Sakura Taisen Moving to the PS2

Sega officially announced at recent Sakura Taisen World Project press conference plans to further expand the best selling Sakura Wars franchise with new animation and at least 7 new games.

Sakura Taisen: Atsuki Chishioni (Sakura Wars: Young Spirited Blood) will be an enhanced re-make of the original Sega Saturn Sakura Taisen game, available on the PS2 in spring 2003.

Sakura Taisen 5: Saraba Itoshiki Hotoyo (Sakura Wars 5: Farewell my Love) will follow the pattern established by Sakura Taisen 3 and introduce a new hanagumi team, this on based in New York City. An untitled Sakura Taisen action game using the characters from Sakura Taisen 5 is also planned for worldwide release, tentatively in 2004.

Sakura Hime Nishiki Emaki will be an adventure game in which Sakura Shinguji’s spirit travels back in time to become a princess in feudal Japan.

The PS2 game “Kouma” will be a prequel to Sakura Taisen 1, focusing on the Anti-Kouma Battalion seen in the Sakura Taisen TV series and hinted at in the games- the team that led to the creation of the Sakura Wars Kagekidan unit.

Sakura Taisen Monogatari for the PS2 will focus entirely on the dating simulation and “adventure” aspects of Sakura Taisen, set in the opera house of Sakura games 1 & 2, and the Paris setting of Sakura Taisen 3.

A PC port of Sakura Taisen 3 for Japanese and Chinese language release is also in the works.

In terms of animation, the single OAV Sakura Taisen: Kanzaki Sumire Intai Kinen will be released in Japan this Christmas, followed by the 3 episode Sakura Taisen: Ecole de Paris OAV series next spring.

The continued Sakura Taisen marketing blitz will also include new manga, continued live stage shows, and possibly a second anime television series and theatrical film.

Source: Anime News Service, The Magic Box, and Madman’s Cafe