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Wonderful Everyday,[lower-alpha 1] also known colloquially by its Japanese nickname Subahibi, is a visual novel video game developed by KeroQ. It was released for Microsoft Windows in 2010 in Japan by KeroQ, and in 2017 internationally by Frontwing. It is KeroQ's fourth game after Tsui no Sora, Nijūei and Moekan; it shares many characters and plot elements with Tsui no Sora, of which it is an expanded retelling.

Wonderful Everyday
Cover art
Developer(s)	KeroQ
Publisher(s)	JP: KeroQ WW: Frontwing
Director(s)	SCA-DI
Producer(s)	SCA-DI
Artist(s)	Kagome Motoyon Suzuri Karory Aka Akasaka SCA-DI
Writer(s)	SCA-DI
Composer(s)	Matsumoto Fuminori ryo Pixelbee H.B Studio
Engine	Ethornell [ja]
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows
Release	JP: March 26, 2010 WW: August 30, 2017
Genre(s)	Visual novel Eroge
Mode(s)	Single-player

Gameplay

The game requires minimal interaction from the player, as the duration of the game is spent on reading the text that appears onscreen; this text represents either dialogue between the various characters, narration, or the inner thoughts of the protagonist. A number of choices exist, some of which determine the plot branch on which a story continues. Viewing all the branches is necessary to proceed to the next story. The game generally follows visual novel conventions, with the text appearing at the bottom of the screen, but segments exist where it is overlaid on the entire screen.

Plot

Wonderful Everyday's plot comprises six chapters,[1] the titles of which are taken from chapters in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Most of the chapters take place in the fictional Suginomiya neighborhood of Tokyo and recount the month of July 2012 from different perspectives.

Down the Rabbit-Hole

Protagonist Yuki Minakami one day encounters a girl named Zakuro Takashima as she is throwing stuffed rabbits off a rooftop. Zakuro soon begins living in Yuki's house with her, as do her childhood friends, Kagami Wakatsuki and Tsukasa Wakatsuki. Together, they enjoy a peaceful life and help Zakuro search the stars for a local legend - the 'girl of the sky.' The branches allow Yuki to either enter a homosexual relationship with one of the Wakatsuki sisters and end the story, or pursue the mystery of Zakuro and continue onward to Down the Rabbit-Hole II.

Down the Rabbit-Hole II

Though considered part of the Down the Rabbit-Hole story by the game, according to the scriptwriters, this branch is the true beginning of Wonderful Everyday's plot.[2] Diverting from the story of Rabbit Hole I, Yuki meets Zakuro, and although she does not remember having met, Zakuro kisses Yuki, startling her. The next day, Yuki learns that Zakuro has killed herself. Zakuro's suicide provokes significant social unrest within Yuki's class, which prompts an investigation that leads her to a hidden message board where students theorize about the significance of the deaths of Zakuro and Shiroyama, another student who recently died when he fell off the school roof. A boy in Yuki's class, Takuji Mamiya, makes a speech claiming that Zakuro and Shiroyama's deaths were an omen of the coming apocalypse, to take place in one week - on July 20th. Yuki, further investigating Zakuro's suicide and the subsequent death of a teacher, experiences dissociative amnesia and hallucinations which frustrate her efforts to discover the truth and lead to an eventual breakdown. She ultimately concludes that Takuji was behind it all and confronts him on the school rooftop. Takuji leaps from the roof, leaving Yuki shocked and confused as the chapter ends.

It's my Own Invention

Takuji Mamiya, a victim of severe bullying and a traumatic childhood, encounters a girl named Zakuro Takashima and develops a crush on her, which provokes in him various sexual fantasies concerning her. Takuji later witnesses Zakuro committing suicide, an event that severely traumatizes him and contributes to a major change to his personality. He discovers forum comments by Zakuro suggesting that she believed an apocalyptic prophecy which may have motivated her suicide, and experiences further bizarre hallucinatory fantasies, including one which motivates him to have sexual intercourse with Zakuro's desk. Coming to believe in this prophecy himself, Takuji recruits many of his classmates into an apocalyptic cult, telling them that Zakuro's spirit is out for vengeance against those who bullied her or turned a blind eye to her torment and that they will be forgiven if they follow him, as they will supposedly be saved as he "returns them to the sky" on the day of the world's end. After directing his newfound followers to commit various crimes, Takuji leads them to the roof of the school, where, under the influence of stolen LSD, they leap from the roof in a mass ritual suicide event. The branch focuses on his relationship with Kimika Tachibana, the girl who professes herself his servant.

Looking-glass Insects

Telling the events prior to Down the Rabbit-Hole II and It's my Own Invention from the perspective of Zakuro Takashima, the story focuses on her relationship with Takuji and the bullying to which she is subjected. After enduring several instances of degrading public humiliation orchestrated by her bullies, including one major incident in which she is coerced into taking drugs and forced to publicly masturbate, Zakuro is eventually subjected to gang rape and severely traumatized. She later encounters two young girls from another school who convince her that they are the reincarnations of powerful female warriors from another world, and that they must have a near death experience in order to recover their powers, so that they may stop an oncoming apocalypse. However, when they head to the roof of an apartment complex to complete the ritual, the other two girls change their minds and wish to turn back, but Zakuro, now fully insane, leaps from the roof and pulls the other two girls with her, killing them all. The branch, meanwhile, is a more positive ending in which tragedy is averted when she makes amends with her estranged friend, Kimika Tachibana, and they cooperate to fight back against their tormentors, becoming romantically involved in the process. It is first revealed in this chapter that Takuji, suffering from a dissociative personality disorder (though he is unaware of it), shares his body with Yuki and Tomosane, who each interact with Zakuro at different points through the plot.

Jabberwocky

This chapter retells the story from the perspective of Tomosane Yuuki, who believes he, "The Destroyer" has been brought into being to erase Takuji's personality, so that Yuki's personality can eventually replace him. It is revealed in this chapter, as well, that Kagami and Tsukasa do not truly exist, as they are characters from an anime seen by Takuji in place of his sister Hasaki and the rabbit doll she carries. The story develops further from Tomosane's perspective, exploring his relationship with Hasaki and Yuki, while introducing further mysteries related to their past. After Takuji witnesses Zakuro's suicide and begins creating his cult, Tomosane is forced to abandon his role as the destroyer, and his objective becomes to stop Takuji and save Hasaki Mamiya, Takuji's younger sister.

Which Dreamed It

The events of the final week are now shown from the perspective of Hasaki Mamiya. It is revealed that Tomosane was the original personality in the body, and that his personality disorder began after a violent incident in which Takuji and Yuki were both killed and later reappeared as alternate personalities. Tomosane promises to protect Hasaki as himself after overtaking Takuji, though Takuji ultimately retains control and follows through with the mass suicide plan of his cult. As the chapter ends, Hasaki witnesses Takuji, controlling Tomosane's body, leap from the roof of Kita High.

Jabberwocky II

The first part of the chapter takes place seven years in the past in the isolated village of Sawaimura, where the Mamiya and Minakami families once lived. Tomosane, Hasaki, and Yuki live a peaceful life until the untimely death of Tomosane's father due to illness, at which they are deeply aggrieved. It is revealed that, in an attempt to curry favor with a cult leader, Tomosane's mother, Kotomi Sasami, had an affair with him to give birth to "the savior" which resulted in Takuji and Hasaki's birth as twins. Displeased by this outcome, the cult leader discarded Kotomi. Believing Hasaki has stolen Takuji's power, Kotomi directs Takuji to kill Hasaki as she believes that she will be able to revive Hasaki after she is "returned to the sky" and Takuji's powers are restored to him. Hasaki survives, but Yuki and Takuji are killed in the confrontation. After recollecting this past, Yuki reappears to Tomosane and urges him to return and save both himself and Hasaki after the mass suicide directed by Takuji. Depending on the branch taken in Jabberwocky I, one of three endings follow:

Hill of Sunflowers

In this ending, accessed by pursuing the Yuki romance route, Tomosane survives his fall. A year later, having been released on bail after being arrested for Takuji's crimes, he revisits Sawaimura with Hasaki and Yuki, who has returned to share his body after Takuji's disappearance. The three reflect together on their past memories of Sawaimura, and Hasaki expresses jealousy towards Yuki for having courted Tomosane's love.

Wonderful Everyday

If Hasaki is pursued, she and Tomosane visit their mother, Kotomi, and reflect on her role in causing the incident. Tomosane is visited by Kimura, a journalist pursuing information about him earlier in the story, and informed that although Tomosane was ultimately ruled as innocent of Takuji's crimes, he has become famous on the internet and may become a target of violence, something Tomosane dismisses. It is implied that Tomosane's incestuous relationship with Hasaki continues following this ending.

End Sky II

This ending, in which no romance is pursued in Jabberwocky I, is unlocked only after viewing the previous two endings. Tomosane's fate after Takuji jumps from the roof is left ambiguous, and Yuki awakens on the rooftop of Kita High's Building C, greeted by Ayana. Yuki, wondering why there appears to be nothing abnormal despite the incidents of the previous day, questions Ayana about what has become of Tomosane and why she is here, to which Ayana responds cryptically with several "hypotheses." Ayana is then approached by a fellow student who informs her that Kita High's graduation ceremony is starting soon, and Ayana's true identity and nature is unexplained.

Knockin' on Heaven's Door

This short bonus chapter included with the Japan-exclusive "Full Voice HD Edition" follows Tomosane and Yuki, who is still sharing Tomosane's body, after the events of the Hill of Sunflowers ending. Yuki wishes to continue to pursue a romance with Tomosane, which he initially rejects as he fears she will one day disappear from his consciousness and does not wish to get attached. After confiding their feelings in each other, Yuki and Tomosane commit to their relationship. Yuki assures Tomosane she will never disappear, and they promise to continue living together for the rest of their life.

Characters

Yuki Minakami (水上 由岐, Minakami Yuki)

Voiced by: Rino Kawashima

Yuki is the protagonist of the Down the Rabbit-Hole story. A habitual truant with a taste for cigarettes who considers herself antisocial, but in fact has an aptitude for getting along with other girls (and for intimidating boys,) she is a fan of classical literature who spends much of the school day reading on the rooftop. As a result of her grandfather's stewardship of a kobudō dojo, she is a skilled martial artist. Yuki, along with Takuji, shares her body with Takuji and Tomosane Mamiya as an alternate personality, having previously died saving Hasaki in the events of Jabberwocky II.

Takuji Mamiya (間宮 卓司, Mamiya Takuji)

Voiced by: Shin Sayama

"The one who perceives the pre-established harmony of the world."[3] Takuji is a boy in Yuki's class and the protagonist of It's my Own Invention. A timid boy who is an otaku and stammers when he speaks to others, he rarely attends class and spends most of his time in a secret hideout he has constructed. He undergoes a profound transformation after witnessing the death of Zakuro, leading him to recruit his fellow students into an apocalyptic death cult. Takuji, along with Yuki, shares his body with Yuki Minakami and Tomosane Mamiya as an alternate personality, as he previously died confronting Tomosane in the events of Jabberwocky II. However, he is unaware of this.

Zakuro Takashima (高島 ざくろ, Takashima Zakuro)

Voiced by: Sui Suzumiya

"The girl by whose will the world was split asunder."[3] The protagonist of the Looking-glass Insects story, Zakuro is a girl from the class neighboring that of Yuki and most of the other characters. Timid and soft-spoken with a tendency to space out, she is the frequent target of pranks and bullying by the rest of her class. She considers Kimika her friend, though their relationship is frequently troubled. After being subjected to gang rape, Zakuro loses her grasp on reality and participates in a group suicide, believing a near-death experience will reawaken incredible powers she possessed in a previous life. Takuji's witnessing of her death traumatizes him, and sets the rest of the plot in motion. In the branch narrative of Looking-glass Insects, Zakuro becomes Kimika's lover.

Tomosane Yuuki (悠木 皆守, Yūki Tomosane)

Voiced by: Isuke Natsumura[4][lower-alpha 2]

Tomosane is the protagonist of the Jabberwocky and Jabberwocky II stories. Considered the strongest fist-fighter in the school, he rules its most unsavory elements by fear and is also a source of dread for Takuji, whom he brutalizes frequently. He works part-time as a piano player at a transvestite bar, and has a tumultuous friendship with Yuki Minakami. His secret hobby is playing retro video games. It is later revealed that Tomosane's true identity is Tomosane Mamiya, Hasaki's older half-sister, and the original personality in the body he shares with Takuji and Yuki. Tomosane's goal is to erase Takuji's personality, initially to be replaced by Yuki as the dominant identity, but later to stop Takuji's crimes and save Hasaki. In one of the Jabberwocky branches, he and Hasaki become romantically involved in an incestuous relationship.

Hasaki Mamiya (間宮 羽咲, Mamiya Hasaki)

Voiced by: Komugi Nishida

Hasaki is the protagonist of the Which Dreamed It story and Tomosane's younger half-sister. She is a shy and quiet girl, who carries a stuffed rabbit with her everywhere she goes. She is very attached to Tomosane and regularly comes to his school to bring him lunch, and helps out with his work at the bar. Seven years prior, Hasaki was the victim of a violent incident in the village of Sawaimura, where her mother directed her twin brother, Takuji, to kill her, purportedly returning her to the sky and restoring Takuji's lost power. Though Hasaki survived thanks to Yuki and Tomosane's intervention, the trauma of the incident, as well as death of Yuki and Tomosane's disappearance as Takuji's personality replaced him has left her deeply aggrieved. In one of the Jabberwocky branches, she and Tomosane become romantically involved in an incestuous relationship.

Kagami Wakatsuki (若槻 鏡, Wakatsuki Kagami)

Voiced by: Yui Ogura

Kagami is Yuki's childhood friend, and acts as a stereotypical tsundere towards her, as well as frequently arguing with Takuji. She is fiercely protective of her twin sister, Tsukasa, of which she is the older of the two. It is later revealed that Kagami and Tsukasa are mental creations of Takuji, based on the similarly named and designed characters from Lucky Star. Takuji, and occasionally Yuki, see Kagami and Tsukasa in place of Takuji's sister Hasaki and the rabbit doll she carries, due to Takuji's denial of Hasaki's existence.

Tsukasa Wakatsuki (若槻 司, Wakatsuki Tsukasa)

Voiced by: Aoi Kisaragi

Tsukasa is Yuki's childhood friend, a gentle girl who acts as the mediator between Yuki and her sister Kagami and is a member of the school's disciplinary committee. She is a fan of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It is later revealed that Tsukasa and Kagami are mental creations of Takuji, based on the similarly named and designed characters from Lucky Star. Takuji, and occasionally Yuki, see Tsukasa and Kagami in place of Takuji's sister Hasaki and the rabbit doll she carries, due to Takuji's denial of Hasaki's existence.

Kimika Tachibana (橘 希実香, Tachibana Kimika)

Voiced by: Minami Hokuto

Kimika is a girl in the same class as Zakuro, and her friend, though she considers herself to have betrayed Zakuro and often treats her coldly in an attempt to alienate her. Like Zakuro, she is the frequent target of bullying. After Zakuro's death, she becomes Takuji's devoted follower, and pursues him romantically. She is a potential love interest for Zakuro in the branch narrative of Looking-Glass Insects.

Ayana Otonashi (音無 彩名, Otonashi Ayana)

Voiced by: Mia Naruse

Ayana is a mysterious girl who is typically encountered by the various protagonists on the school rooftop. She speaks enigmatically, and frequently makes literary references and strange jokes that others find more unsettling than amusing. Her conversations often concern the End Sky (終ノ空, Tsui no Sora), a concept only she herself seems to truly understand. She is shown to have telepathic and precognitive powers, although the source of these abilities and her true nature are never explained.

Development

The first game developed by SCA-DI and his studio KeroQ was Tsui no Sora [ja], first released in 1999. Because of some technical issues with the game, compounded with a large audience of people who wanted to play it in spite of those issues, KeroQ began production on a remake of the game. However, the remake's scope drastically expanded during production, leading SCA-DI to realize that he was in fact creating an entirely new work, which would eventually be released as Subarashiki Hibi (shortened as Subahibi). While Tsui no Sora was inspired primarily by the works of Friedrich Nietzsche, Subahibi instead pulled concepts largely from the works of Ludwig Wittgenstein, particularly the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus.[5][6] As the producer, planner, and scenario writer for Wonderful Everyday,[7] SCA-DI worked on the character designs and graphics alongside Kagome, Motoyon, Suzuri, and Karory.[7] Renowned mangaka Aka Akasaka, creator of Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, contributed to the backgrounds assets.[8]

Prior to the release of Wonderful Everyday, a demo of the game was made available on the official website on January 30, 2010.[9] Wonderful Everyday was originally planned to be released on February 26, 2010 but a release was announced on December 26, 2009, pushing the release date one month back to March 26, 2010.[9]

The opening song of Wonderful Everyday, "Kūkirikigaku Shōjo to Shōnen no Uta" (空気力学少女と少年の詩, Aerodynamics Girls and Boys Song), was performed by Hana,[10] who also performed the ending songs "Shuumatsu no Bishou" (終末の微笑, The Final Smile) and "Norowareta Sei / Shukufukusareta Sei" (呪われた生／祝福された生, Cursed Life/Blessed Life). Monet performed the other ending songs: "Naglfar no Senjou nite" (ナグルファルの船上にて, On Board Naglfar), "Kami to Senritsu" (神と旋律, God and Melody), "Noborenai Sakamichi" (登れない坂道, The Hill I Could Never Climb) and "Kagami no Sekai niwa Watashi shika Inai -another version-" (鏡の世界には私しかいない-another version-, Alone in the Looking-Glass World -another version-). The lyrics for all of the songs were written by SCA-DI. The music was composed by Matsumoto Fuminori under the alias "skaz", ryo from Supercell,[11] Pixelbee, and H.B Studio. Matsumoto was also in charge of composing the opening song and the ending songs The Final Smile and Cursed Life/Blessed Life, while Pixelbee composed the other ending songs.

Wonderful Everyday contains many intertextual references to a variety of philosophical and literary works, including Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus by Ludwig Wittgenstein, Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant, Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse, and many others. This proved to be a challenge for the TLWiki translation group, as the translation's main editor herkz[12] was involved in cross-referencing the English versions of many of these titles with the translators' interpretations of their appearances in the text. It was said by one of the translators, vvav,[13] that as SCA-DI's interpretation of Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus carried some of the greatest narrative significance, it is sometimes believed to be "required reading" for fully understanding the story, prompting them to research Wittgenstein's body of work for the project.[6] Vvav also said that SCA-DI had made the challenging philosophical concepts driving the narrative accessible to general audiences, making it easier for them to comprehend when translating the game. However, vvav also admitted that, while they put in an "honest effort to be realistic with myself" about parts of the story that they needed to do more research for, as they lacked formal higher education in the fields of philosophy and literature, it was entirely possible that some errors had been made.[14]

On June 15, 2012, it was made public by TLWiki that a fan translation was in the works.[15] Three years later, it was made public that the translation was complete and it was being edited. The team was later contacted by Frontwing to negotiate acquisition of the translation to be released officially. A Kickstarter campaign, announced by Frontwing during their panel at the 2017 Anime Expo, was planned to fund the production of a limited physical release and other merchandise. It was originally slated to launch on July 12 of that year,[16][17] but was delayed[18] and instead commenced on August 2, 2017, with a goal of $80,000 and stretch goals of $120,000 and $180,000 to fund an English translated artbook and new scenario content by SCA-DI that, it was said, would have released in the summer of 2018.[19][20] The Kickstarter campaign reached its goal on August 6 and ended on August 27, with an ultimate total of $105,928, though it continued to receive additional pledges through slacker backers via BackerKit.[21][22] The game was released on Steam on August 30, 2017, with newly redrawn higher resolution assets.[21][23][24] Due to Valve's prohibition of adult content on the platform and its importance in the narrative of the title,[25] it was decided they would release a censored version of the first chapter on Steam, and a free patch that readers could download to unlock the rest of the content.[26][27] The adult content patch released fully uncensored,[21] save for a brief scene depicting bestiality which Frontwing said had been cut due to legal concerns, although no text was removed due to this.[27] Concerning Subahibi's international release, SCA-DI expressed that he was nervous on account of the extreme nature of its content, but that he would be very happy if it was able to lead to his other works getting localizations as well.[5]

Prior to the release, one of the editors of Wonderful Everyday's English translation, herkz,[12] posted a Twitter thread criticizing Frontwing for decisions they said the company had made in producing Subahibi's English version.[28] Herkz said that the Frontwing staff had refused to let the team finish much additional work on the translation that remained to be finished,[29][30][31][32] such as an additional translation pass and technical modifications.[33][34][35][36][37] Herkz also said that Frontwing had not facilitated communication between the TLWiki team and their internal staff,[38][39] and called the quality of the finished product into question.[40][41] In a reddit AMA held by Frontwing, TLWiki translator vvav[13] responded to herkz's tweets, saying that their discontent over having been denied ultimate control of the game's finished script was indicative of a strong emotional attachment to their long-term personal investment in the work, but told fans that the end product would be a quality one nonetheless.[42] When asked what had been done to address potential inconsistencies in translation that might have arisen from the script changing hands between the TLWiki team and Frontwing's internal translators, the company's PR representative declined to comment, citing non-disclosure agreements.[43]

On July 20, 2018, an updated rerelease suffixed "Full Voice HD Edition" was released in Japan. This new version featured new art, menus, and a newly designed user interface, and added voice acting for every character, as only one male character was voiced before, and used the higher-resolution assets included in the English release the previous year. It also contained a brand-new short scenario called "Knockin' on Heaven's Door."[4] This version's additional content has not received any official release in other regions. On December 25, 2020, KeroQ released the "10th Anniversary Special Edition," a complete collection containing the Full Voice HD Edition of Subarashiki Hibi, the original Tsui no Sora, and an all-new remake of Tsui no Sora featuring new art and a dramatically revised and expanded script.[44]

Reception

Wonderful Everyday won the bronze prize in the overall category of the Moe Game Awards 2010,[45] as well as the gold prize in the Scenario category.[46]

The game also made a good showing in the 2010 PC game rankings on Getchu.com, a popular online Japanese games shop. It ranked second place overall as well as first place in the Scenario and Music categories, and 3rd in Graphics. Additionally, Yuki Minakami was voted the 4th best character from games of that year.[47]

Writing for Hardcore Gamer, Marcus Estrada gave a positive review, praising the story's complexity and the quality of the artwork, however they noted that a significant portion of the game constituted an "absolute madhouse of cruel imagery." Although the title came strongly recommended with a 4.5/5 score, and an encouragement to go in knowing as little as possible, readers were cautioned to "steel themselves" and "be prepared for anything" on account of the extremity of the content within.[48]

Notes

References

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Wonderful Everyday at The Visual Novel Database

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