No.5：D.C. ～Da Capo～

出典 : Amazon.co.jp

CIRCUS’ popular romance ADV entered the Top 5.
The brand was gaining attention at the time due to smash hits such as “Mizunatsu”, and it became a popular work as a result of following the success of Leaf, Key, etc., which said that if you release a bright school story after a dark story, it will be a hit.

The anime adaptation was produced by ZEXCS in 2003, and became a huge hit, selling 13,000 copies.
Later, a second season was broadcast by feel.

No.4： Lunar Legend Tsukihime

出典 : Amazon.co.jp

TYPE-MOON’s first work, the doujin game biographical visual novel “Tsukihime” ranked fourth.
Shortly before eroge entered its golden age, many commercial works were released by various brands every month, while doujin games were also on the rise, but at that time there were no DL sales and distribution channels were limited to Comiket distribution.
Therefore, it was not easy to obtain the game, but it spread by word of mouth, especially on the Internet, and became a milestone for the TYPE-MOON era to come.

The anime adaptation was produced by J.C. Staff in 2003, and was a huge hit, selling 14,000 copies.
The title was changed to “Lunar Legend Tsukihimee” due to trademark reasons.

No.3：Kanon

出典 : Amazon.co.jp

The original is Key’s first work, and the originator of the crying game has entered the top 3.
Since “One: To the Shining Season” created by the Key staff of the Tactics brand at the time was highly acclaimed among eroge fans, even though it was Key’s first work, it attracted attention even before its release and became a big hit.

The anime adaptation was initially done by Toei Animation, which also became a hit, selling about 9,000 copies, but four years later, in 2006-2007, Kyoto Animation did another anime adaptation, selling 18,000 copies.
Even though it was an eroge, the game was said to have “no need for erotic scenes”, so of course all the erotic scenes were cut.

No.2：AIR

出典 : Amazon.co.jp

The masterpiece that defined Key’s brand power ranked in second place.
As the definitive version of the “Crying Game”, it was released with a very high reputation and became a hit in the history of eroge.
The anime version was the first collaboration between KyoAni and Key, and the success of this work marked the beginning of KyoAni’s rapid progress.

Since it is a Key work, the erotic scenes themselves are thin, and in the anime, like Kanon, they are all cut.

In addition, other Key works such as “CLANNAD” and “Little Busters! were also hits in anime, but these are not erotic games, but general games.
However, Litobus has also been released in an 18 forbidden version, so it can be considered an eroge.

1位：Fate／stay night

出典 : Amazon.co.jp

The best-selling anime based on an erotic game is also this one.
TYPE-MOON, which drew a lot of attention with “Tsukihime”, produced and sold this game as its commercial debut.

The first anime adaptation of the game was in 2006, when Studio Deen made Saber Root into a video game that also became a huge hit, selling 26,000 copies, but the anime version of Fate/Zero, which depicts the Fourth Holy Grail War, became an even bigger hit.
With this momentum, the ufotable-produced “Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works],” which aired from 2014 to 2015, sold 38,000 copies and has since spawned various gaiden, spin-off, and derivative works.

In the anime, most of the erotic scenes have been cut.

Do we need erotic games in this day and age?

出典 : Amazon.co.jp

Eroge has been made into anime since the end of the 1999s, and has produced many big hits.
In the case of anime based on games, game sales and anime sales do not always coincide, and it is the same for eroge, especially in the 2010s.
For example, the 2010 blockbusters “Bridge to the Starry Sky” and “Love, Election, and Chocolate” and the 2013 No. 1 hit “Shepherd of the Great Library” were not big hits in anime.

On the other hand, there are some works that were also big hits in their original works, but left a definite mark in the anime.
The first season of “SHUFFLE!” aired in 2005, and while the game was a big hit, the anime also made an impact with the “empty pot incident” and set a good sales record.
School Days”, which gave birth to the famous phrase “Nice boat.”, is barely in the top 20 in terms of anime sales, but its popularity is still quite high.

In recent years, there has been a pattern of anime adaptations for fans, such as the Grisaia series, where a new series is produced through crowdfunding.

As mentioned above, eroge has given birth to many popular writers, and as can be seen from the fact that Makoto Shinkai directed the OP animation for the “ef series,” the industry has a high degree of freedom, which has given birth to a variety of expressive artists.
In recent years, the eroge industry itself has been in a difficult situation, but from the perspective of human resource development for creators, it is a culture that I hope will continue to exist.

Summary

I don’t know how the culture of eroge will change in the future, but as long as eroticism continues to be a man’s romance, I believe the demand for eroge will never disappear.
Let’s hope that one day there will be a new title that breaks into this top 10!