This week’s header image is from Clover Day’s, featuring Tsubame and our weird, eyeless freak of a protagonist. The translation for Tsubame’s route is finished, hurrah! I can’t do “fancy” headers like Tay does, so all you get from me is a CG picked largely at random, deal with it.
Are we alive? Is anyone there? Hello?? Whew, looks like we’re good to go! Things have been touch and go for a while here at Fuwanovel, and they kind of still are. But that’s not going to stop us from delivering your weekly VNTS! The Yoast SEO wordpress plugin is a demon that destroys databases, so that’s now gone. But it seems there’s a greater evil lurking in the darkness, one we’ve yet to pin down. We have Top Men on the job so worry not, justice shall prevail!
Anyway! Welcome to our weekly VNTS (Visual Novel Translation Status) series, in which we track visual novel translation updates in-house (we don’t rely on /jp/ posts on 4ch, for example) and post it for your enlightenment and enjoyment each Saturday. If you find any errors, or you think a project is missing from this list, please let me know in the comments.
The Short Version:
Only the New Stuff
AstralAir – Bumped from 70.93% to 71.53%.
Black Wolves Saga and Ken ga Kimi (otome) – Not dropped! Golden Spirit is attempting to get in touch with their team members in order to finish these off. (Link)
ChuSinGura 46+1 – Boy, this is a weird one. ChuSinGura is a respected and Sengoku era time travel epic that has been compared to Muv-Luv Alternative, and has a real dang shoddy looking Kickstarter that just launched here. On one hand, I want this VN in English pretty badly, on the other hand, that KS page… This one crosses the line into “too suspect to back” for sure.
Clover Day’s – Tsubame’s route has reached 100% translation! Ittaku/Conman of To Heart 2 fame tackled this route, congratulations!
Dare ka ga Koi Shita Hankagai – TL: 15.63% > 15.72%
HaraKano – Ren’s route is now at 6064 lines translated! We may have missed a couple updates in the interim, sorry about that.
Hoka no Onna – Progress seems to be steady again here, going from 8917 to 9460 lines translated. Good work!
KARAKARA – Last call on this one! They’re currently at 86% funding, and there’s just a couple days are left in the campaign. If you jump in before the campaign is over, you only pay half of the price it will be available for on release. Check out the IndieGoGo here.
Ne no Kami – TL: 40.85% > 45.48
Sukimazakura to Uso no Machi – TL bumped up from 26.8% to 27.7%, good work!
World End Economica – TL: 33.03% > 36%
All the Game Updates:
Fan Translation Projects
Fan Translation Projects
wdt_ID
(Hidden) Title
Game
Group & Progress
New Update?
Notes
1
Akaya Akashiya Ayakashino
Akaya Akashiya Ayakashino
AkaAka TL
11/15/15 Update – Work still ongoing, but some of the team are unresponsive. You can see everything completed here.
2
Amagami
Amagami
Ni Shi Shi TL
TL: 68.70% (1587/2308 scripts); three routes complete (link)
Edit: 19.5% (452/2308 scripts)
3
Anniversary no Kuni no Alice
Anniversary no Kuni no Alice
Märchen TL
TL: 59%;
Edit: 42%;
Proofread: 29%
4
Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm (Aokana)
Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm (Aokana)
OriginalRen
1st Pass (All routes) TL/Edit - 100%; 2nd Pass - In Progress
Release delayed until ~October 2016 (Link)
2/20/16 - Will be putting up materials from CE very soon (so watch the blog)
5
AstralAir
AstralAir
AstralAir TL
New!
New website: now hosted by Shinku-TL. I've updated the progress link to the left.
TL: 70.93% > 71.53% (46401/64880)
Edit: 70.93% (46019/64880)
QC: 0%
"FAVORITE is apparently hoping to get the fandisk for this game out sometime this year (which will be called AstralAir no Aoki Towa, you can quote me on this), so I’m most likely going to hold off on finishing the final pass of the true route until I complete the fandisk." (Link)
6
Ayakashi Gohan!
Ayakashi Gohan!
Hanataba TL
Overall: ~58%
01/29/16 - Project will significantly slow down in near future and updates will be rare. Project isn't dropped, though. Read more (like route details) here. Looking for TL help!
Trial is translated and patch is available! (link)
7
Black Wolves Saga -Bloody Nightmare-
Black Wolves Saga -Bloody Nightmare-
Golden Spirit
New!
1/8/2016 - Potential legal trouble with their Starry Sky In Summer has put Black Wolves Saga and Ken ga Kimi on semi-hiatus status. (Link)
1/29/2016 - Slator wrote an article about the group's predicament.
3/11/2016 - Trying to get in touch with her team members to finish BWS and KgK. (Link)
8
Brother Conflict PSP
Brother Conflict PSP
Passion And Brilliance
Passion Pink: TL – 100%; Still needs formatting and inserting (link)
Brilliant Blue: TL – : 5%
Note: Despite JP Vita release, the team is continuing the project (link)
9
Clover Day’s
Clover Day’s
Yakusoku TL
New!
Common TL: 100%;
Anzu TL: 49%;
Anri TL: 100%;
Hekiru TL: 10.25%;
Tsubame TL: 40% > 100%;
Izumi: 12%;
10
Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient
Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient
Hysteric 4 U
Update: Release now planned for 2016, still working on the project, and the team is fielding questions about the project (Link)
JAST USA Projects
JAST USA (Updates; Archive)
wdt_ID
(Hidden) Title
Game
New Update?
Notes
1
Django
Django
Waiting on TL
2
Eien no Aselia
Eien no Aselia
Pre-order the game here
Extra content coding
Greenlit! Coming to Steam Soon*
18+ version is "possible." (link)
3
Flowers
Flowers
Game is delayed, release date unknown. Read their statement here.
Pre-order now available.
4
Nympho Sensei Ryoko
Nympho Sensei Ryoko
Pre-order here!
Done: TL, Editing, Mosaic removal, Interface translation
(02/20/2016) Now: Beta testing, QA
5
Seinarukana
Seinarukana
Pre-order the game here
Translation, coding and website are done
(Now: Beta testing, finalizing print materials
6
Sonicomi
Sonicomi
Pre-Orders are now live! (Link)
Game site is up
Almost everything is done
Now: Beta testing, QA the collectors edition's goods
7
Sumaga
Sumaga
TL is done
Editing in prog
8
Sweet Home
Sweet Home
TL: 66%
9
Trample on Schatten
Trample on Schatten
TL: 86%
Other
Starless – Script check 10%, added new mosaic to fix list.
Shiny Days – Tweaks ongoing
MangaGamer Projects
MangaGamer (Updates)
wdt_ID
(Hidden) Title
Game
New Update?
Notes
1
Beat Blades Haruka
Beat Blades Haruka
RELEASED! Get the game here!
Game will remain on the list until 3/26
2
Bokuten
Bokuten
Translation: 79%
Editing: 50%
3
Da Capo 3
Da Capo 3
TL: 80%
Edit: 78%
4
Higurashi (Retranslation)
Higurashi (Retranslation)
Chapter 3: Tatarigoroshi – 100% Translated and Edited!
Chapter 1 - Released!
Chapter 2 - Released!
5
Himawari -a pebble in the sky-!
Himawari -a pebble in the sky-!
TL: 100%;
Edit: 100%;
Side Stories: done!
Updating Scripts: "We got the PC port of the Vita version in and the TL team has been updating the script to be inline with that version of the game" (Link). Most of these changes are minor (Link).
6
The House in Fata Morgana
The House in Fata Morgana
Translation: 100%
Edit: 75%
7
Kindred Spirits On The Roof
Kindred Spirits On The Roof
Released! Buy it here.
Will be removed from the list on 3/19
8
Kuroinu
Kuroinu
TL: 22.5% > 23%
Edit: 18.13%
9
MYTH
MYTH
TL: 94%
Edit: 81%
10
My Boss’ Wife is My Ex!
My Boss’ Wife is My Ex!
TL: 100%;
Edit: 100%
In Testing
Other
Rance 5D, Rance VI, and Rance Quest fan translations on hold in anticipation of potential official release by MangaGamer.
Magical Eyes – Red is for Anguish – Pre-Order is up! (Link)
Sekai Project Projects
Sekai Project (Update Page)
Important note: These percentages should be seen as vague indicators of progress, and are not entirely accurate due to a variety of reasons.
wdt_ID
(Hidden) Title
Game
New Update?
Notes
1
Atom Grrrl
Atom Grrrl
Released as of March 1st!
Buy the all-ages version on Steam here, or the 18+ version on Denpasoft here.
2
Chrono Clock
Chrono Clock
TBD
3
Dare ka ga Koi Shita Hankagai
Dare ka ga Koi Shita Hankagai
New!
TL: 15.63% > 15.72%
4
Dizzy Hearts
Dizzy Hearts
TBD
5
Hoshizora no Memoria -Wish upon a Shooting Star-
Hoshizora no Memoria -Wish upon a Shooting Star-
Picked up
Will be a new translation, not the Fan TL
6
Human Reignition Project
Human Reignition Project
TBD
7
KARAKARA
KARAKARA
New!
IndieGoGo project is up (Link) with 82% funding (last week was 62%) and 3 days left in the campaign.
8
Koenchu!
Koenchu!
TBD
9
Kokonoe Kokoro
Kokonoe Kokoro
Engine Integration/QA
10
Labyrinth of Grisaia
Labyrinth of Grisaia
100% Translated!
In editing and programming.
Other
Here’s a handy link to sort Sekai Project’s Steam releases by release date: link
Misc. Projects
Other Projects
wdt_ID
(Hidden) Title
Game
Group & Progress
New Update?
Notes
1
Beastmaster and Prince -Flower and Snow-
Beastmaster and Prince -Flower and Snow-
b2g studio, Inc.
New!
Kickstarter Failed (Link)
Project will be removed from list next week.
2
Corpse Party BloodCovered
Corpse Party BloodCovered
XSEED Games
It's a thing.
3
Libra of the Vampire Princess
Libra of the Vampire Princess
MiKandi Japan
Kickstarter finished! (Link): $183,105 of $125,000 goal raised. First three stretch goals unlocked.
4
Little Busters Perfect Edition
Little Busters Perfect Edition
Fruitbat Factory
Licensed by Fruitbat Factory
Working with Doki Fansubs to finish TL
5
Lucy -The eternity she wished for-
Lucy -The eternity she wished for-
M-Vizlab
Released! Buy it here.
Will be removed from the list on 3/25
6
Harmonia
Harmonia
Visual Arts/Key
Release Date: Spring 2016 (Link)
Steam Greenlight: Link
7
Magical Eyes – Red is for Anguish
Magical Eyes – Red is for Anguish
Fruitbat Factory
Release Date: March 31st, 2016
Pre-Order up on Mangagamer! (Link)
8
Muv-Luv Series
Muv-Luv Series
Degica
Beta version of Muv-Luv Extra to be made available to Kickstarter backers by the end of March.
Muv-Luv Unlimited and the public release planned for late April/early May.
Extensive editing and retranslation of the original fan translation is being undertaken. (link)
9
Subarashiki Hibi
Subarashiki Hibi
TLWiki and KeroQ
No Kickstarter planned
KeroQ to release it directly
More info to come in 2016
10
Tomoyo After
Tomoyo After
Waku Productions
Read Doki’s post about the project here.
— Commentary Section —
Zakabox™ Commentary
「…」
Decay’s Musings
Things are weird in the VN scene lately. The effects Steam has had on the industry are showing in full force lately, in the most unusual of ways. Japan has taken notice and are almost literally tripping over themselves trying to find ways to exploit this opportunity. Sometimes, the methodology they’re employing is sensible and encouraging. Mangagamer’s latest translation rockstars Conjueror and Garerei were hired directly by an unnamed Japanese company to work on an unnamed VN that is purportedly highly rated and respected. They hired a competent team and are supposedly not even thinking about Kickstarter, imagine that!
But they’re an outlier. It seems that most Japanese companies can’t comprehend the rules that dictate the western market. This lack of understanding has been equal parts hilarious and cringe-worthy. Last year we saw several missteps, from FruitsJam’s bizarre (and denied) pitch for a free, all-ages Steam version of their masturbation-themed nukige Ona-Ken, to DebonosuWorks’ all-ages Steam release of Kagura Douchuuki, which seemed like a sex-heavy and gameplay-light H-RPG. Both of those endeavor’s were essentially failures. FruitsJam seemed to have already given up on the western market while DebonosuWorks is trying again, despite Kagura Douchuuki’s release selling only a few hundred copies.
The latest unintentional comedy routine comes to us via the ChuSingura Kickstarter, which launched just a few days ago. I haven’t seen a greater negative reaction to a “serious” Kickstarter in a very long time. The KS page I linked is the cleaned up version, it was even sloppier on its first day, during which it earned only $530 of its mighty $210,000 goal. Typos and grammatical errors littered the page, it demanded $100 shipping charges for any physical goods, and most hilariously, they copy and pasted the risks and rewards section from the Beastmaster and Prince Kickstarter, their previous campaign (it just failed today!). Ruining the chances for one VN wasn’t good enough, so they had to try again with CSG!
It’s hard to tell whether all of this is out of ignorance, malice, or incompetence. I think the answer is that it’s an unpalatable mixture of all three. The companies behind these projects don’t really seem to care about how it happens, just as long as they can somehow cash in on the Steam craze. But it also seems that they don’t quite know HOW to make it happen at all, nor have they exhibited the skills to necessary to execute on these plans. They’re frantically trying collect whatever morsels they can from this new and unexpected revenue stream, without trying to connect to their audience or consider long-term viability. These companies need to slow down, examine the market more thoroughly, and figure out what we truly want before over-committing. Anything less and they’re bound to be reduced to mere laughing stocks, except the joke’s really on us in the end.
And now for some bookkeeping, there were a couple suggested projects to add to the list made in last week’s comments, we’ll look into them next week. Campus Notes is a doujin release that seems to have come out of nowhere. We’ll also add ChuSinGura next week… maybe. To be honest, I sort of wanted to wait a minute and see how that developed first. But I already went ahead and mentioned it twice, so… Anyways, that’s it from us. Let’s hope that next week the fuwa servers will be stable again and we’ll be able to deliver the VNTS on time. Until then, have a good one!
TAYsteful™ Thoughts
[Tay is… well… I don’t know where Tay is, to be honest. – Decay]