View source for Software:Cherry Tree High Comedy Club

{{Short description|2010 adventure video game}}
{{Infobox VG
 |title       = Cherry Tree High Comedy Club
 |image       = Cherry Tree High Comedy Club.jpg
 |developer   = 773
 |publisher   = [[Company:Capcom|Capcom]]
 |released    = {{Video game release|JP|June 20, 2010|WW|April 27, 2012}}
 |genre       = [[Software:Adventure game|Adventure game]]
 |engine      = RPG Maker XP
 |modes       = [[Software:Single-player video game|Single-player]]
 |platforms   = [[Software:Microsoft Windows|Microsoft Windows]]
}}
'''''Cherry Tree High Comedy Club''''', known in Japan as {{nihongo|'''''Manken!'''''|まんけん!}} is an [[Software:Adventure game|adventure game]] developed by 773 and published by [[Company:Capcom|Capcom]]. The game follows 17-year-old Mairu Hibisu as she recruits fellow students for her comedy club. The player controls Mairu as she meets new people, tries to finish her homework each day, and levels up her conversation topics. The game was first released in Japan in June 2010, with an English translation released by Nyu Media in April 2012. Two sequels were later released.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cherry Tree High I! My! Girls! Released Alongside "Dewesternized" Version Of 1st Game|url=http://www.siliconera.com/2014/11/24/cherry-tree-high-girls-released-alongside-dewesternized-version-1st-game/|publisher=Siliconera|date=November 24, 2014|access-date=June 14, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Cherry Tree High Girls' Fight Released on Steam|url=http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2016/06/13/cherry-tree-high-girls-fight-released-on-steam/212046/|publisher=Hardcore Gamer|date=June 13, 2016|access-date=June 14, 2016}}</ref>

== Gameplay ==
The player takes control of Mairu Hibisu, a third-year student at the fictional Cherry Tree High, described as "a lively young girl who just wants to see people happy".<ref name="CTH characters">{{cite web|title=Characters|url=http://cherrytreehigh.com/characters|website=Cherrytreehigh.com|access-date=19 July 2016}}</ref> At the start of the game, the player is tasked with recruiting at least three more students to Mairu's comedy club by April 30, or else it will be disbanded.<ref name="Gamezebo Review">{{cite web|last1=Oxford|first1=Nadia|title=Cherry Tree High Comedy Club Review|url=http://www.gamezebo.com/2012/09/28/cherry-tree-high-comedy-club-review/|website=Gamezebo|access-date=19 July 2016|date=28 September 2012}}</ref> The gameplay is similar to that of a [[Software:Dating sim|dating sim]], though the focus is on platonic relationships, and there are no romantic options of any kind.<ref name="Indiegames Weblog">{{cite web|last1=Khaw|first1=Cassandra|title=The Weblog Demo: Cherry Tree High Comedy Club (NyuMedia)|url=http://indiegames.com/2012/07/demo_cherry_tree_high_comedy_c.html|website=indiegames.com|date=21 July 2012|access-date=19 July 2016|archive-date=20 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920193146/http://indiegames.com/2012/07/demo_cherry_tree_high_comedy_c.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The majority of the game is based on dialogue between characters, and features little action compared to other adventure games.<ref name="Indiegames Weblog" />

During the game, the player must develop relationships with each of the six potential recruits, and advance Mairu's standing with them to get at least three of them to join her comedy club.<ref name="WinGS">{{cite web|last1=Wilson|first1=Maren|title=Otome Games & the Importance of Female Friendship|url=http://womeningamestudies.com/otome-games-the-importance-of-female-friendship/|website=Women in Gaming Studies|access-date=19 July 2016}}</ref> In order to do so, the player has to talk with the recruits to feel closer to them, with their current relationship level marked from zero to five.<ref name="CTH Repertoire">{{cite video game|title=Cherry Tree High Comedy Club|developer=&nbsp;773|publisher=Nyu Media|scene=Repertoire Menu}}</ref><ref name="Manual Pg. 3">{{cite book|title=Cherry Tree High Comedy Club Manual|publisher=Nyu Media|page=3}}</ref> The player's options for doing so include talking with them on the telephone, making idle chit-chat, or talking with them in person about topics of interests. When the recruit's relationship level increases to five, they will agree to join her comedy club.

The player can level up Mairu's skills through means like watching television, reading magazines, or going to public exhibitions. These skills, out of twelve topics<ref name="Japanator" /> that include politics, [[Philosophy:Romance (love)|romance]], pets, and sports, can be used to chat with potential recruits in-person, gaining more standing with them based on Mairu's skills and whether the conversation partner likes or dislikes the topic.<ref name="RPGFan Review">{{cite web|last1=Barker|first1=Andrew|title=RPGFan Review - Cherry Tree High Comedy Club|url=http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/Cherry_Tree_High_Comedy_Club/index.html|website=www.rpgfan.com|access-date=19 July 2016|archive-date=18 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818105031/http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/Cherry_Tree_High_Comedy_Club/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The player can also earn and spend money during the course of the game, being earned by working part-time jobs such as cleaning and jewelry-making, and being spent on things such as skill training and fatigue-reducing items. The player starts the game with 3000 Yen, and is not required to keep a certain balance.

The days are divided into "Morning", "Afternoon", and "Evening", and each task, with some exceptions, will cause time to pass linearly from one section to the next. Mairu is confined to certain areas depending on the time of day; at school in the mornings, except for on days off, allowed to roam Cherry Tree Town during the afternoons, and stuck in her dormitory in the evenings.<ref name="Manual Pg. 2">{{cite book|title=Cherry Tree High Comedy Club Manual|publisher=Nyu Media|page=2}}</ref> Certain activities are exclusive to each location - for instance, Mairu can only watch television in the evenings.

If the player fails to recruit at least three prospective members by April 30, the player fails the game, and is sent back to the title screen after a cutscene. The player cannot continue from this point, and must reload a save file or start a new game.

== Release ==
The Japanese-language version of the game, ''Manken'', was released on June 20, 2010.<ref name="GP">{{cite web|title=Cherry Tree High Comedy Club - PC|url=http://games.gamepressure.com/game.asp?ID=12387|website=gamepressure.com|access-date=19 July 2016}}</ref> The English-language version of the game was released on April 27, 2012,<ref name="Nyu">{{cite web|title=Cherry Tree High Comedy Club|url=http://nyu-media.com/cherry-tree-high-comedy-club/|website=Nyu Media|access-date=19 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107033422/http://nyu-media.com/cherry-tree-high-comedy-club/|archive-date=7 January 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> with a version for [[Software:Steam (service)|Steam]] released on November 8, 2012.<ref name="Steam">{{cite web|title=Cherry Tree High Comedy Club|url=http://store.steampowered.com/app/214610/|website=Steam|publisher=Valve|access-date=19 July 2016}}</ref> A second English version was released on November 20, 2014, which restores some of the original Japanese text.<ref name="CTHCC News">{{cite web|title=Cherry Tree High I! My! Girls! is Available Now!|url=http://store.steampowered.com/news/externalpost/steam_community_announcements/522744579260204273|website=Steam|date=20 November 2014|publisher=Nyu Media|access-date=19 July 2016}}</ref> On June 15, 2022, Western publisher Nyu Media announced that they were discontinuing business and that, as a result, Cherry Tree High Comedy Club and its sequel would no longer be available for sale following the end of the 2022 Steam Summer Sale, during which the game was discounted before its eventual delisting on July 7.<ref>{{Cite web |last=King |first=Seon |date=2022-06-15 |title=This is Nyu Media, Signing Off! |url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/214610/old_view/3356885053839922042 |access-date=2022-06-24 |website=store.steampowered.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-20 |title=NYU Media Shuts Down at the End of the Month |url=https://gameranx.com/updates/id/319968/article/nyu-media-shuts-down-at-the-end-of-the-month/ |access-date=2022-06-24 |website=Gameranx |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Localization ===
The translation of the game was directly influenced by the ''Ace Attorney'' series, which the translators considered "widely perceived as the 'best in class' game localization". This influence led to character names being "Westernized, and the setting changed from 'town somewhere in Japan' to 'town somewhere in the USA'", explaining that the ''Ace Attorney'' series followed a similar style.<ref name="CTH trans">{{cite web|title=Translation FAQ|url=http://cherrytreehigh.com/translation|website=Cherrytreehigh.com|access-date=19 July 2016}}</ref>

Although the developers had faith in their prior translation experience, they cited both schedule concerns and their small team as issues. These concerns caused them to engage the "very capable" Tezuka Productions for help, dividing the over 4,500 lines<ref name="Japanator">{{cite web|last1=Rodanes|first1=Michelle|title=Japanator Recommends: Cherry Tree High Comedy Club|url=http://www.japanator.com/japanator-recommends-cherry-tree-high-comedy-club-23232.phtml|website=Japanator|access-date=19 July 2016}}</ref> between Nyu Media and the latter, who then looked over all of the finished dialogue.<ref name="CTH trans"/>

The translators wanted to be consistent with the Japanese version, "in meaning, and especially the tone", citing its importance to the game's story. There were no changes to the plot, the characterisation was preserved for the English version, and the graphics had only minor changes to shop signs and the History skill icon, being changed from a spinning top to a scroll, as the spinning top wouldn't be understood overseas.<ref name="CTH trans"/>

The humour was changed only when it would not be understood by Western audiences, including cultural references exclusive to Japan, though retained references that they felt would be recognised by most Western players, such as from ''[[Software:Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney|Phoenix Wright]]'', ''[[Software:Street Fighter|Street Fighter]]'', and ''Death Note''. In cases where they changed the dialogue, they replaced it with Western pop culture references, such as ''Star Wars'' and ''Monty Python'', making sure that they weren't "obnoxious or indulgent".<ref name="CTH trans"/>

All of the character names were changed from their original Japanese, in keeping with the ''Ace Attorney'' translation style, to names that English-speaking audiences would understand better. The names were designed to be expressive of a character's personality, and so the translators kept this design in the English translation, for instance, changing "Karasuyama Chitose" from a well-to-do name to "Octavia Richmond", a pun on the character's wealth.<ref name="CTH trans"/>

In order to preserve continuity between ''Cherry Tree High Comedy Club'' and its sequel, ''Cherry Tree High I! My! Girls!'', Nyu Media released a new version of ''Cherry Tree High Comedy Club'' which reinstates many of the themes from the original Japanese version, such as character and place names, as well as setting the game explicitly in Japan,<ref name="Siliconera Dewesternised">{{cite web|title=Cherry Tree High I! My! Girls! Released Alongside "Dewesternized" Version Of 1st Game|url=http://www.siliconera.com/2014/11/24/cherry-tree-high-girls-released-alongside-dewesternized-version-1st-game/|website=Siliconera|access-date=19 July 2016|date=24 November 2014}}</ref> as opposed to the United States. As a result, the Japanese setting continues into ''Cherry Tree High I! My! Girls'', and is declared the "official version" of the translation by Nyu Media.<ref name="CTHCC News"/>

==Release history==
{| class="wikitable"
! Title !! Japanese release date !! English release date
|-
| ''Cherry Tree High Comedy Club'' || {{dts|2010|06|21}} || {{dts|2012|04|27}}
|-
| ''Cherry Tree High I! My! Girls!'' || {{dts|2010|12|31}} || {{dts|2014|11|20}}
|-
| ''Cherry Tree High Girls' Fight'' ||  || {{dts|2016|6|13}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Cherry Tree High Girls' Fight on Steam|url=http://store.steampowered.com/app/459540|publisher=[[Company:Valve Corporation|Valve]]|date=June 13, 2016|access-date=June 14, 2016}}</ref>
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite web|last=Ciolek|first=Todd|url=//www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/game/pc/cherry-tree-high-comedy-club|title=Cherry Tree High Comedy Club PC|work=Anime News Network|publisher=|date=May 8, 2012|access-date=May 13, 2012 }}
* {{Cite web|last=Hanley|first=Andy|url=http://www.uk-anime.net/games/Cherry_Tree_High_Comedy_Club_%28PC%29.html|title=Review: Cherry Tree High Comedy Club (PC)|work=UK Anime Network|publisher=|date=May 1, 2012|access-date=May 13, 2012}}

==External links==
* [http://cherrytreehigh.com/ Official website]

[[Category:Windows games]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]

{{Sourceattribution|Cherry Tree High Comedy Club}}