Hirameki International Group Inc. is launching a series of interactive DVDs combining elements of manga, anime and the 'Choose Your Adventure' novel. The DVDs are compatible with PS2, Xbox and PCs equipped with DVD drives (and of course DVD players). The Anime Play DVDs combine the gorgeous full color illustrations and sounds of anime with textual elements from manga (in the form of subtitles) and interactive elements from video games. The American versions of the Anime Play releases retain the original professional Japanese voice actors, but provide players with translations via English subtitles. The typical Anime Play DVD includes over five hours of story with interactive plotlines and multiple endings -- and some of the games such as the Noir-like assassin saga, Phantom of Inferno, offer a full 20 hours of story.
The Anime Play DVDs are all age-rated with action titles such as Phantom of Inferno (rated Japan's #1 PC Anime by Game Forum) and Ishika & Honori rated at 15+, while romantic titles such as Tea Society of a Witch and Hourglass of Summer are rated at 17+ and 15+ respectively. The Anime Play DVDs are very similar in concept to the romantic PC games that are popular in Japan, though the Anime Play games contain no adult content, and, in addition to romance titles such as Hourglass of Summer, the Anime Play line includes action and adventure titles such as Phantom of Inferno and Ishika & Honori.
Anime fans should enjoy the colorful graphics, which include both 2D and 3D CGI images as well as the soundtracks to the Anime Play DVDs, which are filled with J-Pop songs and moody background music. All the Anime Play DVDs have an mrsp of $29.99.
