Perfect Cherry Blossom

Short description: 2003 bullet hell video game

Touhou Youyoumu ~ Perfect Cherry Blossom

CD-ROM cover art, featuring a silhouette of Yukari Yakumo

Developer(s)| Team Shanghai Alice
Publisher(s)| Team Shanghai Alice
Composer(s)| Team Shanghai Alice
Series| Touhou Project
Platform(s)| Windows
Release|

* JP: 17 August 2003[1][lower-alpha 1]

Genre(s)| Scrolling shooter, bullet hell
Mode(s)| Single-player

Touhou Youyoumu ~ Perfect Cherry Blossom (Japanese: 東方妖々夢 〜 Perfect Cherry Blossom; lit. "Bewitching Eastern Dream") is a 2003 vertically scrolling shooter bullet hell video game developed by Team Shanghai Alice. It is the seventh game in the Touhou Project series. Playable characters include returning protagonists Reimu Hakurei and Marisa Kirisame, with Sakuya Izayoi featuring in her first playable appearance. The story centers around the chosen heroine traveling to Gensokyo's Netherworld to stop Gensokyo from being stuck in an eternal state of winter when spring fails to arrive.

The full game was first released on August 17, 2003, at Comiket 64. The game introduces many gameplay changes over its predecessor Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, many of which would become staples of subsequent Touhou Project entries, including the ability to visualise the player's own hitbox.

## Contents

* 1 Gameplay
* 2 Plot
* 2.1 Setting and Prologue
* 2.2 Main Scenario
* 2.3 Extra Scenario
* 3 Development
* 4 Reception and legacy
* 4.1 Character popularity and derivative works
* 4.2 Cross-media appearances
* 5 Notes
* 6 References
* 7 External links

## Gameplay

Screenshot of stage 5

Perfect Cherry Blossom is a vertical scrolling shoot 'em up. The game offers three playable characters to choose from with two shot types each: Reimu Hakurei starts with three bombs, has the smallest hitbox, and the longest time in the game to deathbomb (activating a bomb shortly after being hit, cancelling out the death), but weak bullets. Marisa Kirisame is the fastest character, and has a lower boundary to collect all items onscreen, but has a narrow attack range, and starts with two bombs. Sakuya Izayoi has the largest area in which she can graze enemy bullets, a lower Cherry point penalty for dying, can attack over an even larger area than Reimu, and starts with four bombs.[2] As in Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, the player can enter Focus mode, slowing the player which makes it easier to dodge enemy attacks. The player's hitbox is now displayed when focusing, which makes it easier to dodge enemy bullets relative to the player’s hitbox.[1] The player can also use bombs, which grant invulnerability, clear the screen of bullets, and deals immense damage to enemies. The player has a limited supply of bombs, and each shot type also features a different bomb effect. Upon being hit by an enemy bullet, the player can avoid death by using a bomb within a small window of time, a technique known as "deathbombing". Throughout the course of the game, enemies will drop Power Items, which will increase the damage and rate of fire of the player's shot, and Point Items, which give the player points, which contribute to replenishing their lives and bombs. When at maximum shot power, the player can move to the top of the screen to collect all onscreen items. The player will also receive a point bonus if they can "capture" an enemy spell card: completing it without dying, bombing, or running out of time.

Perfect Cherry Blossom introduces the "Cherry" scoring system, unique to the game. Shooting enemies, and grazing (having enemy bullets reach the edge of the player hitbox) increases the "Cherry Meter" (displayed as "Cherry" and "Cherry+" in-game). A higher Cherry meter allows the player to gain more points from Point Items. When a total of 50,000 "Cherry+" points are collected, the player will be given a "Supernatural Border" (森羅結界, Shinra Kekkai), a shield that lasts for seven seconds. While active, Point Items are collected instantly, and the player is protected from one enemy attack. If the player is hit while the border is active, or if the player manually cancels the border by pressing the bomb button, a "Spirit Strike" (霊撃, Reigeki) is unleashed; this removes all onscreen bullets and converts them into cherry items, but ends the shield prematurely without consuming a bomb stock. If the player is able to survive for the entirety of the shield's duration without being hit or breaking it manually, an additional point bonus is granted.[3] Other important gameplay changes introduced in Perfect Cherry Blossom include the player's shot having different properties if they are focused, a cursor on the bottom margin of the screen during a boss battle which tells the player where the boss is currently located, and a consistent time in which to perform a deathbomb.[4]

Perfect Cherry Blossom consists of six regular stages with four levels of difficulty, and also offers a practice mode, allowing the player to play through a single stage at any time, provided they have completed it already. Depending on difficulty, a positive or negative multiplier bonus is applied and also given at the end of each stage. If the player completes the game without using a continue, they are shown the "good ending" of their particular shot type, and unlock an additional "Extra Stage"; otherwise, they are revealed a "bad ending".[5] If the Extra Stage is completed, an additional "Phantasm Stage" is unlocked, which contains the conclusion to the game's story. As a result, in terms of the number of unique stages, Perfect Cherry Blossom contains eight stages.

## Plot

### Setting and Prologue

In the spring of the 119th season of Gensokyo, an event known as the Spring Snow Incident (春雪異変) occurs. Gensokyo is stuck in an eternal winter, with snowstorms continuing well into May.[6] The three heroines, each for their own reasons, set out to resolve the incident and return spring to the land. Reimu Hakurei is motivated by the cold temperature making her life at the shrine miserable. Marisa Kirisame finds a cherry blossom petal in her home in the Forest of Magic and sets out to see if winter is affecting the outside world as well. Sakuya Izayoi is forced to act to prevent the Scarlet Devil Mansion from running out of supplies and fuel.[7] Canonically, Reimu is the one that resolves this incident.

### Main Scenario

In Stage 1, "Snow or Cherry Petal," the heroine encounters Letty Whiterock (レティ・ホワイトロック). Letty is a yōkai of the yuki-onna variety who possesses the ability to manipulate cold. She attacks the heroine to protect the winter environment, which she considers her "happiness." According to official lore, her power is equivalent to the forces of nature during winter, but she becomes virtually powerless and hides in the shadows during other seasons.[8]

Proceeding to the village of Mayohiga in Stage 2, "Darkness of Mayohiga," the heroine faces Chen (橙), a nekomata (two-tailed cat demon). Chen serves as the shikigami to Ran Yakumo, who is herself a shikigami, making Chen a "shikigami of a shikigami." She possesses the ability to use sorcery but is notably weak to water; getting wet dispels her shikigami possession, reducing her to a regular cat youkai.[9]

In Stage 3, "Doll House of the Night," the protagonist encounters Alice Margatroid (アリス・マーガトロイド). A magician who lives in the Forest of Magic, Alice was originally a human who became a yōkai through magical training.[10] She is known as the "Seven-Colored Puppeteer" and possesses extreme dexterity, allowing her to manipulate multiple dolls simultaneously to perform magic. In battle, she is noted for never using her full strength, preferring to win with a slight margin to maintain the "fun" of the fight.[11]

Passing through the cloud barrier in Stage 4, "Chant of the Cherry Blossom," the heroine attempts to enter the Netherworld. She is intercepted by Lily White (リリーホワイト), a fairy known as the "Herald of Spring" who appears to announce the coming of the season.[12] At the gate of the Netherworld, the heroine battles the Prismriver Sisters (プリズムリバー三姉妹)—Lunasa, Merlin, and Lyrica. They are poltergeists who perform as a musical ensemble. The sisters were not born naturally but were created by the delusion of a human noble girl named Layla Prismriver after she was separated from her family; the sisters continue to exist in a mansion near the Misty Lake long after Layla's death.[13]

In Stage 5, "The Phantom of the Grand Staircase," the heroine enters Hakugyokurō (白玉楼), the residence of the Netherworld's mistress. There, she confronts Youmu Konpaku (魂魄 妖夢), the estate's gardener and fencing instructor. Youmu is a half-human, half-phantom hybrid who is constantly accompanied by a large floating phantom form; unlike normal humans, her body temperature is lower, while her phantom half is warmer.[14] She wields two swords: the long katana "Roukanken," said to kill ten ghosts in one slash, and the short wakizashi "Hakurouken," which cuts through human confusion.[15] Youmu reveals she stole Gensokyo's spring on the orders of her mistress to make the estate's cherry trees bloom.

The final confrontation takes place in Stage 6, "Perfect Cherry Blossom." The heroine faces Yuyuko Saigyouji (西行寺 幽々子), the ghost princess of Hakugyokurō. Despite her whimsical, airheaded demeanor and reputation as a glutton, she holds a high-ranking position managing the spirits of the dead for the Yama.[16] Yuyuko reveals she wishes to revive a corpse sealed beneath the "Saigyou Ayakashi" (西行妖), a demonic cherry blossom tree that has never bloomed. To break the seal, she needs the final fragments of spring carried by the heroine. Upon the heroine's victory, the truth is revealed: the body sealed beneath the tree is Yuyuko's own. In her previous life as a human—implied to be the daughter of the real-life poet Saigyō Hōshi—she possessed a "death-manipulating" ability that she came to fear. She committed suicide to seal the tree and her own terrifying power, becoming a ghost who eventually forgot her living past.[17]

### Extra Scenario

A few days later, Yuyuko asks the heroine for a favor. The boundary between Gensokyo and the Netherworld has been weakened, causing ghosts to leak into the living world. Yuyuko asks the heroine to find her friend, Yukari Yakumo, who is responsible for the barrier's maintenance.

In the Extra Stage, "Shikigami of the Youkai," the heroine returns to the Netherworld and is confronted by a powered-up Chen, and subsequently her master, Ran Yakumo (八雲 藍). Ran is a nine-tailed fox kitsune and the shikigami of Yukari Yakumo. Highly intelligent, Ran possesses a mind comparable to a supercomputer, capable of calculating the width of the Sanju River or complex equations instantly.[18] Because her master sleeps twelve hours a day, Ran handles much of the day-to-day maintenance of Gensokyo's barriers. She attacks the heroine to avenge Chen's earlier defeat but is ultimately subdued.[19]

Ran suggests the heroine return at night when her master is awake. In the Phantasm Stage, "Border of Humans and Youkai," the heroine meets Yukari Yakumo (八雲 紫). Yukari is the "Phantasm Youkai" who manipulates boundaries—a power that allows her to control the borders between truth and falsehood, reality and dream, and physical locations. She is one of the Sages of Gensokyo and was instrumental in the creation of the Great Hakurei Barrier that isolates Gensokyo from the outside world.[20] Impressed by the heroine's skill, Yukari battles her before agreeing to repair the boundary.

## Development

The first demo of Perfect Cherry Blossom was released at the 63rd Comiket on December 30, 2002. Another demo with only the MIDI soundtrack was released freely online on January 26, 2003. The full game was released on August 17, 2003, in the 64th Comiket, while distribution in doujin shops started on September 7 of that year. ZUN, the only member of Team Shanghai Alice, made another version of the game for the first Reitaisai, held on April 18, 2004, where a score attack tournament was held. This version features changed dialogue and background music for the Phantasm stage. The new track is included in the doujin CD Cradle -tōhō gegakushi den- (Cradle -東方幻樂祀典-) by Sound Sepher.[21]

ZUN stated that Perfect Cherry Blossom is "not a very smart game", saying that since many new people are playing his games, it would be nice to have more fan service, but it is just more of the same. He says that this is on purpose, since doujin games give him the freedom to create what he likes as opposed to game companies where the main goal is to attract new customers.[22]

## Reception and legacy

In a review for Sick Critic, Max Broggi-Sumner said that "Perfect Cherry Blossom is a fantastic sequel, taking everything that made EoSD great and improving on it. With more playable characters, more welcoming mechanics, a second extra stage, a debatably better soundtrack, and just as entrancing bullet patterns, PCB is fantastic for both newcomers to the series who just want to beat the game on normal, as well as veterans who’re good enough to focus on getting a high score on Lunatic difficulty."[23] On GameSpot, Perfect Cherry Blossom had an average user rating of 9.4/10.[24]

According to ZUN, Perfect Cherry Blossom was the most popular Touhou Project game in the series.[25] Game Rant ranked it as the 5th best Touhou Project game, praising it for being among the most accessible titles in the series.[26] British comedian and journalist Charlie Brooker, in his video game review show Gameswipe, presented Perfect Cherry Blossom as an example of the shoot 'em up genre that "masochistic maniacs actively enjoy dipping into". He said the game "sort of resembles a firework display being sick".[27]

### Character popularity and derivative works

The characters introduced in Perfect Cherry Blossom have maintained significant popularity decades after the game's release, appearing frequently in polls and fan-created media.

In an August 2025 survey conducted by the Japanese media site 'Anime! Anime!' for "National Ghost Day," Yuyuko Saigyouji ranked 3rd in the "Favorite Ghost Character" category, trailing only the protagonists of Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun and GeGeGe no Kitaro. She held this position for two consecutive years, with fans citing the gap between her "fluffy" demeanor and her terrifying strength as a key appeal. Youmu Konpaku also appeared on the same list, ranking 15th.[28]

Alice Margatroid continues to be a popular subject for doujin games. In May 2024, the circle Desunoya released SUPER ALICE DOLLS on Steam, a 2D side-scrolling action game where Alice uses her dolls to shield herself, attack enemies, and traverse gaps. The game highlights her "Seven-Colored Puppeteer" ability originally showcased in Perfect Cherry Blossom, adapting the bullet hell mechanics into a platforming format.[29]

### Cross-media appearances

The game introduced several characters who became central figures in the wider Touhou Project franchise. Yukari Yakumo was established as one of the Sages of Gensokyo and a key figure in the creation of the Great Hakurei Barrier. Lore books such as Silent Sinner in Blue expanded on her backstory, revealing she had organized an invasion of the Moon over a millennium prior to the game's events.[30] Alice Margatroid, a returning character from the PC-98 era, was reintroduced in this game specifically to serve as a partner for Marisa Kirisame in the sequel, Imperishable Night, as ZUN felt it would be unnatural to pair Marisa with a brand new character.[31]

Yuyuko Saigyouji's backstory is heavily implied to be connected to the real-life poet Saigyō Hōshi; the game's lore states she was the daughter of a "poet famous for cherry blossoms" who died beneath the Saigyou Ayakashi.[32] She later appeared as a guest character in the Square Enix arcade game Lord of Vermilion Re:2.[33] Youmu Konpaku also became a recurring playable protagonist in later titles such as Ten Desires and Wily Beast and Weakest Creature. Her distinct nature as a half-human, half-phantom hybrid—where she is physically human but accompanied by a large "phantom" sac—has been a subject of various game mechanics and lore explanations.[34]

The game's music has been featured in other titles; an arrangement of Yukari Yakumo's theme "Necrofantasia" appears in the Taito arcade games Music GunGun! 2 and Groove Coaster. Several tracks from the game were also included in the mobile rhythm game Touhou Danmaku Kagura.

## Notes

1. ↑ Perfect Cherry Blossom was sold on the final day of Comiket 64.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "東方妖々夢 ～ Perfect Cherry Blossom. Manual". 9 August 2003. https://www16.big.or.jp/~zun/html/th07man/index.html.
2. ↑ Touhou Youyoumu ~ Perfect Cherry Blossom Character Introduction (chara.html)
3. ↑ 東方妖々夢 ～ Perfect Cherry Blossom - bonus.html
4. ↑ 東方妖々夢 ～ Perfect Cherry Blossom - subsys.html
5. ↑ 東方妖々夢 ～ Perfect Cherry Blossom - rule.html
6. ↑ (in Japanese) Touhou Gumon Shiki: Perfect Memento in Strict Sense. Ichijinsha. 2006. p. 114.
7. ↑ "Touhou Youyoumu ~ Perfect Cherry Blossom Prologue". Team Shanghai Alice. 2003-08-17. https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Perfect_Cherry_Blossom/Prologue.
8. ↑ (in Japanese) Touhou Gumon Shiki: Perfect Memento in Strict Sense. Ichijinsha. 2006. p. 16.
9. ↑ (in Japanese) Touhou Gumon Shiki: Perfect Memento in Strict Sense. Ichijinsha. 2006. pp. 62–63.
10. ↑ (in Japanese) Touhou Gumon Shiki: Perfect Memento in Strict Sense. Ichijinsha. 2006. pp. 54–56.
11. ↑ Twilight Frontier (2004-12-30). Immaterial and Missing Power. Windows. "Shanghai Alice Correspondence.txt"
12. ↑ (in Japanese) Touhou Gumon Shiki: Perfect Memento in Strict Sense. Ichijinsha. 2006. pp. 12–13.
13. ↑ (in Japanese) Touhou Gumon Shiki: Perfect Memento in Strict Sense. Ichijinsha. 2006. pp. 25–30.
14. ↑ Team Shanghai Alice (2004-08-15). Touhou Eiyashou ~ Imperishable Night. Windows. "Manual"
15. ↑ (in Japanese) Touhou Gumon Shiki: Perfect Memento in Strict Sense. Ichijinsha. 2006. pp. 22–24.
16. ↑ (in Japanese) Touhou Gumon Shiki: Perfect Memento in Strict Sense. Ichijinsha. 2006. pp. 84–86.
17. ↑ (in Japanese) Touhou Gumon Shiki: Perfect Memento in Strict Sense. Ichijinsha. 2006. pp. 84–86.
18. ↑ (in Japanese) Touhou Bunka-cho: Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red. Ichijinsha. 2005. pp. 162–163.
19. ↑ (in Japanese) Touhou Gumon Shiki: Perfect Memento in Strict Sense. Ichijinsha. 2006. pp. 64–65.
20. ↑ (in Japanese) Touhou Gumon Shiki: Perfect Memento in Strict Sense. Ichijinsha. 2006. pp. 48–51.
21. ↑ sound sepher 1st Album 「Cradle - 東方幻樂祀典」, mani-mani.net. Accessed on 2009-03-15.
22. ↑ ZUN, Shanghai Alice Correspondence vol. 3, Perfect Cherry Blossom omake. 2003-08-17.
23. ↑ Broggi-Sumner, Max. "THROWBACK REVIEW: TOUHOU 7- PERFECT CHERRY BLOSSOM". https://sickcritic.com/2018/11/17/throwback-review-touhou-7-perfect-cherry-blossom/.
24. ↑ "Touhou Youyoumu: Perfect Cherry Blossom". https://www.gamespot.com/games/touhou-youyoumu-perfect-cherry-blossom/reviews/.
25. ↑ Szczepaniak, John. The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers. pp. 373.
26. ↑ "Best Touhou Games, Ranked". 28 September 2023. https://gamerant.com/best-touhou-games-ranked/#touhou-7-perfect-cherry-blossom.
27. ↑ Charlie Brooker's Gameswipe, 2009, BBC Four. PCB mention occurs at 7:10.
28. ↑ "Who is the most famous "ghost" character? 3rd place is Yuyuko Saigyouji from Touhou Project..." (in Japanese). Anime! Anime! via Excite News. 2025-08-13. https://www.excite.co.jp/news/article/Animeanime_92232/.
29. ↑ "Touhou Project fan game "SUPER ALICE DOLLS" Early Access begins May 3" (in Japanese). Automaton Media. 2024-05-02. https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20240502-291943/.
30. ↑ (in Japanese) Touhou Gumon Shiki: Perfect Memento in Strict Sense. Ichijinsha. 2006. pp. 48–51.
31. ↑ Imperishable Night Trial Version. "Omake.txt".
32. ↑ (in Japanese) Touhou Gumon Shiki: Perfect Memento in Strict Sense. Ichijinsha. 2006. pp. 84–86.
33. ↑ "Lord of Vermilion Re:2 Collaboration" (in Japanese). Square Enix. http://www.lordofv.com/lovre2/collaboration/.
34. ↑ (in Japanese) Touhou Gumon Shiki: Perfect Memento in Strict Sense. Ichijinsha. 2006. pp. 22–24.

## External links

* Official website Script error: The function "in_lang" does not exist.
* Perfect Cherry Blossom on IMDb
* Perfect Cherry Blossom at Touhou Wiki

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Touhou Project by Team Shanghai Alice

Main
series|

| PC-98|

* Highly Responsive to Prayers
* Story of Eastern Wonderland
* Phantasmagoria of Dim. Dream
* Lotus Land Story
* Mystic Square

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Windows|

* Embodiment of Scarlet Devil
* Perfect Cherry Blossom
* Imperishable Night
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* Ten Desires
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* Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom
* Hidden Star in Four Seasons
* Wily Beast and Weakest Creature

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