You won't die. I won't let it happen. Because I want you to look up at the sky and smile.
In the city of Nariyama, a great disaster struck where eight planes crashed, leaving a survivor. Years later, that survivor, Sora Yamanashi, has grown up, and developed a hatred for the cause: The artificial pigeons, a machine in the shape of a pigeon. In an effort to fight back against the artificial birds, he decides to develop a radio, and hopes to bring back the sky.
Then one night, an unknown broadcast unexpectedly airs at midnight where a report states that Sora will die due to "blue sky" falling. Sora soon finds himself meeting a mysterious girl named Kagura Hazuki who tells him that he won't die, and show him the sky he longs for.
The Future Radio and the Artificial Pigeons is a 2018 Visual Novel by Laplacian. It was then released state-wise in the US in February 17th, 2023 by NekoNyan.
This visual novel has the examples of:
- All for Nothing: In the common route, the main characters were unable to stop BluSky from falling. This results in Sora being comatose for a few days until he loses memories of the event. In Kaguya's route, this became a success when Sora decides to upload his mind in Kaguya.
- Alternate Timeline: The theme of the visual novel is how there could be more than one timelines, and if possible, change the future for the better. Sora and Tsubaki decide to send a signal to the past with Sora's memories.
- The Atoner: Izana Hazuki felt responsible for the accident that killed 8 planes of people that left Akina and her father as survivors that she went out of her way to save Sora's life.
- Bittersweet Ending:
- In Akina's route, she finally gets to spend more time with her father as most of his memories of her is restored, but she knows is a preferred outcome than him forgetting she exists.
- In Tsubaki's route, despite the tragedies Sora and Tsubaki had to endure, they have each other, and they decide to send a message to Past!Sora so he will be able to save Kaguya.
- In Kaguya's route, Sora has his mind uploaded into Kaguya's to avert her death, and has to spend two years inside her mind until one day he can return to his body He eventually does in New Game Plus.
- Dead All Along: Sora did not live through the plane crash. Akina did. He was able to live because Izana managed to save him through the artificial pigeons' network.
- Death Seeker:
- Kaguya wants to die just for being the daughter of Izana Hazuki. She goes through with it in the common route, but not her route.
- After learning that his life is connected to the artificial pigeons, Sora decides that it's okay to die with Kaguya, but changes his mind when he discovers another option.
- In Tsubaki's route, Sora finds out that his life is also connected to the artificial pigeons, and thought about committing suicide. Tsubaki's pleas snaps him out of it, and he decides to implant mempories to his past self so he can save Kaguya.
- Does Not Like Men: Tsubaki openly stated she doesn't like men. But she makes Sora an exception.
- Dramatic Irony:
- Kaguya thinks her mother wants her to die when the time comes. She doesn't. She wants Kaguya to live.
- Sora hated the artificial pigeons his entire life because his parents died in the plane crash. They are the reason why he's still alive.
- The reason the plan failed the moment Kaguya's life signs are off is because the artificial pigeon has another person to suppport. Sora's.
- Duality Motif: Sora has a blue and a green eye. That's because he left eye was heavily damaged from the accident, and Izana donated her left eye to him, explaining its coloring.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Sora managed to do the one thing he wanted to do: Save Kaguya. After two years, he returns in his original body and stays with her forever.
- Foreshadowing: If you watch the other routes before Tsubaki and Kaguya's, it reveals a much darker revelation over the airport disaster. Namely, a midnight broadcast reveals that Akina and her father survived the plane crash, and everyone else died, including Sora.
- Genre Deconstruction: Of the high school visual novel genre. While on the surface, it has your usual visual novel tropes, it deconstructs it for the sake of drama, and one of the main heroines dies after the common route. The rest of the game has Sora trying to regain his memories, and reconnect with the heroine of the player's choice. Even the routes themselves are deconstructed as they are treated as alternate timelines instead of "choose a route to be with someone", and as such, Sora receives his memories from the timeline where he gets together with Tsubaki.
- Happily Adopted: Sora was adopted by Touko Yamanashi after the plane disaster. And for a reason. Izana Hazuki was the one who told her to adopt him.
- Meaningful Name: Sora means "sky" as he's always loved looking at the sky as a kid.
- New Game Plus: Completing the game has an H-scene with a girl named Fap. Afterwards, she'll give you an afterstory with Kaguya, and viewing that unlocks the H-scene between Kaguya and Tsubaki.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: After the incident at the airport, Akina's father survived along with her, but his wife died in the process. He ended up having amnesia to the point that he doesn't remember his own daughter.
- Not Blood Siblings: Sora is adopted in Mizuki's family, justifying them dating each other.
- Not So Stoic: Tsubaki for the first time breaks down when Sora contemplates committing suicide after finding out the artificial pigeons were used as his life support, and he could had saved Kaguya. During her breakdown, she found someone to love again and pleas that Sora doesn't give up his life.
- Relationship Upgrade: Sora can romance four girls in the game, but Kaguya's route must be unlocked for Sora to pursue her.
- Running Gag:
- Mizuki has a green phallic toy called Teack. Both Sora and Ishimaru can't help but call it a penis.
- Mizuki calling Sora a virgin.
- Second Love: After Kaguya dies, Sora manages to found love again. His Love Interests are Akina Kosumo, Mizuki Yamanashi, and Professor Tsubaki Azamino. Tsubaki is actually his canonical second love since Sora gains his memories from her timeline and remembers every detail.
- Sex Starts, Story Stops: The additional H-scene between Player and Fap (yes, that's actually her name) has nothing to do with the rest of the game other than unlocking the second afterstory for Kaguya.
- Sole Survivor: Sora remembers surviving the plane crash fifteen years ago. He didn't. Akina and her father did, and Sora actually died. Izana Hazuki managed to revive him.
- Take a Third Option: Once Kaguya finds the will to live, Sora finds a third option provided by himself and Tsubaki in an alternate timeline to upload his mind into Kaguya so they don't have to die.
- A Threesome Is Hot: After Sora told Kaguya he had a relationship with Tsubaki in another timeline, she insisted to Tsubaki that they have a threesome, and Tsubaki surprisingly agrees to it.
- You Are Not Alone: Sora tells Kaguya that she isn't alone since he wants to be with her.
