the visual novel database

Report an issue on this page.

Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm

蒼の彼方のフォーリズム

Titles
蒼の彼方のフォーリズム
Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm
Aokana -Four Rhythms Across the Blue-
苍之彼方的四重奏
Cang zhi Bifang de Sichongzou
蒼之彼方的四重奏
Cang zhi Bifang de Sichongzou
AliasesBeyond the sky, into the firmament., あおかな, Four Rhythm Across the Blue, 4Rhythm, Aokana, 아오카나
Play timeLong (43h45m from 273 votes)
Developersprite
Publisherssprite & Piacci & Rightway Co., Ltd. & fairys & HIKARI FIELD & NekoNyan & Graber
HIKARI FIELD & NekoNyan & PQube & Graber
HIKARI FIELD & NekoNyan & Kitami Rikka Fan Club & Meng Nimei Hanhuazu & Graber
Team Myskrpatch
ReNey Team
Taikutsu Translations
Aoi Team & AowVN
Relations
Fandisc

Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm - EXTRA1

Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm - EXTRA2

Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm - If 01 - Minamo Shirase -

Same series

JASHINCHAN -7th DEVIL-

Same setting

Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate

LinksWikipedia (en), Wikipedia (ja), Wikidata, MobyGames, MobyGames, GameFAQs, GameFAQs, GameFAQs, GameFAQs, VGMdb, ACDB, HowLongToBeat, IGDB, IGDB, PCGamingWiki, VNStat
Shopssponsored links» US$ 31.49 @ JAST USA
» US$ 34.95 @ MangaGamer
» US$ 136.99 @ PlayAsia
» US$ 181.99 @ PlayAsia
» US$ 61.99 @ PlayAsia
Related anime[DB-ANN] Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm (TV Series, 2016)

Description

In a world where flying through the sky is as simple as riding a bicycle, the sport "Flying Circus" is all the rage.

Following the discovery of anti-gravitons, special shoes that allow an individual to fly, Anti-Graviton Shoes, took the world by storm.

And with the Grav Shoes came an entire new world for people to explore. Not long after, that revolution in technology gave birth to a brand new sport, Flying Circus, which used the shoes to make players compete in the open sky.

Hinata Masaya, who was once considered a prodigy, turned his back on Flying Circus after suffering a crushing defeat, although there was also another reason...

However, his former passion is reignited while teaching the new transfer student, Kurashina Asuka, how to fly.

This time, Masaya chooses to enter the world of Flying Circus not as a player, but a coach. Sometimes fighting, and at other times encouraging each other, he and his team decide to challenge the top student athletes in Japan.

Now, with Asuka by his side, how high will he be able to fly?

This is a love story about those who met through the sky, as well as the friends who surround them.

[Edited from NekoNyan]

Coach Protagonist 3.0 Competition 3.0 Determinant AntagonistS 3.0 Friendship 3.0 Heroine with Big Breasts 3.0 Lots of Event CGs 3.0 Mid-game Videos 3.0 Sex with Protagonist Only 3.0 Fictional Island Near Futuristic Japan 2.9 Only Virgin Heroines 2.9 Laid-back Heroine 2.8 Multiple Endings 2.8 School Sports Club Member Heroine 2.8 Duel 2.8 Male Protagonist 2.8 Sports 2.8 Serious Protagonist 2.8 ADV 2.7 Unlockable EpilogueS 2.7 Backlog Jump 2.7 Mentor Support Character 2.7 Near Future 2.7 High Amount of Special Effects 2.6 Defloration 2.6 Late Sexual Content 2.6 Multiple Credit Rolls 2.6 School Sports Club 2.6 Sprite Viewer 2.6 Group of Friends 2.6 Romance 2.5 Genius HeroineS 2.5 High School Student Protagonist 2.5 Naked Sprites 2.5 School Sports Club Member Protagonist 2.5 Super Deformed CG's 2.5 Tactician Protagonist 2.5 Long Common Route 2.4 Varying Ending Songs 2.4 Energetic Heroine 2.4 Episodic Story 2.4 Genius Protagonist 2.4 Psychological Trauma 2.4 High School Student Heroine 2.3 Kissing Scene 2.3 Protagonist's Kouhai as a Heroine 2.3 Airhead Heroine 2.3 Transfer Student Heroine 2.2 High School 2.2 Infodumping 2.1 Battle of Wits 2.0 Flashback 2.0 Gamer Heroine 2.0 Genius Support Character 2.0 Half-orphan Heroine 2.0 Heroine with Ahoge 2.0 Meaningless Choices 2.0 Multiple Opening Movies 2.0 Other Perspectives 2.0 Panchira 2.0 Pragmatic Heroine 2.0 Pragmatic Protagonist 2.0 Proactive Protagonist 2.0 Protagonist with a Face 2.0 School Life Comedy 2.0 Student Heroine 2.0 Pure Love Story 1.9 Twin Tail Heroine 1.9 Low Sexual Content 1.9 Student Club 1.9 Student Club Member Heroine 1.9 Timid Heroine 1.8 Student Protagonist 1.8 Heroine with Intake Hairstyle 1.8 Mother Support Character 1.8 Open Ending(s)S 1.8 Student Club Member Protagonist 1.8 Late Branching Plot 1.7 Racing 1.6 Super Deformed Sprites 1.6 Comedy 1.6 Clumsy Heroine 1.5 Few Choices 1.4 Church SexS 1.3 Donkan Protagonist 1.3 Heroine with Zettai Ryouiki 1.3 Multiple Route Mystery 1.3 Protagonist's Childhood Friend as a HeroineS 1.3 Protagonist with Ahoge 1.3 Brother Support Character 1.2 Otaku Heroine 1.1 Student Club President ProtagonistS 1.1 Sister Support Character 1.1 Desperation 1.0 Unlockable Sexual Content 1.0 Heroine with Flat Chest (Non-Loli) 0.5 Homosexual Support Character 0.4 BetrayalS 0.3 Tomboy Heroine 0.3 Sexual Content 0.2

Mini reviews

By angelssww on 2020-12-29r58672Vote: 9
<report>AOKANA it's one of those VN where you came to hate it early on or fall in love with it later on IMO.
Perhaps the characters are the archetypes of anime characters which a lot of people hate to see (AKA Asuka) but if you overcome that you'll find one of those stories which you hardly will ever forget even if the story doesn't hit you in a personal level as it did for me. Plus, the art and the ost and even the concept of it are truly amazing.
I came for the art and I stayed for the story. Without a doubt Masaya is best grill.
1 comment 4 points
By magicflier on 2020-09-18r59201Vote: 8.5
<report>AoKana is about a boy who was traumatized by something called talent, and is trying to move on from petty jealously of players that have what he tends to claim as 'talent'. He has to work with a few girls that have their own issues while dragging his trauma along with him. The story itself as a whole is heartwarming, and albeit the drama bits it focuses a whole lot on the positive outlook of sportsmanship; and with such wonderful BGM to supplement, it manages to create scenes that can shake you or leave you in awe. When I say this, I mean that scenes that give you chills as you watch matches between characters. The idea behind this sport 'Flying Circus' is genius if you ask me. I wasn't let down at all. I felt like I was sucked into the world for every other segment with a match.
0 comments 4 points
By Folash on 2021-11-23Vote: 8.7
<report>Good storytelling, compelling characters, fantastic effects, a good OST, a unique premise with an interesting implementation, and genuinely well-done comedy. There's a reason Aokana is so often hailed as one of the best bishoujo games. The underlying plot is strong enough to be interesting even when the heroines aren't on screen, so the quality only increases once they do appear. Only disappointment is a lack of a Satouin route.
0 comments 2 points
By danneo on 2022-09-23Vote: 7
<report>It's good, but overrated.

I played this VN from seeing how highly rated it was, and whilst Asuka route did live up to that expectation for me, the rest fell flat.
If you want sports and action like me, I think it's best to just read Asuka and Misaki route only, the rest were forgettable. But I know some of you will read this for the moege which I think in that case, this is a great game for you.

The tournaments arcs were definitely hype af and worth experiencing, I just wish there was more. Looking back, there were many great characters in this game which I wish could of been further developed, especially Minamo and Botan (Mashiro's mum)

...yes, Mashiro's mum
0 comments 1 point
By superfx on 2022-02-12Vote: 9
<report>This threw me for an emotional rollercoaster when I started and finished Asuka’s route but sadly fell off for me when I did Mashiro’s and Rika’s route to the point where I dropped this vn for 3 months. It’s not that the routes were bad, but they focused more on the slice of life cute boyfriend / girlfriend trope which got pretty boring after a while whereas Asuka’s route focused on exciting plot and character development. I picked this vn back up when people on discord told me how good Misaki’s route was. I’m so glad I followed through. The super playful dialogue was incredibly amusing, and the plot in her route was absolutely spectacular. Aokana would be a 10 for me if Mashiro’s and Rika’s route weren’t so one-dimensional. I would highly recommend giving this vn a read.

Also the music <3
0 comments 0 points
By SkankinGarbage on 2023-06-26Vote: 8
<report>Aokana probably seems like a weak story if you've never been a serious competitor or coach in a sport. However, it'll resonate with anyone who has. It explores countless themes related to competition and coaching in a realistic way, including what motivates people to compete; coping with failure; the importance of finding joy in perfecting your craft; and many more, against the backdrop of a surprisingly well thought-out sport (most fictional sports are VERY stupid). Also, the matches are pretty hype.

Sometimes, the romance scenes are too long, and distract from what's interesting about the story. The MC's perspective on some things flip flops depending on the route - a consequence of multiple writers, I'm sure. Still, it's a must-read if you've ever tried to be the very best at anything.
2 comments 0 points
By thefeuver on 2022-11-17Vote: 8
<report>Aokana is a fantastic visual novel that finds a way to please both fantasy sports fan while retaining a fantastic romantic flair through its entirety.

First of all, the game is absolutely gorgeous. The massive resolutions of the CGs and environments are breathtaking, and the character sprites are absolutely beautiful. The use of special effects on sport action scenes almost makes me wish for a full blown anime!

The main heroines are lovely, and they all have a something different to offer. The main girl, Asuka, is an absolute moe blob, Mashiro is a jealous brat, Rika is the overachiever and Misaki's the childhood friend. While I believe Misaki and Mashiro's route are a lot better than the other two, it's clear Asuka is the main and Rika is an afterthought.

I hope there's more coming.
0 comments 0 points
By saitokurogane on 2020-09-25Vote: 10
<report>This VN is the best VN I played so far, im not talking about history or something like that, im talking about the backgroun with people, the fights with so much cg, that was beautiful, I never have ssen something like that, I liked the history too, all the routes were really good, but for me the impressive thing about this game was the backgrounds and the battles, especially the awsome battles, that music too, oh god. I loved this.
0 comments 0 points
By evolutionz on 2021-05-02Vote: 10
<report>The only problem this one has, is, that it isn't longer. (And maybe that one character is somewhat under represented in the common route.)

Seriously the Mashiro route is probably THE SINGLE best paced and enjoyable route I've ever had the pleasure of reading.
That alone makes this a masterpiece.
All other routes are all great too.
The characters are likeable, the story is engaging without being too heavy and it's just....it's amazing.
Definitely my favourite VN.
0 comments 0 points
By samsterbirdies on 2023-01-24Vote: 10
<report>This was a really good vn. Has a very nice world and great characters. There was a lot of humor and story. The FC sport seems to have been given quite some thought. Lots of great CG's in this vn too. Lots of very good music aswell. However, don't make playthrough videos of this vn. It was forcefully put to an end on Bosskwar's channel.
0 comments 0 points
By Rushnic on 2022-02-10r59202Vote: 10
<report>Personally, one of the most powerful works of fiction I have ever experienced. For those who have any sort of history with competition and its struggles, this story is surprisingly adept at addressing the highs and lows of that experience. The visuals and music are top notch, the rare typo/mistake is minor at worst, and the cast (including heroines, MC, and supporting cast) are enjoyable to read. At it's core, it's a cute story about personal growth and reflection built around a surprisingly fleshed out sport and a high production value, and I cannot recommend it enough to anyone who finds the premise engaging.
0 comments 0 points
By kuroonehalf on 2023-05-23r49187Vote: 3
<report>The writing in this thing is pretty poor, sadly. Characters constantly talking past each other, moody mc with a stupid trauma that makes no sense, flat characters that feel like anime tropes instead of humans, obnoxious supporting cast, weak fictional sport, etc. I wanted to love this so bad. I followed the kickstarter, bought it on release (why), and love the art and setting so much, but I can't get over how unenjoyable reading this is for me.

Don't recommend.
0 comments 0 points
By korvaald on 2022-01-20Vote: 4
<report>I was expecting shigatsu wa kimi no uso with fly shoes. What I got instead was just not for me. You may enjoy it if you can get past the poorly developed main cast but most of the characters are just kinda annoying. I will say that I enjoyed the art a lot and the colors are fantastic but if you are looking for a good story, I'd look elsewhere.
1 comment 0 points

Full reviews

By lacsativ on 2021-07-28Vote: 6
<report>I was very disappointed with Aokana. It tries to do a little bit of everything but fails on almost all fronts in my opinion. The end result is a nice looking puddle with very little depth. Its strongest point is probably the art. It is, indeed, very pretty to look at. But that is where the "Pros" list ends.

The SoL humour is weak, just tropy characters engaging in tropy behaviors which you have probably seen a hundred times in the past. The two most common SoL patterns boil down to the innocent characters being clueless and the tsundere/slightly mean characters teasing the MC. Nothing new here.

The plot itself is weak. There are a few sections where it genuinely creates intrigue, but... Read more »
1 comment 11 points
By alonesome on 2020-09-08r66233Vote: 9
<report>As someone who's a big fan of the genre, let me tell you that there's a certain feeling that you uniquely only get when you read a good moege. It's easy to accuse the genre of being super derivative and all the same, but I feel like that criticism really belies the degree of craft that goes into creating such works. Because moege eschew conventional storytelling devices like a foregrounded "plot", the writing in terms of characterization, as well as craft elements such as art and music become all the more important. It's super, super easy to differentiate great moege from merely average titles, and Aokana is certainly one of the best within its genre.

One of the things that I was most... Read more »
0 comments 11 points
By RootafterAutumn on 2022-03-28r65191Vote: 10
<report>Aokana is one of the most feel good and fun visual novels I've ever had the pleasure of reading, id like to talk about the routes in this review so minor spoilers below.


I read the routes in the order the game presents it to you which is, Asuka, Mashiro, Rika and finally Misaki. Asuka's route was a ton of fun it had a lot of feel good moments and also a ton of hype moments. Mashiro's route was the most romantic route in my opinion there was a lot of romance and it was super cute to see Masaya and Mashiro try to convey there feelings. Rikas route was the most standard of the 4 but I really liked the antagonist Kasumi, I feel like the rivalry between Rika and her was great and showed a lot... Read more »
0 comments 5 points
By garudyne on 2020-09-11r66233Vote: 9
<report>I started this novel blind without knowing what to expect, except for very attractive artwork.

And it does deliver superbly on that point. Starting it off, I was greeted by a very calming start menu theme song, only after finishing the novel would I be rendered sad by it. The music in this game is amazing, covering a wide variety of emotions in it. Elements Garden has once again shown their composition prowess with this title. This is also the first VN that I've read that can switch English and Japanese scripts / CGs on the fly. A very handy QoL feature if you want to understand the context of the translation / learning purposes. It made my reading experience slower, in a good way, and I... Read more »
0 comments 4 points
By Raskoslav on 2023-07-21Vote: 6.6
<report>It's surprisingly difficult for me to review this vn. I picked it up because of the interesting story description/environment in which it is set (I mean common, flying boots? I was like, wow cool I wanna see how that turns out) and I also chose it because of the high score, so I guess I am at a fault, that I let my expectations to get the better of me. I definitely enjoyed reading it, yet I was hardly really impressed by it in general. I even took a few weeks to sink it in, yet my opinion did not change much, so all in all it seems a bit overhyped for me.

Yet! I can't stress enough how much I have to admire that someone basically created an entirely new sport, with rules, various... Read more »
5 comments 3 points
By dchsflii on 2021-02-17Vote: 8
<report>Aokana is an interesting case in that it fuses the experience of a romance VN with shounen manga tropes against a sports backdrop, and because of this, I could see the experience being very different for different readers depending on what they value. I found that the sports drama was exciting and fleshed out believably, but the romance was for the most part shallow and detached from the main plotlines. I also felt that the shounen themes led to the VN somewhat muddling its main message. Aokana TELLS you that enjoying FC and soaring through the sky is what is most important, but repeatedly SHOWS you that winning is ultimately what matters.

The aerial sport FC is at the center of Aokana... Read more »
0 comments 3 points
By molester on 2022-07-22r58672Vote: 8
<report>Misaki is the only reason I gave Aokana an 8/10. Well, not only because of her, the pacing in the common route was great as well. I always tend to lose my interest in moege/charage when the pacing and events are dragging on for so long that it makes me want to drop it, not with Aokana though it managed to hook me up from the very beginning... untill the individual routes.

I started off with Mashiro and it was ok, I guess. It's not that her route is bad; it just feel more like your typical moege story. Her route barely has anything to do with FC at all. It just your average moe romance with some fluff. Mashiro's a fun character and her interaction with Masaya is pretty good, so I managed to... Read more »
3 comments 2 points
By bigvnfan on 2024-03-16r92028Vote: 8
<report>Aokana takes you to heights never seen before – well, literally, since it is a VN about a sport set in the air: "Flying circus", played using special shoes with anti-gravitation technology. If this premise seems wacky, be surprised: the world-building is excellent and mostly very coherent. The made-up sport is full of strategies and ideas and spectacular to watch.
Another big strength of the VN are the character developments in the four possible endings. However, the story has some lengths and cringe (skirts, safety training, apron – you'll see what I mean when you're there). All in all, however, it's worth skipping through these few scenes to enjoy the rest of the great story: it includes... Read more »
0 comments 1 point
By omicronel on 2023-05-13Vote: 6.8
<report>I don’t think this is a good game and I don’t think it should be as popular as it is. However if it’s whether I recommend it the answer is definitely yes. With a condition of course.
There’s a question to be asked here. How should I rate this? Based on its high points or should I consider every route equally? My method is the latter so I gave this a 6.8. Out of the 4 routes it’s like 3 of them are trying to be something complete different from each other and – well – the fourth one seems like it’s trying really hard not to get in their way.
It’s hard to accept the current rating this seems to have (at the time I’m writing this review). It doesn’t seem fair to have it above much better and... Read more »
6 comments 1 point
By iron-felix on 2023-02-12Vote: 8.5
<report>Aokana is a moege. This fact, more or less, will determine your enjoyment of the game.
Hell, it took me a good, 5 minute long thinking session, to decide how I should even rate this after everything was said and done. This mark, 8.5, is a compromise with myself. I am biased. I do not like the genre. I don't enjoy "cute girls doing cute things" just for the sake of it. Yet, here I am, praising a light-hearted story that is pretty tropy. I hope that can indicate how much respect I have for this gem.

Aokana is straightforward story-wise, meaning it's easy to tell what you should to achieve a desirable outcome. You play as a goody-two-shoes protagonist. You do good things. You teach folks to... Read more »
3 comments 0 points
By Sreilant on 2024-03-04r59202Vote: 8
<report>
0 comments 0 points
By vario on 2023-08-02Vote: 7
<report>Aokana is an interesting mixture of moe and fictional sport. In this world, people can fly using special shoes, and this allows the creation of new types of sports activities. I appreciate that the authors managed to create rules and make everything look believable. You feel actual tension looking at the matches.

I'm glad that I started with Asuka's route because it probably does the best work at showing the VN's potential. It doesn't even feel like a moege route and more like a sports manga or anime.

Other routes were fine, too, even though they didn't reach the same height for me. People were scaring me, saying that Rika's route was bad, but it was good enough. I'd even say that Aokana... Read more »
0 comments 0 points
By EnderLillies on 2023-03-23Vote: 10
<report>Mostly spoiler-free review intended. Read at your own risk.

TLDR: If you are looking for the truest definition of visual novel, please give Aokana a try.

After a period of thinking, I decided to give this visual novel a solid 10 out 10 experiences.

Graphics: never in my life have I known the art of 1440 pixel in a visual novel. The art feels fresh. Every game's CGs are polished and lively. Also did I mention how good the game demonstrates the game's main sport visually despite being a visual novel meaning the most you can do is too move CGs around?. Cause in my opinion, they nailed it perfectly, make the experience phenomenal

Background music: I always highly rated the visual novel's... Read more »
1 comment 0 points
By Omikron on 2022-11-12Vote: 6
<report>
0 comments 0 points
By emp3r0r on 2021-08-07Vote: 8
<report>
0 comments 0 points
By acewing905 on 2022-06-21r65191Vote: 9
<report>Tobisawa Misaki
That's all

Okay so not quite, but close

Went into this VN without much in terms of expectations after I got it for pretty cheap off an eshop sale
The girls looked cute, and the gravshoes/flying circus concept seemed entertaining enough but that was it

The description here on VNDB (as of me writing this) makes it sound like the story is focused entirely around Asuka but this is not the case
Misaki's route clearly has her getting the lion's share of screen time with the "final chapter" being pretty much entirely dedicated to her, with the protag focusing on her entirely
So I'm going to assume Mashiro and Rika get their own focus as well in their routes

Anyway, now that I... Read more »
0 comments 0 points
By jjthesteve001 on 2022-08-18r59202Vote: 7.8
<report>
0 comments 0 points
By AngeVNs on 2021-08-27r65191Vote: 8
<report>Overall I definitely considered it a good time. Flying Circus was a nice way to introduce a new type of fictional sport, keep it interesting without infodumping a lot, and finding ways to have twists around it.

I suppose some people call it a moege cuz it's lighthearted but I thought there was enough character development and plot/goal consistency to definitely have an edge over other VNs.

I'd say the characters were mostly likable, and it helps characters outside the MC + main girls actually mattered to a decent extent. That said, some jokes and some of the timing of them got a bit overdone which hurt a few characters for me.

But I liked each route, they brought something unique to the... Read more »
0 comments 0 points
By forever-here on 2020-09-18r58672Vote: 4
<report>dropped on chapter 4.

it mostly centers around a fictional sport. which if you're into then sure good for you. personally I just couldn't care about the rules, the fouls, penalties etc since if I wanted to learn to play a new game, I'd just go straight to another game or genre and learn about the more advanced mechanics of pretty much any game really. I mean let's face it, the entire point of playing any game is to make awesome plays like this and if there's no real way I could do that, then why bother.

here's a better example. link this one replay here would possibly mind-boggle even the veteran dota1 players. there should be a comment there explaining what the hell happened and how is... Read more »
1 comment 0 points