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Ao: The Quartet Beyond the Blue (original game)

Set in a world after the spread of flying shoes, this visual novel depicts Akiya Hyuga and four girls participating in FC competitions and their respective romantic paths.

Hibi and Jing's return

"The Quartet Beyond the Azure" centers on youthful romance and aerial competition following the popularization of flying shoes. Anti-graviton shoes (commonly called 'Glash') created by anti-graviton props make flight part of everyday life, and FC uses these shoes for aerial movement.

Akira Hyuga was once a highly anticipated player but left FC due to defeats and other reasons. Transfer student Asuka Kurashina comes to his side, teaching her how to fly, and she gradually rekindles her old passion.

Four islands and competition venues

The Shitoshima Islands consist of four large islands—Fukudome, Kuna, Kasamatsu, and Kamitori—along with about 30 neighboring islands, and are administratively merged into one city.

The Kunahama FC club converted the abandoned bus next to the old station under the cliff behind the church into a clubroom, moving in a radio and electric kettle. The training ground at Fukudomeshima Takatoh Branch is also used as the venue for the regional tournament.

The four routes have different objectives

In Mashiro's route, Mashiro asks Akira to help him win as a condition for continuing the FC; In Rika's route, she faces off against Kasumi Kurofuchi, who insists on rough competition, and asks if she originally flew just to enjoy the race.

In Misaki's route, back-flying becomes a countermeasure against Saki's birdcage tactics. In the final game of the Asuka route in "Perfect Edition," a mode where the flying shoe balancer is disabled; After the 'Complete Edition' Asuka route, their post-match interaction included taking profile pictures with Saki.

Original work and ports added

According to the official tenth anniversary retrospective, the game was released on November 28, 2014. The PS Vita version introduced on February 25, 2016, added CGs for main heroine events, Mami Kawada singing "Crossing Way" and "Rays of the Sun," grand opening videos, and clock mode.

The main Nintendo Switch game was released on March 29, 2018. EXTRA1 and EXTRA2 continue the epilogue between Mashiro and Misaki, respectively; Compared to the existing PC EXTRA, the S version adds event scenes and CG.

The four female protagonists of this story

Asuka is a polite and curious transfer student; Misaki is a classmate who acts on the go; Mashiro is a junior who loves games and admires Misaki; Rika is an honor student who moved next door to Akiya's house.

FC's scoring and off-field coaching

FC players compete for points within a three-dimensional airspace within a time limit. Speeders tend to touch buoys, Fighters prefer close-range back-touches, and All-rounders handle balanced; Off-court instructors use headphones to help athletes locate opponents outside their field of vision.

The concept of the island stage

Nachi Kion's original draft was closer to the near future. The production team later shifted to a Japanese stage with a rural feel, where the artists searched for islands with significant elevation differences and chose Kyushu Island, where both the island and sea could still be seen from above, as the background.

International PC version

The Steam International PC version was released on September 27, 2019. Developed column columns Sprite and NekoNyan, published column columns Nekonyan and HIKARI FIELD; The interface and subtitles support Japanese, English, Chinese Simplified, and Traditional Chinese, with Japanese voice acting.

Production and the main song

This story was planned and produced by sprite, with Nachi Kio responsible for planning and the main script, and Ryoichi Watanabe, Ryusuke Mutsu, and Kazuya contributing to the script. The music was produced by Elements Garden, and the film was credited to Shingetsusha. The theme song "Wings of Courage ~Beyond the Sky~" is performed by Mami Kawada, and the insert song "INFINITE SKY" is performed by KOTOKO.

The original team participated in animation development

A 2015 animation development interview documented the team's collaboration: confirming FC match positions with models and boards, supplementing action settings, and adjusting the 360-degree look of the flying shoes.

Background and creative materials

In a 2015 interview, Suzumori recalled that the background design for "The Quartet Beyond Azure" not only referenced photos of Kyushu islands but also referenced an animation background art collection themed around the sky and sea to determine the visual target.

The original team participated in the animation script and design

In a 2015 anime development interview, Nachi Kio explained that after adapting "The Quartet Beyond the Blue" into a multi-character perspective, it was necessary to reconsider the female lead's feelings and turn the ideas Akira speculated about in the game into their own dialogue. After reading the manuscript, Suzumori also noticed the profiles of the characters from different perspectives.

The 'Quartet Beyond the Blue' anime writer discussed scene deletion with original members. Muo agreed on the need to highlight specific scenes and made the necessary trade-offs, and Suzumori also noticed the new scenes during the reading of the script. The producer also explained that detailed design details such as character accessories will be confirmed by the original creator.

Initial planning of two routes

In an online interview on August 18, 2020, Nachi Kio recalled that from the beginning, the story intended to contrast the paths of Asuka and Misaki, while also adjusting some content during writing. The distinction between the two lines was only clearly realized after he finished writing.

Kunajima's urban streets, schools, and flight facilities

The world series introduces Kunai Island into new and old towns: the city hall and commercial facilities have moved into the new town, which mainly engages in rice cultivation and other agriculture; New residents live on New Town Street, while old residents stay on Old Town Street. Although the island's population has grown, the living environment still retains rural characteristics.

Kunahama Academy is built on a hill, and during the expansion, facilities related to flying shoes were added, along with a rooftop garden for students to relax. The FC club featured in the stage introduction has only one member.

There are dedicated landing stops for flying shoes on the island's highways. The entrance uses a push-button safety door, and electrical facilities are installed on site to allow users to charge their flying shoes at any time.

Related entries

References

All sources, editions, and positioning are listed in source-evidence.json; the main text uses Chinese factual retelling.

Data compiled on: 2026-10-12.

本版编辑：免费机器翻译 · 2026-10-23

内容许可：CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

本译文依据的源修订