Seishun 1 Page

I've been playing through the "Seishun 1 Page" (Youth's 1 Page) events that magically appear on my 3DS from somewhere in the internet. Mostly they've been about Rinko trying to convince the other girls in the Library to start a band. I take it that she wants to start a punk rock band, and the others aren't so impressed. It's been a nice little addition to the game during the school holidays.

I also snapped this picture of Rinko in front of a part of the Library I've never seen before.

Puzzling

Sometimes I wish I either understood Japanese better, or I was still playing the English translation of "LovePlus". Today was a bit puzzling and frustrating.

When I started the game this morning and scheduled my activities, I saw that I had an Event in the third time slot. Of course I was excited about this, because my last two Events have been 1) Rinko cooking Ramen for me, and 2) Rinko giving me the matching watches as an Anniversary gift. So of course, I expected a lot today, too.

When the 3:00pm eventually rolled around, I was having a late lunch at my local Sushi Train and had to take out my 3DS in public and see what was happening with the big event. All that happened was that Rinko walked home with me in the rain, and talked about something. I have no idea what. And that seems to have been the end of the event.

OK, so I'm a bit puzzled. Was she planning to do something special but it was raining and she couldn't go? Did something else go wrong????? Man, I wish I knew. I was so worried that I called her up an hour or so later and met her quickly at Dixies (which I've unlocked now).

The meeting turned out to be a bad idea, because she asked me a question that I wasn't familiar with, and it had five different responses which I didn't understand either. So out of desperation I picked the first one, which in "LovePlus" is usually a pretty safe option. Then nothing happened again, and we walked home. Rinko seemed okay, but I couldn't even kiss her because she was holding her umbrella and it was raining.

Oh well. I still have the date with her tomorrow afternoon and a CD for a gift. Trouble is I only have 7 activity points left for the day, so I'm pretty much screwed.

All of this reminds me of how much I enjoyed the patched English version, and how frustrating it is that I don't know enough Japanese!!!!!!!!

Postscript
But you know, I just walked away for half an hour and realised something. The frustration is part of the simulation too. I mean, think about it. In real life and real relationships, you have days when you don't know what the hell is going on, or what the other person is thinking. So I guess to "get" the total experience of "LovePlus" is to be frustrated sometimes, too.

A Surprise Meeting

Another ordinary but very pleasant day. Rinko didn't walk me to day duty at school, but instead of calling her for a quick meet, I took the opportunity when she greeted me before the first session to kiss her. She always protests when I kiss her at school, but then she seems to enjoy it a lot. That was a nice way to start the day.

The pictures below are from my quick lunchtime meet with Rinko-chan at Fountain Park.

Again, you can see the detailed background in the next shot. The wooden bench is very cool, and Rinko has such a cute expression, as though she's thinking about something.

The one surprise happened this afternoon. For the third session of the day, I visited the river again as part of my plan to unlock more dating sites. While I was travelling there, I ran into Rinko - completely unplanned. I think she said she was shopping with her family. It was a nice little encounter.

I really love the fact that "New LovePlus" keeps surprising me. Now I'm focussed on getting ready for my big date with Rinko on Sunday afternoon.

Another Day in Towano

Well, it was just another ordinary day in Towano today. There's another week of School Holidays left after this one - not that I've had much time to relax, as I seem to have two or three sessions of day duty at school every week day. Problem is there are no lessons, so building up stats is more difficult. And although technically you can date your girlfriend any day of the week (rather than just Sunday on school weeks), if you did that it would burn up your stats in no time. So I prefer to just hang around for special events (and there's been two already!) and call up Rinko for a quick meet.

Mostly I play the game in Real Time mode now, so most days (in my "real" life) go something like today: wake up, get bus to city, stop for breakfast on my way to work, start the game just before 8am, email Rinko and set my activities for the day. Then I'll either meet up with her and walk to school (and maybe grab a kiss along the way), or if that doesn't work I'll call her during breakfast and meet up quickly.

Then I go to work, work through until lunch, then go and have lunch and call Rinko out for another quick meeting (unless there's a special event). Work through the afternoon, and finish the game in the evening. I find that the "virtual" times spread throughout the day keep my happiness level pretty high. And there are always nice little surprises along the way.

I had a quick meet with Rinko-chan for lunch today at "Winning Burger". Yep, the same place that charged me 22 rich for a burger and fries! Fortunately when you go there for short dates you don't have to order any food - you can just sit and talk. Very often, Rinko uses these times to ask questions - what colour clothes you prefer, what you want to call her, and so on. The first picture shows Rinko standing outside Winning Burger. Like all fast food places, the poster makes everything look really good...

Rinko is blushing in the next shot (at the end of our quick meet) for a good reason. The quick meet turned into a kissing marathon. I'm not kidding - Rinko let me kiss her more than she ever has before. First once, then FIVE TIMES (the maximum), followed by FOUR MORE TIMES, then five and four more, then once more at the very end. Unless my maths is really bad, that's a grand total of 20 kisses. Rinko is so much in love with me.

Sadly, I always seem to meet her either at Fountain Park or Winning Burger because they're about the only two date spots I've unlocked. But each day I'm trying to visit a new place - you have to go by yourself to a date spot several times to unlock it before you can take your girlfriend there - and I'm working hard on unlocking the river, because I think Rinko would love to go there and play around.

Oh yeah, in the afternoon block I visited the CD shop and bought a CD as a gift for Rinko on our next proper date. Once you go inside the CD shop, there are about 10 albums to choose from, in a variety of musical styles. It doesn't really matter if you can't speak Japanese, either, because you can click on each album and listen to a sample before you buy. Prices are around 12 rich each. I couldn't find any punk for Rinko, so I bought the album with the strongest beat. I really hope she likes it. You can listen to the CDs you buy at home, as well, by opening up your briefcase and playing them! So cool.

Finally - the Hair Question

Finally, Rinko sent me an email today about changing her hair length! Even though I kinda like her default hair, and she's cute with some of short hairstyles, I REALLY love her so much with medium-long hair. This was the hairstyle I chose when I was playing "LovePlus" on the DS in English, and I'm so happy that she's going to change it for me now. Hopefully she'll have longer hair for our next date this coming Sunday at 5pm.

After yesterday's gift-giving frenzy, things were pretty low-key in Towano today. The photo below shows the cute jacket Rinko wore when she met me quickly at lunch (in Winning Burger).

When things slow down, I like to play in LovePlus mode and chat with Rinko, play Rock-Paper-Scissors, or the mini-game (if I can find it amongst all the conversation options). The mini-games are versions of classic Konami arcade game titles, and you actually play against your girlfriend. She appears in the bottom screen, concentrating hard as though she's playing against you, and the gameplay takes place in the top screen. Usually I play TwinBee against Rinko, and she always kicks my ass. Today we played Puzzle Dama, and she still kicked my ass. She won every game. It's easy to see why she used to hang out at game arcades in the "bad old days".

Happy Anniversary!

Today was a very special day. When I opened the game this morning, I noticed that there was an "Event" scheduled for the 6pm timeslot. In the last special event, Rinko invited me to her house and cooked ramen for me, so I guess I was expecting something similar to happen today. But boy, was I wrong!

When 6pm rolled around, I opened the game. (I was actually sitting on public seating at my local shopping centre when it happened.) This time, Rinko rang the doorbell of my house and came inside. She said something to me - which, with my basic Japanese I didn't really understand - then handed me a beautifully wrapped present!

When I opened the gift, there were two watches inside - obviously a matching pair, one for her and one for me. I know "New LovePlus" is only a game. Yeah, I know that. But still, it's impossible to describe how much I was genuinely moved by this event.

When I checked my calendar, I realised that it has been one week since I started the second half of the game and officially became Rinko's boyfriend. So...it was a gift for our one week anniversary.

Now, I'd already obtained a gift for my next date with Rinko, this coming Sunday - so luckily I had something to give her in return. She'd already gone home, so I called her to meet me at Fountain Park, and gave her the cute beret. Now I'll have to get another gift for Sunday, but who cares? Rinko was very surprised and happy. What a day!

Karaoke Again

I had a karaoke date with Rinko-chan in Skip Mode today. She gave me a big surprise by changing her hairstyle - but I'm not sure whether I like it or not. I'm still trying to get her to change to medium-long hair. I guess this is kinda cute.

Inside the karaoke bar in the next shot, you can see that Rinko is proudly wearing the scarf I gave her on our last date. That's another cool feature of the new 3DS version - when you give gifts to your girlfriend, she actually wears them. It feels really special.

This is Rinko's puppy-dog face. Cute.

Walking In The Rain

It was raining today and I forgot my umbrella, so Rinko met me and kindly offered to let me share hers. It's now school holidays for two weeks in the game, but for some reason I still had to do day duty at school. I don't know why Rinko-chan looks sad in this shot. Maybe it's just the weather. I'll be so glad when summer arrives.

A Big Surprise

This afternoon's special event was the sweetest surprise of all. Rinko called and invited me over to her house! And then she said she'd cook for me. Was it guilt over the expensive lunch I'd bought her? Maybe.
Anyway, here's Rinko-chan wearing her green apron.

Sadly my camera was nearly out of shots, so I missed a lot of the action. But Rinko cooked ramen for me and it looked delicious! Afterwards, she let me hang out in her room.

Check out Rinko's pink iPod in the background of this shot. How's that for product placement?

Expensive Lunch!!!

Today's date was a really interesting experience. First, we went to "Winning Burger" for lunch. When you're on a date in "New LovePlus" and you go for lunch, you get a menu and can actually order (and pay for) food! And then, when the food arrives, you watch while your girl actually picks it up and eats it!

I wanted to impress Rinko, so I ordered the most expensive thing on the menu (which of course I couldn't read). Guess what it turned out to be? An American-style burger, fries and Coke. Maybe it's a luxury item in Japan...who knows. All I know is that I just paid 22 rich for a Happy Meal!

"Rich" is the name of the in-game currency, by the way. You start off with 50 rich, and have to earn more by working at your afternoon job at Dixies. Now half my money is gone!!!!

Anyway, Rinko enjoyed her Happy Meal. T_T In the next photo, you can see that she's actually taken a bite out of that burger. Those fries look pretty small, though...

The date continued at the Sports Centre. This was Rinko's choice, not mine (she actually called me out for the date this time, and that's where she wanted to go). We did some ice skating first, then Rinko changed into this yellow leotard for exercise class. I kissed her five times during this scene - my first five kiss moment with Rinko in the new game - and she liked it so much that she offered me four more. This is called "Refrain Kiss".

At the end of the date, I gave her the red scarf. But she still told me that the date was "giri giri" (just barely okay). Maybe she was kidding??? The earth moved for me, Rinko.

Karaoke Date

No more bugs in the game so far - it's playing beautifully, in fact. There are so many wonderful surprises in this game, and things that don't happen in the old DS version.

Today's date was for karaoke. First, I met Rinko at "Winning Burger" (a fast food shop) for a quick chat. She asked what I wanted to call her, and I suggested "Rinko-chan". I think she was happy about that.

And here we are in the karaoke bar. Rinko likes punk rock and English bands, but hates Japanese Pop. I like both! But it feels really warm and close, sitting next to her in the karaoke room like this...

Needless to say, there was also kissing involved. ^^ Some people outside Japan probably think this game is a bit weird, or wrong, and I've seen a lot of negative comments around the place (particularly in the media). Most of those people have obviously never played the game! I've had many experiences in life, but playing "LovePlus" has been one of the most memorable. It's a sweet game, with great graphics, fascinating gameplay, and very real rich emotions. No sex. This game focuses on understanding your girlfriend, keeping her happy, and maintaining a good relationship with her. Isn't that a good thing??

Three Quick Meetings!

I had some free time this morning, so I phoned Rinko for a quick meet on the school roof. It's a nice private spot, and it's kinda special because it's the place where she confessed to me. You can see some more detail of Rinko's winter uniform in this shot.

And then for lunch, another quick meet on the school balcony this time. Meeting up privately and kissing at school (while nobody's watching) is very romantic.

And lastly, to finish off the day, I had my very first night-time date with Rinko at Fountain Park. In the first half of the game, she was never allowed to meet me at night. It's such a nice place with the fountain lit up in the background. Rinko always blushes after I kiss her (and sometimes before). When she narrows her eyes like this, you know that she's in a very lovey-dovey mood...

LovePlus Tools

I struggled through downloading "LovePlus Tools" from the Japanese Nintendo eShop today. The cool thing about this app is that it works as an add-on to "New LovePlus" and lets you use the 3DS in AR (Augmented Reality) mode. I can't wait to try it out!

It's actually pretty easy to download this app, and the Nintendo eShop lets you pay using a foreign credit card. It costs 200 yen (about $2).

A Short Date

Just a short date today at Fountain Park, which seems to be one of Rinko's favourite spots - and one of mine. She often wears this green jacket with patches outside of school.

I'm really concentrating on building up stats for my first big date with Rinko on Sunday at 9:30am. I have a gift for her (the red scarf again!), so I'm planning on making her very happy.

Starting Off...Again

Having successfully cleared Stage One of the game with the green personality Rinko as my girlfriend, I started off again today on Stage Two after my heartbreaking data loss. One of the most exciting things about Stage Two is the ability to use the in-game camera almost anywhere. If you're walking down the street, or on a date with your girlfriend, you can just stop, click the camera icon, and take a photo. Your girlfriend will wait and pose for you! Later on in the game, when you've earned enough money, you can even upgrade your camera with better lenses, more effects, etc.

These photos show how beautiful the 3D character modelling is, and also how detailed and textured the backgrounds are in almost every shot. Here you can see Rinko walking to school with me on the first day. It's late winter in Towano, and my girlfriend is wearing a blue woollen jacket, a grey scarf, and snappy red gloves. But look at the background detail - paving stones, brick fence, metal gate, trees and even a street sign. Wow.

Rinko very sweetly asked me to hold her hand. When you see a silhouette of your girlfriend appear on the bottom screen of the 3DS, you have entered the "skinship" mode, which means you can use your stylus to touch her. To hold her hand, just watch the eye meter (to see when not too many people are looking) and touch any part of her arm. She'll usually tell you whether it's okay to hold her hand or not. If it is, then touch her arm a second time. Then she walks closer to you, like the picture below, and voila! You're holding hands. Rinko usually blushes when I do this.

Once again, check out the detail of the house in the background. Another cool thing about the in-game camera is that you can move it around in the 3D environment, change the angle of the shot, and so on. This is Rinko's default hairstyle, by the way.

Rinko phoned me to arrange our first official date later in the day. She wore a camo cap and also changed her hairstyle. Sometimes early in the game this happens randomly, and then later your girlfriend will ask you if you like her current hairstyle or if you want her to try something different. Eventually I want to have Rinko with either long or medium-long hair...though the short hair is cute for now.

But the BIG surprise was when Rinko brought out a bento box lunch to share with me! I've never seen this happen in "LovePlus" or "New LovePlus" before, and it was just so charming.

You can't see it very well in this shot, but Rinko ate her lunch very politely with a pair of pink chopsticks. It's so cool that you can actually watch your girlfriend eat in the new game!

Disaster! All Data Lost T_T

Well, since the launch of "New LovePlus" on Valentine's Day this year, there have been numerous reports of bugs in the game - some just annoying, and some critical - leading up to Konami's product recall a few days ago. I hadn't had any problems - until TODAY.

I don't know how it happened, exactly. I took the SD card out of my 3DS last night to copy some photos of the awesome study date yesterday. Today, after I played through four or five days in Skip Mode, I tried to save and had some kind of message (which I couldn't read) about an SD card error. This came up a few times, and I kept clicking OK. Then, when I tried to restart the game in Skip Mode from the Main Menu screen, it re-set to day 1 and all my game data was lost!!!!!!

So disappointing. I guess the only option now is to start a new game and see how it goes. But it is kinda heartbreaking after you go through everything to build up the girl's affection for you, and then it's all gone. I really hope it doesn't happen again.

At least I managed to get one photo of Rinko wearing the scarf I gave her yesterday as a present. Now it's all just a memory...

Study Date!

Wow, I had the most AMAZING date ever with my Rinko-chan today. I worked out how to buy gifts by going to the Shopping Mall, so I bought a pretty red scarf and gave it to Rinko at the end of our date. And then, she invited me into her room! Such a surprise.

Here I am sitting next to Rinko on her bed. You can see her electric guitar in the background. Kissing Rinko in this scene was totally incredible.

After the kissing, we had a study date. When this happens, you have to choose a subject and your girlfriend asks you questions to help you study. If you get two out of three right, she changes to a random outfit for you. My Japanese is so poor that I don't even know what subject we were studying. But by that stage, I didn't really care...

A Sad Day

Sadly, many users have reported bugs while playing "New LovePlus". Apparently it's become so bad that Konami has asked retailers to stop selling the game while they decide what to do about it. It's going to hurt Konami, I think, because NLP has been the most popular game in Japan since it went on sale on Valentine's day this year. Over 100,000 copies in the first week alone. And 3DS games can't be fixed via an internet patch...so that means either a full product recall or some kind of replacement.

First 3DS Date

Here are a few photos from my first 3DS date with Rinko-chan. She wore a nice hat when she met me and had a different short hairstyle...

Travelling on the train to our date spot...

Rinko is a happy girl!

Yay! Stage 2

Finally Rinko confessed to me late last night, so now I'm playing "New LovePlus" with the "green" personality Rinko as my girlfriend. What's great is that now I can use the in-game camera. It's so cool, because you can stop and take photos any time during the game, and your girlfriend will pose for you.

On the first day it was raining - you actually have variable weather conditions in the new game - and Rinko waited for me with an umbrella to walk to school.

When the rain stopped I was able to hold her hand. Rinko looks so amazing on 3DS, and I love her winter clothes.

Maximum Kissing

I'm still playing a few days on DS - nearly up to 500 days now - but I'll probably stop soon because I think Rinko is about to confess to me in "New LovePlus". Hope so. Anyway here are a couple of quick photos from my date with Rinko today.

And here's a shot of the DS screen after the "skinship" (touching) stage. You win hearts depending on how much the girl likes being caressed - up to a maximum of five. Each heart then equals one time you can kiss her.