×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
NEWS: Software Studio minori, Fan Translation Group in Talks


Goto page 1, 2  Next

Note: this is the discussion thread for this article

Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Paploo



Joined: 21 Nov 2006
Posts: 1875
PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 9:59 pm Reply with quote
Curious news. Sounds like they're approaching things the right way by taking down their site in that style. Better then just ignoring the C&D and inviting an eventual lawsuit like some outfits prefer to do.

From what I've seen, many translated anime-game/dating sim companies work primarily online anyways, so I wonder if people starting fan translations should just start using their japanese skills to contact the companies first and try to license the titles.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Razzuel



Joined: 27 Dec 2009
Posts: 164
PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 10:12 pm Reply with quote
I own Wind: A Breath of Heart; it's an amazing game, so I'd love to be able to play another game by the same developer. Also, I hear a lot of good things about ef, so hopefully this leads to an eventual North American release or something.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
norbjunior



Joined: 24 Dec 2009
Posts: 49
PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 10:14 pm Reply with quote
I think this is a step in a direction that I've been hoping for for a long time. We basically have an entire industry based around fan work, and oftentimes, it is of supreme quality and care. I'm honestly surprised it took this long for an official company to license a fan translation, as to me, it seems like a logical step. I always look at things like manga scanlations and think "if I were this company, I'd make an offer and buy the translation." The work's already been done, now lets all benefit from it, and help bridge the gap between under-the-radar fan projects and official licensed merch.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Shay Guy



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 2093
PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 10:16 pm Reply with quote
Hope their work's better than Mirror Moon's Fate/stay night translation.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Paploo



Joined: 21 Nov 2006
Posts: 1875
PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 10:19 pm Reply with quote
Mind you, at the same time, they'd totally be in the right to deny them any talks at all. It sounds to be a case of the fan translation group taking things seriously and taking down the material, rather then just overlooking the issues involved with unpermitted translations. If things don't suit the company, they might take their business elsewhere

Really, most offical licensed product is just very elaborate fan-created translations if you look at it a certain way- the difference is they did all that stuff after working out the rights for it [Jojo's Bizarre Adventure's manga translation is in part because Jason Thompson did the work to get it here]. I do hope in the future, fans who are translating these games attemp to contact the companies first, as they are small companies and likely pretty flexible.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
doubleO7



Joined: 17 Jul 2009
Posts: 1068
PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 10:33 pm Reply with quote
Paploo wrote:
I do hope in the future, fans who are translating these games attemp to contact the companies first, as they are small companies and likely pretty flexible.


While that would be ideal, I doubt that most fan translation groups could afford to actually license the games they translate. Although I'm not very familiar with the costs of licensing fees for VNs, but I would assume they're a whole lot cheaper than anime/manga, so I could be wrong and maybe there are some groups where licensing may not be totally out of the question.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
nightjuan



Joined: 22 Jan 2008
Posts: 1473
PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 10:42 pm Reply with quote
I would say that the mere existence of these talks is a positive sign but it ultimately depends on what, if any, tangible results come from them. Still, at least it's something you don't see every day and that's worth noticing.

I can't speak in favor of the quality or content of the games mentioned and wouldn't rush out to buy any of them without further information but, as a matter of principle, my hopes are that the executives and fan translators involved manage to come up with a viable distribution agreement. Whether or not it will provide me with products I'm interested in buying is, of course, another matter.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Reaper gI



Joined: 05 Oct 2009
Posts: 299
Location: UK
PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 10:48 pm Reply with quote
Minori acted very childishly and inapropriately to start with. They now apear to be acting more profesionaly about it. Hopefully the two parties are no longer at each others throats and can actually hold reasonable discussinons without it devolving back into mudslinging and trolling.

Hell, it was at least fun to watch so far. This has been quality internet drama.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
enurtsol



Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 14746
PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 11:35 pm Reply with quote
Let's see if they can afford it or if they have to ask for donations....
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Asrialys



Joined: 12 Dec 2006
Posts: 1159
PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 12:42 am Reply with quote
So they're discussing an actual license? I'd think it would be cheaper for both sides to just pay for the translation. Then again, minori may not know what to do about proper distribution.

Sort of related, I wonder if MangaGamer would be willing to distribute products that they don't translate...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Pirkaf



Joined: 14 Feb 2008
Posts: 156
PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 1:08 am Reply with quote
Asrialys wrote:

Sort of related, I wonder if MangaGamer would be willing to distribute products that they don't translate...


If it would be profitable, why not? They hire external translators anyway.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Reaper gI



Joined: 05 Oct 2009
Posts: 299
Location: UK
PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 1:14 am Reply with quote
Asrialys wrote:
So they're discussing an actual license? I'd think it would be cheaper for both sides to just pay for the translation. Then again, minori may not know what to do about proper distribution.

Sort of related, I wonder if MangaGamer would be willing to distribute products that they don't translate...

We have no details besides the sentence or so on each site.

They offered to buy the Higurashi fan translation, think they'd be fine with it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
TJR



Joined: 13 Jul 2009
Posts: 223
PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 3:39 am Reply with quote
Quote:
So they're discussing an actual license?


Presumably, but we don't know their intentions yet. Ultimately, they stipulate that any negotiating party must visit them in Japan, which places NNL (already guilty of illegally distributing ef, as well as a portion of *eden - they may feel safe in Canada, but it's a whole different story once they're on Japanese soil) in a dangerous position.

Let's just say that the worst case scenario is that minori is preparing to set an example.

Quote:
I'd think it would be cheaper for both sides to just pay for the translation. Then again, minori may not know what to do about proper distribution.


minori has no intention of distributing overseas versions.

Quote:
Sort of related, I wonder if MangaGamer would be willing to distribute products that they don't translate...


Word has it that minori and MangaGamer (Circus, Overdrive, et al.) despise each other.

The thing is that they're on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to their opinions on how to handle overseas markets. minori would like to lock out all games unless a particular title is explicitly approved by a country's rating board and/or government (this means that they'll only license a game if the publisher agrees to make an ESRB submission. This goes for both adult and non-adult products). On the other hand, MangaGamer operates outside any rating board and sells games to people living in numerous countries, regardless of legal issues.

minori has openly denounced MangaGamer's business, claiming that it's "immoral" and dangerous to their industry.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
TJR



Joined: 13 Jul 2009
Posts: 223
PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 3:57 am Reply with quote
Paploo wrote:
From what I've seen, many translated anime-game/dating sim companies work primarily online anyways, so I wonder if people starting fan translations should just start using their japanese skills to contact the companies first and try to license the titles.


It's a matter of connections and trust. Most companies don't want to work with people they don't know on a personal level.

This is why MangaGamer is so successful at attracting licensors. They're backed up heavyweights like Circus, which means that they have pre-existing connections to numerous eroge companies.

That said, certain individuals involved with fan translation are now becoming acquainted with people affiliated with MangaGamer (thanks to events like Anime Expo, which also allowed them to mingle with MangaGamer guests like age, 0verflow, and Frontwing), so we may see improved relationships with eroge companies.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
enurtsol



Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 14746
PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 4:32 am Reply with quote
TJR wrote:

The thing is that they're on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to their opinions on how to handle overseas markets. minori would like to lock out all games unless a particular title is explicitly approved by a country's rating board and/or government (this means that they'll only license a game if the publisher agrees to make an ESRB submission. This goes for both adult and non-adult products).


Ah, the fallout from incidents like the Rapelay backlash that caused Japanese eroge companies to lock out non-Japanese IPs. They don't want foreign societies, whom their games are not made for, pressuring their Japanese government to clamp down on them.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group