A YEAR OF SPRINGS

I bought this game with a tip after claiming a community copy, but now it's listed twice in my library. I'm afraid I just wasted a community copy.

hey!! i just played this in-person at the goethe institute female protagonists exhibit in taipei, it was awesome!! so cool to see your work there, congrats!!

This game talks about a legal requirement to be sterilized before trans people can have their gender legally changed. That has just been ruled unconstitutional by the Japanese Supreme Court! Progress! Japan's top court issues landmark transgender rights rulingーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS - YouTube

i love your games so much and this specific game has been on my wishlist for a while I'm so glad I was able to get it 
your amazing at visual novels and everything ARG I'm so happy !
i will edit this comment when I play through the game

Thanks for releasing this game for GNU/Linux!

I loved all the characters and stories, but エリカ really stole the show for me.

I thought this line eloquently summed up what made this game great:

嫌な思い出はおいておいて、

良い思い出は大事にする。

The soundtrack is great too!

(I realized the Review function on itch is actually only visible to the game creator, so I copied it here):

While the premise didn't grab me immediately, I gave it a shot on account of the Japanese language option and was pleasantly surprised. I loved this game!

The art is cute, the soundtrack is lovely, and the characters are easy to connect with. It broaches difficult topics in a way that feels refreshing and respectful without being overbearing. These stories are about finding where you belong in the world—and friendship. I think those are things that will resonate with anyone.

It feels very human and honest, especially when you get to those moments the narrative has been building up to for the whole chapter. 

The full game is only a few hours long and I read it in Japanese. The Japanese script is well-written while using simple language that should be approachable even to beginners. I think you should experience this story in Japanese if you know the language!

This game has been so beautiful and heartwarming for me. Life as a trans woman is tough, and seeing a game with such a cute art style, of three friends trying their darnedest to support each other and make each other feel loved, (I didn't expect the aroace reveal, but I can say, it was beautiful to see. I know the importance of representation might seem overemphasized sometimes, but I can assure you, the mention of the words "aromantic" and "asexual", the idea that I wasn't alone in this experience, not exactly one of oppression, but of utter confusion and doubt... it brought me to tears). I'm currently endeavoring to transcribe the Japanese translation so that I can better puzzle out the kanji I don't know, and just in general practice my Japanese. This game is so beautiful and sweet, I really can't thank you enough.

your art style is very unique

i bought the steam version and i have to say, this game is super cute and memorable. i come back to replay it every now and then.

also... i can't thank you enough for the native linux support. i know it's probably not a big deal since the game is written in python but it means a lot ♥️

I'm interested in giving this game a playthough, but I don't know which language to use! English, or 日本語? The former is my native tongue, but the latter I'm confident in using too. My main question though is what languages was the script original written for (i.e. not localized by a third party)? If it was originally written in Japanese, then I'll absolutely play it that way!

decided to check out one night hot springs and immedietly had to come here to buy this!! what a wonderful game. sweet art, and nice realistic writing. as an aroace trans guy this hit me right in the guts. i love it!!

I loved this game!! The soft art style was very comforting and the themes really hit home for me as I was going into it not expecting many lgbt+ topics, but it was a pleasant surprise as a bi trans woman. I think this is the only game that has made me cry (in a good way). I grew to love all of the characters; even though I found Erika to be abrasive at first, I warmed up to her once I saw her more caring side. If you ever decided to make a sequel with the same characters, I would buy it in a heartbeat. I just wish this game were longer tbh, but perhaps I’ll play again sometime in the future. The music is also soothing and I’m currently listening to the soundtrack. The writing was thoughtful and heartfelt. Again, great work and please keep up what you’re doing! :) 

I'm not into LGBT+ themed games. Im not even any kind of person from this community. But writing is so beautiful and deep. I LOVE the interactions between characters. I would strongly recommend it for my friends and family. I needed some cozy and cute game like this. 

Your games are beautifully written, very smart and deeply moving. They made me cry, but in a good way. Thank you so much.

amazing game, the writing was great as well. i really felt for haru. manami as well. thanks for making these.

100%d the free version of one night hot springs on steam and i loved it enough to claim a community copy and now i feel bad

5 stars

hi

im a big fan of your games! i claimed a community copy and i really enjoyed it, although i feel very guilty for not paying it tho. im too young to get a credit card and i dont have paypal, also i literally cant pay anything online rn with k plus. im planning to try and make a paypal account in the future and try to transfer some of the money from my k plus account to there to purchase it. ill try to talk to a friend and ask if they wanted the game so i could send them the game either online or using a flash drive. im pretty sure that i will be able to pay for this one day!

as for the game, awesome writing as always. society can be cruel sometimes, and i understand the pain they were in. i relate to the three of them in a way. i dont have much time to write now, thanks for this awesome game!

The cozy atmosphere of this game gives me so much hope for myself and my friends, even when society doesn't seem to be friendly towards us. The characters feel very real, and their stories are ones I will always remember.

The writing is incredible, and I have a special fondness for the last one. I started crying as Manami was starting to realize certain things about herself because of how closely her feelings mirrored mine when I was in her position.

This is such a beautiful game. Thank you for making something that really helps understand how someone who is trans might feel and the awkward interactions they usually encounter. My wife is trans and I saw so much of her in Haru. <3

have you considered providing an Android release here on itch as well as on Google Play?

I just wanted to say thank you very much for making these games and this collection. The depiction of transgender topics and romance feels very earnest and raw while still having a hopeful spin to it. I love that the characters are flawed but nice friends who remind me a lot of me and the people I know. Everything hits close to home and gets sometimes quite emotional for me and the whole series has been close to my heart since I played all three a year and a half ago. Now I played this collection on console and I really like the epilogue too and it's good to support the creator finally! :D 

Everybody in the world is probably talking about "a pet shop after dark", but....!!! HERE I AM, PLAYING THIS INSTEAD........ And I'm really happy I did!!! It's a really beautiful experience.

The uncaring nature of society is really a brutal thing; I mean, I personally have a hard time ever accepting myself and my feelings and anything valuable to me, so. Experiences like this are really important to me. Reminders that, even if you can't exactly think to yourself "I'm valid" or "I'm secure" or "I'm loved", there's so many people in this world who want you to be happy, even if we aren't personally connected.

In terms of the experience itself, the first chapter, "one night, hot springs" really made me feel.... excruciatingly sad, but also really happy, y'know? It had the most put it into it, as far as outcomes go, and so.... There's a lot there to make one feel either dejected or elated. On one hand, giving up is such an easy thing to do, and.... it hurts. Thinking "life would be easier if I didn't bother" is just such a desperately soothing thing at times, but... being who we want to be is a big part of what life is about, right? So... The dichotomy of never trying or trying your best is.... really beautiful. It's a really, really, really good first chapter.

Extremely good because, getting into "last day of spring", the payoff of the experience was very immediate and really powerful. Like!!!! Erika is just.... such a good character. A character that comes off as abrasive but simultaneously tries their hardest to make people happy, for me, is just.... Really powerful. People who're open-minded, understanding, and trying their best to make people feel accepted.... They're really beautiful. So, while the second chapter has its dead ends, which all felt really empty.... the true ending felt, so fricking beautiful. Like.... so much on display is stuff that I have so much trouble, personally, getting over, so.... Seeing a story where such struggles are given a genuinely beautiful conclusion is just, amazing to me.

But the third chapter is also really beautiful in its own way.... I myself identify as asexual, though it's obviously a spectrum and my own place is somewhere different, but.... I mean. It's really fricking impossible to untangle the thoughts of standard, socially acceptable sexuality from my brain sometimes, and understanding that my own perspective genuinely does not have to fit in line with the perspective of the rest of the world is a struggle. So a story like this is really beautiful, too. In terms of romance, I genuinely have no idea where I land, but. The story of forming really deep bonds with people important to you is.... really beautiful. Having people who'll support you no matter the issue, because they want you to be happy, and care about you, is just like... What could be more splendidly sweet and encouraging than that, right? The way it caps off is so perfect!!!!

I suppose I, myself, didn't really experience the build-up of these stories, and the subsequent importance of the epilogue, but.... As somebody who's dived right in, I've genuinely wept a lot of happy tears playing through it! And the epilogue is just..... It's a bit of an overused phrase here, but it really is beautiful. It's a really, really good last note to leave the story on. Deeply encouraging, deeply satisfying, but also.... Like.... God. I want these characters to be happy. They're really wonderful.

As an extra note, just. The music is all really freaking good, too!!! Admittedly my own methods of playing through certain games are probably pretty unusual, but. Sitting at the title screen and chapter select screen for long stretches of time between chapters was such a wonderful experience. The main theme of the story is really beautiful. And, really, the entire game as a whole looks so fricking good... It's a minimalist style, but it's genuinely so fricking good!!!!!!!!!!! I love all of it. ALL OF IT...........

As a personal ramble, I knew a lot things I wanted/identified with for a really long time, but always held it back because, I just simply didn't think any of it was worth bothering with, nor that I deserved any of it anyway. Life is short, society is uncaring, and there's very little assurance that anything I'd want is even possible. So. A story like this, that encourages growth and trying your best to feel valid even if the world is the way it is, it's like.... It's really perfect, y'know? I really appreciate it. So!!!!!!! Thank you for making it!

why'd you take the other two off sale? /general

after playing one night, hot springs for free, i immediatly bought this. I love this game! Will there ever be any more, or will it stay as a trilogy?

i buying this game to support npckc on playstore and i like the stories so far. Being a different gender with legal gender is tough and stressful. Gladly erika and manami can accept it.

Wondering about haru situation if it's in real life? Must be a lot of pain

The game is very cute and the theme is great. Glad to play a game like it.

(It is also my first time to get to know ren’py. Look very interesting :D)

I really enjoyed this game, it had a nice story. Thank you for making this.

I'm two weeks late in responding, but I want to say: Thank you.

I first played the AYoS trilogy last summer.  I knew it was a collection of three older games (all of which were still available in their legacy forms at the time), but I had no idea you didn't originally plan it as a trilogy.  I cried through much of the game, shifting between tears of sadness and joy. 

I wanted to thank you for creating this wonderful game. It really is a heartwarming story.

Hi. Thank you so much for these games. I know they're about Japan, but they hit so close to home that I almost cried multiple times (I'm trans and ace)

It's been like, months since I last played this and I still think of it with so much fondness from time to time. This felt so hopeful and I love how the way the characters were written felt human instead of having their LGBTQIA+ identity as their only identity. Also, the art was so cute!!!

Thank you so much for this <3.

This game was amazing and a lot of it resonated with me as a trans woman. This story had such a positive impact on me, and I really hope everyone who needs the love this story can bring to them can find this story and experience it for themselves. Truly a work of art. Thank you.

I loved it!! I already told you on twitter lol, but aaaa this game is so beautiful!! <3

I completely forgot that I claimed a community copy back when this released. After having played it on switch and loving this collection finally came back to pay for the game on here. Thank you so much for this series, it means a lot to me :)

I love these! It's rather uncommon to see explorations of queer people navigating Japan and its culture in the VN space; i can't help but root for everyone in their journey to live their best lives

Thank you so much for making this series!

thank you for this. I can't express my gratitude, and I really hope you are proud of these beautiful games. It moved my heart and it made me learn a lot. Thank you<3

Hey Npckc!
Thank you for this amazing game.
I love all of it!

It's my new favorite game of yours, with a tavern for tea and a pet shop after dark.
Just... Keep doing what you do so well!

So I am admittedly a cheapskate on here and love all the free visual novels on here, but I am so glad I paid the $5 for this one! One of the most wholesome and heartwarming games I've ever played, especially as a trans woman myself. <3