Anemoi_Interview_VisualStyle_Complete

Key’s New Project “Anemoi”
Scenario Writer Interview

Key’s newest project “Anemoi” was announced in November.
The  project announcement stream did not really touch on the story and characters.
We spoke with four of the scenario writers regarding these characters, that are still shrouded in mystery.
Read alongside the Anemoi Rough Note included within Key Set 2023 sold at Visual Art’s Fuyu Fes 2023, and let’s look forward to the release!

“We want to work together once again, that’s how “Anemoi” came to be.”

Interviewer: Key’s newest project “Anemoi” has finally been revealed. This is the first full price game released since Summer Pockets, which was released in 2018. I see that those very staff members that worked together writing Summer Pockets, are the same staff working on Anemoi.

Kai: Seeing as Summer Pockets was so well received, I thought that I want to make something again with these same staff members. That’s how we came to create this project.

Niijima: Ever since developing Summer Pockets, we were told that they want us to continue working in this same team. Of course, I thought that this would be decided after having seen the reception towards Summer Pockets. That’s why when I was told about Anemoi, I thought, Oh I see, Ha-ha. To be honest, there was a part of me that had been waiting for this, but at the same time it doesn’t feel like that much time has passed between the last game. 

Interviewer: What about you, Hasama-san?

Hasama: My first thought was that I was very grateful. I feel that it was thanks to Summer Pockets that my name became known as a writer, so being asked to work on Anemoi felt like they believed that I could write something that would overtake the quality of Summer Pockets. It’s because of this that, to be honest, whilst I am happy that I have been able to work on Anemoi, if anything the feeling of relief was far greater. 

Kai: You didn’t feel like “It’s my time to shine” or anything? 

Hasama: No no no, haha. It felt like I had finally managed to grab onto this teeny tiny thread. 

Interviewer: You’re very modest, haha. Alongside the writers of Summer Pockets, Sayuki Shun-san is also working on this new game. How do you feel being able to work on Anemoi?

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Sayuki: I first stepped in as Kai-san’s assistant director, and was helping out with the things that Kai-san didn’t have time to take on...

Kai: It’s been really helpful. I mean it, truly so incredibly helpful, haha. 

Sayuki: It’s still pretty nerve-racking, but I’m pushing through it regardless. I am incredibly grateful to both Kai-san and to producer Okano Touya-san for giving me this opportunity.

Kai: Haha, that’s a little bit of a stretch. 

Sayuki: No not at all. I’m quietly getting on with work, whilst feeling very grateful every step of the way. 

Kai: We had Sayuki take on the director role whilst working on Tsui no Stella, and both myself and Okano were being worked pretty hard haha

Interviewer: Is that kind of thing still okay following compliance guidelines and all that? Hahaha

Kai: It’s fine. During development, he grew significantly and created Tsui no Stella alongside Tanaka Romeo-san. It was during this process that he really understood “How to make a Key product”. This time, Sayuki himself actually proposed that he would like to take on writing scenario, and we thought we wanted to include the strengths and talents of younger writers, so we had him join us as scenario staff.

Interviewer: Sayuki-san, is Anemoi your first time taking on the role of game scenario writer? 
 
Sayuki: Yes it is. I originally was employed at Visual Art’s as a director planner. 

Kai: He is one of the very few who were selected out of many hundreds of applicants, when we were searching for the next generation of Visual Art’s. I don’t think we have ever had so many interview stages in the entirety of Visual Art’s history, that’s how many interviews we ended up having. 

Interviewer: Niijima-san, from your perspective, what kind of impact has Sayuki-san had on development? 

Niijima: Ah yes, well it’s so good to have such young people coming to join us. If we don’t, then all of us staff will end up just become wrinkly old men. To newly join a brand with such a rich history and good track record is pretty difficult, and to be completely honest, even during Summer Pockets I really struggled. 

Kai: Huh!? You struggled!?

Niijima: It was really tough haha, but thanks to the experience I have already gained throughout my career, I knew how to get over that hurdle and before I knew it I had already gotten over it. 
That’s why, I want to let Sayuki-san know that “It’s going to be difficult, but don’t let everything get ontop of you, please stay alive”.. haha. But if you stay alive, you’ll get to see something good at the end. 

Sayuki: Thank you very much. 

Interviewer:  How about you, Hasama-san? Do you feel that having someone closer to your own age has led to any changes at all?

Hasama: Well, I’m seen as being pretty young, but even I’m more of an old man now haha.
Actually, me and Sayuki-san worked together when hunting for a location, and I thought he was a very honest person. Amongst writers, there’s a lot of people who build walls around themselves and won’t change no matter what, it really isn’t uncommon to see that.
Yet in amongst that, Sayuki-san is very gentle in how he handles things, and whilst taking in what he is told, he puts his own ideas out too. From seeing that, I definitely think he is a writer that we can really look forward to.

Sayuki: Thank you very much.

Kai: It’s actually that gentle, kindness that gave him the nickname “The Senior Killer” hahaha.

Sayuki: I’ve never heard that before... haha

Kai: Huh? Really? Oops, I guess I let that one slip. Haha. But, it’s not anything bad at all, it comes from the staff feeling that if they entrust work to you, it will turn out okay. It’s all of these things put together, that make me hope that he will be like a breath of fresh air for Key’s development team.

Interviewer: Not just the scenario staff, but the genga artist team of Na-Ga-san, Fumuyun-san and Nagayama Yuunon-san were also in Summer Pockets. 

Kai: That’s right. These staff members make up our main genga art team, so they have been carried over from the previous game. Sadly Izumi Tsubasu could not make this game due to her very busy schedule. 

Interviewer: In amongst them, Kimishima Ao-san is also working as a main artist. How did you come to the decision of including Kimishima Ao-san?

Kai: We had already decided for the Genga team to be comprised of four people, but upon seeing that Izumi Tsubasu could not make it, we started going over who would be the right person to take up that spot. From the way the art looks, to how well known they are, we went through a lot of different options until we found that Kimishima Ao-san’s art would really fit this game, so we asked her to join.

Interviewer: When it comes to Kimishima Ao-san, GLOVETY’s “Einstein yori Ai o Komete” comes to mind, both Niijima-san and Kimishima Ao-san worked on this game. It received  extremely good reviews. 

Niijima: Thank you very much! Please praise it more!

Interviewer: Both the graphics and the writing for Einstein yori Ai o Komete were incredibly high quality and well received...

Niijima: Thank you so much! Please praise the scenario even more. It isn’t all that well known... haha.

Interviewer: Niijima-san, did you push for Kimishima Ao-san to join the Genga team? 

Niijima: Nope, not at all. Both myself and Kimishima-san are freelance, so we both received separate offers from Key to work on this game.

Interviewer: Oh I see.

Kai: From our side, we did double check with Niijima-san if it was okay.

Niijima: He very kindly respected our plans over at GLOVETY. As there was no problem there, and it was something that we wanted Kimishima-san to take on, so there was nothing for me to say there. I occasionally message Kimishima-san, and she said “I’m really looking forward to working on Key’s game”, so I replied with “Let’s both do our best”

Kai: Within the company, we decided that we wanted an art style that was “cute, but could also draw out the emotions and make you cry”.

Interviewer: Compared to Key’s usual games, the style seems a little unusual.

Kai: Yes, it was the same when we had Izumi Tsubasu work alongside us. We wanted a soft and pretty character design that can only really be achieved by a female artist. 


“A tale of moving forward, little by little, never looking back.”

Interviewer: Anemoi is being developed by these four writers, and four Genga artists. How did you originally come up with the idea?

Kai: During our planning meeting, a few different concept ideas came up, and it was through that meeting that we came up with Anemoi. The concept plan was written and introduced by myself. 

Interviewer: Anemoi is set up in the vast lands of the north. How did you come to this decision?

Kai: The themes of Anemoi are “Wind” and “Time”, so I thought about where one could “live a slow life, somewhere where windmills are located”. I wondered where we could find somewhere like that... and as I researched, I found quite a few “Windmill Towns”.
One of them was Tomamae, located in Hokkaido. They really promote their windmills, so I decided to set the story here. 

Interviewer: Hasama-san, you are currently living in Hokkaido, how do you feel about Tomamae being the base for this story?

Hasama: To be honest, Tomamae is so far away from where I live, that it still hasn’t really settled in that it’s set here.. haha.

Interviewer: Ah that’s common for Hokkaido isn’t it haha.

Hasama: However, I do think that it definitely matches the theme of slow life. It has gentle winds, but also very strong winds, so I feel like it is very on point with what Kai-san wanted to create.

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Kai: That’s exactly right, haha. I will be developing the story with this as the setting. I spoke about the themes being “Wind” and “Time” just earlier, these are both things that “don’t come back”. In Summer Pockets I wrote of a “repeated summer holiday”, but Anemoi will be a tale of moving forward, little by little, never looking back. 

Interviewer: Could you tell us what the title Anemoi means?

Kai: This is the name of a wind god that appears in Greek mythology. 

Interview: This is connected to wind too I see.

Kai: Yes it is. It is a word that is a big theme for Anemoi overall. 

Interviewer: Looking at this current project, what does everyone think of it?

Niijima: I can’t say too much otherwise it will spoil things, but when Kai-san came to us saying “I want to write this kind of story”, my first thought was “this is going to be a magnificent story”. I feel that it is definitely going to appeal to fans of Key games and fulfil their expectations, and that Kai-san is responding directly to their expectations as well. Actually, when I first saw the concept plan for this game, I still had not yet been offered to work on it as a writer myself, and when looking at it I thought “this looks very difficult to write”, and I thought that if I was told to write the final scenario I would decline, haha, but I am doing my best putting everything together so please do not worry. 

Sayuki: Yes, what I like about this game is moreso to do with the theme of the story, that “No matter how difficult, you must push forward”. I must also reflect this in the scenario, so I am keeping this in mind whilst writing. 

Hasama: I am focusing on one more point that comes under slow life. When I first heard the concept in our meeting, I thought “What even is slow life...” and had to rethink a lot about that. 

Niijima: Ah yeah I remember.

Hasama: Whilst writing the plot, I thought a lot about how I could make sure that the “slow lifestyle” would not become boring. I am constantly thinking about how I can make the protagonists slow daily life somehow relate to the player whilst writing. 

Kai: When thinking more on slow life, I think the theme of Anemoi is not just “Time”, but “living without being constricted by time”. 

Interviewer: I see.

Kai: Another way of putting it is “being able to move at your own pace”, I think. That coincides a little with Summer Pockets too. The nostalgia you feel playing Summer Pockets comes from “an era without convenient things around you”, so I wrote about the times in our lives that we were free and not restricted. Whilst in Anemoi, it is set in a time of convenient things, I am writing it in a way where you can still live freely despite that. 

Interviewer: The generation before smartphones, the generation with smartphones but not relying on them, is it kind of like this?

Kai: Yes it’s like that. To explain it better, Summer Pockets is “My Summer Holiday”, and Anemoi is “Farm Story” (Translators Note: “Harvest Moon” is called Farm Story in Japan, whilst he isn’t specifically talking about the game of the same name, (despite it looking that way) it is still relevant to the theme anyway so I thought to mention) 

Interviewer: When you think of Key games, location comes to mind, and for Summer Pockets Naoshima and surrounding areas became the model for the game. Did you go to Tomamae in person this time too?

Kai: Yes we went. Both Sayuki and went along with our background artists to Hokkaido, and Hasama-san came to meet us in his car. Niijima-san couldn’t make it due to his schedule, but I do want to take him at least once.

Interviewer: Was it that nice?

Kai: It was a rather... harsh environment. 

Interviewer: When did you go?

Kai: It was.... um....

Sayuki: It was around May. 

Kai: Yes that’s right, it was just before the summer.

Interviewer: In which case, isn’t it not as cold during that time of year?

Kai: It was freezing at night, haha.

Interviewer: Ah, I see. Sayuki-san, what did you think after going to the location in person?

Sayuki: I thought the roads were very wide, haha. Not just the roads, but the land was very vast as well. The space between each house is extremely wide, I was really surprised. 

Kai: If you look at my cars GPS, it shows this one singular really long line going all the way across. The road is very straight. 

Sayuki: Tomamae is not that big of a town, and I could definitely feel that time really did seem to pass more slowly there. 

Interviewer: This sounds completely different to the “harsh conditions” that Kai-san spoke of just earlier. 

Sayuki: Well, Tomamae does not have any railroads, so the only way we could travel was by car. That was pretty tough, haha. 

Hasama: Well where I live is considered to be much more countryside-like, and much more harsh too, so whilst everyone else was going “Oh wow, a cow!” “Oh look, a fox!”, I was just sat there going “I see foxes everyday where I live”, haha. But it would be rude for me to just dampen the mood like that, so I responded with “Oh wow, you’re right!” haha.

Kai: Oh so you were actually teasing us. 

Sayuki: We were all fooled, haha. 

Kai: I can’t believe it, haha.

Hasama: In Hokkaido, approximately 4000 deer end up in car accidents, and 360 of them happen where I live, so it’s the kind of place where at least one deer dies every day. 

Kai: Hey I think that’s a bit too cruel to be mentioned in Anemoi, it’ll end up being a story about fighting for your existence, haha.

Hasama: I live over in Eastern Hokkaido, whereas Tomamae is on the coastline of the Sea of Japan. They’re very far away from eachother, so I am very glad I got to go in person. Especially because we don’t have the sea where I live. For the people living on the coastline, the sunrise and sunset affect the sea, so despite the fact that we live in the same natural environment, I felt that living by the sea is very different. 

Interviewer: Niijima-san, what did you think you heard about their location hunting? 

Niijima: Ah yes, I was shown a few photos and such, everything they told me felt very realistic and immersive, and the windmills were very big, so I felt that I too had experienced the same things in person, but when I heard that “the bugs were really big and it was a huge pain to deal with” I thought “I’m glad I didn’t go after all”, haha. 

Kai: The views of those who went on the trip, and those who didn’t, differ quite a bit. If anything, in comparison to places like Osaka and Tokyo, the size of everything is just so much bigger. I really want him to experience that difference in size and scale at least once. 

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“The character I am writing is the cutest, and she won’t lose to the others.”

Interview: Well then, I would like to ask a little more about the contents of the game. First of all, please give us an overall synopsis. 

Kai: To put it simply, it is about “siblings who buried a time capsule when they were children, and go to dig it up” The setting for their childhood years is Masumi, which is where the protagonist and his younger sister Rikka bury the time capsule. The story starts when they both take a trip back to Masumi 10 years later in order to dig up the time capsule. Also, they both arrive to Masumi a little earlier than expected, so they end up spending a bit of time getting to know the townspeople and the slow-paced lifestyles that they lead.

Interviewer: Please tell us about the main characters that we meet in Masumi, first of all, please tell us about Tsujikura Spica.

Kai: Spica is a small and mysterious girl. I designed her as a character who is very out of touch, but takes quite a philosophical view on things. 

Interviewer: In typical Key heroine fashion, she too seems to have a particular food she likes.

Kai: This time it’s pizza, haha. She sees pizza as a complete nutritional diet. The dough are her carbohydrates, then there is cheese and meat and vegetables put on top, it’s full of nutrients. I worked part time at a pizza place when I was a student and was bribed into eating pizza every day, and also at Key we have a tradition of eating “the pizza of hell” when development reaches its climax, haha.

Interviewer: Wow that’s quite grand, haha. Spica’s scenario is being handled by both Kai-san and Niijima-san. 

Niijima: Kai-san handled the setting, and I am helping out with the story. 

Interviewer: What kind of story is Spica going to have?

Niijima: Spica-chan has a very unique personality, and doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the townspeople. Of course, she does have her own reasons for this. Whilst the protagonist is a stranger to Masumi, for some reason the two of them get along very well, and they spend their days growing wheat and making pizza together. Of course, there is a proper story as well, but the scenes of the two of them spending their days together are very cute and precious. I am going to take extra care in writing these scenes. 

Kai: Spica is quite stand-offish and cold towards others, but at certain points you realise “she must actually quite like people” and that this side of her is kept hidden away. The townspeople refer to her as “Tsundere-san”, and little does she realise that that is because the townspeople have caught onto her true personality already. 

Interviewer: You really get the feeling that this is a lovely town. Moving onto the second girl, Fusaba Aino. Niijima-san, you are handling this route. 

Niijima: Yes, Aino is much more accustomed to the town than Spica-chan is. As the manager of the towns windmills, she always wears her helmet and goggles. She also dreams of being able to fly an airplane, so she is always trying out lots for experiments to try and achieve that. I am writing her as a slightly unusual girl in that sense, and through the protagonist offering to help her out, her story progresses.

Kai: Aino-chan is very cute, haha. Kimishima Ao-san’s art is very cute too, but even through reading the story alone, you can tell that she is very cute in nature. She is the type of girl you want to protect. I am sure she will be very popular, so I am trying to figure out how to defeat Aino-chan with my own character, haha.

Interviewer:  To defeat... ah, do you mean you will be writing an even cuter character?

Kai: That’s right. I always write my character as the cutest character in every game I work on, I won’t lose to the other characters. However, this is what every writer at Key is trying to do, hahaha. 

Interviewer: Let’s not dig too deep into that and move on. So the third character, Awayuki Hiiro. This is Hasama-san’s character. 

Hasama: Hiiro just so happens to bump into the protagonist, and she takes quite an interest in him... but this is also somewhat left up to what the player decides to do as well.

Interviewer: You mean that the player can make a choice?

Hasama: Well, kind of like that. This is something that will make up the entire foundation of this game. The story for this game will take on a form that has not really been seen yet in Key games up until now. I notice that as I put out my ideas, both Kai-san and Producer Okano tend to give me the OK for everything, haha. 

Interviewer: She’s noted as a “young, quite cringy girl”

Hasama: Yes that’s right. Whilst she loves beautiful things, she also thinks she is very beautiful and constantly outright says so. Everyone around her finds that quite annoying and cringy. The story changes depending on how Hiiro and the protagonist interact with each other. 

Kai: I think that Hiiro is a very eccentric character. If she was close to me... I’m sure it would be fun but... haha. 

Interviewer: You all have very wry smiles right now.
Kai: Speaking about her more seriously, she is a very pure, innocent girl. Her constant exclamations about her beauty, knowing herself that she is very beautiful, and going out of her way to look for more beautiful things. After reading the scenario I thought, “Hasama-san, you’ve done it again.” I mean this in a good way of course, this is one of the heroines I need to try and defeat. I think those who like her will end up really, really liking her. I used the word mysterious to describe Spica, but Hiiro is also just as mysterious. 

Interviewer: And for Kai who keeps saying he wants to defeat the other heroines, your heroine is Hayakawa Rikka. Seeing as you have taken on the younger sister of the protagonist, you have a pretty good character here, haha.

Kai: Oh that’s not true, haha. She is a “fully supporting Onii-chan” younger sister type. In actual fact, we never had a younger sister character in a Key game before。Although we did have some in the younger sister position.  I thought “What if we made a younger sister character in a Key game” and that’s how I came up with her.

Interviewer: So it started with “if” there was a sister character. 

Kai: Of course I am making sure she fits Anemoi as a whole, and I really thought about how to make her into a very Key-like younger sister. From there, I thought, “I wonder what it would be like to have a younger sister who supported you in everything”. On top of that, I pulled out all the stops to make sure she is really cute, haha. Rikka and the protagonist come back to Masumi to dig up the time capsule they buried ten years ago. 

Interviewer: What do you think? Do you think Rikka will be able to defeat the other heroines?

Kai: Absolutely! However, Rikka does have one weak point, which is that the relationship between her and the protagonist is not romantic, haha. 

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Interviewer: Oh I see.

Kai: Of course, I am more than happy for players to fall in love with Rikka. The story of Rikka and the protagonist focuses on their relationship as brother and sister. I went through a lot of ideas, but came to the conclusion that it is very different to the romantic kind of love. I didn’t want her to be mistaken for something she isn’t. Please look forward to Key’s younger sister character.

Interviewer: I’m looking forward to it. Finally, we have Shirato Koyomi. Sayuki-san is handling her scenario.

Sayuki: Koyomi runs the post office in Masumi. In the story, the protagonist has the choice of taking on work. One of the choices is the post office. If this choice is selected, Koyomi’s story will begin.

Interviewer: Please tell us anything you are keeping in mind whilst writing Koyomi.

Sayuki: Of course I am making sure she is the cutest in the whole game, but also focusing on the romance element too. Whilst Kai-san says he will not write any romance for Rikka,  I can touch upon the romance element with Koyomi as much as I want, so I am really seeing just how much I can write a charming romance for Koyomi, and how much Koyomi always supporting everyone else will get in the way of her romance with the protagonist. I am focusing on writing how they both overcome this in their relationship.

Kai: It’s so nice that Koyomi gets to have some romance.. haha. Truthly speaking though, she is really really cute. Her design is by Nagayama Yuunon, the one who designed the incredibly popular character Tsumugi in Summer Pockets. How do you feel, Sayuki-san? Do you feel like you’re being cheated on? Hahaha.

Sayuki: No no not at all, haha. I would like for Koyomi to become popular, and for an in-person event to take place in Tomamae. 

Kai: If anything, she is a very loveable girl. 

Interviewer: Well, we have had you introduce these four heroines, Niijima-san, do you have a character you are particularly interested in? 

Niijima: Yes. I’m really interested in Hiiro-chan the most. I couldn’t really understand what kind of character she was at all during the meetings, so I am excited to play the game. I’m also pretty scared of Rikka-chan, haha. Kai-san has been saying a lot about her, but she seems like the character who will end up carrying the whole story. I’m excited even as a one of the staff. As for Koyomi, I feel that Sayuki-san’s youthfulness really shows in her, you can really sense the Key-like pureness from her. She really seems like the “Classic Key Heroine”. After all, the fans really like the classic stuff. I felt that in Tsui no Stella too. 

Kai: Whilst Sayuki-san is my rival, he is also a very important junior staff member to me, and is the type to write outside of the box. Tsui no Stella was pretty much a classic Hollywood movie styled plot, so I’m happy to hear his work described as classic. 

Interviewer: Hasama-san, out of the other writers characters do you have anyone that takes your interest?

Hasama: In terms of interest, then I am interested in all of them, but in particular I am interested in Aino-chan. I actually see the three Summer Pockets writers as the “sociable devil’s advocates” haha. Looking at Aino’s plot as it is right now, I think she is really interesting and cute, and I think Niijima-san is going to take those things away somewhere within the story.  That is what I am really looking forward to.

Niijima: No no, I am writing an honest story.

Hasama: Every time Rikka-chan’s setting is added to, I can’t help but think she is so cute! I’m looking forward to seeing how much is added to her story from here on out. As for Spica, her being Kai-san’s character whilst Niijima-san gives off the sense that she will be an “abnormal character” in a good way of course. 

Kai: Actually, just writing the base and plot direction myself and having Niijima-san write the actual story is something new that we are trying. It’s caused a kind of chemical reaction that has been really positive, and even I am really looking forward to reading it. I hope you are looking forward to it too.

Hasama: Koyomi is really cute too. She is very cute, and really does have that classic Key feel. I’m keeping an eye on just how Sayuki-san is going to develop and grow through writing her story. I am looking forward to Koyomi’s route, but moreso to seeing what kind of a scenario writer Sayuki-san will become. 

Interviewer: Sayuki-san, what about you?

Sayuki: I’ve been working alongside the graphicers as assistant director, and the CG of Aino that recently came up was incredibly cute. From that alone I think Aino is my current favourite. 

Interviewer: “Current” favourite, haha.

Sayuki: Yes. As each CG get coloured, my favourite character changes along with it, haha. All of them are cute. 

Interviewer: From a fans perspective that is very exciting to hear, and on top of that, there are some very charming sub characters too. 

Kai: Yes that’s right. We are making this game hoping that the player would really want to live in Masumi, so we are making sure that not just the setting, but those living in the town too, are also very charming, because the theme that has stayed prevalent amongst those playing Key games are “I would love to live in this world” “I want to stay with these characters forever.”

Interviewer: The more I hear about Anemoi the more I look forward to it. Of course, talking about Key games we cannot overlook the music either. What is happening with the music in this game?

Kai: The music producer is Orito Shinji, and the rest are the same staff who worked on Summer Pockets. Maybe Maeda Jun could help us... possibly... haha. I think if we ask him he might be up for it. Orito says he “wants to make something completely different to everything he has done up until now”.  

Interviewer: I wonder what that could be about.

Kai: That would be music that really brings out the creator’s good qualities to the forefront. It might be a little hard to picture just this alon, but please do look forward to it. I also really want to take Orito to Tomamae. 

Interview: Oh, an extra location trip then.
Kai: Okano is also saying “I really ought to go just one more time”.

Interviewer: In which case, Niijima-san can join this time too. 

Niijima: If I am relieved of certain circumstances then I would like to go. I went to Naoshima when we were developing Summer Pockets, but this time I am working purely off of what I have seen and heard.

Interviewer: I’d like to ask about the game system as well. Whilst talking about Hiiro you mentioned that the choices made will become very important, will this also be for other routes too?

Kai: Yes. This is Maeda-ism. “If Key are making a game, then we have to let the player enjoy it through their own in-game choices”, and of course these choices will also be very important in Anemoi too, and we are also thinking about mini games.

Interviewer: The excitement just keeps building, but there is also a lot of information not shared yet. How are you going to be introducing any new information for this game? 

Kai: We already released a teaser movie, but rather than releasing a small amount each time, we are waiting until we have a lot of things to show and then showing them all at once. First of all, in order to better introduce the characters, we are working on image illustrations for them. 

Interviewer: In terms of volume, how big will this game be?

Kai: Bigger than Summer Pockets, and slightly less than Summer Pockets Reflection Blue.

Interviewer: How will this game be sold?

Kai: Whilst it is not 100% confirmed yet, we are considering a PC release, a console release and a Steam release. However, we have to go through a lot of adjustments for this, so please kindly wait for the official release announcement. 

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Interviewer: There was a download code card packaged within the Summer Pockets PC release. Will you be doing the same for Anemoi?

Kai: Yes. Whilst we are not sure whether we will include a download card inside the packaged version or not yet, we would like to put up a digital release on the same day as the PC release.

Interviewer: This is relevant to once the game has actually released, but when looking at the characters for this game, it is easy to imagine a lot of goods for them. 

Kai: Things like Spica’s stoat jacket, that would be really cute. We also make our own goods so... haha. Please look forward to these kinds of things too. Making sure the character designs are easy to make into goods is also something Key is very good at, we like the fans to be able to enjoy these things too. Also, whilst it’s a bit odd to be saying officially as a company, but I’m the type that LOVES fanmade stuff, haha. It makes me very happy when the fans really go to town with the content from our games, and that in turn creates very positive reception for our game. 

Interviewer: Finally, please give a message to readers of VisualStyle. 

Niijima: I am still making games over at GLOVETY, and each year my position is getting more and more tough. But within that, working with a brand like Key that really take care making their games is very important. I have gained so much experience through them, both as staff and as a fan of the games. Key fans, please look forward to this game.

Hasama: I feel that I am carrying over the really good parts of Summer Pockets into this game. The route I wrote is very kindly referred to as “TsumuShizu”, and for this game I am focusing on that relationship of two girls and one boy, of romance and of friendship. I would really like fans of Summer Pockets to play this game. 

Sayuki: I am the youngest out of all of us here, and plan on seeing this through right to the end whilst relying on everyone’s help. Up until now I followed Key as a fan, and I think out of everyone I have the the closest perspective to that of a fan even now. Using that, I really want to make sure this game is of high quality, so please look forward to it.

Kai: I actually think Summer Pockets was a very critical game for Key.  That “If this game fails, Key will be finished, and we’ll be the ones to blame” and it was a very scary time. In the end, Summer Pockets was supported by many many people. I am so very grateful, and I feel a lot of pressure to make sure that Anemoi is even better than Summer Pockets. But despite that pressure, I feel that it is looking to be a really great game. Please look forward to it.