Yuna's cooking, which she eats regularly.

Ano Fuji (阿野藤)

Voiced by: Togashi KeiOne of Yuna's friends who helps her whenever she can. She is very forgetful, and is constantly borrowing things from Yuna.

Release history

Kindred Spirits on the Roof was initially released in Japan on March 30, 2012. An English version published by MangaGamer was released on February 12, 2016.

Drama CDs

A four-part drama CD sequel was published after the game's release. The CDs are set after the events of the visual novel, and tell after stories for the characters. The drama CDs were also licensed by MangaGamer who released them with English subtitles in 2016.

Manga

A 2 volume manga spin off published by Hirari Comics was released on April 30, 2015. Volume 1 is written and illustrated by Hachi Itō. Volume 2 is written by Toi Tentsu and illustrated by Aya Fumio. The manga is licensed by Seven Seas Entertainment who released it in English as a single omnibus volume on January 31, 2017. The Manga focuses on new characters that were not in the visual novel, but the original visual novel characters also return as side characters.

Soundtrack

The game's opening song is Girl's Spirit -Otome no Kimochi- (Girl's Spirit -オトメノキモチ-), and the ending song is A new day. Both are composed by Blueberry&Yogurt, and performed by Rita. The game's official soundtrack was released bundled with volume 4 of the drama CD.

Reception

Prior to its English release, Kindred Spirits on the Roof received positive media attention when MangaGamer announced that it would be released on Steam with no content censored or removed. Previously, Steam would require all games with adult content to be censored, which makes Kindred Spirits on the Roof potentially the first adult title to be released on Steam with no censorship whatsoever. Anime News Network quoted MangaGamer's head translator saying, "This is monumental news for the industry as a whole...Seeing frank depictions of same-sex relationships welcomed on such a major gaming platform is a true testament to the open-mindedness of our society and the growing desire for mature entertainment that people of all walks of life can enjoy." PC Gamer commented that "It may also indicate the 'guns good/boobs bad' thinking that's guided game ratings for decades is finally starting to change."

Kindred Spirits on the Roof has been well received by critics. Marcus Estrada from Hardcore Gamer gave it a 4/5 rating saying, "Kindred Spirits on the Roof is an excellent visual novel, yuri romance focused or otherwise. Every character is imbued with a fantastic personality and the story is both light and heavy in proper measure. Reading through the main storyline — and the 'extra' scenes — is an absolute joy." Erica Friedman gave the game a 9/10 rating, citing the game's likable characters and how, "In every single scenario, the characters go through actual development...when crises pop up and are resolved, the characters change and grow."