Author: Anne

Alice in the Heart Deserves a Better Localization

The Alice in the Country of Hearts series by QuinRose is otome game series that fans have been clamoring to see released in English since the first game was released in Japan on PC back in 2007. Loosely based on Alice in Wonderland, the series is highly regarded for having sharp writing and a refreshingly spunky protagonist, along with a slightly sadistic yet colorful set of suitors. Largely due to this series, developer QuinRose is now a household name for otome game fans worldwide, and the Alice games have even spawned a number of very successful manga adaptations and spinoffs, many of which have been released in English and frequent the New York Times best seller list for manga.

Needless to say, the series has a well-established western audience that has been eagerly awaiting the release of the Alice in the Country of Hearts game for many years. Why is it, then, that when QuinRose finally brought the game over to their English-speaking fans, they couldn’t even grace it with a serviceable localization?

Alice in the Heart ~Wonderful Wonder World~ is an iOS/Android port of the PC/PSP remake of the original Alice in the Country of Hearts ~Wonderful Wonder World~ game, which, most notably, featured a complete art overhaul. The first thing that caused alarms to go off for me when I learned of the Alice in the Heart release was the title. Why would QuinRose choose to localize the title as Alice in the Heart when the series has already been established by a number of publishers from TokyoPop to Yen Press as Alice in the Country of Hearts in English? Immediately, it breaks continuity from the very popular manga, and also gives an extremely poor first impression for just not making any sense.

Luckily, the prologue and episode one of the game are available for free, so people can try it out before committing to buy it. All of the screenshots included in this article are from the prologue, as I honestly couldn’t bring myself to play any more. I was prepared for a mangled translation going in, and while at first I felt a combination of amusement and disappointment, as I read on, the amusement faded until I was left feeling nothing but frustrated and sad about the state of Alice in the Heart. While I have the Japanese version of Alice in the Country of Hearts for PS2, I was prepared to purchase the version with Japanese voiceovers for $37.99 (it’s $24.99 without voiced audio) just to show my support for this and more otome games being localized. Now, I want to implore anyone thinking of shelling out money for Alice in the Heart not to do so until QuinRose fixes the localization.

While otome games on mobile devices have a reputation for getting subpar localization jobs, Alice in the Heart truly takes the cake. I’m sure I’m not the only one who understands how much work it is to translate the wall of text that is a visual novel, but running the Japanese through Google Translate (I can only imagine this is what they did) to save on time/costs is simply not acceptable. In fact, Jenni Lada over at Technology Tell has already written an article calling the release “heartwrenching” and “one of the worst game localizations I’ve ever seen,” and nearly all of the reviews on both the Android and iTunes pages for the game cite the poor translation and/or a bug that causes the game to freeze during the prologue. It goes to show that in a genre that relies so heavily on reading to advance the narrative, the translation is everything, and fans should and will hold popular otome games like Alice in the Heart to such a standard.

With the huge number of quality freelance translators doing work to bring Japanese games out in English available, combined with the number of people that have been long awaiting an Alice in the Country of Hearts game release, there is simply no excuse for Alice in the Heart‘s poor localization. If you find yourself amused by the gibberish and want to try the game out for yourself, please consider downloading and playing the free portion of the game and then sending QuinRose an email or writing a review telling them you won’t pay for the full product until it is in, at the very least, understandable English. The game, otome game fans, and the localization industry as a whole deserve much, much better.

Japan Envy: Card Captor Sakura Bags by Super Groupies

I’ve always said that the best kind of nerdy fashion is that which incorporates nerd/geek culture in an interesting yet trendy and not completely obvious way, and this new Card Captor Sakura bag line by the Japanese brand Super Groupies does exactly that. They manage to be adorable and functional without screaming “I’m from an anime/manga series!” but also have lots of details that will most certainly appreciate. Let’s take a look!

The largest bag, pictured at the top, is a “roll Boston bag” and priced at ¥7,800, while the smaller shoulder bag is ¥4,800. The small red Clow book pouch is for organizing your things within a larger bag, and is priced at ¥3,800. Both larger bags feature iconic bows similar to those found on Card Captor Sakura’s many outfits, but a closer look reveals a lot of cool details: 

The zippers are shaped like Sakura’s sealing wand when it’s in key form!

The inside of each bag is even patterned with a Card Captor Sakura-style print! 
Here’s closer look of the print, as seen in the Clow book pouch. The pattern of Sakura, Kero, Spinel, and various accoutrements is really special.  
Both bags also have a faint embossing that says Card Captor Sakura, along with a cute star pendant hanging from the bow. 

Finally, here’s a close up of the Clow book pouch. I really love the design on this one!

Card Captor Sakura-inspired bags aren’t the only CCS items Super Groupies is offering, though they’re definitely the most exciting.

It’s hard to make out the design by the ankle, but there are also these Kero “tattoo” stockings. I’m not actually all that fond of these… I think I’d much prefer a pair of stockings with a full pattern like the one featured inside the bags, even if it is a bit flashy (what can I say, I like flashy stockings).

Super Groupies also offers a number of other anime-inspired items, including some gorgeous Revolutionary Girl Utena shoes. I can’t say yet whether or not I’ll spring for one of the Card Captor Sakura bags, but I know at the very least that I’ll keep this brand on my radar from now on!

Chic Pixel Joins Kawaii in Manila 2’s Worldwide Kawaii Campaign

There’s a lot of horrible things going on in the world right now, and it’s starting to wear on me, but that’s all you’re going to hear about that here. What I can do, however, is share something a little personal and hopefully a little uplifting in light of all the current news. At the very least, I hope it makes you smile!

I don’t believe I’ve ever mentioned it here, but I really admire Kaila, Kawaii Ambassador of the Philippines (official title!), as well as creator of Rainbowholic and Kawaii Philippines and co-creator of the amazing site Japan Lover Me. She’s only 21 years old, but she’s something of a social media celebrity if you’re into anything Japanese and cute, and she’s currently involved in putting on Kawaii in Manila 2, the second year of the first ever “kawaii convention” in the Philippines.

If you’re not familiar with any of those sites and you’re a fan on this blog, I highly suggest checking them out. While Kaila isn’t as nerdy as me, she definitely appreciates many of the same things about Japanese culture and entertainment as I do, and I strive to be half as motivated as she is! She and the other folks behind Kawaii in Manila started the event to bring kawaii Japanese culture to the Philippines, but they also recognize that there are many of us around the world that wish we could attend… which is why they started the Worldwide Kawaii Campaign!

The Worldwide Kawaii Campaign encourages everyone to take part in the festivities by sharing what kawaii means to you. All you need to do is create an A4-sized poster answering that very question and take a photo of yourself with it like I’ve done in the above photos. Then, share it on your blog/social media accounts to spread the fun! You can also email your submission to the Kawaii in Manila folks to be in a photo compilation that they’ll display at the event itself. Apparently they will even be giving out special prizes to stand-out entries, though they haven’t revealed the details of that yet.

Kawaii is a great word that I think really means more than its dictionary definition of “cute,” so there are a lot of ways to approach this project! I originally thought of the rather cliché “kawaii is anything that makes you smile,” but I quickly realized that one of the example submissions basically said the exact same thing, so I had to come up with something a little more unique! Since “kawaii” to me is all about expressing myself in whatever way makes me happy, rather than worrying about what others think, I decided to go with “kawaii is fearless self-expression.” I’ve decided to submit the very first photo in this post, since that’s the one I’m happiest with, but here’s an example of one of my nerdier photo attempts:

Whether you’re into kawaii or kakkoi (cool), what’s most important is doing what makes you happiest. And, if you decide to join the Worldwide Kawaii Campaign, do share your photos with me! If you’d prefer not to go to all the trouble, but feel a special connection to the word kawaii like I do, why not share with me what kawaii means to you in the comments?

When Marnie Was There Review

When Marnie Was There Japanese poster

When I realized I would be in Japan while the latest Studio Ghibli film, When Marnie Was There (Omoide no Maanii), was in theaters, I was thrilled. The last time I saw a Ghibli film in Japan was Ponyo, which was gorgeously animated but ultimately a little disappointing for me, so I wanted to see if Ghibli could outdo some of their more recent mediocre affairs. While When Marnie Was There‘s premise of a young sick girl who goes out to the country and becomes friends with another, rather mysterious, girl didn’t seem all that enticing from a plot synopsis point of view, I went in hopeful that I would be getting another dose of Ghibli’s magic on the big screen, well before the film aired in the rest of the world.

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Catch-Up Corner: HaruToki 4, Battle Princess of Arcadias, and Rilakkuma Re-Ments

Now that I’m back in Australia and attempting (and mostly failing) to resume “normal” life, it’s time to get back to my favorite/only weekly column: Catch-Up Corner! If you’re new to Chic Pixel or just forgot since I haven’t done one in a while, the Catch-Up Corner is my attempt to make a space to talk about things I wouldn’t normally write a whole post about – a weekly roundup, if you will. This week, I’d like to talk about two games I started and the latest video on my YouTube channel.

First, after buying my fair share of exceedingly cheap retro Japanese games while I was in Tokyo (don’t worry, I’ll recount my haul very soon!), I decided it was high time to start chipping away at the old Japanese game backlog. I’ve always wanted to play one of the games in the otome series Harukanaru Toki no Naka de, and after buying yet another copy of the 4th installment by mistake because it was 100 yen (you know you have a problem when you can’t remember what games you have in your collection), I decided that was as good a place as any to start.

I’ve only played a couple hours of HaruToki 4 (PS2 version), but so far I’m really enjoying it! The games are developed by Koei, creators of the first otome game series ever, Angelique, but are particularly unique for the genre in that they have RPG elements in the form of battles and character progression. HaruToki 4 takes place in a fantastical setting loosely based on historical Japan, and features one of my favorite story clichés: girl getting transported to fantasy world and turning out to be the people’s last hope/princess/priestess. I’m surprised it took HaruToki 4 to remind me of this, considering I loved The Vision of Escaflowne and Fushigi Yuugi as a youth, but there you have it. I’m having a lot of fun playing a mystical princess surrounded by a bevy of hunky male protectors, so I imagine I’ll be sticking with this one.

Speaking of fantasy princesses (how’s that for a segueway), the other game I dabbled in this week was the new PSN release, Battle Princess of Arcadias! Ever since the game was announced for Japan, I’ve been enamoured by the gorgeous art style, and intrigued by its apparent similarities to Odin Sphere. From my limited experience with the game, I have to say I’m surprised with how difficult it is! I died right in the very first tutorial level, and multiple times in every level since. It’s a 2D action game, which I’ve never been particularly proficient at, but Battle Princess of Arcadias really makes you work for the victories, and so far I’ve determined that you need to be willing to replay past levels to beef up your characters in order to push through each new area. If you want to hear more about what the game’s all about, check out shidoshi’s recount on The Nichiest Podcast Ever episode 10. I’ll also have a full review in the near future, but I’m pretty positive about it despite the difficulty so far, and that’s partly due to just how darn beautiful it is.

Finally, be sure to check out my latest YouTube video, which is an unboxing of my very first Re-Ments! Re-Ments are a brand of Japanese miniatures that happen to come in many cute character-themed sets, the most important of which being Rilakkuma. I grabbed three different Rilakkuma singles and was really excited to see what I got, so if a video of cute bear-themed toys sounds pleasing to you, do check it out!

Apricotsushi Interviews: Foo Swee Chin (FSc)

While most of the influential artists of my youth were undoubtedly Japanese, there is one non-Japanese illustrator I followed from a young age that stands apart from the others for her eerily beautiful style. I’m referring to none other than the Singaporean artist, Foo Swee Chin, who is an all-around amazing creator. I actually had the privilege of meeting her last year at a conference in Sydney, and she also happens to be one of the sweetest professional artists I’ve ever met!

An example of FSc’s quirky, dark style (source)

☆ When did your first start drawing? Have you always wanted to be a comic artist?

I have been drawing for as long as I can remember. Drawing is a substitute for friends. I wasn’t allowed to go outdoors besides school and the library. So drawing is like a friend. We travelled together. XD
The comic thing kind of happened gradually. I enjoyed making up stories and creating worlds so the best medium was comics. I submitted some drawings and short comic stripes to a student newspapers in my teens. They published them, so I continued to send them more. After that I uploaded some online and sent samples to Slave Labor only because I enjoyed reading the comics they published. I kind of never stopped making comics since.

☆ Many of your fans probably came to know you through your work on Nightmares and Fairy Tales by Serena Valentino. What was it like doing the art for someone else’s story?

You are right, majority of them came to know my drawings because of Nightmares and Fairytales.
Serena was very nice and straightforward. She gave me a lot of freedom so it was quite fun to work on NNF. I didn’t feel very stressed out.
She explained everything very clearly so it wasn’t very difficult.
The only difficult part was that… being used to Japanese comics I found it hard to fit a lot of panels and dialogues into one page. But I got used to it after awhile, and now it is difficult to not over fill a page.

One of FSc’s character designs for Wayforward’s game, LIT 

☆ Is Wayforward’s LIT your only experience working on a video game? Is that something you’d like to do again in the future?

Kind of I guess. I did character designs for interactive games too but I guess that is different from video games.^^)>

☆ Interactive games still count! It’s really interesting that you’ve been able to work on projects in different mediums. You’ve also had the rare opportunity as a non-Japanese to work with a Japanese publisher and have your comics published in Japanese. What was that like?

It was… I was very honoured. I felt very lucky.
It wasn’t easy. Making Japanese manga is so different from making alternative comics. The editor and the manga artists have to work together as a team. I learned a lot from the experience. It made me humble.

A couple volumes of FSc’s comic, MuZz, at Mandarake in Shibuya
(photo taken by me)

☆ Back in January 2013, you spoke at the Women’s Manga in Asia: Glocalizing Different Cultures and Identities conference about being a female comics artist with Japanese influences. However, your style is probably not considered very manga-like by some. Do you consider your art manga?

No. I don’t anymore. I used to, simply because everyone said my comics are very manga. When I went to Japan I was told that my art is very European.
I don’t know anymore. My brain is a mashed potato.

☆ I personally don’t think it matters how you define it… Just keep drawing in your own amazing style! As for the future, what do you hope to be doing in five years?

I hope to get more art related work, at least enough to pay the bills and feed my cats XD
I’m open to any art related work, be it illustrations, concept visualisations, comics or manga, clothes designs, merchandises…  galleries (that is if anyone sane enough wants to see pages and pages of scribbly wiggly black and white line drawings LOL)
But my dream would be to have my own comic/manga series which can support my lifestyle and pay the bills someday. That dream is getting more and more difficult by the second.

She also posts lots of comics about her life on her blog.
Keep at it, FSc! 

A rather melancholy note to end on, but thanks so much to FSc for chatting with me about so many interesting topics! If you’d like to see what she’s up to, you can follow her on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. She always needs the support, so to read or, more importantly, purchase her work, please head over to her website!

Anne in Japan 2014: Rilakkuma Café at Tower Records

And so it begins! In addition to my usual posts, August is going to be dedicated to recapping my two and a half weeks in Tokyo! I went to a bunch of themed cafés, so it only makes sense to get the ball rolling with a post about one of them. I give you… the Rilakkuma Café and collaborative exhibit in Tower Records, Shibuya!

Before I get to the real event, that is, the Rilakkuma Factory Tower Records Café itself, I’d like to briefly recap the cute Rilakkuma x Tower Records collaboration exhibit they had on another floor of the building. It was mostly just a chance for Tower Records to sell limited edition Rilakkuma merchandise, but I got a lot of cute photos!

This whole 8th floor of Tower Records was dedicated to this exhibit! I love the little streamers they hung from the ceiling. Let’s take a closer look at some of the things they had on display…

Lots and lots of merchandise! Luckily, I wasn’t really tempted by any of the collaboration designs, so I was able to save my money. Since this was only my first full day in Japan, I’d say that’s a good thing!

The best part of the exhibit by far were these great cut-outs of Rilakkuma and his buddies, korilakkuma and kiirotori. This one of them looking glam is definitely my favorite!

Does the little yellow bird have Beatles hair, or so that a beret? It’s a shame I was by myself and too shy to ask someone to take my photo, or else I would’ve gotten my picture taken with at least one of these Rilakkumas.

Hard rock bears! Forgive me if I’ve described any of these musical decades by the wrong name, I’m not to up on my popular music genres… I think the reason why I didn’t really like the designs in this exhibit that much is because Rilakkuma isn’t doing what he does best – relaxing!

I actually wasn’t able to visit the café on the same day as the exhibit, as the line was too long. I ended up coming back during a weekday when it (hopefully) wouldn’t be as crowded. I was also able to meet up with a Twitter pal, @abyssviola! It was great to finally meet her in person, and we were able to get into the café after only waiting about 15 minutes or so!

Here’s the inside of the café itself. I love the industrial look of the ceiling, but it was slightly disappointing not to see more Rilakkuma stuff around! Oh wait, I think I see one now…

At least we were lucky enough to get this big Rilakkuma plush at our table! Each table was adorned with some kind or Rilakkuma plush or another (you can see a small one on the table directly behind my head). That was about it for Rilakkuma-related decor, though.

I was too distracted with petting the Rilakkuma plush to take a picture of the menu, but you can see the different items on offer on this sign outside. Since I hadn’t eaten dinner, I decided to go with the only savory item on the menu, the Rilakkuma vegetable curry. I would’ve liked to try one of the desserts, too, but the prices were pretty steep and I was worried I might get too full from the curry, so I ordered the “Rilakkuma Irish milk” instead.

Here’s the adorable Rilakkuma Irish milk drink! I don’t remember it tasting like anything but milk, actually. But it certainly was cute!

Looking back now, this isn’t really that appetizing of a photo, but there you have it! Rilakkuma curry. I love how they fashioned the rice to look like Rilakkuma is lounging in the curry. His “pillow” was made out of an omelet, and the white and tan parts on his body were cheese.

The drink and curry cost me around $20, which in all honesty, was rather disappointing. It felt quite expensive for the amount of food given, even if it was Rilakkuma-themed, and I left the café feeling pretty hungry! I should’ve ordered a dessert! Just for comparison, I got a curry and drink at another nice local café for about $13, which, while not themed, was much more reasonable. I can understand a slight markup, but an additional $7 for the Rilakkuma “experience” seemed rather steep.

I definitely don’t regret going, but as my first themed café excursion, I was left a little underwhelmed. Luckily, I can say that this was probably just an example of an overpriced themed café, as the others I went to later on in my trip were much better value for money. Still, I’m glad to have been able to go, especially since it was only around for the month of July! Thanks to @abyssviola for joining me!