Chuhou Joutai


 * This article is about the franchise as a whole. For the first game in the series, see Chuhou Joutai (video game).

Chuhou Joutai (中方状態) is a series of 2D manic shooters developed and published by Drillimation Systems and is the core franchise that makes up the Drillimation Danmaku Universe. The series began with the release of Chuhou Joutai: The Middle State of War in May 2020 with a sequel currently in development. The games are set within the fictional country of Kozan who is currently enduring a civil war with the communist militant group the Shintoist Province and Scarlet Devil of Team Crimson whose primary goal is to overthrow the monarch of Kozan and establish a socialist society. The series primarily centers on the adventures of Susumu "Driller" Takajima, a Japanese-American humanoid computer programmer trying to find an evil mastermind, Kagami Ochiai, a youkai-born idol singer aiding Driller on his adventures, and Konata, Kozan's beloved crown princess who acts as Driller's "fairy godmother."

The series is notable for being inspired by Touhou Project, but is marketed towards a younger demographic. Chuhou Joutai also borrows several elements from Touhou Project into its universe, such as the concept of humanoids and youkai alike, its danmaku-based gameplay, as well as the title screen themes using the Theme of Eastern Story leitmotif. Starting from Chuhou Joutai 2: Paraided!, several names of locations that originate from Touhou Project were implemented, such as the Hakurei Shrine and Kourindou. The plot of Chuhou Joutai, particularly the villainous group SPASDOT, takes inspiration from Cold War-era political fiction and terrorist propaganda, which form an integral part of the games' plots.

General information
Unlike Touhou Project, Chuhou Joutai takes place in a more modern, realistic version of Gensokyo. According to Drillimation Systems, Chuhou Joutai is set 300 years into the future of the Touhou Project timeline. The timeline featured does not follow the one used in Touhou Project, but as suggested by the Touhou Project fangames that Drillimation produced, they take place during the Edo period, while Chuhou Joutai takes place in the present day.

Japanese culture
Due to the name Chuhou Joutai originating from the Japanese language, various aspects of Japanese culture are present in the game, even though it takes place in a mostly western setting. Some mythological elements such as youkai-born humanoids are also present as part of an entire race.

Modern science
Various science-fiction elements including ray guns capable of firing danmaku are present in Chuhou Joutai.