B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA

B-Project Ryusei Fantasia is part of a bigger franchise that started back in 2015. There are several anime series, a manga adaptation, a rhythm game, a stage play, multiple music CDs, and a range of related merchandise.

The game is a no-romance josei-muke about several J-Pop boy bands that are merged together into one big group called “B-Project”, formed under the Gandara Music record label. The main character, Tsubasa Sumisora, is a newly appointed A & R representative (artist & repertoire) or simply put, a person who is in charge of these idols, who oversees their schedule and helps them prepare for shows. She is not only knowledgeable about music but also helpful and considerate towards the boys, earning their trust and admiration very fast.

The story focuses on the 14 members’ trainee days and the challenges they faced on the road to success. It’s a slice-of-life visual novel, arguably with a coming-of-age narrative, as the idols are still very young (17 – 20 years old). While Tsubasa Sumisora’s age isn’t clearly specified, she seems to be not much older than the boys but acts very maturely and responsible towards the boys, while also constantly keeping a friendly, supportive and deeply caring attitude towards them.

Getting used to the individual personalities of each of the boys might seem difficult in the beginning, but the game facilitates this by introducing them one by one, based on their original group. Each of the boys has a unique personality that stands out from the rest of the group in a specific way and you’ll also get to know them one by one through individual conversations, but also through their interactions with the rest of the group, which are always adorable. There’s a lot of banter between them and plenty of funny and cheerful exchanges, topped with some heartwarming one-on-one dialogues.

To help the player easily identify them, the logo of their individual group is visible on the side of the dialogue box when a character speaks and their names are also color-matched to their outfits or portraits. The design in this regard is well done, although I felt that one missing element was displaying the connection between their stage name and their actual name, which the player has to always keep in mind as it’s not visible.

Since it’s a music-oriented VN, the soundtrack is obviously outstanding and the J-Pop songs performed by the band are all stellar. The game is also fully voiced, with the voice acting being on par with the soundtrack. The main protagonist might sound familiar to you, as she is voiced by the same voice actress who worked on the corresponding character from the anime series, but other voice actors also reprise their roles. With B-Project Ryusei Fantasia being the latest release of the franchise, the game thus feels like a continuation of the anime, although it can perfectly be considered as a standalone title too.

Due to the high-quality design and lengthy content (~65 hours, more if you want to explore all endings), B-Project Ryusei Fantasia is an easy recommendation not only for the fans of the franchise but also to anyone who is into J-Pop and likes reading VNs. Keep in mind that it’s not an otome game (if that has any relevance to you anyway), but the dynamics and chemistry between the characters are all great.

B-Project Ryusei Fantasia in a nutshell: