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Sekai Project Launches Narcissu Kickstarter Campaign

Video game localizer and publisher Sekai Project launched a Kickstarter campaign on Monday to raise funds for the Narcissu 10th anniversary anthology project. The campaign seeks to raise US$75,000 by November 25. As of press time, the campaign has raised US$39,392.

Sekai Project had originally announced the remake project in July.

Sekai Project, in collaboration with Narcissu series' creator Stage-nana, will remake the visual novel series with new art, re-recorded voices, and an entirely new scenario. The anthology includes four games in the Narcissu series: Zero, A Little Iris, Himeko's Epilogue, and the brand new chapter Sumire.

Backer rewards for the campaign include digital and physical copies of the games, their soundtracks, and a visual fanbook. Other rewards include an original mini-novel, a collector's box, a Narcissu T-shirt, and a tapestry. Up to 24 donors who pledge at least US$1,000 will receive all previous rewards in addition to dinner with Stage-nana leader Tomo Kataoka at Anime Expo 2016 in Los Angeles. Donors who pledge at least US$1,800 will also receive a hand-drawn and colored shikishi (Japanese sign-board) drawn by Takehiko Akino, the main artist for Narcissu; Sumire.

Stretch goals for the campaign include a short extra story by Tomo Kataoka, titled 1980 (US$100,000), a mini-shikishi with exclusive artwork for all physical backers (US$150,000), a brand new Narcissu opening animation movie (US$250,000), and a 30- to 60-minute OVA (US$500,000). More information including a planned production schedule and a funding breakdown can be found on the project's Kickstarter page.

Narcissu is a series of linear visual novels that explores themes relating to terminal illness and the relationship between the living and the dying. The games have more than one million downloads worldwide, and have inspired spinoffs such as a manga, light novels, and mobile apps. Fans have translated the games into numerous languages including English, Chinese, French, German, and Polish. Sekai Project also published the most recent versions of the games on Steam as the free Narcissu 1 + 2 game.

Stage-nana is a Japanese doujin-group that created the original Narcissu series in 2005. Tomo Kataoka, a veteran of the visual novel industry and primary scenario writer/director for NekoNeko-Software, leads the group. Stage-nana is providing the writing for the remake project.

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