2012 Japanese visual novel
 is a Japanese BL visual novel developed and published by Nitro+chiral. It was originally released on March 23, 2012, for Windows PCs as a first press edition, with a regular edition released on April 27, 2012. A sequel titled "Dramatical Murder re:connect," also for Windows PCs, was released on April 26, 2013, adding additional scenes, images and songs to the existing routes, as well as four new character routes to play through. On October 30, 2014, a version of the visual novel aimed at ages 15 and above titled "Dramatical Murder re:code" was released for the PlayStation Vita which removed the sex scenes, toned down the violence, and included an additional route for the character Mizuki.
An anime adaption by studio NAZ premiered on July 6, 2014. It is directed by Kazuya Miura, with Touko Machida and Kabura Fuchii handling series composition, Yukiko Ban designing the characters and Yuki Hayashi composing the music.
On July 4, 2018, it was announced at the Anime Expo that JAST USA's new JAST BLUE branch, which focuses on boys-love games, would release Nitro+CHiRAL's "DRAMAtical Murder" games and its other visual novel titles in English.
Gameplay.
"Dramatical Murder" is a science fiction and romance visual novel in which players assume the role of Aoba Seragaki. Much of its gameplay is spent reading the story's narrative and dialogue. "Dramatical Murder" follows a branching storyline with multiple endings. Depending on the decisions the player makes during the game, the plot will progress in different directions.
The game initially features four main plot lines, one for each of Aoba's potential suitors. Following the completion of all four, a fifth one is unlocked for Ren. Throughout gameplay, the player is given multiple options to choose from, and text progression pauses at these points until a choice is made. Each decision awards one point to Koujaku, Noiz, Clear or Mink respectively. The suitor who has amassed the largest number of points is the one whose plot line, "route", will be played.
Once a specific route has been entered, four more options are presented to the player at specific points in the story; depending on which options are picked, the story will end with either a good or bad ending.
Plot.
Setting.
"Dramatical Murder" is set in the near future on the fictional island of , Japan. At some point in the game's recent history, the island was privatized by the powerful and turned into a resort called , with the island's original residents being forced to live in the . Protagonist Aoba Seragaki lives on the island and works at a store named Junk Shop , hoping to live a simple life. However, after being forcefully dragged into the popular cyber game with its virtual world and its use of , mobile devices that usually appear as if they are the owner's pets, and hearing rumors about disappearances involving , turf wars between groups, all semblance of a peaceful life for Aoba ends.
Development.
Release history.
"Dramatical Murder" was originally released as an adult game on March 23, 2012, playable on Windows PCs as either a digital download or DVD. On April 26, 2013, a fan disc called "Dramatical Murder re:connect" was released; it included extra scenes, expanded upon the endings with scenes that take place before and after them, new CG images, songs and a minigame.
Related media.
Drama CDs.
Numerous drama CDs have been released; each one focuses on Aoba's relationship with one of his potential boyfriends and takes place after the events of the visual novel.
Manga.
A manga adaption illustrated by Torao Asada began serialization in the August 2012 issue of Enterbrain's "B's-Log Comic" magazine. The first "tankōbon" volume was released on April 1, 2013. An official anthology volume for the series was released on June 30, 2012.
Anime.
The anime was announced to air in summer 2014. The anime aired on July 6, 2014, and ended on September 21, 2014, and was streamed on Crunchyroll.
A DVD/Blu-ray was released on December 24, 2014, with all twelve episodes. Along with an original soundtrack and a drama CD titled , a special OVA called "Data_xx_Transitory", which features the bad endings of the game, was included. On September 21, 2014, following the airing of the final episode, the official anime website announced that there will be a live reading event on February 1, 2015, titled "Data_12.5_Recitation". Atsushi Kisaichi, Ryōta Takeuchi, Hiroki Takahashi, Satoshi Hino, Kenichirou Matsuda, Masatomo Nakazawa, and Yūichi Iguchi have been confirmed to be attending.
On June 21, 2015, Madman Entertainment announced at the Supanova Pop Culture Expo that it has licensed the series for Australian and New Zealand release. On July 16, 2015, Sentai Filmworks announced the license to the series for North American release in English on DVD and Blu-ray on November 24, 2015.
Stage.
A theatrical adaptation of the game was announced in September 2019. Sei'ichirō Nagata was cast as Aoba, Allen Kohatsu as Koujaku, Rikiya Tomizono as Noiz, Yūki Yamagata as Clear, Takanori Yamaki as Mink, Shōgō Yamazaki as Ren and Sei, Yūya Tominaga as Virus, Yū Yoshioka as Trip, Naoya Iwaki as Mizuki, and Hayato Moriya as Akushima.
Reception.
"Dramatical Murder" ranked third in Rice Digital's list of "Top 10 English Yaoi Games" and the second highest Nitro+chiral visual novel, following "Togainu no Chi". The review states: "everything about "DRAMAtical Murder" is bizarre, but it makes for a very interesting game".
As of October 2024, Twitch prohibits livestreaming the game.
References.
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