Instruct: Given a question, retrieve documents that answer the question.
Query: When was the visual novel Clannad first released?
Key's third game "Clannad" is a visual novel similar to Key's previous games, but contains no adult content. "Clannad" was meant to be released in 2002, but was delayed, leading to the game finally being released on April 28, 2004. Seven months after "Clannad"'s release, Key released their shortest game, "", on November 29, 2004 with a rating for all ages. "Planetarian", in contrast to Key's past games, is a linear visual novel that does not require the user to make choices during gameplay; this is what is referred to as a kinetic novel. The brand's fifth game is "", an adult game and spin-off to "Clannad" released on November 25, 2005, which expanded on the scenario of the heroine Tomoyo Sakagami from "Clannad". Key released their sixth game, "Little Busters!", on July 27, 2007 with no adult content, but released another version of the game entitled "Little Busters! Ecstasy" on July 25, 2008 with added adult content, story, and visuals.
After forming Key, Maeda worked on the music and scenario for their first title "Kanon" released in 1999, which proved to be very popular in the adult game market in Japan. Beside Maeda, the majority of "Kanon" scenario was written by Naoki Hisaya, but he quit Key shortly after "Kanon" was produced. Following this, Maeda wrote most of the scenario for Key's next title "Air", along with again working as the lyricist and one of the composers for the music featured in the game. After a period of four years in 2004, Key released their third and longest game "Clannad" where Maeda did a vast amount of the writing for the game; in all, Maeda put in around 75% of the work that went into the creation of "Clannad". Also in 2004, Maeda began writing his first manga entitled "Hibiki's Magic", which was first conceived as a short story he wrote as a student. In 2005, Maeda worked on the scenario and music for Key's fifth game "", followed by Key's sixth title "Little Busters!" released in July 2007 which he also worked on in regards to the scenario and music.
Of the 24 episodes planned for release by Kyoto Animation, 23 were aired on television with the first 22 being regular episodes, followed by an additional extra episode. The last episode was released as an original video animation on the eighth DVD on July 16, 2008 and is set in an alternate universe from the anime series in which Tomoya and Tomoyo are dating. The OVA episode was previewed on May 31, 2008 for an audience of four-hundred people picked via a mail-in postcard campaign. The broadcast time was first announced on August 11, 2007 at the TBS festival "Anime Festa", which is also when the first episode was showcased. The episodes aired between October 4, 2007 and March 27, 2008 on the TBS Japanese television network in 4:3 aspect ratio. The anime also aired in 16:9 aspect ratio between October 26, 2007 and April 4, 2008 on the BS-i Japanese television network. The anime series was released in a set of eight DVD compilations in Japan released between December 19, 2007 and July 16, 2008 by Pony Canyon, with each compilation containing three episodes. A Blu-ray Disc box set of "Clannad" was released on April 30, 2010 in Japan.
Visual novels are often produced for video game consoles, and the more popular games have occasionally been ported to such systems. The more famous visual novels are also often adapted into the light novel, manga or anime formats. The market for visual novels outside of East Asia is small, though a number of anime based on visual novels are popular among anime fans in the Western world.
Most of "Kanon"s development staff originally worked for the visual novel publisher Nexton under the brand Tactics. After the release of the brand's third game "", most of Tactics' staff left Nexton to pursue work in another publishing company where they could have the freedom to produce their next game. Itaru Hinoue, who had previously worked at VisualArt's once before, introduced Key's founding members to the president of VisualArt's, Takahiro Baba. Baba gave the developers the freedom they desired, and they officially transferred to VisualArt's where they formed Key on July 21, 1998 and started production on "Kanon". The planning for the visual novel was headed by Naoki Hisaya who was also one of two scenario writers with Jun Maeda. Hisaya wrote the scenarios for Ayu, Nayuki and Shiori, while Maeda wrote the routes for Makoto and Mai. Art direction was headed by Key's artist Itaru Hinoue who worked on the character design and computer graphics. Further computer graphics were split between three people—Dinn, Miracle Mikipon, Shinory—and background art was provided by Torino. The music in the game was composed by OdiakeS, Shinji Orito and Jun Maeda. "Kanon" was the first and last visual novel developed by Key that two of the main staff—Naoki Hisaya, and OdiakeS—worked on before pursuing a similar line of work in other visual novel studios.
In Japanese terminology, a distinction is often made between visual novels (abbreviated NVL, derived from "novel"), which consist predominantly of narration and have very few interactive elements, and adventure games (abbreviated AVG, or ADV derived from "adventure"), a form of adventure game which may incorporate problem-solving and other types of gameplay. This distinction is normally lost outside Japan, where both NVLs and ADVs are commonly referred to as "visual novels" by international fans. Visual novels and ADVs are especially prevalent in Japan, where they made up nearly 70% of the PC game titles released in 2006.
Christine Love began creating visual novels while in school at Trent University. By January 2010, she had made a few small video games; written a novel and a few short stories, which she largely unsuccessfully tried to sell; and had made a visual novel each March for three consecutive years for NaNoRenO (National Ren'ai Game Writing Month), a month-long contest in the vein of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) where developers attempt to create a visual novel in one month. In February 2010, she started a fourth visual novel, which resulted in "", her first game to receive widespread attention and acclaim. Set "five minutes into the future of 1988", "Digital" tells the story of the silent protagonist's online relationship with a girl named *Emilia, and a mystery surrounding the "murders" of several AI programs. The game is presented entirely through the interface of a 1980s computer with online bulletin board system posts and messages from other characters; the protagonist's own messages are implied but never shown. Love expected the game to reach as many people as her prior work, "a dozen or so people"; instead, the free game was noticed by video game publications and websites such as "PC Gamer" and Gamasutra and received much more attention, becoming what Love believes was "a defining point in [her] writing career". Widely praised by critics, "Digital" earned an honorable mention in Gamasutra's "Best Indie Games of 2010" list. Love felt that "Digital"s success turned her from a writer into an indie game developer.
In 2001, "Young Magazine" began serializing Clamp's "Chobits" which completed its run in 2002. Although their previous works are targeted at a female audience, "Chobits" marked the first time Clamp wrote for an older teen male audience. Clamp began writing the two works that tell separate parts of the same overarching plot, "xxxHolic" serialized in "Young Magazine" beginning in 2003 followed by "" serialized in the "Weekly Shōnen Magazine" beginning in the same year. "Tsubasa" marked the first time Clamp had ever tried writing for a younger male audience, although their first work published in the Shōnen genre was "Angelic Layer"
After "" was released in 1996, Blizzard originally began development of a point-and-click adventure game called "" which was supposed to tell the story after "Warcraft II". "Lord of the Clans" was canceled in favor of "Warcraft III" in 1998 which was presented to the public at the European Computer Trade Show in September 1999. The game's design and gameplay was significantly altered during development, with the final game sharing little similarities with the originally presented version. "Warcraft III" is set several years after the events of "Warcraft II" and its expansion and tells the story of the Burning Legion's attempt to conquer the fictional world of Azeroth with the help of an army of the Undead, led by fallen paladin Arthas Menethil. It also chronicles the combined efforts of the Human Alliance, Orcish Horde and Night Elves to stop them before they can corrupt the World Tree.
"Bleach" was serialized in the Japanese manga magazine "Weekly Shōnen Jump" from August 2001 to August 2016, with its chapters collected into 74 "tankōbon" volumes. The series has spawned a media franchise that includes an anime television series that was produced by Studio Pierrot from 2004 to 2012, two original video animation episodes, four animated feature films, ten stage musicals, and numerous video games, as well as many types of "Bleach"-related merchandise. A live-action film adaptation was released in 2018. English-language releases of "Bleach" are coordinated by Viz Media, which has released several volumes of the manga each year since 2004, and published chapters of "Bleach" in its "Shonen Jump" magazine since November 2007. Viz Media secured foreign television and home video distribution rights to the "Bleach" anime in 2006. Cartoon Network's Adult Swim began airing dubbed episodes of "Bleach" in the United States that Fall, and Hulu later began to stream subtitled versions of the anime a week after each episode aired in Japan. Viz Media has also released each of the "Bleach" feature films in English.
The series aired in Japan on the terrestrial TV Asahi network. It ran for 49 episodes; beginning on April 7, 1995 and ending on March 29, 1996. It received multiple manga adaptations, as well as video games. Four original video animation (OVA) episodes were produced including a retelling of the series, "Operation Meteor", and a direct sequel, "". In 2010, Sumizawa started writing the novel "", another sequel to the series. While the series fared modestly well in Japan, it found greater success in the United States and popularized the "Gundam" franchise in the West.
Up until the 1990s, the majority of visual novels utilized pixel art. This was particularly common on the NEC PC-9801 format, which showcased what is considered to be some of the best pixel art in the history of video games, with a popular example being "Policenauts" in 1994. There have also been visual novels that use live-action stills or video footage, such as several "Sound Novel" games by Chunsoft. The most successful example is "Machi", one of the most celebrated games in Japan, where it was voted No. 5 in a 2006 "Famitsu" reader poll of top 100 games of all time. The game resembled a live-action television drama, but allowing players to explore multiple character perspectives and affect the outcomes. Another successful example is "", which received a perfect score of 40 out of 40 from "Famitsu" magazine.
Even though the rock-infused "Sirius" and the pop-inclined "Macalla" were successful for Clannad, it was their breakthrough style that they created themselves that has left the greatest legacy. Clannad's influence can be found in the film "Titanic", where James Horner admitted to basing the soundtrack on Clannad's style. The soundtrack was so like Clannad's work that it has been incorrectly credited to them for many years. Clannad's 'Celtic mysticism' is a recurring theme in the film "Intermission". The "otherworldly" and "ethereal" Clannad sound comes from the ancient hills and glens that surround Gweedore, according to lead singer Moya Brennan. Traces of Clannad's legacy can be heard in the music of many artists, including Enya, Altan, Capercaillie, The Corrs, Loreena McKennitt, Anúna, Riverdance, Órla Fallon and even U2. Bono stated that Moya has "one of the greatest voices the human ear has ever experienced".
A visual novel, "Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai Portable", was developed by Namco Bandai Games for the PlayStation Portable and released on February 23, 2012.
"Planetarian" was released on November 29, 2004 via download over the Internet playable on Windows PCs, and was first made available only to Yahoo! Japan Broadband users. The game was opened up for general sale on December 6, 2004. Key released a CD-ROM version for Windows PCs on April 28, 2006 in limited and regular editions. An updated version of "Planetarian" compatible for Windows Vista PCs was released by Key on July 31, 2009 in a box set containing five other Key visual novels called Key 10th Memorial Box. Another updated version compatible for Windows 7 PCs called "Planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet Memorial Edition" was released on April 30, 2010. The "Memorial Edition" also came bundled with the three previously released "Planetarian" drama CDs. An HD edition for Windows was released on July 29, 2016. "Planetarian" was released on Steam by Sekai Project in English for Windows on September 12, 2014, with later support planned for macOS and Linux devices. The Steam release was updated on September 17, 2014 to allow the user to switch to the original Japanese version of the game.
"Chobits" began as a manga written and illustrated by Clamp, a collective of four Japanese manga artists. It appeared as a serial in "Weekly Young Magazine" from the 43rd issue for 2000 to the 48th issue for 2002. Kodansha compiled the eighty-eight chapters into eight bound volumes and published them from February 14, 2001, to November 29, 2002.
In 2002, Tokyopop licensed "Chobits" for an English-language translation in North America and marketed it as part of its new unflipped manga line, which reads from right-to-left. Previously, translated manga was typically flipped from its original reading order to a left-to-right one to better suit Western readers. Tokyopop published the series from April 23, 2002, to October 7, 2003, and its translation was distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment. Tokyopop's license concluded in 2009. At San Diego Comic-Con International 2009, Dark Horse Manga announced an omnibus edition of the series in celebration of Clamp's 20th anniversary. In 2010, it published the two volumes on March 24, and September 29, respectively.
"Chobits" is also published in Hong Kong in Traditional Chinese by Jonesky, in Singapore in Simplified Chinese by Chuang Yi, in South Korea by Daiwon C.I., in France by Pika Édition, in Spain by Norma Editorial, in Mexico by Grupo Editorial Vid, in Italy by Star Comics (which serialized it in "Express"), in Germany by Egmont Manga & Anime (which serialized it in "Manga Power"), in Poland by Japonica Polonica Fantastica, in Brazil by JBC, and in Sweden by Carlsen Verlag.
Visual novels are distinguished from other game types by their generally minimal gameplay. Typically the majority of player interaction is limited to clicking to keep the text, graphics and sound moving (many recent games offer "play" or "fast-forward" toggles that make this unnecessary), while making narrative choices along the way. Another main characteristic of visual novels are its strong emphasis on the prose, as the narration in visual novels are delivered through text. This characteristic makes playing visual novels similar to reading a book.
A novel series written by Tatsuya Hamazaki and illustrated by Yuzuka Morita of the same name retells the story of the games with slight modifications, such as depicting Epitaphs as weapons instead of physical Avatars and a further exploration Haseo's background who gains a new armor. It is composed of a total of four volumes published by Kadokawa Shoten between April 1, 2007 and August 1, 2008. Tokyopop published the novels in North America between February 10, 2009 and April 26, 2011. Cyberconnect2 also produced ".hack//G.U. Trilogy", a computer animated film adaptation of the games that takes numerous liberties with the story. The film was first screened in Japan in a Tokyo theater in December 2007. Bandai Visual later released it in DVD and Blu-ray format on March 25, 2008. In May 2011, Bandai Entertainment announced that they licensed the film for an English release but only with Japanese audio accompanied by English subtitles on August 18, 2009. Following the closure of Bandai Entertainment, Funimation announced at SDCC 2013, that they have acquired 4 .hack title including G.U. trilogy. 
The games' sequel is ".hack//Link", a PlayStation Portable game that takes place three years in the future with a new version of "The World".
My Monster Secret, known in Japan as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiji Masuda. It has been serialized in Akita Shoten's "shōnen" manga magazine "Weekly Shōnen Champion" since January 31, 2013. As of December 2016, the series has been collected in 20 "tankōbon" volumes. An anime television series adaptation began airing July 2015. AnimeLab has secured streaming rights in Australia & New Zealand. Seven Seas Manga acquired the rights to translate and distribute the manga for North America with the first volume being released in January 2016.
English translations are published in North America and the United Kingdom by Viz Media. As of 2013 Viz Media has released the manga in five different formats. Initially the manga was printed flipped and with English translations of the sound effects. Publication of English editions began in 1988 with the release of episodes from the story under the title "Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind" in the "Viz Select Comics" series. This series ran until 1996. It consists of 27 issues. In October 1990 Viz Media also started publishing the manga as "Viz Graphic Novel, Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind". The last of the seven Viz Graphic Novels in this series appeared in January 1997. Viz media reprinted the manga in four volumes titled, "Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind: Perfect Collection", which were released from October 1995 to October 1997. A box set of the four volumes was later released in January 2000. In 2004 Viz Media re-released the seven-volume format in an "Editors Choice" edition titled "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind". In this version the manga is left unflipped and the sound effects are left untranslated. Viz Media released its own deluxe two-volume box set on November 6, 2012.
In September 2004, IDW Publications began publishing a series of "Metal Gear Solid" comics, written by Kris Oprisko and illustrated by Ashley Wood. As of 2006, 12 issues have been published, fully covering the "Metal Gear Solid" storyline. The comic was adapted into a PlayStation Portable game, "Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel" ("Metal Gear Solid: Bande Dessinée" in Japan). It features visual enhancements and two interactive modes designed to give further insight into the publication. Upon viewing the pages, the player can open a "scanning" interface to search for characters and items in a three-dimensional view. Discoveries are added to a database which can be traded with other players via Wi-Fi. The "mission mode" allows the player to add collected information into a library. This information must be properly connected to complete a mission. "Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel" was released in North America on June 13, 2006, Japan on September 21 and the PAL region on September 22. In 2006, the game received IGN's award for Best Use of Sound on the PSP. A DVD-Video version is included with its sequel ("Metal Gear Solid 2: Bande Dessinée"), which was released in Japan on June 12, 2008. The DVD version features full voice acting.
ASCII Media Works and Vridge produced the PlayStation 2 visual novel based on the light novel series "Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu". Released in September 2008, the game features the series' characters cosplaying in various costumes either depicting characters from five popular light novel series published by ASCII Media Works, or three "Clannad" heroines. Haruka Nogizaka can cosplay as Kotomi Ichinose, Mika Nogizaka can cosplay as Nagisa Furukawa (albeit with long hair), and Shiina Amamiya can cosplay as Tomoyo Sakagami. The player can also view exclusive CGs in the game if one of the girls is taken out to various places while cosplaying as one of the aforementioned five light novel series characters, or as the "Clannad" heroines. For example, if Mika is cosplaying as Nagisa, a CG of her eating dango can become viewable. When cosplaying as one of these tie-in characters, the voice of the girl cosplaying changes to the voice actress of the character they are cosplaying; for example, if Shiina cosplays as Tomoyo, she is voiced by Tomoyo's voice actress Houko Kuwashima.
A version produced by NTT DoCoMo playable on FOMA mobile phones was released by Prototype through VisualArt's Motto in late 2007. Prototype later released a version playable on SoftBank 3G phones in January 2008. A version playable on Android devices was released on September 18, 2012. A PlayStation Portable (PSP) version of the game was released in Japan on May 29, 2008 by Prototype, which included the additions from the Windows full voice version. The limited edition release of the PSP and Xbox 360 versions came bundled with a "digest" edition of the drama CD series released by Prototype containing five separate stories each; the CD bundled with the PSP release is different from the CD bundled with the Xbox 360 version. Prototype also released a port of the game for the PlayStation Vita on August 14, 2014 to mark the 10-year anniversary of the game. Prototype released a PlayStation 4 port on June 14, 2018 with text support for both Japanese and English. Prototype will release a Nintendo Switch port in Q2 2019, again with text support for both Japanese and English.
"Hikari Mimamoru Sakamichi de" was later re-released via SoftBank 3G and FOMA mobile phones produced by Prototype through VisualArt's Motto starting in January 2008. One chapter was released weekly with the SoftBank 3G releases three weeks behind the version for FOMA phones. Prototype again re-released the short story collection, this time on the PSP in two volumes, each containing eight chapters and including the original art by GotoP. The first volume was released on June 3, 2010 and the second followed on July 15, 2010; the re-release is described by the developers as a "visual sound novel". Prototype released the short story collection as downloadable content on July 6, 2011 for the PS3 version of "Clannad". "Hikari Mimamoru Sakamichi de" was released in two volumes on Android devices: the first volume on November 30, 2011, and volume two on April 11, 2012.
Two "Clannad" anthology character novels were written by several authors and published by Jive in September and December 2004. The first volume of a short story anthology compilation series written by Hiro Akizuki and Mutsuki Misaki titled was released in November 2008 published by Harvest; the third volume was released in October 2009. Three volumes of a short story compilation series by several authors titled "Clannad SSS" were published by Harvest between June and August 2009. Harvest published a novel titled "Clannad Mystery File" in August 2010 and another novel titled "Clannad: Magic Hour" in December 2010.