Happy American Thanksgiving! We're taking the week off but as a very special treat we're pulling one of our favourite Pantheon episodes out from behind the paywall. To celebrate the upcoming 30th anniversary it's our deep-dive into Sakura Wars for the Sega Saturn! If you can find 3 entire hours to sneak away from your family this Thanksgiving, it's a rollercoaster ride of emotions and packed with history and context for one of Sega's most important franchises. All the original show notes, including the further reading, are included below so please enjoy this blooming episode of Pantheon of the Blood God!
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For our $10-and-up patrons, it's the longest Pantheon episode yet. Sakura Wars never came out in the West but its massive success in Japan in the late 90s and early 2000s gives it an often-unseen influence on RPGs. Can this forgotten SEGA franchise surpass the language barrier and make its way into the Pantheon?

We talk about:

For the last time, it's not a visual novel

The history of western theatre in Japan

Subversions of gender essentialism

The single set of footprints in the sand is when Sakura Wars was carrying the Saturn and also fighting Satan.

Further Reading:
The Origin of Visual Novels - Bowl of Lentils
https://youtu.be/7wOtv-J7tOI?si=tRyGSp0Hzd1Yyc4r
25 Years With an Invisible Elephant in the Room - Tom James
https://freelansations.medium.com/25-years-with-an-invisible-elephant-in-the-room-6e5402c93960
Skies of Arcadia 2019 Developer Interview
https://youtu.be/BPngEZ80xnU?si=jMX2dffTcaR0BaS1
Sakura Wars Retrospective Playlist - Matt B
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFMXcpj1mOa7AYfYPMZ80LzAwE3zl-ftV
Sakura Wars - Kimimi (not mentioned in the episode but good coverage of the series)
https://kimimithegameeatingshemonster.com/sakura-wars-corner/
Timestamps:

6:56 - Our History with Sakura Wars

18:00 - Development and History

2:08:00 - SPOILERS BEGIN

2:11:00 - SPOILERS END

2:38:48 - Verdict

Music Used in This Episode:

Move Out! - [Sakura Wars]

Geki! Teikoku Kagekidan - [Sakura Wars]

Blooming Maidens - [Sakura Wars]

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