This February 16th, NekoNyan finally released Irotoridori No Sekai – The Colorful World on Steam for international fans. Initially announced at their Anime Central panel in May 2022, the famous FAVORITE title has been available to wishlist on Steam since October 29th and was given a release date last month.
The localized version is based on the 2022 remake, Irodoritori no Sekai – HD Re:GENERATION.
The Colorful World
When he was a child, Yuuma received a special power from the “translucent magician” Shinku. Just by touching someone with his hand, he is able to cure all of their wounds in return for some of his memories.
STEAM
Irotoridori no Sekai is a Japanese visual novel from FAVORITE. FAVORITE is a company known for works such as AstralAir no Shiroki Towa and its fandisc, Sakura, Moyu. -as the Night’s, Reincarnation-, and Hoshizora no Memoria -Wish Upon a Shooting Star- and its fandisc -Eternal Heart- that got HD versions courtesy of Denpasoft and Sekai Project. Their most recent release is Happy Live, Show Up: Encore!!, a sequel for the base game with the same name. Irotoridori no Sekai is part of a series, its sequel being Irotoridori no Hikari (2013) and Akai Hitomi ni Utsuru Sekai (2015).
Version Information
Irotoridori no Sekai released its First Press Edition on July 29th 2011. On July 26th 2013, they released Irotoridori no Sekai: World’s End Complete after the release of Irotoridori no Hikari that includes an original novel named Irotoridori no Mirai, which wraps up the series proper. Later, the games (Sekai and Hikari) released as Playstation Vita ports under Irotoridori no Sekai World’s End -Re:Birth- with newly added CGs; this version is no longer available since 2017.
A year later, the game was released as part of the Irotoridori no Sekai World’s End Trilogy BOX right after the isolated release of the third game. This version also included a digital version of the Irotoridori no Mirai novel which was previously included only as a hardcopy with Irotoridori no Sekai World’s End Complete. The same day, FAVORITE also released Nikaidou Shinku Memorial which was the same as the complete BOX, but also included a Shinku Dakimakura on top. The full trilogy set became downloadable on June 22nd 2018.
In 2022, FAVORITE announced Full HD remasters for the game and its sequels to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Irotoridori series. It features improved BGMs by the composer Shinobu and added a toggle to shift between the old and new sets of music. Additionally, they adjusted brightness/shading for some CGs and edited select HCGs. The remaster was released on September 30th of that year as a Downloadable and Package Edition.
Localization History
The localization of Irotoridori no Sekai had been targeted by a couple of fan translation groups in the past—one of which would develop into the publisher NekoNyan. The first attempt to create a translation for this game happened in 2011, where an unknown group aimed to translate the game’s prologue. Whoever they were, they got stuck around 20% completed translation. Shortly afterwards, the project was presumed dead. The patch itself, however, stayed available via Mega archive for a while until it got lost to time. The patch only covered the short prologue segment.
In 2015, a second attempt was started by a group called Shinku Translations led by the German Christian Ehrmanntraut (akerou) as a translator. At the time, the group had already released a patch for several routes in Koi ga Saku Koro Sakura Doki (SakuSaku). Shinku Translations made their own fan translation patch for Irotoridori no Sekai, featuring a new translation done from scratch. The patch only covered the game’s prologue as an apéritif to showcase the translation quality. Currently, it is still available on their old website. As of the time of writing, Shinku Translations is no longer operational as they went on to form NekoNyan; the rest is history.
Sol Press’ Involvement
Shortly after NekoNyan’s formation in 2018, another upstart company called Sol Press announced a localization of the whole Irotoridori no Sekai series at their panel at Kumoricon that was held on October 27th of the same year. NekoNyan’s editor Chuee did not take this news well and it would only mark one of many instances of license infighting in the industry.
Sol Press went on to launch a Kickstarter on February 4th 2019 that demanded $85k for the base game, $170k for the additional Irotoridori no Hikari, and $210k for the Akai Hitomi ni Utsuru Sekai stretch goals. Sol Press, however, severely overestimated their crowdfunding capacity. At the end of its campaign, the Kickstarter only managed to get $85,359, a few hundred dollars above their minimum goal.
NekoNyan’s initial frustration with having their partner company snatched away was mitigated a little when Chuee, the person who seemed most affected by the decision, became part of the official localization staff for the game. His editing prowess helped to move the game forward quickly, helping it reach a 100% translated and 100% edited status by July 17th 2020. This was positively remarked in one of SolPress’ tweets. The progress slowed down during the QC phase, only to completely stop as the mismanagement plagueing Sol Press slowly unraveled itself. With no new announcements after the issue, Sol Press died in 2021 taking its licenses with it.
Reclaiming The Colorful World
From here on out, the localization status of Irotoridori no Sekai would be in limbo. With a full translation available, there was hope that it could be republished by another party in the future. Similar things happened to other “stuck in limbo” licenses held by Sol Press such as Nukitashi (Shiravune), World’s Horniest Housewife Rikky Horne (JAST USA), Future Radio and the Artificial Pigeons (NekoNyan) and Cyanotype Daydream (Laplacian).
That hope was fulfilled on May 21st 2022 in Anime Central 2022, when NekoNyan announced Irotoridori no Sekai -The Colorful World- during their panel. They announced it to be in Engine Work status (where Sol Press had left it) and outstanding image editing/integration of HD assets since they wanted to localize the HD version instead of the original.
With their recent announcement of a February 16th release date, it’s only a matter of time until Irotoridori no Sekai finally becomes available in English. While it wasn’t announced yet, there’s hope that their success allows them to localize the other two games that Sol Press couldn’t get the funding for: Irotoridori no Hikari & Akai Hitomi ni Utsuru Sekai.
Irotoridori No Sekai – The Colorful World is available to wishlist now on Steam.
Story
Our story follows Kanoue Yuuma, an amnesiac boy with a special power, and Nikaidou Shinku, a translucent girl only visible to Yuuma who gave him that power. With it, he can heal any and all wounds.
But it comes at the cost of the memories he’s made.
He lives a simple life: going to school and being scolded by his childhood friend, Kisaragi Mio, by day, and working with his master, Natsume Suzu, in the evenings.
However, whenever he falls asleep, he always sees the same dream… a white world, feathers falling, and a girl calling out for him to save her.
The student dormitory his master resides in has a special door in the basement, which connects their world to a myriad of different parallel ones. He travels from world to world, searching for one that resembles the scenery he sees in his dreams, but to no avail.Then, one night, as he’s out at night strolling around town, he spots a girl jumping from the lighthouse.
Yuuma rushes over and heals her using his power, but after coming to, the girl claims to know him and his power, and asks him much like the voice in his dreams:“Please save me, Kanoue Yuuma.”
Steam
Characters
Quotes are taken from Getchu.
Kanoue Yuuma
Height: 173 cm
Blood Type: AB
Birthdate: December 24th
Likes: Food, sleeping
Dislikes: Writing for his diary
Favorite food: Eats anything
Disliked food: NoneThe protagonist of the story, who received his power from a “translucent magician” when he was a child – a power to cure all wounds.
Yuuma is a man who is instinctively driven to help others, when asked. He uses his healing powers rather casually, despite how they affect his memories. It is only because of Shinku’s constant reminder to write in the special ‘diary’ that he is able to retain his memories from day to day. He frequently dreams of a blue sky from which white feathers rain and a voice that calls to him ‘Please… please save us.’ He is a strong believer in the necessity of free will, especially when it comes to his work as a ‘nigashiya’.
He is attentive to younger people and has a cheerful personality, but it’s a bit bitter. Due to his amnesia, he’s unable to remember anything prior to his encounter with Nikaido Shinku. His special skills are cooking and forgetfulness.
Kisaragi Mio
VA: Kano Milk
Height: 156 cm
Three sizes: B77/W54/H79 cm
Blood Type: A
Birthdate: January 27th
Likes: Housework in general
Dislikes: Loud music
Favorite food: Anman, green tea
Disliked food: Carbonated drinksYuuma’s childhood friend and classmate, she is a mild tsundere with a tendency to try to force a “clean and proper lifestyle” on Yuuma whenever possible, bribing him with her homemade lunches in order to get him to come to school. While Yuuma seems to think she might dislike him, it is obvious to anyone else that the reverse is actually the case.
She dislikes the way her classmates and homeroom teacher take care of Yuuma because they have known him since childhood. However, the girls around Yuuma is increasing, they are more cuter (or think they are) than her, make her at loss.
In general, she is good cook and good at housework.
Minami Kana
VA: Gaiya Maimi
Height: 159 cm
Body Measurements: B85/W56/H86 cm
Blood Type: AB
Birthdate: June 7th
Likes: Cute clothes, meal time
Dislikes: Free time
Favorite food: Shortcake
Disliked food: NoneA young girl whom Yuuma saves when she jumps from a lighthouse on the full moon night.
Bright and cheerful, but lack of common sense and naive. She claims to have known Yuuma from long ago, when he made a promise to her that she refuses to tell him about, yet Yuuma doesn’t remember it, makes him feel nostalgic to her.
She frequently proclaims that she is his bride, attempting to hug him and the like. They found themselves live together under the same roof as a maid.
For some reason, she does all house chores, but her cooking is utterly poisonous in taste, even though it looks normal, even delicious. She openly says that her name is fake, and never tells Yuuma what her real name is or why she does not use it.
Nikaido Shinku
VA: Sawada Natsu
Height: 141 cm
Body Measurements: B73/W51/H75 cm
Blood Type: B
Birthdate: July 21th
Likes: Classical music, dogs
Dislikes: Children
Favorite food: Black coffee
Disliked food: SweetsThe ‘Translucent Magician’ whom only Yuuma can see and gave him special power. She possessed Yuuma to achieve the goal, to fall in “Love.”
Despite her childlike appearance, she is very much the serious, intellectual type, but at the same time a passionately caring individual, calm, and somewhat optimist. She has an aversion to ‘ecchi’ things as well as an endless hunger for pancakes.
She continuously reminds Yuuma to write in his diary in order to retain his memories from day to day, and whenever he uses his power, she reminds him of its cost, desperately wanting him to care for himself as well as those he heals.
Shikishima Kyou
VA: Anzu Mitsu
Height: 152 cm
Body Measurements: B88/W56/H87 cm
Blood Type: AB
Birthdate: May 1st
Likes: Games, anime, sleeping
Dislikes: Troublesome things and situations
Favorite food: Yuuma's cooking
Disliked food: VegetablesThe hikikomori resident of one of the dorm’s rooms, she is a devoted otaku who frequently speaks in anime/eroge/manga slang and seems to be incapable of fully separating reality from her hobbies. She also spends her days by playing games and watching anime all day long. Due to this, her skin is pale as she ‘almost’ never leaves the house.
A “denpa” girl with an explosive imagination and a laid-back personality. She can be harsh sometimes. She is always sleepy, perharps because her day & night cycles are reversed.
She mistakes Yuuma initially for her older brother, and even when she realizes that he isn’t, she clings onto calling him Onii-chan. Thanks to her meeting with Yuuma, she now tends to leave her room more often. She also houses a mysterious ability.
Toumine Tsukasa
VA: Fujimori Yukina
Height: 146 cm
Body Measurements: B72/W52/H73 cm
Blood Type: O
Birthdate: December 1st
Likes: Fortune goods, manekineko, baths
Dislikes: Diseases, painful things
Favorite food: Fried shokupan
Disliked food: Smoked foodA kouhai and newcomer to the dormitory who always busy along. Honest girl, but she has a conceited and headstrong personality.
Yukina works hard to make money for tuition and living expenses – for reasons she refuses to explain. She works late into midnight at a nearby public bathhouse. She likes anything that seems to bring luck when it comes to finances, and she’s a big fan of manekinekos and such. Oddly, despite her need for money, she refuses to borrow any from Yuuma or anyone else, proclaiming that “there is no meaning if I don’t earn it on my own”.
She often makes herself a fool out of nowhere and has a habit of apologizing for the littlest of things. Her gratitude when being given something (such as food) is disproportionate to what the gift is actually worth. But it doesn’t mean she’s clumsy. She is good at housework and able to handle other tasks that require dexterity.
Haku
VA: Ishikawa Nona
Height: 155 cm
Body Measurements: B88/W56/H85 cm
Blood Type: O
Birthdate: Unknown
Likes: Humans, fine weather, lotuses (the plant)
Dislikes: Rain
Favorite food: Green tea
Disliked food: CoffeeA kitsune living in the ‘Merchant’s Town’ one of the ‘other worlds’ to which Yuuma and the others travel regularly. She is a specialist in fortune telling with a penchant for predicting the weather.
She has a mild-mannered personality and loves her daughter dearly. Despite her being from a hidden village of non-humans who despise and hate humans, she doesn’t dislike humans necessarily.
Ichinose Ayumu
VA: Kamimura Hina
Height: 160 cm
Blood Type: AB
Birthdate: Unknown
Likes: Studying
Dislikes: Nothing
Favorite food: None
Disliked food: NoneAn untimely and mysterious transfer student who appears on the same day Kana starts attending school with Yuuma. He also moves into their dorm at the same time.
He’s quiet, emotionless, and not an assertive person. It’s difficult to understand what he’s thinking. His halting way of speaking and his habit of observing people carefully before choosing to make contact only make him seem more mysterious.
His neutral face leads people to address him as a girl sometimes.
Kanzaki Tooru
VA: Otomo Wakaba
Height: 159 cm
Body Measurements: B81/W56/H80 cm
Blood Type: B
Birthdate: April 3rd
Likes: Songs, movies (especially horror), Mio
Dislikes: Boys
Favorite food: Anything edible
Disliked food: NoneA girl who used to be Mio’s classmate when they were young.
Kirishima Shigure
VA: Hikaru
Height: 180 cm
Blood Type: B
Birthdate: Unknown
Likes: Working, looking for things
Dislikes: Anyone who disturbs his sleep, unhealthy fooda, smoking
Favorite food: Anything homemade that is served
Disliked food: Grilled gecko, instant foodsThe manager of the dorm. He’s searching for lost items and people on request, perusing his ‘Shiki’, glowing butterflies that answer his every command. He has special powers, just like a mirror.
He is a kind man who can’t refuse to help people in need. But he likes to meddle and fuss about food as he’s conscious about his health. He is the careless type and doesn’t pay much attention to detail.
He has a bad habit of collecting all sorts of mystical junk he comes across on his travels to other worlds through the basement of the dorm.
Natsume Suzu
VA: Otomo Wakaba
Height: 164 cm
Three sizes: B89/W58/H86 cm
Blood Type: B
Birthdate: Unknown
Likes: Internet shopping, reading, lazing around
Dislikes: Managing schedules, nervous people
Favorite food: Ramen, instant sweet curry (mainly due to living alone)
Disliked food: Spicy foodA self-indulgent older sister and Yuuma’s homeroom teacher who lives in the dormitory. She’s Yuuma’s ‘master’ in their profession as a nigashiya and in life in general.
A lazy bibliophile and a voracious reader who never found a book she didn’t like. She lives in a room so messy it would make a chimpanzee die of shock. She is unprincipled, unbelievably strong in combat and does her best to help those who ask for her help without hesitation. She loves to play pranks on people as well.
Ren
VA: Usami Mimoe
Height: 112 cm
Three sizes: B62/W42/H59 cm
Blood Type: B
Birthdate: Unknown
Likes: Fireworks, sparkly things, Haku (her mother)
Dislikes: Staying at home
Favorite food: Deep-fried tofu, candy
Disliked food: NoneA little kitsune living in the ‘Merchant’s Town’ one of the ‘other worlds’ and Haku’s adorable daughter of the town’s fortuneteller. She has bad orientation senses.
She is extremely shy with people she hasn’t met before, so she always hides herself behind Haku, which gives impression that she is scared of her mother, though she is quite fond of Yuuma. However, she loves her mother very much.
The game is now available on Steam for $34.99, so go and buy it!
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