This page contains information regarding the series Keio Yuugekitai, or Keio Flying Squadron as it is known as in the European and American territories.
Game-related Questions
What’s the series about, anyway?
Basically, it’s a weird Japanese shooter\platformer series, produced between 1993 and 1998 for the Sega Mega CD, Sega Saturn and Sony Playstation respectively. Centred on the character Rami Nana-Hikari and her lovable sidedragon Pochi, Rami ventures through strange but typically Japanese landscapes killing raccoons and collecting colourful powerups on her way to a final showdown with Dr. Pon, the smartest and most evil racoon of them all.
For more detailed information on the stories, check out the information pages on the three games. Links are to your.. above!
Where do I get hold of the games?
eBay. That’s the most immediate source, and recommended in most cases. Alternately, if you don’t mind high shipping prices and a commission fee, as well as often inflated Japanese prices, you can get just about everything at Yahoo Japan’s auction site. I personally use the proxy-bidding Celga service, who take a commission and send your item in exchange for buying the item for you. Expect $30-$50 (USD) total in most cases. For your convenience, here is a link to a katakana “Keio Yuugekitai” search on Yahoo Japan.
Alternately, an email sent to me might get you a link to a copy you can download ;) But honestly, it’s nice having all the packaging.
What about the merchandise?
eBay very occasionally will have a book or something for you to purchase, but Yahoo Japan really is your best bet for this. Let us know if you can find any other good sources of Keio Yuugekitai merchandise!
Site-related Questions
Why is it important enough to have its own page?
This is all very well and good, but is the Keio Yuugekitai series really that important, underappreciated and desperately in need of a fansite?
To put it simply - it isn’t. Keio Yuugekitai or its follow-ups didn’t revolutionise gaming. It didn’t inspire developers worldwide to adopt new styles in their design, it didn’t really sell that many consoles - the combined effect of this series upon any facet of any industry, entertainment outlet or interest group is pretty negligible.
But all the same, both “Keio Yuugekitais” are rather excellent games. There is no other site on the internet devoted to the series (to our knowledge.) Why not make an exhaustive information site on the game? We hope that even a brief trip through the site will enlighten you as to some details of this highly colourful yet terribly obscure series, and to the few that have previously enjoyed either or both of the games that we have given the series a little bit of the justice it deserves.
What might I gain from viewing the contents of this webpage?
Not too much, really, except an appreciation for a series of games that doesn’t quite stand tall in gaming history. You might be inspired to play the games, look up the series further (hah, good luck!), draw some fanart, who knows - all that matters is that the internet now has a resource for the game. The world will thank us for it later.