Japanese video game and media franchise
, colloquially also known as , is a Japanese media franchise primarily focused on video games, with branches into other media such as manga, anime, light novels and audio dramas. Though no game in the franchise has been released outside Japan, an anime based thereupon and two related games – "Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters" and "Kowloon High-School Chronicle" – have.
The franchise began June 16, 1998, with the release of the PlayStation game '. Beyond the franchise itself, there are also several video games considered linked to it through style, setting, or systems. Coined by series director Shuuhou Imai"' (今井秋芳), the franchise, its broader sphere of related works, and their unifying style are collectively known as – i.e., entries all center on students fighting the supernatural (typically demonic creatures from Japanese folklore and Shinto). This moniker – "Gakuen Juvenile Denki" – has also occasionally been used as a "series name", both officially and by third parties, for some of these related works led by Imai.
Video games.
Many video games have been released in or adjacent to the "Tokyo Majin Gakuen Denki" franchise, connected not only in name, but often in themes and systems as well. Nearly all of the games present their narrative through visual novel-like story segments, while the non-expository gameplay segments vary considerably in nature.
Perhaps the most iconic idiosyncrasy that unites most all titles under the wider "Tokyo Majin Gakuen Denki" umbrella is the so-called . During story segments, the game will occasionally prompt the player for a directional input into a cross-like interface. Each vertex of the cross corresponds to an emotion (or, in some cases, one of the five senses), and depending on the player's choice (inaction is also an option), their relationship with the character being spoken to may improve, worsen, or remain unchanged. Through this method, the player may gain (or fail to gain) extra party members, access (or irreversibly miss) special story scenes, or affect which ending they eventually reach. The system has been upheld as unique and distinctive of the franchise, as well as criticized as too obtuse.
Main series.
The games in the main series share gameplay consisting of a mix of the aforementioned visual novel-like story segments, and of tactical RPG battles. The characters are students who must do battle with demonic creatures based in Japanese folk lore and Shinto. Between battles are visual novel-style story segments, in which the player nurtures the relationships between the protagonist and various characters.
Excluding remakes and expansions, only two main games have been released, with a third having been announced but ultimately canceled.
 ;templatestyles src="Video game titles/styles.css"/ ;
Spin-offs.
 ;templatestyles src="Video game titles/styles.css"/ ;
Related.
A number of games not officially part of the franchise, but which are considered linked to it through systems, setting, or Shuuhou Imai's influence, have also been released. "Kowloon High-School Chronicle" and "Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters" were directed by Imai. The "Tenshō Gakuen" series, "Kamiyo Gakuen", and "Tokyo Mono Hara Shi", however, borrow systems and themes from "Tokyo Majin Gakuen Denki" (and, in the latter case, "Kowloon High-School Chronicle"), but share little to no production staff with the franchise.
 ;templatestyles src="Video game titles/styles.css"/ ;
Anime.
In 2007, the anime was broadcast in Japan. The same year, it was localized into English by ADV Films, becoming the franchise's first entry to be released outside Japan. It is a loose adaptation of the first game, "Kenpūchō", though due to the absence of creative influence from series director Shuuhou Imai, it significantly differs from the original work.
Other media.
In a media mix marketing strategy, tangential works in other media have also been produced. This includes:
References.
 ;templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" / ;