#(for reference the official English translation in-game for this part is:

[yuurei20]

how muscle is the boy and who the most buff because i think silver gym clothes is lying

Hello hello! Thank you so much for this question! I have been hoping to talk about this for so long ⚔️

There is something special about the school uniform and gym clothes cards 👀

Summary 1) Sprites do not always visually represent what is actually happening in the game 2) Yana does not have full control over what can appear as sprites 3) Yana illustrated the gym clothes and school uniform cards from start to finish by herself!

Details/Sources 1) There is sometimes a disconnect between what the sprites are doing and what is actually happening in the stories, as the limits of the medium mean that they can only portray so much.

We will be told via dialogue that what is actually happening is different from what we're seeing on screen, which is where the "novel" part of "visual novel" has to do some heavy lifting.

(above: We are told that Idia is riding Ortho, Jack has tanned and Kalim is wearing glasses, without anything represented visually.)

This is also true of Silver being unusually well-muscled, with characters referencing such repeatedly! (especially in Book 7, for spoiler-reasons that cannot be shared on this blog)

(Ortho: "Silver is also incredibly built!")

In a vignette Silver explains he was able to beat a man in an arm-wrestling contest who had successfully beaten several "burly" members of Savanaclaw:

"All of Ruggie's burly friends had tried, but each lost within seconds. At first the owner went easy on me. Worried he would hurt me, he said. But once he realized I was no pushover, he stopped holding back...It was no easy feat, but all their encouragement helped me eke out a victory."

As for how Silver can possibly be so well-muscled, he explains it is from life with Lilia:

"I've never really struggled with anything involving physical fitness...my daily life back home was training enough. Drawing river water, chopping firewood...Chasing around the animals who lived nearby must have helped strengthen my legs as well...once I stalled while climbing a sheer cliff, and (Lilia) climbed right up beside me to show me how it should be done."

2) In a tweet posted on 2020/5/12 Yana talks about submitting her idea for Crowley to be wearing a vacation outfit in Book 4, despite expecting it to be rejected.

So it seems that she does not have complete control over how the sprites look: she designs the characters but is maybe not doing the game development work of physically implementing them, and there are others who can approve of or reject her ideas based on in-game limitations.

Was a canon-accurate Silver sprite maybe one of those rejections?

Effort was even made to give Silver muscle in the 2nd anniversary PV, so it does seem to be an important point.

3) We do not know too many details about the team that is helping Yana with card illustrations but we know they have been there from the beginning, with the recently released English-version of the first visual book (called "The official art book" in English) providing translations of Yana's notes to the colorists for the ceremonial robes and labwear art.

(Above: hand-written notes seen on Kalim's labwear and ceremonial robes base art)

She also references a graphic artist in her 2020 interview for the Magical Archives:

"As for the illustrations, this was my first time having my original drawings cleaned up by a graphic artist. I am a very rough draftsman by nature, and I make overall corrections before a piece is complete. No matter how careful I am in my original drawings, sometimes details get confused, so whenever I receive a draft back from the graphic artist, I become a useless original artist who is constantly going back to say, ‘I am so sorry, but can you please make these corrections?’" - Toboso Yana (Magical Archives game guide)

But the gym clothes and school uniforms (the original batch of R cards) were different: Yana says she did them all by herself from start to finish, as they were going to be most people's first introductions to the characters.

Disney Twisted-Wonderland has been released today.  ・Character design ・Main scenario creation ・Card illustration (all rarities / including finishing for the R cards) ・Supervision of personal scenarios (writing several as well) I handled everything above. I hope you enjoy it! - Toboso Yana (Twitter, 2020/5/8)

I felt that the initial R school uniforms and sportswear cards are special, as they are likely to be the first introductions to these characters, so I was in charge of them all. I am grateful to have been trusted with them. - Toboso Yana (Twitter, 2020/4/13)

So there we are! 🥳

If anything we can maybe consider the base card art for the gym clothes and school uniforms as more "canon" than the sprite designs of those same characters, even though the sprites are what we're used to seeing, as card art is not being forced to change the characters' appearances in order to fit the limitations of Live 2D sprites ⚔️ Maybe!

(The sprites have this same issue with height! In the game Epel is made taller while Malleus is made shorter, in order to fit his horns in the screen.)

[misailurist]

Ace Attorney ship names are interesting

DISCLAIMER: The following observations are my own from having been in this fandom since the games originally came out. No actual research was done, because I am lazy. Please correct me in areas where I'm wrong, because I really do think it's an interesting topic! Also I am not making any statements or judgements about any of these ships whatsoever, I'm just interested in what fandom calls them. But ok. I have a lot of thoughts on Ace Attorney ship names (as they appear in Western vs Japanese fandom).

Ship names from the OG trilogy era of games tend to be the same as what Japanese fandom uses (ex. narumitsu, narumayo). This makes sense, because the original GBA trilogy had been established in Japan for years before they were ported to the DS and localized to English. A fledgling fandom was born and found a wealth of stuff already right there, albeit in a different language. (This is not universally or strictly true, of course; ships that don't have huge Japanese fandoms, like fradrian, or which only became popular many years later, like franmaya, go English. Although "miego" might straight up be an outlier? It's not a perfect theory). Ship names with characters who debut in the second trilogy or first Investigations game, on the other hand, almost universally use namesmushes of the characters' localized names (ex. langworth, justicykes). This also makes sense, because the games were released in Japan and the West in close succession, and the English-language fan machine had already been running at full steam at that point. And then AAI2, which was fan translated over a decade before being officially translated, is the wild West of ship names, but most notably and uniquely, it has namesmushes based in Japanese, but created by the English-language fandom. The Japanese names of characters have been utilized not because of overlap with pre-existing fandom, but in order to avoid using fan translation names. So we've ended up with Japanese ship names that AREN'T the same ship names that the actual Japanese fans use. Fore example, the pairing name of Simeon Saint and Bronco Knight is nearly universally referred to as "manosouta" in English fandom, but the Japanese fandom calls it umasaru, which basically just means horse-monkey. On top of that, you have a contingent of people trying to update the original pseudo-Japanese AAI2 ships into something localization-based (saintknight). And then you also have people who are still deeply attached to the fan translation names (I don't actually know any Eustace Winner ship names but I do know that the Sebastian Debeste fans seemed to have a collective coronary when they saw the official name. Y'all all right?). Finally, non-namesmush names don't survive either Japanese or Western fandom, no matter how clever they are. As far as I can tell, there's exactly one person on pixiv who was trying to make 馬草 happen (horse + grass, grass being the first kanji in the name Souta, a pun that means "horse fodder"). That's a really good pun, dang it! And to this day, I still look onto the Blackmadhi fandom wistfully and whisper to myself, "Sad Panda." That very last part might just be me though.

[akolnoix]

Chain of Pronouns

A Partial Re-Translation Patch for Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories (GBA)

Kingdom Hearts is a tricky series, where the details really matter. As such, it’s a shame that some interesting elements of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories did not make it into the official English release (and, from what I know, none of the other language versions). So here we are!

So What’s Changed?

The most important changes in this patch are, as you might’ve guessed from the title, pronoun related.

There is a section of the game, from the beginning of Twilight Town to a certain point in Destiny Islands, where Sora (and the NPCs in Destiny Islands) inexplicably change what pronouns are used to refer to Naminé. The official English release does not convey this element at all despite how much emphasis the game puts on this aspect, and thus loses any potentially significant implications of it.

As there’s no perfect English equivalent for あいつ aitsu, (a very informal/rough pronoun that is technically gender-neutral but leans toward masculine connotations, and is a strange way for Sora to refer to Naminé or Kairi), there are two versions of the patch.

“they” version. This is the one I recommend , as I believe it best conveys the intended experience; where there is a noticeably strange shift in language, but in such as way as to be fairly easy to write off as unimportant to the casual player.

“he” version. This one tosses all subtlety and ambiguity out the window and feels less natural, but conveys the masculine possibilities of the original that the other version can’t. Pick it if you’re feeling very daring.

Then, in the final stretch of the game, jp Naminé uses gender neutral terms in a way that seems potentially relevant, due to the pronouns situation stated in the previous section, and she is talking about two distinct people in her final conversation w/Sora, not just one. Both elements were lost in the official release.

Other Changes

Tweaked some word choice/phrasing for dialogue to more clearly convey repeated motifs (if you’re familiar with the jp terms used, 大切な / に taisetsuna/ni is generally denoted with “precious,” and 大切な人 taisetsuna hito with “dear”) as well as references to other parts of the game (primarily between Hollow Bastion and the floor 6+7 interludes)

They don’t call Sora the Keyblade master anymore, as this was sort of an impossible to predict localization misstep with the original release. (How were they supposed to know that jp script would start using the English phrase "Keyblade Master" as a distinct concept like 10 years later?) I did this just for fun.

This project was primarily built upon the contents of the essay “‘That Person’ How a Pronoun Revealed the Heart of a Story”, and would not exist without it. Read it after you finish the game (or before, if you want), it’s fantastic work.

Special thanks to this gba khcom quote generator and this transcript (both of which saved me SO much time and effort) as well as all my friends, whose excitement and input were invaluable.

Don’t want to actually play the game? You can watch one of the cutscene compilations on youtube! [he version] [they version]

[call-of-daydreams]

Hi! My brain decided to fixate and deep dive into the MacTavish name and it’s history instead of doing my Statistics work so if you would like a little history lesson on the history of the MacTavish name to get a better background history of Johnny ‘Soap’ Mactavish… here you go I guess!

Johnny’s Backstory

Early Life and Career: John MacTavish, aka Soap, emerged from the Scottish highlands, showcasing early signs of resilience as a football goalkeeper. Inspired by his cousin's SAS membership, he officially joined the 22 Regiment at 18, specializing in covert operations and counter-terrorism. Not much is known about Soap's early life except that he was born Roman Catholic. He is from Scotland, which is evident by the Scottish flag seen on his dog tags, along with his Scottish accent.

Origin and Background of The Name

First and foremost, Clan MacTavish is an Ancient Highland Scottish clan with Irish origins. It is believed that they moved to Scotland during the years of the Scoto-Irish settlement era. Further confirming this, there is a reference to the MacTavish holding lands in Ros Buill (which is the old kingdom of Ross Guill) and it now encompasses part of County Donegal, Ireland.

Clan Chief

Clan chiefs are the leaders, they hold power over the lands within their control, make important decisions on behalf of the clan, and protect the welfare and interest of their people. The current clan chief of Clan MacTavish is Steven Edward Dugald Mactavish of Dundary. He is the Chief of the Name and Arms of MacTavish. Steven is the 27th Hereditary Chief of Clan MacTavish from an unbroken line.

What Does the Clan Name Mean?

The clan name MacTavish is an anglicised- An·gli·cize (make English in form or character) form of the Gaelic MacTàmhais, which translates to Thomson or Thompson in english. This means that the name is a patronymic- Pat·ro·nym·ic(a name derived from the name of a father or ancestor, typically by the addition of a prefix or suffix) form of the Gaelic personal name Tamhus (which can be pronounced Tavus or Tavis), and that translates to Thomas in English.

Crest

The crest badge suitable for members of Clan MacTavish it contains the crest and motto of the clan chief. Their crest is a Boar's head erased. They are a clan that live/lived in the HIghlands region, and they reside in the Argyll district. Th MacTavishes pipe music is “MacTavish is here” and their historical seat is at the Castle of Dunardry.

Motto and War Cry

Their motto is NON OBLITUS. This is a latin phrase that means “Not forgetful” or “Do not forget me after death”. It is often associated with funery text, where the deceased are commemorated. NON OBLITUS can also be translated to “For love of country”.

Their war cry is CRUACH MOR! This is an Irish word that means “Big stack” or “Tall high stack”. 

Tartans

The MacTavish tartan helps embody the rich heritage of the clan, rooted in Scotland’s Argyll region. Traditionally, tartans identified different clans affiliations andwere used for both practical purposes and during ceremonial occasions. The MacTavish tartan weaves together red, blue, black, and sky blue.

Kilts

The kilt is a significant symbol of Scottish heritage, culture, and pride. A kilt is a garment resembling a wrap-around knee-length skirt, made of twill-woven worsted wool with heavy pleats at the sides and back and traditionally a tartan pattern. Kilts have been worn during significant events, such as weddings, highland games, and even battles where they symbolized courage and unity. The kilt first appeared as the great kilt, the breacan or belted plaid, during the 16th century. The great kilt used to be a full-length garment where the upper half could be worn as a cloak draped over the shoulder or up over the head.

Fun Facts About Scotland

The official animal of Scotland is the Unicorn.

Scotland has approximately 790 islands.

Scotland is the birthplace of golf. It has been played there since the 15th Century and has evolved into what is now modern golf.

The world’s shortest commercial flights is in Scotland, The flight can be finished in 47 seconds and it connects two of their islands.

The Bank of Scotland was set up in1695 is one of three oldest banks in Britain.

The Encyclopedia Britannica (the Wikipedia in the “olden” days) originated in Scotland.

Glasgow is also the birthplace of football (Soccer) diplomacy. In 1872 the first ever official international football match was played between Scotland vs. England and supposedly neither side could score a goal.

One of the largest performing arts festival in the world, the Edinburgh International Festival, attracts over 300,000 people annually.

[xx-psych0-rabbit-xx]

anyways heres some misc jamba cult info from the japanese version of star allies the official translation removed/changed the meaning of i found a couple days back (fan translations can be found here)

-this is implied but misworded in english, the jamba cult worships dark matter rather than be masters of it (this is prob why gooey gets positive nickname privileges from zan on twitter)

-the magic n science ancients old relationship prior to the magic clans ban is explicitly positive in japanese

-english hyness says magic overcame science n reached prosperity, japanese says science n magic could only reach prosperity when together

-for wtv reason, english replaced one of the mentions of the "book of legends" (the book abt void hyness has) w talking abt ambiguous ancient scrolls instead...?

-theres some references to a paradise void will destroy in the japanese screens w that one cult prayer that were cut from english (the second n fourth ones specifically iirc), the sisters guest star screens make references to paradise as well, make of that what you will regarding the religious side of the cult

-most if not all instances of void being called dark lord r used to censor out void being called god/god of destruction in the original version

-pon & cons japanese title (a-un guardian beasts) is a reference to a buddhist concept of beginning n ending, the pause screen states they surrendered to the enemy n thats why theyre doing guard work there, rather than they became cultists off screen between games like one might assume

-japanese hyness uses ~ when talking a lot, while most ppl associate that w a character having a sweet cute voice tone, for him it likely just indicates he tends to drag out the end of words a lot

-fully removed from english, hyness has a complex abt his face, which is why its so well covered

-zans second boss screen in english credits her loyalty to hyness' intoxicating charisma n her sense of duty, while japanese later does canonize she has a strong sense of duty in a different screen, it instead says for the second boss she feels indebted he took her in n is also "enamoured" by his charisma n "admires him from within the heart", quoting the used wording bc i think shes both adorable n so deeply worrisome

-weve all heard the english translation censored zan being heavily implied to have attempted suicide n being saved by hyness after it fails (succeeds?) after shes struck by lightning n nearly dies/gets bought back by him.wtv take on hyness saving the mages you prefer

-zan is never called the eldest of the sisters in the original, just the chief of the trio

-hyness misremembers zans name as zan paruru, a pun on the japanese word for forgotten (wasuraruru), that same pun is used for her boss themes title

-one of zans attacks in japanese is named after the "thunder candies" (type of wagashi) found in kaminarimon, where a statue of the shinto thunder god raijin is found, zans drums used during that same attack r literally based on raijins own drums

-zans first boss screen claims she toys w her enemies through her quick attacks rather than render them helpless like prey.just mentioning bc thats silly n has a slightly new show of her personality that line up w her depiction on the official twitter in a way

-flamberge wasnt taking a break in her second boss fight she was just slacking off n picked a nice star/planet on purpose for that.thats funny of her so its justified

-flamberge calls francisca kiss-chan in japanese, this is the same nickname zan gives her in japanese thats officially translated as franny

-this isnt mentioned in the documents but im bringing it up bc its funny.that part of HIAD where francisca calls flamberge "miss flamberge" was just flamberge-san in jp, -san is just a polite honorific to use that isnt immediately translated to miss/mister, specially if the characters know each other.why did they make it that lmao

-japanese explicitly says too much heat might straight up make francisca melt (english also implies that tbf)

-francisca dislikes "pointless murder", but is fine freezing ppl n keeping them for her collection if she deems them an enemy

-hyness' japanese title can be read as both mage priest n devil priest

-the sisters titles all have a reoccurring use of ice blossom, hellfire n thunder fang respectively, n theyre called the demon generals instead of mage sisters

-HIAD hyness' title fell priest has a reference to fallen angels.i feel thats giving pre corruption hyness too much personality credit but alright

-void is refered to both as devil n angel in different forms titles.this is awesome

-theres a kanji for hope thats associated w the jamba cult throughout the whole game

-the japanese guest star screens for the mages say theyre no longer praying n r seeking a new paradise together, for whatever reason, english completely removes the no longer praying part, completely losing the meaning of the sentence n development the sisters have (interestingly, hyness is mentioned in those n still called their master, n zans description straight up states she wants him to watch her triumph (translated officially as her wanting to make him proud), so its not actually explained if they disbanded the cult or theyre just.some kind of normal religion now? but theyre atleast touching grass now)

todays conclusion is the KSA translators just hate us 👍 check the linked fan translation for more examples of that

[elyvorg]

The Most Significant Change in AAI2’s Official Localisation (according to me)

Ace Attorney Investigations 2 finally has an official localisation! This is kind of mind-boggling to those of us who played the fan translation and have loved it in that form for years, never expected an official localisation to happen, and now suddenly have to get used to everything about it being Just Slightly Different.

Having played the official localisation in full, I can say that for the most part, it’s even better than the already-excellent fan translation! Most of the lines have just a little bit more colour in them now, and there’s a bunch of small nuances that went over my head before that are emphasised better in the new version. There are some lines I prefer in the fan translation, but they’re vastly outnumbered by all the lines I prefer in the official version. All in all, strongly recommend fans of the fan translation to check out the official version in some form.

However, among these minor lines here and there that I prefer in the fan translation, there is also this one small but much more significant thing from the fan translation which is not present in the official version. I happen to care about this small-but-significant detail a lot, so here is a post explaining exactly why this is a Thing that Matters (to me, at least).

(This will mention major spoilers for the game! Do not click the readmore unless you have experienced the entire story of AAI2 in some form.)

The Thing is this: In the fan translation, Simon refers to his friend as “Knightley”, all the time. Meanwhile, in the official localisation, Simeon always calls him “Bronco”.

Now, I get why the localisers did this. It’s a Japanese cultural thing – in Japanese, it’s common for even close friends to address each other by their surnames, and indeed, Sim(e)on referred to Knight(ley) by his surname in the original Japanese game. This is usually changed into friends using each other’s first names in English localisations, because it feels strange in English to see two close friends addressing each other in what feels like a distant and formal kind of way.

(For example, in The Great Ace Attorney, Ryunosuke and Kazuma addressed each other by their surnames in Japanese, and this was – very correctly – localised to them using each other’s first names in English. It would feel wrong to an English speaker for these best friends not to do that, even though they are still characters from Japan.)

So it just makes sense as the obvious localisation choice to have Simeon refer to his friend with his given name, rather than his surname.

However! In this particular instance, I firmly 100% believe that this was the wrong decision.

See, Simon calling Knightley by his surname in the fan translation isn’t just an awkward holdover of a somewhat more direct Japanese translation – it actually means something. It’s a subtle hint that Simon doesn’t actually see Knightley as the friend he supposedly is; he’s distancing himself from his friend by talking about him in this more detached way.

This is subtle enough that it isn’t a spoiler, either! On my first playthrough of the fan translation, I never batted an eye at Simon using his friend’s surname. Some people in English-speaking countries do just prefer to go by their surname, even to their friends – particularly when their first name is kind of awkward. It felt perfectly natural that Knightley might prefer to be called just that even by his best friend, instead of “Horace”, which sounds somewhat old-fashioned and dorky.

(And this would go double, surely, for someone whose first name is freaking Bronco of all things. It’d make plenty of sense that he’d rather be called Knight!)

Knightley himself probably didn’t even question it. I imagine Simon would have called him Horace while they were kids at the orphanage, but then when Simon reappeared in his life years later after his disappearance and was calling him Knightley instead, Knightley probably shrugged and figured, yeah, Horace is kind of a dorky name, he’s not a kid any more, “Knightley” is way cooler. (Especially with his obsession with chess, not to mention his whole white-knight complex towards Simon.)

The biggest reason why this means something is that Simon calls him Knightley almost the entire time, with one single exception. In the flashback to their impromptu nighttime meeting in the prison, in which Simon knows he’s about to get his “friend” killed and this is the last time he’ll ever see him, the final thing he says to him is, “Goodbye, Horace.”

He uses Knightley’s first name, for the only time in the game’s present. And so, precisely because he’s used his surname every other time, this simple line becomes an achingly telling sign that Simon still cares about his best friend despite everything, despite the fact that he is literally getting him killed. It’s like he’s remembering the happier times they had being friends at the orphanage before everything turned sour, like a part of him wishes they could still have that, and it breaks my heart.

(This is the same in the Japanese, too – he uses his friend’s given name, which is a sign of extremely close friendship in Japanese and would have even more of an impact to Japanese-speaking players.)

This implication isn’t there in the official localisation, because it can’t be. Not when Simeon calls him Bronco all the time anyway, even when he’s revealed his true colours and is no longer pretending for the sake of Edgeworth and company. Which means that he simply did call him Bronco the whole time, even after they reunited, even while secretly wanting him dead. In that context, using the name Bronco when saying goodbye to him in the prison means nothing in particular. It’s just the name he always uses.

…Okay, granted, it’s not like that flashback scene has no emotional weight in the official version. It still is Simeon coming to talk to his friend one last time when he doesn’t really need to, which still means a lot on its own. But the final line itself isn’t a particularly notable part of it. In the localisation, it’s “Goodbye, Bronco. …And farewell.” The added “farewell” mostly just serves to make it obvious that he knows this is the very last time they’ll meet, but I suppose there is at least something to the fact that you wouldn’t usually say that to someone you didn’t care about. I don’t think it hits nearly as hard as calling him Horace for the first and only time in twelve years, though.

It seems like either the official localisers didn’t notice the significance of the given name in that line there, or they did notice it but they decided that localising Simeon to use his friend’s given name the rest of the time, like localisers normally would, was worth losing the impact of that line. And I firmly disagree that this was worth it. There’s nothing inherently wrong about Knight going by Knight even to his best friend, even if it might feel a little awkward in principle, and the emotional impact of the final thing his best friend says to him would have absolutely made up for that.

[manikas-whims]

Xavier’s representative flower is Forget-me-not. Not wavyleaf sea lavender.

bringing this directly from a community of Xavier Stans on twitter, they've urged us all to come together and mass email Infold and Papergames on their customer support as well as emails about this mistranslation.

This mistranslation not only spoils the overall consistency of Xavier's character and story but also hinders the players' immersion to a point where Xavier girls would rather not see his flower being mentioned at all.

Please COPY the template provided below, attach all the 9 images as is posted in this post, and send emails to the following ids as well as their in-game customer support.

Template to be sent to their email at:

advice@papegames.net

lyskkf@papegames.net for devz

Subject: Change Xavier’s flower in English to forget-me-not

We as the players of Love and Deepspace are once again reaching out to you due to a pressing mistranslation issue in the English version of Love and Deepspace.

(In the following, please view the pictures below for reference.)

In Xavier‘s recent birthday event (Timeless Days, My Fridge, dialogue for ingredient Starry Blossoms: „Wavyleaf Sea Lavender‘s Meaning“) the flower associated with him is once again mistranslated as wavyleaf sea lavender when it is clear that his representative flower is supposed to be forget-me-not as displayed in official art (picture 1), the ingame love timeline (pictures 2-4) and on his birthday cake (picture 5).

In the Timeless Days event the Chinese version mentions the forget-me-not flower (星辰花) and thus, also correctly refers to its meaning: eternal love (永恒的爱) (picture 6).

However, the English version states instead that wavyleaf sea lavender symbolizes eternal love which is simply wrong (picture 7). This once again proves that forget-me-not is the intended flower during this event and therefore, has been mistranslated the entire time.

Forget-me-not was even officially used by your team as the translation for 星辰花 before it got changed to the wrong one! (picture 8)

We believe the mistranslation is caused due to the fact that the Chinese word 星辰花 can refer to both wavyleaf sea lavender as well as forget-me-not (picture 9). But by now, it should be evident that the more suitable translation for Xavier‘s flower is forget-me-not because it is constantly visualized as such.

We have already tried to make you aware of this translation issue for an absurdly long time and are tired of seeing the same mistake over and over again. Now we‘ve gotten to a point where we only feel frustration and annoyance every time we see Xavier‘s representative flower mentioned. This should not be the experience for us players who should feel happy about the beautiful meaning of his flower.

So now we must ask you:

Are you still not aware of the mistranslation issue regarding Xavier‘s representative flower despite all the desperate attempts on our part to get your attention?

Do you still insist on wavyleaf sea lavender being the correct translation despite all the evidence shown to you?

Or do you simply not care?

We hope that you will finally correct this mistake and that we no longer have to fight for something as simple as this.

Best regards,

the players of Love and Deepspace

For Customer Support, open the game, then head to the settings and follow the steps as shown in pics below:

Then COPY AND PASTE this template for customer support in-game: (add the same 9 images for email and send)

In the recent event (Timeless Days) Xavier‘s flower is once again mistranslated as wavyleaf sea lavender when it is clear that his representative flower is supposed to be forget-me-not as displayed in official art (pic 1), the love timeline (pic 2-4) and on his birthday cake (pic 5).

In the new event, the Chinese version mentions forget-me-not and thus, also correctly refers to its meaning: eternal love (pic 6). However, the English version conveys an incorrect message due to the translation error (pic 7).

Forget-me-not was even officially used by your team as the translation before! (pic 8)

The mistranslation is caused due to the fact that 星辰花 can refer to both wavyleaf sea lavender and forget-me-not (pic 9).

We‘ve tried to make you aware of this issue for a long time. Now we‘ve gotten to a point where we only feel frustrated each time we see Xavier‘s flower mentioned.

We hope that you will finally correct this mistake and that we no longer have to fight for such a simple matter.

[minugasakuranohana]

Kōyō and Mori related post, part 2

... about that problematic Mori's phrase from ch 37

Please read [Part 1] before reading this

[In Russian] and [abt translation of this dialogue in Russian]

@emilover-1 and @plinko-mori, I hope you'll read it once 𖹭 Happy new year!

And about his line of behaviour in this situation at all.

Previously Kōyō said: Of course. But sad to say, I need to help our unreliable boss get this organization back in order. The one to whom my hatred belongs is your predecessor. Right now, I'm feeling pretty good about being here.

(Japanese: 無論じや。じゃが生憎と頼りない首領が組織を立て直す手伝いがあるでのう。彼の人の仇は先代じゃ。今は此処が気に入っておる)

What did Mori reply (in Japanese)?

He said: 嬉しいけど私の守備範囲は十二歳以下だよ？

To begin with, during the research process, let's maintain absolute neutrality.

meme (or not meme) about it ↘️

Now you are ready, so we're gonna dissect this fucking phrase!

The best known translation are:

I'm quite happy you said that, but I'm only interested in those under 12 years old.

I'm very glad to hear that, but I'm only interested in those under 12, you know?

Please, don't worry.

嬉しい - happy, glad. Here = «I'm quite happy you said that», «I'm very glad to hear that» (I prefer the second one, because it rhymes. There wasn't something like this in Japanese version, and I didn't see it in Russian, but here... 🥺 Let them talk in rhyming banter with each other). From the beginning Mori choose the opposite line to her words «sad to say», 生憎と. It's funny.

けど - «but», follows is contradictory to what comes before. (And you use が to say «but» when ideas are in contrast)

私 - I (official or just gender neutral version of the pronoun «I», using by many people now)

私の - my

守備範囲 - that fucking word 😒🙄🫣

Dictionary says:

しゅびはんい — 守備範囲 — noun

area of the field one is supposed to (or able to) defend (sports term)

(one's) field, (one's) scope, area of expertise, range of topics one can converse about, breadth of one's interests and knowledge

one's type, kind of person one is attracted to

You can use this word meaning «defence» only when you talk about sport. So this isn't about defence in Mori's phrase. Even Japanese dictionaries say so:

Goo:

守備範囲

スポーツで、自分の守るべき範囲。また、守ることができる範囲。スポーツ = sport, スポーツで = in sport. Meaning: «The scope of one's protection. Also, the extent to which it can be protected

自分がすべきことの範囲。また、自分ができることの範囲。«The scope of what you should do. Also, the scope of what you can do»

Weblio:

守備範囲

守ることができる範囲、または守るべき範囲、などを意味する表現 。 That sport term.

趣味・嗜好・異性の顔の造作などにおいて、好みとする対象の広さなどについて言う場合もある。«It may also refer to the extent of one's preference in hobbies, tastes, facial features of the opposite sex, etc.»

The best words to keep together 2nd and 3rd parts from English dictionary entry is «something what you are interested in». Because there's a probability he meant 2nd part and there's a probability he meant 3nd.

は - you really wanna know? Go and read about grammar. Okie, it's the word you use to mark the topic. [Link for grammar]

十二 = 12

歳 - years old

以下 - under

だ - marks present tense and positive sentences. (There are other ways for other sentences) It's a casual form of です. [Link for だ grammar] and [Link for difference between だ and です]

よ - «It indicates that the speaker is offering new information or a new perspective to the listener. Or at the very least, it gives the impression that something new is being offered.» Someone who translated manga added «you know?» for this nuance. [Link]

Mori replied «I'm very glad to hear that, but I'm only interested in those under twelve years old, you know?» Sorry, not sorry, it's really these words.

But the game ain't over at all!

What was it about? You know, words, it's a complicated thing...

Noticed something about «glad/happy»? It sounds a bit strange. He can be happy 'cause she doesn't hate him, or she is content to be here. But after the words «unreliable boss»? Is it irony?

Some thoughts of meaning:

Kōyō, but you are an adult! Stop insulting; stop attacking friends! You aren't Elise (Mori, you really thought at least one of them would stop?) In this case, does Elise have Kōyō's traits?

«You hate only the former boss + You like to be here» ➡️ «You like / love me, right? Oh, you know, with your childish behavior, if you were 12, I might have liked you too, maybe» 🤣 Remember, she canonically doesn't love «love». Mori just fights back.

On the other hand, I've heard the version that her words could be a romantic thing. But then he's just a master at shooting people down in the most cringe-worthy way.

Another point: it could be something like «Oh my, you really tHaT oLd? Are you seriously saying you can teach me running the organization? Behave yourself, my another traumatized adopted child» Some years ago she was angry when Chūya called her «Ane-san», but now 🤭

In any case, he made her feel uncomfortable with his shitty words. That's the punishment for willfulness and impoliteness (?)

Why, or what for?

Because she really hurts his feelings

Her phrase and his face are placed on the same frame. It makes sense, and it matters. Look at Mori! His eyes are open, but the lower lid is tensed / squinted, and you can see the expression lines. The iris is white – he usually has black eyes, so she's hit the mark, hit a nerve. The eyebrows are in a normal position, but it feels a little strained. The lips are composed, or there's just a general tensing of all the facial muscles.

✨ Some interesting information ✨

Why he smiled after - because he understood her feelings and thoughts. As an adult is surprised by a child's antics, but then shakes his head with a smile)

Anime makes this scene worse. Mori's reaction is too weak. All they drew was the basic emotion of surprise, and Mori is a complex character. Harukawa reflects this complexity of emotions: he's surprised, but Koyo's words also evoked displeasure (I'm 99% sure ), a little anxiety is there too (maybe 60-70% sure), insecurity, fear and regret are likely there.

He isn't shocked just a bit surprised but almost calm

For comparison:

In anime, I like to hear their voices and sound effects. The musical background puts a clear emphasis on the phrase koyo, this is the punchline of the dialogue.

I don't wanna say that Bones didn't try to do their best, but Harukawa is... an entirely different matter. There's no comparison to begin with. Just as... nobody would compare Goddess with anything, right?

Sorry - not sorry, I'm too lazy to do another gif with eng sub. «Конечно» = «Of course», « К сожалению, мне нужно помочь неуклюжему лидеру восстановить организацию» = «But sad to say, I need to help our unreliable boss get this organization back in order», «Я благодарен, но интересуюсь только теми, кому меньше 12» = «I'm glad to hear that, but I'm only interested in those under , you know?»

And she isn't t that calm yelling at him: «SHUT THE FUCK UP! I will sew your lips together!», if you pay attention to the size of kanji and lines of speech bubble.

Yes, 黙れ is a very rough word. Don't use it, please.

I found this scene in stage play here, file with stage plays, «Bungo Stray Dogs on stage 3». Timeline: start at 2:16:33 and end at 2:17:50

But video shows HER face when she's saying that phrase, so I can't say anything about Mori's facial expression in that moment 😭 How could them -

There's no «彼の人の仇は先代じゃ。今は此処が気に入っておる» (The one to whom my hatred belongs is your predecessor. Right now, I'm feeling pretty good about being here) Both anime and stage play cut these sentences out. Why? The next Mori's phrase looses its sense a little bit in this way, isn't it?! Wtf

Anyway, right after she said her part, and Mori replied, and then she said «damare…», they laughed together. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

'Cause he's boss

And the insubordination (or something similar) didn't vanish. Akutagawa is his own punishment; honestly, I'm totally agree. But Kōyō – he's just… Taunting her? Hahaha. Best boss ever, isn't he?

Whatever he meant, she's not okay with these words and we're too. That's the whole punishment. Just to check the box ✅

Boss-of-the-Port-Mafia-Mori-Ougai be like:

And because Mori cares a lot about Kōyō, if you look closely

...he couldn't do something more

I see Mori-Kōyō relationship as his redemption arc. He learns to respect human soul and heart, [心]. (That actual reason why Fukuzawa and Yosano dislike him). He combines therapeutic moments for Kōyō with his «evil mafia plans.» At least he didn't want to traumatize her with the possibility of killing that girl.

It's very interesting to analyse it one day. I will, but not before I read «Kokoro» by Natsume Sōseki. They talk about character-Natsume tactic, and then there's just the concept of the [heart] / [心]. But in Japanese, you read it as [こころ], [kokoro], got it? 🧐

I strongly believe that Mori planned more than that. Why else would he forbid her to take Kyouka back before the conflict started? (Chapters 17-18) He let her see the light to get her away from the mafia. As he let Dazai go. As he offered Higuchi. As 14 y. o. Kōyō wanted. It's good for her to see Kyōka's story, to let her go, to become a better person than the former boss. It's her character development. Mori isn't evil. He does bad things from time to time, but he also does good things.

Guild arc wasn't an easy one for Kōyō. Even if he unintentionally triggered her trust issues and anxiety, he tried to help.

I haven't said anything about 守備範囲 as «(one's) field, (one's) scope, area of expertise, range of topics one can converse about, breadth of one's interests and knowledge», have I? Oops)

Imagine, for example... What if Fukuzawa's words were important to Mori? We didn't even know what happened between them when Rampo and Yosano escaped. Did Fukuzawa run away after «the clock struck 12»? 🤭 Or did Mori actually lose that battle? Or did he lose because he didn't want to win at all? As Natsume's "subordinate" or sth he has to do everything he can for their tactic. But as a human being, well, he regrets traumatizing Yosano. What if he not only let her go but also started learning psychology, soul science?

Kōyō is also traumatized. Mori and Dazai know this. Mori lets her go, but she isn't happy. And what's more, she's using defensive reaction. And Mori just like «You need therapy, girl. But you know, I'm a child psychologist. And it would still be a violation of medical ethics if I were your psychotherapist. (Yeah, sometimes I respect medical ethics)»

What do you think?

...

After the Yosano story, Mori is generally more relaxed about disobeying orders. Because he's not in the military. (Down with bureaucracy!)

Because he realised that if an order was broken, it could be something very important to the person. He doesn't want to break people for the sake of some discipline. And for Koyo, choosing to cooperate with the agency was part of personal growth and healing. She saw herself in Kyōka, and protecting the girl meant protecting them both, and vice versa. Mori couldn't break her. That would be unjustified. He wasn't angry at Kōyō for her decision.

Bonus. Some parallels from the Guild arc:

Mori-Dazai, Kōyō-Kyōka: «We are not the same person, actually. I'm me, you're you. You have the right to choose your path» It was about mentoring, parental love, and letting go.

Mori-Kōyō, Dazai-Akutagawa: «You become stronger. Accept your past and move on from it»

Dazai-Kōyō, Atsushi-Lucy (+ Mori as a mastermind who made these lines possible with his orders abt Kyōka and Q): «Do not abandon the past versions of ourselves»

And keep in mind 2 things:

Mori must keep a balance between etiquette, subordination, and responsibilities on the one hand and his feelings and ulterior motives on the other hand

Sometimes he's a living cringe and a lying liar who lies 😑

The characters' phrases cannot be viewed without context. They don't exist in a vacuum. They have reasons, occasions, and purposes for saying certain things.

I have many other thoughts about these phrases and this dialogue!

But not today

[hannahdyoung01]

Cure Sorceress | Fantasy Precure

English:

Here she is! The cure version of Kozuki Michiko, Cure Sorceress! I had the design a week ago, but wanted to post the previous updates so she was at the top of my page 😅

Her transformation item is the fantastic jewel, Sapphire Bracelet, she is destined to be the legendary warrior pretty cure representative of wisdom. She has the misión with Cure Knight to find and save the princess of Eternal Kingdom, her help is essential to defeat the Demon King.

The name is a clear reference that she is a sorceress LOL ¿You guys know about those rol online games with fantasy theme, like WOW? Well some of my inspiration comes from it, the players are in group to defeat a boss; someone who attacks, heals and has magic and distance powers. Most of the time they are knights and sorcerers. So my fan cure duo is officially complete!... or is there another cure? Well yeah, since is a fan cure it's a must to have a secret cure!

Transformation:

✨Legendary Book! Sapphire Bracelet!

✨In a magic cape comes to the rescue! Pretty Cure, Wake Up!

✨Wisdom is acting sensibly! Cure Sorceress!

Español:

¡Aquí está, la forma cure de Kozuki Michiko, Cure Sorceress!

Su objeto de transformación es la joya fantástica, el brazalete de zafiro, está destinada a ser la guerrera legendaria pretty cure representante de la sabiduría. Se le encargó la misión junto con Cure Knight de encontrar y salvar a la princesa del Reino de Eternal, para que así las ayude a derrotar al Rey Demonio.

Su nombre se debe obviamente a que es una hechicera XD ¿Conocen esos juegos de rol online de fantasía como WOW? Bueno pues básicamente de ahí ha salido parte de mi inspiración, suelen ir en grupo a derrotar jefes; gran parte del tiempo un caballero y una hechicera 😁 Eso es lo que Knight y Sorceress son, ¡un dúo dinámico!

Transformación:

✨¡Libro Legendario! ¡Brazalete de Zafiro!

✨¡Con una capa mágica viene al rescate! Pretty Cure, Wake Up!

✨¡La sabiduría es actuar con sensatez! !Cure Sorceress!

Japanese with Google translate/Japonés con Google traductor:

Henshin

✨Legendary Book! Safaia Buresuretto!

✨Mahō no manto de tasuke ni kuru! Purikyua, u~eiku appu!

✨Chie wa kenmei ni kōdō suru kotodesu! Kyua sōsaresu!

[entamesubs]

Yu-Gi-Oh! Go Rush!! Episodes 140-145 Sub Release

Torrent

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Please make sure to read the FAQ if you have any questions.

There are translation notes below for 142+, so spoilers ahead.

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臼と黒 / usu to kuro Usu and Dark

When Yuuhi accidentally reads it as "White and Black" during the preview, it's because 臼 (usu) and 白 (shiro, which means white) look very similar in terms of kanji, so Yuamu is chastising him for reading it wrong as they're two different characters.

翁丁臼 Otei Usu

Here's a funny one. Otes' "old-timey" name can be read as "old guy with mortar". Do with that information what you will.

お殿様 / otonousama + 武将 / bushou "Honored Lord" + "Military Commander"

There's some liberty taken with the titles the characters use in this arc as there's really no good English translation of them.

First, "Honored Lord" can mean a high minister or a lord (or both, it's not exactly exclusive). One of the synonyms given was "daimyo", but that is very much something completely different (and also, if they really wanted to call him a daimyo, they'd have just said it).

Second, Yuudias refers to himself as a 武将 (bushou), though as I researched it, 武将 (bushou) is normally translated to "warlord" which was fitting for that time. However... Yuudias is not a warlord. He neither has his own soldiers nor his own land. Given that he's basically trying to introduce himself the old-fashioned way to "fit in", and as a nod to his own military accomplishments, he probably just thought it was the right word to describe himself.

Though, it also felt strange to try and translate that as "military commander" considering that "Commander" is a real position in real life, and in the context of the show, was also something that Zwijo used to be titled with ("Supreme Commander"). We know that Yuudias' official military designation within the Velgearian army was "Captain" (from episode 20 & later 49).

Anyway, I went back and forth on this in my head. It was genuinely a little hard trying to think of appropriate titles that didn't make me feel as though I was mislabeling them. This strict adherence to the correct military title is the reason why Zwijo is usually referred to as "Lord Zwijo" in the subtitles when Dinois and Myuda address him as Zwijo-sama. They're still showing him the due respect he deserves as their Supreme Commander, I cannot call him "Commander Zwijo" since he is no longer part of the army.

It goes against what I personally would like, but given that I have no other ideas, "military commander" had to do for Yuudias.

This is basically a lot of words to say that the original idea was the best one, LOL. I guess Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu were also known as "military commanders" back then, so it's not that bad... I just have a little bit of a complex about correct titling.

Speaking of Ieyasu...

Ah, how pleasant! Two awakenings and one sleep. This dream of a fleeing world! The roseate hues of early dawn!

Otes' summon chant for Outerverse Oblivion is a nod/reference to Tokugawa Ieyasu's death poem. It was customary back in the day to compose a poem on the verge of death by learned men (noblemen and monks, mainly).

This translation was taken from Phillip Johnston. While translating SEVENS/Go Rush is my forte, I defer to the professionals for poetry-related matters. It is so much more complicated translating poetry than it is some dialogue from a card game anime.

"The Yuudias Incident"

I cannot give a crash course on Sengoku era Japan in the span of a single translation note, but basically the era was very hectic due to the different lords fighting over land and to rule Japan. These lords also betrayed each other constantly, backstabbing and overthrowing the masters they served like changing clothes.

When Otes said that Yuudias rebelling is "fitting" for the time, he's referencing that same backstabbing endemic to the era.

The title of the episode is also a reference to one of these betrayals, known as "The Honnouji Incident". It was when Oda Nobunaga was betrayed by one of his vassals and forced to commit seppuku (kill himself).

from the hour of the rooster until the crow’s evening cries

The "hour of the rooster" is mainly known as around 5-7pm. I'm not quite sure when "the crow's evening cry" is supposed to be, but I assume around 9-10pm. Zwijo makes his proclamation as a way to say "children have to work until this time, then they can play" (as was the case back then).

Episode 145

Not really a TL note, but just wanted to point out something really cool about this episode.

The episode is a reference to "Blink" from S29E10 of Doctor Who (the season where David Tennant was the Doctor and the main female lead was Martha Jones).

Yuamu font changes

Baloo 2 -> Sephora Sans Serif Medium

This is the same font that all the Darkmen (+ Dark Meister) use, but now with Yuamu's old colors. I felt like it was a cute change to recognize who she was before and how she's changed since then while still retaining her old flair.

-------------------------------

Well, if the dub is to be believed, we have anywhere from 6 to 7 episodes of Go Rush left. It feels kinda strange being so close to the end and yet not quite seeing where the end could be, but I suppose the same thing happened with SEVENS.

Regardless, have fun and keep enjoying Go Rush!

"Are you back on normal weekly releases?" 🤷‍♀️しらん

[lilinagaming]

An Explanation of Our Mentality With Localization

Almost a day removed, and I have to say I am very happy with how everyone has responded to the announcement of Lil' Nordion. It's still a work in progress with many changes up for debate, but I figure it may do well to further explain the primary mentality we had when making some of our more... out there terminology choices.

First and foremost, the job of a translation is to make it playable for the intended audience, no doubt about it. It was constantly in our mind that this patch would be for those experiencing Jugdral for the first time, switch era fans if you will. As such, we wanted to cater to the most recent localizations the series has used as of Fire Emblem Engage (Perceptive is a bit tricky, see ThePsyShyster's blog). Off of face value, some of our decisions may also seem to contradict that by deviating from series staple terminology in English.

That's where the middle ground comes in. Making things approachable for new fans, but also honoring the game's uniqueness as well as we can. Especially for terms which don't have official localizations (like the zantetsu no ken and Forrest, though the former at least had zantetsu localized as ironbane/piercing in FE Warriors) we wanted to elaborate on what the unique Japanese text was trying to convey. Using Forest Knight > Ranger in Sacred Stones gave us the idea of trying to do something unique with Duke Knight, which is how the historical reference in Banneret, seasoned (bannered, heh) knight commanders who often lead lance knights in specific, was born. We followed a similar idea with Forrest > Forester (called Hero in PN), completing the correlation that class had with Forest Knight/Ranger. These are decisions in line with what NoA does even today, Timerra's classes in Engage being a great example; Vigilante > Sentinel, Pitchfork > Picket. The decision to revert Shaman is another interesting one I could make an entire post about as I was the strongest soldier in favor of the change.

Admittedly, we wanted to find something more flavorful for Mage Fighter and Thief Fighter as well, Spellblade came up often for the former, but figured it might be safest to stick with the other "Fighter" themed classes for now. Of course, we are always open to suggestions.

This reasoning is related to choices like Heal and Ironbane Sword as well. With the primary goal still being to appeal to that modern audience, we also want to preserve FE 4's unique terminology when we can — that middle ground. Part of a game's flavor and identity comes from its namechart, after all. I was against Lord, Hero, Priestess, etc. in PN because it removed so much of the intentional differences in how FE 4 presents itself compared to the rest of the series. Heal (assumed to be a precursor to Renewal) being named differently to match the adjacent Recover skill is part of that. Yes, Renewal is what more recent fans know a skill that heals you every turn to be, but simply naming it that also removes the intentional parallel FE 4's devs wanted to draw with the naming conventions of the skills and staves at the time. FE 5 went on to call this skill of similar effect by its modern name, but with "heal" returning in a skill context as of Three Houses (although doing a different thing), it feels a bit wrong to blatantly ignore what the Japanese text says here just for simplicity sake. It's tricky, as something is missing no matter what name is decided.

Now, a lot of these points were just argued off of vibes prior to FEH and Engage making the conscious decision to bring back the classes of Sword Fighter, Axe Fighter, etc. In a post Engage world, however, where Sword Fighter has been differentiated from Myrmidon twice now, I can't help but feel NoA cares about these small and unique differences in terminology as well. Thus, we followed suit. Like I said many times, this doesn't mean we aren't open to change, far from it! We will even have a discord taking feedback coming soon. This post was just to explain our perspective better than a chart could, provided I did a good job explaining myself, haha.

[mk-squid]

The Splatoon Base website got a new update! … well, it's been a while since it did, because I forgot that I needed to port this post to tumblr. Still, you probably haven’t heard about it yet. Because even though the website has an official English version, it is only ever talked about on the Japanese Splatoon account. Nintendo’s weird marketing decisions stike again.

So let’s take a look at what’s new. And if you’ve never heard about Splatoon Base at all, I’ll also give you a quick overview over the sections that were already there. ↓

The Splatoon Base is an official website that gives you an overview of the Splatoon world. Its main focus is on the worldbuilding as opposed to the gameplay aspects of the series. It has 7 sections:

Story summarizes the events from the extinction of humanity up until Return of the Mammalians

Character shows a relationship chart at the time of Splatoon 2 with short descriptions for each character

World lets you view Inkopolis Plaza and Inkopolis Square with short descriptions for each location

Fashion talks about weapons, gear, customization options and brands [section with the new update]

Music shows all the Splatoon bands and idols and lets you listen to a few select songs

Gallery includes key art from all games, also has a Splatfest, special events and graffiti section

History shows a timeline of Splatoon history, e.g. the releases of games and amiibo, events and updates

Before you run to go check it out, please keep in mind that this is Nintendo translating Splatoon lore, and we already know how that goes. The English version of the website has some major flaws and inaccuracies, such as mixed up names, unclear phrasing and straight up leaving things out. When Splatoon Base first released, I made a post about these mistakes on Instagram. It doesn't look like they have fixed any of them in the meantime and the portions of it that have been reuploaded to the Nintendo Today app still have the same translation errors. So here are the ones that I know about.

Information left out or changed: ● Crusty Sean wears clothing that has the deep-fried look (as opposed to this being his actual body) ● Judd was initially called “Judd” because of his fur pattern. He only later discovered his passion for judging Turf Wars ● while in ENG, Pearl received a copy of Manta Maria for her birthday, her dad gifted her the actual ship in the JP version ● the “drawing techniques” Marina practices are specified as “Kakeami” in the JP version, which is a special technique in drawing manga ● the reappliance of abilities using Ability Chunks requires Super Sea Snail shells ● Marina is described as “maiden in [romantic] love” in JP, the ENG version put “real sweetheart” there ● while the JP version mentiones that Flow likes alcohol and often gets drunk, the ENG version just says she likes “food and drink”

Very minor details: ● Sheldon asked Annie for help with decorating the weapons (in ENG, it isn’t specified who initiated it) ● it is mentioned in both versions that Pearl jumps from side to side. This is actually in the game: According to rassicas, she does it in Octo Expansion, but it was localized to “warming up vocal cords” in the English version of the game ● the JP version mentions that Bisk’s mature vibe is due to his long limbs ● Flow gives her customers the vibe of an older sister

Unclear phrasing: ● in Agent 4’s character page, the ENG version phrases it like Marie fought with Sheldon’s weapon prototypes against the Octarian army to save Callie, when it actually was Agent 4 who used the weapons made by Sheldon ● the Octarian character page says “diligently works to systematically keep the Octarians in line using music”, which seems to refer to Octavio instead of Octarians as a whole ● it’s hard to tell if the “close-up” part of the Octarian character page is supposed to refer to Octavio, the Octarians in general, or the Octostomp (“Possesses highly developed scientific technology, beginning with the Great Octoweapons. His tech capabilities are said to be a full 15 years ahead of the global average. He’s so completely focused on his mission that he’s totally unconcerned with his appearance.”) ● the very important part about Octarian reproduction is phrased in a way that can mean both “regular Octarians” and Octolings are cut off from a host. OR it can mean that the Octarians divide into “regular Octarians” that are cut off from a host and Octolings that are created in some other way. The JP version seems to impliy the latter.

Mistakes: ● in Marie’s charcter page, it says that Cap’n Cuttlefish recruited Agent 4 to save Callie, when it actually was Marie who recruited Agent 4 ● in the story section, there’s a part missing that’s supposed to say Inklings didn’t want to get up early. This doesn’t seem to be intentional since the sentence is also missing punctuation ● also in the story section, it says Agent 3 wins the battle against Agent 8 on the way to the surface. This is obviously the other way around. It might be due to auto translation, as Google Translate makes the very same mistake when translating the JP version of the site

Now that we got this out of the way: What was added in the latest update?

The Fashion section got updated with two subcategories: Weapons and Gear

Now you can take a look at all the different weapon categories and get information on the brands behind them. Since we don’t have any official names for some weapon brands, this would be exciting news… if they actually added these names. Instead, the captions only say “Weapon Brand”. Thanks, I guess.

But we still get some more detailed info on the brands.

Sorella ”A historic umbrella manufacturer with a slew of patents for waterproof materials and retraction mechanisms. Their jump into the weapons business was a total shock that shook up Turf War battles in a big way.”

The unnamed brand behind the Tri-Stringers “A Splatlands fishing supplier that decided to jump into weapon manufacturing. Their experience with crafting durable lines and sturdy, big-game fishing rods led to the invention of a groundbreaking weapon: the Tri-Stringer.”

Deco “A manufacturer that uses sports equipment like water tanks and drink servers in their designs. Their products tend to be light and durable, and they integrate those benefits into their weapons as well.”

Custom “This heavy industries company’s primary focus is steel. When it comes to heavyweight weapon designs like the Hydra Splatling and Explosher, they’re way ahead of the rest.”

Nouveau “An art supplies company with experience making and selling brushes. They broke into the weapons market with products like the Inkbrush and Octobrush, but today they produce non-bristled weapons like Splatlings and Splatanas too.”

Neo “A consumer electronics company that used its acquired knowledge to get into the weapons business. They have a reputation for sophisticated engineering and durability.” – This one is especially interesting since Neo is also a construction company, as can be seen on the construction signs in the game. Looks this company is established in multiple different sectors.

Ammo Knights “A weapons shop founded in Inkopolis that’s been around for a while. Their solid customer service and maintenance has earned them the trust of Inklings and Octolings alike. The owner, a true weapons fanatic, started creating his own products after getting his hands on some blueprints.”

Unnamed Dolphin brand “This company, known for its cleaning and plumbing products, based their distinctive logo on a marine creature that existed long ago.”

Foil “A manufacturer of leisure products with wide distribution channels and a mass-market focus. Because they dabble in toys and party goods as well, they’ve come up with some fun and unique special weapons like the Baller and Reefslider. “

Splat “An Inkopolis-based manufacturer that’s practically synonymous with Inkling and Octoling life. These veterans have been making weapons since the earliest days of Turf War, getting in the game early and pioneering new weapon fundamentals.”

Nintendo “A company that pivoted from home-leisure equipment to weapons manufacturing. Apparently, they lifted their logo and product designs from a bunch of thingamabobs that were dug up from an ancient stratum.”

Tentatek "An athleticwear company known worldwide for gear like the Tennis Headband and Blue Sea Slugs. After signing a famous player, they started branching out into weapons, resulting in products like the Light Tetra Dualies."

The Gear section shows off outfits with images from the past Catalogs. They also have descripons, but there is no lore here, only fashion talk like we know it from Splatoon. More interesting: There are concept sketches in the background of this section, some of which also show up in the Splatoon 3 Artbook.

There are also two subsections. One is about the customization options (eyebrows, legwear, hairstyles). The only new info here is that Octolings take “a more grounded approach” to hairstyles than the Inklings who like to experiment. The two sketches showing how hairstyles are done are also in the Splatoon 3 Artbook.

The other subsection is about the gear brands and we get some small new things about some of them. The one thing that surprised me is that Zekko and Firefin apparently don’t exist as their own brands anymore since they formed Z+F. I thought of Z+F as an additional collaborative line, but it seems like Zekko and Firefin themselves are gone now and we won’t see any new gear from them the future.

Zink “An industry-leading athleticwear brand that offers a range of clothing and shoes for every sport. The simple, no-frills designs make Zink a popular fashion label. In recent years, they have been actively collaborating with famous artists.”

Annaki “The brand’s line of punk-infused apparel has an army of rabid fans. By introducing its unique vibe into casual items, Annaki has succeeded in gradually expanding its customer base, with no sign of its popularity fading or slowing down.”

Tentatek “A sportswear label that took the world by storm with its cutting-edge sneakers. Celebrated for its sharp, functional fashion, Tentatek is an undisputed industry leader with a track record of supplying gear to many top athletes.”

Rockenberg “A historic company renowned for its leather shoes. Rockenberg’s promise of high-quality, comfortable footwear has earned them loyal customers since the brand’s inception. Their classic boots are a little pricey, but if you take good care of them, they’ll last a lifetime.”

Krak-On “A veteran footwear company. Their canvas shoes have remained unchanged over the years and are loved by all generations. Vintage Krak-Ons are highly sought after by collectors. Recently, the company has ventured into more exotic designs.”

Inkline “A legit outdoor-apparel brand that produces a wide range of functional, practical gear. Comfortable and fashionable, it’s just as popular as everyday wear. Inkline’s luxury down vests and serious boots are on many a young Inkling and Octoling’s wish list.”

Zekko “This label offered a wide range of street fashion, with a focus on skatewear. Known for its ease of movement and solid design, Zekko gear played a central role in Splatlands subculture. The brand has since merged with Firefin, but its spirit lives on.”

Splash Mob “A popular brand for sophisticated, mature Inklings and Octolings that insists on quality craftsmanship. Splash Mob’s casual yet refined designs, carefully selected material textures, and fine stitching have earned it a reputation among discerning buyers.”

Skalop “A manufacturer that specializes in headwear, from your standard baseball cap to fashion items such as knits to athletic gear like helmets. More recently, Skalop has made a push into funkier designs as they continue to evolve and garner attention.”

Enperry “A street-fashion brand that integrates art, music, and other culture into their primary focus: athletic casualwear. Enperry’s playful, sassy lineup skillfully walks the line between fierce and comfortable, retro and cutting-edge.”

SquidForce “A trendsetting global company that produces a range of gear for beginners and pros alike, paving the way for other brands to follow. As the official brand of Turf War, SquidForce puts effort into training up pros and maintaining venues.”

Firefin “Street-brand royalty. Firefin’s range included not just style essentials like hoodies and caps but also more chic items like bell hats and sun visors. Right before they merged with Zekko, their FishFry merch went out of stock in every store.”

Forge “A select brand targeted at astute buyers who don’t bow to the latest trends. Forge offers everything from authentic military fashion to functional, stylish headgear. One theory is that their lineup is actually created by their CEO, for their CEO, whose interests run the gamut.”

Takoroka “An athleticwear brand known for their sneakers. Their uniquely stylish clothes and footwear, made with proprietary technology, are fashion staples. Sneakerheads flock to Takoroka stores on day one, forming long lines to snag their new products.”

Z+F “This new label is the result of a merger between two leading streetwear brands, Zekko and Firefin. In addition to carrying on the original brands’ underlying hip-hop and skater culture, Z+F offers its own poppy, colorful clothing line.”

Barazushi “This manufacturer comes from the western Splatlands, famous for sea sponges. The region’s harsh climate demands high-performance gear, and Barazushi’s is second to none. Their monster parka, made with ultrafine fiber sponge, is just one example.”

Emberz “This rising brand was born on the streets of Splatsville and quickly gained traction with Inkling youth. Its mission: reject and destroy the established order and common sense. Emberz uses every material out there to cook up its apparel, serving an umami-packed hotpot of ideas.”

Toni Kensa “An eponymous brand known for its unique monotone look and simple, structured designs. It feels like just yesterday that Toni Kensa captured the attention of fashionistas with its new line that combined urban sophistication with rugged attitude.”

You can get random covers of the Weapon and Gear section by refreshing the page. The featured weapon category and gear brand will then appear in the subsection once you click on it. Here are all the randomized images you can get.

In the Weapons section, you get a small banner that leads you to the gear section, showing the featured gear brand. This also exists for the featured weapon category in the Gear section.

Thank you for reading if you made it all the way to the end!

[y2klostandfound]

Yoshinaga Takumi (Game Design Director and Scenario Writer), Moro Mayumi (Designer and Modeling Team Leader) and Yumiko Miyabe (Art Director) Interview about Space Channel 5 on 4Gamer.net (11/11/2022)

Translation in English:

An interview to celebrate the second anniversary of the "Space Channel 5 Uki Uki Music Festival Online". The two designers look back on the secret behind the birth of Ulala and the Morolians.

Writer: Tetsuya Inamoto / Photographer: Yusuke Masuda

Two years have passed since the online event "Space Channel 5 Uki Uki Music Festival Online" was held on November 13, 2020. The event was held to commemorate the "20th anniversary" of the musical action game "Space Channel 5"

(hereinafter referred to as SC5), which was released for the Dreamcast in 1999 , and the release of "Space Channel 5 VR Aratakata☆Dancing Show (Space Channel 5 VR Kinda Funky News Flash)" (PC / PlayStation 4 / Meta Quest , hereinafter referred to as SC5 VR) in February 2020. However, due to the spread of COVID-19, the original plan was changed to an online live performance without an audience. It has been decided that the live goods that were scheduled to be sold before and after the event will finally be sold online from this fall.

I am prepared for comments like "Now?" and "I forgot!", but this is a rare opportunity to deliver an article related to SC5. So, following the developer talk to commemorate the "almost 20th anniversary" delivered by 4Gamer in 2020, I offered to interview the design development team of the game who were not involved in the talk, and they kindly accepted. I immediately gathered two people.

Appearing this time will be Yumiko Miyabe, the art director for SC5, and Moro Mayumi , the designer. Miyabe, the "mother of Ulala," and Moro, the "mother of the Morolians," are in charge of not only the characters, but also the world view and background construction. They have kept many of the art pieces they worked on during development, and this time they looked at them and talked about those times. Also, Takumi Yoshinaga of Sega, who was the chief planner at the beginning of development and also participated as an advisor in SC5 VR, joined us to supplement the topics related to the development.

Takumi Yoshinaga (left)

Game design director and scenario writer for Space Channel 5. He is the father of SC5, having launched the project with director Takashi Yuda and been mainly responsible for game design. He is still with Sega and is involved in the development of the Puyo Puyo series, as well as working as a story and game design advisor for Space Channel 5 VR: Arakata☆Dancing Show (Space Channel 5 VR Kinda Funky News Flash), developed and released by Grounding.

Moro Mayumi (center)

Designer and modeling team leader for Space Channel 5. As a designer who joined the company at the same time as Miyabe, she was involved in the development of Sega Saturn titles, and worked with Miyabe in the Digital Media Production Department before joining the 9th Research and Development Department, where she was one of the first to design the enemy characters, the Morolians. She is also in charge of CG modeling production as the modeling chief. She was appointed art director for Space Channel 5 Part 2.

Yumiko Miraye (right), currently working in the Communications Promotion Division of the General Affairs Department of Sega Sammy Holdings, is involved in planning important company events

. She was the art director of "Space Channel 5." As a designer, she worked primarily on movies for Sega Saturn titles, and after working in the Digital Media Production Department, she joined the 9th Research and Development Department, where she was responsible for designing the main character Ulala, as well as other characters and stages. She later served as director for "Space Channel 5 Part 2." Currently, alongside her work as an artist, she produces and sells soft vinyl figures of Ulala and the Morolians under the brand name "Space Sofubi Dan," officially licensed by Sega.

Two designers who joined the company at the same time participated in "Space Channel 5," which required a female sense.

4Gamer:

　Thank you for joining us today. I previously heard that when you gathered the development team at 4Gamer, Miyabe-san and Moro-san joined the Digital Media Production Department around 1997.

Yumiko Miyabe (hereinafter, Miyabe-san):

　At that time, we were part of Sega's First CS Research and Development Department. At that time, Sega had a lot of hardcore male fans, but a project was launched in which a female character would be the main character, and in order to appeal to a wider audience, I was asked to be a staff member who could be involved in the development from a female perspective.

　Yuda-san (Yuda Takashi, SC5 Director) asked me for advice because he thought that I have a more general player-like sense than he does and that I'm also knowledgeable about fashionable things. However, at that time, I was in my 20s and had just joined the company for the third year, so I thought it might be a burden to be in charge of the design alone, and I nominated Moro-san, who was a designer at the same time as me, to join us.

Mayumi Moro (hereinafter, Moro):

　Although we were on separate teams, the home console development departments were on the same floor, and there were no walls between us, so we all got along well. I also remember when Miyabe-chan approached me. "Yuda-san told me he had a plan for me, and I replied, 'I'll do it if you're with me, Moro-san,' and he was like, 'What do you think?'" (laughs).

Miyabe:

　I remember what Yuda said when he called out to me. "I'll put your name in the credits" (laughs). I'd had my name in the credits before, but I thought it was a great honor to have my name listed as a "character designer".

4Gamer:

　That's a killer line (laughs). By the way, what titles had you two been involved in up until then?

Miyabe:

　When we joined the company in 1994, it was the year the Sega Saturn was launched, and when I first joined the company, I was involved in the production of the opening movie for "NiGHTS".

Moro:

　I was originally part of the "Victory Goal" team. Next, I worked on "Let's Make a J-League Pro Soccer Club!" I was in charge of field design for "AZEL (AZEL Panzer Dragoon RPG)" and also helped with "Sakura Wars".

4Gamer:

　And then Yuda invited me three years later in 1997.

Miyabe:

　As far as I remember, I think there were 11 people in total, including me and Moro-san. Just as we were starting to feel like we were going to do something new with this group, we were transferred to another department.

4Gamer:

　I was transferred to the Digital Media Production Department.

Moro:

　That was a strange event. I had to transfer departments to be involved in the development of SC5.

Takumi Yoshinaga (hereinafter, Yoshinaga):

　SC5 could not be made on CS due to line restrictions, so we, the development team, were entrusted to the Digital Media Production Department led by Makino (Yoshifumi Makino). This department has been working on video-based titles since the Sega Saturn era, and since Yuda and Makino were good friends, the transfer of the development team went smoothly.

4Gamer:

　As for your job, was it "general" design?

Moro:

　Yes, I was really happy when they asked me to do not only character design but also concept art. I originally joined a game company because I wanted to do character design, but I had not been able to do character design until then. At that time, Yuda said, "I want to leave the general design to female staff," and I was like, "What a wonderful offer, Miyabe-chan, thank you for bringing me such a wonderful job!" (laughs).

Miyabe:

　You're welcome (laughs).

Based on the "retro-future" concept proposed by Director Yuda, the designers created the world of SC5.

Moro:

　In order to work in design, I had to be transferred to another department, so I was a little hesitant about that, but I didn't think I'd get a chance like this again, and it seemed interesting to do something new, so in the end I said, "I'll go."

4Gamer:

　Miyabe-san, you were entrusted with the important role of art director, but did you feel any pressure?

Miyabe-san:

　Yuda-san had made the concept of SC5 clear, so I was able to proceed without any hesitation except at the beginning. I was instructed to think in the so-called "retro-future" direction, for example, for televisions, instead of remote controls, they should have evolved dial-type channels, and for cooking utensils, instead of microwaves, they should have frying pans flying in the air, like the future that people in the past would imagine. Always taking care of that led to a design that is "like SC5". As

　for the background design, we all came up with a specific direction, referring to the Art Deco style of New York in the 1900s, and we proceeded without deviating from that. I realized how much easier it is when the foundation is solid, and by not deviating from that, I was able to design it well when the sequel came out later.

4Gamer:

　What was the process for constructing the worldview from the design stage?

Moro:

　First, we designed the "Spaceport" stage at the beginning of the game, and then used this as a basis for the rest of the design.

Miyabe:

　It was a very extravagant way of making it, including actually making a model of the rocket for the spaceport. I remember looking at the rocket model and talking about curved surfaces like, "This R is good, but this R is not good." Through such exchanges, we continued to work on it until Yuda was satisfied.

4Gamer:

　Was it easy to design the game because the concept was solid?

Miyabe:

　No, that's not the case. It took months to complete the spaceport for the first stage, and one day I was called in and scolded, "You're the art director! Why haven't you done it yet?" I remember that

　Yuda was going on a business trip to the United States for a week, and he made me promise to finish it by the time he came back, so I, Moro, and Okazaki (Ken Okazaki, SC5 designer) were all blue in the face, and we made a schedule for the three of us, minute by minute, and somehow we managed to complete it.

Moro:

　At the beginning, we made it down to the smallest details. I made the outside of the spaceport, and Miyabe designed the interior. This was my first time designing a field like this, and it was a concept art that was completed after many revisions, so it's a memorable piece.

Miyabe:

　I don't think you'd spend this much time on game development these days. We even made things that didn't appear in the video.

Moro:

　The background of SC5 Part 1 was a movie, so we drew three-dimensional drawings and cross-sections and sent them to a CG production company. We were desperate to convey it as faithfully as possible. (Showing a picture of a file) This is an example of an instruction manual, and it specified not only the color, but also the material of the walls and the degree of reflection.

4Gamer:

　So it was an analog method of showing the drawings you made and making the CG.

Moro:

　Yes. Even after the CG was completed, we had to go back and forth with the CG company and say, "This is wrong, so please fix it." It was a very difficult process, but it was worth it in the end because we were able to get a satisfactory result.

Yoshinaga:

　Strictly speaking, the designer gave the drawings to the CG company and had them model it, and then we received the simplified model, attached the camera here, and had them render it again in earnest. It was a very inefficient way of making things, which is hard to imagine now. I think it was the first time that both Miyabe and Moro had done this job, so I imagine it must have been difficult.

Miyabe:

　It was tough (laughs). But it showed us how high Yuda-san's goals were. Even though we had been told "this is not right" every time we drew it, we were able to put it into the best possible form in the last week, which was a huge event for us.

4Gamer:

　When was that?

Miyabe:

　It was when I was still at Otorii. The team next to me was making "Jet Set Radio", and I remember struggling to see it from the side.

　After the spaceport was built and the design was coming together to a certain extent, Mizuguchi-san (Mizuguchi Tetsuya, SC5 producer) joined us, and the number of people increased and the scale of the project grew, and it became easier to talk about various things from that point on.

4Gamer:

　So that was the timing when Mizuguchi-san joined us.

Miyabe:

　Mizuguchi-san is amazing. I once accompanied him to a presentation to the president, and at that time Mizuguchi-san did not bring any materials. He had such presentation skills and political power that he was able to explain everything verbally and convince him. Thanks to him, the development after that became much easier.

4Gamer:

　Mizuguchi's joining was a big turning point for SC5.

Miyabe:

　Yes, that was true. Whenever there was a concert that we wanted to use as a reference for production, he would immediately say, "Go see it," and the environment changed completely.

Moro:

　He was very tolerant of the input of his staff. The reason why the department was moved to Shibuya was because "if we're in Shibuya, we can catch the current trends, so if we're making cutting-edge games, we should move there" (laughs). From plays to concerts to exhibitions, he let us go to anything that could be used as a reference for game development as part of our work.

Miyabe:

　Like opera. I also remember going to Sabu-chan's play.

Moro:

　I went! I think it was Kitajima Saburo's "Matsuri." He said it had all the entertainment for the masses, so we had to make sure to see it.

Yoshinaga:

　It was a very easygoing time, so we would go to a late-night movie, go back to the office, work, and go home in the morning, or go shopping on our days off and stop by the office on our way home. Work and private life were not really separated, and the company felt like another room.

Moro:

　We decorated the basement floor with potted plants, and when someone's birthday came, we all bought presents and celebrated. It wasn't the atmosphere of a game development environment.

Yoshinaga:

　I wore a Morolian costume and went out to Shibuya. It wasn't a promotion or anything, just for fun.

Miyabe:

　When I went to Center Street at night wearing a costume, I got harassed by a gang and barely made it back home (laughs). Anyway, Yoshinaga and I were always stuck in development, so we did that kind of diversion (laughs).

4Gamer:

　It's not because it was a long time ago, but because it was a department led by Mizuguchi.

The design of the main character, Ulala, was extremely difficult. The shocking fact that she didn't have a face until just before the end of development

Miyabe:

　I think so. It wouldn't have been allowed at Otorii (laughs).

4Gamer:

　How did you proceed with the character designs? I read in articles from back then that Ulala was difficult...

Miyabe:

　That's right. The Morolians were actually easy to create, already completed by the time they were at the Great Torii, but the main character just never made it...

Moro:

　There was a design competition for the main character. Miyabe and I had drawn candidates that we put up on the wall, and the staff voted for them. My design was pretty basic, but Miyabe's design was superior from the get-go, and I thought "I've lost" just by looking at it.

Miyabe:

　I don't remember... The first thing Yuda told me about the main character was, "Make him a character that can be recognized just by his silhouette, like Astro Boy." At that time, I decided on this hairstyle, which (showing an illustration) is an arrangement of the hairstyle of women in 1960s science fiction movies, with the top of the head high and the ends curled, with the ends divided into two. At the time, there were no words for "two tails" or "pigtails," so I explained it as "two ponytails tied high on the head."

4Gamer:

　At this point, it seems like Ulala's atmosphere was pretty solidified...

Miyabe:

　We had a good feeling about the hairstyle from this stage. It was a hairstyle that we hadn't seen much on game characters, and it met Yuda-san's conditions.

　But it was a long journey from here to the Ulala you know today. We didn't decide on the face until the very end...

4Gamer:

　The face? The illustration doesn't give the impression that she's drastically different...

Miyabe:

　The body model was already complete, but the face was missing. It was already too late to make the illustrations, so I drew the CG textures myself and attached them to the model to check. Even after moving from Otorii to Shibuya, the face was not complete, and in the end, Okazaki even got angry and said, "Miyabe-san, please stop messing around."

4Gamer:

　What was the turning point from there to completion?

Miyabe:

　I still think about what the trigger was, but there was no decisive moment. It was more than half a year of adjusting the drawings, shapes, and positions of the facial features little by little, and the optimal solution is what I can only say is that Ulala's face is what it is now.

Moro:

　When I was completing Ulala's face, I was researching makeup. I watched her struggle with making detailed adjustments, such as the thickness of her eyebrows, the color of her eyeshadow, and the thickness of her lips.

Miyabe:

　I was so desperate that I don't remember much (laughs). Anyway, I kept making it until it was good, and when I intuitively felt that "this is cute," I immediately added bones and motions, and there was a moment when it just clicked. To be honest, I don't know what the key points were that led to that point. When I was making it, I really thought that a miracle would happen.

4Gamer:

　So that miracle happened.

Miyabe:

　It may have been a miracle. Anyway, everyone around me was scolding me, and they were waiting... I was making it while thinking that it would never be finished...

4Gamer:

　What was the reaction of the staff to the completed Ulala?

Miyabe:

　I think it was good, but I don't remember much about it either (laughs).

4Gamer:

　(laughs). What about Yoshinaga-san?

Yoshinaga-san:

　I left the design, including the characters, to Yuda-san and the other designers, so I wasn't too worried myself, and when it was completed, I just said something simple like "I see" (laughs). I knew that they were worried, but I was in a state where I didn't have time to think about it. The game design work itself can be done without a face.

Moro:

　In the end, I think it was just Miyabe's insistence. No one could see the goal, it was just "Miyabe is satisfied".

4Gamer:

　It's wonderful to have an environment where you can work so thoroughly.

Yoshinaga:

Miyabe:

　That was really thanks to everyone around you. It was also helpful that programmer Nakanishi (Nakanishi Jin) created a tool called "Super Jin-kun" (laughs) at an early stage, which allows you to easily test play SC5 on the program.

It's a tool that allows you to play the game without SC5 footage, control the tempo of the music, and manage input with an Excel file. Because of that, the game itself could be separated from the design, and development could proceed while Miyabe was struggling.

Moro:

　Our design work was also progressing.

4Gamer:

　Moro, what other things did you design besides the Morolians?

Moro:

　I was also the leader of the modeling team. Miyabe-chan was designing ordinary characters in parallel, and the team modeled them one after another.

Miyabe:

　But Moro created things like "Space Granny."

Moro:

　That's right (laughs). And for me, Space Michael was probably the biggest job!

4Gamer:

　Did you design Michael, Moro-san?

Moro:

　I used my privilege as the modeling team leader to design him (laughs).

4Gamer:

　Were you unsure about Michael's outfit? The outfit in the PV at the time was quite different in impression, wasn't it?

Moro:

　We had a lot of discussions with everyone in the development team about what kind of atmosphere we wanted to create. In the end, we decided on that all-silver outfit that respected the PV.

4Gamer:

　By the way, who was in charge of the main characters other than Ulala?

Miyabe:

　Ulala and Pudding were me. And Jaguar's face.

4Gamer:

　Are the face and body in charge of different people?

Miyabe:

　As for Jaguar, Okazaki designed the body, and I designed the face. Okazaki said, "I can't make a face."

4Gamer:

　There was also a concept drawing for Fuse, who doesn't appear on screen.

Miyabe:

　I wonder if that was me? I don't remember it well, but when I revealed it on the official Twitter a while ago, I was surprised to see that fan art was already being made.

　(After discovering a CG of Ulala's face among the files) This is the finished version of Ulala.

4Gamer:

　Oh, it's Ulala!

Miyabe:

　Actually, there's a secret to the texture on this face. I just pasted a single drawing I made. As a result, the left and right sides are asymmetrical, and the shape of the eyes is slightly different, but that makes it look more human.

　This is a behind-the-scenes story, but when we were making "Space Channel 5 VR," Okamine-san (Mineko Okamura, SC5 assistant producer, SC5 VR director) told me, "Ulala just can't look cute," so I actually advised her that her face isn't symmetrical.

4Gamer:

　That's an unexpected technique. From an amateur's point of view, I feel like a symmetrical face would be more well-balanced...

Miyabe:

　I didn't intend it that way, and it's just a matter of hindsight, but I think that the analog-like, or human-like, feel led to the creation of an attractive 3D character's face.

Moro:

　Even though it's a single image, it's just the texture, so the eyelashes and mouth are made with different polygons and move, but the angle of the eyelashes is different on the left and right, and Miyabe-chan's attention to detail is also in that area.

Miyabe:

　It's all the product of chance, so it's scary to imagine what would have happened if that chance hadn't happened.

4Gamer:

　Did you compromise somewhere or give up?

Miyabe:

　That may be so. I'm really glad it was completed.

4Gamer:

　It was completed on May 30th, which is Ulala's birthday.

Miyabe:

　It was May 30th, 1999. I think it was the middle of the night, but I woke up Mizuguchi-san, who was taking a nap (laughs), and showed it to the remaining members and said, "Wow, that's good!" I was so happy that I printed it out and put it up all over the office (laughs). I remember that when Yuda-san came in the morning, he saw it, shook my hand and said, "Congratulations!" and I was really relieved.

4Gamer:

　That's a great story, but I'm sure the game was released at the end of 1999!?

Yoshinaga:

　That's incredible. The other day I was sorting through some old emails, and I found an email I'd sent to Mizuguchi reporting the master-up, which was dated November 20, 1999. The game was released on December 16, so it was a really incredible schedule.

4Gamer:

　Even back then, when there were only physical media, were you able to release it on schedule with the master-up at that time?

Yoshinaga:

　I think it was because software was produced in-house at that time (laughs). Maybe we benefited from that.

4Gamer:

　By the way, do you have any stories about the design of the Morolians?

Moro:

　When the design was almost at the very beginning, everyone was calling it "Moro alien" as a temporary name (because Moro made it). Later, when we had a meeting to decide on a name again, we were like, "Why not Morolian?" "Isn't it Morolian?" "Isn't Morolian good?" and it was decided as it was, and we were like, "All right!" (laughs).

　Following that same vein, I also designed boss characters, such as "Coco Tapioca" and "Morolina," as variations on the Morolians, and I drew them with their movements in mind.

4Gamer:

　Moro's design drawings and the game screen are almost the same.

Moro:

　As I put my hands to work, the image spreads and it's completed, so it was always fun and I don't remember having much trouble.

Miyabe:

　He's a genius. After the Morolian was completed, I was able to leave the design to Moro with confidence. I felt that he had a great sense. I once again thought that I was glad that I had him involved in the design.

4Gamer:

　How did you feel after the release?

Miyabe:

To be honest , I was just relieved when it was completed.

Moro:

　There was an atmosphere of having done it.

4Gamer:

　As media, we are most impressed by the promotion after the release...

Moro:

　That's right. They did some really fun promotions, like taking over Shibuya and playing SC5 on the big screen at Q Front. I was really happy that they were overflowing with the desire to have as many players as possible play such a fun game.

Miyabe:

　I think that Okamine's promotion planning skills were really amazing. It was a good way to incorporate the culture of Shibuya. It's hard to imagine that the Asahi Shimbun would publish an extra edition.

"Space Channel 5 Part 2": The position has changed. The hardships of being in a higher position are compounded.

Yoshinaga:

　Manga artists, musicians, and people who are now considered influencers have told us that SC5 is really fun, and it was very refreshing to see reactions from a different direction than the game industry.

4Gamer:

　Let's talk about "Space Channel 5 Part 2". Miyabe-san was the director and Moro-san was the art director for Part 2, but did the development structure change significantly?

Moro-san:

　Part 2 was full polygon, the development staff became larger, and the number of designers increased. However, it was difficult to convey the world view and concept that Yuda-san built in the previous work to the new members.

4Gamer:

　There were many things that were not written down, but were grasped by everyone's senses.

Moro-san:

　Yes. I thought that the SC5 series would continue in the future, so I decided not to do much design work myself, and to leave it to young people who can design to train them. I explained the design concept, but it was difficult to come up with a design that I was satisfied with. That's true, because the purpose was to train them, and most of the designers were inexperienced.

　However, we held design study sessions together, and after a few months, they gradually understood, and I was happy to see them create something good. Pine was also designed by Rie Miyauchi, one of the members, and the final stage also came up with ideas from members of the design team, and we were able to improve the quality of the final stage by saying things like, "Everyone is the best!"

Miyabe:

　Part 2's Purge was designed by Moro, right?

Moro:

　Yes. Purge's face is not as detailed as Miyabe's, but I spent a lot of time making it cool. The robot of the dancing troupe was also designed by me, and since it is a new character with the same position as the Morolian from the previous work, I created many variations so that it would not lose to the Morolian. It took a lot of time to decide which one to use, and I feel like I was told, "Moro, please stop messing around" (laughs).

4Gamer:

　I heard that Miyabe-san was appointed as director, so he was no longer involved in design?

Miyabe-san:

　Although I was a director, I felt that I was able to do my job with a lot of help from Yoshinaga-san. Mizuguchi-san also told me that it was better for a director not to do any work at all, but I didn't understand that, and I was worried that when I reported the progress, I would say that I hadn't done anything, so I started to take on design work myself. I designed Ulala's costume for Part 2.

4Gamer:

　Did you have any difficulties?

Miyabe-san:

　There was pressure that comes with a sequel. Mizuguchi-san, Yoshinaga-san, and I would get together every day and discuss the concept of Part 2 and how to come up with ideas, like "What does the tagline for the movie sequel say?"

Yoshinaga-san:

　That was also thanks to the environment at the time, because we all worked together at the company until late at night every day, and we had many opportunities to talk on a daily basis. Also, before Part 2, I think we went to see a musical in America.

Moro-san:

　We went to New York to see "STOMP". Mizuguchi-san suggested that we "broaden our horizons." I remember going to toy stores on Broadway with Yoshinaga-san and using the things I saw there as references. I was also very impressed when I went to E3 during the previous game, and SC5 was the only game I was able to go overseas for work.

4Gamer:

　So the influence of the environment that Mizuguchi-san created was reflected in the work in Part 2 as well?

Yoshinaga:

　I think that was the case. We had more staff, and we were able to make the game from a state where everything was already decided from the beginning. In the previous game, we had to reluctantly cut one stage due to schedule constraints, so for Part 2, we reflected on that and firmly decided the specifications and delivery date. It's only natural (laughs).

4Gamer:

　(laughs). There was a scene that was scrapped in the previous game.

Yoshinaga:

　I think it was between the third and fourth stages. It was a scene where a robot climbs a large building and fights.

4Gamer:

　Didn't you revive that scene in Part 2?

Moro:

　We didn't use it in Part 2. We weren't conscious of reusing it, and there was no point in forcing it in...

4Gamer:

　At the time of Part 2, the decision had already been made to withdraw from the Dreamcast, and it was also released on the PlayStation 2.

Moro:

　It was difficult to make it on the PS2. Compared to the Dreamcast, the texture capacity was smaller, so we struggled with how to make it look the same as the Dreamcast version with as few textures as possible.

4Gamer:

　Moro-san, your involvement in development has also changed significantly between your role as a designer in the previous game and your role as art director in Part 2.

Moro:

　That's right. In the previous game, I was drawing under the art director Miyabe-chan, but this time I was in Miyabe-chan's position and had to manage more than 20 designers as a middle manager.

　At first, I asked Miyabe-chan how I should make decisions as an art director, but then he told me something like, "You have to make the decisions yourself," and I reflected that it was true.

Miyabe:

　Moro-san has been a member of the development team since the beginning. We can communicate with each other, so all I can say is, "Do your best."

4Gamer:

　Thanks to all that hard work, the user response after the release was good, wasn't it?

Miyabe:

　Actually, when Part 2 was released, I had to leave my job due to various circumstances. While I was on the Azusa Express heading to my hometown of Nagano, Yoshinaga-san called me on my cell phone and said, "You've been inducted into the Platinum Hall of Fame! Not Gold (for the previous game), but Platinum!" in the review in Famitsu magazine, and I cried. It was impressive that Yoshinaga-san, who is usually calm, called me excitedly.

4Gamer:

　That's a good story! Although Part 2 is an older hardware, it has been ported to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and is still available.

Yoshinaga:

　Part 2 was well-received, so there were various developments. There were plans for a mobile phone app and typing software.

Fan support leads to the next step. The result is "Space Channel 5 VR Aratakata☆Dancing Show (Space Channel 5 Kinda Funky News Flash)."

4Gamer:

　As a Sega character, Ulala in a white costume has become established.

4Gamer:

　Time has passed since the release of SC5 Part 2, and Miyabe-san has become a freelance artist, and Moro-san has now been transferred to Sega Sammy Holdings, where he is working in a job unrelated to design. What were your thoughts when you found out that a new game, SC5 VR, would be released in 2020, the 20th year since the release of the game?

Miyabe:

　I thought that the worldview of SC5 would never go out of style, and the game system was complete, so I always thought that a new work on that line would come out at any time.

Moro:

　I thought, "Yoshinaga-san has finally made a new VR work!" I remember that when the anime "Sega Hard Girls" was aired, the director showed me the VR of SC5, and I thought that it had come true.

Yoshinaga:

　That's a bit of a jump in the story (laughs). When we were making the Sega Hard Girls anime, the director made a CG model of the SC5 field to be used in the main story, and at the launch party he showed us a demonstration of it in VR video.

4Gamer:

　Did that lead to the later KDDI VR demo or SC5 VR?

Yoshinaga:

　No, that's a completely different story. The projects after KDDI were led by Grounding (laughs).

4Gamer:

　Miyabe-san, you were in charge of designing new characters for SC5 VR. How was it?

Miyabe:

　As for the design, I received a personal request from Director Hotta (Noboru Hotta, SC5 VR Director). At first, he asked me to draw a single illustration of a character that would be the player's avatar, not for the main game, but for an event, so he asked me to draw a relatively light illustration. After I sent that, the modeled 3DCG was completed relatively quickly. I was a bit taken aback because I had expected the work process to be like the beginning of SC5's development, where the illustration would be made and then the level of completion would be improved.

　After that, he was able to appear in the main game of SC5 VR in a more polished form, so the scope of his activities was wider than initially expected.

Yoshinaga:

　I think the speed of completion was also due to the fact that it was for an event. It's completely different from the relaxed way of making things in the past.

　However, there were voices on the site saying "as expected" about the completion of the requested characters.

4Gamer:

　So the characters created for the event ended up appearing in SC5 VR as they were.

Miyabe:

　Yes. The player characters appear as twins of the player avatars in SC5 VR. There is also a new character, the space pirate "Jaguars", who was created relatively slowly under Hotta's supervision. Hotta is a very logical person when it comes to game development, and he was originally a designer, so he gave specific instructions such as "I want you to show a little more skin" for this character, which made it very easy for me as a designer.

4Gamer:

　Who designed Betsumoro?

Miyabe:

　I think Betsumoro was designed by Hotta. The Morolians were already a completed design, so I was surprised that they turned out to be such a great design. Even if it's a sequel, I realized that the world will expand if we leave it to new staff, not just the same development staff.

Yoshinaga:

　In SC5 VR, the Morolians speak and sing in human language for the first time, so I wanted their appearance to be clearly different, so I went for a monotone direction that wasn't colorful, and I thought white would be good, and it glowed faintly, and it became a color scheme unique to VR.

4Gamer:

　I was surprised that it was a new thing without any sense of incongruity.

　Now, while you have time, I'd like to ask you to say a word about the goods that will be on sale this time...

Miyabe:

　(Looking at the acrylic stand) I think the lemon yellow Ulala costume is amazing. This color was Yoshinaga-san's choice, wasn't it?

Moro:

　The way goods are made has changed since SC5. We made a lot of things back then, but now there are more familiar and usable things, and the content has diversified.

Miyabe:

　I think it's wonderful that fans cherish game goods, as they associate them with their memories of the work. I make figurines because I have such strong feelings about them.

Yoshinaga:

　How does it feel to license out a character you designed and make it?

Miyabe:

　There aren't many people who make figurines independently with this kind of contract. I sell them at events, and people who know Ulala come to buy them, and some are surprised to hear that I'm a designer, so I think I'm doing something complicated (laughs). Fortunately, Yoshinaga-san not only acted as a liaison, but also gave me advice on how to make and sell the figures, so I'd like to continue making things that everyone will be happy with, while relying on Yoshinaga-san when I'm in trouble (laughs).

The official "Ulala" soft vinyl figure is currently on sale at the "Space★Sofubidan" website, a toy manufacturer run by Miyabe. The prototype was created by character designer Ryo Taniguchi, who also created "Miraitowa" and "Someity."

4Gamer:

　It's been a long time, but I'd like to ask you two to say a few words to the fans who love the game and what Space Channel 5 means to them.

Miyabe:

　In my case, I'm like a relative in my current position. I'd be very happy to see their activities from afar, and I'll rush over if something happens. If there's anything I can help you with in the future, I'd be happy if you'd call out to me.

　I can only say "thank you" to the fans. I'm one of the fans now that I've left Sega, and I'd like to continue to work with fellow fans to promote SC5. I might be able to deliver the voices of the fans to Yoshinaga and Moro... so let's talk if we have the opportunity.

Moro:

　This is the first time I've done everything from concept art to character design, and it's a title that I have a lot of attachment to. When I see these goods, as someone who made the goods at the time, I would like to make them again, and if I can help, I would like to be called, just like Miyabe-chan.

　There are still many people who have been fans of SC5 since Part 1, and I'm overwhelmed that there are now two generations of people who love it. I'm very happy that it has been loved for so long. I think that the support of the fans will lead to the next step, just like SC5 VR, so I hope you will spread the word about the fun and cuteness of SC5 on social media. I sometimes see it and give it a "like" (laughs).

4Gamer:

　It's the kind of game where it wouldn't be surprising if something new suddenly happened with SC5. I look forward to your continued success. Thank you very much.

[guiltygearwiki]

The general consensus regarding the canonicity of XX is that most (if not all) of it has been disregarded by later entries. However, since Vastedge is purported to recycle quite a bit of dialogue from XX, are those specific pulls the only bits we should regard with any legitimacy? Especially since it can get really screwy in regards to the timeline (Zappa being a prime example, since presumably he's portrayed as still being haunted by spirits, when Xrd implies he's been in control for a while).

There are layers to the question being asked here, so this answer might end up being a bit long-

First, let's address the idea of a "general consensus regarding the canonicity of XX".

Overall, the idea of a true "canon" in Guilty Gear is nebulous, especially in all of its earlier entries, not just XX. All of ML's endings as seen in game can't have occurred exactly the way they're portrayed, and X had alternate paths and endings just like XX did. Even events that we know "actually happened" are often shown to differ slightly when revisited later in the series.

And this is without considering the fact that alternate timelines have been shown to exist in the world of Guilty Gear, too.

For the purposes of our wiki, we actually intend to phase out the term "canon" in favour of phrases like "the main storyline" and the like, depending on the context. "Canon" is ultimately not a term we can definitively apply most of the time, and our Western fandom understanding of "canon" is also not quite the same perspective as it would be for the actual developers and writers of the series.

Now, one context in which one might've heard the term "canon" used in Guilty Gear material is the "Guilty Gear Codex", an artbook that came with the limited edition of Xrd -Sign-, exclusively in North America.

This book largely contained bits of information that were translated from the Japanese-only "Guilty Gear 10th Memorial Book" (But please note that the English Codex contains some mistranslations in places.)

The term translated as "canon" in the English Codex was 正史/seishi in Japanese, which translates literally to "official history", and can roughly be considered analogous to the term "canon" when it comes to how fans use it, but still has slightly different connotations.

In any case, both in the English Codex and the original Japanese 10th Memorial Book, canon/正史 is often applied to XX with the sentiment of "If it's a thing that comes up later, it's canon/part of the 正史"- but this isn't the case for XX as a whole, only a few scenarios in it.

Aside from those instances, XX isn't treated as if its overall "canonicity" is up in the air.

To give one example, here is a quote in reference to Accent Core's story mode (on page 15 of the 10th Memorial Book, English translation by me):

(…) なお、ストーリー内容は『２』につながるものもあるので、『２』から『GG』シリーズのファンになった人、また、『XX』の続きがどうなるかきになる人は、是非ともプレイしてみよう。

"(…) Also some of the story content (of Accent core) is connected to GG 2 Overture, so folks who became fans of the GG series with Overture, or folks who want to know what happens after XX should definitely check it out."

Another interesting example is this bit from Anji's profile (on page 95 of the 10th Memorial Book, English translation by me):

闇慈の明確な目的については、アーケード版の中ではあまり触れられていない。 『2』 に通じる正史から見ると、 ifストーリーが多い家庭用において、 『XX』で彼が 「あの男」に述べた 「ギアは兵器計画ではなく、 人類を強化する計画」 という仮説は否定されていない。 これが正史だとしたら、 非常に重要な伏線となるが･･････?

"Anji's exact goal doesn't come up a lot in the arcade versions. Going by the official history leading up to "Overture"- there are many What-if stories in the home console versions, and in "XX", he proposes the theory to That Man that Gears were not intended to be weapons, but rather to strengthen humanity, which has not been denied. If this turns out to be part of the official history, this might actually end up being crucial foreshadowing…?"

I point this one out because it's a prime example of a detail from XX that is treated as up in the air here in the book, but eventually was revealed to be actual foreshadowing later- with Anji's theory being confirmed in Xrd -Revelator-.

Given all this, I want to add that I personally feel the extent to which XX's two story campaigns have been labelled as "disregarded" is a bit much.

There are many aspects of XX that reappear later in the series beyond things like Anji's conversation with That Man. Faust's friendship with Slayer, Robo-Ky's fondness of certain women, Bridget's interest in the entertainment business- just to name a few.

Another example is Crow, a crucial character in Accent Core, having an entry in GG World that describes the details of his storyline much as they were portrayed in XX (creating the Robo-Ky series, experimental copies of Justice, being secretly Japanese), and goes on to mention what he’s been up to more recently.

A lot of these examples could be dismissed as “this is true, but the details of the event/how it came about could differ from how they were shown in XX.” But this just puts XX in the same boat as ML and X.

All of this to say, XX should not be dismissed entirely. Anything that has not been contradicted could potentially be revisited by the writers at any point, and there are precedents for this happening.

This kinda brings us back to your actual question about XX in regards to VXT (and the games that followed.) And things do get a bit screwy here, even outside of the XX context.

For starters, what complicates any story-related discussion of VXT is the fact that it doesn't really tell a story in a conventional way. There are only three-ish events that can be called cutscenes, and almost everything else happens in the form of random lines that fly across the screen with next to no context.

Nothing is really shown in chronological order either, because you will be tossed forward or backwards in the "narrative" depending on your rolls. It's all very chaotic, making it hard to deduce what one is supposed to take away from some of the minor characters especially.

And, like you mentioned in your question, it's not just XX that's a problem- VXT doesn't always align well with Xrd either, even though their narratives are explicitly connected.

The main "continuity" issue here is the portrayal of Zappa, and to a lesser degree Bridget, as seen in VXT.

Now, VXT does not actually "recycle quite a bit of dialogue from XX" really, but I see where the idea comes from.

Anyway, based on Zappa's and Bridget's dialogue, they seem to be in the same point of their storyline as they were in XX, even though no quotes are reused verbatim. This becomes confusing when they return later in Xrd -Revelator- and Strive. There, their stories seem to have progressed further than what some assume could have reasonably happened in the gap between VXT and those games- or outright do not fit into the timeframe VXT portrays.

Bridget can be explained easier, as her story in Strive occurs in her Arcade Mode. That one takes place an unspecified amount of time after Strive's main story, so there is more wiggle room.

Zappa, however, is a bit harder to justify, as only three months pass between VXT and Xrd. This seems too short of a time for Zappa to have had his epiphany and study the science behind paranormal activities to the degree that he clearly has by the time of Xrd.

Adding to that, his VXT dialogue also reads as if his troubles are a more recent thing-

俺はザッパ。最近、体の調子がおかしいので、名医を探して旅をしているんだ。

"My name is Zappa. I've been feeling strange lately, so I'm travelling to look for a doctor." (English translation by me)

-which also wouldn't match Xrd nor XX!

His troubles being a fairly recent thing wouldn't really work with XX, because it takes place nearly 6 years before VXT. And it would't work with Xrd either, since there Zappa suggests he's had these troubles for at least 5 years.

Focusing on XX again for a moment, Zappa's VXT dialogue also reads like he might not even have met Faust yet, which would also render any of their interactions in XX as disputed, if we take his VXT appearance as the more "valid" one.

But again, since Zappa's VXT portrayal doesn't quite align with Xrd either, and there are aspects where XX is actually closer to Xrd…

As you can see, you're going to run into some issues either way.

A possible explanation for inconsistencies like these is that the writing team could've simply changed their mind about how to write Zappa's storyline once he was included in Xrd.

While this seems likely to me, keep in mind that it's still speculation.

This leaves us with many questions, like:

“Can we assume Faust and Zappa first met in 2181 as shown in XX, or did they not meet until 2187 as suggested in VXT?”, etc.

The answer to these, generally, is that we do not know for sure unless they decide to revisit these story beats and clarify.

Some events of XX are surely supposed to have happened, and a good deal of VXT is surely supposed to have happened, but the finer details remain vague.

Sorry if this wasn't the definitive answer you'd hoped for, but the fact is that definitive answers like this are tricky in a series like Guilty Gear.

[noxiatoxia]

Sorry for the jankiness in this, I had to control both my Vita and PC at the same time, but here is a comparison! On the left, my fantranslation, and on the right, the official translation.

If you're wondering what this is all about, I'm working on a patch (at least of the prologue, I cannot promise the whole game) of SDR2, that aims to provide a more accurate experience than the official English translation.

More accurate how? Danganronpa not only suffers from a lot of mistranslations, but a handful of clunky dialogue and very literal translation choices that sacrifice nuance and an accurate experience for the sake of keeping the literal text. I want this patch to:

Fix all the mistranslations.

Add back in character accents, speech pattern quirks, and more accurately represent how they talk.

Fix the dialogue to sound more natural in English, as if these could be actual words spoken aloud (for the most part).

Give English players a version of the came that focuses more on capturing the spirit, energy, and emotion of the original dialogue than heavily focusing on providing the most literally accurate translation.

More on all these points under the cut.

What about other fantranslations? (orenronen, etc) I have not seen every conceivable English fan translation for SDR2, but a big one is orenronen's on SomethingAwful. It was never finished past chapter 3, but still stands as probably the most popular fan translation. Orenronen's work is extremely impressive given the speed and quality of the translations. That said, it is not without its mistakes, and I think suffers from perhaps taking too many liberties. I'm hoping my patch can strike a good balance between his and the official translation to deliver the most authentic experience possible.

So is this SDR2 "definitive" edition? Not exactly, I'll explain under the cut.

Big changes in this clip:

Added back in Souda's accent along with changing his name back. Tanaka's talent was also changed.

There is a joke that both I and the original English translation had to change as no English player would get it. You can read more about it in this post I made. (along with Jum-P being changed from Golden Hawk to Golden Eagle)

Komaeda speaks of Tanaka's time in the breeding/animal club, but as far as I'm aware, this is not a thing in many Western schools. The main gist of the text is Tanaka is amazing with breeding animals. The fact it was a club is irrelevant to the meaning, other than providing that he is a high schooler (which we already knew), so I cut it out to be more understandable to most English players.

Tanaka adds the part on about his hamsters not going easy on their enemies himself, the hamster doesn't say that. Kept the Hulk reference as it's a pretty apt translation and makes up for the missed reference from earlier. However I'm thinking of maybe changing the line afterwards to "they are not used to holding back" as that would be more accurate.

If you're interested in the details of this patch, please read below! I want this to be made for the fans by the fans, so any input is welcomed. If you have suggestions for how to improve text to flow better in English, or wish to correct/inquire about translation choices of mine, I more than welcome it. No matter how big or small, I want everyone to give their feedback and opinions and suggestions.

If you are interested in helping in the translation, be it from the perspective of a Japanese speaker, a play tester, or want to offer general writing/wording advice and feedback, please DM me. While I don't plan to form a team (I prefer to work alone), projects like this benefit greatly from opinions and feedback. Especially if you are familiar with both the official English and orenronen's version, I would appreciate your help. If a good number of people seem interested in helping, I may form a Discord or Tumblr community to facilitate discussion easier.

Welcome to under the cut. So, let's talk about that earlier point about definitive edition.

The thing is, save mistranslations, NISA (the official translation) and orenronen's versions of SDR2 are equally correct in some manner. NISA took a more literal approach to each sentence, while orenronen took more liberal approaches, instead going off what would sound best/fitting. Neither of these are incorrect. There is no "definitive" translation for any media in any language, but speaking from the perspective of Japanese -> English, there is rarely ever an exact way to be 1:1.

Let's take an example. The word "usagi" means "rabbit"...but it also means "bunny" and "hare". These are all relatively the same thing to the layman, but they impart different nuances. A character who chooses to only say "rabbit" instead of "bunny" may sound more intelligent or old-timey. So, how do you know which one to choose when it could be any 3? That's a very simplified version of the kind of choices you have to make in translation. When it comes to sentences that get longer and have more nuance even in the original Japanese language, you suddenly have a whole new beast to deal with.

You may have heard the common joke of "inexperienced translators" who translate the phrase "しょうがない" as "it can't be helped". Most English dictionaries will tell you this is what the phrase means, and yes, it is used in such a manner, but the fact is, most people do not say "it can't be helped". "I can't help but [...]" is much more common, but the standalone phrase is usually "it is what it is" or "that's just how things are", etc.

The phrase itself literally translates as "there is no method".

So, we have three versions of this phrase. The literal translation, the widely-posited English dictionary translation, and a naturalized version that is not literal to the actual Japanese word, but is an "equivalent" to what people would say in English. Which of these is more correct? Really...none of them. There is no more correct answer, just what sounds better or fits better.

This is all to say, my translation is going to be me doing the very, upmost best I can do to capture the meaning and nuance in all the words said, but also making it sound good and natural in English. This will inevitably include changing very cultural-specific things that English players wouldn't get, e.g. the Mutsugorou Kingdom joke Komaeda makes. As an English translation, I feel it is most important to naturalize it for an English audience. That is the whole point of translating from one language into another.

Above all, I will be honoring the feeling and meaning of the text rather than the literal words like NISA did. In other words, I would personally go with "it is what it is".

Keep in mind I am also one guy. I am not perfect in either language. Even people who speak English or Japanese as their first language make mistakes in them still, and translation only increases that chance. That's why extra eyes on this project helps. I do feel like I am a little out of my league, but at the end of the day, I'm doing this out of passion and fun. The official translation will still exist even if I make my own, so if anything, I'm hoping it provides a different experience that can help people grasp a closer meaning to the Japanese text.

Okay, let's get to the game stuff. Firstly, as you've seen, changes will be made to Character names/talents.

Ultimate Breeder -> Ultimate Animal Breeder. As funny as the implications are, his title was never meant to be confusing or ambiguous in the Japanese version.

Ultimate Musician -> Ultimate Pop Rock Musician. Mioda's title in the Japanese version is actually "Ultimate K-On Club Member", but was changed since most English players don't know what K-On is. It is most comparable to Pop Rock in terms of sound.

Soda Kazuichi -> Souda Kazuichi.

Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko -> Kuzuryuu Fuyuhiko.

Kirigiri Kyoko -> Kirigiri Kyouko.

A vote was held to keep Tanaka Gundham instead of Gundam or Gandamu (but this is subject to change depending on opinions I hear from others. His name is supposed to be a Gundam reference). A vote was also held to keep Hinata Hajime instead of Hazime.

Character Accents: As is with these types of games, the point is to have zany, eccentric characters who talk in zany, eccentric ways. Danganronpa is extremely hit or miss when it comes to carrying over these quirks. For the rest of this post I'll just be talking about SDR2 of course, but basically everything I say applies to the other Dangan games as well.

Some characters have their accents kept, at least in part, while others are just ignored. For example, Souda and Owari's accents were only sometimes kept, or watered down, while Usami's accent was removed entirely.

Speech quirks: This is largely context based. A cutesy girl using ね excessively comes off differently than a typical teenage boy using ね excessively, and will be translated differently...at least, that's how I view it. For the girl, I may make her speech more bubbly, cute, and appealing. For the boy, I would akin it more to going "like" or "um" a lot. Of course, if the boy is going for a cutesy image, or the girl is supposed to be mature, then I would flip this around. Like I said, this part depends 100% on context for each line.

Accurate representation: This one is a lot...but I'll try to boil it down. Japanese has several was to say "I" and "You"; different words and different ways to write those words. In fiction, this is usually a vehicle to tell you about the character's personality.

For example, among boys, it is common they will either use "boku" or "ore". "boku" is generally more polite than "ore".

However, there's multiple ways to write "ore". Hiragana, Katakana, or Kanji. The way it is written imparts a different impression. Hinata, for example, uses ore, kanji (俺) to refer to himself. Souda uses ore, katakana (オレ) to refer to himself. While this gives them both the impression of being masculine & impolite, Hinata using kanji gives the added impression of him being more intelligent and calm, while for Souda, katakana gives the impression of him being more abrasive and eccentric.

The meaning of what script is used also changes depending on context.

For example, for "you", both Hanamura and Komaeda use "kimi", which is a soft, friendly way to say "you" among friends. (Although, this is speaking strictly from the standpoint of fiction. You rarely use "you" in real Japanese. Anime characters do it all the time though, so it doesn't really count as "rude" by itself.)

However, Hanamura uses kimi, kanji (君) while Komaeda uses kimi, katakana (キミ). This both gives them the impression of being open and friendly, but for Hanamura, speaking with kanji makes it seem like he's being more proper and refined, and with Komaeda, speaking in katakana makes it seems like he's being more casual and laid back.

And then there are very unique "I" and "You" pronouns. Tanaka uses "ore-sama" (俺様) which sounds like he is saying "the great and amazing me", basically.

Ibuki says her own name, but this got translated poorly. Saying your own name as a first person pronoun, while not common, is more common in Japanese than English. Especially by kids and teen girls, it's seen as a cutesy thing. But it doesn't really come across like that in English. I will likely get rid of Mioda speaking in third person altogether, instead trying to incorporate this manner of speech into other forms, as it comes down to Mioda simply acting cute and eccentric. I think a good alternative is for her to occasionally speak of herself by saying "we" or "us", as that is not uncommon in English.

Similarly, Usami/Monomi talk with a cutesy ending. -desu becomes dechu, -masu becomes machu... "chu" is a very cute sound in Japanese, and it's supposed to drive home Usami's personality. I see this get translated as UwU speak a lot, which isn't incorrect, and in fact is a better translation than doing nothing like NISA did, but she does not speak with a speech impediment. It is only her endings that are modified. Me, personally, I will reword Usami to speak in a more simple, cute manner like a child show's protagonist, like Dora. I will also change some words to be cuter, like everybody -> everybunny, and you -> chu, but she will still speak normally.

And sometimes, pronouns change. Hinata uses omae (お前) to refer to other people, but for Monokuma, he's used omae (オマエ) before, changing the script to reflect his animosity.

This isn't even getting into honorifics or keigo. Honorifics (like -san, -kun, or no honorifics at all) reflect how respectful a character is of other characters. Similarly, "keigo", being often referred to as "polite speech", is commonly denoted by if a sentence ends in "-desu or -masu". Not speaking keigo in the situation these characters are in is a bit of a toss up. I wouldn't say it's automatically rude given they are all of the same age and status, and classmates don't always speak that way to each other either, but I would personally think most would approach this situation being polite when they're strangers.

There are also particles, some of which are more rude/masculine than other equivalent particles, or imperative speech, which is extremely rude (and not really ever used in real life).

On a politeness scale, for example...

Tsumiki uses keigo and uses -san for everyone, boys and girls. In the context of the rest of the cast, this sounds like she's speaking extremely politely and formally.

Komaeda does not use keigo but uses -san for girls and -kun for boys. He also uses "regular" particles. In context, this seems like he is speaking casually. Not rude, but not formal.

Hinata does not use keigo and does not use honorifics. He uses very masculine particles and is prone to using imperative form. In context, this seems like he is speaking extremely rudely.

Of course, NISA's version of SDR2 translates everything the same mostly since they go for a very literal approach, meaning these things that can't be translated into English all get translated the same, which is a shame. A lot is lost about how these characters speak and interact with the world. Specifically, Hinata suffers the most. Not just from stiff dialogue, but from getting his rude speech cut down immensely. The official art book for SDR2 claims that part of the design philosophy for Hinata was wanting to make a protagonist who was very masculine and direct. I want to keep that spirit in this patch, factoring in Hinata's choice in speech to influence how things get worded in English. While a sentence like なんだそれ！？Literally translates as "What is that!?", I would write it differently depending on the character after factoring in accent and everything we just talked about. "What the heck is that!?" for Souda, and "What the hell is that!?" (or even replacing hell with fuck in a tense situation) for Hinata, for example. For Komaeda, "What on earth is that!?" etc...

I think those are all the big points...if you've read this far, thank you :]

[rodem]

Ok I did it I finally set out what I promised myself I'd do. I'm free! (Now I just need to stop stalling on the Cyrus scenario draft....................)

Here is my translation of the leaked rough sketches for the remake Rocket executives. These images are attributed to Takao Unno, the art director for HGSS. It was already known that he was the artist behind Proton and Petrel, because of the TCG, but it is nice to have confirmation that he designed all of them!

As you can see, because these are formally unreleased, wip concept sketches, I wouldn't take any of the "new" information here as gospel regarding their final game selves. Though getting to see the initial ideas behind their designs and personalities is a big treat in and of itself!

Also this probably doesn't need to be said here, but please respect the Gamefreak employees and don't bother them with anything related to leaks in any capacity.

If you want to share my translation of this leak on another site, please only do so by linking to this Tumblr post and don't repost the images directly. (This also probably isn't something to worry about, but I'm saying it just in case.....)

Under the read more is my translation notes and personal thoughts:

Archer: Archer's notes were the big bottleneck for this, ngl. I was unsure what the nuance was with "he wants to become Giovanni," so I spent a decent amount of time looking into it. Based on that, I can infer that the nuance here is that Archer's feelings of admiration for Giovanni are so strong that he either wants to straight up be Giovanni, or exactly like him. Either way, it implies a desire to be just like the other person so strong that you lose your own sense of self. So take of that what you will I guess…..

Ariana: I translated the last bullet point under the assumption that it was referring to the plot point where Ariana and her subordinate go after the player character in the TR HQ. Japanese doesn't have plurals so when I first read it I thought it said they routinely attack children together, but I am going to assume that that wasn't what Mr. Unno was going for here.

Petrel: Petrel and Proton's names being switched around here is not a mistake on my part, btw. Petrel's arrogant way of talking is present in the final game! I have no idea how obvious it is in the English version tbh, so I'm pointing it out here!

(Example: he uses "ore-sama" in HGSS like twice ok. He's so cute and I love him so so much.)

Based on the wording, I'm still kinda unsure if the mole was intended to also be fake. (I'm leaning towards yes rn.) So I will just leave this convo I had with a friend here:

Also in relation to lack of plurals, you could interpret the hat line as him hating hats in general, but based on the context it's most likely just referring to the TR hat.

Proton: I don't really have much to say here except that I've stared at his cleavage for longer than necessary.

There is another leaked image that shows Proton from the front (definitely made as an internal reference image). It is interesting that this reference gives him a grey undershirt while his official depictions from the front (Hitoshi Ariga's 3ds theme and Masters) have him wearing a white one!