HinaBitter
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HinaBitter♪
HinaBitter♪ (ひなビタ♪), short for Hinatabi Bitter Suites (日向美ビタースイーツ♪), is a media mix project that was first announced by KONAMI in November 2012. It is produced by BEMANI composer Tomosuke Funaki in association with FujimiShobo (富士見書房), an offbrand of Kadokawa Shoten established in 1991 that specializes in card games, anime, and manga.
Story
The main story of HinaBitter♪ consists of five girls that band together to save their hometown that's struggling financially.
Characters
According to TOMOSUKE, all the HinaBitter♪ girls are named after the lyrics in his song 凛として咲く花の如く. (Incidentally, a rearrangement of the song by tricot was used during the announcement of the series back in November 2012.)
Hinatabi Bitter Suites
- Marika Yamagata (山形まり花) - voiced by Rina Hidaka
- The main heroine of HinaBitter♪. She is the Saudude music store owner's daughter. She is an upbeat, cheerful girl. She's also childhood friends with Ibuki, her best friend. Her catch phrase is "I'm fine!". She plays the keyboard.
- Ibuki Izumi (nickname Ibu) (和泉 一舞) - voiced by Minami Tsuda
- The Izumi couture clothing shop's daughter, she's a fashionable but easily irritated girl. She and Marika grew up together and are close friends. She plays bass.
- Meu Meu (nickname MeuMeu) (芽兎 めう) - voiced by Hiromi Igarashi
- The youngest of the girls, the energetic daughter of the Usagitsuki-do seal shop loves putting "meu" at the end of the her sentences. She also loves parfaits, specifically the Chikuwa parfait served at Cafe Noir. There's even a song about her love for them. She plays the drums.
- Rin Shimotsuki (霜月 凛) - voiced by Kaori Mizuhara
- The oldest of the girls, she is the Shimotsuki Shorin bookstore owner's daughter. She is a mature, quiet girl, almost always seen carrying a novel in her hands. She has a mole under her left eye. She plays the electric guitar.
- Sakiko Kasuga (春日 咲子) - voiced by Ai Yamaguchi
- The daughter of the Cafe Noir coffee shop's owner. She also occasionally works at Cafe Noir, dressed as a maid. Usually a polite, soft-spoken girl, she has a deviant side that occasionally appears. She plays acoustic guitar.
Coconuts
Coconuts (ここなつ) are a rival unit of Hinatabi Bitter Suites. As opposed to the more rock/soft electronic music of their rivals, these girls are more into EDM/technopop/electronica. So far two members are known.
- Kokona Shinonome (東雲心菜) - voiced by Yuri Hinami
- First year high school student who's into EDM, and Natsushi's twin sister. Not much else about her is known at this time.
- Natsuhi Shinonome (東雲夏陽) - voiced by Ari Ozawa
- Fist year high school student and Kokona's twin sister. Not much else about her is known at this time.
Music Contributors
Though HinaBitter♪ was founded by TOMOSUKE, there have been several musicians who contributed to the series. So far they include:
- TOMOSUKE
- ARM
- Tomoko Sasaki
- Junpei Fujita
- tilt-six
HinaBitter♪ Radio Drama Series Links
- First broadcast - 12/12/12. Marika and Ibuki introduce themselves and play a bit of music.
- Second broadcast - 1/27/13. Marika, Ibuki, Meu Meu, and Sakiko appear. Meu Meu and Sakiko's first appearances. A practice version of 恋とキングコング plays starting at 8:37.
- Third broadcast- 1/27/13. Marika, Ibuki, Meu Meu, and Sakiko appear, with Ibuki the center focus as she talks to the others about their passion for music. A practice version of イブの時代っ! plays starting at 5:37.
- Fourth broadcast - 2/26/13. Marika, Ibuki, Meu Meu, and Sakiko appear, with Meu Meu the main focus, as she lets the focus get a bit to her head. A practice version of めうめうぺったんたん!! is first played at 5:51, then a rock version of it is played at 7:59.
- Fifth broadcast - 4/9/13. Marika, Ibuki, Meu Meu, and Sakiko appear, with Sakiko the center focus as they chat at Cafe Noir. A practice version of とってもとっても、ありがとう。 plays starting at 8:07. The other girls are moved by her song.
- Sixth broadcast - 5/7/13. Marika, Ibuki, Meu Meu, Sakiko, and Rin appear. Rin's first appearance, who gets overwhelmed by the other girls around her. A practice version of 虚空と光明のディスクール is played starting at 8:59.
- Seventh broadcast - 9/24/13. Marika and Meu Meu talk about Chikuwa parfaits, which eventually leads into them making a song together about magical girls that use parfaits as weapons. A practice version of ちくわパフェだよ☆CKP plays around 5:39.
- Eighth broadcast - 10/29/13. Ibuki messes around with Rin, feeling she should open up more since they're friends. A practice version of カタルシスの月 is first played at 3:23, then a different, rock version is played at 9:17. After they sing, Rin opens up a bit, but is shy about it.
- Ninth broadcast - 12/24/13. At Cafe Noir, a deeper-sounding Sakiko scares Meu Meu. Sakiko later apologizes before scaring her again, as they then sing a sing together. A practice version of ホーンテッド★メイドランチ is played starting at 7:39.
- Tenth broadcast - 3/4/14. Marika talks to Ibuki about their childhoods, which embarrasses her. A practice version of 走れメロンパン is played starting at 10:01.
- Eleventh broadcast - 3/16/14. Rin and Sakiko hang together, as Sakiko rummages through an old box of hers. Rin does not want her to, though. Sakiko eventually finds out they are old, cute clothes. A practice version of 滅びに至るエランプシス is played starting at 10:40.
- Twelfth broadcast - 6/26/2014. (Synopsis unknown)
HinaBitter♪ Singles/Discography
Single Releases
- 11/21/12 - 凛として咲く花の如く / tricot
- 01/09/13 - 恋とキングコング / 日向美ビタースイーツ♪
- 02/06/13 - イブの時代っ! / 日向美ビタースイーツ♪
- 03/13/13 - めうめうぺったんたん!! / 日向美ビタースイーツ♪
- 04/17/13 - とってもとっても、ありがとう。 / 日向美ビタースイーツ♪
- 05/22/13 - 虚空と光明のディスクール / 日向美ビタースイーツ♪
- 07/17/13 - 凛として咲く花の如く ~ひなビタ♪edition~ / 日向美ビタースイーツ♪
- 10/09/13 - ちくわパフェだよ☆CKP / 日向美ビタースイーツ♪
- 11/11/13 - カタルシスの月 / 日向美ビタースイーツ♪
- 02/19/14 - ホーンテッド★メイドランチ / 日向美ビタースイーツ♪
- 03/19/14 - 走れメロンパン / 日向美ビタースイーツ♪
- 05/21/14 - 滅びに至るエランプシス / 日向美ビタースイーツ♪
- ?/??/?? - ミライプリズム / ここなつ
Album Releases
- 09/18/13 - ひなビタ♪ ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
- 03/19/14 - Bitter Sweet Girls!
Trivia
- None of the BEMANI game cuts of any of the HinaBitter♪ songs have to date appeared on a BEMANI OST.
- None of the HinaBitter♪ songs are keysounded in pop'n music, making them the series' first KONAMI originals with this distinction.
- Of the ten current BEMANI series (including BeatStream), beatmania IIDX is the only BEMANI series that does not currently have a HinaBitter♪ song in their songlist.
- Curiously, The Bitter Sweet Girls ! album is listed in the beatmania IIDX section of the KONAMI STYLE website, despite that none of their songs are currently in beatmania IIDX.
- All of the HinaBitter♪ episodes feature BEMANI songs in the background as background music, many of them composed, arranged, or featuring TOMOSUKE. Here they are in episode order:
- Episode 1: Dimanche (pop'n music 7), the long version of なまいきプリンセス (pop'n music 19 TUNE STREET), and the tricot remix of 凛として咲く花の如く.
- Episode 2: Orange AIR-LINE instrumental (pop'n music 11), instrumental version of pot-pourri d'orange save for Mobo Moga (GUITARFREAKS 7thMIX / drummania 6thMIX)
- Episode 3: Instrumental long version of なまいきプリンセス, instrumental version of Marmalade Reverie (beatmania IIDX 7th style).
- Episode 4: 恋とキングコング (the first non-TOMOSUKE song played in the background).
- Episode 5: Une mage blanche (REFLEC BEAT limelight), めうめうぺったんたん!!.
- Episode 6: Instrumental version of 恋はどう?モロ◎波動OK☆方程式!! (pop'n music 20 fantasia), instrumental long version of αρχη (GuitarFreaks V3 & DrumMania V3).
- Episode 7: Une mage blanche, Marie Antoinette (beatmania IIDX 16 EMPRESS).
- Episode 8: 虚空と光明のディスクール and the HinaBitter remix of 凛として咲く花の如く.
- Episode 9: Die Zauberflöte.
- Episode 10: 恋とキングコング, イブの時代っ!.
- Episode 11: Instrumental version of みずうみの記憶, 虚空と光明のディスクール.
- The Coconuts (ここなつ) girls, Kokona Shinonome and Natsuhi Shinonome, are designed after the girl characters from 量子の海のリントヴルム and リリーゼと炎龍レーヴァテイン.