New Holicworks game: Tokyo Satsujinki Gakkou no Kaidan
Last month Holicworks announced their new 18+ BL visual novel, Tokyo Satsujinki Gakkou no Kaidan! The scenario writer (Nakajo Rosa) and director (Kouji Mio) also worked on the company's previous titles (Tokyo 24ku, Taisho Mebiusline and Beniiro Tenjou Ayakashi Kitan). This time the artist will be Asahi Miyabi, who I couldn't really find any information about, but the art looks very good so far.
Synopsis
Amaterasu has existed since ancient times, as Japan's supreme deity. Aramatsuri, on the other hand, symbolizes the evil powers that also exists in this world. Good and evil, happiness and misfortune, life and death, all of it was derived from Amaterasu and Aramatsuri. Aramatsuri sometimes materializes and causes disruptions to the world, which can also affect humans.
The main character, Yuzuru Kurotori, is a civil servant working for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. He belongs to the Aramatsuri Countermeasure Division, located on the 7th floor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. The department gathers individuals who are able to see Aramatsuri. There are various methods to test this ability, but in the end, they have to be able to see a huge flower on top of the clock tower in Yoyogi (which can also be seen in the picture above). It has been three years since Yuzuru joined, but Aramatsuri can still be sensed in Tokyo.
I definitely recommend checking out the official website, the main visual you can see above is actually animated! I hope the game will have animated CGs too, something I really enjoyed while playing some of their older games like Taisho Mebiusline and Tokyo Onmyouji. I’m a big fan of the protagonist’s design, especially the high heels, black nails and black sword! The website also introduces a couple of other new characters, which are probably going to be the love interests. Tendou Taki (the one with the glasses) is Kurotori’s senior who works for the same organization. He’s from a family that specialists in magic and divination (Onmyoudou). If you’ve played Tokyo Onmyouji, you might be familiar with these themes!
The second new character is Inami You (left), a man who’s originally from Okinawa. Although he’s a temporary employee of the Aramatsuri Countermeasure Division, he has the longest history with the department and knows the most. Due to the complexity of his career, most people don’t know much about him. He’s able to use Amaterasu’s power. Next is Tsubaki Isuzu (middle). He’s an entertainer who works as a stuntman and an idol, and doesn’t seem to be connected to the organization the other characters are part of. The final new main character is Isshiki Seimei (right), a bartender who owns a bar in Shinjuku Sanchome. He’s technically also an Onmyouji, but because Onmyoudou has been on a decline recently he gave up on making this his career. Although it’s not his official job, he can still use some of his spells.
I really hope they will show some of the CGs soon, but I’m surprised they revealed so much information already! I am curious what kind of form the ‘’Aramatsuri’’ takes, right now I have no idea what the battles will look like or what the flower on top of the building even symbolizes. The second part of the game's title literally translates to ''school ghost stories'' but none of the main characters seem to be in school. I'm guessing the plot also focuses on murders, because that’s also in the game’s title... Either way, I’ll be patient and hope they release more info about the game later this year!
I’m banning myself from watching any cdramas for now lol. I really need to use my Japanese again. My reading ability has really tanked from not using it for so many months. I need to find something to translate to practice…(it’s my go-to for refreshing my reading skills…I usually manage to get super hyper focused on the task and don’t get distracted immediately like I do if I was just straight up reading some text).
Tsukihoe is probably the only project I have right now, and the only one likely to never get an official translation (believe it or not, Akaya Akashiya, Ayakashino is getting an official release!). But Tsukihoe is hard because 1) it’s a manga and 2) it’s poetry.
I’m interested in a bunch of visual novels, and those are usually good to translate, but acquiring them is always difficult. I don’t have a pc and many run on pc only. The only ones I own are Akaya Akashiya Ayakashino and Taisho Mebiusline which is…a no at my skill level lol. I can read it, but if I translate it, I’m afraid I’d not do it justice…
Recommendation of BL games everyone should play Part 2
Sorry this took a little longer but here is part 2~
These games don’t have an English release or an English translation, which means you have to play the Japanese version, but you can use a translator like me. If you are interested in a tutorial on how to play Japanese visual novels with a translator, send me a message.
And now to the games~
Warning: If you are under 18 please don’t play this
Nie no machi
Summary: Hisora lost his family when he was in his teens, and now as an adult he’s working several part-time jobs concurrently as a physical laborer. One day, during his workshift, he enters a dark alleyway and sees a man dressed in mourning clothes drop a bouquet of white flowers. Unable to leave it as is, he picks up the bouquet and chases after the man. However, he loses sight of the man after making his way through the dark alley, and finds himself standing at the entrance of another world…an inn. As Hisora stands there taken aback, the inn’s residents come out to greet him, and tell him: “This is a world distant [meinst du different? Oder far away?] from death.”
In this world of slithering ghastly figures such as a child who uses its own severed head as a ball to play with, or a man who continues to talk even though his head has been smashed, Hisora must receive the assistance of the inn’s tenants, who have lost consciousness in the real world, while he searches for a way back home. But Hisora is a living human, and the smell of him invokes the town's residents adhesion to life and envy of the living, inviting danger upon him…
(summary by vndb)
I LOVE this game so much even if the story is not that heavy, it’s really fun to play. With the soundtrack in the background, it kinda feels like a horror game but it’s really not.
You can play 4 different routes, there are bad, normal and good endings for every character and some different endings which I thought were a good change from the typical “main character dating a boy”- ending. Some routes were stronger than others and more kinky, but there is an interesting story for all of the 4 guys I guess…one was not my cup of tea. And what makes it all the better is that none of them are like you think they are at first glance. The art of this game is beautiful, the character designs are pretty to look at, even with the whole gore thing going on of course there are tentacles cause why not?(which you will mostly see in the bad endings so don’t worry).
I think the balance between the story, characters and art is what makes the game stand out the most. This is also a very good start for everyone who is new to BL games and wants to explore more of it. A good mix of not too heavy story, cute BL parts and a not too long gameplay makes this a perfect start for new and experienced players~
Taisho mebiusline
Summary: In the year 1923, during the last days of the Taishou Period, Hiiragi Kyouichirou leaves his home in the countryside to attend the Imperial University. As soon as he arrives in Tokyo, though, he runs right into a conflict between the all-powerful Imperial Army and the mysterious Gohongatana Clan. The Imperial Army wants him for his ability to see the spirits of the dead and he’ll have to figure out where his loyalties lie. Is it to his country? To the Emperor? To his fellow man? Or is there an even greater cause?
(summary by vndb)
I only recommend this game for the ones who are experienced in playing games using a translator because this game is DIFFICULT and I’m not only talking about the plot. The game uses a lot of old languages and old kanji, so it’s difficult to understand even if you can read Japanese. Anyhow, this game is one of a kind. The story is interesting especially if you are into Taisho, military or history. There is also a lot about religion, gods and the dead. Four boys (aka four routes) and a true ending for one of the boys. Depending on the route the story will take a more religious or military-concentrated path.
The main character Kyouichiro is not your typical main happy-kind-guy. He’s more on the cute bean side and really polite, using keigo (Japanese polite language) with everyone. I loved his relationship with the boys one especially, so romantic and cute destroy me with fluff please. The strongest and best part about this game THE ART. Get ready because this shit is animated. You get to see the background and the characters moving and it’s BEAUTIFUL. Not every image is animated but enough to satisfy you. If you are a art aesthetic loving b*tch, this is a must. And please play the fandisc after, this shit will get even more beautiful and the animation even better.
「GAME OVER」 is a multi-fandom collection of fanart and fanfiction made by different users to celebrate their favourite BL visual novel titles.
The works in this collab are all connected with the theme of “bad ends” (or rather, “endings other than good ends”), celebrating the way visual novels, as a medium, allow for a variety of different ending types in a way a regular novel can not.
The final product of this collab. has been presented in the form of an online anthology, with over 50 pages art and writing covering 15 different BLVNs.
Click here to view online (best viewed in full-screen mode)
Click here to download as a pdf
Huge thank you to everyone who took part! Without your efforts, this collab. would never have existed!
We hope you all enjoy looking through everyone’s fanworks!
Hey everyone! I have a really special announcement to share with you today! It’s not related to Gakuen Heaven, but I’m sure it will be of interest to BL game fans!
I’m proud to present the full English patch for the demo version of Taishou Mebiusline, a BL game by LoveDelivery!
This patch features top-notch translations by Snowgoose / lookiamnotcreative (get more of their Mebiusline translations here - lots of short stories!) and programming assistance from binaryfail and Huang Ling Yin, with project coordination by Danmei/GalGame.
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Please note that this patch is NOT our work. All credits go to the fine people listed above. *points* I am only contributing webspace for file distribution. As such, I cannot answer questions or provide technical support. Please read the linked page carefully and follow the instructions - they have been tested (by me!) and they are accurate. :)
update Sep 2018: Danmei has disbanded, so unfortunately there is no way for me to help you contact them if you have trouble with the patch. The good news is that I don’t think there are any issues, so it should be fine! :D
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A few more screenshots!
Please feel free to share this link and information!
I once read a post about the writing style of Taisho Mebiusline (a historical/supernatural BL visual novel), and this single post probably influenced my writing style the most, more than any writing advice I've ever read honestly.
For context, Taisho Mebiusline has obscure kanji, and often the slight nuance between different kanji actually matter to the text, and native speakers also remarked they had to whip out a dictionary every now and again.
The post, truncated for brevity: "It tells you what kind of person the narrator is, not just by what he thinks, but how he thinks[...]What he thinks aside, how he thinks shows that he’s thoughtful, well-read, calm, poetic, sensitive, and that he sees things in tiny little details that don’t need to be seen[...]His vocabulary is impressive, his erudition remarkable for his years and he’s not just a country boy who got into Todai because the plot wants something a little glamorous—-he’s worthy of it."
A good example of this from western literature, off the top of my head, is Catcher in the Rye. Love it or hate it, the writing style is rambling, colloquial...it tells you how the main character thinks. The first person POV helps, but just because a story is written in first person, doesn't mean it successfully pulls this off.
This little blurb from a fan of the game (also the person who translated the common route!), for some reason, really spoke to me and the way I want to write. And it still does. I'm usually not that successful, though.
Thank you all for your responses in our surveys! Complete results can be viewed here → https://imgur.com/a/Fhyr3DL
The final top 3 responses were:
Galtia
Shingakkou -Noli me Tangere-
Taisho Mebiusline
We hope you all enjoyed partaking in the survey this year and that you will consider submitting these top 3 responses as our community’s favored responses for MangaGamer’s upcoming annual licensing survey.
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