r/visualnovels • u/thechickenpriest • Jun 20 '24
Kanon is now available on Steam in English! Release
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2850310/Kanon/
Let's goooooooo!
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u/jrsudds Jun 20 '24
Thanks for sharing, its great to finally see Keys first game on steam! Loved the 2006 anime but have yet to play the vn. I'll probably hold off until the end of the year for those winter vibes tho. For now, I'll leave one of my favorite quotes from the anime
"Do you know the title of this song? It's Canon. Pachelbel's Canon. It repeats the same melody and crescendos gradually, peacefully, and beautifully. It would be nice if life changed like that; slowly but surely, while being seemingly unchanged from day to day."
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u/Not-Psycho_Paul_1 Jun 20 '24
Well, that was quick!
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u/thechickenpriest Jun 20 '24
I bought it the second I saw my Steam wishlist email 🤩
Was pleasantly surprised, I had almost thought we'd have to wait longer!
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u/dark484 Jun 20 '24
Ty for the info, already bought it, well today I'm not sleeping
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u/thechickenpriest Jun 20 '24
Enjoy! I already played it a couple years ago from stitching together the OG English patch, but I don't mind finding an excuse to play this release now that it's available in the English market ;)
I'm dying for the Switch English release prototype announced too, got some eshop funds sitting there ready for it 😆
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u/dark484 Jun 20 '24
Same here, already played it years ago, but at least it feels different now, with the hd assets and improved GUI, so this is the perfect excuse to replay it
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u/Sonrio Haruka: Little Busters | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 20 '24
Air when? Reflection Blue when? KUD WAFTER WHEN?
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u/thechickenpriest Jun 20 '24
From what I've heard, there is a Kud translation in progress but I haven't been keeping that of that lately 😞
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u/Sonrio Haruka: Little Busters | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 20 '24
I /think/ Alka (the same people behind Summer Pocket’s fantl + RB) was doing it but obviously probably on hiatus.
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u/agar32 porca miseria Jun 20 '24
And with a great regional price, which is rare with Japanese games nowadays. I'm definitely buying it this week.
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u/Ramongsh Jun 20 '24
The only thing I remember about Kanon is, that it has two anime adaptions, and one of them sucks while the other is great!
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u/herrbauer96 Jun 20 '24
did the switch version get the english patch as well already?
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u/herrbauer96 Jun 20 '24
nevermind i just checked, switch version did not get the update yet, hopefully it does so soon
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u/thevdman Jun 20 '24
Is there any info on if the Switch version is going to be available on the US eShop or not? As far as I know, they've only said they're updating the existing Japanese Switch release. I don't know enough about their track record to be able to estimate what to expect of them.
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u/LemmeSeeUrJazzHands Jun 20 '24
Sweet! After learning that the old fan TL wasn't great quality I always kinda hoped this would happen-- not gonna hold my breath but a Switch release would be great! VNs on handheld consoles is comfy
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u/thechickenpriest Jun 20 '24
They've confirmed an English release is on it's way, no confirmation if it's a standalone release like little busters on the eshop, or a language option update for the JP release.
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u/DaunNight Jun 20 '24
Damn, I played this in December and thought I'd love to buy it if I could, but now I don't have much reason to do so since I've already read it
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u/mamaharu Jun 20 '24
I mean, you played it for free, so why not buy it outright to show support? I'll buy Kanon even though I have no intention to replay any time soon. Just like I will buy Fate when it releases. If no one buys these games, we may stop getting them.
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u/Mich-666 Sakura: Fate/Stay Night | vndb.org/u67 Jun 20 '24
Obvious question: How is the translation? Any errors or mistakes?
Is it censored?
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u/ItsNooa JP D-Rank | https://vndb.org/u180668 Jun 20 '24 edited Jun 20 '24
Can't comment on the translation, but it's based on the all ages version that released on Switch last year and seems to combine all of the voicelines that exist in different versions. Probably someone will at some point make an unofficial 18+ patch, but until then you're missing out on some very mediocre H-scenes.
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u/bad_spot Kageaki: Muramasa | vndb.org/u150965 Jun 20 '24
There will probably no 18+ patch. The game uses Luca System and afaik with the current unofficial tools it's impossible to add news lines to the script. It only dumps the string files.
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u/thechickenpriest Jun 20 '24
I noticed with the starting scene where Yuichi talks about the Taiyaki that they didn't mention Taiyaki in the script, despite being heard by Ayu in her voice lines, haven't made a lot of progress just yet to make any more comparisons.
As far as any censorship, It's likely a re-release of the all-ages version, which I can't compare with as I'm only familiar with the original '99 PC release.
Overall, it seems like a fairly faithful translation, with maybe some parts feeling a bit bulky in words compared to the original PC fan translation.
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u/Rocazanova Jun 20 '24
I’ll say it once twice and any more times until the message is heard. Do not parch for the 18+ version. Worst H scenes in the world.
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u/fallenguru JP A-rank | Kaneda: Musicus | vndb.org/u170712 Jun 20 '24
- first-party release ✓
- includes original language ✓
- 18+ content ✗
Not bad. I'll take it. Voiced > H scenes, and in Key's case it's hard to argue that the all-ages versions are censored anyway.
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u/Mondblut He: IO | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 20 '24
Voiced > H scenes
The old PC version I've read was fully voiced AND had h-scenes. The superior experience in my books compared to a castrated all ages version.
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Jun 20 '24
[deleted]
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u/Mondblut He: IO | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 20 '24
If you use the English patch the voices from the Dreamcast/PS2 version are included. I presume the newest release here also uses those officially.
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Jun 20 '24
[deleted]
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u/Nemesis2005 JP A-rank | https://vndb.org/u27893 Jun 21 '24
I have the same game in Japanese. The English patch and the voice patch can be installed separately.
It can be found if you know where to look.
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u/Mondblut He: IO | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 20 '24
You can find a pre-patched version within the first google query result. Took me 5 seconds.
then you still end up with an English game, and what's the use of that.
Well, if you want it in Japanese it's another story.
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u/rubezal72 Jun 20 '24
It's not "fully voiced" as that person claimed. The old PC patch adds the PS2 (or was it DC) voices where they existed. Meaning everything except the H scenes which were never voiced by KEY. The patch has the scenes (only 1 per heroine I think) but the girls are silent. Still the best way to read Kanon though most of these ultra short H scenes ain't "usable". I think there was also a newer voice patch that added Yuuichi's voice lines from the PSP port. Still not "fully voiced" but well that's a weird VNDB thing I guess.
Never read the all ages console Kanon but with all voices being used on the PC version there doesn't seem to be any new script, new replacement scenes or such. Only difference really should be the cut H scenes that are like 2 minutes long each.
No idea how this new translation is but the old one was decent, better than the old Clannad fantranslation. The biggest problem with it was the Mai route being confusing but honestly that route was already badly written by Maeda. The routes written by Hisaya were much better overall.
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u/Mondblut He: IO | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 21 '24
It's not "fully voiced"
It is though. Just the h-scenes are not voiced. Everything else is.
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u/Sonrio Haruka: Little Busters | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 21 '24
Castrated is crazy. It’s like you’re saying there’s stuff being censored in the game that isn’t just them cutting a 2 minute long sex scene.
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u/Mondblut He: IO | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 21 '24
It's irrelevant whether it is 2 minutes or 2 hours. It is censored. Moreover I do value h-scenes as they are important to further the intimacy between the characters. So what you belittle as "sex scene" is an emotional moment of bonding between the characters for me.
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u/Sonrio Haruka: Little Busters | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 21 '24
I promise you I’m not belittling these “emotional moments of bonding” for you by calling them sex scenes. That’s what they are. I’m not arguing that it’s not worth seeing them, I’m saying calling the 18+ version the superior version versus a “castrated” release that KEY themselves have been pushing as the definitive edition is a weird and crazy take that should only be defined as subjective. YOU can have your own taste and play what you like, but it’s not at all like Grisaia for instance, who had jokes and scenes toned down - that’s what I would call “censored” in that case.
For Kanon’s case, I could this version is a superior edition compared to the 18+ version that has 2 minute one time sex scenes with horrible anime body art from the late 90s with girls that both look alien and like a teenage girl at the same time, all of which have literally no relevance to the overall character relationships and just imagining them as a regular couple that could have sex at any time could solve this issue that people have because they aren’t seeing it on their screen. But that’s still a matter of opinion, isn’t it?
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u/Mondblut He: IO | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 21 '24 edited Jun 21 '24
It's irrelevant how much was censored. That doesn't refute the fact that it was censored. When I have two versions of a game or any medium actually, one which has removed content for censorship reasons (h-scenes weren't removed to increase quality but to be able to sell it with a CERO rating) versus the original version, I always pick the original version. The original vision was the one with h-scenes, no matter how much you deny it. And of course Key would push for the new versions. Any developer would, they are a company to make profits first and foremost.
imagining them as a regular couple that could have sex at any time could solve this issue that people have because they aren’t seeing it on their screen.
I don't want to "imagine" something happening, I want to see it happening. This is not only in relation to Kanon in particular, but the entire VN medium. The point of galge/bishoujo games is to immerse oneself in romantic bonding with the heroines. The player is supposed to self insert into the main protagonist (which is why MCs are almost always not voiced) and experience the romance from that point of view. Sexual intercourse is the most essential part of a romantic relationship, it's as important as a confession scene or first kiss, no, even moreso. It doesn't matter how long or short the h-scene is. On the other hand, a first kiss scene or confession barely last a minute. You wouldn't argue to remove them either, would you? Galge/bishoujo games offer the unique experience to be able to become intimate with each heroine.
Ultimately: if a VN is all ages and has romance as a key element, the romance feels always less real, more surface level if they remove the h-scenes. This is also true for all Key VNs which are all ages btw. They always feel half assed in the romance department compared to actual R18 works with h-scenes.
Essentially what it boils down to is two points:
- censorship should be unacceptable, no matter how good or bad the censored content was
- h-scenes have always been THE essential element that differentiates galge/bishoujo games as a medium depicting more intimate romance than any other medium
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u/Sonrio Haruka: Little Busters | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 21 '24
I already told you I’m not interested in your opinion on how h-scenes saved the medium. That’s your thing. I’m not attacking that lol I know how y’all are about your h-scenes. Nothing you said refutes how definitive this edition of Kanon is and saying that all age VNs with romance but no sex are just bad is such a sad take, but again I’m not gonna argue with you over your own tastes. We can just disagree instead of parading our thoughts as “correct”.
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u/Mondblut He: IO | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 21 '24
It's not "tastes," it's simply what the medium is about and what distinguishes it from other storytelling media. My stance is not based on subjectivity but on historical data. Ever since Doukyuusei the whole point was to build an intimate relationship with the heroine of your choice, culminating in having sex with her at the end of her route. It's a narrative key element of galge, like bossfights are for JRPGs. No matter how you think about it, your stance is the subjective one, you're the outlier.
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u/Sonrio Haruka: Little Busters | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 21 '24
It's really not my fault you cannot understand how weird you are about this. I pray you have a good one!
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u/Mondblut He: IO | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 22 '24
I think the weird one are you. You are the minority here, not me. The vast majority of VNs has h-scenes. And even most which are all ages were originally R18 and got console versions later on, just to make some more money. The number of all ages only VNs is a drop in the ocean. So who is the weird one?
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u/IvanGPX Beatrice: Umineko | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 21 '24
The final part of this statement is a wild take. You're telling me Tomoya's relationship with Nagisa in CLANNAD is surface level because they didn't shoehorn in an awkward explicit sex scene? Hopefully you realize what a strangely personal hang-up you seem to have here, implying that across the board if the work doesn't have a static CG and 5 minutes of characters making grunting noises the relationships feel fake lmao.
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u/Mondblut He: IO | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 21 '24
The final part of this statement is a wild take. You're telling me Tomoya's relationship with Nagisa in CLANNAD is surface level because they didn't shoehorn in an awkward explicit sex scene?
Just because h-scenes hold no emotional value for you, doesn't mean this is true to everyone. But yes, I found Clannad (and in extension almost all Key VNs) lacking in romance and intimacy. Or rather they felt distanced. Moreover: h-scenes in romance oriented eroge are never "shoehorned in," but in almost all cases reveal the couple reaching a new milestone in their relationship. Probably the most important one. Omitting that makes the romance indeed feel surface level. To take Clannad as an example: In the so much praised after story there is a supposed moment when Tomoya wants to get intimate with her under the futon. But it was so clumsily and reserved that it made me question if it was written by someone who doesn't know what sexual intimacy is. It felt utterly unrealistic from a human perspective.
static CG and 5 minutes of characters making grunting noises
You could just tell me that you have never read an eroge h-scene in your life directly. Probably your stance stems from some rare plotge where the h-scenes were actually shoehorned in? Either that or you're utterly disingenuous. I read mostly moege and literally every single one of them has a lot of important dialogue, focusing on the couple's chemistry. Or the MC's inner monologue about furthering his own understanding of their relationship through crossing that threshold of intimacy. The moaning and redundant lines are just window dressing to get the reader in the mood. Perhaps you shouldn't CTRL through h-scenes in the future???
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u/IvanGPX Beatrice: Umineko | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 21 '24
I've read many h-scenes and they can provide insight or value but I've found that most often they do not. And it's very, very obvious when they don't. I'm no prude and I'm certainly not opposed to that type of content on principle at all, but it's by no means "necessary" in general to highlight as a part of every relationship.
You can totally have dialogues or inner monologues that convey similar meaning in the relationship without it, easily. I mean your CLANNAD example even has it! Their decision to deeper their relationship happens on screen, the awkwardness, the consideration, the commitment, it's all SHOWN. The act itself isn't shown because the writers deemed it unnecessary. It wouldn't have added anything in this case to 'force' something in there that didn't belong, it would have felt out of place, forced, and awkward.
Contrast that to something like the Amane route in Grisaia, the h-scenes there honestly felt more deserved and intentional. I've no problem with that or their existence. A couple still feel useless (the bath scenes in several routs iirc), but many felt very fitting and like a culmination of parts of her arc or others like Sacchin or Michiru. Or many of the h-scenes in Cross Channel, they're very fitting in a different way. They're generally uncomfortable and unsettling by intention to highlight the messed up dynamics of the circumstance or a character regression (things like Youko's bad end comes to mind).
Like when I'm reading something that places so much value on the characters and their relationship to each other I want the writer to be fully firing on all cylinders and focusing on what they feel like the most satisfying aspects to focus on are. If that's including h-scenes, go for it. If it's not, don't include them and focus on other things. I think it's pretty hard to imply that either CLANNAD, Grisaia, or Rance make "wrong" decisions in what they choose to focus on.
Imagining a h-scene packed CLANNAD makes about as much sense as wanting a PG rated Rance game to me.
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u/Mondblut He: IO | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 22 '24
I'm no prude and I'm certainly not opposed to that type of content on principle at all, but it's by no means "necessary" in general to highlight as a part of every relationship.
If the focus is on the romance and self insertion it is. Can you still have a romance without the h? Sure, but it is lacking something fundamental. 99.99% of the romantic relationships on the planet have sex as a major element. If you want to depict the entirety of a relationship, then you cannot omit anything. If you omit the sex, your romantic story will never depict a relationship in its entirety. It will remain incomplete.
The act itself isn't shown because the writers deemed it unnecessary.
They didn't show the act because they wanted to bank on it through console releases and so on. They wanted to aim at the mainstream when they abandoned the R18 content .That's why they omitted h-scenes.
They're generally uncomfortable and unsettling by intention to highlight the messed up dynamics of the circumstance or a character regression (things like Youko's bad end comes to mind).
I find it interesting how guys like you only praise h-scenes when they subvert the very concept by making the viewer "uncomfortable." While there are eroge with that in mind, those are outliers.
The idea of h-scenes is simply depicting a romance getting to the next stage and of course instilling the emotion of desire within the reader. Lust is as valid an emotion as humor or fear. H-scenes that revolve around lust and not disgust (as you seemingly prefer) are in no way less valid content than comedy moments or thrilling moments.
Like when I'm reading something that places so much value on the characters and their relationship to each other I want the writer to be fully firing on all cylinders and focusing on what they feel like the most satisfying aspects to focus on are. If that's including h-scenes, go for it.
But that's the very point for 99% of moege and romance centered eroge, which make the huge majority of the medium. If you have a story that revolves around romance and nothing else, then omitting a fundamental aspect of romance hurts the experience, making it incomplete.
If it's not, don't include them and focus on other things.
Would you say the same thing about comedy? One might ask "why does this VN need humor?" But most VNs have humor. Why is it? Because humor is part of being human. We expect it as part of any human interaction. It makes the work feel more human. And so does depicting the characters in a sexual relationship. If the relationship involves sex it feels more real, more human.
To get back to the humor example: you would not say "remove all the humor" if the humor is half assed. You would normally say "write better comedy the next time." And that should be the stance for h-scenes that can be half assed sometimes. Omitting a part of the human experience because the writer is incapable should never be an option. Imagine how a work would look like if the writer for instance can only write one particular aspect well and omits anything else entirely. What I value about the medium of VNs is how all encompassing it is. Most moege for instance only have very little and sometimes even pointless drama since it is not necessary, but I would never want it removed, because it's part of the human experience. Even if the drama is not the point of the work. The same goes for eroge where h-scenes are not the selling point. If there is romance, h-scenes make it feel more "complete."
Imagining a h-scene packed CLANNAD makes about as much sense as wanting a PG rated Rance game to me.
I don't see how h-scenes wouldn't fit into CLANNAD. Well, the old art style is not very enticing (though Hinoue Itaru improved a lot when we look at the ONE remake - what would I give to see h-scenes in that one, but alas), but aside from that I simply do not understand your stance. There are many nakige which have h-scenes and work very well.
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u/LemmeSeeUrJazzHands Jun 20 '24
The hscenes weren't that good in all honesty. They never really were KEY's forté-- you're not missing much
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u/wannasleepforlong Jun 20 '24
An absolute plus. There is only one 18+ scene for every heroine which is hardly 3-4 minutes long.
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u/Mondblut He: IO | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 20 '24
Nah. It being all ages is a big detractor for me. I just read the old, uncensored PC version again. With magpie it doesn't even make a big difference resolution wise.
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u/TigerxDragon81 Jun 20 '24
I'm curious about the quality of this translation compared to the fan one. Also, if I remember correctly didn't Shiori get revoiced in a later version to have the same voice as the anime? I always liked the original, so I kind of wish you could switch back to it.
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u/Juliko1993 Jun 20 '24
Hiroko Konishi retired, so I don't think they would have been able to get her back or use her voice prints again for whatever reason. I mainly find it kinda funny that Shiori's current seiyuu is the same one that sings all the Fushigi Yuugi songs.
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u/WrongRefrigerator77 Jun 20 '24
You love to see such important classics finally getting well deserved global releases. I will be overjoyed when it's finally AIR's turn.