What's going on with Seinarukana - The Spirit of Eternity Sword 2?

[Stormwolf]

Question was rather, why didn't they include the h content for aselia from the get-go?! Why do it for some titles and not for others? 

[CeruleanGamer]

Most likely loli tentacle rape scenes from the evil route. The west is very sensitive with lolis to the point that many people call others pedophiles for liking cute loli anime girls. 

[SilverLi]

I wish they release the physical editon whenever it is finished. I saw a spooky message from Peter which may be a problem. They are waiting for Seinarukana without H contents to be finished and ready for release on Steam. If it is true or not I can't confirm. 

[Decay]

4 hours ago, Stormwolf said:

Question was rather, why didn't they include the h content for aselia from the get-go?! Why do it for some titles and not for others? 

The real answer is that the translation team didn't want to do that content. JAST has no problem with lolicon or tentacle rape, or loli tentacle rape, so ignore that speculation. Aselia started as a fan translation patch. The fan translators also only did the all-ages version, because that's what they wanted to do. At the time, that version was the best version from a gameplay standpoint, and several members on the team also expressed dislike for the removed content, (mainly the evil route), so they didn't feel inclined to try to merge that 18+ content into the superior all-ages release. JAST picked up that fan translation, and they just didn't think it was worthwhile to hire additional help to translate the content the fan translators didn't want to, or to overcome the technical challenges involved in "merging" the two releases. Now, it seems like they're finally considering it. Maybe it's been long enough that everyone who has already played Aselia can consider replaying it after purchasing the 18+ content, however they're going to handle that.

2 hours ago, Tyrosyn said:

Why should anyone call you a pedophile when you're fapping to pubescent girls? You would be a hebephile which, by the way, is perfectly normal for a healthy man.

Don't even start this shit.

[CeruleanGamer]

1 hour ago, SilverLi said:

I wish they release the physical editon whenever it is finished. I saw a spooky message from Peter which may be a problem. They are waiting for Seinarukana without H contents to be finished and ready for release on Steam. If it is true or not I can't confirm. 

Steam always takes priority because it's the easiest way to start getting some dough for the effort. It will also influence when or if they will release the h-content because obviously thats another expense for JAST and they need to measure whether it's worth it or not. Personally, I wont buy any shit if theres any censored/cut content (all ages of anything is trash... Im an adult. Dont need some assholes telling me what not to buy) and there are a ton of people like me, so hopefully JAST gives it some consideration.

[Nosebleed]

A little reminder of the forum rules before this goes in some weird direction:

On 19/01/2015 at 6:07 PM, Nosebleed said:

Fuwanovel is not the place to discuss the nuances of pedophilia – in real life or in entertainment. Because they are a part of the traditional VN heritage of Japanese games, we acknowledge that mature, focused discussions of “loli” characters and routes within a visual novel are valid, and we will allow them within the Visual Novel discussion boards, but beyond those confines, Fuwanovel is just not the place for this topic.

Please don't discuss this kind of stuff on the forum beyond the stated confines.

[Stormwolf]

23 minutes ago, Decay said:

The real answer is that the translation team didn't want to do that content. JAST has no problem with lolicon or tentacle rape, or loli tentacle rape, so ignore that speculation. Aselia started as a fan translation patch. The fan translators also only did the all-ages version, because that's what they wanted to do. At the time, that version was the best version from a gameplay standpoint, and several members on the team also expressed dislike for the removed content, (mainly the evil route), so they didn't feel inclined to try to merge that 18+ content into the superior all-ages release. JAST picked up that fan translation, and they just didn't think it was worthwhile to hire additional help to translate the content the fan translators didn't want to, or to overcome the technical challenges involved in "merging" the two releases. Now, it seems like they're finally considering it. Maybe it's been long enough that everyone who has already played Aselia can consider replaying it after purchasing the 18+ content, however they're going to handle that.

Don't even start this shit.

So it comes down to professionalism. They shouldn't pick up titles they can't stomach. Kind of funny given the titles they have also translated.

[Mr Poltroon]

6 minutes ago, Stormwolf said:

So it comes down to professionalism. They shouldn't pick up titles they can't stomach. Kind of funny given the titles they have also translated.

They picked up the all-ages version for a reason. It's not like they chose a game and only translated parts of it, from what I can understand.

[Stormwolf]

I don't know. I just don't think scrapping something in a game because they don't like it is not the right attitude for a company. But if the all ages version was all around better then i agree that it was the best decision.

[CeruleanGamer]

What exactly is different with the all ages version of Aselia? Did they replace any scenes or make anything cute or pretty? I thought the uncut and uncensored version is always the more superior option unless it's censoring scat or guro but heck, it's just loli tentacle rape and vanilla sex from what I heard.

[Decay]

19 minutes ago, Stormwolf said:

So it comes down to professionalism. They shouldn't pick up titles they can't stomach. Kind of funny given the titles they have also translated.

Fan translators aren't professionals, they aren't bound to any rules of professionalism. Again, Aselia was a fan project first.

[Mr Poltroon]

25 minutes ago, CeruleanGamer said:

What exactly is different with the all ages version of Aselia? Did they replace any scenes or make anything cute or pretty? I thought the uncut and uncensored version is always the more superior option unless it's censoring scat or guro but heck, it's just loli tentacle rape and vanilla sex from what I heard.

You can see the differences here. http://dakkodango.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=48

I'm not sure if the all ages version contains some things that the previous + expansion did not, beyond improvements to voice acting and battle mechanics.
However, there are some VN's in which the all ages version contains entire new routes not present in the version with H-Scenes (and vice-versa).

[Baldur]

21 minutes ago, CeruleanGamer said:

What exactly is different with the all ages version of Aselia? Did they replace any scenes or make anything cute or pretty? I thought the uncut and uncensored version is always the more superior option unless it's censoring scat or guro but heck, it's just loli tentacle rape and vanilla sex from what I heard.

Yes, the all-ages version is better, because there aren't any meaningless 18+ scenes, that aren't to any extent related to the plot . We are adults, yes, but this doesn't mean that we have to see hentai in all the existing VNs. You can do whatever you want, obviously, but I think(and hope) there's no many people who want to see meaningless and short scenes more than the game itself.

[Decay]

22 minutes ago, CeruleanGamer said:

What exactly is different with the all ages version of Aselia? Did they replace any scenes or make anything cute or pretty? I thought the uncut and uncensored version is always the more superior option unless it's censoring scat or guro but heck, it's just loli tentacle rape and vanilla sex from what I heard.

The all-ages version has enhanced combat mechanics. I don't really know the specifics, but that seems to be one of the biggest reasons they chose it.

[Tyr]

4 minutes ago, Baldur said:

Yes, the all-ages version is better, because there aren't any meaningless 18+ scenes, that aren't to any extent related to the plot . We are adults, yes, but this doesn't mean that we have to see hentai in all the existing VNs. You can do whatever you want, obviously, but I think(and hope) there's no many people who want to see meaningless and short scenes more than the game itself.

That's true but Aselia is not really a good example of this. The dark route is kinda foreshadowed in the plot and to me it feels like there is something missing if the player doesn't have the opportunity to go evil.

[CeruleanGamer]

14 minutes ago, Baldur said:

Yes, the all-ages version is better, because there aren't any meaningless 18+ scenes, that aren't to any extent related to the plot . We are adults, yes, but this doesn't mean that we have to see hentai in all the existing VNs. You can do whatever you want, obviously, but I think(and hope) there's no many people who want to see meaningless and short scenes more than the game itself.

We have the skip button if you refuse to read h-scenes. I'd rather get the shitty h-scenes than getting content cut. Plus playing an evil protagonist is awesome whenever you get a chance at it. Pretty sure it would be a huge selling point if more people knew about this...and not just missing out on the loli tentacle rape scenes.

12 minutes ago, Decay said:

The all-ages version has enhanced combat mechanics. I don't really know the specifics, but that seems to be one of the biggest reasons they chose it.

Oh I see. If thats the case, then thats acceptable. I'd take the enhanced battle systems because I'm a huge gameplay person.

[Baldur]

No, you can't play with evil Yuuto. You just see some rapes out of the blue, that's all. Actually, I only hope that there's no people who skip the entire game only for that, or people that don't play the game only because they can't see a rape. We can skip how much we want, but that's not an excuse to put meaningless material in a game. If you really, really want to see it, ask for a patch, that would work as a sort of DLC.

[Toranth]

1 hour ago, Baldur said:

No, you can't play with evil Yuuto. You just see some rapes out of the blue, that's all.

Exactly.  Motome takes over Yuuto's body for a little bit, just to rape all the female characters.  It's been a while, but I remember that in the original 18+ game, this is the only time you actually see the minor Spirits as characters.  In the All Ages version, they actually get scenes.  They also proved so popular that they got an entire game to themselves (SpiTan), so it was definitely a good decision.  Really, the Evil route was really boring.  Losing it doesn't cost the game anything but gratuitous, low quality H-scenes.

 

Now, the main game H-scenes were typical low-quality, but some of them had ties to the story or character development.  They tried to work around that in the All Ages version, but it just didn't turn out the same.

[sanahtlig]

On 1/30/2016 at 5:02 PM, Decay said:

The real answer is that the translation team didn't want to do that content. JAST has no problem with lolicon or tentacle rape, or loli tentacle rape, so ignore that speculation.

This is false.  As stated by former JAST employee Shingo:

Quote

 

To clarify the decision-making process when we were discussing which version of the game to produce: we sat down with Xuse and went over the data in the 18+ version of the game. Based on the appearance of the characters and the thematic elements of some of the scenes involved, we came to the conclusion in consultation with them that it would be more true to the spirit of the game to produce the all-ages version than to release a version with adult content that would inevitably have to be altered in the localization process. In the end the choice was between a pristine and completely faithful English version of -Kono Daichi no Hate de- and an edited version of an adult release, and we chose the former.

I'm going to be clear on this: it's our position that Aselia chose a visual aesthetic that is problematic in an adult context in terms of distribution outside Japan. You're welcome to disagree with this position, but we feel that this is a case where the judgment call is pretty unambiguous (looking at some of the images from the evil path in particular). Rather than choosing to release these with heavy edits and deal with the criticism that (quite justifiably) would arise from changes made, we decided to go for a version of the game where no compromise is required. We are bringing you an Aselia, specifically -Kono Daichi no Hate de-, in its purest possible form.

Regarding the choice to license and produce a non-adult game, several factors are in play. In talking with Xuse we felt like Aselia was the best entry point to their lineup to build on for potential future releases, so that's a factor specific to this license in particular. We are also aware of the recent success of games like Recettear, and while that's not a model we'll be following explicitly we think it points to the the opportunity to bring games like this to a broader audience who may not know about them yet. We realize that the preexisting availability of a fan-created translation patch shifts the landscape a bit, but just as fansubs haven't stopped anime from being licensed we don't see that existence in itself as a reason to avoid bringing out a game we think is really awesome and that a lot of people will enjoy. If anything we have Dakkodango to thank for increasing awareness of the title, and are happy to be able to work with their staff on some aspects of the production.

That's what I got for now! Keep tossing the questions this way and I'll address them as best I can.

 

Source

In addition, there was no binary choice between an all-ages version and the adult version.  At the time of JAST's release there was a Special Edition in Japanese with the content from both the adult and all-ages releases.  JAST could've licensed that.  They didn't, for the reasons in that quote.

The all-ages release has important adult scenes, context, and adult humor edited out.  The all-ages version doesn't explain why Desire tries to manipulate Yuuto.  The adult version does.  The adult version has traumatic events important to the story featured intact.  The all-ages version replaces them.  The adult version has conversations that reference the sex scenes.  The all-ages version has these references removed.

I do agree with @Toranth: the rape route is subpar, and there's a noticeable drop in quality with the scenes involving the minor spirits.  The main story H-scenes were much better and featured actual character development.

[sanahtlig]

I think JAST said Seinarukana would be up for pre-order on their site eventually.  The release date is probably months away so I wouldn't stress about it.

[Decay]

The physical versions of JAST games only cost extra shipping over their digital counterparts, although j-list tends to charge an arm and a leg for shipping. They also give you a digital key to redeem on release day when pre-ordering physical copies.

[sanahtlig]

50 minutes ago, Decay said:

The physical versions of JAST games only cost extra shipping over their digital counterparts

That's not necessarily true, especially for pre-orders.  I suspect Seinarukana will be priced $5 less on JAST.  We'll find out later rather than sooner.

[Decay]

Shiny Days is the same, though...

[sanahtlig]

36 minutes ago, Decay said:

Shiny Days is the same, though...

The Shiny Days LE is $50.  The download version is $40.  There is no regular edition at this time.

[sanahtlig]

In a bizarre turn of events, Peter Payne, head of J-List and JAST USA, has said that he's translating Seinarukana himself.

Quote

There will be no censorship of the game whatsoever. And I'm happy to say the Steam version has extensive additional content, routes and scenarios and even some new characters. It's so extensive I've been staying at work til 1 am every night translating it.

Source