Clephas

Fuwa is a good choice, simply because it is one of the major VN fan communities. If the demo doesn't suck, you might actually get followers, lol.

I'd like to be able to get text hooks from some of my imported psp games... it takes too long to finish them as-is.

Oh, and when you are ready for untranslated games, come to me.

Comyu is a good option. Everything but Kagome's route has been tled.

With moege, it isn't that difficult for a decent translator to transform the majority of shared concepts from Japanese to English... but in more complex games, with more abstract wording and literary flair, the difficulty shoots up exponentially. Keeping the meaning of a line without making it read awkwardly is an art that most translators never master... Edit: As an extreme example, take Dies Irae. Because some of the lines run to thirty words or more, with a lot of roundabout language, the average translator wouldn't even be able to approximate it. Games like Grisaia are pretty much the limit for a 'good' translator.

I'm more or less with the idea of a separate section for suggestions, though I'd still want people to look at the list thread before asking for recommendations.

Google translate also can't handle abstract words and concepts very well... though that's partially because the actual translation of a number of abstract words from Japanese to English is completely dependent on context. Straight 'dictionary' translations don't do any good in cases like that.

Hapymaher has no tsundere heroines... Konata yori Kanata Made Otome ga Tsumugu Koi no Canvas Just off the top of my head. Incidentally, I'm not counting heroines that honestly hated the protagonist at the beginning but got over it without that stupid 'tsundere interval' that happens so often with antagonistic heroines.

VN sucks, anime sucks, the end.

Mmm... I could suggest a number of games in Japanese, but I'm assuming your girl is Japanese-incompetent... I'd suggest Sharin no Kuni, Clannad, or Little Busters for a beginner. If she doesn't have much 'reading stamina', I'd suggest Planetarian.

I basically do it for anyone if I have the time... being polite and helpful is perfectly fine, if you are living in a civilized country where you don't have to worry about suicide bombers and the like. I dislike people in general, but I don't let that make me fail to have basic courtesy.

Google translate is worthless. That isn't translation... because it can't even grab basic grammar, which is just pathetic. You'd think that it would at least be at a level where it can take care of formulaic sentences, but it can't.

... I remember the girls' routes only taking me about forty-five minutes, other than Haru's.

tbh... after you play enough VNs, you run up enough of those moments that you could make a list of a hundred or more. However, I'll list one of my favorites here. Evolimit

Just finished both Reminiscence games. First... The original was a pretty high-quality work based 150 years (minimum) after the events of Akatsuki no Goei Tsumibukaki Shuumatsuron (though it isn't clear what the canon ending or story was). The characters that return are The protagonist starts as a washout who is working as a teacher at a girls' high school in the underground city of Hope Town, one of two such cities in the first game, the other being Dream Town. The first game centers around the events surrounding and after the protagonist becoming a tokumukan, a type of negotiator that has a very high level of respect in the community. Overall, there are two things that you should grasp. Shimazu Hidetaka (the protagonist), is not a superman like Kaito was, though he is incredibly intelligent. He is also perverted and fairly open about it. On the other side, he is very serious about his work. In the first game, there are five heroines: Nozomi, Rin (both secondary but not sub heroines), Aki, Accela (both primary but not true heroines), and Kizuna (the true heroine of the first game). Nozomi's and Rin's paths are fairly straightforward, based on their positions in life (a statesman's daughter and an idol), but Aki's and Accela's are much more serious and twisted (Aki's in particular is extremely twisted, because of the screwed up relationship with her big brother, the protagonist). Kizuna's route is basically centered around her position, and the resulting pressures that come with being who she is. The story overall is as high quality as the Akatsuki no Goei games, being frequently amusing and having surprisingly high quality narration. The second game both serves as a continuance from the main route's final split-off and a fandisc (it has after-stories for all the heroines). The after-stories are generally good, though I found Aki's a bit annoying, considering it ignored the ending of her path in the original, choosing to just do something before the critical last events of that story. The new story is somewhat short, with two new heroines: Kazuha (Tae from Akatsuki no Goei's descendant) and Suzuka (a heroine I can't reveal without spoilers). In both cases, it is more about the central story and differing out comes, rather than just the heroines. Suzuka would be considered the true heroine in this case, as her story is much longer and reveals a lot more about the central conflict of the second game. However, I found the endings for this game somewhat less satisfying than those in the first one, especially Aki's and Accela's. This is the writer's bad habit, apparently, but I still can't help but wish for a third game in the series, to bring something of a conclusion to the main character's story.

As a storytelling format, the VN is actually quite a superb medium. It appeals to hearing and visual aesthetics, in addition to allowing the imagination room for interpretation through the text. I'm an avid reader of books in general, and I am otaku. For me, Japanese VNs were something of a miracle, because they addressed my love of the written word, as well as being otakuish to appeal to my love for anime. I imagine that a lot of people that get into VNs aren't quite conscious of precisely why they like them so much (other than people who love nukige, lol).. One thing you have to grasp is that we tend to present VNs incorrectly as a medium when trying to make them appeal to westerners. People who like anime or manga might very well be unable to stand VNs, precisely because they don't like having to read text to the extent a VN requires. However, someone who is into anime, manga, and light novels is very likely to also be a viable VN fan. The problem occurs when you are trying to appeal to people outside of those narrow requirements. To be blunt, all VNs currently made, with a few exceptions, primarily hold appeal to people who are already otakus and only them. Did any of you start with VNs? I've yet to meet someone who has. Even for most of us, VNs are something we got into through something else, not something we started out of the blue from no contact with Japanese culture. If you want to market VNs to non-otakus, you are going to be forced to either turn them into otakus through one of the other options (manga, anime, etc) or take the step of encouraging the making of primarily western-influenced VNs that appeal to western values and culture. To be blunt, people who become otakus are people who tend to find it easier to accept other cultures' ideas and ways of thinking... or at least be able to enjoy them.

I'm not fond of archetypes in and of themselves... I prefer 'odd' heroines. Psychotic, two-faced, liars, manipulators, ruthless, murderers, etc. Frankly, the sweet as sugar heroine gets old after the hundredth time or so, though it doesn't actively irritate me anymore. My taste in heroines was formed by Kagome from Comyu, Tsukihime's heroines, and the heroines of Devils Devel Concept, so that's understandable, though. Heck, one of my early-on favorites was a wolf-girl who said cheerfully that she planned to eat the protagonist of the story, though she wanted to wait until he was satisfied with his life before doing so, since they were friends.

Two major issues with increasing the appeal of VNs in the west. 1. VNs appeal first and foremost to those who are functionally literate. I've addressed this reality in other threads, but the fact is, most people in the West never become functionally literate. The best you get is parroting the words they read without understanding it, for most people. 2. Sad but true... the appeal of VNs is primarily to otakus, because most of the VNs made in the West are made by or geared to those who already play translated Japanese VNs. The best way would be to utilize the format to tell more western-oriented stories... but unfortunately, that is unlikely due to the simple fact that there is no real demand that might create such an industry.

Cross Channel has the option to remove H-scenes, as does Tsukihime (with english patches).

Tokyo Babel has no h-content.

Norn's games are basically straight-up impregnation nukige with no other real content whatsoever. Because of that, most translators wouldn't touch them with a thousand-foot pole. I don't mind reading them when it starts to build up, but translating them would make me want to puke.

Probably Yurikago yori Tenshi Made... I definitely wanted more of the characters in that game, or at least a new VN in the same setting/universe.

Wrong forum, put in general discussion or anime/manga discussion please, mods.

I didn't bother with it, but it supposedly changes certain aspects of the narrative and unlocks some extras. Edit: Also, I will play the Remiscience sequel after replaying the original, but because it is a sequel in the chronology rather than a stand-alone story, it isn't eligible for VN of the Month. Edit2: If you liked Ami, don't play Sunao's route. tbh, the last parts leading up to the end are too sad. My problem was that I liked her way too much, and Sunao's route basically branches off of hers and is a 'what-if' if you don't go with Ami.

Dialog isn't narration. *Clephas sighs*