“I’m Mentally Fully Recovered” — “Jinsei” Author Naguo Kawagishi Tries a Real-Life Dating Game Experience
Interview with "Hamikoi," the game!
“I really think she looked amazing in a maid outfit.”
He was reincarnated as a hamster and lives with three beautiful sisters—a never-before-seen live-action romance game setup: “HamKoi – Me, Reincarnated as a Hamster, and My Sweet Days with the Three Sisters.” Ahead of its release, various people were invited to play the game.
This time’s tester is author Nigorou Kawagishi. He has produced notable works such as the light novel “Jinsei” and “Sister and Tentacles,” both of which were adapted into anime, but in “HamKoi”, he is in charge of the third sister route scenario.
First, what was his impression upon seeing “Miyu” played by Shiori Ikemoto actually in motion?
“Above all, she was incredibly cute! Regardless of the lines, her voice and gestures were extremely adorable. There are various situations featuring Miyu, and some of them put her in dangerously close situations from a hamster’s perspective but I still want to see it so badly that I end up pushing forward even prepared for bad endings.
Basically, every situation is cute, but my favorite was when she was sleeping. Her sleeping appearance was so good that just watching it completely restored my mental health!”
Miyu is a spoiled youngest sister character, but she also works part-time at a café. At her workplace, she shows a different side of herself compared to what she shows at home.
“The café uniform—or rather, the maid outfit—looked absolutely perfect on her. Any complaints like ‘what kind of café is this, using maid outfits as uniforms like it’s normal?’ just disappeared instantly in the face of how well it suited her. I could purely enjoy it as an outsider!”
Meanwhile, regarding the stories of the eldest sister Ichika (played by Syaka Tomaru) and the second sister Futaba (played by Momoha Takatsuru), Kawagishi still does not know many details. What did he think about their scenes?
Better than PlayStation 2, it’s Dreamcast
“Megane Futaba-chan is sooo cuteeee! The contrast of Futaba-chan, who seems like the responsible type but actually is… is the best, and I feel that Futaba-chan, as the classic heroine, is what really completes Ichika and Miyu.
That said, I actually think the eldest sister Ichika’s wild and eccentric vibe fits the concept of this game the best. Since the game itself has a tricky concept like reincarnating as a hamster, Ichika feels like the true main heroine who makes you think, just don’t worry about the details. That’s the feeling I get.”
Kawagishi-san seemed extremely excited throughout. By his own admission, he has had a contrarian personality since childhood and has been a SEGA fan when it comes to games. Instead of Super Famicom, he played Mega Drive; instead of PlayStation, he played Sega Saturn; instead of PlayStation 2, he played Dreamcast.
He also said, “I’m better at Virtua Fighter than Tekken, and my best character is Shun Di.” Among the three sisters in “HamKoi,” which heroine stood out to him the most?
“Of course I want to say Miyu-chan, but I guess it’s Ichika, the eldest sister. What kind of person is this slightly bizarre older sister really? What are her dreams? Her goals? There’s so much not revealed in the trial version that I’m really curious about the continuation. I want to know more about Ichika-san!”
Not only the third sister route he worked on, but also in the eldest and second sister routes, various secrets are revealed. “HamKoi,” which has a reincarnating-as-a-hamster premise but also includes mystery elements, was finally asked about his overall impressions of the trial version.
“To be honest, a big project I had been working on for years suddenly got canceled, and I was really struggling. I was feeling down, wondering how I should live from here on out, but HamKoi helped me escape reality! Well, I know I shouldn’t be escaping reality though.
Recently I also released a slightly erotic light novel called ‘Sister and Tentacles’ (Gagaga Bunko, Shogakukan), so if you’re interested, please check that out along with ‘HamKoi’!”
Release is scheduled for mid-July. Please add it to your wishlist and wait for it.
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