| Love, Election and Chocolate | |
 Original visual novel cover. | |
| 恋と選挙とチョコレート (Koi to Senkyo to Chokorēto) | |
|---|---|
| Video game | |
| Developer | Sprite (Windows) ASCII Media Works, Fairys (PSP) |
| Publisher | Sprite (Windows) Kadokawa Games (PSP) |
| Genre | Eroge,Visual novel |
| Platform | Windows,PSP |
| Released |
|
| Manga | |
| Written by | Sprite |
| Illustrated by | Tōko Kanno |
| Published by | ASCII Media Works |
| Magazine | Dengeki G's Magazine |
| Original run | February 2011 –April 2014 |
| Volumes | 6 |
| Manga | |
| Love, Election and Chocolate SLC | |
| Written by | Sprite |
| Illustrated by | Waki Ikawa |
| Published by | ASCII Media Works |
| Magazine | Dengeki Daioh |
| Original run | May 2011 –January 2014 |
| Volumes | 6 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Tōru Kitahata |
| Written by | Katsuhiko Takayama |
| Music by | Elements Garden |
| Studio | AIC Build |
| Licensed by | |
| Original network | TBS,BS-TBS |
| English network | |
| Original run | July 6, 2012 – September 28, 2012 |
| Episodes | 12 + OVA |
| Light novel | |
| Love, Election and Chocolate a novel | |
| Written by | Yasuaki Mikami |
| Illustrated by | AIC Naoto Ayano |
| Published by | Shogakukan |
| Imprint | Gagaga Bunko |
| Published | August 21, 2012 |
Love, Election and Chocolate (恋と選挙とチョコレート,Koi to Senkyo to Chokorēto), abbreviated asKoichoco (恋チョコ), is a Japaneseerogevisual novel developed by Sprite, which was released in Japan on October 29, 2010, forWindowsPCs and later ported to thePlayStation Portable on September 27, 2012. Thegameplay inLove, Election and Chocolate follows abranching plot line, which offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the five female main characters by theplayer character. There have been twomanga adaptations serialized inASCII Media Works'Dengeki G's Magazine andDengeki Daioh. A 12-episodeanime television series adaptation produced byAIC Build and directed by Tōru Kitahata aired between July and September 2012, with an additional episode released on the series' final Blu-ray Disc and DVD volume in March 2013.
Love, Election and Chocolate is aromancevisual novel in which the player assumes the role of Yuki Ojima. Itsgameplay requires little player interaction as much of the game's duration is spent on reading the text that appears on the screen, which represents the story'snarrative anddialogue.Love, Election and Chocolate follows abranching plot line with multiple endings, and depending on the decisions that the player makes during the game, the plot will progress in a specific direction.
There are five main plot lines that the player will have the chance to experience, one for each of the heroines in the story. Every so often, the player will come to a point where they are given the chance to choose from multiple options. Text progression pauses at these points until a choice is made. To view all plot lines in their entirety, the player will have to replay the game multiple times and choose different choices to further the plot to an alternate direction. In theeroge versions of the game, there are scenes with sexualCGs depicting Yuki and a given heroine having sex.
Love, Election and Chocolate follows the protagonist Yūki Ōjima, who attends Takafuji Private Academy (私立高藤学園,Shiritsu Takafuji Gakuen), a large school with over 6,000 students. Yūki is a member of the Food Research Club (食品研究部,Shokuhin kenkyū-bu), abbreviated as FRC or "Shokken" (ショッケン), along with seven others, including hischildhood friend Chisato Sumiyoshi. The members leisurely spend their time in the club not doing much activities. When theelection of the nextstudent council president comes up, the front runner Satsuki Shinonome proposes that clubs that have no merit should be sorted out and abolished. The Food Research Club seeks advice from the current student council president Yakumo Mōri, who suggests Yūki run in the election as an opposing candidate. Yūki learns about the issues facing the school and decides to run in the election.[1]
Guest characters fromIma Sugu Oniichan ni Imouto da tte Iitai!
In November 2009, Sprite was established as a sister brand of the visual novel developing brand Selen.[17]Love, Election and Chocolate is Sprite's debut title. The game's producer was Akira Sakamoto. The scenario was written by Kō Katagi, while art direction and character design was done by Yū Akinashi. Thebackground music was produced by members ofElements Garden, who also produced thetheme music withI've Sound.[18]Love, Election and Chocolate was released on October 29, 2010, as a limited edition version, playable on aWindowsPC.[18] A regular edition was released on November 19, 2010.[19] Sprite released a special edition version of the game on December 29, 2011, to commemorate the anime adaptation, which included anart book and asingle from I've Sound.[20] A version playable on thePlayStation Portable (PSP) titledLove, Election and Chocolate Portable (恋と選挙とチョコレート ポータブル,Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate Pōtaburu) was released on September 27, 2012, by Kadokawa Games.[21]
At Anime Weekend Atlanta (Awacon) 2022, the game was announced for a future English release by NekoNyan. Mosaic censorship will be retained in their version.[22][23]
Amanga adaptation, illustrated by Tōko Kanno and titledLove, Election and Chocolate (恋と選挙とチョコレート,Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate), was serialized inASCII Media Works'Dengeki G's Magazine between the February 2011 and April 2014 issues. Sixtankōbon volumes were released between July 27, 2011, and May 27, 2014.[24][25] A second manga, illustrated by Waki Ikawa and titledLove, Election and Chocolate SLC (恋と選挙とチョコレートSLC,Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate SLC; SLC stands for Stay Little Cat), was serialized in ASCII Media Works'Dengeki Daioh between the May 2011[26] and January 2014 issues. Six volumes forSLC were released between September 27, 2011, and January 27, 2014.[27][28] Two volumes of a mangaanthology titledLove, Elections & Chocolate Comic Anthology were released byIchijinsha between April and July 2011.[29][30]
Alight novel adaptation titledLove, Election and Chocolate a novel (恋と選挙とチョコレート a novel), written by Yasuaki Mikami and illustrated byAIC and Naoto Ayano, was published on August 21, 2012, byShogakukan.[31]
AnInternet radio show to promote the game titledKoi-Choco Radio! Yumeshima Oboro (Ogata Megumi) no Shokken Ran Yo! ((恋チョコラジオ)夢島朧(おがためぐみ)のショッケン乱YO) broadcast 18 episodes between December 10, 2010, and August 5, 2011.[32][33] The show was produced byLantis and was hosted byMegumi Ogata who voices Oboro Yumeshima inLove, Election and Chocolate. The show was revived with the titleKoi to Senkyo to Chocolate Radio: Ogata Megumi no Shokken Ran Yo!! (恋と選挙とチョコレート』ラジオ 緒方恵美のショッケン乱YO!!) to promote the anime and had a pre-broadcast on April 13, 2012. The show began regular weekly broadcasting on April 27, 2012, and is produced by the Japanese Internet radio station Hibiki; Ogata is retained as the show's host.[34]
A 12-episodeanime television series,[35] directed by Tōru Kitahata and produced byAIC Build andAniplex, aired between July 6 and September 28, 2012, onTBS andBS-TBS. The screenplay was written by Katsuhiko Takayama, and chief animator Hiroaki Gōda based the character design used in the anime on's Yū Akinashi original designs. The anime's music is produced byElements Garden. The anime was released in seven Blu-ray Disc (BD) and DVD compilation volumes between September 26, 2012, and March 27, 2013. The final BD and DVD volume contained anoriginal video animation episode.Sentai Filmworks has licensed the anime for home video release, andAnime Network streamed the series on their website.[36] The English-language Blu-ray and DVD were released on February 25, 2014.[37][38][39]
| No. | Title | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Disbanding the Club!" Transliteration: "Haibu!" (Japanese:廃部!) | July 6, 2012 (2012-07-06) | |
While taking pictures of members of the student council involved in a shady deal, Kana Ōgibashi is run over by a car and has her evidence destroyed. Soon after, the time comes for the student council's elections and the members of the Food Research Club learn that the front runner Satsuki Shinonome proposes that clubs that have no merit should be sorted out and abolished. Fearing of being forced to disband the club, the Food Research Club decide to have one of their own, Yuki Ojima, run in the election. | |||
| 2 | "Running for the Election!" Transliteration: "Shutsuba!" (Japanese:出馬!) | July 13, 2012 (2012-07-13) | |
Yuki's ability to run for student council isn't the only thing on his mind; he is optimistic that the season of love has finally come. | |||
| 3 | "Strategy!" Transliteration: "Senryaku!" (Japanese:戦略!) | July 20, 2012 (2012-07-20) | |
Yuki blazes the campaign trail in order to secure enough votes to win the primary election. Things seem promising when the current president lends his support. Meanwhile, Chisato's jealousy reaches an all time high. | |||
| 4 | "Funding!" Transliteration: "Shikin!" (Japanese:資金!) | July 27, 2012 (2012-07-27) | |
The Food Research Club searches for a way to fund theircampaign on making Ōjima thestudent council president. They decide to sell Ōjima Rolls, and 3,000 Yaoi candy sticks that Oboro's parents' company make and sell. During this time, Ōjima learns more about Shinonome's reasons to become the student council president, and by reading her manifesto, he gets a lead on what he could put up as his own manifesto. Meanwhile, Aomi gets bullied by four of her classmates, which results in them taking her panties off and throwing it in the garbage can. While she searches for her panties, Ōjima passes by her and offers his help, but she strongly declines it. Later, she continues her work on replacing the school's light bulbs, telling her brother to eat without her first. | |||
| 5 | "Festival!" Transliteration: "Saiten!" (Japanese:祭典!) | August 17, 2012 (2012-08-17) | |
The primary election begins, but Yuki isn't the only one competing. A cosplay contest determines who wins a chance to be closer with Yuki. | |||
| 6 | "Ballot Counting!" Transliteration: "Kaihyō!" (Japanese:開票!) | August 17, 2012 (2012-08-17) | |
A slip-up, literally, is the only thing that prevents Yuki from delivering the wrong speech. | |||
| 7 | "Camp!" Transliteration: "Gasshuku!" (Japanese:合宿!) | August 24, 2012 (2012-08-24) | |
Ōjima finds out that even he just made it past the preliminaries; however, now that the preliminaries are over, he needs to claim the swing votes if he's to win the election. Hazuki causes Ōjima more problems when he forced to carry her into the girls' dormitory. | |||
| 8 | "Truth!" Transliteration: "Shinjitsu!" (Japanese:真実!) | August 31, 2012 (2012-08-31) | |
While stuck in the girls' dormitory with Satsuki, Ōjima learns more about her family and her sister, Hazuki. | |||
| 9 | "Accident!" Transliteration: "Jiko!" (Japanese:事故!) | September 7, 2012 (2012-09-07) | |
Ōjima wants to end the discrimination against financial aid students and comes into conflict with Yakumo because it would be an unpopular policy. Ōsawa returns to her position in Security Affairs claiming to be against Ōjima because he isn't likely to be a puppet candidate. A quick glimpse into Chisato's dreams reveals the nightmare she lives with every day. | |||
| 10 | "Complication!" Transliteration: "Sakusō!" (Japanese:錯綜!) | September 14, 2012 (2012-09-14) | |
Ōjima gets hit by a truck but isn't hurt, terrifying those around him, especially Chisato who is devastated by Yuki's close call. Ōjima finds out that Michiru and Kana are both spies of the disciplinary section to help maintain security in the school. Yuki is warned to avoid anti-bullying rhetoric in his campaign. Later, he learns some unsettling and dangerous truths from President Mouri. | |||
| 11 | "Investigation!" Transliteration: "Sōsaku!" (Japanese:捜索!) | September 21, 2012 (2012-09-21) | |
Ōjima learns that the attempted murder of Kana was to hide evidence that she had gathered, and that in order to help her Yakumo put Ōsawa in charge of Public Safety. The Katahira faction is now blackmailing Yakumo to stop all support for Ōjima or they will let Kana die. Ōjima tells Michiru where Kana is and she takes her from the hospital and reminisces with her causing her to wake up from her coma. Still at home, Chisato takes a good look at herself and tries to straighten out her feelings. The episode ends with the Katahira faction attacking Ōjima and Chisato. | |||
| 12 | "Vote!" Transliteration: "Tōhyō!" (Japanese:投票!) | September 28, 2012 (2012-09-28) | |
Yuki awakes after the assault to find Chisato missing. Ōsawa made her move and kidnapped her. She blackmails him and will only let her go if Ōjima drops out of the election. After a wild goose chase around the city, President Mouri unexpectedly comes to his aid, after discovering Ōsawa is the one who ran over Kana. At the end, Ōsawa's plans is foiled and she is arrested for attempted murder and her crimes against the school. Yuki becomes the President and Satsuki becomes the Vice President. Later, Yuki and Chisato visit her brother's grave and the two share a kiss. | |||
| 13 (OVA) | "Love Sister!" Transliteration: "Koiimo!" (Japanese:恋妹!) | March 27, 2013 (2013-03-27) | |
Love, Election and Chocolate has eight pieces of theme music: one opening theme, one insert song, and six ending themes. The opening theme is "Initiative" byMami Kawada of I've Sound. The insert song is "Piece of My Heart" by Nami Maisaki of I've Sound. Each heroine has her own ending theme, starting with Chisato's theme "A Little Love Song" byEriko Nakamura. Isara's theme is "Mitsuba no Clover" (三つ葉のクローバー) byMai Kadowaki. Michiru's theme is "Kimi no Iro Oshiete" (きみのいろ おしえて) byAsami Imai. Mifuyu's theme is "Kizutsukerareru yori Kizutsukeru Hō ga Itai yo, Nante..." (傷つけられるより傷つけるほうが痛いよ、なんて...) byKaori Mizuhashi. Satsuki's theme is "Aozora StartingLine" (青空StartingLine) byYū Asakawa. The main ending theme is "Jewelry Time" byCeui. An album containing the ending themes titledChocolate Songs was released on April 27, 2011, by Lantis.[40] The game's original soundtrack was released on May 27, 2011, by Sprite.[41] The opening theme for the PSP version is "Step Ahead" byAnnabel.
The anime's opening theme is "Signal Graph" (シグナルグラフ) by Annabel, and the ending theme is "Kaze no Naka no Primrose" (風のなかのプリムローズ; "Primrose in the Wind") by Ceui. The single for "Signal Graph" was released on July 25, 2012, and the single for "Kaze no Naka no Primrose" was released on August 8, 2012.[42] The insert song "Hello Mellow" (ハローメロウ) by Annabel is used in episode one.
From June to October 2010,Love, Election and Chocolate ranked three times in the top ten in national PC game pre-orders in Japan. The rankings were at No. 9 from June to August, No. 6 from August to September, and No. 3 from September to October.[43] The game ranked four times in the top 50 in terms of national sales of PC games in Japan. The rankings were at No. 1 for October 2010, No. 19 for November 2010, No. 33 for December 2010, and No. 48 for January 2011.[44] The Windows version released to commemorate the anime adaptation ranked at No. 33 in terms of sales in December 2011.[45] The game was the fifth best-selling title on Getchu.com, a major redistributor of visual novel and domestic anime products, for the year of 2010.[46]
In Getchu.com's 2010 game ranking,Love, Election and Chocolate placed 4th in Graphics, 8th in Scenario, 8th in Music, 11th in Movie, and 6th overall. Satsuki Shinonome was voted the 14th best character from games released that year.[47] The PSP version ofLove, Election and Chocolate sold 16,743 copies in the week it was released, making it the seventh best selling non-PC game in Japan that week.[48]
