| PopoloCrois | |
 | |
| ポポロクロイス物語 (Poporokuroisu monogatari) | |
|---|---|
| Manga | |
| Written by | Yohsuke Tamori |
| Published by | The Asahi Shimbun Company |
| Magazine | The Asahi Shimbun Student Newspaper |
| Published | October 1984 |
| Novel | |
| PopoloChronicle | |
| Written by | Yohsuke Tamori |
| Illustrated by | Atsuko Fukushima |
| Published by | Kaiseisha |
| Published | February 18, 2015 |
| Novel | |
| PopoloChronicle 2 | |
| Written by | Yohsuke Tamori |
| Illustrated by | Atsuko Fukushima |
| Published by | Kaiseisha |
| Published | December 23, 2018 |
| Novel | |
| Maya Mensis Aureos | |
| Written by | Yohsuke Tamori |
| Illustrated by | Atsuko Fukushima |
| Published by | Kaiseisha |
| Published | December 10, 2013 |
| Video game | |
| Developer | epics (G-Artists),Sugar & Rockets |
| Publisher | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| Genre | Role-playing video game |
| Platform | PlayStation,PlayStation 2,PlayStation Portable,PlayStation Network,Nintendo 3DS |
| Released | PopoloCrois Story
Return to PopoloCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale |
| Related works | |
| |
PopoloCrois (ポポロクロイス物語,Poporokuroisu Monogatari) is a fantasymedia franchise created by Yohsuke Tamori and owned bySony Interactive Entertainment.[1] It originated as amanga series in 1977 in the Asahi Student Newspaper (a subsidiary of theAsahi Shimbun newspaper).[2] Its title, pronounced (PO-po-lo-croyce), is a combination of words from two languages: the Italian word "Popolo (people)" and the French "croisé (crossing)", which together mean "crossing of people". The franchise is geared towards a young Japanese audience, with the general theme of the series being love, compassion and racial equality.[3] The franchise consists of a manga series,role-playing video games, twoanime series in1998 and 2003 and a series of novels.
PopoloCrois was first published in November 1978 in the women's magazinePafu (ぱふ).[4] In October 1984 the cartoon was published in the Asahi Shimbun Student Newspaper, which is considered the official start of thePoPoLoCrois series.[4]
In 2013, Yohsuke Tamori and Atsuko Fukushima teamed up to create spin-offsPopolocrois novel calledMaya Mensis Aureos that was published by Kaiseisha; it is ended as a trilogy.[citation needed]
Years after the manga had ended distribution, Tamori sold the series toSony Computer Entertainment, who released a series ofrole-playing video games based on the manga, developed byG-Artists for thePlayStation. The first video game was revealed in May 1994 together with Sony's new PlayStation, with a release for spring 1995.[5] However it was not released until July of 1996.[6]Famitsu magazine scored it 31 out of 40.[7] In 2022, the game was fan translated into English.[8] The second game,Poporogue, was released in 1998, and the direct sequelPoPoLoCrois Monogatari II was released in 2000. On June 20, 2002, Sony Computer Entertainment releasedPopoloCrois: Adventure of Beginnings (ポポロクロイス ～はじまりの冒険～,PoPoLoCrois: Hajimari no Bouken) forPlayStation 2,[9] followed byPopolocrois: Adventure of the Law of the Moon (ポポロクロイス～月の掟の冒険～,Popolocrois: Tsuki no Okite no Bouken) on March 18, 2004.[10]
The 2005PlayStation Portable game remixes both the first two games into one, and was also the firstPopoloCrois to be released overseas that year and in 2006.[11] In 2015, a crossover with theStory of Seasons series of games was released worldwide asReturn to PopoloCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale, it unusually released for aNintendo console despite Sony's ownership of the series.[12] A prequel novelPopoloChronicle taking place before the events of the first game was also released.
While random andturn-based, battles take on a form very similar to consolestrategy RPGs (such asFinal Fantasy Tactics). When a character's turn begins, they can move along a small grid and attack enemies from four cardinal directions, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. For example, an attack to the enemy's back will deal more damage, as will skipping a turn to focus on the next turn.[13]
Themain character is the prince of the PopoloCrois kingdom, Pietro. The first game,PopoloCrois Monogatari, starts on the night of Pietro's 10th birthday, when he learns that his mother, who he thought was long dead, was found in a coma. Pietro sets out into a journey along with the apprentice forest witch Narcia to save his mother's soul from the underworld.
The main character is the prince of the PopoloCrois kingdom, Pietro. The first game,PopoloCrois Monogatari, starts at the night of Pietro's 10th birthday, when he learns that his mother, who he thought was long dead, was found in a coma. Pietro sets out into a journey along with the apprentice forest witch Narcia to save his mother's soul from the underworld.
There are two more games continuing the tales of Pietro and company. The second game,Poporogue (portmanteau of PopoloCrois + Epilogue), features Pietro as a 12-year-old boy that went off to save his father from the dream world that he was forced into. The third,PopoloCrois Monogatari II, features Pietro and Narcia as 15-year-olds with different costumes, who went off the defeat the mysterious force that was going to destroy the world.PopoloCrois Monogatari II was the most famous game of the series, due to the darkened story, new party members, and many other features. The PSP release is a reproduction ofPopoloCrois Monogatari (included into Book 1) andPopoloCrois Monogatari II (included into Book 3), with Book 2 being a brand-new scenario.