OR: When localizing a game that has mosaics, what kind of say does the developer have in whether it gets removed or not?
MG: We let the developer have a fair amount of say since we’re devoted to releasing the work as they envisioned it, but we also make very strong recommendations and arguments for removing them. We’d like to release all of our products mosaic-free, but sometimes there are complications. For example, sometimes the original uncensored image data has simply been lost, destroyed, or otherwise isn’t available. We never redraw the artwork ourselves, so if the original artwork is lost we simply can’t de-censor the games.
OR: What are ‘Yaoi’ and ‘Yuri’, and how big are they in Japan?
MG: Put simply, they’re both genres focusing on homosexual relations. The term “yaoi” is currently losing popularity in favor of “Boy’s Love” or “BL,” but it refers to entertainment that focuses on relationships between two men. To further delineate the genre, yaoi or BL is generally created by women for female consumers. Meanwhile, what we call “bara,” which is moving to just being called “gay,” tends to be more traditionally male oriented—often written by men, and aimed more at gay men. Yuri would be the opposite of those—entertainment that focuses on relationships between two women.
Both are somewhat niche genres, but they’re also both popular enough that there are several companies and magazine publications devoted to those genres.
In addition to those though, we’re also seeing a rise in popularity for “otoko no ko”. While the term “otoko no ko” literally means male, the “ko” is written with the character for “girl.” This genre focuses around feminine men—primarily crossdressers, but sometimes transgender individuals. In recent years, this genre has also gained its own magazine publication.
OR: Has it been difficult finding a fan base for ‘Yaoi’ and ‘Yuri’ titles here in the West?
MG: Not at all, honestly. Both of our Yuri titles (Kindred Spirits, A Kiss for the Petals) have been tremendous hits, and our BL title, No Thank You, has also been a huge success. If anything, our history thus far is showing us that there’s great untapped potential for both genres here in the West.
OR: Recently MangaGamer released Kindred Spirits on the Roof on Steam uncensored, which is a first for the platform. Why is this such an important milestone?
MG: There are so many reasons why it’s such a monumental achievement. First and foremost, it’s a triumph for sexual expression. Allowing a game with uncensored sex scenes to be sold on Steam is a crack in the traditional barrier that has long prohibited sex in Western gaming. To have sex that freely available here is a sign that our [Western] culture is finally beginning to open up towards sexuality.
It’s a triumph for homosexuality. Having a game that treats lesbian relationships with respect and fairness is rather unique at present, and being so freely available to all means more chances that the coming generation will be exposed to helpful depictions of homosexuals.
It’s also a triumph for Eroge. For many years, the West has defined Visual Novels as “not games” and “porn,” using those two labels to keep them out of gaming storefronts and out of the hands of gamers. But with more Visual Novels on Steam, reaching mainstream audiences, there’s a great opportunity for the Visual Novel market to grow, and this release takes advantage of that growth. It pushes the boundaries of what can be sold on the storefront, allowing even more visual novels like it to be sold the same in the future.
OR: To follow up, what was that process like?
MG: A long and anxious one, honestly. When we first approached our contacts at Valve to discuss the possibility of Kindred Spirits’ release, we described the story, the content, and the extent of its sexual depictions to Valve. We got approval, put the page up, and sent out our press releases about the announcement. As we expected, the press ran strong and hard with the “sex on Steam” angle, causing more Valve representatives to request an opportunity to give the game a thorough review before we earned final approval. We were all very anxious during this final review process, but super excited when we received the final go.
“[Asking if Western visual novels bring anything unique to the genre when compared to Japanese visual novels is] kind of like asking if a French author brings anything unique to the table of literature.
There are a lot of creative and talented people on both of sides of the ocean with unique stories to tell.”
OR: Is MangaGamer hoping to release more uncensored ‘Eroge’ on Steam in the future?
MG: Absolutely. In fact, we’ve already started to expand on those offerings with our recent release of Gahkthun of the Golden Lightning on Steam. We’re currently reviewing our existing and pending lineup to see what other titles might be able to make this cut.
OR: Speaking of Kindred Spirits on the Roof, you recently started releasing Drama CDs that are related to the game, something not normally done. What made you decide to tackle this particular project?
MG: Well, we’ve been looking into and considering ways to sell related products for a while now. At conventions you can always see us selling a wide variety of physical items to complement the games—everything from keychains and artbooks to body pillow covers and wallscrolls. Drama CDs were something we’d been considering for a while too, but the dilemma there was “how do you sell a localized CD?” As an untested product, we weren’t sure if printing a translated manuscript to accompany physical CDs would be very appealing to fans or worth the production costs. Not to mention that often Drama CDs are licensed out or made by other companies which can complicate license negotiations. When we worked out the idea of producing and selling the CD localization as a subtitled video, we approached liarsoft with our proposal and managed to get the licenses to the CDs fairly easily.
OR: As a whole, has Kindred Spirits on the Roof been successful?
MG: It’s been a huge success. It’s currently one of our best sellers, and we’re still seeing a lot of fan response towards the game. It feels like everyday there’s new fanart for Kindred Spirits being created here in the West.
OR: MangaGamer also has been releasing several Western-developed ‘Eroge’ such as The Menagerie. How have Visual Novel fans taken to these titles?
MG: Quite well, actually. HuniePop was one of our best sellers for the longest time, and titles like Menagerie easily sell on par with similar titles that we localize.
OR: Do these Western titles bring anything unique to the table?
MG: That’s kind of like asking if a French author brings anything unique to the table of literature. There are a lot of creative and talented people on both of sides of the ocean with unique stories to tell.
Menagerie in specific offers a very interesting and unique tale about the lives of women in a harem, where none are but concubines for corrupt aristocrats. It also adds a lot of themes surrounding gender, sexuality, and body image too.
OR: Finally, what are some good ‘Eroge’ and ‘Nukige’ that would be a good starting point for someone stepping into this world for the first time?
MG: For Nukige, I would recommend either Eroge! ~ Sex and Games Makes Sexy Games~ or Beat Blades Haruka. Developed by Clockup, Eroge! is something of a tongue-in-cheek story about creating Eroge. It has a lot of jokes fairly close to home for the industry, but obviously none of us are having office sex like the characters do in-game. (We can dream!) Beat Blades Haruka on the other hand, developed by Alicesoft, has a lot of strategy and gameplay to it, all centered around training the heroines to defeat devious villains. Both of these titles contain a lot of sex scenes, and a wide variety of sex scenes too, so they cover a good variety of sexual interests.
For Eroge, Koihime Musou is one of our traditional recommendations. A long game, it balances gameplay, story, and sex very well. Koihime Musou follows the Romance of the Three Kingdoms (a Chinese historical fiction) fairly closely, but with all the main characters depicted as women you can form relations with.
Another good Eroge recommendation is Kara no Shojo for fans of horror and mystery, or our upcoming release of Bokuten. Bokuten is a very mature title that deeply questions the meaning of love, and whether some relationships should be broken or rekindled.
Lastly, for those with more specific tastes, No Thank You is an excellent Eroge for those who appreciate a good story and man-on-man, Kindred Spirits is a must-play for those who appreciate romance and woman-on-woman, and euphoria is an exciting thriller for those who appreciate good stories and the very dark or the extreme.
So there you have it. A rather informative introduction to all things Eroge. I certainly hope everyone enjoyed these two interviews. Even if you’ve found after reading this, that Eroge just isn’t for you, at the least I’ve you’ve come away with a little more understanding regarding the genre and it’s impact. If it’s not your thing, there’s nothing wrong with that, but calling it pointless or “just porn” as a whole is something that I honestly feel is untrue.
I’d like to once again thank MangaGamer for speaking with us about their passion and for giving us some insight into this often misunderstood genre. Also all images and the “Naught Bits Blocker” used for editing the images were provided by them. I’d also like to thank the William and Azario for their input regarding questions and Quentin for assisting with the layout and quotes.
Please be sure to leave your comments below, on Facebook, or on our Twitter. Also be sure to please check out MangaGamer’s website, blog, and give them your thanks on their Twitter as well. Until next time everyone!
Benny E. Carrillo
Assistant Head Editor
