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rodem · 1 year

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had an absoutelhy insane dream last night (obviously dreams do not make sense when you actually try to contextualize all the details and what not, so i will try to reformulate a few things to make smore sense in my mind)

the story is abt a lab of scientists, who also do forensic investigation or something? idkexactly what they dd id and it doesnt matter ebcause dreams are not logicall. the main character has like very low self esteem and a history of being bullied/made fun of (both in the past and in the present by like two coworkers.) this all makes him very insecure an d self conscious he feels like he isnt contributing anything to the lab and is just going to continue being in a menial position/possibly be fired for being so useless (i think he and the two other charas i will mention were actually lab assistants, but like idk what the specifcs of that position are i know nothing abt science). the two other major characters are his two childhood friends who work with him in the same position. they are siblings and the dude is a couple years older than the main character and is sister is ether his twin or a few years younger/closer in age to the main character. the main character looks like a twinkie blonde guy with glasses (basically looks like my still in progress oc who is like the exact same chara but a teacher instead of a scientist. star system bullshit i guess). the dude childhood friend is like very huge and bald and intimidating looking. the girl is basic small blonde cute girl looking type. the mc and chfguy were best buddies back in grade school and the dude always had the mc’s back. but since they got older/separated for a bit due to them being in dif places in life, the dude has become very quiet and so they arent as close but still consider eacther friends. though the dude is like a science genius and he keeps coming up with amazing discoveries and research. which eventually earn him a position as a valued core member of the team. bcuz they arent as close as previously along with dude looking big and scary and being very quiet except for like standard greetings, mc is convinced dude now hates him and is doing all this to get mc fired, or at least dimmish his importance even further. mc is also secretly scared of dude now and since he’s really paranoid about dude secretly hating him, he obviously never brings this up to dude and his sister. the sister is the one who actively tries to reach out to him and talk to him more, but also really admires and loves her brother so of course dude can’t tell her what he really thinks abt him know.

anyway so the mc does some research/tests abt cancer and boldly exclaims that he has found the cure for cancer (mis-representing the results of the tests he actualy did). no one questions him on the validity of his claim as the rest of the lab staff are too excited thinking abt all the fame and publicity it will bring their lab. and they believe mc is now the shoe in for the noble prize (and yes i was watching bobby broccoli’s utube documentaries recently).

at the same time (i think a bit before he starts the lie) something inside mc just snaps and he kills someone. idr who exactly it was but it might of been one of his past bullies or one of the coworkers who belittled him so much. with his scientific knowledge the guy is able to commit a crime without leaving any traces that would lead back to him. he dumps the guy in the nearby river/creek body of water thing. for some reason he decides to himself that theres point of no return now and that he should continue killing ppl. so now our main character is on e a quest to make a name for himself in two ways: in public he will be known as the genius who cured cancer, and in the darkness he will be an anonymous vigilante serial killer, bringing scum who escaped the law to justice!!! (im p sure now tht he kills the person and starts this quest before he started lying abt curing cancer, cause he wouldnt of snapped like that if all his coworkers were praising his Genius.)

So the mc continues killing ppl and dumping them in the same body of water. eventually the bodies are discovered and this mysterious vigilante assassin is dubbed... “The Killer.” The Killer’s action inspire fear and debate around the city. Meanwhile the lab staff is preparing the mc’s speech for the noble prize. Mc actually has not published his research yet (cause it like doesn’t exist/leads to a widely different conclusion), and is planning to rely the scientific method not until the event where he receives the award himself, for maximum impact!! Other, “less important” lab members are tasked with writing his acceptance speech, with mc giving the go-ahead and saying that hell check it over and edit it himself once he receives it. Since no one else actually knows the process behind curing cancer that mc supposedly discovered, they mostly just write bullshit fluff.

Soon the light and darkness of mc’s life intersect, when one of his lab higherups is tasked with doing forensic investigation into the remains of The Killer’s victims. So of course, MC begins expanding his victim criteria and kills the higherup too. When a few fellow lab members begin to question mc’s validity, he kills them too and all their bodies are disposed of the same way.

So now its like the day before the noble prize ceremony (idk how that shit works at all btw), and mc has crafted a good enough fake logic for how to cure cancer that will fool most ppl who dont know abt science/the more lowly lab members. He has killed everyone in the team who he believes would find the holes in his logic and ruin his grand plan... except.... the dude childhood friend, who is very very intelligent. So mc must kill and dispose of the dude before the ceremony the next day. but whats more important than the actual killing to him, i s figuring out where to dispose the body, since it has to be in a way where no evidence/traces to him remain. it cant be a body of water because he knows it will be discovered quickly and he doesn t want this killing to be connected to The Killer. So he decides to burn it. but since the guy is huge he needs to find a place in the middle of nowhere where he cn set off a huge fire without anyone noticing. Guy spends like all day and night wandering the city and nearby places to find a big field in the middle of nowhere. eventually just walking in circles and making no progress. The remaining lab members are all confused and worried abt where mc disappeared to as he should be practicing his speech, so dude is sent to investigate (and also he goes bcuz he is personally very very worried for his friend). i guess they live in a n industrial city but mc is not even trying he s just wandering around the most populous streets. (but supposedly he just never finds the place he is looking for.) mc also may or may not have realized that dude is following and looking for him, and if he did he was trying to avoid him as well. anyway its the dead of the night, or early morning, mc has went the entire day without eating or sleeping. he lets his guard down and is spotted by dude. so he cant keep up the act of trying to pretend he didnt notice him any longer. i think the excuse mc gives dude for why he was gone all day and spen t the entire night pacing around (even going to the next city or state over and walking all the way back) is that he was just really anxious abt the whole thing and needed time to think by himself and walking helps that. anyway dude is like “you need sleep” so the two rent a room in the nearby high class hotel (the only place fit for a high class scientist who discovered the cure for cancer.) the ornate hotel room comes with a fire place.

It is only a few hours until the ceremony and mc is so tired he feels like he’s abt to pass out. So at this point he can either 1. get a t least a few hours of sleep so he’s not completely out of it during the ceremony. and with that means taking the risk that he will be found out by dude and be made into a global disgrace. option 2 is killing him in the hotel room and burning the body in the fireplace.

Also dude and tire d mc have a chat while sitting on the bed together (mc is like resting his head on dude’s thigh he’s that tired.) here dude confesses that he has been in love with mc this entire time, or at least ever since they reunited at th e same job. and also that him being quiet was just due to his personality changing/experiencing hardships that made him believe it was better to not talk much. and also that he assumed that there bond as childhood friend’s was so close that he really only needed to make small talk for mc to understand him. (a case of awful communication all around). this new revelation adds anything layer to the moral dilemma of mc’s choice.

Thi s dream had like a bad ending and good ending, like video game. (It was more like “cowardly/giving up” ending and “going through wit h everything” one.) The “bad” ending involved mc confessing everything to dude. not just that the whole curing cancer thing being a huge lie, but also that he’s the one behind te killings. The sleepiness makes MC give up everything and allows dude to decide how to deal with him. (whether he brings him to justice/exposes everything or not.)

in like these kinds of dreams im usually conscious its a dream so if it ends in a bad/scary way i backtrack and think of a better ending. and also it was one of those dreams where i was both an outside observer watching/reading a story and the mc at the same time, so like ending with being exposed and prob going to prison for life was scary for me. The alt/good/true ending has mc stay awake to continue his killing/burning body plan. I think he succeeds in killing him, either by shoving him in the fireplace alive or by killing him b4 through some method and then burning him alive. but its a big dude and the fireplace is very small in comparison and there’s no tools around to chop up the body so idk what happens after. and idk how it ends in gneeral cause i like always wake up right b4 the actual end.

ANyway, it was another very fucked up dream but ive had way scarier ones tbh (like this one was mostly fine for me cause like the “outside observer” side was more than the “I’m in the place of the mc” side when its usually the opposite I feel like.) . And with alot of editing/adding and changing things i think this could make an interesting suspense story.

#dream was an obvious mishmash of the dif utube videos ive watched recently/#along with some other influences like me last night checking cmoa to see what free promotions were being offered and being upset that traces #was going to end in the mornign so i missed it there were a decent amount of free books and which it was to promote the final volume who kno #ws if the first 5+ or so will be offered for free ever again.....

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izeden · 2 years

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greens from an art museum date 🤸

#t #we spent 3 hours there 😭#i do nottt rmr the cmoa being that facking big LOL

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cirilla-fiona-riannon · 2 months

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Manga Preview

Please do not repost or upload elsewhere.

Translations may not always capture the exact nuances or tone of the original text. Expect grammatical errors and inaccuracies.

Please support Cybird and the artist by buying the manga here:

CMOA

Bookwalker

#ikemen vampire #ikevamp #ikevamp jp #ikevamp manga #manga #cybird #ikevamp arthur

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neversetyoufree · 10 days

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hi! i know you usually buy the japanese vnc manga chapters as they're published. would you maybe know the website for buying the special edition of volume 11? i don't really know a lot about the japanese market. completely fine if you don't know ofc:)

Hello! I usually buy new VnC chapters (via Gangan Joker) on seymour/cmoa. However, volume 11 isn't on there yet in any form. I've done some hunting around elsewhere, but navigating Japanese sites besides cmoa is also a bit out of my comfort zone, so I may have missed something.

Edit: And speaking of missing things/getting them wrong, I did do that! What follows is an edited version of this post, as I made a mistake the first time I posted this and misread several listings for the special edition with the artbook as being for only the artbook. Whoops.

Anyway, here's some places you can buy the special edition (artbook included):

Rakuten Books

Square Enix

7net

All of the above were linked by Mochijun on her twitter, so everyone say thank you to the anon that linked her tweets to me.

It's also available on Animate along with two exclusive bonus art cards:

#Apologies for the mixup and thank you again to the anon that helped me figure out what I got wrong #even if a bit inadvertently #I'm going to throw this in the main series tag just in case anyone finds it helpful #vnc #vanitas no carte #ask #anon #ID in alt text #bonus

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heaveninawildflower · 1 year

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Arts and Crafts aluminum and oak picture frame (1897) by Margaret Macdonald (Scottish, 1865–1933) and Frances Macdonald (Scottish, 1874–1921).

Image and text information courtesy CMOA.

#arts and crafts #glasgow school #Margaret Macdonald #Frances Macdonald #Scottish art #decorative

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benkyoutobentou · 5 months

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hi! i'm sorry for the dumb question but i wanted to finally start reading manga in japanese (i already have a little list of titles beginner-friendly) buuuut i'm not sure where i actually find it ;; sorry again for the stupid question

Not a dumb question at all! There are a bunch of places to get manga, the most accessible probably being (unfortunately) amazon.jp. You need to have a Japanese address to buy things regardless of where it's being shipped to (or not, in the case of ebooks), but I believe just any address will do. You can also sometimes buy manga directly on the publisher's sites. Cmoa is another good place to check, and they also will often have entire volumes of manga available to read on their site for free (just look for the 無料 section). Bilingualmanga might also be of interest. It's free (and therefore sometimes gets taken down), but is exactly what it sounds like. Their selection isn't huge, but what they do have, they have in both English and Japanese.

If you want to buy physical volumes, CDJapan is my go-to. I'm in the USA, but I'm pretty sure they ship to most parts of the world. Kinokuniya is also a good place to buy manga from, especially if you're lucky enough to have a physical store near you. My main issue with them is that I think they're overpriced, though. Another thing that depends on luck, if you have any Book Off stores near you, go check them out! It's secondhand, so finding what you're looking for is definitely luck based, but I think it's a good experience to browse Japanese language books and manga regardless.

If you're having trouble finding something in particular, or want some... slightly less legal sources, feel free to contact me off anon!

#i hope this helps!#thank you for asking!! <3 #im sure there are way more places to buy ebooks of manga that i just dont know of because im so adamant about Only reading physicals #but i did read lots of trigun as ebooks #that i got... elsewhere #benkyou posting #langblr #studyblr #polyglot #manga #languages #language learning #oh btw bilingualmanga grew so much from when i last looked at it a few years ago #they have tons of good options #like 暁のヨナ and 三月のライオン #among many others #theyve also got a bunch of classic shoujo now like basara

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onigiriforears · 1 year

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Hello Onigiri!

Do you have a website recommendation on buying books, Manga and light novels from Japan? I am currently addicted to Blue Lock, and wanting to buy their novels.... And at the same time, I want to buy some reading materials (especially focusing on grammar).

Thanks in advance!!! (^o^)

Hi @haku2naomi420 ! <3 I'm a huge fan of your blog and I enjoy the kanji posts! Sorry this answer took so long!

Kinokuniya USA Online

I normally buy my physical copies of manga or Seitokai bookclub books from Kinokuniya USA online. Though Kinokuniya is a Japanese company, it does have some locations in other countries. I don't live near a physical location, but I am able to order through their website. > CON: Their shipping prices are ridiculous unless you reach the min amount of free shipping. CON: They hold your entire order if a single thing isn't available yet...I've had orders take weeks longer than expected before because a single item wasn't ready yet. > PRO: You can send inquiries about books that you may not be able to find on their website, as they might be able to order it for you anyways. PRO: They sell an assortment of things in English, Japanese, and Chinese including textbooks, cookbooks, magazines, stationery, anime merch, etc. (They didn't specify if it was Mandarin or Cantonese :,) )

OMGJapan

I've ordered my N2 日本語総まとめ workbook series from them before I knew that Kinokuniya had an online store for America. The website has various textbook series alongside snacks, stationery, and graded readers. They even have textbooks for business Japanese

CDJapan

They have an array of everything! I can't remember if I've personally ordered from here when I was younger, but there are a lot of people in our server who recommend this is as well.

Amazon Japan (or Amazon [home country]) and eBay

Yes, the true evils...sometimes people are selling their used copies on there or the publishers of certain books are also posting their stores on there.

cmoa.jp

*🙋‍♀️I'm a hardcore cmoa user! They have digital copies of manga, light novels, webnovels and copies of novels on here as well. They also have some great deals and offer a ton of free manga and coupons.

@chouhatsumimi Also has a very helpful post on how to use honto.jp

I haven't used this, but @chouhatsumimi does as well as other people in our server!

bookwalker.jp

I haven't used this site, but many others have! They are also ebook sellers.

Verasia.eu

This site has been recommended by our European server members. The website also boasts itself as the ideal shop for Japanese learners.

The infamous Z-library (lmao) for out of print things

Surprisingly, a book that Kinokuniya told me they couldn't acquire because it was out of print was available on Z-Library...somebody was willing to destroy their copy to scan and upload it on there.

If there's also a specific grammar book or series that you're looking for, message me because I might be able to find it somewhere online! (Or I might already have it.)

Shameless plug: starting Apr 2023, the Seitokai Server will be reading かがみの孤城 if anyone is interested

#onigiri replies #onigiri answers #haku2naomi420 #sorry this is so late #asks #thanks for sending me an ask #replies #resources #websites #reading resources

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dodgeport · 2 months

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Announce for Instrutor Chiba!!!!!

We're happy to tell you that Chiba's tankobon is finally here!! JUST LOOK HOW PRETTY THESE TWO IN THE NEW COVER sob... And we're working on the last chapter so it should be out soon, please patiently waiting! Expecting a batch release this month (●'◡'●)

For now, you can purchase a copy of the tankobon on :

Cmoa ( digital ) / Pre-order on Amazon

#colordodge #announce

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seherstudies · 10 months

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cmoa quit their PC app and I hate everything now. The webapp doesn't show the page I am on but like, I am using this for a paper. I have to cite ffs.

#this made my day infinitely more annoying already #doesn't help that my roomie is back and woke me up at like 6:30 again #at this point I think I really should just buy the physical book

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yaoi-life2021 · 9 months

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Title: Minato Shouji Coin Laundry

Japanese: みなと商事コインランドリー

Creator: Tsubaki Yuzu (author), Kanzume Sawa (artist)

Category: #Manga

Status: #Ongoing

Chapters: 15+5 extras+side novels (3 volumes)

Genre: #PureLove; #Comedy; #Romance; #Drama; #SliceOfLife

Tags: #AgeGap; Ikemen; Older Bottom Younger Top; Friendly Bottom; #Persistent Top; Caring Top; #Possessive Top; Student-Adult Relationship; Past Life; Past Encounter; Laundromat; Big Family; #Food; Cooking

Description: Minato Akira, a former corporate employee, manages the coin laundromat he inherited from his grandfather. He becomes acquainted with the tall and well-built Katsuki Shintaro, who is, as Minato observes, exactly his type. He lets slip that he is gay and Shin abruptly runs off. Coming back to the laundry after two weeks, he states that he is not devoid of sexual desires as Minato had previously joked about. His advances are averted by Minato, who is acutely conscious of their age difference, but Shin is not someone to give up easily..

Where to Read:

English – not available

Japanese –

Pixiv - https://comic.pixiv.net/works/6246

CMOA - https://www.cmoa.jp/title/205885/

Renta! - https://renta.papy.co.jp/renta/sc/frm/item/221795/

Amazon Japan - https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%81%BF%E3%81%AA%E3%81%A8%E5%95%86%E4%BA%8B%E3%82%B3%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%83%A9%E3%83%B3%E3%83%89%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC-1-%E3%82%B8%E3%83%BC%E3%83%B3%E3%83%94%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B7%E3%83%96%E3%82%B7%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BA-%E7%BC%B6%E7%88%AA%E3%81%95%E3%82%8F/dp/4040646231

Honto - https://honto.jp/netstore/pd-book_30411271.html

Side novels - https://novel.pixiv.net/works/2325 (free)

Chinese - https://www.tongli.com.tw/WebPages/book/LD0265001/LD0265001.htm?fbclid=IwAR1skcW2REY9bCQyud0YBnUhhuBc6VbVBKrvAsojPQRnJkAnvqK3w0bCkzs

Drama CD –

CD Japan - https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/MFCZ-2001?s_ssid=e3694d61ec4d0ac94

Animate - https://www.animate-onlineshop.jp/products/detail.php?product_id=2036184

Amazon Japan - https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%83%89%E3%83%A9%E3%83%9ECD%E3%80%8C%E3%81%BF%E3%81%AA%E3%81%A8%E5%95%86%E4%BA%8B%E3%82%B3%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%83%A9%E3%83%B3%E3%83%89%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%80%8D-%E5%B1%B1%E4%B8%8B%E8%AA%A0%E4%B8%80%E9%83%8E/dp/B09Q6MXB7F

Creators’ social media: https://twitter.com/tsubaki_yuzu; https://twitter.com/kannn017; https://twitter.com/minato_syouji (official promotion account)

#bl manhwa #yaoi bl #manga #smut #yaoi anime #yaoihard

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sankakui · 1 month

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Gateau just has to drop the most banger manga, I may write a review for this but overall, the intimate scenes were beautiful, and also YAKUZA x DOCTOR !?? Man that's hot right...!!

In case you need name: Afterglow / アフターグロウ

Manga updates || Cmoa || Kobo

#blmanga

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saorikuhara39 · 2 years

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Atsuo Nakayama's "Otaku Globalisation" Vol. 34Obey Me!: NTT Solmare’s "Doing what no one else is doing" DNA, which created the top otome game title with over 7 million downloads in North America¹.

Article Date: 15 Sep 2022 12:04 JST

Original Article: 【連載】中山淳雄の「推しもオタクもグローバル」第34回 Obey Me!:北米で700万DL突破の乙女ゲームトップタイトルを作り上げたNTTソルマーレ「誰もやっていなことをやる」遺伝子

Interviewed by: Atsuo Nakayama (中山淳雄), Entertainment sociologist, President of Re entertainment

Have you heard of the app game called ‘Obey Me!’? This is a so-called ‘otome game’ where you experience dramatic love with 7 handsome demon brothers. In Japan, not many people may know about it. However, the fact that this game has already reached 7 million downloads worldwide, and is a huge hit in the US – where the majority of the users are from – is surprisingly unknown by many. In this interview, we spoke to the producer from NTT Solmare, that creates this little-known hit title called ‘Obey Me!’.

■ NTT Solmare, a prominent and growing member of the NTT West group of companies

--: We are pleased to welcome 'ObeyP', the producer of Obey Me! by request of anonymity. Please begin by introducing yourself.

Sorry that we asked for anonymity at the beginning. In the Obey Me! project, which always focuses on "building as a team", we don't mention names one by one. We always announce developments as the Obey Me! team, so although we had the opportunity to interview you this time, we decided to remain anonymous.

--: It’s fine, I still think it's a very valuable opportunity for you to tell us the facts about Obey Me! As you are the producer, let's call you ObeyP. Can you tell us about your history so far?

I joined NTT Solmare in 2007 as a contract employee. I was first in the Comic Cmoa division, doing some quality control work, but around 2012 I moved to the gaming division and have been a producer since its launch, as the drafter of Obey Me! which was released in December 2019.

--: NTT Solmare itself is a very unusual company, isn't it? It was originally set up by NTT West to take on the challenge of a new business, right? 'Comic Cmoa' is a well-known service.

When the company was first established in 2002, we were in the business of offering content for PDA terminals. Later, while exploring mobile phone content services, we thought that comics might work, so we launched Comic i (now Comic Cmoa). We also started a game business for mobile phones around 2010 with the aim of creating services that would become the second pillar after Comic Cmoa.

--: Some people are transferred from NTT West, and isn't the corporate culture totally different? It's a surprise that a company so committed to providing content is formed within the NTT group in the first place².

It's really open-ended. The people who originally set up the company valued the challenge of being eager to try new things, and from the start there was a corporate culture of not being restricted by existing frameworks. The people who started as contract workers and temporary workers have now been with the company for more than 10 years, and the permanent staff are carrying on the culture.

The company has 300 employees, and of course many of the managers and above are on loan from NTT West, but there is a sense that those on loan are observing the culture of the company. It has been 20 years since the company started, but we are a company that is constantly launching new things, such as releasing otome games for overseas markets and starting a live-streaming voice-over actor service, with the idea of "doing something no one else is doing".

--: Here is a chart of Solmare's financial earnings and statement from the financial report in Figure 1. The company's assets increased from 5 billion yen to 20 billion yen in the latter half of the 2010s, as it gradually grew with Comic Cmoa and the game business as their pillars. The pandemic could be a defining factor, but it is by inference that “Comic Cmoa” and “Obey Me” were the 2 leading powers. I'm focusing more on the fact that they had already expanded their gaming business to North America in 2011...

Right. I think we were very early in our overseas development, mainly in North America with the "Shall we date?" series.

Figure 1: NTT Solmare Company Performance Data

Source: Prepared by the author based on the disclosed financial statements.

--: Do you have any overseas offices? Is it much like the apartment office in Tokyo, and everyone is basically based in Osaka, right?

No, we have no overseas offices. From planning and development to promotion, Osaka is the centre of our business.

--: Do you also engage in game development? How many people are in each division?

The total number of people working at Solmare is about 300. Among them, about 40 people are involved in ‘Obey Me!’. We had in-house development for our previous titles, but we have asked Now Production to develop ‘Obey Me!’.

--: It is really unique that you were even doing in-house development. For there are many other major capital-based companies that specialise only in publishing mobile games.

■ Japanese Otome Games in the 2010s: A History of Expansion into North America

--: Around 2010, the "joseimuke game" genre³ itself was rare. Were they focused on this genre from the beginning?

At first, we made a wide variety of game titles. Of course, we also made games for male users. Then, there was a person who loved otome games, and said, "I want to try my hand at this!" It is known that this became the predecessor of the Shall we date? series.

--: It costs a lot of money just to make one, but is it really that simple to do?

Well, after all, "Doing something no one else is doing" is in the corporate DNA. And it is still true to this day that the company is able to grasp the passion of the people in charge and entrust us with their work.

--: Then, with the success of "Shall we date?" there, you started to specialise more and more toward the female market. Looking at the releases in the 2010s until "Obey Me!" became a big hit, a lot of derivative titles were created in units of 10 to 20, right? Did they sell well in overseas markets as well?

(Laughs) Our strategy was to produce a large quantity of products and gain market share. In overseas, or rather in North America, there were some telling figures. When the first ninja-themed game was released, it was a ‘how did it go this far!?’ moment. The fact that there was almost no competition was a big factor, and surprisingly (in those days) there were a certain number of users in North America who liked Japanese otome games, so rather than just using titles that had already been released in Japan, we decided to create something specifically for overseas users that is the "Shall we date?" series.

--: I remember well "Be My Princess" (2012) by Voltage as an otome game for North America. The characters were all changed for the North American market… which was very strange. *Voltage Inc., a leading otome game company, had been in the North American development business since 2011, but has withdrawn in 2021.

We have made the same kind of trial and error. In the end, "too much customisation is counter-intuitive and cannot be accepted". North American users also think of it as a Japanese otome game, thus we do not voice-over the voice actors in English but leave them in Japanese and use subtitles, and we keep the visuals as they are in the school or Japanese fantasy style.

--: On the other hand, what are the areas that you try to change?

Since we have a diverse workforce, including non-Japanese employees within our company, we study their local cultures and ways of thinking to effectively reflect them in our stories and characters, including the main character.

■ Obey Me!, made exclusively for overseas market, were flooded with 7 million users worldwide

--: Immediately after its release, Obey Me! became a hit the size of all the dozens of titles you have released so far combined. What do you think is the reason for this success?

Of course, the story and characters were well received, but I think a major factor was the change in gameplay from the novel type, where you read the story by paying for tickets. The mainstream Japanese style of acquiring cards through gacha and training them is common in Japan, but there were not many otome games in North American market based on such a system.

--: In a way, that is another manifestation of the "doing something no one else is doing" culture. Gacha raising games are not in the tens of millions of yen (~70,200 USD) unit of development cost of novel games, are they? They cost hundreds of millions of yen. (~702,000 USD)

Yes, we are working with a specialised game development company like Now Production, and the budget which was at a different scale than in the past also posed a challenge.

--: This is also a credit to the Solmare management team who agreed to this. They were willing to take on a challenge with a development cost that was different from anything they had ever done before, and to do it exclusively overseas, without releasing it in Japan. It is also amazing that ObeyP was able to build up credibility within the company.

(Laughs) That’s for sure. Of course, I was not approved solely based on my enthusiasm, but even so, I am very grateful to the company for entrusting me with this project, which was a huge challenge. NTT Solmare's culture of "leaving things to people who want to do them" is also a big part of this.

--: But I don't think any company can just make a product for North America out of the blue. You do not have an overseas base, and in the first place, would you make it mainly with people like ObeyP who are well versed in foreign countries?

Ah, but I can’t speak English? (laughs) Neither have I lived there.

--: What!!?? Is that true? A game with 7 million downloads overseas, is made by someone who can't speak English!?

Since 2012, we have been working on in-house titles for overseas markets, so of course we have been researching what kind of things people like. I have watched all kinds of foreign dramas and movies, and I have also studied foreign animation from the perspective of what local people have grown up watching since childhood. I thought about how people are attracted to scenes like this in romance, and I look at them all the time and think about what kind of style would be acceptable to them.

I often discuss ideas with the translation team, which includes native speakers.

--: That is a very encouraging story. It is not necessarily that you have people who have been in North America for a long time or who are fluent in English.

I feel that we are creating a large-scale app for North America together with businesses and creators who share our vision. By involving external people such as scenario writers and illustrators, the challenge of creating a title that will excite ladies around the world is interesting in and of itself.

--: What countries after North America were your games were being played in overseas?

The USA has the largest number of users and sales, but we also have players in Europe, Southeast Asia, and many other countries.

■ To change from "Obey Me! Overseas" to "Obey Me! Worldwide," including Japan

--: What do you hope to do with Obey Me! from that point onwards?

I would like to expand the enthusiasm of the English-speaking community to other countries, including Japan, and I would like more people to know about the enthusiasm felt by users on social media. I believe that the challenge is how to expand this kind of "fandom" itself.

--: You also worked on a web-animation project for July-December 2021.

Colored Pencil Animation Japan, the creator of the PV, has produced a 12 episode, 5-minute animation, which is available in the app. The first season is streamed by Funimation⁴. The response was quite positive, and we have been streaming the second season since July this year.

--: I think it was also a difficult time for you to proceed as much as you wanted to because of the pandemic. At this magnitude, there is a good chance for an animated TV series, and there is also a chance for commercialisation.

That's right. Since our company has been in the game business for so long, there are still some challenges in animation and merchandising. The second anime season will be available on Crunchyroll⁵ as well as in the app, and we would like to further strengthen overseas development in areas other than games.

However, while it was said to have 7 million downloads, it was during the pandemic, so I never actually saw that "enthusiasm" with my own eyes once. We exhibited on-site in Los Angeles for the first time since the release of the app at AX (Anime Expo) in July 2022, and were able to feel the enthusiasm of our fans that we could not have imagined.

--: That's for sure!! Since events have been completely suspended for the past 2 years, it is difficult to feel the enthusiasm of the 7 million downloads, even though it is a huge achievement.

That is why I would like to actively participate in exhibiting at various events starting this summer, and expand the community both in Japan and overseas along with the amount of enthusiasm. We expect many topics of conversation to spread from this summer.

--: Finally, do you have any message for current and prospective fans of 'Obey Me!'?

Thank you for your continued support of ‘Obey Me!’. The app is now in its third year since its release in 2019, and we hope to continue to provide fresh surprises and lots of emotions so that this title will continue to bring smiles to everyone's faces. Please continue to support Obey Me! and their characters’ lives in the Devildom, Human World, and Celestial Realm.

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¹ TL note: The title given here is inaccurate, IMO. Rather than North America only, the number of downloads should include about 160 countries around the world combined, including other English-speaking countries as well as their home country Japan.

² The NTT Group in Japan mainly focuses on telecommunications. As such companies like NTT Solmare stands out among the rest from other companies under the NTT corporation, in which they are working on different aspects from their core service.

³ ‘Joseimuke game’ (女性向けゲーム), a genre of video games that were specifically targeted for the female users. They can range from having mostly male characters without romantical elements, to those that involve romance - known as ‘otome game’ (乙女ゲーム) - such as those from the ‘Shall We Date?’ series of mobile apps. ‘Boy’s Love (BL)’ games are also included in this genre.

⁴ Region restricted. Not available outside of certain regions.

⁵ Region restricted. Not available outside of certain regions.

#obey me #おべいみー #translation #translations #saori k translations #obeyme #obey me jp #solmare #ntt solmare #gamebiz

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