It’s another Anime Central (ACEN) and that means more visual novel announcements. Anime Central 2025 wasn’t exactly full of updates for this niche medium, but there are certainly some worth knowing about.
Sekai Project
Back in June 2024, we spoke to developer Cuteuphoria and reported that Dra-Con Café (later revealed to be officially titled Welcome to Cafe Lumière! in English and previously also known as Dora-Con Cafe) was planned to be released in English. More details have now been revealed, with Sekai Project announcing that they will be publishing this title and that the release is planned for an unspecified date in 2025.
This romantic comedy visual novel follows a dragon girl from another world ruled by dragons who becomes obsessed with the idea of concept cafés. The scenario is by Andou Kotatsu, who has worked on many visual novels including Angelic☆Chaos RE-BOOT! (Tenshi☆Souzou RE-BOOT!) and the character design and main art is by Ko~cha who worked on Suzukuri Dungeon: Karin in the Mountain, among other titles.
Shidou Masamune is an average college student living in Japan. With enough credits to graduate, he counts down the days to graduation by visiting concept cafés around town. Much like maid cafés, concept cafés are similar with the twist being the theme or concept each café is centered on. While waiting to enter a popular tsundere maid café, Masamune crosses paths with Maru, a concept café enthusiast whose real name is Marmalydia Dot Fearburn, a Mother Dragon from another world?!
These two become comrades-in-arms, visiting concept cafés together. Like total pals. Until Maru accidentally ends Maasmune’s life and burns him to a crisp with her dragon breath.
…After using her magic to bring Masamune back to life, fate intervenes when he suddenly inherits his grandfather’s café. While he is unsure how to run the café of his beloved grandfather, Maru suddenly has the idea of running a concept café of her own. A dragon-themed café where you can meet actual dragons! Masamune’s life is about to change (not including the dying by dragon fire part) as he steps in to help make Maru’s dreams a reality. And thus the alternate world-feeling, dragon-filled cafe, the Dra-Con Cafe, is now open!
Check out the Website for Further Updates
They have also announced another 2025 release, an upcoming localization of NEKO-NIN exHeart SPIN! LOVE+PLUS.
This is a standalone fandisc for NEKO-NIN exHeart SPIN which was released in English back in 2024. It contains 3 mini-episodes that focus on the three heroines from the series, including Touka, Nanako, and Chika.
The developer’s website describes NEKO-NIN exHeart SPIN! LOVE+PLUS as depicting ‘slightly naughty, lovey-dovey mini after-stories’ and recommends reading it after the main game.
EPISODE 1 – Touka
With Touka and Chika joining the Saiga family, our protagonist’s home life has changed a great deal. Despite initial concerns about how things will go, Touka demonstrates her all-encompassing flexibility and becomes a happy member of the family.
One day, our protagonist notices Touka looking out of sorts. He grows worried that she may be tired or overworked. After much deliberation, he comes up with a plan to address this concern: giving Touka a well-deserved surprise party.
EPISODE 2 – Makibishi Nanako
After several tumultuous days ensuing from the death of Nanako and the protagonist’s grandpa, peace has finally returned to the Saiga household. Having overcome her grief, Nanako is now fully devoted to following in her beloved grandpa’s footsteps and becoming a master inventor.
Our caring protagonist, however, worries she may be working herself too hard. Just when he resolves to give her a chance of pace, the neighborhood kids are horrified by a ghostly appearance. With the friendly local tanuki Shinobi determined to protect the city’s peace, the Shinobi ghost busters ride to the rescue!
Under this eerie onslaught, what fate awaits Nanako and our protagonist?
Episode 3 – Nekoe Chika
After the dust from the Saiga succession war clears, Chika ends up freeloading in the protagonist’s home. Naturally, instead of seeking to fit in and live happily with everyone, she keeps playing pranks on everyone (okay, mainly Nanako).
This culminates in Chika breaking a beloved heirloom vase, at which Nanako flies into a rage. Though this was a genuine accident, the result is nevertheless Chika’s fault for being negligent.
She acknowledges her guilt, but, unable to offer a sincere apology, she instead runs away from home. Will she find her place in the family, or is this the end of their short time together?
Check out the Website for Further Updates
MangaGamer
MangaGamer have announced another ClockUp title. The third installment of the Healthy Hentai series, How I met My Healthy Hentai Neighbors.
It features art by Butcha-U, who worked on the previous titles in this installment, as well as the recently released Sacrifice Villains.
Meet Ichihashi Jirou, a sex drive scholar at St. Orgies’ Private Academy. He decided to offer up his dick and semen for use in the Perversion Department’s practicums in exchange for all sorts of perks. But as a virgin, he’s very particular about who his very first partner will be.
Living right next door to Jirou is the Maezono household——a family of legendary perverts from the single mother to each of her four daughters. When the eldest Maezono daughter, Chihiro, catches Jirou masturbating one day, it isn’t long before the entire household discovers that he’s a virgin.
Now, an esteemed family of perverts like the Maezonos can’t possibly stand by while a defenseless virgin like Jirou remains unmolested! Now that they’ve set their perverted sights on him…
…It’s fuck or be fucked!
So Jirou decides he’ll have his first time with one of the lovely Maezono ladies, but will that choice really be so simple?
Find out more on the MangaGamer Website (NSFW)
As well as their announcement of a new title, MangaGamer announced a physical USB version of Welcome to a Sexy, Open World and a plush of the character Reset from the Rance series. There are no further details on the release date of the plush, but the physical version of Welcome to a Sexy, Open World will open pre-orders on May 19th 2025 for release on July 7th 2025.
If you are looking for more visual novel articles, you may enjoy our post on Visual Novel Characters You Wish You Could Romance (But Can’t!) or Angelic☆Chaos RE-BOOT! We have also covered a wide variety of visual novels both original to English and localized from Japanese, which you can check out here.
A gamer since the days of Amstrad and DOS and someone who has dabbled in a variety of professions. He enjoys a wide variety of genres, but has been focusing on visual novels and virtual reality in recent years. Head Editor of NookGaming. Follow him and the website on @NookSite.
