A Slow Saturday...

Here are a few more shots from today's "Seishun No. 1 Page". Rinko finally made peace with the other girls in the band, so maybe now "In The Rye" will be able to get ready for their first live performance.

And these last couple of shots are from my short meeting with Rinko-chan at the Shrine this afternoon.

So, a very quiet Saturday in Towano. Tomorrow, I have a date with Rinko - which will hopefully be at the Cat Cafe in Electric Town. Plus, I'm holding my breath to find out whether or not she changes to medium long hair (or changes that default hairstyle, at least...)

In The Rye: Friday

Today was mostly a quiet day in Towano City, with the main highlight being the latest instalment of the "Seishun No. 1 Page". Rinko was proudly wearing her "In The Rye" T-shirt and trying to enthuse the other girls in the band. Here are some photos of her at rehearsal with her guitar:

Although my hearts are fairly low (to say the least) after blowing everything on the Premium Date, I've booked another date with Rinko on Sunday - going to Electric Town, and hopefully visiting the Cat Cafe. I didn't get to go to a real Cat Cafe when I was in Japan last time...so this kinda makes up for it. And Electric Town makes me think of Akihabara, which I miss very much!

This last shot is from my short meeting with Rinko at Dixies this afternoon:

The Big Day!

Today was the day of my big Premium Date with Rinko. The rest of the day was very quiet, as I couldn't call Rinko out on the same day as the date. It started off, though, with an exciting chapter of the "Seishun 1 Page", with Rinko carrying her guitar case in the street, then checking out guitars in the Music Shop.

It was a long wait through the rest of the day...but then, finally, six o'clock arrived and it was time to meet my girlfriend. When I saw her at Shin Towano station, she had a cute short hairdo and very casual clothes.

I had accumulated enough hearts to ask for the "Hair Length Change" option - except I wasn't quite sure what to do. So when Rinko asked me if I liked her hair, I said no - and nothing happened. But then, we went to Aisha Dining for a snack, and she asked me a complicated series of questions, which I think I answered right, to change the length and/or style of her hair. The only option was for medium-long hair. I'm hoping to eventually have Rinko with long hair...but it's nice that you can't jump straight from short hair to long, just like in real life. So medium-long hair will be fine for now. I actually can't wait until she changes (probably on our next date).

The menus are still messed up, because we ordered Pudding A La Mode and ended up with the lemon flavoured ice (kaki-gori).

After that, we headed off on the train for the Aquarium, which is in the Waterfront Area. The main part of our date started off with a romantic walk along the beach at sunset...

Then we arrived at the Aquarium, which was lit up in special display for night-time. ^^

Despite her expression in the next shot, Rinko was very happy there and didn't want to leave.

She was so sleepy afterwards that she fell asleep on the train on the way back to Shin Towano...

But this wonderful, busy and LONG date didn't end there. Rinko came back to my place afterwards. We listened to my one and only CD, played Puzzle Dama, and then Rinko offered to cook a meal for me!

Here is the "Junior Master Chef" at work...

I'm not sure what Rinko cooked, but it looked very tasty.

On the way back to her place, we stopped on a bench in the little park and talked for a while. It was a nice opportunity to kiss her goodnight.

Almost two hours later, the date was finished. Wow, I love Premium Dates in "New LovePlus". I hope I can play through all of them, but I don't want to do it too soon. Spreading them out and doing maybe one every month is a good way to go, I think. (And there are some dates that you can only do at specific times of the year.)

Now I just have to wait for my Rinko-chan to appear with medium-long hair...

Waiting

Another quiet day in Towano today, waiting for tomorrow's big date. I've been visiting various spots around Shin Towano on short dates - Dixies, Aisha Dining, Fountain Park, and the Shrine - increasing their levels. It was also my one-week anniversary since Rinko confessed her love to me.  I know it's not an actual event in the game, but I met Rinko this morning and gave her a small gift.

I also played through the next "Seishun No. 1 Page", where I had to choose a name for Rinko's band. Just like last game, I chose "In The Rye". Rinko is very cute in the next shot:

At lunchtime, I did a couple more days in Skip Mode, with the aim of getting my hearts up as high as possible for the big Premium Date tomorrow (and I'm hoping that Rin will change her hair length, too).

I'm still delighted by "New LovePlus". It brings happiness into my life every day - even on the "quiet" days like today - and it's always lovely to meet Rinko and care for her. ^^

Tuesday, Tuesday

Another quiet day in Towano, holding out for Thursday's big Premium Date. The first couple of shots are from today's instalment of the "Seishun No. 1 Page", with Rinko arguing with the other girls about roles in the band.

And these shots from my short dates with Rinko (who now has the nickname "Rin-Rin", which is kinda cute. I may actually keep it). At Winning Burger:

And at Fountain Park...

I love these next shots, where I was walking Rinko home from Fountain Park this evening. I was experimenting with the gyrosensor and various low camera angles. I think the clouds and city buildings in the background, tinted with the colour of the setting sun, look romantic.

At the end of each date or short meeting, Rink is always reluctant to say goodbye. I managed to catch that expression in the next shot. She really does love me a lot.

Well, that's all until tomorrow - which is the one week anniversary of Rinko's confession to me. I already have a small present for her (the blue wristband from the Flea Markets on Sunday), which I will give her when I meet her tomorrow morning. Then there's only one more day to wait, and Thursday will be our big Premium Date at the Aquarium.

Monday, Monday

Well, today was a quiet day in Towano after all. With the excitement of the weekend behind us, Rinko and I were able to slow down and catch our breaths today. I played through four days in Skip Mode and unlocked Aisha Dining, as well as getting 2/3 of the way through unlocking the Shrine.

Personally, I don't like to overuse Skip Mode - early on in the game it can be useful, to build up hearts for dating and unlock date locations - but I really believe that "New LovePlus" is made to be played mostly in Real Time Mode. And I only ever play Skip Mode early in the week. Why? Because if you play later in the week, there's a danger that your girlfriend will call you for a date, which ends up being a waste of stats (hearts). Early in the week, it's far less likely to happen.

The other reason I don't particularly like Skip Mode is that your girlfriend always asks LOTS of email questions about changing hairstyle, changing personality, and so on - and unless you're really careful, you can end up making bad choices that will affect the rest of the game.

The first time I met Rinko at Aisha Dining (after unlocking it), she wore this...ah..."interesting" outfit. I have to say that I don't really like Rinko-chan wearing casual clothes - either the "neat" or "cute" clothing style options are much better for her. I can't wait to get a choice for this!

At least this outfit, which she wore the second time, looked better on her.

I forgot to mention that now I can hold hands with Rinko while we're walking. I love this feature in the game, which seems to unlock when you reach Level 3. This last picture is from Skip Mode (which is why Rinko is wearing her school uniform).

At lunchtime, I invited Rinko to the Premium Date (the night entry to the Aquarium) this Thursday. She's been excited about it all day, and sent me a text message saying that she was "doki doki". Me too!

Oh, and later today Rinko-chan asked me the "hair length" question. Of course I replied that I would prefer he with long hair. Yes! I can't wait for her to change. Most of Rinko's long hairstyles are really nice - especially the one with two cute ponytails and bows, and also the straight hair with bangs and a hairband. I'm thinking that, this time around, I might find one hairstyle that I really like and stick with it most of the time...if I can. Sometimes Rinko seems to have a mind of her own when it comes to hairstyle and colour!!!

A Very Busy Day - Part 2

Well, I made it to the Flea Markets at lunchtime, picked up a Premium Date ticket (for the Night Time Aquarium Visit), bought a CD and a blue punky bracelet for Rinko.

When 6pm rolled around, Rinko met me for the Summer Festival (Matsuri) wearing a very sweet yukata (summer kimono) with a big pink sash. Her default hairstyle was replaced by a very cute, short style with a tiny little ponytail. Kawaiiiii!

We walked up to the Shrine and went around for a while checking out the different stalls. Rinko was very excited the whole time...

Then something caught Rinko's attention, and she pulled me over to the right.

It was a stall selling baked sweet potato! Rin-chan loved eating it very much (although it was pretty hot) and even let me have a bite.

All too soon, it was time to walk home, with a chance to grab a few quick kisses along the way. It's hard to resist kissing your girlfriend when she wears her yukata.

There are two more weeks of the Summer Festival left - and I hope they're as enjoyable as this one has been.

After all the excitement of this weekend - what, with Rinko's birthday, this morning's huge date, and the Summer Festival - maybe the rest of the week will be quieter in Towano. It may have to be, because I have very few hearts and very little money left. I need to wait awhile before inviting Rinko out for the Premium Date, so I can build up my hearts a bit. But I know from my last game that it will be worth waiting for!