May Sky is the freeware 2008 English-language localization of a 2005 Japanese visual novel called Gogatsu no sora. It was originally localized by Insani for the 2008 al|together visual novel localization festival. I reviewed May Sky as part of my project to review the 31 visual novels that were localized as part of the three al|together festivals (2005, 2006, and 2008). After reviewing the 31 al|together novels, I ranked them in order of their quality (my subjective take, of course) and selected May Sky as the best visual novel to come out of al|together. I went on to write other articles about May Sky, all of which you will find linked below.

An angry Minori yells at Haruki: “You ungrateful, unappreciative, lying JERK! You tell me you like my music and then you go and FALL ASLEEP while I’m pouring all my heart and soul into playing that piece just for you!”
A heartwarming scene from May Sky.

(You can find all of my al|together articles in the main collection hub.)

May Sky Reviews

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  • May Sky – Visual Novel Review
    My original and largely spoiler-free review of May Sky. New readers should start here.
  • al|together Visual Novel Ranking (10-1) (May Sky section link)
    This is the third of my three-part al|together visual novel ranking, featuring my personal top-10. I ranked May Sky as the best of the 31 al|together visual novels. While I provide the direct link to the May Sky section here, I recommend starting from the beginning of my al|together ranking series (links to all parts are included at the top of the 10-1 ranking article).

May Sky Story Analysis

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I wrote a four-part story analysis of May Sky. Unlike my spoiler-free reviews, I discuss and quote from the novel’s script in great detail. For that reason, my analysis articles are recommended for people who have already read May Sky (it is free so there is nothing stopping you) or who want to use my analysis as a reading companion (the analysis is written in order). However, people who will definitely never read May Sky may nevertheless find my analysis interesting (or perhaps part one of four will be enough to persuade someone to try the novel).

It should go without saying that new readers should begin with part 1.

I also published two side-articles related to the analysis.

  • Evidence that May Sky VN Begins in May 2005
    I use a calendar to determine that the events of May Sky almost certainly take place in 2005 and 2006.
  • Localizing Japanese High School Classes
    An opinionated take on how to handle Minori being a second-year high school student in Japan, which has a three-year high school system (grades 10-12), for readers familiar with America’s four-year high schools (grades 9-12).

Both of the side-articles can be read along with part 1 of my May Sky analysis or independently.

May Sky Archaeology

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(Note: I am borrowing this use of archaeology from Insani, the circle responsible for bringing May Sky to English-speaking audiences.)

  • Adobe Flash Version of Gogatsu no Sora.
    I run the original Japanese Adobe Flash version of Gogatsu no Sora. Note that the English localization is based on the second Japanese release of the game, which was written in NScripter and released three months after the original Flash version.

Miscellaneous

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  • The Insani and al|together Visual Novel Translations (see 2008 novel introductions)
    I mentioned May Sky along with all of the other al|together novels in my project introduction. I did not write anything substantive about May Sky here, but this remains a good way to get a feel for the entire al|together collection.
  • Comparing my al|together VN rank to VNDB
    I compared my own al|together ranking to the aggregate scores for the novels on Visual Novel Database. We learn that May Sky has a high VNBD reader score relative to other al|together novels.
  • The Trees Leaf in May
    I published this exactly two years to the day before I published my May Sky review and before I had read May Sky (I had read a few of the al|together novels in the 2010-12 area, but May Sky was not among them). Despite the fact that I did not write this with May Sky in mind, it is thematically on point.

External May Sky Resources

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  • al|together 2008 site
    This is the official website for May Sky. It not only includes download links, but also short essays from the main translator (Irene Ying) and editor (Seung Park). I recommend reading the whole thing.
  • Gogatsu no Sora site
    The official Japanese website for Gogatsu no Sora. It includes a link to May Sky (proof that the English version is official). Japanese readers can enjoy the original Adobe Flash version of the novel and download the NScripter release on which May Sky is based.
  • Visual Novel Database Entry
    Visual Novel Database entry for Gogatsu no Sora and May Sky.
  • Sleepless Nights Review of May Sky
    A somewhat positive review of May Sky written when the localization was first made available for download on December 2, 2008.
  • AustinAnime Review of May Sky
    A highly positive 2015 review by AustinAnime.