
We’ve seen plenty about virtual girlfriends, fun little apps that provide you with all the charms of an attractive girl (well, almost all) without the inconvenience of having to deal with a real person. Well, what if you’ve been waiting for the crossdressing male version…?!
In Dolly Kanon, the newly announced Nintendo 3DS game from Happinet, you can take on the role of musical producer as you manage your secret cross-dressing boyfriend’s career as a music idol!
Dolly Kanon, or to give it its full name Dolly Kanon Dokidoki Tokimeki Himitsu no Ongaku Katsudou Start Desu!! (got that?) is a game adaptation of the shōjo manga by Yū Yabūchi. Join junior high school student Kokone as she helps beautiful boy Soushi become a star.
Dolly Kanon (ドーリィ♪カノン ) has been running as a shōjo manga in Ciao since 2012. Using the stage name Kanon, teenager Soushi moonlights as an idol, thus combining the secretly-famous excitement of Hannah Montana with all the crossdressing thrills of a Shakespeare play.
▼ Kokone, Soushi and (could they be the same person?!!) Kanon.
As Kanon’s manager, your main task is to produce music videos for her:
This requires you to choose her clothes, on a four-point scale consisting of ‘cute, elegant, cool, sporty‘, which incidentally is the mantra I chant to myself every morning as I get dressed.
And ‘direct’ the videos, which seems to have the same meaning here as ‘decorate with stickers’.
▼ To be fair, it is ostensibly a game for little girls.
There’s also a collaboration with über-genki morning kids’ TV presenters Oha-girl, featuring brand new songs:
Dolly Kanon Dokidoki Tokimeki Himitsu no Ongaku Katsudou Start Desu!! is out November 20, priced 5,480 yen (US $52). Make sure to call it by its full name at all times, or it might ditch you for a new virtual player.
Source: Inside Games JP, Oha-suta
Images: Happinet via Inside Games JP, Dolly Kanon








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