The announcements started early this year during Sekai Project’s panel at the Anime on Display convention in San Francisco, this weekend. To start things off, there’s Sakura Dungeon. This one isn’t really a VN but it was announced at the same time as the others, so what the hay, I’ll mention it. Sakura Dungeon will be a dungeon crawling RPG from Winged Cloud, the developers of the Sakura series. If you remember back to late last year, MangaGamer announced they had signed a partnership with Winged Cloud and will be publishing Sakura Dungeon. Looking back at MangaGamer’s announcement of the deal, it sounded like they would assist Winged Cloud in development. But now, suddenly SP is involved? It is now a mystery to me as to who’s publishing what.
Moving on, Sekai Project announced a whole new VN, KARAKARA. Containing a scenario written by Kio Nachi, the writer behind Grisaia’s beloved Yumiko route and Aokana’s main scenario, and an intensely cutesy art style from artist p19, this Japanese-developed VN is actually releasing in English first! KARAKARA at first seems like a mostly standard slice-of-life moe/romance title, but it’s set in a fictional America where humanity has entered into a state of decline and the Earth has grown arid barren. There will be both all-ages and 18+ versions available to English buyers June 27th, with a Japanese release happening in July. Comically enough, for as much as I’ve complained about EVN authors creating VNs set in Japan, seeing the opposite happen is oddly intriguing. Blatant hypocrisy on my part? Maybe.
Sekai Project has started a flexible funding IndieGoGo campaign for KARAKARA to help fund the development and localization, with the modest goal of $30,000. Many of you by now are familiar with Kickstarter, IndieGoGo is pretty much like that. It’s been around for as long as Kickstarter has, but generally doesn’t offer as much exposure. The reason SP is using it here? They specifically allow you to fund adult projects without dancing around the issue. An important thing to note is that SP is using Flexible Funding here, which means that they get every penny pledged, regardless of whether or not they reach the goal. The way you can see this is as an elaborate pre-order system, and indeed this aspect of IndieGoGo is built with this idea in mind. KARAKARA is being released in English no matter what. This campaign allows SP to sell the 18+ version outside of Denpasoft with more exposure, and to gauge exactly how many physical copies they’ll have to produce. In my opinion, it’s a much better way to go than how they handled Root Double.
And now, Hoshizora no Memoria. This visual novel needs no introduction to most of you. After the death of their mother, the protagonist and his sister return to their hometown after many years away, finds a mysterious girl who looks exactly as his childhood friend did all those years ago, and unravels the mysteries of his family’s past. This was previously unofficially fan translated by Staircase Subs almost three years ago. There is currently no confirmation as to whether or not SP will be using this translation, but the team leader Insemination says that he wasn’t contacted by SP, nor have they taken down their own patch release from their site. It seems likely that Sekai Project will be translating this from scratch. This may please some, as Staircase Subs’ translation was oft criticized. It will be releasing later this year.
One final tidbit: Wagamama High Spec‘s demo is releasing “soon.” I recall SP claiming that they want to release the translation at around the same time as the Japanese release, which is just a couple of months away. An english demo releasing soon may indicate that they aren’t too far off track. So what are you all looking forward to here?
So they didn’t licensed Aokana. Maybe ren gets to finish the translation after all.
That said, still conflicted on the whole ‘licensing of already translated vns’. But if the chances of acquiring better quality translations are there then no complaints here.
If you ask my opinion, well I’ll give you.
1. Sakura Dungeon – My suggestion is that if SP still need some money from this game, I think they could started crowfunding with goal US$ 600,000 gathered within one month at Kickstarter, and maybe we’ll had epic Sakura games lol. More seriously, I think there were much worth VN-RPG hybrid that worth translating or already translated than this one. If I may give example maybe Soukoku no Arterial or Madou Koukaku? If the example was translated one, Bunny Black also worth it (I just played it and as people said, first hours were indeed hard. But at this time I think I got the hang of it, and it’s quite addictive). But if Sakura Dungeon available, maybe I’ll try to play this one, just to make fun of it.
2. Hoshizora no Memoria – I think the OP was quite good, and night sky effect surely look very beautiful. I think I’ll look forward to this one.
PS – I’d surely would said that if Sekai announced it like back at 2011, but right now I’d think we have enough discussion and review of Hoshimemo, especially after Insem released translation in English at 2012. The translation may be very shaky, but I think it should not decrease the enjoyment from read Hoshimemo, right? Just my opinion.
3. KARAKARA – I think I kind of interesting to see this one. Sekai apparently had determined release date, so maybe they’d already had the concept for this VN? Oh, from the goal, maybe this VN will be short one (From what I’d read, usually eroge company need more money to pay the seiyuu, especially with famous name like Natsunoo Koori and Kawashima Rino. Just my prediction. Also with composer as famous as MANYO). I didn’t said that short eroge lead to bad eroge though, but if we want to know more, I think we’ll see later.
My impression for the OP, it was good and the song sound kind of melancholic. Although my opinion was more like of how MANYO using his usual composition. The art may look like moege though (Or the final product maybe moege), although I’d also kind of looking forward of how Kawashima Rino voicing loli (Her usual role was big sister character or mother character iirc). I think for story comparison, just watch Aokana anime since Kio Nachi also write for Aokana, although I didn’t sure if Kio will follow Aokana 100% though (Better not).
I think that’s all for my impression at Sekai announcement for now.
I think of the releases that have been announced Wagamama High Spec has to be the one i’m most looking forward to reading. Like the artwork. Hoping the plot is just as good though.
PS this is my first comment on one of our highly praised blogs. よろしくお願いします！Looking forward to more blog posts!
So…Hoshizora no Memoria is the next “western” title from sekai project -.-
Whatever, i can still read with the fanpatch the orginal content and Wagamama High Spec; 18+ Version or “western” Version?
Has anyone infos about that?