Jump to content

Leaderboard

Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation on 10/20/18 in Posts

  1. No, it's the most under rated thing among the apologists for low quality work I am convinced that Recettear took off because its localization is one of the best I've ever seen. There were other, better, quirky Japanese games that could have been the one that opened the floodgates. Why Recettear? Because someone at Valve saw the demo and was immediately taken by it. Well, why did that happen? Recettear is a low budget game and even its merchant sim mechanics aren't THAT special. Indeed, Recettear being a smash hit in the West surprised everybody; Japanese sales were so-so. Why is that? I'm pretty sure it's because Recettear's localized script is better than the Japanese script. I haven't actually checked, but I'll bet Recettear in Japanese is a fine script, but nothing spectacular. The English version, in comparison, cranks everything up to 11 and is a laugh riot. I've been thinking about this for quite awhile. When I look back at what I consider the best games I've ever played, there is a very high correlation with the best localization work I've ever seen. Nearly all the best translated RPGs and VNs have really good localization work. I have a very hard time thinking of any I'd hold up as an example of best-in-class despite having a bad localization. Because a bad localization kills the script. Many RPGs that I ultimately wasn't impressed with have bad localizations. Some are probably just... bad games. But I'm now convinced many would have ranked much higher had they been translated by competent folks who knew what they were doing, rather than by inept companies that didn't give a rat's ass. The Atelier series, for instance, has consistently awful localizations, which - combined with the already-fairly-weak plots - really hurts the games. I checked out entirely: I quit halfway through Atelier Shallie because I just didn't care, and haven't bothered looking at any released since. I have it on fairly good authority the Ar Tonelico series is good in Japanese; I couldn't get more than a few hours into either of the ones I tried because the writing was so. awful. RPGFan makes the point better than I ever could: Here is a review of the Japanese PSP version of Legend of Heroes: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch. And here, of the English version. Notice how every aspect of the game scored lower? That's not only because it's a different reviewer. That's because a good story does more than just hold your interest during the story segments. It doesn't make the whole game better, but it makes it feel better. It subconsciously makes people more willing to overlook flaws in the game as a whole. People recognize this effect for graphics; they call it bling. But they don't seem to acknowledge it's true for the text, as well. Bad localizations destroy games. They do it so effectively people don't even understand what happened, just that 'they didn't like the game'. They think 'that game sucked' when the real problem was 'that game was translated by a company that cares so little that when one of its employees thought it would be funny to change a character's name to Esty Dee, they just left it in the game'.
    5 points
  2. Hello, I'm a college student studying computer science, and here in a sort place I don't usually frequent anymore: A forum. However, I have always enjoyed Japanese games all my life, especially visual novels; the people I look up to most are actually translators. I love the work they do, have always supported them, and continue to try to do so whenever I can. I love the whole community that is here where people work together for the passions they have. So I joined fuwanovel to be closer to my favorite passion and possibly dream profession ( I think it runs in the family, nearly every relative is bilingual, most trilingual, and my grandmother penta-lingual ). And so I as well study, and have been studying Japanese. I hope to contribute to the community me and others have benefited from for so long. A pleasure to meet you all!
    4 points
  3. Prose, overrated? It's only the main point, and almost all of the content - it rather hope it'd be important! Even ignoring the fact that "subtle details" are often fairly important (mysteries, anyone?), the straightforward text itself can save or ruin a story. To give an example, would you enjoy reading a VN full of this: That's the beginning of The Eye of Argon, one of the most legendary (-ily bad) books ever written. Here's a fisking of Chapter 1. Imagine reading a 60 hour VN of this. Prose - the quality of the writing - matters. A lot. I guarantee you I can take a scene from your favorite game and ruin it, while still translating it 100% accurately.
    4 points
  4. Hi! I've been a longtime lurker of Fuwanovel, and recently decided I'd like to become semi-active on here. I originally posted this review on my Tumblr, but thought it might spark some interesting discussion here. - I am both an aspiring VN dev and a longtime otome/BL game fan. I’ve played dozens of indie EVNs as well and involved myself in the community. So, it pains me to write a negative review about an indie EVN that I’ve looked forward to for a long time. I’ll just get right into it: Seiyuu Danshi! is a bad game. Meyaoi Games made around $40,000 back in 2016 on Kickstarter, which was an astonishingly 800% of their initial $5,000 goal. Back then, it looked like it was gonna be something special. So, when it released just the other day, I got it immediately and started playing. But my expectations were immediately thrashed by the low quality of the writing. Not only is the English awkward in nearly every line of the game, but the whole time it felt to me like the writers were obsessed with trying (and failing very badly) to make me think this was a translated Japanese visual novel rather than an OELVN. From the title itself being Seiyuu Danshi! (why not just name it Voice Actor Boys?), to the names of all the characters, to the protagonist nicknaming everyone in some Japanese manner (Toru-chi, Tocchan, etc), to uninspired references to anime, it was made very clear to me that this was a game trying to be something it wasn’t. Along with this, the game is filled with ultra-generic characters and dates that you’ve seen a million times elsewhere. You go to an amusement park later on with your boy, which was a $39,000 stretch goal. Are you treated to any special CGs or fun interactions on this expensive date? Nope! You just go, choose between a few rides, and read some dull dialogue about them going and having fun. And maybe *I’m* missing something, because you can change the underwear of the protagonist as well as buy a whole bunch of clothes for him but he never actually wears it outside of the dress-up screen (and in the context of clothes, he doesn’t even put THOSE on). The clothes seem to simply be there for a boost in love points from your chosen boy, but you can just wear the same thing every time and he responds the same way every time. I vaguely remember there being one comment from Toru about the protagonist’s underwear choice, but I’ve only ever seen it when I put it on him in the first place. However, I pressed on, because from the screenshots on their itch.io page it seemed like the main focus of the game was on the gameplay rather than the writing. Much of the advertising seems to be aimed at the pornographic aspect of the game. In their list of features, they specifically talk up the “interactive gameplay” during the pornographic content along with collectible costumes and toys to use. But Seiyuu Danshi! falls flat even there. Not only does it take months (see: several hours) of grinding in-game to even get a boyfriend in the first place, the H content in this game feels like it’s missing something. Sure, you can buy an assortment of costumes and sex toys to use on your boy, but it always seems to culminate in the same end-scene, which is my biggest problem with the H content: chibi porn. WARNING: NSFW-ish image That’s right, after you go through “Foreplay Mode” where you manually pleasure your boy, you get treated to a mildly animated visual of your boy and the protagonist having sex. As chibis. There is also a chibi blowjob scene and a chibi masturbation scene. Maybe someone out there finds this attractive, but I sure as hell don’t. The game costs more than $30, because the game has “100+ hours of content!” Meyaoi Games needs to realize that longer doesn’t equal better, especially when much of that time is spent doing basically nothing. Seiyuu Danshi! doesn’t have a story to tell, and the pornographic content is lacking. Therefore, I would give this one a hard pass.
    1 point
  5. VNs in general are doing fine, but yeah, the fan translation scene is running out of steam fast. I'd consider it a natural evolution of things - most dedicated fan translators worked to create the official VN market and now they're mostly working there, or moved on with their lives and can't afford to put in hundreds of hours in free labour anymore. They won, in a sense, creating the foothold that now proffessional companies stepped into and while the official scene might not be all hearts and flowers, it puts out more quality content that an average person can ever hope to read through.
    1 point
  6. I've started a short discussion about it a while ago, listing most of the worthwhile VNs on Google Play. In the meantime, the MangaGamer app appeared and I could also add Locked Heart, Wanted: Dragon and Kusoge to the list of somewhat-readable, free stuff on Android.
    1 point
  7. Before I start, I don't know the characteristics of your phone. VNs don't require much computing power, so I doubt there going to be any problems, but it's better to check all the necessary information in each case, if you don't want to buy something that won't work. Mangagamer started their own Android store recently. NSFW link Most VNs there are nukige (so, just porn), I think, but I definitely highly recommend The House in Fata Morgana, even though it doesn't have routes. Some popular VN engines, like Kirikiri and OnScripter have unofficial ports on Android. I don't use them so it's better to consult on them with someone who does. Some non-Japanese VNs are easily available directly on Google Play, I think. The one I can think of right away is Everlasting Summer.
    1 point
  8. I have a spare Princess Evangile key from the physical copy that I'd like to give away. (Given away) Requirements: Have 20 (or more) posts here. Have not (and genuinely want/intend to) read the VN. I'm hoping the key can go to someone who'll read the story and enjoy it. It's okay if you don't wind up enjoying it, but I'd prefer that it doesn't wind up going redeemed and then never even started. I'll leave the draw up for 24 (maybe a bit more if I'm unable to get to a PC) hours and then close it, use a randomizer to select the winner (only one post per person per thread will count) and PM the key to the winner.
    1 point
  9. Okay. Going to close the submissions now and run a randomizer. Sorry for the slight delay. Congrats - you're the winner. I've sent over the key. Thanks everyone for participating :).
    1 point
  10. Because rare = cool, and VNs follow the law of the coolest. This is like asking why diamonds are so valuable. A valid question, but you have to understand that value, or aesthetic value in this case, is arbitrary.
    1 point
  11. *muffled sounds of angry yelling in the distance*
    1 point
  12. Despite what my signature says, I'm... Well, I'm rereading To Heart 2 - the Tama-nee route, and it's kind of ironic as I'd planned to reread it at some point, but definitely not now, but have been yanked despite myself into doing so . I kind of feel like I *should* be focusing on reading something I haven't read before, but, well, I paused Grisaia to read eden*, and I've somehow paused eden* to read To Heart 2. I'm not entirely sure why that happened, but I'm really enjoying rereading the route. It's one of my to favorites from the VN (the other being Konomi's) and the character is hilarious, but also really sweet, and it helps to have a great VA as well. It's amazing how much foreshadowing I'm picking up on now that I know how things'll turn out. Plus, I'm a sucker for childhood friend routes of most varieties, and I just realized that Tama-nee would count as one. I really like it though, and think it's To Heart 2 at its best: comforting, relaxing, and easy to read while inviting you to do so and making you not notice the time go by. I think I've said so before but that last portion IMO isn't always the case, so I appreciate it whenever it is. I keep laughing and smiling at the hijinks going on (Yuuji vs Tama-nee especially). I'll most likely polish off eden* soon, and then go back to The Fruit of Grisaia, but for now this is a fun and welcomed detour.
    1 point
  13. Hi, I've enjoyed lurking fuwanovel and it's content for quite awhile now. I just always hate singing up for things, so only got around to making an account yesterday. I'm not into otome, boys love, or nukige, but I'll play pretty much anything else. Even though I'm still somewhat inexperienced with the format, I love visual novels and I can't picture my life without them. Anyway, I hope we get along and have fun together. P.S. I'm not really hot or that young. Sorry about that.
    1 point
  14. Welcome to Fuwanovel @ciel_yuri Hope you enjoy your stay here Btw nice topic title for your introduction
    1 point
  15. alpacaman

    Hello everyone! I'm new!

    It covers the same story as the first season (the second season adapts the VN S;G 0) but it goes into more detail when it comes to the science and the characters. The greatest sin the anime committed was cutting out 4°C If want to continue reading free VNs at first I would recommend Lucid 9.
    1 point
  16. Figures. I was hoping maybe someone here already had some experience making their own, but I'll probably just order some DVD cases and try my best at it. I'll still buy official ones sometimes, but it seems like some of the physical versions people are getting through kickstarter and stuff are so bare minimum and shoddy looking that they might as well be homemade anyway.
    1 point
  17. Welcome dude! Visual Novels are a very interesting medium I think. Always nice to have more people contribute somehow. Enjoy your stay
    1 point
  18. I highly recommend The House In Fata Morgana . It's an amazing read, not too long (20-25 hours), doesn't have a complicated route system, great soundtrack, unique art. The only caveat is that it might set your expectations too high, it's my favorite VN.
    1 point
  19. welcome new, I'm dad
    1 point
  20. Welcome to Fuwanovel, and I think you did fine in regard of your English there. Also if you need some specific recommendations in regard of VNs, feel free to ask us about that here. I hope that you'll have fun here.
    1 point
  21. My suggestion here is just to read it as it is now, because Sekai was the one who got Rewrite+ license and seeing them we wouldn't know when they'll release it, especially in admist ton of OELVNs and not to mention several big title license under them (It's at 35% retranslated as of now in regard of Rewrite+ by the way). Also from what I heard, apparently the improvement was not as massive as Little Busters. Speaking about Little Busters, yeah the engine improvement was done by Visual Arts themselves so we can expect that Sekai would probably let the interface for Rewrite as it is. As for the translation, since you want to buy I would suggest you to check the LP video at the beginning of the common route, then make your own conclusion whether the translation is good enough or not and make your decision from there. Of course, if you still decided to buy it later, then feel free to do so. tldr - I'm more leaning toward just to just buy it now, but I'll leave the decision to you.
    1 point
  22. I just finished Maison Ikkoku few minutes ago. It was amazing. Don't know if it is the best romance anime, since it's only second I watched (after Toradora), but it was amazing indeed. Also, if it truly was one of the first, then not only did it provide tropes for the shows coming afterwards, but for many VNs as well*. Some episodes were really frustrating, but in the end it made great romance story. And the ending certainly belongs to the "ultimately satisfying endings" list - it was absoultely sweet, amazing and whatever. Kyoko was great heroine. After first few episodes I wouldn't think she would be such classic tsundere Two other girls that were interested in Godai - Ibuki and Kozue - were great characters too. It would actually make pretty nice VN, with additional routes for these two Also, I was able to symphatize with Godai, as I'm even more hopeless... I really liked the setting (meaning, the '80s, and lots of trains ). *side note: I don't know if it's because locations were modeled after real ones, but so many scenes looked almost exactly like the places I've seen in many VNs. The playground in the park looks almost exactly like the one in ToHeart2. We have seen similar steep-sloped streets in TH2 and SakuSaku, the uphill road to the girl's highschool looks suspiciously like in Clannad etc etc. Overally - I'm really glad that I watched it. Truly great show - 9/10
    1 point
  23. I don't know if it has been mentioned in this thread or not, but if it wasn't - add Maison Ikkoku to the list. The show was frustrating sometimes, but the ending was great and ultimately satisfying indeed.
    1 point
  24. Kiwi

    Hello everyone! I'm new!

    Short answer, Steins;Gate. Slightly longer answer, what I wrote in my own intro that I posted like a day ago
    1 point
  25. It's one of the better Ixrec's translations though. I read it way before I started to care about translation quality at all, so it doesn't say much, but I honestly don't remember having any problems with with it. I definitely do have problems with some of his other translations, like the first Muv Luv and Cross Channel. I still expect Conjueror to do a better job on it, obviously. Overall, I recommend waiting, but you'll probably have to wait for quite some time. According to the last update, Rewrite+ is still being translated, so it might take a while before it's released.
    1 point
  26. I'm waiting for the official one. My backlog is long enough Maybe my impressions are wrong, but I'm wary of Ixrec's translations, cause, from what I gathered, he seems to, ekhm, rewrite a lot. OTOH - Clannad was better translation-wise.
    1 point
  27. I used to not really be bothered by if a copy was physical, but now I've decided I want to start a collection of physical copies and I'm going to start buying and collecting those if they are available, though (like Dergonu said) that's usually if they have extras that make it worthwhile like a soundtrack or an artbook or something else. If it's just a disc and reversible cover then I think I'd prefer more goodies (this is a big reason why I'm not quite as sold on the hard copy of ef: a fairy tale of the two). Also, I want to focus on the VNs I really care about, and not just go for "it's physical therefore buy" which will mean a smaller collection but that's okay. I also don't quite like the ones that are more overtly sexual: Snow Sakura's for example, I wanted, but found that it has one of the heroines pictured in a more NSFW position/situation and I'd prefer to avoid that if possible. I do think digital is more convenient - it takes up less (physical) space and if it's on Steam it's easier to use and download. Also it's just a line in the Steam library so noone would be the wiser as to what it actually is unlike if it was like Snow Sakura and sitting on the shelf, but there's something about having it in your hand and holding it, and staring at it on your shelf that is appealing. Plus, I really really enjoy this medium and I figure that buying the ones that do come out in English will hopefully help convince devs and localizers to bring over more.
    1 point
  28. I like physical, it's nice to have a collection to look at. Physical also feels more intimate, if that makes sense (not in the lewd way lol). Digital is usually more convenient and cheap though, which tends to be a priority for me. Kinda depends on how much I want something on my shelf.
    1 point
  29. Summer Pockets has some nice background music:
    1 point
  30. I've never had a GF, so what could I know... (maybe that's why I'm reading VNs ) Nevertheless - I think almost everybody would agree, that communication is essential for good relationship. Also, sneaking/hiding won't work forever. So you two should definitely talk it over. You don't want to spend all your time pretending - that's exhausting.
    1 point
×
×
  • Create New...