You're all well aware of Umihara Kawase Shun, right? Especially after reading last week's "Which Box Art is Better" post? If not, all you really need to know about it is that it's the sequel to a two-dimensional Super Famicom-based platformer that stars a girl with a pink backpack and a fishing pole.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje46GJVAw7bfBOvtit658nt596Tzspisq1XXS8rHJqMrScLjakbYjYKyZAT2EVzUPc_Syd_BH-GwIjcBeVEQkksLqB-2crb8jyKvJCvLefRFiLhbQsUi2PjuXihCS3aoEeHioNfQ/s400/UmiharaKawase_PlayStation_011a.jpg)
It's all rather awesome, of course, which is why I've been meaning to pick it up for ages. The only thing that's kept me from doing so until recently: the prices copies tend to fetch on line (generally upwards of $50, although copies of the "Second Edition" can go for a lot more).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVOT7LwDrLps1R7A50MvyNhMcZ0wKgpyvX3hm_3Y7n9uKPs-hagseO3Xd6xCuHnlDU9-G0GF3SiaRDx_F1PSeP69IbSEczi20ikKm1lNeFCSgsjE3bzyS7q8WFlXETFKlhIii6A/s400/UmiharaKawase_manual_PlayStation_015a.jpg)
The copy you see in the photos above and below, though, was quite a bit cheaper than average, though, so naturally I snapped it up as soon as I was able.
With that out of the way, Umihara Kawase Shun's cover art is pretty great, don't you think? I especially like that its watercolor-esque sheen. The back page of the game's manual (above) is nice, too, with the plucky protagonist using her trusty fishing pole to swing from her own name.
Last, but not least, there's the actual game disc (below), which displays a subtle attractiveness not unlike that of the aforementioned cover art.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitZ7LeMvCgEsVB7ktHWaNPW6_dvYIYbX5-U-eazQ4PyDddlFKi5bqxVa40XhV-DbpOIBWbNAgUunuptzS-2P4KTqS3gI1MLMSzpsYPAjzoOUNruoI7UhhVD5pLuctyEKyx1Lzd1g/s400/UmiharaKawase_disc_PlayStation_014a.jpg)
If after reading what I've written here you'd like to learn a bit more about the Umihara Kawase series (and you should), I'd highly recommend reading its Hardcore Gaming 101 entry and watching this (translated) episode of GameCenter CX at your earliest convenience.
Note: I recently decided to change the title of this series of posts from "Acquisition #123" to "Acquisition Time with The Gay Gamer™" because, well, I've worried for a while now that the original name could be considered kind of off-putting. The replacement was inspired by the "Adventure Time" TV series, by the way, and the ™ was tossed into the mix because everything looks more professional with a ™ symbol attached to it.