sanahtlig

I was going to use the "pirate" version as a demo. The concept seems interesting, and I might learn something about game development by playing it.

I browsed through some torrents and it seemed like the real version might've been cracked / uploaded. Several fake torrents have already been removed.

Can you give a working magnet link to the pirated version? I might accidentally download the real version.

36 My favorite anime is Elfen Lied. Love it or hate it, Elfen Lied is a shining example that shatters the classic stereotype of anime as kids' cartoons or porn. It's a mature, deeply disturbing tragedy that explores the ugliness of human nature. Not satisfied with simple violence, it takes classic moe tropes and uses them as so many knives to pierce the modern viewer's armor of violence desensitization. The stark contrast of cuteness and violence is masterful and a triumph of the anime medium. At 14 episodes, it's fast-paced, grabbing you and never letting you go with each episode typically ending on a cliff hanger. Extremely polarizing, this is a show you'll either love or hate; there's simply no inbetween. You'll either exalt in the way it toys with your emotions, or you'll find it absolutely revolting. Elfen Lied is cute and violent, romantic and tragic, thoughtful and gratuitous. More than any show, game, or anime I've ever seen, Elfen Lied delightedly revels in contrasts. What are the defining elements of anime? If your answer is sex, violence, and cuteness, then Elfen Lied is the anime that defines anime. 64

I think I've just seen episode 1. It definitely felt a step below season 1, mostly because it was a "rehash" that was trying to re-establish the setting. I really liked S1 so I hope it gets better, but I'll probably watch it regardless.

That's one of the few moe shows that really impressed me by being genuinely funny with interesting characters AND actually having a plot. The balance of comedy and drama reminded me of Toradora.

Toaru S could be interesting, but we haven't seen the original yet (and what glimpses I've seen of the original didn't leave me with a good impression; To Aru no Majutsu no Index was decent though). I should clarify that having cliches in itself is not necessarily a problem (just about every concept you could imagine involves a known trope); the problem is when a bunch of cookie cutter stereotypes are just cobbled together and the result itself is meritless: essentially mass-produced mediocrity. I watched one episode of Majestic Prince, and it was only politeness that kept me from shutting it off 10min sooner. I'd rank shows like Date A Live as popcorn tier. I'm willing to watch anime like that. There's also popular shows like K-On and Chuunibyou that I'd rank as barely watchable or unwatchable. I'm sure part of this is taste. It's not too hard to agree on top tier anime. It's much harder to agree on shows that are alright vs. awful.

I was curious why they'd have the technology for this circus pulley suit setup but not muskets. Looks like the "heavy" armaments weren't deployed on the fringes, and will make an appearance later. I could imagine the circus troupes being used to keep the musket troops from being overrun, and to provide cover while they're reloading.

Shifted my response to the "Currently watching" thread.

I'll transplant my response to Down here to avoid topic derailment. Last season there were still some quality shows from Autumn airing. Episode 1 of Majestic Prince was awful--just a parade of cliches that reminded me of Power Rangers. My buddy thought it was poor but watchable, but I used my veto powers. Valvrave didn't pass preliminary screening (mostly due to lack of description in the preview image we were using), but if we run out shows to watch we might give it a try.

This is probably the best show of the season. I love the show's OP. I was kind of puzzled that I saw cannons in the OP, yet personal firearms (such as muskets) are nowhere to be seen. I'd think that a hail of musket fire would be enough to stop even a giant in its tracks.

I saw the first episode. It was alright, but my anime-watching buddy (whose tastes generally align pretty well with mine) thought it was awful so it's iffy if I'll keep following it. We've settled on Shingeki no Kyojin and possibly Suisei no Gargantia as the most promising shows of the season. But overall, the lineup this season is pretty bad.

ARENA 01: Oshino Shinobu [Momo Belia Deviluke] ARENA 02: Shirakiin Ririchiyo [Yūki Mikan] ARENA 03: Ayano Keiko (Silica) [Yuzuriha Inori] ARENA 04: Araragi Tsukihi [Akemi Homura] ARENA 05: Yūki Asuna [Hasegawa Kobato] ARENA 06: Kirishima Shōko [Kurasaki Fūko (Sky Raker)] ARENA 07: Chitanda Eru [Nōmi Kudryavka] ARENA 08: Nyarlathotep [Abstained] Natsume Rin ARENA 09: [Tōwa Erio] Misaki Mei ARENA 10: [Kuroyukihime] Yui ARENA 11: Takanashi Rikka [shiina Mashiro] ARENA 12: [sanka Rea] Roromiya Karuta ARENA 13: Araragi Karen [Makise Kurisu] ARENA 14: Kanzaki H. Aria [Abstained] Kotegawa Yui ARENA 15: [Kashiwazaki Sena] Takanashi Tōka ARENA 16: Mikazuki Yozora [Abstained] Nibutani Shinka ARENA 17: [Honma Meiko] Konoe Subaru ARENA 18: Kirigaya Suguha [Aoyama Nanami] ARENA 19: Arrietty, Matsuzaki Umi [Tokido Saya, Usami Haru] ARENA 20: Kuroi Mato [Louise Vallière] ARENA 21: Charlotte Dunois [Katsura Hinagiku] ARENA 22: Hirasawa Yui [Kōsaka Kirino] ARENA 23: Fujibayashi Kyō [Abstained] Izumi Konata ARENA 24: [Tachibana Kanade] Nakano Azusa ARENA 25: [illyasviel von Einzbern] Holo ARENA 26: Misaka Mikoto [Abstained] Sengoku Nadeko ARENA 27: [iwasawa Masami] Nagato Yuki ARENA 28: Sakagami Tomoyo [Tōsaka Rin] ARENA 29: [Gokō Ruri (Kuroneko)] Yui-nyan ARENA 30: [Eucliwood Hellscythe] Aisaka Taiga ARENA 31: [Nymph] Furukawa Nagisa ARENA 32: [Victorique de Blois] Senjōgahara Hitagi ARENA 33: [C.C.] Aragaki Ayase ARENA 34: Akiyama Mio [Konjiki no Yami] ARENA 35: Nakamura Yuri [saber] ARENA 36: Last Order [Abstained] Hirasawa Ui ARENA 37: [shana] Suzumiya Haruhi

This is really no different from what the Dark Translations guy was doing. His intentions are better, but I doubt it will end better. The success of this undertaking completely depends on the company's willingness to C&D him. If it doesn't happen this time, it'll happen next time, or the time after that. Once it happens one time, Kickstarter will blacklist him, and that'll be the end of it. You can't earn a living spitting in the face of copyright law. Not for long, anyway.

Viewing this as as a manifestation of xenophobia is a somewhat paranoid interpretation. However, the in-group / out-group paradigm in Japanese business culture is pretty well established. The adage "It's not what you know, it's who's you know" is especially true in Japanese business. The difficulty in negotiating licenses with Japanese eroge developers is probably partly due to this paradigm. As a foreigner, you by definition are in the "out-group"; but you could be Japanese and still be in the out-group as well. Also a problem is the West's reputation as a bastion of piracy. In a culture so fixated on politeness and respect for others, I imagine piracy is an even bigger affront to developers than it is here, inspiring business decisions that are motivated as much by emotional reaction as potential profit (similar to consumer "vengefulness" when they buy a product and feel cheated, and therefore refuse to buy any further products from that brand, even if that's the leading brand and their experience was probably a statistical fluke). Finally, there's the issue of fear of cultural backlash. The Rapelay scandal really shook the Japanese eroge industry, and the IP blocking and C&D's that followed were an attempt to escape the critical eye of the West and maintain the status quo. Obviously working directly with Western localization groups is going the opposite direction, and opens the industry to further criticism. Since the Western market has proven to be largely unprofitable, that fear is good enough reason to stifle any expansionary impulse companies might get. No one wants to be the company that inspires the next round of criticism from the West, potentially leading to further regulation of the Japanese eroge industry.

I added my thoughts. This is a risky undertaking for Aroduc. Dark Translations basically attempted the same thing, but lower profile, and the guy eventually got shot down. I have no problem funding this personally, as Aroduc tried really hard to do this legitimately first. For once, I agree with Aaeru; I don't respect copyright when it's used to obstruct progress. If the company just plans to hoard the license, then their wishes are no longer relevant to me. Does anyone know what company / game we're talking about?

My level of attention is variable. It's actually not all that hard to dredge meaning with a quick skim of the full-auto translation. I do this when I'm feeling lazy. When I'm feeling less lazy, I pronounce the Japanese and parse the meaning of individual words in JParser. This is more effortful, but also results in knowledge gain over time.

I go through phases. If I get hooked on a VN in my VN phase, that'll be all I do in my free time til it's finished. I also go through MMO and English RPG phases, where I'll go long periods of time without touching VNs at all. But honestly, playing VNs via machine-assisted translation is very draining. It doesn't take a whole lot to distract me to something else.

New content: Added 3 new commercials!

I made a few small changes and posted on VNDB. The commercials are an opportunity for further satire (I could slip in something along the lines of Wahfuu's suggestion there, although I thought a Shin Koihime Musou advertisement would be more amusing). This'll probably remain a single "story" since quite a lot of real tie-ins are needed to maintain the density of "content" required for satire. I'd originally planned an NNL player (gipface), but the role would be too similar to Ixrec / Moogy (arguing with the Japanese and "changing sides"). I might add this as a commercial.

Announcer: It’s a beautiful day for baseball today in Eroge Stadium. I’m your host Sanahtlig here to provide commentary for Visual Novel Translation TV. Today the Localizers play against the Fan Translators in a special Western League All-Star game. This should be an interesting matchup. On the Localizers team we have representatives from Mangagamer including the rising star Kouryuu, as well as veterans from JAST USA including the well known Peter Payne. The Fan Translators are a truly diverse bunch of big names playing together for the first time ever. We have Ixrec from Amaterasu, Moogy from TLWiki, Haeleth, and Aaeru from Fuwanovel. It’ll be interesting to see how they interact as a team. The Localizers are up to bat first. But there seems to be a delay. The first batter from Mangagamer appears to have brought a large stick instead of a bat! He seems to be arguing with the umpire. Let’s listen in. Umpire: You can’t just waltz in here with a stick for a bat. Go borrow a real bat from one of the JAST players! Mangagamer player: ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US! Umpire: WTF? Announcer: The Mangagamer player just took off and started running the bases before the game even started! What is he doing??? We’ll be back after a word from our sponsors. [Commercial] VNDB, a compendium of visual novel knowledge, by you, for you: an oasis where you can request visual novel recommendations, speak freely, and engage in enlightened discussions. Please click our affiliates so we don't go broke! 5 min later Announcer: We’re back, and this time Peter Payne is up to bat with 1 out and 1 expelled player. Here’s the pitch and—it’s a hit! Wait, what is he doing? He’s just standing there! Let’s zoom in for a closer look. On close examination, Peter is actually shuffling towards 1st base so slow it’s barely perceptible from a distance. He makes it a few feet before being tagged out by the catcher. That’s two outs folks. Up to bat next is Kouryuu, Mangagamer’s newest darling. Here’s the pitch and—it’s a line drive. This— At that moment the microphone fades out. The game ensues soundless until a member from Mangagamer finally strikes out, ending the round. We’re back at Eroge Stadium. We apologize for the technical difficulties. A member from Mangagamer barged in and carried off the microphone, claiming we didn’t have rights to broadcast audio during their lineup. We’re assured now that the problem has been cleared up. The Localizers are taking to the field. Wait, what is this? Mangagamer’s players have taken to the field without clothes! This isn’t baseball, this is pornography! Outrageous! JAST’s entire bench has rushed onto the field to subdue them. They appear to be re-clothing the Mangagamer players—is that 2 bras I see??? We’ll be back after a commercial break. [Commercial] Mangagamer staff A: Somebody set us up the bomb! Mangagamer staff B: What you say?! *Screen flash and booming sound* There’s a picture of a box set of 3 games, priced at $150. A tag in the corner of the screen reads “no voice”. Narrator: Shin Koihime Musou! Otanoshimini! 5 min later Announcer: We’re back and the game looks ready to resume. First up to bat is Haeleth, the oldest member on the team and a true league veteran. He seems to be getting some boos from the audience…hmm? Haeleth just threw down his bat and walked out of the stadium! Amazing! Looks like the Fan Translators are down one member! Next up to bat is Moogy. Moogy is known for his often uncomplimentary remarks for his fellow players. Moogy steps up to bat and—he seems to be shouting something at the Fan Translator dug out. He’s throwing down his bat and…he just walked out into the field? He seems to have joined the Localizers! What an unexpected development! Next up is Ixrec. This guy is a monster folks; he has the highest RBI in the entire league. Here’s the pitch, and—it’s a hard hit to right field! Peter Payne scrambles for the ball…what is he doing? Is he riding a wheelchair in the grass? Why is he in a wheelchair?! Ixrec scores! And he’s running around the bases again! Look at him go! One of the umpires from the Japanese league, Age, has grabbed Ixrec and is trying to stop him! Oh my, Ixrec just kicked Age in the balls and is running the bases again! Unbelievable! We’ll be back after a commercial break. [Commercial] JAST USA is proud to announce the best hentai dating sim ever, Lightning Warrior Raidy 3! Play the role of a cute swordswoman as she fights creepy tentacle monsters and devilish vixens with her new lesbian fusion powers! Coming to a store near you in 2018! 10 min later Announcer: We’re back. Age has left the game, and I doubt we’ll see him back for another Western League game in the near future. We have a Fan Translator on 1st base from a single up the middle. Next up is Aaeru. A relative newcomer, Aaeru doesn’t seem to be getting along too well with her fellow Fan Translators. But in this game it’s results that count, which I’m sure Aaeru will show us today. Here comes the pitch…it’s a fast line drive to left field! That’s a base hit! Wait! Aaeru appears to making a beeline for 3rd base! What is she doing?! She’s stopped on 3rd base and doesn’t seem to be budging. It appears that she’s decided to run the bases in reverse order! What are the umpires doing?! The other Fan Translators are snickering, but no one seems to be stopping her. That leaves a player each on 2nd and 3rd base. Next up to bat is…Moogy? Did he switch sides again?! It’s probably best not to think too hard about this. Here’s the pitch—and it’s a pop up to right field! Peter goes for the ball—and his wheelchair tips over! The Fan Translators are running the bases and—Aaeru just collided with her fellow Fan Translator! Who would've seen that coming?! She’s getting up, and-- Mangagamer 3rd baseman: ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US! Announcer: The Mangagamer 3rd baseman just clubbed her over the head with 3rd base! Ouch! Moogy runs up to her and…he’s kicking her while she’s down! I don’t know who’s the greater bastard: Aaeru, the Mangagamer 3rd baseman, or Moogy! Ixrec runs out of the dugout—he’s running the bases again! Someone catch him! What the hell??? The Mangagamer players are stripping again! Peter is still crawling out in right field towards the ball! This is utter chaos folks! It’s a wacky free-for-all today in Eroge Stadium. I’ve never seen such incredible dysfunction in all my days as an Eroge Stadium broadcaster. Will Moogy stop kicking Aaeru? Will Mangagamer stop turning this into a live porn event? Will Ixrec leave any points for anyone else? Will Peter ever get the damn ball? Stay tuned to Visual Novel Translation TV! In the meantime, let's get some comments from the stadium audience.

Dra Koi isn't voiced; that's probably a downside from JAST's viewpoint since that's a standard feature that their customers expect. Again, this is a really simplistic consumer-centric viewpoint that ignores the practical reality of business in this market. Localization is more than just translation. It's a negotiated license deal, a collaborative effort between multiple businesses. When one or more parties decide that the collaboration is low priority, progress grinds to a crawl. You seek to streamline this process by simply ignoring the right of one or more parties to participate. Let's ignore the legal implications--If JAST or Mangagamer did that even once, their partners would jump ship on them. In short, such a viewpoint represents a fundamental lack of respect for creators rooted in consumer entitlement--the idea that the demands of the consumers trump all other concerns, no matter how unreasonable or self-centered such demands might be. Whenever I see this argument repeated, I always think of the angry Walmart customer raging at the poor person at the customer service desk for a problem that was probably his own fault. Using the threat of piracy as leverage to coercively enact change strikes me as incredibly selfish ("I'll get what I want regardless, but I'll only pay you for it if you agree to my demands"). It puzzles me how people can take this stance and feel like they're taking the moral highground--rather than simply being vengefully subversive (as I see it).

Ha, I had the same thought, but I drew a parallel to Amaterasu. I also found that TL note curious. It'll be interesting to see if such incidents continue to drive a wedge between the fan translation and official localization communities.

Playing Amatsukaze (http://vndb.org/v1046). I've clocked over a hundred hours in this game and I'm not even in the final chapter yet. This is one of those games where I'm sure the experience is absolutely getting ruined by machine translation. It features frequent longwinded descriptions of the setting and action scenes, which becomes a mound of machine translated text that is a chore to process. It's games like this that remind me that Eushully must have a special flair for writing that machine translates well. *Returns to the Amatsukaze grind while waiting for Eushully's next game*

Well, that's one solution. Alternatively or in addition, you could link to the fan translator's page for the patch. It would add a touch of legitimacy at least, and could even be pilfered in an automated manner from VNDB.