History VisualNovel / SharinNoKuni

* TheRevolutionWillNotBeVilified: Played straight or inverted, depending on whose viewpoint you're taking. In the eyes of the government-mandated history, and [[EvilMentor Houzuki]], the uprising is viewed as an act of terrorism, which destabilized the nation and forced the government [[IdidWhatIHadToDo to do the]] [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans terrible things it did]]. On the flipside, the main character and his friends, after having their [[TraumaCongaLine town ''erased'', their families broken, their community massacred, and their childhoods traumatized]]; they see the uprising as a display of heroism and sacrifice in the name of justice. [[spoiler:And in the final chapter, [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome they start one on their own]]. It really sucks that their plan itself ultimately failed, even if they manage to escape later]].

A fandisk has been released titled Sharin no Kuni, Yukyuu no Shounenshoujo, roughly translated as ''Wheel Country, Boys & Girls of Eternity'' which includes all the epilogues for the heroines of the original game plus ''The Houzuki Chapter'' which sheds light on Houzuki's own story & bring the original, almost BolivianArmyEnding to a close.

* BreakTheCutie: Touka, arguably Sachi.
** Natsumi. By the buckets. [[spoiler:Though she comes prebroken for your convenience. Not that it saves her from further abuse.]]

* BreakingTheFourthWall: Kenichi. He often talks out loud to himself explaining things about the society he's in or talking about the current events happening in the story. Sometimes the rest of the cast [[LampShadeHanging will ask him why he talks to himself out loud]].
--> '''Kenichi''': "Oh well. The more tsun she is now, the more dere she'll be later."
--> '''Touka''': "You're doing that muttering thing again..."

* [[CrypticConversation Cryptic Quotes]]: One for the start of each chapter, and one when the novel is completed at least once. Each perfectly reflects the over arching theme of every chapter:
-->'''Chapter 2: Sachi''': "I cannot afford to waste my time making money." ~''Louis Agassiz''
-->'''Chapter 3: Touka''': "The child is father of the Man." ~''William Wordsworth''
-->'''Chapter 4: Natsumi''': "What force is more potent than love?" ~''Igor Stravinsky''
-->'''Chapter 5: [[spoiler:Ririko]]''': "I shut my eyes in order to see." ~''Paul Gauguin''
-->'''Novel Complete''': "There is no such thing as society." ~''UsefulNotes/{{Margaret Thatcher}}''

* CuttingTheKnot: Houzuki is a big fan.
** Usually in a really evil way, such as Natsumi's chapter where he [[spoiler:attempts to drive her to suicide, since she won't give up her love for Ken, and he can't force himself to push her away, which is standing in the way of her "rehabilitation" and Kenichi's passing of the SHCI exam. [[LoopholeAbuse If she's dead there's no longer a need to rehabilitate her, right?]]]]

* FirstNameBasis: An important milestone to cross in Touka's chapter.
* FiveManBand: [[spoiler:Natsumi's rescue team]]
** TheLeader: Kenichi/[[spoiler:Ken]]
** TheLancer: [[spoiler:Ririko]]
** TheBigGuy: Sachi
** TheSmartGuy: Isono
** TheChick: Touka

* GenreSavvy: Kenichi, and Isono to some extent. Kenichi will often point out things that happen in manga and anime before doing it. One of the most notable examples is when he goes to get Touka at dinnertime. Before he goes inside her room he calls out to her a few times but gets no response. As he puts his hand on the doorknob we get this:
-->'''Kenichi''': "...Hold on!"\\
Yeah, wait just a second. This was one of THOSE situations, wasn't it? I'd seen this sort of thing before in sci-fi novels. The girl on the other side of the door was in the middle of changing her clothes. And she was going to scream "Gyaa!" as soon as I entered. Yeah, that had to be it! But, for the sake of my own growth, it would be proper... nay, necessary for me to grow accustomed to such scenarios!

* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler:After a couple relatively minor, yet personal victories over Houzuki, Kenichi is confronted just as they reach freedom. However, instead of stopping him, he tells Kenichi he can do what he wants with his life and even gives him the MacGuffin he could use to totally reform society if he wanted to.]]

* [[HasTwoMommies Has Two Daddies]]: [[spoiler:Ken, and also a mommy in the form of Miina. Or at least that's how Saburou tries to sell the idea to Houzuki when he shows at the house with baby Ken and suggests they all raise him together.]]

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: [[spoiler:What actually happens when you think Kenichi is breaking the fourth wall.]]

* LukeIAmYourFather: [[spoiler:Houzuki is actually Kenichi's father. He never tells this directly to Kenichi, thought he might eventually but it isn't clear what happens after his epilogue. Nonetheless it serves as a reveal to the readers.]]
** There are hints in the original game that kinda point to this: [[spoiler:1) Higuchi Saburou said that Ken and Ririko weren't blood related at all. 2) Houzuki's almost unnatural obsession with Kenichi, even if you assume that Ken is his best friend's son. 3) While Houzuki pretty much beat the crap out of everyone else, he refuse to harm Natsumi. The reason is, as he stated himself, Natsumi reminded him too much of Kenichi's mother. 4) Kenichi is a lot like Houzuki, just a lot friendlier, while Ririko and Sepia act more like Saburou.]]

* ObfuscatingInsanity: [[spoiler:Isono deducted Kenichi's real identity ages ago. He just uses his delusional mindset to hide the fact that he knows way more that he should, but sometimes his mask gets cracked enough for Kenichi to find out the whole deal. Kenichi also fakes being deranged, with self medication via narcotics.]]
** However, [[spoiler:Isono]] does have some delusions, such as [[spoiler:believing in faeries, as shown by the bonus disk.]]
* OfficialCouple: Natsumi and Kenichi. The main story line only changes slightly depending on what girl you pick, and Natsumi's chapter comes off somewhat awkwardly if you aren't pursuing her ending.

* PetTheDog: As [[ChessMaster manipulative]], [[KickTheDog sadistic]] and heartless [[EvilMentor Houzuki]] is for most of the story, he has his moments:

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Houzuki's rare PetTheDog moments come from him allowing Kenichi to bend the rules to achieve a tangible result, or, say, agreeing Natsumi's previous supervising [[{{Ubermensch}} Special High Class Individuals]] were incompetent. Of course, it's perfectly in line with his "ends justify the means" mentality and he [[KickTheDog kicks the dog]] more than enough to make up for it.

* RebelliousPrincess: Saika Mina, from the fan disk, is from a very wealthy and strict family of Shinto priests but wanted freedom so she indulge in what would be considered rebellious youth culture, such as hip-hop music that uses vile languages to criticize authority and the government. She even wrote rap music and sang them (as imposible as it may be to imagine someone with her personality to do). It would not be such a big deal if it were not for the prestige of her family, and this is the cause of her obligation.
** [[spoiler:The obligation eventually got lifted but was re-instigated for the same offenses. Houzuki mentions that he betrayed her, which may be part of the reason why she does this. She is sent to a concentration camp, leaving her son, Ken, in Higuchi Saburou's care.]]

* ThereAreNoTherapists: Averted - Isono claims to have seen one (and been declared mentally unsound), and it's logical to both Kenichi and likely the audience that resolving the girls' psychological issues would be crucial to properly rehabilitating them (which is his actual ''job'').

* TitleDrop: [[spoiler:When Sachi finally gets serious about her painting, Kenichi thinks that her figure would make a fine painting of its own. It would be titled 'Sunflower girl.' However, the title also clearly refers to Natsumi as well, though that is metaphorically.]]
** It's also referenced more indirectly as [[MeaningfulName the reading of Touka's name:]] 'shining a light onto a flower.'
* TrainingFromHell: The PAQT is one due to the fact that it's rumored to result in casualties occasionally. [[spoiler:The rumors are confirmed in Touka's bad end when Kyouko dies during her PAQT, causing her daughter to [[{{Hikikomori}} lock herself up in her room]] while living off of junk food and [[FanDisservice groping]] [[{{Squick}} herself.]]]]Training to be a Special High Class Individual (under Houzuki) is literally this - one cadet is ''shot dead'' at the very beginning of the game ''for being late to an appointment''.

* {{Tsundere}}: Touka, as noted in the BreakingTheFourthWall example. Almost everybody is GenreSavvy enough to interpret it as her having a crush on Kenichi.
** Amusingly enough, he actually ''didn't'' really think she liked him despite teasing her about it and lampshading her behavior. He just wanted to [[TheGadfly piss her off]].

* I'llKillYou: Supposedly Touka's catchphrase. [[spoiler: It may have been Ririko saying it at the right spots, rather than Touka.]]

''Sharin no Kuni, Himawari no Shoujo'', roughly translated as ''Wheel Country, Sunflower Girl'', is an eroge developed by Akabeisoft2.

-->'''Novel Complete''': "There is no such thing as society." ~''{{Margaret Thatcher}}''

* {{Badass}}: Houzuki. Kenichi. Heck, each girl get their badass moment.

* {{Protectorate}}: Natsumi is Kenichi's - one of the first things he does in the game is threaten to kill Houzuki if he does anything to her. [[{{Badass}} To his face]].

* AbusiveParents: [[spoiler:Touka's biological parents, Oone Kouki and Oone Sachiyo. However, they do improve make an honest attempt to improve their lives, and even try to regain custody of Touka, starting the main conflict of her route. Kyoko-san is implied to be one in the first half of Touka's route but is subverted at the later half. However the end confirms her as abusive as she resorted to physical abuse in Touka's childhood.]]

!!This show provides examples of:

* FanNickname: The Higuchi family is sometimes called the "Ero" family in China because of the Japanese Kanji could be rendered as such. Houzuki is called "[[NorioWakamoto Gov. Wakamoto]]".

* NorioWakamoto: Provides the voice of Houzuki.

-->'''Houzuki''': "[[{{GenreSavvy}} Detestable villains such as myself]] are necessary to urge those who reach toward the sun... ...into action. Life is a series of vicissitudes. And, regardless of how much good or evil there is in the world, [[HistoryMarchesOn the sun will continue to rise from the east]]."

* AbusiveParents: [[spoiler:Touka's biological parents, Oone Kouki and Oone Sachiyo. However, they do improve make an honest attempt to improve their lives, and even try to regain custody of Touka, starting the main conflict of her route.]]

* [[spoiler:DoomedByCanon: Anyone that has read the original visual novel will know that Masaomi won't have a happy ending on his own route.]]

* AbuseIsOkayWhenItsFemaleOnMale -- While not full-on rape, in flashbacks we see Ririko doing some extremely sexually questionable things to Kenichi when he was younger, making anything to do with consent rather tricky. He does have some issues with sexuality as a result, but he still cares deeply for his older sister in spite of it.
* AbusiveParents -- [[spoiler:Touka's biological parents, Oone Kouki and Oone Sachiyo. However, they do improve make an honest attempt to improve their lives, and even try to regain custody of Touka, starting the main conflict of her route.]]
* ArcWords -- "What should I do?" in Touka's chapter.
* TheArtifact -- In the fandisc epilogues, the obligations are no longer really part of the plot and thus the fact that this is supposed to be a world alternate to our own becomes slightly inconvenient with slightly awkward situations like Kenichi explaining to Sachi that the place they're going is just like Europe from the Sci Fi novels.
* AsYouKnow -- Strange example. The 'as you know' stuff is actually about ''our'' legal system and customs, while you have to pick up bits and pieces of theirs and put it together because that's what is really common knowledge.
* {{Badass}} -- Houzuki. Kenichi. Heck, each girl get their badass moment.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor -- In the fandisc [[spoiler:In Ririko's epilogue, she gets more and more upset about how Kenichi really did grow up and learn to do all those things he couldn't as a kid. It makes her feel unneeded and useless as well as apparently not really feeling like his big sister.]]
* BigBad -- A rare example where the greatest villain is the [[EvilMentor protagonist's mentor]].
* BigDamnHeroes -- Part of Special High Class Individual training must be about pulling off this trope, considering how often Kenichi does this - Chapter 5 has him doing it several times in a row, in addition to earlier occurrences. [[CloudCuckoolander Isono]], of all people, also has a knack for just happening to be in the right place at the right time with the tools Kenichi needs.
* BlackComedyRape[=/=]RapeIsLove -- Ririko has an "interesting" way of showing affection for Kenichi.
* BreakTheCutie -- Touka, arguably Sachi.

* BreakingSpeech-- Houzuki's preferred method of communication.
* BreakingTheFourthWall -- Kenichi. He often talks out loud to himself explaining things about the society he's in or talking about the current events happening in the story. Sometimes the rest of the cast [[LampShadeHanging will ask him why he talks to himself out loud]].

* BrotherSisterIncest -- Ririko was rather ''teasing'' when Kenichi was young. And by teasing we mean BDSM play, though they never actually had sex. [[spoiler:She's also one of the possible endings, though you have no way of knowing this until you're almost finished with the story.]]
* CassandraTruth -- Kenichi often makes throwaway references to things like being wealthy or having fought in a war, which the girls tend to pass off as just Kenichi being weird. [[spoiler:They're all true; Kenichi managed a company to immense financial success and is actually a decorated war veteran.]]
* {{Catchphrase}} -- Kenichi, Sachi, and Touka all have them, and they're all lampshaded and played with to hell.
* CatSmile -- One of Sachi's more common expresses is a somewhat subtle cat smile.
* ChekhovsArmoury -- Ohhh yeah. The game even flashes back to all the hints about [[spoiler:Ririko]] when TheReveal is made to make it not seem like an AssPull. If you play through this twice you'll be amazed at all the hints at future twists and character's pasts.
* ChickMagnet -- Granted, it is an H-game, but all the main girls will fall in love with Kenichi by the end of the game no matter which one you choose. Kenichi is also aware of his good looks. Special High Class Individual training actually requires being one as one of the tests was to get names and phone numbers from a number of random women in the street in a short space of time.
* ChildhoodFriendRomance - Natsumi and Sachi are both Kenichi's childhood friends and potential romantic options. Natsumi's closer to the NiceGirl variation, while Sachi's closer to the {{Tsundere}} / OneOfTheBoys version, though neither fits perfectly. For various reasons they don't realize or accept they've previously known him until he outright tells them, though.
* ChildProdigy -- Mana is implied to be one, but lacks the proper opportunities due to being a foreigner. [[spoiler:Until she gets shipped 'home' that is.]]
* ClosetSublet -- Mana sleeps in Sachi's closet.
* CloudCuckooLander -- Isono, who talks to fairies (which exist entirely in his imagination since this isn't one of those types of games) and often changes subjects every sentence. Kenichi is also sometimes considered one of these in-universe but the audience knows better, being able to follow his trains of thought via flashbacks and internal monologue.
* ConversationalTroping -- WelcomeToCorneria, BandageBabe[[note]]Kenichi sadly admits he isn't moe enough to pull it off[[/note]], and {{Tsundere}}, among others.
* CrapsackOnlyByComparison -- The government makes life pretty terrible for the main cast over the course of the game, but rates of crime and socially destructive behavior throughout the country are implied to actually be very low, and obligations such as the ones the heroines labor under quite rare, when compared to imprisonment in our world.
* CrazyPrepared -- [[spoiler:Subverted with Houzuki, who admits that he really isn't as prepared for everything that can happen as he acts and is instead manipulating the events so his preparations are useful. But played straight with Kenichi's faked drug addiction.]]
* [[spoiler:CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass]] -- [[spoiler:Isono and Kenichi.]]
* [[CrypticConversation Cryptic Quotes]] -- One for the start of each chapter, and one when the novel is completed at least once. Each perfectly reflects the over arching theme of every chapter:

* CuttingTheKnot -- Houzuki is a big fan.

* DepravedBisexual -- [[spoiler:Ririko seems to have plenty of... interesting memories of her days spent "training" both Ken and Touka]].
* DespairEventHorizon -- The girls very nearly crossed that line [[spoiler:when Kenchi seemed to have surrendered himself to Houzuki after 1 month of inprisonment. Good thing he was {{Crazy Prepared}}]].
* DrugsAreBad -- [[spoiler:Subverted. Thankfully whatever cannabis like substance Kenichi is constantly smoking isn't addictive.]] No really, he can quit at any time!
** More like [[spoiler:the drug he smokes is the only thing that can control the nasty psychological aftereffects the war left on his mind.]]
*** Except [[spoiler:what he smokes isn't even a drug - he admits it has a small placebo effect on him, but it ends up a major in-universe CriticalResearchFailure for Houzuki when he thinks depriving Kenichi of it will finally break him, while, as Kenichi tells him, he would've known it was just some harmless herb if he'd obtained and tried some for himself.]]
* DownerEnding -- Not the story as a whole but [[spoiler:Sachi's route ends with her failing and Mana being taken away. In Sachi's ending you do see the two reunite.]]

* EvilMentor -- Houzuki to Kenchi Morita/[[spoiler:Ken Higuchi]]

* FateWorseThanDeath -- [[{{Unperson}} The Maximum Penalty]]

* FirstNameBasis -- An important milestone to cross in Touka's chapter.
* FiveManBand -- [[spoiler:Natsumi's rescue team]]
** TheLeader -- Kenichi/[[spoiler:Ken]]
** TheLancer -- [[spoiler:Ririko]]
** TheBigGuy -- Sachi
** TheSmartGuy -- Isono
** TheChick -- Touka
* FlowerMotifs -- The town is surrounded by a huge field of sunflowers, which provides a backdrop for many important events of the game. Additionally Kenichi refers a few times to one or more of the girls as the [[TitleDrop "sunflower girl(s)"]] in the dialogue, and the sunflower has potent symbolism in-universe, as demonstrated in one climatic scene.
* ForcedToWatch -- ''The whole town'' is forced to watch [[spoiler:Natsumi's public execution]]. Or at least they would have been if it had gone according to plan.
* FreakOut -- Natsumi has one, when [[spoiler:she realizes that Kenichi is indeed Higuchi Ken. She did ''not'' want him to see her living such a miserable existence.]]
* TheGadfly -- Kenichi loves to tease and make sarcastic remarks at everybody but Natsumi (which a few of his targets note frustratedly.) Interestingly he also follows the original definition of the word as well. To motivate the girls to work to throw off their obligations, he intentionally disrupts the lifestyles that they've adopted to adjust to them, or goes out of his way to bring up uncomfortable past events that they've just swept under the rug.
* GagBoobs -- Evidently any weight accumulated by Sachi due to her lazy lifestyle went to her breasts.
* GenerationXerox -- Much as he would hate to admit it, Kenichi acts just like [[spoiler:Higuchi Saburou]] minus the flirting. [[spoiler:Natsumi is also very similar to Saika Mina, Ririko is another Saburou clone and Houzuki Masaomi has become a less evil Houzuki Ari.]]
* GenreSavvy -- Kenichi, and Isono to some extent. Kenichi will often point out things that happen in manga and anime before doing it. One of the most notable examples is when he goes to get Touka at dinnertime. Before he goes inside her room he calls out to her a few times but gets no response. As he puts his hand on the doorknob we get this:

* GoMadFromTheIsolation -- The expected result of the Maximum Penalty, usually followed by [[DrivenToSuicide suicide]].
* GracefulLoser -- [[spoiler:After a couple relatively minor, yet personal victories over Houzuki, Kenichi is confronted just as they reach freedom. However, instead of stopping him, he tells Kenichi he can do what he wants with his life and even gives him the MacGuffin he could use to totally reform society if he wanted to.]]

* GuileHero -- Kenichi's learned a few tricks about manipulating people.
* HandicappedBadass -- Houzuki is an old man with a cane and a limp in one leg, but he can probably beat the shit out of you in a moment. [[spoiler:Especially since he's been faking the limp for seven years.]]

* HeroicBSOD -- Natsumi's default state. During the periods Kenichi lives with her, she spends much of her time just sitting in a corner, staring at the wall, zoning out and trying to escape reality.
* HeroWorshipper -- Sachi and Isono both idolize Higuchi Saburou, even though he's dead and might as well be the Anti-Christ according to the government. [[spoiler:Isono even went so far as to build an exact replica of his house to live in.]]
* HeyThatsMyLine -- Sachi gets annoyed at Kenichi for using her morning catchphrase - "All right! Today I'm going to give it my all at full power!" - twice. On the other hand, when he tries using Touka's - "I'll murder you!" - he only gets blank looks... because the people he says it to either refuse to admit it or are a dream of his.
* HumansAreFlawed -- The theme of the entire story is debating if they are a source of strength; a drive to better oneself, and something which makes life colourful and interesting, or a weakness to be exploited by the [[ChessMaster sufficiently cunning to manipulate others in order to make them conform to a greater plan]].
* InnocentCohabitation -- Not having a place of his own to stay, he moves in with whatever girl he's rehabilitating. This causes some misunderstandings with others when he's living with Sachi, who's rather... [[TheTease aggressive]]. And, of course, you can make it not so innocent...
* IWillWaitForYou -- Natsumi - the first thing we learn about her is that she's waiting for somebody to return, in spite of everybody telling her they'll never be back. [[spoiler:It's Kenichi, or rather, Higuchi Ken - she doesn't recognize him and he doesn't admit his real identity.]] Her relationship with this trope is a bit complicated, though.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold -- In the fandisc Sachi epilogue, the paint Sachi was accused of plagiarizing appears. He's rather grumpy and clearly ''does'' believe she was copying him. After a few semi hostile confrontations with her, he drops by to interrupt her painting one more time... to say that she needs to apply another layer of paint because in the low humidity climate they're in the paint will fade otherwise, making her fail a competition for the same reason he did.
* {{Kawaiiko}} -- Touka and Natsumi.
* KissOfDeath -- Kenichi delivers one to Sachi, using it to administer her sedatives per her obligation. While she's trapped under a rock in a cold damp cave. [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope subverted]], immediately afterwards, as Kenichi immediately runs off to get digging tools and spends all night digging her out.]]
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall -- [[spoiler:What actually happens when you think Kenichi is breaking the fourth wall.]]

* LikesOlderWomen -- Isono has a hopeless crush on Kyouko, his homeroom teacher.

* LoveAtFirstSight -- Isono to Kyouko.
* LoveTriangle -- If you pick Sachi or Touka there are scenes indicating they feel a certain amount of rivalry with Natsumi. [[spoiler:They even break off the relationship temporarily in order to facilitate Natsumi's rehabilitation.]]
* [[spoiler:LukeIAmYourFather -- Houzuki is actually Kenichi's father. He never tells this directly to Kenichi, thought he might eventually but it isn't clear what happens after his epilogue. Nonetheless it serves as a reveal to the readers.]]

* MacGuffin -- [[spoiler:When Kenchi and his friends open a thumbdrive left to him by his father, the deceased revolutionary leader, [[BigGood Higuchi Saburou]], they find that it contains schematics of the national political power structure, illustrating alliances and [[DividedWeFall opposing factions]] within the national government; [[InsecuritySystem weaknesses in security devices used in government installations]]; knowledge on forging documents, financial assets, and more. Essentially, everything a [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits capable group of people]] need to do anything from running for a presidential election, to leading an [[LaResistance open rebellion]]]].
* MarryThemAll -- One possible ending, the one where you don't pick a heroine, is a harem ending. The girls all note that hey, Kenichi's father did it and everyone was happy, right? There are no adult cgs for it, though.
* MementoMacGuffin -- Natsumi's hair ribbon. It looks ragged because she's been wearing it for a ''long'' time. Messing with it is also a BerserkButton.
* MindRape -- Don't get into a staring contest with Houzuki. Seriously. Heck, don't even talk to him. And never, ever, listen to his advice.
* MomentKiller -- The government pacification of the town in response to Higuchi Saburou's rebellion began ''just'' as [[spoiler:Natsumi was going to confess she liked Ken.]] Bad timing...
* MoodWhiplash -- The earliest example, not counting Eri who we barely knew, is probably the Amnesty Festival. Talking, laughing and having fun ending in [[spoiler:Kenichi getting the shit beat out of him by Houzuki.]]
* MoralDissonance -- The plan to [[spoiler:rescue Natsumi]] could very well have resulted in [[spoiler:the police opening fire on the crowd]] if they hadn't gotten lucky. Granted, [[spoiler:due to capital punishment being banned, Natsumi's public execution would have greater ramifications than "merely" Natsumi's death]], but the willingness to put a bunch of nameless civilians at mortal risk for the sake of one named character is a bit discomforting.
* MovingTheGoalposts -- [[spoiler:Houzuki fakes that a diplomat wants to buy Mana and sets a price that Sachi has no hope of meeting to keep her. However, Sachi just got a massive diamond, so she cashes that in. Houzuki promptly asks for more money because the point was to get Sachi to make a painting and sell it. So... it wouldn't be that bad if Sachi had had time to finish the painting, but she fails at the last moment.]]
* MyGreatestFailure -- During Saburou's rebellion while he was a child, [[spoiler: Kenichi, along with Sachi, Natsumi, and Isono, helped the rebels while they were all besieged in Mt. Morita. Kenichi, however, became lost one day, decided to run for it, and surrendered to government forces. He was so ashamed of what he (and Sachi and Isono) considered his betrayal that he took on a new name, and his [[TheAtoner desire to atone for it]] drives much of his actions.]]
* NecessarilyEvil -- [[spoiler:Done by Kenichi. And possibly Houzuki as well]]. The government itself may consider the obligation system in this light.

* NietzscheWannabe -- Natsumi, though it's portrayed as a symptom of her personality being warped in general from her TraumaCongaLine.
* NorioWakamoto -- Provides the voice of Houzuki.
* NotSoDifferent -- The reason why Isono fell in love with Kyouko is stated to be because her mentality is similar to Isono's real mentality.
* ObfuscatingInsanity -- [[spoiler:Isono deducted Kenichi's real identity ages ago. He just uses his delusional mindset to hide the fact that he knows way more that he should, but sometimes his mask gets cracked enough for Kenichi to find out the whole deal. Kenichi also fakes being deranged, with self medication via narcotics.]]

* OfficialCouple -- Natsumi and Kenichi. The main story line only changes slightly depending on what girl you pick, and Natsumi's chapter comes off somewhat awkwardly if you aren't pursuing her ending.

* ParentalAbandonment -- Touka's the only character to even still live with any parental figure at all.
* PetTheDog -- As [[ChessMaster manipulative]], [[KickTheDog sadistic]] and heartless [[EvilMentor Houzuki]] is for most of the story, he has his moments:

* {{Protectorate}} -- Natsumi is Kenichi's - one of the first things he does in the game is threaten to kill Houzuki if he does anything to her. [[{{Badass}} To his face]].
* RagtagBunchOfMisfits -- In the [[WhamEpisode final chapter]] of the visual novel, [[spoiler:[[EvilMentor Houzuki]] has [[FragileFlower Natsumi]] on [[DisproportionateRetribution death row]] in order to [[GambitRoulette enact his plan to make capital punishment the newest sentence in the already cruel national justice system]]. Armed [[SecretPolice Public Security Police]] officers swarming in the hundreds, locking down the town and cutting off all access/communication to the rest of the country. There is no chance that help from the government will [[RaceAgainstTime arrive in time]] to stop the rogue [[{{Ubermensch}} Special High Class Individual]] from executing our leading lady. Standing against them is [[TheHero our hero]] with his friends: his odd [[BrotherSisterIncest sister]], the white-haired genius [[CloudCuckoolander Cuckoolander]], a GenkiGirl painter, and the local {{Tsundere}}, who is an aspiring cook.]] Refer to FiveManBand while you're here.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure -- Houzuki's rare PetTheDog moments come from him allowing Kenichi to bend the rules to achieve a tangible result, or, say, agreeing Natsumi's previous supervising [[{{Ubermensch}} Special High Class Individuals]] were incompetent. Of course, it's perfectly in line with his "ends justify the means" mentality and he [[KickTheDog kicks the dog]] more than enough to make up for it.

* RebelliousPrincess -- Saika Mina, from the fan disk, is from a very wealthy and strict family of Shinto priests but wanted freedom so she indulge in what would be considered rebellious youth culture, such as hip-hop music that uses vile languages to criticize authority and the government. She even wrote rap music and sang them (as imposible as it may be to imagine someone with her personality to do). It would not be such a big deal if it were not for the prestige of her family, and this is the cause of her obligation.

* TheRevolutionWillNotBeVilified -- Played straight or inverted, depending on whose viewpoint you're taking. In the eyes of the government-mandated history, and [[EvilMentor Houzuki]], the uprising is viewed as an act of terrorism, which destabilized the nation and forced the government [[IdidWhatIHadToDo to do the]] [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans terrible things it did]]. On the flipside, the main character and his friends, after having their [[TraumaCongaLine town ''erased'', their families broken, their community massacred, and their childhoods traumatized]]; they see the uprising as a display of heroism and sacrifice in the name of justice. [[spoiler:And in the final chapter, [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome they start one on their own]]. It really sucks that their plan itself ultimately failed, even if they manage to escape later]].
* SchoolUniformsAreTheNewBlack -- Mostly [[JustifiedTrope justified]] - people with obligations are required to wear their patches indicating them prominently at all times so that other people may treat them accordingly, and Houzuki's ordered that his approval is required before any of the girls wear another outfit to ensure compliance. As for Kenichi, he's living out of a suitcase and can't carry more than he truly needs.
* SelectiveObliviousness -- [[spoiler:Isono figures out who Kenichi really is, and Sachi is always slightly suspicious about it. Natsumi, on the other hand, absolutely refuses to think about it or acknowledge it.]]
* ShellShockedVeteran -- Kenichi. [[spoiler:[[FakeWeakness Or so he claims.]]]]
* ShowWithinAShow -- An unnamed "sci-fi" book series has some popularity and is read avidly by several characters. It chronicles the societies of our world, which is of course fictional in theirs. Kenichi often uses this to highlight differences between reality and the in-story world.
* ShrinkingViolet -- Natsumi, most obviously. [[spoiler:Higuchi Ken, that is, Kenichi as a child]], not so obviously.
* SickeninglySweethearts -- Natsumi's ending, though they had to [[EarnYourHappyEnding Earn Their Happy Ending]] so it can't really be held against them.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism -- The game is a struggle between Kenichi, who believes that humans are redeemable, noble and strong, and his mentor Houzuki, who believes humans are weak, foolish, and should be controlled.
* StepfordSmiler -- Kenichi. It upsets Natsumi, the only one to really catch on.
* SunnySunflowerDisposition -- Not surprising this trope would be present given all the sunflowers around, though it might be surprising that ''Natsumi'' would fall under this... before, and after snapping out of, being [[BreakTheCutie broken]] anyway.
* SuspiciouslyVagueAge -- See BlatantLies above.
* TakeThat -- Kenichi outright says that the Japanese are too conservative, and that it isn't a good thing.
* ThatManIsDead -- [[spoiler:Played with, in parallel to Kenichi's character development. Kenichi initially distances himself from his identity as Higuchi Ken, ashamed of his past weakness, but eventually accepts it, due to the fact that only Higuchi Ken could make Natsumi happy again. Houzuki's goal is arguably to get Kenichi to play this dead straight and break with his past utterly and finally.]]
* ThereAreNoTherapists -- Averted - Isono claims to have seen one (and been declared mentally unsound), and it's logical to both Kenichi and likely the audience that resolving the girls' psychological issues would be crucial to properly rehabilitating them (which is his actual ''job'').

* ThemeMusicPowerup -- Any time "Watch Out!" starts playing, Kenichi's about to do something awesome.
* ThePowerOfLove -- [[spoiler:The only thing keeping Natsumi from killing herself is her love for Ken and the hope that she'll be together with him again some day. Houzuki's realization of this is why her obligation is not lifted, despite knowing it was falsely given to her - the obligation's name, "Prohibition of Falling in Love" is literal.]]
* TheTease -- Sachi

* TitleDrop -- [[spoiler:When Sachi finally gets serious about her painting, Kenichi thinks that her figure would make a fine painting of its own. It would be titled 'Sunflower girl.' However, the title also clearly refers to Natsumi as well, though that is metaphorically.]]

* TraumaCongaLine -- The last seven years of Natsumi's life. Kenichi's too, [[TrainingFromHell but much of it was deliberate and designed to make him a stronger person.]]
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehaviour -- Mana doesn't drink or smoke, but her emotional maturity creeps out Sachi and Kenichi at times.
* {{Tsundere}} -- Touka, as noted in the BreakingTheFourthWall example. Almost everybody is GenreSavvy enough to interpret it as her having a crush on Kenichi.

* TwistEnding -- [[spoiler:Just as Kenchi and friends are about to reach freedom, [[EvilMentor Houzuki]] catches them. However, instead of taking them back to be executed, he lets them go free, handing them the {{MacGuffin}} and even facilitates their return to normal life in their hometown, [[{{AdoptTheDog}} by overturning obligations and blocking appeals for arrest against them]]]]. It's unclear if there are any ulterior motives, but Houzuki seems willing to leave them alone for now.
* {{Ubermensch}} -- The ideal of the Special High Class Individual, best exemplified by Houzuki, who gives precisely no shits about society's norms and laws except to the extent that they can be used to manipulate others in pursuit of his own ends. He plays the whole cast like a fiddle for the vast majority of the game, and is a figure of quite some status beyond "merely" a Special High Class Individual.
* TheUnfavorite -- [[spoiler:Kyouko was treated badly by her family due to being born of a different mother than most of her siblings, which is why she treats Touka the way she does and (at least partially) explains some of her bizarre idiosyncrasies such as utterly refusing to cook or banning Touka from entering the kitchen, let alone cooking.]]
* {{Unperson}} -- Since they don't have the death penalty, they instead have a variant of this as their great punishment. [[spoiler:The Maximum Penalty forces people to not acknowledge someone's existence and act as if they don't exist. This is why although the class laughs when the underwear in Kenichi's case is spilled everywhere he doesn't explain why it's there and the class doesn't hold it against him. He obviously has to do Ririko's shopping.]]
* UnwantedHarem -- At the beginning of Sachi's route after a confession Kenichi asks Mana if she knows what a harem is. To his surprise, she does. And then assumes he must be making one and asks if she can join.
* VisionaryVillain -- As ruthless as Houzuki's conduct is, he's not doing it for the [[ForTheEvulz sake of evil alone]]. He truly believes that what he is doing will [[WellIntentionedExtremist improve society and preserve its security]]. No matter the [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans cost to the lives of individuals]].
* WhatTheHellHero -- As a GuileHero meddling in very sensitive affairs in others characters' lives as he lives with them, there's pretty much no way this could ''not'' happen to Kenichi.

* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle -- The credits roll after Sachi's route finishes. For most [=VNs=] this would be an appropriate enough place to have credits, but the story is structured so that one route follows another in a certain order.

* RagtagBunchOfMisfits -- In the [[WhamEpisode final chapter]] of the visual novel, [[spoiler:[[EvilMentor Houzuki]] has [[FragileFlower Natsumi]] on [[DisproportionateRetribution death row]] in order to [[GambitRoulette enact his plan to make capital punishment the newest sentence in the already cruel national justice system]]. Armed [[SecretPolice Public Security Police]] officers swarming in the hundreds, locking down the town and cutting off all access/communication to the rest of the country. There is no chance that help from the government will [[RaceAgainstTime arrive in time]] to stop the rogue [[{{Ubermensch}} Special High Class Individual]] from executing our leading lady. Standing against them is [[TheHero our hero]] with his friends: his [[StrangeGirl odd]] [[BrotherSisterIncest sister]], the white-haired genius [[CloudCuckoolander Cuckoolander]], a GenkiGirl painter, and the local {{Tsundere}}, who is an aspiring cook.]] Refer to FiveManBand while you're here.

* RagtagBunchOfMisfits -- In the [[WhamEpisode final chapter]] of the visual novel, [[spoiler:[[EvilMentor Houzuki]] has [[FragileFlower Natsumi]] on [[DisproportionateRetribution death row]] in order to [[GambitRoulette enact his plan to make capital punishment the newest sentence in the already cruel national justice system]]. Armed [[SecretPolice Public Security Police]] officers swarming in the hundreds, locking down the town and cutting off all access/communication to the rest of the country. There is no chance that help from the government will [[RaceAgainstTime arrive in time]] to stop the rogue [[{{Ubermensch}} Special High Class Individual]] from executing our leading lady. Standing against them is [[TheHero our hero]] with his friends: his [[StrangeGirl odd]] [[BrotherSisterIncest sister]], the [[WhiteHairedPrettyBoy white-haired]] genius [[CloudCuckoolander Cuckoolander]], a GenkiGirl painter, and the local {{Tsundere}}, who is an aspiring cook.]] Refer to FiveManBand while you're here.

* TrainingFromHell: The PAQT is one due to the fact that it's rumored to result in casualties occasionally. Training to be a Special High Class Individual (under Houzuki) is literally this - one cadet is ''shot dead'' at the very beginning of the game ''for being late to an appointment''.

* ConversationalTroping -- WelcomeToCorneria, BandageBabe[[hottip:*:Kenichi sadly admits he isn't moe enough to pull it off]], and {{Tsundere}}, among others.

* BlatantLies -- "All the characters depicted in this game are 18 years or older."

'''This show provides examples of:'''

* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle -- The credits roll after Sachi's route finishes. For most [=VNs=] this would be an appropriate enough place to have credits, but the story is structured so that one route follows another in a certain order.