Soul Link

Soul Link is a visual novel eroge developed by Navel, centering on a group of military cadets' adventure aboard a space hotel called Aries.

A PlayStation 2 port of the original game Soul Link Extension was released in Japan on June 29, 2006.^[1] It contains additional material to supplement the removal of adult content.

The series is also adapted into an anime series, and various manga and novels.

An English version of the PC game was released in December 2009 by MangaGamer.

Plot

In AD 2045, a group of military cadets attending the preparatory course of the Central Military Academy transfer to the space station Aries for zero-g training. This class of cadets includes Ryota Aizawa, Sayaka Nagase and Kazuhiko Nitta. Their training is interrupted when a terrorist group called "Hallarax" takes over the station. While the military successfully evacuates the civilians on board the station, Ryota and his group are trapped. Worse still, the boarding assault has left most of the military personnel dead, effectively leaving the cadets on their own.

An unexpected twist occurs when a mysterious virus is released within the station, which turns those infected into mindless creatures. This forces everyone, friend and foe alike, to work together to find a way off of the station alive.

Characters

Ryota Aizawa (相澤 涼太, Aizawa Ryōta)

Voiced by: Koike Takezō (PC), Hideki Ogihara (anime & PS2)

A third year cadet with a timid and kind personality. Ryota does not excel in any single subject, scoring slightly above average in most fields, unlike his older brother, Shuhei. The one thing he does excel in is leadership, which is put to the test throughout the story. Though it is hard for him, he does not let his heart get in the way of his decisions.

He is a childhood friend of Nao and later develops a crush on Sayaka.

By the end of his third year, Ryota becomes the hero who saved Earth, and is also elected student representative.

Sayaka Nagase (永瀬 沙佳, Nagase Sayaka)

Voiced by: Aiko Gōtokuji (PC), Yuki Masuda (anime & PS2)

Childhood friend of Ryota Aizawa.

Shuhei Aizawa (相澤 秀平, Aizawa Shūhei)

Voiced by: Tarō Herushī (PC), Kentarō Itō (anime & PS2)

Ryota's older brother. Shuhei is a brilliant and talented soldier who skipped two grades in the Academy. He is well renowned and surpasses most soldiers in combat.

He is later revealed to possess perfect Sukyura cells, which enhances his healing capabilities. Although, unlike others who possess these cells, Shuhei does not turn into a mindless soldier. Cellaria was interested in him since he was able to fight off her control, and she intended to use him in order to create a superior being.

Nao Morisaki (森崎 七央, Morisaki Nao)

Voiced by: Hitomi Nagasawa (PC), Kumi Sakuma (anime & PS2)

Shuhei's girlfriend. A passionate and kind personality. She is a medical student in the Academy.

Kazuhiko Nitta (新田 和彦, Nitta Kazuhiko)

Voiced by: Shū Zuishō (PC), Takehito Koyasu (anime & PS2)

A brilliant computer specialist and hacker. He develops a rivalry with both Aizawa brothers, though he does have a high respect for Shuhei.

Aki Nitta (新田 亜希, Nitta Aki)

Voiced by: Marina Ono (anime & PS2)

Kazuhiko Nitta's younger sister, she is even more adept at computer hacking than he is. Then siblings do not enjoy have an easy relationship and tend to argue whenever they see each other. This is the result of her realizing, several years before the present, that the older brother she looked up to was not serious about anything.

In the end, she and her brother get along, and she once again looks up to him.

Yuu Yamanami (ユウ＝ヤマナミ)

Voiced by: Midori (PC), Junko Shimakata (anime & PS2)

A passenger on the Aries Station. Quiet and mysterious. She was revealed to be a mercenary, hired by another faction of the terrorist group that boards the station.

Cellaria Markelight (セラリア＝マーカライト, Seraria Mākuraito)

Voiced by: Nobuko Iwama (PC), Chiharu Tezuka (anime & PS2)

An instructor on the Aries Station, she appears to be very caring towards her students. She is later revealed to be the mastermind of the attack on the station. She ends up betraying the terrorists on the station and takes it over herself using her Sukyura soldiers. She is considered to be the perfect Sukyura being and controls those who possess Sukyura cells. She becomes intrigued with Shuhei since he is the only one of the Sukyura soldiers whom she cannot fully control. In the end, she is destroyed by Nanami.

Shigemichi Morimoto (森本 茂道, Morimoto Shigemichi)

Voiced by: Isamu Nagano (PC), Norio Wakamoto (anime & PS2)

A steward on the Aries Station. He takes care of all civilian passengers and acts as the general manager. He is revealed to be Sayaka's father, who had left her when she was just a child. Unfortunately, he is killed before being able to tell her himself.

Gale Lantis (ゲイル＝ランティス, Gairu Rantisu)

Voiced by: Kōji Okada (PC), Takashi Nagasako (anime & PS2)

Leader of the terrorist faction that boards the Aries Station. He dies buying time for Aya to escape.

Karen Tachibana (カレン＝タチバナ) Voiced by: Mariya Kurata (PC), Yui Shōji (anime & PS2)

A terrorist, and former soldier, who is skilled in hand-to-hand combat as well as firearms. An enthusiastic personality, she may seem insubordinate, but she respects Gale and sees him as a father figure. She grows a liking for Kazuhiko and in the end, she is seen in a dress meeting up with him.

Aya Sugimoto (杉本 亜弥, Sugimoto Aya)

Voiced by: Miya Serizono (PC), Mari Yoshida (remake ver.), Yoshino Nanjō (anime & PS2)

Sayaka Nagase's childhood friend. She is a bit clumsy but has a kind personality and is always cheerful.

Nanami Inatsuki (稲月 ななみ, Inatsuki Nanami)

Voiced by: Maki Izumi (PC), Natsumi Yanase (anime & PS2)

A strange and young girl found on the Aries Station. She is later revealed to be a creation of mixed Sukyura cells and human cells. Nanami is the result of when Shuhei and Nao consummated their relationship (in a way, she is their "child" and she calls Shuhei, 'father', and Nao, 'mother'). In the end, she destroys Cellaria, as she is the only person with the ability to counter Cellaria's ability to spread Sukyura cells.

Adaptations

Soul Link is presented on a range of media types, ranging from the game itself, the anime, two light novels and several drama CDs.

Anime

A 12-episode anime adaptation was made.

Novels

Three Soul Link novel adaptations have been released. Two are published by Soft Garage^[2][3] and one is an anthology collection published by Jive.^[4]

Manga

An anthology collection referred to as Twin Heart Comics Soul Link consists of manga relating to Soul Link by various artists and a manga adaptation titled Soul Link Signal Code: 0 was released on April 4, 2006.

References

External links

• (English) Official site of the English version.
• (Japanese) Official site of the Japanese version.
• Soul Link (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia