When reviewing this game, there are two games it can be compared to: The original Touhou Makuka Sai, and Perfect Cherry Blossom, which this game is based on. It also adds Sanae which is always a plus, but rather than Sakuya being playable Youmu is. Odd choice there.

As far as the original goes, the patterns feel more fair and are just as lively. It still feels like it uses a template of sorts (original Stage 1 boss, Stage 4 boss is replaced by its midboss) but this time the Stage 5 boss is different too (even if they have a poorly designed survival attack) so there's even more diversity from the original on store here. That said, I'm unsure what Lily White has to do with candy, really weird that's her focus.

The other game that must be compared to is Perfect Cherry Blossom. For one, I think the resource system here is a huge improvement over ZUN's original game: Tying the Cherry Border to your resources is far smarter than the stock item you collect for lives. I do wish there was a way to figure out which border type (bombs or lives) you'd get before the border starts, but maybe I'm not looking hard enough. The music is really watered down in comparison though, the original tracks bring nothing and the remixes aren't all that great. I did like the twist on the Stage 3 theme though.

All in all, an interesting interpretation of Perfect Cherry Blossom.