Da Capo III

 is a Japanese visual novel developed by Circus that was released in limited and regular editions on April 27, 2012 as a DVD for Windows and is rated for ages 15 and up. It is the third main installment of the "Da Capo" visual novel franchise, after "Da Capo" and "Da Capo II". The story takes place 20 years after the events from "Da Capo II". The gameplay in "Da Capo III" follows a branching plot line which offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the five female main characters. A 13-episode anime adaptation aired between January and March 2013.
Gameplay.
"Da Capo III" is a romance visual novel in which the player assumes the role of Kiyotaka Yoshino. Much of its gameplay is spent on reading the story's narrative and dialogue. "Da Capo III" 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 five main plot lines that the player will have the chance to experience, one for each of the heroines in the story. After the completion of the first four heroine routes, an additional scenario called Zero is made available, which revolves around Aoi Hinomoto, another heroine of the game. After Zero is finished, another route is made available. Throughout gameplay, the player is given multiple options to choose from, and 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.
Plot.
"Da Capo III" occurs about 20 years after "Da Capo II" on Hatsune island, once famous for its everlasting cherry trees. Ricca Morizono, president of Kazami Academy's official newspaper club, is determined to prove the existence of magic along with Kiyotaka Yoshino, the only male member of the club. There are four other girls in the club: Himeno Katsuragi, Kiyotaka's childhood friend; Charles Yoshino, Kiyotaka's cousin; Sara Rukawa, a transfer student; and Aoi Hinomoto, a frail but energetic part-timer. One day, Ricca suggests they should visit the rumored magical cherry tree to test its power by making a wish together. It suddenly blooms once again to their surprise, and all receive an unknown text message from the distant past. The official newspaper club challenges the unofficial newspaper club to see who can write a better article based on magic. However, the girls start to be distracted by Kiyotaka. Kiyotaka begins to suspect a particular girl who resembles the fabled principal Sakura Yoshino.
Development and release.
"Da Capo III" is the 52nd title developed by the visual novel developer Circus. The game's production was headed by Tororo, president of Circus. The scenario was written by two people: Kōta Takeuchi and Chihare Ameno, who is also the game's director. Character design and art direction for the game was split between two artists: Natsuki Tanihara and Yuki Takano. Music in the game is performed by four artists: CooRie, Yozuca, Aimi Terakawa and Suzuko Mimori.
"Da Capo III" was first announced on November 1, 2009 at Circus' 10th Anniversary Premium Concert and Announcement event as one of the ten "Da Capo"-related announcements made at the event, and was formally unveiled in the August 2011 issue of "Dengeki G's Magazine". "Da Capo III" was released on April 27, 2012 in limited and regular editions, playable as a DVD for Windows and is rated for ages 15 and up. The limited edition came bundled with an original illustration booklet, the game's original soundtrack album, and a promotional card from the "Weiß Schwarz" collectible card game.
"Da Capo III" was ported to the PlayStation Portable by Kadokawa Games under the title "Da Capo III Plus" released on February 28, 2013. An updated version of the original game with additional story and visuals titled "Da Capo III R" was released on May 24, 2013 for Windows and is rated for ages 15 and up. An adult version of "Da Capo III R" titled "Da Capo III R: X-rated" was released on May 31, 2013. A sequel titled "Da Capo III: Platinum Partner" was released on April 25, 2014. Another sequel titled "Da Capo III: With you" was released on September 30, 2016, and another sequel titled "Da Capo III: Dream Days" was released on September 29, 2017.
MangaGamer released a demo of an English version of "Da Capo III" for Linux, macOS and Windows on December 23, 2016, and the full version was released on January 20, 2017 in both all-ages and adult versions. The all-ages version was also released on Steam.
Adaptations.
Internet radio show.
An Internet radio show to promote "Da Capo III" titled had a pre-broadcast on January 5, 2012, and began regular broadcasting on February 2, 2012. The show is streamed online every Thursday, and is produced by the Japanese Internet radio station Hibiki. The show is hosted by the voice actresses of the five heroines in "Da Capo III": Erika Kaihō as Aoi Hinomoto, Mikoi Sasaki as Himeno Katsuragi, Emi Nitta as Ricca Morizono, Ui Miyazaki as Charles Yoshino, and Chiyo Ōsaki as Sara Rukawa.
Manga.
A manga adaptation illustrated by Yuka Kayura began serialization in the May 2012 issue of Kadokawa Shoten's "Comptiq" magazine. A second manga illustrated by Nonoka Hinata began serialization in the September 2012 issue of ASCII Media Works' "Dengeki G's Magazine".
Anime.
A 13-episode anime adaptation, produced by the anime production committee Kazami Gakuen Kōshiki Dōga-bu (a pseudonym for Actas) and directed by Kenichi Ishikura, aired between January 5 and March 30, 2013.
Music.
The "Da Capo III" visual novel has nine pieces of theme music: four opening themes, two ending themes, and three insert songs. The four opening themes are: by Yozuca, by No Life Negotiator, "Shiny Steps!!" by Suzuko Mimori, and "True Magic..." by Yurica/Hana-tan. The two ending themes are: by Hiromi Satō, and "All is Love for you" by CooRie. The insert songs are: Kyoro The World, by CooRie, and by Yozuca.
The opening theme for the anime is by Emi Nitta, Ui Miyazaki, Mikoi Sasaki, Chiyo Ousaki, and Erika Kaiho. The main ending theme is by CooRie. Other ending themes include by Yozuca for episodes 1 and 10, and "Reflection" by Emi Nitta for episode 6.
Reception.
"Da Capo III" ranked at No. 6 in terms of national PC game pre-orders in Japan in March 2012. In 2012, "Da Capo III" went on to rank three times in terms of national sales of PC games in Japan. The rankings were at No. 3 and No. 8 in April for the regular and limited editions, respectively, and No. 11 in May.