This was originally posted on Weebly on March 29, 2021. At the time, this visual novel was titled "Yobidasu", and I had not yet reached out to any background artists.

I recently decided to buy premade background packs for Yobidasu. I was holding out for a while in the hopes of finding an artist to draw all the backgrounds that I needed, but at some point it became clear that this was unrealistic and out of budget, especially for a first game

As a result, the backgrounds in Yobidasu won't look exactly like the city that I imagined. Who knows? Maybe that's for the best. Maybe it'll make for stronger storytelling. For now, I'd just like to ramble a bit about the setting of Yobidasu, the fictional city of Aikure.

A year ago, my brother and I had plans to visit Japan, but were forced to put those plans on hold due to the pandemic. So I spent a lot of time on Google Maps exploring a virtual version of Japan instead. And my curiosity wasn't drawn to the famous sites around Tokyo, Kyoto, or Osaka, but just some very ordinary cities that most people haven't heard of in the US.

In 2005, there was a huge wave of municipal mergers in Japan due to rural depopulation. I saw cities that looked more rural than urban, cities formed from villages and small towns that happened to be in close proximity, scattered clusters of neighborhoods separated by undeveloped wilderness. And I couldn't help wonder: How do people feel about having lost their identity as a town or village? About being part of a city that is a city in name only?

I'll try and write more about Aikure City another time. Good night!