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Yay, Clephas is contributing to a controversial topic in his blog! *listens for the hisses and boos of his loving public* More seriously, I'm not out to bash fantranslators, localization companies, or anyone else involved with the process. I've been on both sides (consumer and producer) and I can honestly say that I can see all four sides of the argument (the producer side, the negative consumer side, the neutral consumer side, and the positive consumer side). The Positive Consumer Based on my personal experience (beginning with jrpgs in the nineties), most people begin in this stage. Honestly, I didn't know enough to figure out when things were badly translated, and as long as the lines weren't too out there (spoony bard, lol), it never really got to me. There are plenty of people out here who remain in this stage forever, never taking interest one way or the other in the translation aspects of things... and that is perfectly natural. Most Americans (if not people from other countries) are essentially linguistic bigots, and as a result, they won't care if things are wrong as long as they can't tell just by playing a game, reading a book, or enjoying an anime or film. The Negative Consumer Most people with at least some knowledge of Japanese end up in this stage at some point. The reasons are manifold, but the biggest one is the 'literalist disease'. Almost everyone who gets involved with translation or knows enough Japanese to nitpick is under a peculiar delusion... that 'Literal Japanese to English translation isn't an oxymoron'. Unfortunately for their delusions, my personal experience and the experience of many others does not bear this particular one out. Literalist translation is a delusion born of a misapprehension of the Rosetta Stone concept... basically because we can generally match up most words with their equivalents in our own languages given a decent reference point, that perfect translations are both possible and should be provided without hesitation by mechanical translators (often literally). However, this ignores two major issues... the cultural basis for the formation of modern language's concepts and the difference in how the language is structured (grammar in other words). This isn't the only reason for ending up in this stage... some people are in it because it makes them feel superior or they like trolling 'lesser beings' (I'm sure you know what I'm talking about). Others simply disagree with the way the translation is handled or the usage of censorship. There are innumerable reasons for ending up in this stage, and that is the reason why it is the single largest one in the 'experienced' community. The Neutral Consumer This is the smallest grouping... mostly because it pretty much demands that you have resolved to stop caring one way or the other about localization quality. The most common reason to end up here is because you can play VNs, watch anime, and read manga/LNs without a localization, so the concept becomes irrelevant (or at least of less interest) to you. Another is that you get tired of being trolled (or trolling yourself) and decide to shut off your emotions about it. Last of all are the people who just want to 'spread the word' and don't really care about quality issues (people who are just happy VNs are getting localized). Since a lot of this group don't even buy localizations except to 'support the cause', this group has a lot less invested in the arguments, overall. The Producer ... need I mention that being on this side sucks? No matter how good a job you do, you get bashed by someone, and inevitably someone is going to decide to nitpick every one of your word choices. Literalists will hate you for not doing exactly what they want, generalists will hate you for picking obscure/dead words from actual literary English (as opposed to spoken English) because the concepts involved are dead in modern English, and everyone else will hate you for censorship or because you are too slow. While you get combative people or apologetic people from this side every once in a while, most just stop paying attention to the noise, for the sake of their mental health.

This is the first thing I think of too when I wake up.

What he said. Too lazy to write my own stuff.

Working!! AKA Wagnaria, excellent romantic comedy that includes an adult couple in Satou and Torodoki.

Recovery of an MMO Junkie: Moriko Morioka x Yuta Sakurai. The romantic tale of an "elite neet" finding love in an MMO.

@Thyndd:

Is inferior in almost every way to the 2003 original. I am so seriously disappointed by this lacklustre remake. The ways in which it doesn't live up are too numerous to count. Firstly 2003 Kino is introspective. It's thoughtful, it's philosophical. It takes the viewer on a ride through the world and encourages them to think about what's going on. 2017 Kino succumbs to the urge of telling you what's going on. Thanks for taking a lot of the atmosphere out of the show. Secondly when I talk about writing I usually talk about how genre fiction encourages the use of what I call "invisible prose", or prose that likes to get out of the way of the story. That way the reader doesn't notice it and is drawn into the story. 2017 uses the art/graphical (I dunno what it's called) equivalent of invisible prose, it looks good, it shows the background, it gets out of the way, it does a job without people pointing and laughing. Contrast this to 2003 Kino, which loves to use many techniques to draw attention to the style and then uses that style to get the viewer to think more on the themes and message. From the use of colours and blurred pictures, to the manipulation of sounds, to the soundless moments on the screen that pop up with the last pieces of dialogue. It's more dangerous - call attention to style and muck it up and it's so much more noticeable (because you're obviously calling attention to it), but it serves the philosophical and thoughtful nature of the show well. And of course it would be more artistic. Directed by the legendary man who create Serial Experiments Lain, how could it not? That talent was missing from 2017, and boy did it show. Story choice was poor, although that's what happens when you leave things up to a vote. Mobocracy is not a good method of making creative decisions. What we got was a focus on the "cool aspects" of the show, and a lessening of what actually makes Kino's Journey so damn great. The more action in a show of limited time, the less time there is for everything else, and when the show isn't really an action show that often becomes a detriment. It doesn't help when the powers that be decides to cut critical context out of the show which changes the character and leaves the audience a bit befuzzled. Kino's character has always been a bit bland, but 2017 focuses more on that character whereas in 2003 she's more of an observer. She conveys to you the world, whereas in 2017 she's more interpreting it. I'm not going to make this a long post so I'll stop there. I'm rewatching Kino's Journey 2003 and man it's so good. Rest in peace Ryutaro Nakamura, you were a genius and you died far too young.

Hi everyone! Been lurking some time so it’s a good time to make an account here. I’m just some random guy from Finland. I first heard of VNs over 10 years ago from local anime magazine. That article piqued my interest but it never lead to anything since they weren’t as easily obtainable as they are now days. Unless you count random flash dating sims, The first actual VNs that I read were the Ace Attorney ones around 9 years ago. Though back then I didn’t even think of them being visual novels and didn’t start to look about genre until it started to show more frequently at Steam some 3 years ago. These days I’m reading with an ON/OFF mentality. I might gobble down a very long one in mere days or it might take me months to finish even a short one. It’s all about the moods. Anyways, let’s have a good one.

oh f!!k if this is true this is the kind of subtle thing that I miss by skipping through all the read text while doing the next route. I'm kinda scared cuz I love all the girls in this vn, they are all 10+ for me and I'm afraid that... well I just hope this does not do something like the comyu main route did.

Thank you so much Dergonu for mentioning Kikokugai, I was amazed at how well the world was explained for such a short VN. For the two evenings I spent reading Kikokugai the story certainly packed a punch! Thanks for sharing your thoughts Thyndd, like you I agree that without fully reading Extra/Unlimited the reader wouldn't be fully invested into the dialogue of Alternative; and therefore not appreciate the overall message. I did consider changing another favourite on VNDB to 9.9 to make MLA sit at the top in my list as it was a truly wonderful reading experience... except the two sleepless nights!

Hmmm... perhaps VA-11 HALL-4. Chill atmosphere and amazing set of characters.

Clannad has a second season for after they graduate the school and the characters enters adult life. I think it fits all your requirements, but it has been a while since I watched it. Do watch Clannad in order though as the second season really spoils the first one. In fact don't even look it up as the description itself (at least on MAL) spoils the ending of the first season. EDIT: forgot to add that the second season is called "Clannad: after story"

look at this old man complaining about old anime. I would never complain about a remake of a beloved old anime. (please look forward to me complaining about a remake of a beloved old anime in the near future)

ah, was thinking it would be easier to get that out of the way and go directly into other routes once i'm done with one. Thats good then since u get to pick when and who to confess to, thought it would be automatic It took me 3 sequences to trigger Himari's home scene (which is weird btw, why didnt they add their reunion and cleared the misunderstanding between them in the prologue?), thank god u can quick jump back in this game lol, makes it easier to pick the right choice(though usually its obvious)

*smiles wryly* most producers end up in the Neutral stage at some point.

Speaking from experience with other companies, you'll see a much more drastic fall in quality than this before a company seriously begins to decline. Tokyo Babel's emergence after Evolimit is often remarked upon as a last effort to squeeze the writer before his contract ended, which is probably why the human drama and humor isn't as good as the earlier games by that writer. Yuzusoft, unlike most companies that put out large games, gets enough back from raw sales to justify regular releases. As a result, they are more likely to take fan reactions seriously when they release the next game. Why? Because financially healthy companies are more likely to pay attention when something looks to present a threat to the future health of the company. Because Yuzusoft has, in the past, avoided excessive patterning in its stories (even if the H and ichaicha is patterned down to the last detail), they've always had a higher retention rate than many other charage companies (you can usually depend on seven or eight new charage companies popping up then dying after a single release each year). They have a definite 'style', but if you look at their past releases, they've avoided essentially writing the same game over and over. Classic charage, fantasy charage, chuunige, ojousama-ge... they are a lot more flexible than the industry standard. For that reason, I think they are likely to bounce back. I think Riddle Joker is a fluke (or at least I hope it is). Companies that are more likely to die out are the ones that are over-focused on a single niche market (my beloved chuunige companies, for instance) or who have abandoned that flexibility. Of course, there are exceptions like AXL, which will probably be still making VNs in a similar style until their artist and writers have all retired, lol.

I'm going to be blunt (as usual), Riddle Jokers is probably a sign that Yuzu Soft is starting to stagnate as a company. I'm not trying to be mean or bashing Yuzu Soft for the sake of it... but, after finishing two paths of this game, I felt hugely exhausted, despite the fact that the paths are actually shorter than some of their other works. The reason is fairly simple... the cast of characters this time around just isn't that interesting. Part of that is that the protagonist himself is a bit too 'normal' for someone in his line of work. Another part of it is that the heroines all fall into standard Yuzu Soft archetypes (whether setting or the character personality), and as a result, I was able to figure out the specifics of the paths I played so far almost from the beginning. The most 'interesting' of the heroines, Ayase, I intended to leave to last, so I haven't played her (because she is the obvious main heroine candidate). The common route is, at best, 'all right'. Of course, there are moments that made me smile, and the SOL is standard Yuzu Soft quality/style. However, I felt that they hit on all the wrong notes when they were handling the Astral abilities. One issue is that the balance between the oddly realistic/gritty moments and the rest of the game is horrible (those moments tease at a much more interesting set of possibilities), but another is that I honestly just got bored with what was going on too early. Yuzu Soft makes long SOL games, and as a result, every time I play one of their games, I end feeling at least a little fatigued. Worse, the humor is too mild to keep the brain stimulated most of the time, and the h-scenes are just... excessively long. Ichaicha in the heroine routes is excessive (I've been complaining about this since Dracu-riot, so that's nothing new), and... each of the first two paths I played (Hazuki and Mayu) had just enough of it to put me over the edge of my ability to endure. Since this game was channeling Dracu-riot so obviously (isolated/enclosed environment, persecuted inhabitants, background efforts to destroy their refuge, etc), it was hard to escape the feeling that this was a pathetic attempt to relive what was best about that game. Unfortunately, because they traced the ideas so closely in some ways, the points where the game comes up short are just too obvious. One of those areas is action. Say what you like about Dracu-riot, but its few action scenes were generally excellent (for what they were, action scenes in a charage) and the buildup was skillfully orchestrated. The same can't really be said about this game. While there are a few action scenes, the effort to narrate them and build up to them is rather... underwhelming. Another is the secret agent angle... to be frank, the protagonist just isn't that capable. Oh, he is a decently-skilled fighter and his ability is cool in a way, but he falls apart whenever he hits an emotional block and he has a critical failure for an agent... he hates lying. Last of all is the Astral-user issue... I have to say that this wasn't handled nearly as well as the vampires in Dracu-riot. There are very few times in the VN's common route where prejudice or persecution even comes up, much less becomes an issue (aside from the conclusion of the route), and there is no attempt to bring the situation 'to life' in the reader's mind, which is a critical failure, in my opinion. Honestly, when it comes down to it, the reasons I couldn't bring myself to like this game are all involved with me inevitably comparing it to Dracu-riot. On its own, it isn't a bad VN, but I have had the unfortunate experience of having both played Dracu-riot twice all the way through and have helped as a translation-checker on the translation... so my impression of this game was further ruined by my excessive involvement with the game it was imitating in structure. I couldn't bring out an unbiased opinion here, so I'm not going to say you shouldn't play it... but if you do, play it before Dracu-riot, not after. Edit: Also, one thing that was missing was non-romantic friendly intimacy between the characters... despite the fact that they mostly live in the same dorm, there is relatively little interaction between the characters as a group, meaning I didn't really feel that they 'came to life' like the characters of Dracu-riot or even Senren Banka.

the script is sored in rio.arc, in ws2 format.

I don't have much in the way of funny scene screenshots but I do have one image of her with Akihito as she belittles him (as it was often the case)

I'm looking forward to more High School DxD *smiles evilly) But seriously... this season looks to be a fairly boring one, overall. Last season wasn't great, either... Grancrest is continuing, but I really wish they'd just continued Death March instead, because it was just starting to go somewhere other than in circles.

I couldn't find a good avatar so I ended up just using a mirror.

I'm on the last case of Ace Attorney 2. I've wanted to play Trials and Tribulations for a long time now, especially since I want to know how they connect to AA1. We shall see now.....

Super forgettable vns. Atleast Noble works and Dracu riot.

i will miss the wonderful character "no valid string, make a ticket"

I'm assuming by edgelord you mean dark hero/antihero protags... the obvious ones would be FSN, Tsukihime, Comyu, Tokyo Babel, and Dies Irae.

MuvLuv Alternative finished! Gosh, what a rollercoaster it's been. It's gonna be hard to put into words, and the current state of the forums doesn't help either Actually I think I'll edit this post when it's back to normal. Writing like this is torture. EDIT: Ok, here we go! Well, and that's it. And as always, thank you all so much for being there to exchange thoughts and impressions. It definitely makes this all the more enjoyable I think I'll be reading Sharin no Kuni next for a change of pace. I feel like reading something lighter now, after all the info dumping that has MLA

I'll say what I already said elsewhere about this matter - they were just lazy to remove those files from the archives (I seriously doubt they can butcher so many VNs in such a short time frame). With any luck, Moenovel will soon bankrupt.

Moenovel has to stop. What a trash company thinking only about money and nothing of the fans. Not to mention the atrocious translations that they do.

Tehepero