Dengeki’s December issue of 2012 features some key visuals and character profile imagery of the upcoming third embark into a truly “by the book” harem series Da Capo – characters looking mild at most.
As is often inevitable, the visual novel of Da Capo 3 carries vastly superior aesthetics of a much sharper and more distinctive style and appearance – whereas those seen here seem more conventionalized and broken into recurring elements, as if components of a mass-manufactured product. The palette of tones, for instance, is notably adjusted ever-slightly, yet noticeably, to be something the studio can actually output continually as colors do expend resources and have certain considerations with their usage.
Likewise, shadows are visibly simplified into shapes versus gradients – and shapes similarly less intricate. Take a look at the visage of either female in front, there isn’t much of an elaborate form so much as there is an outline forming the typical rounded pentagon of a head shape seen with essentially the grand majority of second dimensional citizens.
On the plus side, the artistic stylings of Da Capo’s visual novel are already of such an arete class – even watering them down, they remain leagues above average, and highly articulate, as well as both lush and expressive.
If there’s any remaining concern of the series, it’s that exquisite eyecandy may not always save a harem series from the route of banality and service driven demise – yet hope isn’t to be extinguished just yet.
Oct 31, 2012 @ 8:38 CDT
I like those character designs, they are simple yet fascinating. I hope that, even though it’s a harem series, delivers some deepness behind the plot.