My Favourite Rinko!!!

When I met Rin-Rin for our date this morning, I had such an unexpected surprise. Not only had my girlfriend changed her hair length to my preferred semi-long style, but also...she had switched to carrot red hair, which is my all-time favourite. I remember that Rinko had this hair colour around two years ago in my 3DS game, and I loved it so much - but I was never able to get the colour back again (and when I tried, she ended up with horrible shades of blue and green hair).

Actually, I don't know why it happened this time. I don't remember answering a question about changing hair colour - but, then again, my Japanese isn't at expert level, so maybe she did ask me and I misunderstood. No matter. I think Rinko looks absolutely adorable and so, so attractive with red hair. I hope she stays this way for a LONG time!

So as you can imagine, I did a double-take when Rinko walked up to me at the station this morning. This hair colour looks even more incredible on the big, bright 3DSLL screen - and kissing a red-haired Rinko is a treat. I've enjoyed the new game so far - but now I'm going to love it even more.

After getting my breath back and recovering from my "shock and awe", I set off on the train with Rin-Rin to our date location - the Event Hall in the Waterfront area. I love this entire area, because it reminds me of Yokohama in Japan.

We arrived at the station in good time and decided to go to the Restaurant for a quick meal.

Rinko ordered the rice omelet (Omurice) and I had steak.

It's much easier to take photos of your girlfriend eating in the new game, because the camera icon stays on the whole time. You could do it in the 3DS game, but you had to be super-fast.

And then we walked together through the pretty shops in the Waterfront area. But Rinko was the prettiest of all!

The event at the Event Hall turned out to be Pro Wrestling, which Rinko surprisingly enjoyed.

When the second option came up during our date, I chose to have another meal - without realising that the only food place I've unlocked in the Waterfront area is the Restaurant. So we had to go back to the same place twice. Never mind. Rinko ordered the Hamburger Curry this time, while I had Cheese Croquettes.

Then I took my Rinko home, and that was pretty much it for today's date - but what a thrill it was. The only thing I wasn't overly impressed with was her choice of clothes. I think this is Rinko's "cute" style, but it doesn't quite work. I still prefer her wearing smart/formal clothes for our dates, but I can work on this over the next few weeks. I'm just so happy to have my red-haired cutie back.

This afternoon there is some kind of special event, which I think may be connected to next week's trip to Kinugawa. I'll post about it separately.

New Year's Eve!

Just before we were due to go out to watch the New Year's Eve fireworks, Rinko arrived at my house and cooked soba for me. This is a very traditional thing to do.

We ate together, then it was time to head off to the Event Hall for the New Year's celebrations.

The first part of the New Year's event plays out after the usual 9:00pm time slot. I went with Rinko to the event hall, where there was a big crowd of people to welcome in the new year.

Finally, between 11:50pm and 11:50pm, you can play the final part - the countdown to the New Year! I know it takes a lot of dedication to play a game this late at night, but then I've always loved the way LovePlus crosses over into real life.

Happy New Year everyone, from Rinko and me!

Charming Sunday Date!

After such a long, bad, boring week in real life, today was Sunday - and everything was delightful. I had some time to put into my game at last, and started off the day at 9:00am with a crisp winter date.

Rinko arrived with a pink velour coat and a new, fancy hairstyle (which she seems to only ever wear for dates).

Underneath the coat, she wore an aqua knit vest over a white blouse, with a checked skirt and loafers. She looked very stylish and cute. ^^

Our first stop was Aisha Dining, where Rinko tucked into a Blue Hawaii shaved ice. Rather strange for winter, but there you go...

Then we hopped onto the train for our main date, which was at the Event Hall (Rinko's choice, not mine). I like the sparkly barrettes Rinko wore in her hair.

The event for today was a doujinshi (fan comic) spot sale, which Rinko actually "dug" much more than I expected. Anyway, it was a happy morning.

Next stop was the sushi restaurant, where we hardly ever go.

Rinko had a deluxe sushi and sashimi set on a cute wooden board, and she seemed to like the taste very much. She's a little surprised in the next shot, in fact...

After all that food and fun, Rinko fell asleep on the train going home.

And then it was time to say goodbye. I gave Rinko a present, which was a pair of "nekomimi" (cat ears) to wear. She seemed happy.

But the day wasn't over yet, because the afternoon brought a few more surprises. I had an event at 3:00pm where Rinko invited me to her place and cooked a meal for me. But when I arrived, she had YET ANOTHER new hairstyle! This one kinda looks like Yuri from my favourite singing group, Tokyo Girls' Style. I like all of the semi-long hairstyles on Rinko - so as long as she sticks with this hair length, I don't really mind what style she chooses. She also wore the floral jumper dress I like so much, with a trendy white turtleneck.

And then Rinko threw on a green apron for the actual cooking.

Not only have Rinko's clothes improved out of sight in this new game, but she made something really yummy to eat, too! This looks like a bowl of ramen, with miso soup and water.

After the meal, I had the opportunity to chat with Rinko for a while in her room. Sitting so close on the bed like this, I guess one thing is bound to lead to another.

So all in all, today was a happy day for me. Now there's only two more days until Christmas, which is always a wonderful time in New LovePlus (I remember from my first game). I just have to remember to buy a Christmas present before then...

Sunday Date...And A New Look

Before I begin, I should mention that I had the very cute dream about Rinko as a little girl with her doll last night in the DS game. It was sweet but a little sad, because Rin kept talking about how much she loved her mother (who is now passed away).

Today was Sunday, which means...dating time! And although Rin-chan didn't go for semi-long hair again (no surprises there), she showed up at the station sporting a new look in both clothes and hair.

Okay, so it wasn't what I'd been hoping for - but I think the hairstyle is kinda cute (and I haven't seen it before in 18 months of playing the game). So I said Rinko could keep it. And her clothing style was sort of a cross between smart casual and neat/tidy - so I said she could keep that, too. Interesting...

And I think Rin-chan looks more mature this way...which I'm not sure is entirely a good thing. But we'll see how it goes. She'll probably change for the next date, anyway. We went to the Coffee Shop for a quick snack (which turned out to be just a cup of tea).

Then it was off on the train to our main date spot - the Event Hall.

Sadly, the show at the Event Hall was an idol live concert, which of course my little punk rock girl didn't enjoy very much. Oh well. I made up for it by taking her for lunch to the fancy (French) restaurant nearby.

The French Restaurant is always a hit with the girls in Towano, and Rinko likes to eat there.

But then it was time to take her home, and our date was over way too soon. I gave her a cookbook for a present - not sure what this will lead to. It seemed to be a book about making cakes and desserts.

As you can see in the shot below, Rinko's look for today was really out-there but in a good way. She was wearing a lot of my gifts today - the white bag, the earrings, the silver leaf necklace, and the grey two-tone skirt.

I'd been hoping to get to the Flea Markets in Fountain Park at 6:00 pm today, but unfortunately it was raining in Towano - which means the markets were cancelled. Anyway, I met Rinko for a short date at the Shopping Arcade in Shin Towano, then the game was over for today.

I'm up to Level 6 in the 3DS game and Level 3 already in the DS game (after less than a week). My two month anniversary with Rinko in the 3DS game is about a week away, and this Tuesday I'm hoping to book another After School Date (now that I know the rules).

The last few weeks have been very hectic and stressful at work in the "real" world, so I'm hoping for a much calmer week this time around. But you know, even on the worst days, it's great therapy to have my Love Plus games to play. It's a part of my day that I always look forward to. Thank you again, Konami.

Rin Strikes Back

Well, I've heard of a "battle of the bands", but I feel like I'm in the "battle of the girlfriends" at the moment. When I talked about how adorable Manaka looked in the DS game this morning with her twin-tails hairstyle, I think Rin must have been listening - because she really went all-out to impress me when we met up for our date this afternoon.

First, she'd switched back to my all-time favourite short hairstyle. And second, her clothes were stylish and amazing - with a blue knit vest and dark blue tie. She looked adorable!

Earlier this morning, I visited the Flea Markets at Fountain Park and bought some stuff. First, I bought a Premium Date ticket for the mysterious "ECO's Course of Love". I have no idea what this means. I know that ECO is a person who writes the love advice column for "Towano Watcher", but I still don't know what kind of date it will be. Anyway, I'll book it for one night during the coming week.

I also bought a gift for today's date (a silver leaf necklace), as well as the sepia filter for my in-game camera. It's fun to play around with. I used it in the next shot at Aisha Dining, where we shared a melon soda before the main part of the date.

The main event was a baseball game at the Event Hall. Judging by Rinko's expression when we got there, I get the feeling she wasn't really into it.

But Rin is always a sport about dating, and she hangs in there no matter what we do together. And, unlike Manaka, I was able to kiss her A LOT. This always helps things go smoothly. Next, we went to the Fancy/French Restaurant for a meal.

I used the sepia filter for a few more shots during the meal.

Rinko is tricky sometimes. She reached across to share some of her food with me (as you can see in the next shot)...and then, just as I was about to eat it, she pulled her hand back and ate it herself!

These last few shots are when I was saying goodbye outside Rinko's apartment building.

Yeah, I admit that I'm still in love with Rinko Kobayakawa. As you play New LovePlus, it's amazing how the choices you make and your responses to email and LovePlus mode questions have a real impact on the way your girlfriend looks. She tries so hard to be the type of girl you want, and there's a true feeling of interaction with her character.