The game can be downloaded from the iTunes AppStore for an introductory price of $0.99.

encubed: Why did you decide to translate A Scar of the Doll into English?

Miyashita: I have been making games in Japan for 15 years, but I have always felt that I would like not just Japanese people, but people all around the world to play my games. However, there are many issues to overcome in order to translate and promote a game overseas. This iPhone release is a first step towards that goal.

e: What parts of the scenario do you hope that overseas players will enjoy the most?

M: The character relationships and story development are fairly complex and lengthy. While the main character tries to pursue her missing elder sister, unexpected developments and new mysteries unfold, and a surprising conclusion awaits her.
I believe there are many complex stories in European and American novels and movies, but it seems like with regard to games, simple action types are quite popular. Because of this, I think that there aren’t many story-centric games like this. I hope that people can enjoy this long and detailed story.

e: What are your impressions of the English visual novel market?

M: This is still our first (English) game so I cannot say anything yet, but it seems like there are many high quality games available on the AppStore for low prices like $1. This is good from a user’s point of view, but can be quite a problem for developers. There are many visual novels that have beautiful graphics. Instead, since A Scar of the Doll is an older style game that focuses on the text, so we have to pay special attention to the pricing.

e: Would Child-Dream like to translate any other of its games into English?

M: Yes, definitely! However, if A Scar of the Doll does not perform well, we may not release another game. We create both visual novels and role-playing games in Japan, but since visual novels are simpler to produce, we selected one as our first release. Next, we plan to release a game based on the Mayan Calendar’s 2012 apocalypse theory. In the future, we would like to release RPGs in English too.
Japan’s RPGs are not as popular in Europe and America, but the feeling of an interesting story is something people can experience no matter where they are from. I would like to find out if people will find the stories I created interesting.

October 27, 2011 – Child-Dream releases A Scar of the Doll in English for iPhone and iPod touch.
It is available on the iTunes AppStore at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/a-scar-of-the-doll/id474442505?mt=8.

[Story]
Asumi’s sister has disappeared! Where did she go?
A shuddering and thrilling suspense story.
Can you unravel this mystery from Japan!?

It is the end of the year in December.
Asumi has lost complete contact with her elder sister who goes to graduate school in Tokyo.
Worried for her sister’s safety, Asumi travels alone to Tokyo to find her–
but no trace of her could be found. Her sister wasn’t in either the laboratory, where she had been assigned to, nor at her apartment.
Asumi is at loss at for what to do….
What has happened to her sister…?

Asumi is determined to find out.
What she doesn’t know, however, is that she is in imminent danger…
and there are frightening facts awaiting her.

[Notes]
- You must make choices to lead your way from danger and solve the mystery.
- The game takes an average of 4 to 6 hours.
- This is the first time this popular game from Japan is available in English.
- There are game hints available on the support site, which can be found on the title screen.
- It is currently on sale for an introductory price of $0.99.

[About Child-Dream]
Child-Dream is a Japanese game developer, and their first English game is “A Scar of The Doll”. Their scenario writer specializes in mystery stories, and is known for the award-winning PlayStation 3 action RPG “Folklore”. Their website is http://www.child-dream.net/. You can contact Child-Dream with inquiries at iphone@child-dream.net.

yirba: Is Dengeki Stryker confirmed as a MangaGamer release?
bamboo: Yes, we’ll be selling Dengeki Stryker on MangaGamer so please look forward to it!

bamboo: We won’t be able to make it for AX, but we are making this game for everyone overseas…
(At this point, showed off the cover art for Go Go Nippon.)
bamboo: Go Go Nippon!
bamboo: So choose 1 of the two heroines and visit all the places in japan
bamboo: A bit erotic ^^
bamboo: The game itself is complete so hopefully i can show it in action soon
bamboo: Iphone application is strict as (censored by JustinTV) so even if its a bit erotic, it gets rejected
bamboo: For those who have difficulty coming to Japan, we made this game to kind of experience what its like here

hamusumo: How much is the planned game time of Go Go Nippon?
bamboo: The game is kind of like a guidebook, so it’s not that long, but I’ll let you know when I actually play it throughly
bamboo: Maybe we can make patches that does this in that in the future =P
bamboo: Yes we’ll be selling it online at a cheap price

(Below are the front and back covers for Go Go Nippon, from screen captures taken from the stream)

drmchsr0: Say, are Kamen Rider questions valid now? :3c
bamboo: I dunno much about Kamen Rider but if its something i can answer. lol

(no question)
bamboo: Hoping well continue to make games for everyone who is interested in japan but can’t come here
bamboo: We’ll be holding a panel at AX to have sort of a meeting with everyone
bamboo: We’ll be answering question along with Tororo Dancho from Circus and tell you some updates from Japan

asceai: Will the Japanese text work for people without Japanese OS/locale in the release?
bamboo: We will be testing the Japanese part for Go Go Nippon but its not final yet

hikari_sc: has companies in japan recovered from the earthquake, how is the scheduling of games like ef coming along?
bamboo: There was a big impact from the earthquake and directly affected us
bamboo: You can say the recent slow release of MangaGamer is mostly because of the quake
bamboo: Sales in Japan has gone down too

drmchsr0: Oh wait, here’s a serious one. How is Bill 156 and Ishihara’s recent comments gonna affect the future of Overdrive and MangaGamer? D:
bamboo: Isihara’s comment and bill has little to do with MangaGamer

yirba: Will we possibly see the MangaGamer mascot (Comko) in games? :-P
bamboo: No plan to including our mascot in a game at the moment
bamboo: I did see the image on 4chan with our mascot being naked and was laughing with everyone

hikari_sc: When do you think Japanese developers will start making games with internationalization in mind (ie: writing it in such a way so it can easily be ported to other languages)
bamboo: There are some developers who are interested, but it all depends on the demand and what they consider a success in oversea sales
bamboo: We need to make a good basis for business for that, for us to succeed in such circumstance
bamboo: We actually have Dengeki Stryker and Go Go Nippon with the oversea fans in mind

furbysbadday: Might we see more Higurashi?
timpkmn89: Alongside Furbys comment, will we ever specifically see Higurashi Rei, the series epilogue?
bamboo: If there is a high demand for Higurashi Rei, yes

(no question)
bamboo: i would like to study English too, so someone show me a cute English speaking girl, btw

snowballer: How’s the progress with âge going?
bamboo: Negotiation with âge is going steadily

miragecg: Have you contact with “old” eroge maker (like Mink for example)
bamboo: Sorry I don’t have much connection with Mink
bamboo: I only know developers that started in the early 2000s

drmchsr0: How do you view 999’s success in the US? Are you planning to do something like that in the future?
bamboo: In relation to 999, since we are releasing Kara no Shoujo, we are looking forward to see how much that will sell

swiftnissity: Whats happening with the comics section of the website, its empty right now.
bamboo: The comic section of MangaGamer should be opening soon
bamboo: I’m personally not in charge of it, but we are planning that and the video(anime) section

hikari_sc: what motivated you to get into eroge development? Was it difficult to start a company? What do your friends and family think about your job?
bamboo: I was originally a creator for Playstation game, but I was tricked into joining a bishoujo game company!
bamboo: My friends and family are like, do what you like
bamboo: Since I sing songs and stuff as well as make games, I’m in a bit dif situation
bamboo: It takes a lot of work to make a company, but i was able to make a living for the past 10 years by doing so
bamboo: I was happy to see a fan who said he liked Kira Kira when i was about to get on a Taxi at AX btw

miragecg: Are you planning to coming to European Convention (like Japan expo in Paris France)
bamboo: We participated at the Japan Expo several years ago, but since it wasn’t truly an English speaking environment, I’m iffy about it
bamboo: So we are concentrating in the American market for now
bamboo: I personally love USA too

thedoddler: There are a few new guest companies coming to AX this year that do not currently have games in English (like Clochette). Is it possible that these guests may get English language versions of their games at some point in the future?
bamboo: There is a possibility that companies like Clochette will release game for us, but
bamboo: We are just taking guest companies to AX to show them how the American market is like
bamboo: So it’s like a future investment to show them around and get them interested

bearhunterx: A lot of unofficial translations are getting picked up for official releases lately(Demonbane, ef, School Days, Kara no Shojo). Does the threat of an unofficial release floating around make negotiations with companies easier?
bamboo: It depends on the companies. and since the translation quality varies, we have to check it thoroughly anyway
bamboo: and of course the Japanese companies are suspicious about the unofficial translations
bamboo: and since the priority for the Japanese releases come first, the oversea market become secondary
bamboo: reminder. MangaGamer is still in the red…
bamboo: so please purchase our games
bamboo: and if you can, try to help us by boycotting illegal download sites

swiftnissity: Are we able to know which is Mangagamer’s worst selling game? Since Koihime Musou was supposedly their best selling game.
bamboo: Koihime is our number 1 selling game with Shuffle coming close
bamboo: Worst selling game is a secret =P

hikari_sc: What plans do MangaGamer have against piracy?
bamboo: Kill them all j/k

hikari_sc: What is your most memorable moment in an eroge? Who is your favorite girl in all the games you have played so far?
bamboo: my favorite heroine in a bishoujo game is Multi from To Heart

omonomono: Totally random topic: I bought Good Smile Company’s B.G.M. Nendoroid Petit set volume 0. Is there going to be volume 1? I would love a GSC Kirarin figure that’s slightly bigger lol. Or other characters from the game.
bamboo: I would personally like to release vol.1 of the Petiet Nendoroids, but it depends on if GSC says yes

swiftnissity: Has MangaGamer considered releasing updated re-releases (D.C > D.C.P.C for example) or are they out of the question?
bamboo: If there is a high demand for D.C.P.C, we can… but at the moment not really
bamboo: It is costly for us to localize one title and if it fails, it hurts us bad…

miragecg: Are you planning to make overdrive titles goodies (like figure and such) available to sale for us westerner via MG Website?
bamboo: We don’t have any plans to sell overdrive goods overseas
bamboo: Because of customs, we have difficulty sending made in China merchandise to the US too

dave1278: Given the current sales count for Koihime Musou is there a chance of getting Shin Koihime Musou (with or without voice)? ie are Baseson happy with the current sales to continue?
bamboo: We don’t have a plan to release Shin Koihime Musou at the moment, but since the sales were good, I’m sure we’ll start talking about it sooner or later
bamboo: About the voice acting issue: since the voice actor agency are hard headed, they demand a lot and thus there are some games without voices

(no question)
bamboo: Evangelion’s Shinji (Ogata Megumi) is voice acting for Dengeki Stryker
bamboo: She’s a really awesome person so respect her!

swiftnissity: Any plans to work with Baseson~Spice~? (The bl branch of Baseson)
bamboo: We don’t have any plans for BL titles because i don’t really know how well it will sell…

zalas: Over here, when people think games, they think gameplay. What do you think about bringing out more games with gameplay?
bamboo: About games with gameplay, it is difficult because porting it is a lot of work, and the game company needs to be really interested and has to help us
bamboo: I personally would like to make a bishoujo game like Fallout 3… if i had such money

tdavis0079: Oh yeah, speaking of Nakano, Go! Go! Nippon 2 needs a trip to Nakano Broadway. Such an awesome place.
bamboo: Yeah, we would certainly add Nakano Broadway in the next version
bamboo: We are planning to update it with patches, maybe $5 a patch?
bamboo: Try to think of it as a DLC pack for X-box or the likes

drmchsr0: Are there any plans to negotiate with Illusion?
bamboo: Doesn’t Illusion have a English page of their own? Not really sure but…
(some discussion of Rapelay by the commenters at this point)

jjjlmx: Are there plans for more Overdrive music theme games?
bamboo: Yes OVERDRIVE is planning to make music related game in the future for sure
bamboo: As long as I’m still interested in playing music

bearhunterx: Do Overdrive games have a better profit margin, since you don’t have to negotiate with other companies?
bamboo: The profit margin for our game is still the same….
bamboo: OVERDRIVE is an experimental release, using a lot of our resource

drmchsr0: Is MangaGamer gonna sell VN OSTs?
bamboo: Is there a high demand for Soundtrack releases?
bamboo: We are worried about piracy
bamboo: Since it would probably be uploaded on an illegal site as soon as it goes up.
(At this point, a bunch of discussion on demand for OSTs by the chatters)
bamboo: Thanks for the comments though, really happy to know that American fans care about my songs.
bamboo: I’m really against piracy so i would appreciate if you tell your friends who download from those sites that it is hurting us btw

nuriohin: Are there any plans for Limited Editions of OVERDRIVE’s titles?
bamboo: We’ll see how Da Capo LE sells before releasing other Limited Editions for now

amorim: Are there any updates about ef?
bamboo: Minori told me we should have something to look at soon
bamboo: Sorry about the delay (although i have no control over it)
bamboo: Minori is taking everything seriously

y10nrdy: It’s the general consensus that the only thing MangaGamer is lacking is hard copy versions of the games. Are there any plans to release packaged editions of your upcoming releases?
bamboo: We are negotiating about future hard copies, but ideally would like to release all our games in package form
bamboo: The most difficult thing is though, is how we are going to sell it
bamboo: Since there isn’t really a concrete selling route other than conventions

bamboo: Ok, that is all for today
bamboo: We will be using this site again in the future, and hopefully you can visit us again
bamboo: We will try to make the announcement early next time
bamboo: Thanks for joining us at such a late time
bamboo: It is a small market right now, but i would love to expand it so please continue to support us
bamboo: See you at AX for those who are going to be there, and if not see you here again!
bamboo: Thank you~

Jenny Draper: Does MangaGamer intend to provide more up to date eroge?
bamboo: We are choosing games based on companies that are interested in overseas and who are willing to invest into the project. We are sorry about some delays for some titles such as ef. The most difficult part of my job is negotiating with the game companies.

onyxsyaoran: I’d like you to localize Steins;Gate!
bamboo: Please tell that to 5pb. We are choosing games based on user opinions and companies who are interested, but it still takes a long time to make the companies interested in the overseas market.

LGJinnai: Do you have any plans to make more visual novels with interactive game play? Outside Japan, games are looked upon with disdain if they lack decent game play.
bamboo: Games with game play are difficult to develop at this time. We need a lot of cooperation with the game companies to make it into a reality. I think it will take a bit longer until we can attract more companies, even though we have been trying for 3 years now.

iAX_SPJA: Do you play any Western-developed games? If so, what’s your favorite(s) and do you think you can apply any of the practices/themes from them into your visual novels?
bamboo: I play a lot of Western games, my favorite is Fallout 3! The current situation in Japan is like Fallout 3, lol.

bamboo: What do you guys call our genre? Bishoujo games? Visual novels?
(Most people call them visual novels, some said eroge, one said bishoujo game. Some people were more detailed.)

yeahorsomething: Have you ever cried while reading an eroge? Which?
bamboo: Yes, I cry a lot when I play these games!

krat6: In the future, will it be possible to release games at the same time overseas as in Japan?
bamboo: Yes, in the future we might be able to release games overseas at the same time… but we don’t have the money to do that yet.

rkiosuku: It’s expensive, isn’t it.
bamboo: Yes, it’s expensive! You might think that Japanese game companies are big, but in reality there are barely 10 staff members. That’s why they try to concentrate on the Japanese market first. And they have a difficult time appointing people to manage the overseas market.

wizzlewiz: Have most companies in Japan been pleased with the sales of the localized versions in the west? Have your efforts improved the Japanese market’s perspective of the western market?
bamboo: The companies selling their games through MangaGamer are still not selling as they want, so they are practically doing it as a free service at the moment. They need to sell over 2000-3000 copies to make an actual profit. It might still take time to make it into a real business, but sales and members have been steadily increasing.

Kittaka_Fuyuka: What is happening with Oretachi ni Tsubasa wa nai? Is there a chance of it being translated?
bamboo: The negotiations for Oretsuba are going steadily.

yeahorsomething: Bamboo, yaranaika?
bamboo: No thank you!

Counter_Arts: Have you thought about bringing budget value titles at around $15 to help grow the market?
bamboo: It depends on the titles and their contents, but if those game companies are interested…

wizzlewiz: What plans do you have to attempt to quicken the expansion of the Western market? Also, more importantly, do you still have high hopes for the Western market?
bamboo: MangaGamer is still relying on the Internet and conventions for promotion.

rotinoma: Will bamboo make it to Otakon one year?
bamboo: I haven’t gone to Otakon and would like to, but I’m going to at least AX this year. I would like to answer more questions at the AX panel in person.

girlsinspats: What are your thoughts on creating a Steam-like application for the digital distribution of eroge?
bamboo: I would like to make a system like Steam personally, but the market is not big enough yet unfortunately…

NintendoManiac64: Wouldn’t stronger support of iOS and Android avoid the need for something like Steam?
bamboo: We don’t have any plans to release games on Android as MangaGamer, but we are releasing Kira☆Kira for it as OVERDRIVE.

(Question missed)
bamboo: I have left the project in the hands of the overseas staff for a while, but I would like to keep in touch with people using these chat sessions and things. It might take a long time, but eventually I would like to get the word out.

komeP: Where do you hope MangaGamer will be in five years?
bamboo: It might be gone, it it might still he around 5 years from now. If it is, I imagine that there would be a lot more titles by then.

Counter_Arts: Have you considered translating a high quality Japanese doujin circle’s bishoujo game?
bamboo: If there is a high demand, we would go for doujin games too. MangaGamer is still small, so what we negotiate depends on the demands of the fans.

Asceai: Who are your favorite eroge scenario writers?
bamboo: I like all of the eroge writers I’ve worked with.

(Question missed)
bamboo: Basically, it costs money to localize games. A lot of money. Testing and especially voices are expensive. They sometimes goes over the cost of the rest of the project. Voices also involve changes in the contracts with within Japan, such as the ones made with voice actor agencies.

LGJinnai: Do you think fan translators that have tried to promote buying the official Japanese releases of games instead of pirating them have helped the industry?
bamboo: I think that fan translators were not helping us at all, until last year, when NNL started helping us with ef. So I think that cooperating with fan translators is an effective way to develop the market… Although, I still feel negatively towards fan translators who translate without the approval of the companies. But I am looking forward to releasing Dengeki Stryker to the Western market — it’s made a bit with the Western market in mind.

yeahorsomething: What is your favorite beer?
bamboo: I actually don’t like beer/alcohol that much!

Kittaka_Fuyuka DEARDROPS ranked 194th in PUSH!!’s 2010 PC Bishoujo Game Sales Ranking. Was it a failure?
bamboo: DEARDROPS didn’t fail! It was…profitable.

girlsinspats: Would you consider selling character goods/related merchandise (from COSPA or other manufacturers) of games you have released in the MangaGamer online store?
bamboo: COSPA is doing international sales on their own, so we probably won’t be involved. We might make our own products though. Like goods for conventions. But we don’t have anywhere to ship them from.

Asceai: Is there a MangaGamer ita-sha?
bamboo: No, but there is an OVERDRIVE ita-sha.

(No question)
bamboo: We won’t be bringing many guests this year to AX, sadly.

hikarisc: When is the next chat?
bamboo: I would like to do this kind of chat twice a month.

Astraea127: How would you make VNs/bishoujo games appeal more to Western audiences? Would you start from licensing more all-ages games to absorb people into it?
bamboo: I don’t know how we would suddenly expand the VN market in the west, but I would like to start with a title like Go Go Japan that is acceptable to everyone.

Nuriomarayana: Any details on Go Go Japan? Will it be sold at AX? When will it be sold online? Have you determined the exact price?
bamboo: Go Go Japan probably won’t make it to AX, but we are planning to release it by this fall.

Asceai: Do you like natto?
bamboo: I like natto! Didn’t expect that question, lol.

Diffor: What’s your favorite, breasts or butts?
bamboo: Oppai. I like middle oppai.

StromIV: What are the chances of other games being sold as boxed hard copies instead of download?
bamboo: There are plans to release hard copies of other games, but I can’t say which titles yet.

Minimoto714: Which eroge do you recommend the most?
bamboo: Of course the most recommended eroge are OVERDRIVE games!

NintendoManiac64: Tsundere or yandere?
bamboo: I don’t want to end up in a situation like in School Days, hanging out with a yandere girl, so no thank you!

LGJinnai: Do the English sales of VNs seem to be going in the right direction?
bamboo: The sales of English VNs are steadily increasing, but it’s not enough to convince the companies. We aren’t getting paid to do this by the way.

wizzlewiz: Have you made a profit on any MangaGamer titles? Conversely, have you lost any money on MangaGamer titles?
bamboo: Titles like Shuffle and Koihime were pretty profitable. So I guess well-known titles do better. Kira☆Kira surprisingly did well too.

LGJinnai: What do you have to say when people say that the price in US dollars is too much, as it is the same as buying a physical game for PC or console systems?
bamboo:We are carefully adjusting the prices of the games based on the original prices and costs. Of course if the market expands, we can lower the prices…

Nuriomarayana: Any chance of seeing Kanon in the West officially?
bamboo: Visual Art’s current isn’t interested in the overseas market… but since their president is a business person, if there is a high demand for it…?

(No question)
bamboo: Like I said before, Japanese companies are small, so it’s hard to answer to demands such as “Release the games quicker!”, but we are working hard on it. I would like to hold sessions like this in the future, and try hard so that overseas fans can enjoy bishoujo games as well. Please support MangaGamer! Who’s going to AX by the way? Please bring your friends to the AX panel – it’ll probably be held on the 3rd day! tororo danchou will be there too.

Counter_Arts: I wish I could go! I’m in Canada though…
ch0ux: Me too… Being in Canada sucks that way.
bamboo: It’s unsafe to own eroge in Canada, so be careful!?
(People stated where they are from, there were viewers from all over the world, including Latin America and South America, though most of the people were from North America and Europe)

bamboo: Thank you for your time, we’ll do this again! I’ll post the next schedule on the forums when it’s decided.

MangaGamer’s official blog (NSFW) also has an overview of the Q&A session in a more narrative format.

Young girls wishing to apply may email us and we will put you in contact with QB. For the men out there, QB is not searching for any more magical gamers at the moment.

／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼

The contracted font

• Agilis has finally released Narcissu Side 2nd by Stage-Nana in English as a full operating system. (Neechin.net)
• Hendane and MangaGamer announce a new strategic partnership to release boxed versions of MangaGamer’s lineup. (Hendane!.com)
• Aniki Translations (formerly Yandere Translations) has announced that they are 70% complete with their translation of Hotaru 3 by Tarutaru Monya~. Their release will also feature a dub by the translation team. (Aniki Translations)
• No Name Losers release Minori Mystery Meat.
• The people/person working on a translation of Yandere has released a translation patch for the trial version of Gore Screaming Show.
• mirrormoon’s project servers had been seized by Dutch authorities, although they managed to retain some of their backups.
• MangaGamer starts their spring sale as planned.
• The translator for Kara no Shoujo has now added a poll for what to translate next.

Known as Sakura Taisen V ~Saraba Itoshiki Hito yo~ (サクラ大戦V 〜さらば愛しき人よ〜) in Japan, this takes place in an alternate universe’s late 1920’s New York City. Like the other four games in the series, the difference between this setting and the real world is the advanced development of steam-powered technology. The story focuses on the New York Fighting Troupe, a group of six girls/women, their captain and protagonist Shinjirou Taiga, and the troupe’s commander. The group was established after the successes of similar fighting teams in the first four games of the series. They battle using Star units, an upgraded version of the steam and spirit powered ground-based mecha from the earlier games that can now fly as well. In addition to their fighting duties, they operate and perform at the fictional Little Lip Theater in Manhattan.

Gameplay mostly follows the style of visual novels with lots of text and choices, but also includes SRPG-style battles. The characters’ effectiveness in battle is partially controlled by your choices in the visual novel parts. The game is partially voiced and features many animated cutscenes.

Although this game takes place after the first four Sakura Wars games, it can be enjoyed without playing the rest of the series.

The press release is available from NIS America (pdf).

Some of you may wonder why we have decided to go with this decision, especially after the discussions in the eternal flame comments thread. After much deliberation, our staff has decided that there really is no difference between patches and warez, since they are still uses of the author’s creative content (the script). Therefore, since we already mirror translation patch downloads, we have decided to mirror warez downloads as well. We hope you enjoy the games.

April Fool’s. We have left the download page available if you want to look, but removed most of the links. “Tsukihime 2″ is still available from mirror moon. Its name is “Fool’s Errand”. The SummerDays translation was the first chapter in English, as released by 0verflow for their 2007 april fool’s day joke. NetHack is a fun game you should try, even though it’s not a visual novel.

MOU IKKAI?

Note: the [NSFW] tag means not safe for work, and may include 18+ content.

• [NSFW] Sekai Project announces that they will be working on Squeez’s Teach Me! Yuiko Sensei – The Sex Education Lesson for Adults!! (おしえて！唯子先生　【エッチ】を覚える大人の性教育レッスン！！)
  Update: April Fool’s. The page has been restored.
• The red moon has risen at mirror moon, which usually signals a new release. However, there has been no announcement yet. They have released Tsukihime 2 English today, a year after announcing the project. More information is available in their news post
  Update: Confirmed to be an OEL parody work of Tsukuhime.
• Not a translation, but the Daily Momo-i TIMES informs us that Bottomless’s Omakase! Trouble Angel (おまかせ！とらぶる天使) has finally been released, although four years late. It was mentioned in our interview with Momoi Halko at Anime North 2008. (April Fool’s)
• Agilis has posted pictures of Narcissu 2 Carry-on Edition, which he says is nearing release.
• Hyper All-star Hani Sentai Force Z and Rance-sama have announced that they will be translating the entire Rance series of games from Alicesoft, or at least the older ones, which were released as freeware.
• In another announcement from AstCd2, True World 〜真実の世界〜 will be localized by the usual group of suspects. True World is a game by Circus and Kadokawa, released with the first press editions of volume 6 of the Welcome to the NHK (NHKにようこそ！) manga.
• The Sonozaki Futago-tachi, who released their translation of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni’s first chapter, Onikakushi-hen, in January, have received a response from 07th Expansion regarding the their translation. Unfortunately, they have been asked to decided to cease work and stop distribution of their patch. This could be interesting for the various other 07th Expansion translation projects out there.
  Update: They have removed the download links.
  Update: April Fool’s. They have now released an updated version of the patch, available on their download page. However, it is still true that they received a response from BT of 07th Expansion, but to a more positive effect.
• Not quite visual novel news, but Hendane, Inc. has announced an unexpected partnership with a certain famous doujin game creator, who likes hats and armpits.
• A toast to the hard working people at Yandere Translations, who have released the translation of the first 1/3 of Alicesoft’s Sengoku Rance. There are bugs seeing as this is a teaser patch, but the project seems to be moving along nicely.
  Update: We are now have a direct download link available for the Japanese version of the game, which you must apply the patch to, in our new downloads section.
  Update: Confirmed to be a real patch.
• We got caught linking our direct download of Sengoku Rance to MOU IKKAI. We have replaced the link now.
  Update: ぴったん〜らっらぜのぴったん〜
• In an (un)expected update from JAST USA, we find out not only that Shingo is alive, but also that they are busy reallocating their resources in these hard economic times. They have reallocated 12,000 april fool’s joke personnel from Redmond, WA, USA to instead work on the translation of Family Project (家族計画). See their update for more information.