Chic Pixel - cute and nerdy Japanese pop culture

Menu

Skip to content
  • about
    • portfolio
    • product finding service
  • contact
  • podcast
  • support
  • Subscribe

Category Archives: News

All Aksys Event Brings 4 Now Otome Game Localization Announcements

8 / 9 / 218 / 10 / 21

The All Aksys stream this past Friday was chock full of exciting news for otome game fans! Aksys Games was kind enough to invite me to record a segment about the games to air during the stream, so I’ve been sitting on this news for a little while now… I could hardly contain myself! Anyway, if you missed the livestream, Aksys announced that they will be localizing four additional Otomate games, bringing their upcoming otome lineup to seven!

The new titles announced are Lover Pretend, Paradigm Paradox, Kimi wa yukima ni koinegau, and Piofiore: Episodio 1926, the sequel to Piofiore: Fated Memories. Plus, the upcoming three previously-announced otome games, Olympia Soirée, Dairoku: Agents of Sakuratani, and Variable Barricade each now have a special Aksys store bonus soundtrack CD version available for preorder for an additional $10. Olympia Soirée is coming out very soon on September 9, so there’s not long to wait for more otome game goodness!

If you’d like to watch the recording of my appearance on the All Aksys stream and learn more about the titles, you can do so below! I’d recommend checking out the trailers over on the Aksys Games YouTube channel first so you can visualize the titles as Sami and I chat about them.

Since I already did a pretty summary of each title in the video, I’ll refrain from doing the complete overview again here. But since I didn’t really share my personal thoughts on the stream, I’d say I’m most excited for Lover Pretend, since it looks like a really fun romcom with gorgeous art and bright colors. Plus, it has Tomoaki Maeno, who plays Lupin in Code: Realize along with a lot of other great characters! Visual-Novel.Info has a great overview of the VAs in each announced title plus other otome/joseimuke roles they’ve had if you’d like more info (the site is in German but can be translated at the top left).

Paradigm Paradox also looks amazing because of the magical girl theme and the gender-bending aspect: each of the eight guys transforms into a magical girl! I don’t think that’s something I’ve seen in an otome game before (though as soon as I post this someone will probably remind me of one I’m forgetting) and I’m really excited to see how it plays out in the game. KimiYuki also looks great, though it’s a more series story and a historical setting, which is not always my favorite. But it has a killer voice actor cast and great art by the artist behind Clock Zero, so it’s shaping up to be really good, as well!

Of course, Piofiore: Episodio 1926 is a wonderful announcement for all of the fans of the first game. I haven’t played beyond the common route yet, so I need to get on it ASAP! What title are you looking forward to most? Let me know in the comments!

Leave a comment
Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin it
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email

Cupid Parasite and Birushana Senki English Localizations Announced

8 / 2 / 218 / 3 / 21

Idea Factory International, the international branch of Otomate’s parent company Idea Factory, recently had a summer event stream where they announced not one, but two otome game localizations, and teased a third! Cupid Parasite was announced fall 2021 release (for those in the Northern Hemisphere), and a Birushana Senki: Genpei Hika Musou localization was confirmed without a release window specified.

This news is especially exciting as it marks IFI’s return to otome game localization! While Idea Factory is Otomate’s parent company, IFI hasn’t published any English otome games in quite a while. Previously, they took over the Hakuoki series from Aksys Games and put out Amnesia: Memories on PC and PSP, but there’s been nothing from them since then. And personally, Cupid Parasite is an otome game I’ve had on my wishlist for a while, so I’ll definitely be picking it up when it comes out! In fact, there’s even a limited edition available to preorder, though the contents haven’t been revealed yet.

Cupid Parasite follows a top bridal advisor for a company that specializes in finding the perfect match for their clients, but the secret to her success is that she’s actually the goddess of love, Cupid! She’s been tasked to find love for the company’s five most difficult clients, so she comes up with a plan to host a reality sharehouse-style TV show starring the five men.

I love the vibrant art in this game, which is done by Café Enchanté artist Yuuya. The scenario writer is Ririka Yoshimura, who also worked on Café Enchanté and the very well-regarded Ken ga Kimi. In terms of voice actors, if you enjoyed Shiraishi in Collar X Malice or Nicola in Piofiore, you’ll be pleased to know that their voice actor, Makoto Furukawa, plays the role of Allan Melville! Not only that, but Allan is an incubus who works in a luxury pillow store… No, I’m not making this up!

Other notable voice actors include KENN, voice of Shelby Snail (yup), who you probably know from at least half a dozen other anime and video games. He features as Limbo in the recent English otome game release Bustafellows, and plays Urianger in Final Fantasy XIV. Junya Enoki plays the fashion designer Ryuki F Keisaiin – you might know him from OZMAFIA!! as Hansel or Yuji from Jujitsu Kaisen. I could go on, but then we’d be here all day!

As for Birushana Senki, I’ll admit I haven’t followed that one as closely due to the fact that I’m not always that keen on historical dramas, but I know a lot of folks who have very good things to say about it, and the art is certainly gorgeous! This one takes place during the Heian period and features a heroine who is raised as a man to fight in the Genpei War after her father is killed.

Makoto Furukawa also features in Birushana as Minamoto no Yorimoto, and if you’ve played NEKOPARA – Catboys Paradise, you’ll recognise Sage’s VA Yuichiro Umehara as Benkei Musashibo! Taira no Shigehara is played by frequent otome game and anime voice actor Jun Fukuyama, who is also Mozu in Bustafellows, Tokiwa in the upcoming Aksys Games otome game Dairoku: Agents of Sakuratani, and perhaps most famously, Lelouch in Code Geass.

As for that final, mystery game… Who can say? I’d love to hear your guesses in the comments! I’m still holding out hope that Otomate will give Moujuutsukai to Oujisama a second chance after its failed Kickstarter a few years back, but I’m not counting on it…

Leave a comment
Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin it
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email

Tokyo Onmyoji BL Game and My Dear Frankenstein Localizations Announced

6 / 12 / 216 / 12 / 21

Moonchime Studios announced today that they are localizing two new Japanese indie games for PC, the 18+ BL title Tokyo Onmyoji -The Tale of Rei Tengenjibashi- (Japanese title 東京陰陽師) and the point and click adventure game My Dear Frankenstein (Japanese title 愛しのフランケンシュタイン). Tokyo Onmyoji is scheduled to release for PC on JAST USA and other unannounced platforms in Q4 2021, and My Dear Frankenstein will release for PC and Mac on Steam this summer (winter if you’re in the southern hemisphere).

Both titles look really fun, but I’m particularly excited to see another publisher releasing BL games in English, and this is Moonchime‘s first foray into the genre after their first localization, the otome game I Love You!, released for PC for free in late 2020. Tokyo Onmyoji by Holicworks was originally released in Japan in 2014 and centers on Rei Tengenjibashi, an onmyoji for hire who exterminates demons. There are four romanceable characters, gorgeous art by Akira Sakamoto and fully-voiced characters. For more information on the story and cast, see Moonchime’s official announcement.

My Dear Frankenstein has a lovely fairytale-like art style and features a story inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Players control Adam, a newly-created monster who must explore the City of Shipberry for pieces of his heart that were scattered throughout. Players who like point-and-click adventure games and moving narratives should keep an eye out for a release date in the upcoming months! You can read more about My Dear Frankenstein on Moonchime’s announcement page.

Both of these games look right up my alley, so I’m really excited to check them out when they’re released! Moonchime Studios is shaping up to be a publisher to follow closely if you like visual novels and alternative indie Japanese games. I can’t wait to see what titles get added to their lineup in the future!

Leave a comment
Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin it
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email

Otomate Party 2018 Game Announcements and Impressions

9 / 18 / 18

Otomate Party 2018 logo

Otomate Party 2018 was held on September 8th and 9th this year, and with it came a slew of new otome game announcements! Otomate holds the yearly Otomate Party event to celebrate its recent and more popular titles with events featuring voice actors from the games and reveal some brand new games while they’re at it.

Following the company’s announcement earlier this year that they would be shifting focus to the Nintendo Switch, all console Otomate game announcements were for Switch, rather than PS Vita. I’m excited for more Switch otome games, but sad to see companies slowly dropping support for my beloved Vita! Luckily, there are still lots of otome games for the PS Vita being announced, like the Kenka Bancho Otome sequel, Kenka Bancho Otome 2nd Rumble!!.

Otomate x Switch

Otomate, however, is all about the Nintendo Switch now. Watch the reveal trailer to see the whopping nine new titles and ports for the Switch at Otomate Party 2018 and read on for further explanations and impressions!

Read More

Leave a comment
Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin it
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email

More Nitro+CHiRAL BL Games and Luckydog1 English Releases Announced

7 / 8 / 18

More Nitro+ Chiral and Luckydog1 BL English Releases Confirmed

This year’s Anime Expo has been especially exciting for BL (boys’ love) game fans. So far, there have been English localization announcements for not one, but five BL games! JAST Blue, JAST USA’s BL label, will be localizing Nitro+CHiRAL’s entire library, including their upcoming release Slow Damage. Meanwhile, MangaGamer has announced they will be localizing Luckydog1, a BL game about members of the mafia.

Read More

Leave a comment
Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin it
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email

Get More Out of Chic Pixel on Patreon!

3 / 28 / 18

Chic Pixel on Patreon

At the beginning of March, I took the plunge and started a Patreon for Chic Pixel and my other creative endeavors, and I’ve already passed two of my goals! I can’t believe it – I wouldn’t have been able to do it without your help! Since it’s nearing the end of the month, the first pledges will be going through soon, so I wanted to share a breakdown of exactly what you’ll get if you’d like to support Chic Pixel with a monthly pledge. If you’ve been on the fence, now’s the time!

Read More

Leave a comment
Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin it
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is Out Now in Australia!

10 / 26 / 17

Did you tune in to the 15 minute Nintendo Direct dedicated entirely to the long-awaited Animal Crossing mobile game that aired yesterday? The game, titled Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, was finally unveiled, with a worldwide release slated for late November. However, it turns out that Australians get to play the game early! It’s already available to download on both the Google Play Store and iOS App Store in Australia, so I jumped on the opportunity to try out the game. (Pokémon Go was also released in Australia and Japan before other territories, so it seems like we’re a popular spot to test out apps before their worldwide release)

Check out the above video to see a little over 10 minutes of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp in action! I share my current campsite, visiting villagers, all the different areas you can explore in the game, and more! My first impression from the Nintendo Direct was that the game seemed way more involved than I had previously assumed an Animal Crossing mobile game would be, and so far the game itself is living up to that.

As you may know, I’m a huge fan of Animal Crossing and even purchased the Japanese limited edition Animal Crossing: New Leaf 3DS XL back in 2012 so I could play the game before it came out in English! While Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is not a completely fleshed-out Animal Crossing game in that some of the customization is stripped away (you can’t make your own clothing or decor patterns at this point in time, for example), but it’s dripping with the same adorable charm.

What do you think of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp so far? Does it look like it’s going to live up to a proper Animal Crossing release, or will it fall prey to microtransactions? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Leave a comment
Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin it
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email

Posts navigation

1 2 3 … 10 11 Next Page

Welcome!


Name: Anne Lee
Birthday: December 13
Fav food: Mochi

Chic Pixel is where I write about my favorite aspects of Japanese pop culture, with a focus on the cute and nerdy! Read More >

Email Chic Pixel Follow Chic Pixel on Twitter Subscribe to Chic Pixel on Youtube Follow Chic Pixel on Instagram Like Chic Pixel on Facebook Follow Chic Pixel on Tumblr

Subscribe to Chic Pixel

Recommended Posts

Chic Pixel's Ultimate Guide to Blogging
How I Edit Instagram Photos and Nerdy Flatlays
Yaoi and Boys' Love (BL) Manga Studies Reading List
How to Make a Japanese iTunes Account
How to Purchase Manga from the Japanese Kindle Store

Affiliates

Support Chic Pixel by shopping at my TeePublic merch store! I've hand-picked the best cute and nerdy designs that you can purchase on a wide range of products such as t-shirts, mugs, hoodies, stickers, and more! All purchases support the independent artist that created the design, as well as Chic Pixel!
MangaGamer

Anne LeeFollow

Anne Lee
Retweet on TwitterAnne Lee Retweeted
miyuu_cr美結@miyuu_cr·
14h

インピーお誕生日おめでとう!
#インピー・バービケーン誕生祭2022

Reply on Twitter 1526413568996179968Retweet on Twitter 152641356899617996863Like on Twitter 1526413568996179968158Twitter 1526413568996179968
Retweet on TwitterAnne Lee Retweeted
OhPoorPupchrista lee@OhPoorPup·
20h

this is so sweet ;;

Reply on Twitter 1526309511199281153Retweet on Twitter 15263095111992811533Like on Twitter 152630951119928115321Twitter 1526309511199281153
Retweet on TwitterAnne Lee Retweeted
apricotsushiAnne Lee@apricotsushi·
16 May

🌼✨

Reply on Twitter 1526027436655529984Retweet on Twitter 152602743665552998410Like on Twitter 152602743665552998432Twitter 1526027436655529984
Retweet on TwitterAnne Lee Retweeted
mdiskplaylistMDi, The One They Call M Disk@mdiskplaylist·
15 May

Do you like platformers? Do you like Kirby games? Do you want to find a fun way to celebrate Kirby's 30th anniversary? Well join us at the Community Game-Along with your favorite Kirby platformer this month using #PlatforMay!

Reply on Twitter 1525988102027763714Retweet on Twitter 15259881020277637142Like on Twitter 15259881020277637146Twitter 1525988102027763714
Retweet on TwitterAnne Lee Retweeted
hyogonosukeヒョーゴノスケ5/25新作絵本@hyogonosuke·
16 May

008カメール

Reply on Twitter 1526102246164811777Retweet on Twitter 15261022461648117776357Like on Twitter 152610224616481177746250Twitter 1526102246164811777
Load More...

apricotsushi

A super cute new desk mat from a friend was the mo A super cute new desk mat from a friend was the motivation I needed to revamp my work space! 💻 I don’t think I’ll ever fully settle in to our current rental (it’s too tiny with both my husband and me working from home now), but at least this corner is cute! 💕💕 
.
.
.
#geekgirl #ladygamer #divoom #divoomditoo #animecore #bulbasaur #kawaiiaesthetic #pixelart #gudetama #nendoroiddoll #hellokitty #kawaiioftheday #kawaiiness #gamergirlsofinstagram #gamergirlsunite #kawaiilife #kawaiilifestyle #desksetup #kawaiidesk #cutelife
Lil budew inspired by @michelle_coffee’s amazing Lil budew inspired by @michelle_coffee’s amazing work! He’s dreaming of when he’ll bloom someday 😌🌹 be sure to check out @michelle_coffee’s art - so many stunning pieces, and her store is updating this week! My piece was made with watercolor gouache, posca and a little bit of gold gel pen. def need to stick to the 300gsm paper because this 200 warped too much with the amount of water I was using 😅
.
.
.
#pokemonart #budew #pokemonfan #pokemoncards #nerdyflatlay #pokemonpinball #gameboyadvance #pokemongames #pokemongame #midliners #stationeryaddict #pokemontcg #japanesestationery #traditionalart #geekart #geekartist #kawaiiart #kawaiioftheday
Aki and I are not feeling this return to work afte Aki and I are not feeling this return to work after a 1.5 week vacation! Ms Aki is @jessjhs’s lovely shiba inu who we’ve been pet sitting for a few weeks☺️ mug is by Keane Ng, creator of upcoming game A Shiba Story! 
.
.
.
#shibastagram #shibaholics #kawaiiness #kawaiioftheday #cutedogsofig #shibastyle #shibasofig #geekgirl #ladygamer #otakugirl #indiegamer #indiegames #cutemug #gamergirlsofinstagram #gamergirlsunite #cutevibes #aestheticposts
Finally got my hands on one of the Pokémon Happy Finally got my hands on one of the Pokémon Happy Meal toys at @mcdonaldsau! (Not counting the ones @iubnasus grabbed for me hehe) I love the big stickers! It reminded me that I need to get back to New Pokémon Snap… I haven’t played since the update!
Hisui Zorua! 💜 They are coming out with so many Hisui Zorua! 💜 They are coming out with so many cool new Pokémon designs for Legends wow 😍😍 I’m still on the fence about the game itself, but this Zorua is def a new fav! This piece was inspired by @citrinenote’s adorable style, and I tried a few new things like multicolor lineart
It’s time to get in the Halloween mood! 👻👻 It’s time to get in the Halloween mood! 👻👻 I played my first spooky game for the month, the point and click adventure My Dear Frankenstein (pictured at the top). If you like dark gothic vibes, I def recommend this game. Full review on Chic-Pixel.com! I’m thinking of playing Yomawari next… are you playing any spooky games this month?
Load More... Follow Me on Instagram!

Favorite Blogs

Contemporary Japanese Literature
Hello Sandwich
Tiny Cartridge
The Gay Gamer Otaku Journalist

Categories

Archives

This site contains affiliate links. Any purchases made by clicking on one of my affiliate links earns me a small commission that goes back towards keeping the site running. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Angie Makes Feminine WordPress Themes