This week’s header image is from Maitetsu, a game which will receive an official localization per Sekai Project’s announcements last night at the Anime Boston convention.
Tonight has been a busy night. For those unaware, there are two large conventions going on: Anime Boston, and Sakura-Con. MangaGamer had three big announcements at Anime Boston, while Sekai Project had a total of six spread across the two conventions (of which I know three). As of the writing of this post, I don’t know Sekai Project’s Anime Boston announcements, so look for those in the comments, below. In the meantime, here are the six announcements of which I’m aware:
MangaGamer:
A hardcopy of Free Friends (take a look/buy it here)
Kindred Spirits Drama CDs!
Imouto Paradise 2
Please also be aware that due to a change in management over at Navel, Soul Link (download) and Shuffle (download / hardcopy) will be discontinued as of March 31st. You will still be able to download and play bought copies, but they will be taken off of their store.
Sekai Project:
Companion (Game Site)
Still, I Miss Her (South Korean VN) (Game Site)
Sakura Spirit manga adaption
Maitetsu (Game Site)
I’d like to thank Decay, here at the start, for all of his help. Not only has he been a great support tonight, but he’s carried VNTS for the last two weeks, and I ask that we all give him our thanks for his time and hard work.
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 – TL: 72.13 > 72.52%; Edit: 72.13 > 72.52% (47049/64880)
Companion (Sekai Project) – Announced! Official game page, here.
Fate/Hollow Ataraxia Voice Porting Project – Work is progressing well, look forward to more updates soon
HaraKano – Ren’s Route – 8001 > 10,500 lines translated (Link).
Hoka no Onna – TL: 11131 > 12584 Lines
Imouto Paradise! 2 (MangaGamer) – Announced!
KARAKARA (Sekai Project) – TL Progress: 46.42%
Lovely x Cation – Overall Progress: 28% > 31.6% (more details here)
Maitetsu (Sekai Project) – Announced! Game site here.
Muv-Luv Series – Beta version of Muv-Luv Extra to be made available to Kickstarter backers in early April; Muv-Luv Unlimited and the public release for MLE/MLU pushed back from late April/early May to Summer 2016. (link)
Re:Birthday Song – TL: 65% > 70% (details on the update here)
Shin Koihime Musou – Character Events TL: 87.2% > 96.5%; Total TL: 73%
Still, I Missed Her (Sekai Project) – Announced! Game site here.
Witch’s Garden – Some common route re-translation is ongoing (currently at 29.75%) (link)
Removed from the List This Week
Atom Grrrl – Buy the all-ages version on Steam here, or the 18+ version on Denpasoft here.
Nekopara Vol. 2 – Get it on Steam!
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
Project essentially starting from scratch, is recruiting a translator (link). Information about what's happening here.
5
AstralAir
AstralAir
AstralAir TL
New!
TL: 72.13 > 72.52% (47049/64880)
Edit: 72.13 > 72.52% (47049/64880)
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
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
Common TL: 100%;
Anzu TL: 49%;
Anri TL: 100%;
Hekiru TL: 10.25%;
Tsubame TL: 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
Has gone "Gold Master!" (Link)
The above basically means that the final, release version of the game has been shipped to the printers, the release is happening "soon."
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: 83%
Edit: 79.3%
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: 100%
In testing.
7
Imouto Paradise! 2
Imouto Paradise! 2
New!
Announced!
8
Kuroinu
Kuroinu
TL: 35%
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)
The translation of Kindred Spirits’ Drama CDs have been announced!
Free Friends hardcopy has been put up for pre-order and is releasing May 20th!
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
Chrono Clock
Chrono Clock
TBD
2
Companion
Companion
New!
Picked up
Official site here.
3
Dare ka ga Koi Shita Hankagai
Dare ka ga Koi Shita Hankagai
TL: 15.72%
Darekoi has suddenly gone missing from their tracker! No idea what happened there.
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 campaign finished at 128% of its goal, is now in "InDemand" funding (Link) -- This basically means it's as if the campaign never ended, so you still have time to jump on.
US Release date set for June 27th.
TL Progress: 46.42%
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
Corona Blossom
Corona Blossom
Front Wing
Brand-spanking-new VN developed by Front Wing, to be released in English first. (Link)
Will be translated by Front Wing's internal translation team, staffed by native english speakers.
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
Harmonia
Harmonia
Visual Arts/Key
Release Date: Spring 2016 (Link)
Steam Greenlight: Link
6
Magical Eyes – Red is for Anguish
Magical Eyes – Red is for Anguish
Fruitbat Factory
Release Date: March 30th, 2016
Pre-Order up on Mangagamer! (Link)
7
Muv-Luv Series
Muv-Luv Series
Degica
New!
Beta version of Muv-Luv Extra to be made available to Kickstarter backers in early April.
Muv-Luv Unlimited and the public release for MLE/MLU pushed back from late April/early May to Summer 2016. (link)
Extensive editing and retranslation of the original fan translation is being undertaken. (link)
8
Subarashiki Hibi
Subarashiki Hibi
TLWiki and KeroQ
No Kickstarter planned
KeroQ to release it directly
More info to come in 2016
9
Tomoyo After
Tomoyo After
Waku Productions
Read Doki’s post about the project here.
10
Wish Tale of the Sixteenth Night
Wish Tale of the Sixteenth Night
Culture Select
Total Progress: 55.9% > 64%
— Commentary Section —
Zakabox™ Commentary
「Will Zaka write a commentary this week? Only time shall tell…」
Decay’s Musings
And convention season has begun! As of the time I’m writing this, MangaGamer’s Anime Boston and Sekai Project’s Sakuracon panels have run their course, while SP’s Anime Boston panel is still about ten hours away. SP had a doozy for us in Maitetsu. It’s a VN about anthropomorphic loli trains. Really. The thing that’s surprising isn’t that SP picked up a loli game, it’s that they picked up THIS loli game. The lolis are… very young looking, to say the least. Maitetsu’s heroines makes Sweet Sweat in Summer’s heroine look like a granny in comparison.
SP is probably going to be selling this one on Steam, and even without sexual content, it is still toeing the line of what’s morally acceptable in the western world. You can bet that an 18+ release is unlikely. There could be serious repercussions depending on where they would decide to sell such a product. Which makes their acquisition of this title all the more surprising, I wonder if they’re trying to prove a point, and what that point is. While Lose’s games have extraordinarily young-looking heroines with plenty of h-scenes that will need to be cut, they also actually have a fair amount of story to accompany them, so it’s not like there would be nothing of value left after the cuts.
I wonder if it’s the kind of thing the Steam audience would go for. Another interesting aspect of Steam is how public and social it is. You can’t selectively hide games from your friends. How many people will want to admit to others that they’re playing this? There’s certainly those who don’t care, but a LOT of people do still care about that kind of thing. Your average VN reader on Steam may not care that their friends can see them playing Nekopara, but what about Eight Year Old Girl Kissing Simulator 2016? I’m very interested in seeing how it performs in light of this. And I’ll admit, I’m looking forward to the inevitable chaos that will ensue.
SP also announced two new doujin titles, as they like to do. A Taiwanese VN titled Companion said to have similar tone to Planetarian, and a Korean VN titled Still, I Miss Her, which has a pretty interesting plot summary, to say the least. The protagonist has his girlfriend “stolen” from him and he seeks revenge, and will attempt to steal the multiple girlfriends of the guy who NTR’ed him. This isn’t your typical “all-ages” Steam romance schlock, that’s for sure. It has more in common with a ’90s and early ’00s NTR eroge than anything else on Steam. So if you’re into that, maybe you’ll be into this, even though there’s no 18+ version? I always thought the sex scenes were supposed to be the payoff in those titles, so I don’t know how this VN will fare without those.
And MangaGamer surprised almost no one by announcing Imouto Paradise 2. I mean, it was time, right? I don’t have much to say about this other than if you liked ImoPara 1, this seems like more of the same? They also announced a Kindred Spirits drama CD. That’s cool, I guess. I really loved Kindred Spirits (check out my review here!), but I’m not really one for side-stories. I feel like my Kindred Spirits experience is complete. I’m not sure how much I can get out of some audio-only drama CDs.
These aren’t high-profile events, though, and these are the kinds of announcements we’ve come to expect from MangaGamer at these early conventions. If you were hoping for fireworks, then you got a taste from SP, but you’ll have to wait a little longer for MangaGamer’s. They’ll be at Anime Central in May with two announcements, including a new partner, so that’s cool. But the real big announcements typically don’t come until A-Kon, Anime Expo, and Otakon in June, July, and August respectively. Expect to hear of your Rances, Eustias, and Albatrosses then. Until then, enjoy the current blistering release schedule. Tokyo Babel releases in just a few days, get hyped.
Oh wait, two last things. 1) What the hell is happening with Root Double? It’s only a five days left until the end of March! Sekai Project, plz, you’re killing me here. Just say something about it already! 2) “There will be news on ley line soon.”
TAYsteful™ Thoughts
It’s been a wild night. Both MangaGamer and Sekai Project had convention panels, and we’ve got a lot of news to share with you. MangaGamer: announced three releases: 1) A hardcopy of Free Friends (take a look/buy it here); 2) Kindred Spirits Drama CDs; and 3) Imouto Paradise 2.
Sekai Project, on the other hand, announced: 1) “Companion” (Game Site); 2) “Still, I Miss Her”, a South Korean VN (Game Site); 3) a Sakura Spirit manga adaption; and 4) Maitetsu (Game Site).
If I get a chance, later tonight, I hope to share some thoughts about Maitetsu (with its loli content) and the lack of Otome support, but if that doesn’t happen, I’ll put it in the comments below. In the meantime, I need to hit the road and get home before midnight.
Have a good week, everybody!