General News 3: It Isn't Over Yet!

[pbsaffran]

This is good news, but the release is still scheduled - I doubt Manga Gamer will really understand why people make a fuss about it.

But hey, at least we have an alternative we can trust in.

[Asceai]

Originally Posted by Tetsurou

And so MOONSTONE has lifted the foreign IP blocking curse again

speaking of moonstone, they've recently released 'Doko he Iku no, Ano ni' for download sales on gyut.to, so if you wanted to try this excellent title but were never able to import it...

Originally Posted by pbsaffran

This is good news, but the release is still scheduled

I'm not sure how MangaGamer's release is a problem. Sending a strict cease-and-desist letter may have been questionable (in the name of good will, an offer to work on the official project should've been pitched simultaneously), but I see no issue in licensing a game that's in the midst of being fan translated. It happens in the anime business all the time, and it has also happened a few times in the mainstream games business (La Pucelle, RPGMaker).

VN translation scene is young in comparison, but it's naive for any group to expect exclusive dibs on an unlicensed project.

[pbsaffran]

I'm not sure how MangaGamer's release is a problem.

They've been in the business for one year, and they have benn consistently and systematically doing it wrong. Isn't that enough ?
As far as Higurashi is concerned, I know how long it is and I know how much time is needed to translate it - they want to do it a lot faster than that but without getting the proper manpower. It is a catastrophe in the making, and I'm not even joking about it, too. It's just a sad and sore sight.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Sending a strict cease-and-desist letter may have been questionable (in the name of good will, an offer to work on the official project should've been pitched simultaneously)

They did get an offer, but they refused.

Originally Posted by pbsaffran

They've been in the business for one year, and they have benn consistently and systematically doing it wrong. Isn't that enough ?
As far as Higurashi is concerned, I know how long it is and I know how much time is needed to translate it - they want to do it a lot faster than that but without getting the proper manpower. It is a catastrophe in the making, and I'm not even joking about it, too. It's just a sad and sore sight.

You don't have to play MangaGamer's translation. You can just wait for the twins' translation and use that.

[Pirkaf]

Yeah, you can wait a couple more years for the twin's translation anyway. Mangagamer is so amateurish that it's funny but thanks to them, we can play in english such awesome titles as Suika or Kira Kira. pbsaffran, we know you have personal issues so please quit your bitching. It's annoying.

[Moogy]

Well, MangaGamer may be amateurish, but it's not like there's anyone in this industry actually producing professional quality localizations or anything. I mean, KazoKei switches tenses every other sentence in places... and I won't even go into Hirameki's hackjobs.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not defending the lack of quality from JAST/Hirameki/MangaGamer or anything. I'm just saying that, in an industry where fan translators are producing more "professional" works than the pros, I don't think "amateurish" is an adjective that should be brought into the discussion - because, in this context, it means precisely the opposite of what it usually does.

Perhaps I'm just overly concerned with semantics, eh.

[pbsaffran]

Oh please, be serious for a second. I am a professionnal video game translator. I own a translation bureau. I KNOW what is "professional work" and what not. And Manga Gamer doesn't do that, period.

I won't go further on that issue.

[NTX]

Originally Posted by pbsaffran

Oh please, be serious for a second. I am a professionnal video game translator. I own a translation bureau. I KNOW what is "professional work" and what not. And Manga Gamer doesn't do that, period.

I won't go further on that issue.

I'm confused as to whom you're replying to. No one said manga gamer does the job well, at most Moogy pointed out that 'pro' originally meant 'does for a living' and 'amature' means 'not a professional company'.

And amateurish means, that they are doing it like amateurs....
Still:
You do not have to play them saffran.
I, myself, am happy to play great Visual Novels.

And if you're such a great translator in a professional place, translate me some good visual novels and I will be happy to bitch around along with you about Mangagamers translation.
Until then: shut the fuck up.

[fireshark]

Moogy means amateur/amateurish but I think 無名さん is getting into a hissy fit over it

MangaGamer has obtained the license for Soul Link.

Also, while helping them out at their Otakon booth, I asked a few questions and learned a few things

All the companies featured in the Ad placed in the Otakon booklet: Circus, Hobibox, Navel, Nexton, Overdrive, BaseSon, Liquid, Nomad, Portion, Score, Tactics, and a few more, are all shareholders in the company, so it's safe to assume that any licensing and English releases of games by these companies will be done through MangaGamer.

The reason for the current DL only policy is due to the restrictive costs of producing small runs of physical hard copies. That said, they are actually quite open to the idea of allowing J-list to buy the rights to print and distribute physical copies of their product, though no arrangement has been made as far as I am aware.

As for the products they were selling at the booths in Anime Expo and Otakon: they do not have any intention of selling them on the website at this time, but they do have every intention of selling lots of them at the conventions they attend.

[Magedark]

Just asking for clarification, what were they selling at Otakon?

[LoSs]

Originally Posted by kouryuu

MangaGamer has obtained the license for Soul Link.

Also, while helping them out at their Otakon booth, I asked a few questions and learned a few things

All the companies featured in the Ad placed in the Otakon booklet: Circus, Hobibox, Navel, Nexton, Overdrive, BaseSon, Liquid, Nomad, Portion, Score, Tactics, and a few more, are all shareholders in the company, so it's safe to assume that any licensing and English releases of games by these companies will be done through MangaGamer.

The reason for the current DL only policy is due to the restrictive costs of producing small runs of physical hard copies. That said, they are actually quite open to the idea of allowing J-list to buy the rights to print and distribute physical copies of their product, though no arrangement has been made as far as I am aware.

As for the products they were selling at the booths in Anime Expo and Otakon: they do not have any intention of selling them on the website at this time, but they do have every intention of selling lots of them at the conventions they attend.

So will you help them with SL?