All this week we’ve been publishing parts of an interview we conducted with Frontwing about their latest release Corona Blossom. In the first part, we talked about the game in general, while in the second part we discussed the localization, crowdfunding, and 18+ content. Today in our final part we’ll talk about the characters themselves with both some serious and lighthearted questions.
Before we jump into things though we’d like to tell you that Frontwing will be hosting an “Ask Me Anything” on the Visual Novel Subreddit on Tuesday, August 9 at 7pm Pacific Time. Please stop by to ask them some questions of your own and get to the know the folks behind this project. Also be sure to grab a copy of Corona Blossom on Steam as well as the 18+ Patch from DLsite ecchi.
Thank you so much and please enjoy!
Interview by: Steve Baltimore (Questions), Benny Carrillo (Interviewer/Questions), Justin Guillou (Questions), Quentin H. (Formatting and Layout/Questions)
Operation Rainfall: R-ne’s profile states that “she doesn’t feel ‘emotions’ yet, they seem to show signs of awakening.” Why did you pick such an interesting theme to focus on with her?
Hantenbosi [director of Corona Blossom]: Yuhi Nanao, the writer, prepared this response for us:
“Service robots and robot receptionists, to name a few, are becoming more human nowadays. Considering that the line between machine and person is already a bit blurred, I began wonder what it might be like if metal itself began to develop a sense of humanity.”
“Returning to the world of RoboSports can mean [Kumiko Kirishima] finding her place she belongs, so in essence, both of her wishes [to make a big comeback in Mecha sports and finding ‘a place to return to’] are one and the same.”
OR: One of the chibi-images has R-ne eating a large bolt. As adorable as it looks, where did you come up with that idea?
H: We thought it would look cute to make it look as if she’s munching on popcorn at the cinema. …That’s cute, right? Jokes aside, we thought R-ne, being a metallic life form, would eat metal bolts. Humans drink water since we’re mostly made of it, so it would make sense for her to live on metal.
OR: Shino Akune, who is Keiji’s childhood friend, knows about his “secret past.” Does that knowledge sometimes weigh heavily upon her?
H: Of course, though she also feels happy as well. Shino and Keiji were able to forge a close relationship because of this, so even if it’s a heavy burden, it’s not necessarily tough on her.
OR: One of Shino’s dislikes is her height (164cm or 5.4in) what about her height does she have a complex about?
H: It startles strangers around her, and she’s a head taller than her other female friends when she sits down, too. Her biggest gripe is that there aren’t many cute clothes in her size. Being someone who loves cute clothing, it’s a big problem for Shino.
OR: Kumiko Kirishima is thinking about making a big comeback in the world of Mecha sports. However, she’s also looking for a “place to return to.” Do these hopes conflict with each other, or does Kumiko have a chance at getting both?
H: Returning to the world of RoboSports can mean finding her place she belongs, so in essence, both of her wishes are one and the same. During her time with Shino and R-ne, though, she also notices other feelings beginning to take hold, which you’ll find out in the game.
OR: Kumiko’s personality flips when piloting a mech, does she often get herself in trouble around the shop because of this?
H: She messes up and gets scolded a lot, but she works hard to make up for her failures. Kumiko’s quirk proved useful during her days as a RoboSports athlete, but it’s a bad fit for her current job. She gets overexcited in the hot, stuffy mechs she operates since she sweats a lot.
OR: Kanade Hioki is said to have a gentle demeanor when around people, but reverts to being cold while alone. Is this more of a mask that she wears, or is there something in her backstory we’ll discover over the course of Corona Blossom to explain it?
H: Grown women have a lot to think about, so it’s more to do with keeping up appearances more than valuing her leisure time. You’ll get a closer look this quirk of hers in future volumes – I hope you’re excited for them!
“Yunie’s an enthusiast, and she likes things that people are similarly particular about. That’s why she likes Bara – its fans are the most particular of in all of otaku culture.”
OR: Kanade seems to really like alcohol. Is there an alcohol that she doesn’t like?
H: Spirytus, I guess. Though it’s more because she’s had bad experiences from drinking too much of it in the past – Shino’s gotten angry at her for teasing Keiji too badly, for example. She mostly likes dry alcohol, but likes the sweetness of beer, too.
OR: Yunie Mariette Panini comes off as very regal with her cape, monocle, and the fact she likes to tinker with machines. Is she really the brains behind the empire?
H: Haha, that would be really interesting! Unfortunately, there’s no empire, but a story with Yunie as a princess would be intriguing, I think. You can build a whole series on that premise alone.
OR: Yunie seems to like otaku culture and especially Bara. How did that come about, and is Keiji in danger?
H: Yunie’s an enthusiast, and she likes things that people are similarly particular about. That’s why she likes Bara – its fans are the most particular of in all of otaku culture. She especially likes middle-aged men. She’s idolized by the middle-aged laborers in her hometown, so she has a strong attachment to them.
“Keiji [Osaka] basically gets his strength from Shino, Kanade, and the others around him. There’s also the sense of duty he has towards his work since a lot is being asked of him.”
OR: Lily Lucalusa Shamony is the captain of the S.S. Felidae Shamony, who gets stranded on Earth with her crew. How do they come to the conclusion to open a maid café to survive on earth?
H: They do it to earn enough money to live on – the details are told in the story, so I hope you look forward to it. You might find the reason to be quite typical of Lily and Yunie!
OR: Lily is a “Pirate Maid Magical Catgirl” from the looks of it. How did you put so many traits together and make them all work?
H: We just took all the traits we liked together and this is what came out of it; it didn’t take too much effort! The one who worked the hardest was the character designer, nanaca mai.
OR: Keiji Osaki, our protagonist, loves tinkering with machines and yet seems to become sick when touching them for some reason. How does he find a balance, especially when his job is to work on machines?
H: In three ways: he delegates any work he can leave to other people, takes frequent breaks, and takes comfort from staring at Shino. He’s able to worry a lot less just by staring at her.
OR: To say Keiji’s life got turned upside down would be an understatement. How does find the resolve to keep going despite all the chaos around him?
H: It’s addressed in the game’s story, so you’ll find out when you play the game. Keiji basically gets his strength from Shino, Kanade, and the others around him. There’s also the sense of duty he has towards his work since a lot is being asked of him.
Finally, we come to the end this series of interviews. We certainly hope you’ve enjoyed these interviews and we’d like to thank both Frontwing for coordinating things as well as Hantenbosi-sensei and the entire development staff for answering our questions. If you have a question of your own that you’d like answered, remember that Frontwing will be doing an AMA on the Visual Novel subreddit on Tuesday.
In the meantime please be sure to tell us what you thought about these interviews (and who your favorite character is) on Twitter, on Facebook, and of course in the comment below.
Also please be sure to reach out to Frontwing on Twitter, Facebook, and by visiting their website.
Until next time everyone!
