Mahou Tsukai no Yoru Demo

Mar18

Mahou Tsukai no Yoru Demo Review

By Kyokai, posted under GAMES, Review, Visual Novel

Kyo’s Year II Special 3/3: Silence please everyone. It’s been a long time coming.

A breathtaking reveal of a one-of-a-kind visual novel.

If you were forced to read caught by my Kara no Kyoukai recommendation post or the recent 50Qs, you already know that I’m a big Type-Moon fangirl. More so because of one Kiniko Nasu and the stories he has interwoven into Light and Visual Novels. With the demo translation of Mahoyo out and ready to taste a few weeks ago, I thought to revel at the details of this game, which has been in the making since forever and get the anticipation ball rolling of my fellow Type-Moon crazies.

Personally, I was exposed to Type-Moon with fate/stay night anime and man DEEN sure butchered it but the VN was worth it with all of its arcs. And there was Kara no Kyoukai movies and oh Lordy, did I fall in love with that story and its characters. I’ve known people who have taken out flaws in it but after completing the light novel translations, I liked it even more with all of its faults and even sometimes wordiness. That’s pure Nasuism for you and I reveled at the details so when I found out that we are getting the work that was the inception of it all, if you will, my heart went doki-doki alright.

For the record, this is Nasu’s earliest work with Aozaki Aoko as the main heroine, originally read by very few of his friends (Takeuchi is the owner of its sole copy now). This is the story that was written almost 14 years ago by a twenty-something Nasu, a foundation for all his work. Some of the original characters were drawn by Takeuchi but the character design adaption to VN was done by Koyama Hirokazu known for his collaboration with Nasu on DDD previously. This project was first announced in April 2008 and now four years later, it’s seeing the light of day on twelfth the same month this year (hopefully!). Unlike TYPE-MOON’s previous games, Mahou Tsukiai no Yoru will be all-ages without any ero-element with one linear story rather than multiple branches. There will be no center protag-kun wooing different girls, but almost an anime-like pacing around Aoko Aozaki and two other main characters: Alice Kuonji and Soujuurou Shizuki.

Reading through some interviews of Nasu, Takeuchi and Koyama, the story has definitely been polished from its early days to adaptation to a Visual Novel. The text has been made crisp to fit the scene and even graphics of the game. A lot of re-writing and re-thinking has been done so even if you can’t really pinpoint Nasu’s earlier mistakes, you can still clearly see its youthfulness and optimistic slice of life feel with the usual mix of supernatural and fantasy. It will be a unique experience because it’s set in the late 80s to keep with the timelines of other Nasuverse overlapping stories. A lot of work has been put into the visual setting of the novel and this is more of a visual story than any other typical VN by Type-Moon. You can say this is their evolution and ‘new style’ with a unique amalgamation of visual feel (backgrounds, character illustrations and their setting), sound effects and music.

This is about Aoko Aozaki, when she was still rough around the edges; a tale that takes place way before Tsukihime, Melty Blood and Kara no Kyoukai, near the end of Showa Era (Late 1980s). From the name, it’s quite imperative that the story is about magecraft and how she would end up garnering it. We’ll follow her living with her young mentor Alice Kuonji on the mysterious state atop a mountain, rumoured for its connection to witches. An unlikely country boy named Soujuurou Shizuki, starts rooming with them and a very strange cohabitation begins. From the Tech Gian Magazine:

“The boy lived a really normal life

She lived with pride and confidence

The girl lived hidden as if she’s asleep”

Not a lot is revealed yet except for the bits and pieces in the demo but this will be a 15 to 18 hours long visual experience as the chapter of Mahou Tsukai no Yoru. According to Nasu, he still has to write the other two parts, which will span around ten years of

characters’ life. As we have gotten this so late and Nasu’s suppose to work on continuation of DDD and Tsukihime remake, I’m not sure when the other chapters will see the light of the day. But for now, I’m definitely looking forward to this story where no mobiles exist and people actually go out and meet rather than chatting online. A rural boy meets a pair of strange girls and they influence each others’ life along with discovering about the core of Nasuverse magecraft.

Nasu: Even though these two people live together, they’re not really close friends. They don’t connect welleveryday life, and they’re only together as two mages. Soujuurou joined in under such circumstances – as a small unit living under the same roof, it would be great when they can all live together as ideal roommates (laughs).

Takeuchi: Mobile phones and the Internet still weren’t as widely used back then as they are today, it was a period filled with the nostalgic atmosphere of the late Showa era. It has the feeling of a vibrant society at the end of the bubble economy, but also the feeling of the end of an era. It’s a nostalgic feeling for people in the same generation as me, of a time when the younger generation was yet to be born. At this dividing point in history, Aoko, a modern magician, Alice, a mage who seems as if she came straight from the Middle Ages, and Soujuurou, an average person, meet and begin living together. As the society around them quickly enters into a stagnant period, the opposing personalities of the three characters form a nice balance. Hopefully this unbelievable atmosphere can be felt in the game. Also, I think a thorough historic fact check is not necessary as long as the feeling and memories of the era has been faithfully replicated.

I will only be covering the major characters, from the main list, I’m skippping uika Suse, Ritsuka Suse, Eiri Fumidzuka, Sensei-character and the Mysterious Star-studded Robin.

Aoko Aozaki(蒼崎青子)

Character Design: Originally by Takeuchi, which Koyama adapted for the VN.

This strong female is the original tsundere of Nasuverse. The budding and sometimes even immature witch in-training, works hard and gets what she wants. Even if she comes off as rude at times, she’s actually gentle to others that it can seem awkward. She’s also the Student Council President, so you have to come to the conclusion that she’s smart and beautiful, portraying a larger than life image. However, that doesn’t mean she has no weakness. For character traits, you could compare her to Rin from Fate; though, she tries to do everything herself far more than Rin. Not sure, if we would see her signature red hair as it’s the beginning but there are still possibilities as her skill would grow during her apprenticeship with Alice.

Nasu: A lively, logical, and strong girl. Similar to Rin from Fate, Azaka from Kara no Kyoukai, and Akiha from Tsukihime. This type of strong-willed girl appears in all TYPE-MOON games. The Aoko who appeared in Tsukihime and Melty Blood is “Aoko-sensei,” not Aoko. “Aoko-sensei” is a character that appears after the main character graduates from the most

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Alice Kuonji (久遠寺有珠)

Character Design: Originally by Takeuchi, which Koyama adapted for the VN.

The sixteen-year-old magus, whose fate of magecraft was decided even before she was born. She’s doll like, very prim and proper. She goes to a private all girls school separate from where Aoko and Soujuurou study (it could actually be Reien Girl’s Academy but I’m not sure due to the puffy uniform design). Her relationship with Aoko is pretty interesting and with game progress, we’ll see their friendship grow as well but if the wiki is to be believed, she has known Touko for more years than Aoko. Also, most probably she has cutesie robin as her familiar but then again, no confirmation on it being a familiar or a strange house guest. Not a LOT has been revealed about her but maybe she was the seed that birthed Ryougi Shiki later? Well, we’ll find out in a few months.

Nasu: If Aoko is the witch that blends in with today’s world, then Alice is the elusive witch like those found in fairytales, matching most people’s vision of a witch who lives in the middle of a forest, a girl who is trying to protect something from the outside. Although she distances herself from the rest of the world, but due to Aoko’s outgoing personality, she can’t help but feel some connection to others. Alice is also a prototype for a typical TYPE-MOON heroine, like Tsukihime‘s Hisui, someone who is just barely out of

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Sōjūrō Shizuki (静希草十郎)

Character Design: Changed a lot from the original by Takeuchi. Koyama made him more boyish, compared to the soldier like buffed guy by Takeuchi.

This guy’s description is the most dubious of all because he’s from old times in old times… Indeed, he’s the boy who dropped down from a mountain… Seriously, he is aloof to the modern ways of even the 80s and if someone asked him, “Hey, let’s go buys some drinks from konbini”, he would reply, “What’s konbini (convenience store)?!” However, he’s a calm chap and people can rely on him on the most part. With time, he does get used to the high school life and this new adaption gives him more insight into people and their behaviour. His living at the Kuonji residence would most probably start with Aoko showing him around the school but we’ll get to know about the finer details later. The thing that really piques my interest is the bandage on his neck… What kind of an injury is that? We’ll soon knows and I can only hope it’s not a vampire bite.

Nasu: A young man who had just moved from the countryside to the city. Everything in the city seems new and amazing; as a result, he also treats everything equally. No dislikes, no ideas of his own, feeling his own existence by just being there, a strange man like that. Compared to other characters in TYPE-MOON games, his is quite rare. In the three installments of Mahou Tsukai no Yoru, he is a character that plays a major role in some parts.

Tōko Aozaki (蒼崎橙子)

Character Design: Adaption of a younger version from original by Takeuchi. Nasu found Koyama’s addition to be quite cute.

You know her better from Kara no Kyoukai though she appeared in Fate/Extra as well, along with a special mention in the heaven’s feel of FSN. She’s Aoko’s sister and if it were up to them, they would officially cut all ties with each other. I’m unsure of from where this hatred began but seems like Mahou Tsukai will shed some light into this relationship. They are best known for stealing stuff off each other and it seems this rivalry would be forever there. Along with their second names, they share a trait of helping Ryougi Shiki/ Tohno Shiki deal with their own brand of Eyes of Death Perception.

Nasu: (Replying to the question about Touko appearing in the game) You could say yes, since her appearance in Kara no Kyoukai was due to a parental desire of wanting her to see more action after the unfair treatment she received in Mahou Tsukai no Yoru (laughs). Also, the Koyama version of Touko is very cute. Please look forward to more information.

Takeuchi: (Replying to any major changes in Touko’s design) There shouldn’t be any change of that magnitude. The manga version of Melty

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Tobimaru Tsukiji (槻司鳶丸)

Character Design: By Koyama with instructions from Nasu.

Nasu: Tobimaru is a rich kid who’s Vice-President of the student council. He’s the most talented and good-looking in student in the school, but for some reason he’s a bad-mouthed, violent delinquent. He speaks very frankly, and often says things others can’t.

With Aoko: They work together well, and share similar opinions. And they have a great visual balance, but as far as their relationship is concerned, it’s kind of like: (Tobimaru) “Even if my parents and siblings were killed, I’d never shack up with you.” (Aoko) “And even if everyone else in the world died, I would never live with you! That reminds me, when are you going to go die already?“

With Soujuurou: He’s a reliable friend. Because of Tobimaru’s unusual family circumstances, he’s taken on a cynical attitude towards people and dislikes them. Despite that, however, he sticks with Soujuurou because he doesn’t lie, so he’s “easy to be around.”

Kojika Kumari (久万梨金鹿)

Character Design: By Koyama with instructions from Nasu.

Nasu: Kojika is Aoko’s friend from school. They go to a different school than Alice, and Aoko was just desperate for a friend with whom she could have girl talk with at her school. There aren’t very many kind and gentle girls in this story, so we should have given her a softer personality, but she’s actually strong enough to give Aoko a run for her money. True, she does look cute in these sketches. If we made Kojika too cute, though, she’d end up looking more like the heroine than Aoko…

Koyama: I think that when I drew these, I was really hungry to draw a traditional “heroine” type character, so even though it wasn’t requested, I did so anyway (LOL).

Nasu: She looks pretty, but she’s a staunch realist. Even other girls who are harsh like her, for example Aoko, will answer a good-natured comment with a good-natured answer. In Kojika’s case, however, she’ll bounce everything back off this iron shield she’s put up.

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Hōsuke Kinomi (木乃美芳助)

Character Design: By Koyama with instructions from Nasu.

Nasu: He’s an idiot. He’s the moodmaker that Fuji was in Fate. There weren’t very many students who dyed their hair in the late 80s, but here we have Kinomi, already ahead of his time. He sees Eguchi Yosuke, who put long hair in style, and thinks “Eguchi’s living in the future,” so he copies him and goes to school like that, only to be stopped at the front gate with: “Kinomi, come to the teacher’s office… no, to the principal’s office!” I really like him, he always makes me think: “If only he wasn’t an idiot…“

Koyama: I drew Kinomi with a “silly sub-character” image in my head. I got a suggestion that he should have short hair and an energetic body, like someone who plays a lot of sports, but I felt that would be too much like Arihiko from Tsukihime, so I tried giving him long hair. That makes him look a bit heavy, though, so then I gave him dyed hair, and he just kept turning more and more into a failure…

Nasu: And that’s what makes him so great! If we gave him a great haircut and smooth features, he may become popular with the girls, but that wouldn’t do anything to fix his idiotic nature.

I’ll say this: I gawked. I drooled. I eyegasmed. The visuals are staggeringly brilliant in comparison to all of Type-Moon’s previous works. Released stills of the game looked so good that they seemed CG but the makers were adamant that they were not. Now, with the demo, we have proof of their new style evolution, which is layer based and the production team has taken pains in setting everything exactly at the right angle of illustrations, backgrounds, animation and sound effect to blend every transition in a unique way. Each and every frame looks like a work of art. I can’t help myself for smiling with glee, just thinking about how Tsukihime remake would look like if the same rules are followed. Oh, I should not get ahead of myself.

Treat this as a silent movie, where characters will not be voiced because the makers wanted the player’s imagination to dub voice as per their own liking while they progress. I’ll say it’s a wise decision because there’s already too much atmospheric information along with BGM and voice-over will not only slow down the pacing but add another element to process this VN. Visually, it’s breath-taking and I can’t stress this point more as this is unlike the previous Type-Moon VNs I have played. Koyama Hirokazu’s art, Nasu’s writing were so perfectly placed by the director, Tsukuri Monoji with the other elements that it will become an experience for the player.

It also boasts brilliant music by Hideyuki Fukusawa, who is already known for his work for Street Fighter IV, Shin-Onimusha Dawn of Dreams, and Chaos Legion. I can vouch for it being not only well suited but fitting the VN mood perfectly. Just listen to the Opening (lovely violin, piano and orchestra combination), and you will understand what I’m talking about. It’s soothing and even urgent during the action scene. There were some comic scenes complemented well with playful music. Actually, I’m listening to the rip right now while writing this and can’t wait for the full Soundtrack. Another cool fact is that the ED “Hoshi ga mabutaku

kon’na yoru ni”, is sung by nagi and composed by Supercell – part of Utakata Hanabi Single and Today is a Beautiful Day album.

Nasu: We are focusing on atmosphere. It is the world view of the man synthesizing the graphics, Koyama Hirokazu, and is filled with his particularities. We’re at the point now where we we’re afraid publishing a novel game with CG this good is going to leave us clueless as to what to do in the future. But it’s nice to go extravagant like this once in a while!

With Mahou Tsukai no Yoru, we’re trying to combine my words, Koyama’s art, Tsukuri Monoji’s directing, and the music of Hideyuki Fukasawa — all these different elements — into a single scene, so it’s closer to making a movie than it is to an adventure game. Therefore, we’ve had to say things like “Well, if that’s how the directing’s going to be, then we’re going to have to change the sentence this way” over and over again until things are perfected, just like a movie.

Koyama: Yes. We basically merge one still image with one background — and it sounds easy when we explain it like this, but we put a lot of thinking into which element goes well with each part, and what kind of nuances we can express through them. I think we’ve achieved a special kind of 2D experience that simply placing images into backgrounds normally cannot achieve.

Demo isn’t that long and doesn’t really reveal the plot except for the fact that there’s something strange afoot with the secluded house atop the mountain that’s Konjuo’s state. It’s clear that the original two inhabitants are Alice and Aoko and it’s going to be a journey to find out how a no-good, almost villager status Soujuurou ends up rooming with them. Aoko does complain about him not knowing much and almost wasting her whole day in touring the school. Alice on the other hand might be a Raira student (The school that Azaka, Kokutou’s sister, attended and Shiki helped in an incident in Kara no Kyoukai); however, there’s no official proof as the uniform in not identical, though it can be explained away with the difference of a decade.

Demo is quite out of whack in terms of timeline. It doesn’t have first five chapters back to back, rest assured. I’m pretty sure the last chapter was actually the first but hey, we are talking about Nasu and we know he can turn his writing to a mindfuck if he wants to. The point of trial however is not to provide a preface, but introduce the setting and increase curiosity. You start with Aoko but she’s not the witch you know from Nasuverse timeline (A legendary witch who helped Tohno Shiki in Tsukihime), but a normal looking student, who’s simply tired after a long day. There’s no real introduction of Alice except for her being the master of the house; same goes for Soujuurou, who was shown as a simple Joe learning the ways of a city. The five chapters shown could actually be far apart in terms of flow and related to previous events that didn’t happen or shown at all. However, even this disjointedness didn’t bother me because the visuals and delivery kept me busy, space-barring one line after the other.

Along with getting to know the main characters, Alice’s fight scene at the forest was quite entertaining from the placement of text and how the lines were delivered. The introduction and conversation between her familiars (tweedledee and tweedledum), and the one-eyed spies in overcoats was filled with tension and the scene unraveling really helped in adding that creepy factor. I was almost reminded of the ever-morphing Paradox Police from a short story by Stephen King UR. This contained a very well known rhyme (London Bridge is Falling Down…) and even when it wasn’t sung, I was still playing it in my head and quite creepily too. You can say, the VN is pretty atmospheric and reels you in. The added effects give a 3D effect and even a simple sunset looks breathtaking shining above a red umbrella, snowflakes almost dance on screen and you notice the minute details of a moon on a dark night. Personally, I can’t wait for this visual novel to release in April. It’s definitely going to be a treat for the fans. Especially NEW FANS because of the all-age rating. So, give this a spin when it releases because specs aren’t Batman Arkham City and this will be literally like watching an anime, just with a bit more imagination.

Important Links:

Official Site | Demo (Japanese): DDL | Torrent | Interview Translations: Tsukikan
English Subbed Demo: Torrent | DDL: Part 1, 2 & 3 [Cokesakto (translation) & pin201 (demo release)]

Game Specs:

WindowsXP/Vista/7 Japanese version (version x32/x64 both supported)

Tip for Mac users: Bootcamp will make this work

CPU:

XP: Over 1GHz (2.66GHz recommended) with 1GB RAM or higher
Vista/7: Over 1.5 GB (3 GHz recommended) with 1 GB RAM (2GB recommended)

HDD: 5GB (Demo was 650MB+)
Screen resolution: 1024×576 pixels or higher
Compatible Optical drive: DVD-ROM – 2 Optical discs
DirectX: 9.0c (already built into the OS required)

Release Date (Thursday): April 12, 2012
Price: ¥8,400
Game to be accompanied with an artbook and the special edition would actually contain a new book written by Nasu himself (not sure about length myself).
Original Soundtrack Release Date (Wednesday): 9th May, 2012 (¥3,990)

Alice with her familiars, DEE and DUM. See more screens after the spoiler tag.Show ▼

Alright, I’m finally done and leaving you with the opening of Mahoyo. Hope you liked this in-depth look at the VN, which has been awaited for MANY YEARS. For the new entrants, this is your ticket to get into Type-Moon world. So, what are you waiting for? Buckle your seat belts and wait for around twenty-four more days. You can always OD on the videos and images posted till then. Ja ne~

Tags: Mahou Tsukai no Yoru, Nasuism, Type-Moon, Visual Novel, Witch on the Holy Night

About Kyokai

The Boss lady of Metanorn, who makes it all happen. An animanga enthusiast, who watches/reads almost anything that strikes her fancy. Just beware of her Death Perception and always keep her happy. Regularly found at @KyokaiTM & #[email protected].

34 Responses to “Mahou Tsukai no Yoru Demo Review”

PandaHugz says:

March 18, 2012 at 10:02 pm
POWUH: iLurker with 1 comments

I facepalm at myself for never realizing Sojuro’s bandages, and i went through the demo too….
Anyway, a very insightful review, really looking forward to it when it’s released….. or rather, fully translated…

Reply
- Kyokai says:
  
  March 19, 2012 at 10:43 am
  POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
  
  Hey, if I hadn’t worked on this review, I wouldn’t have either. Type-Moon has gotten really good at distracting its viewers. :3
  
  Thank you and if cakesakto’s to be believed, he’ll be up and translating the VN as soon as it’s out next month.
  
  Reply
anaaga says:

March 18, 2012 at 10:15 pm
POWUH: and Yaoi Fangirl~ with 2320 comments

I haven’t played it since I’m struggling with the memory of my little notebook, but holy craaaappp I need to download it ASAP now.
I’m pretty sure some bits of Fate series and Tsukihime will be mentioned in the game. It’s always exciting to see some little crossover like that in series. Who knows, maybe Sojuro was bitten by one of the Dead Apostles (now I’m pushing it).
Anyhow, great review! Such a pwetty post Kyo *drool*

And Tsukihime remake SERIOUSLY!? YEEESSS I’ll be seeing my Arcueid again!

Reply
- Kyokai says:
  
  March 19, 2012 at 10:48 am
  POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
  
  It’s not very heavy and works on low-res too so you better try it. It’s really great and a complete treat visually. And you have that right about this being linked to other works of Nasu. Man, this was the BEGINNING after all! I can’t wait to find out Nasu’s concept of magecraft.
  
  And about the Dead Apostles… Oh man, I wish it’s not one of those but rather some unique explanation about his ever present bandages.
  
  Thanks, Ana-chan~ I really did pull all stops for this post and I’ll be looking forward to Tsukihime myself. Imagine this kind of visuals in the VN?! I would die happy. xD
  
  Reply
Yippy says:

March 18, 2012 at 11:27 pm
POWUH: Metanorn Lover with 192 comments

Honestly, I’m all but lost here. I’ve heard of type-moon through the fate stay night series, but I’m clueless about the concept and premise behind it’s stories. Any idea where to start or where I can get a primer?

Reply
- Myssa Rei says:
  
  March 19, 2012 at 12:36 am
  POWUH: Occasional (51-75) with 71 comments
  
  The Nasuverse is… labyrinthine to say the least. Many people would obviously point you in the direction of the F/SN game, and tell you to work from there (skip the animated adaptation and the movies for one). The Type Moon wiki is your friend in this journey. Good luck.
  
  Reply
  - Yippy says:
    
    March 19, 2012 at 10:36 am
    POWUH: Metanorn Lover with 192 comments
    
    Aw, but the anime seems nice…Well, thanks anyway for the tips. =)
    
    Reply
  - Kyokai says:
    
    March 19, 2012 at 11:52 am
    POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
    
    Myssa has given you the most straight forward path to Nasuverse and I would agree on skipping FSN anime because DEEN did it terribly (the visual novel is SO BETTER in comparison!) but as I’ve gone through all possible paths myself, here goes my guide for you and I’ll try to be as brief as possible:
    
    Chronologically, Nasu’s works are:
    
    – Mahou Tsukai no Yoru – a novel that he wrote to get into his writing spree (this was only seen by his friends and the only original copy is with Takeuchi) in 1996. This story takes place in the town Misaki, later becoming common in Tsukihime and Melty Blood stories. – This is the VN that is releasing this April and hopefully soon translated.
    
    – Kara no Kyoukai light novels followed this, originally released online on Nasu and Takeuchi’s doujin-site in 1998. The only thing common from Mahoyo is Touko Aozaki’s character (Aoko’s sister). This is where the concept of eyes of death perception was born along with Nasuverse magecraft organizations like Mage’s Association and Holy Church (referred extensively in Fate/Zero and Fate/stay night). – This was later adapted into seven movies and recently an epilogue by ufotable. Light novels translation available at emptyboundaries. [His other novels include Angel Notes, Kouri no Hana and DDD]
    
    – Then Tsukihime visual novel explodes onto the scene under the Type-Moon banner in 2000 formed by Nasu and Takeuchi. This is where a male protagonist Tohno Shiki is cured by a mage, Aoko; however, his eyes of death perception don’t go away forever. More supernatural creatures come into mix in this story with multiple arcs. – This got anime and manga adaptations both. Though, I would recommend you to stay away and just play the VN (English translation available from Mirrormoon) – there are some spinoffs of this as well.
    
    – Melty Blood was released in 2002 by TM and French-Bread as a 2D fighting game. Treat this as a spinoff Tsukihime, which got manga adaptation later and a few more expansions. This is not very important in terms of storyline though.
    
    – Fate/stay night visual novel was released in 2004 with three main arcs/storylines. First arc was adapted into anime while second one (Unlimited Blade Works) as a movie, the third and the best arc Heaven’s Feel is yet to be adapted and should be enjoyed by playing the VN. – The only recurring fact from other works of Nasu are the magecraft associations and a fleeting mention of Touko in heaven’s feel. This also had spinoff games/expansions. English translation is available at Mirrormoon.
    
    – Fate/hollow ataraxia released in 2005 as a sequel to FSN VN. There’s an endless four in this game and this has not been fully translated in English yet. – Lots of FNS material gets referred here.
    
    – Gen Urobuchi wrote Fate/Zero light novels in 2006 to complement Nasu’s work, a prequel to Fate/stay night. This has been recently adapted by ufotable and has all the awesomeness that Fate/stay night adaptation didn’t have. – You will understand FSN even more after reading/watching this. English translation available at Baka-tsuki.
    
    – Fate/extra released in 2010 as a Dungeon RPG game. Available in English but with Japanese audio tracks only.
    
    So, if you really want to get into Type-Moon, follow the above time trail. If you just want to taste it, start from watching Kara no Kyoukai movies (all released) or with Fate/Zero. If you want to play a VN, start from Fate/stay night; Tsukihime though is shorter than FSN, the art of it is not at par as FSN. I hope this helps you and any other future readers who want to get into Type-Moon.
    
    Reply
    - Yippy says:
      
      March 19, 2012 at 11:40 pm
      POWUH: Metanorn Lover with 192 comments
      
      Whoah, now that’s a long series…Thanks for the help, I think I know what visual novels are going to occupy me for the rest of the year already. (^_^)
      
      Reply
    - Tofu says:
      
      March 20, 2012 at 1:30 am
      POWUH: Meta Resident and Yōko Fanboy with 1246 comments
      
      “Fate/extra released in 2010 as a Dungeon RPG game. No English version yet”
      
      I shall correct you on that and say there is actually an English version of that game because I have it and I’ve nearly finished it ;D The best thing is you still enjoy the characters in their Japanese voices respectively.
      
      Arcueid makes an appearance in the game being an opponent you have to face if you take Rani’s route (not sure about Rin’s route but disregard the route thing if you don’t know what I’m saying) as well as both the Aozaki sisters as Kyo has mentioned ^^ (Aoko Aozaki with her red hair and Toko Aozaki with blue, short hair and glasses) Note: She looks completely different to the picture up top in Kyo’s post for those who have played the game but were confused due to appearance.
      
      Reply
    - Kyokai says:
      
      March 20, 2012 at 11:38 am
      POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
      
      @ Yippy, The richness of Type-Moon verse is what keeps a user involved. I think I haven’t played any other VN like FSN in terms of involvement and story layers. Keep me posted about what you venture into. :3 ~~(I have a list of people who I influence to check out Type-Moon…)~~
      
      @ Tofu, Aaah, I guess by no English track, Type-Moon wiki was talking about the voice work rather than subtitles/dialogue in English? So, can you confirm this fact? Oh, and I didn’t know that the Touko in extra was the original designed by Takeuchi? I did like that design but due to Kara no Kyoukai, I liked her ponytailed version more.
      
      Reply
      - Tofu says:
        
        March 20, 2012 at 4:00 pm
        POWUH: Meta Resident and Yōko Fanboy with 1246 comments
        
        Ahahaha Probably so, I don’t use the Type-Moon wiki much unless I’m really confused about something ;D But yeah, the voices are retained as Japanese but text-wise is all in English ^^
        
        I have no idea if it’s the original so I guess it is~ ahahahaha! ^^
        
        Reply
      - Yippy says:
        
        March 21, 2012 at 3:09 am
        POWUH: Metanorn Lover with 192 comments
        
        Sure thing, thanks for the help and tips. (^_^)
        
        Reply
Tofu says:

March 19, 2012 at 1:40 am
POWUH: Meta Resident and Yōko Fanboy with 1246 comments

Nasu’s works have always trolled me in a way. Although yes today I know much more about Type Moon and Nasu, I continue to find it hard, stuffing all that information about them into my head. I briefly know the stuff and for once, I actually went “YES!! I KNOW WHAT THIS IS!!” When you mentioned his work on DDD. Although what I’m trying to say is that Type Moon in general amazes me with what they do and mainly Nasu’s works amaze me and what I love most about it is that nearly or all his works incorporate and/or are related to each other. Mainly the trio of Kara no Kyoukai, Tsukihime and Mahou Tsukai no Yoru.

For those who are confused by how they all related to each other character wise, look up the character map for Type Moon, that really helped me out in understanding the relationships between characters.

I played Mahou Tsukai when the demo was translated into english so that was a while ago (not that long but long enough that I can’t recall what I played clearly) and I can remember being really, really amazed by the art. The character designs isn’t so much what I’m talking about but it still looks good. What I AM talking about is that close shot of that window near the start (it’s also in the last video Kyo posted up) and that’s just one example of how beautiful this visual novel is. It’ll be a while before we see it translated fully but there’s really nothing we can do about it.

It’s awesome how you’ve included bits of info on the other characters that weren’t in the demo Kyo. ^^ I really liked reading up on the rest since I knew nothing about them 😛 Although, I was wondering about Aoko Aozaki’s ‘signature red hair’ which we’ve seen in other works of Nasu but why is it brown in this one? Is she like Tohno Akiha with the hair changing? I’m a bit confused about that :\ Unless she dyes her hair or something but I’m pretty sure it’d be more ‘story related’ than just “oh I decided to dye my hair one day”

Reply
- Tofu says:
  
  March 19, 2012 at 2:03 am
  POWUH: Meta Resident and Yōko Fanboy with 1246 comments
  
  I just now realized that this was your 3rd special work for the 2 year thingy LOLS I’m sorry ><
  
  Reply
- Kyokai says:
  
  March 19, 2012 at 12:13 pm
  POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
  
  You say the three posts like this is going to be last post on Metanorn! xD ~~Never gonna happen.~~
  
  I’ve become a very big fan of Nasu (I don’t say ><), and his work inspires me to keep writing and writing about it. I think it was love at first sight/read/watch and the reason I fangirl at his complex characters and storyline. I know his wordiness and even a hoard of characters turn some people off but for me, it's even more engaging and the reason I have gotten into it more through the years. About Mahoyo in particular, Type-Moon has really outdone itself with amazing setting. It's not just the character design, BG, BGM, etc. but the overall setting and placement that has made this VN completely different from all of it's previous siblings. Btw, as I said above we might get the translation sooner than we think and to refresh your mind, you can always check out the Type-Moon guide I wrote for Yippy. I don't think Aoko just dyed her because she liked red. I'm sure it has a full storyline and maybe the transformation was caused by her maturing as a magician? We'll find out soon enough I guess. :3
  
  Reply
  - Tofu says:
    
    March 19, 2012 at 9:00 pm
    POWUH: Meta Resident and Yōko Fanboy with 1246 comments
    
    The translation might be sooner than usual compared to other translations since as you mentioned, Mahoyo isn’t going to be very ‘branched out’ but more one directional which I think would be good for such a setting.
    
    I definitely agree with you about how they’ve outdone themselves, it’s so good to the point that it’d be really hard for future visual novels in surpassing such a great piece we’re seeing now ^^
    
    Reply
  - Kyokai says:
    
    March 20, 2012 at 11:53 am
    POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
    
    Damn right, Mahoyo is not as long as FSN/Tsukihime because it lacks arcs, but I’m sure I’ll take around at least 20-24 hours just to finish it because I’ll be oggling more and playing less. Oh man, April come sooner! ><
    
    Reply
    - type-moon fan says:
      
      May 8, 2012 at 1:38 pm
      POWUH: iLurker with 1 comments
      
      actually, there is an extra that places itself 1 year after the main story of mahoyo that has choices for you to make. This extra is avaiable after you complete the game.
      
      Reply
      - Kyokai says:
        
        May 8, 2012 at 2:10 pm
        POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
        
        That’s news to me (I’m still waiting for the translation though). But thanks for the information.
        
        Reply
tatsuya says:

March 19, 2012 at 5:06 am
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 323 comments

damn …the background is so real !! good job

Reply
- Kyokai says:
  
  March 19, 2012 at 12:13 pm
  POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
  
  It’s like watching an awesome silent anime. Thank you. ^^
  
  Reply
Reaper says:

March 19, 2012 at 7:21 am
POWUH: 400-499 with 428 comments

Argh!!!! The tragedy of the moment I downloaded the demo oh so long ago…it wouldn’t work!!! I’ve been excited for the snippets of information that just floats around about the Aozaki family (particularly of the ‘smoking, well-educated mom’ Touko-san), particularly since everything is so connected with each other, sometimes lightly like as in a passing detail, or hell of a lot more in-depth than we could ever expect.

Hence why Nasu is probably my favourite author of all time; he actually not only invests in every aspect of his creations but also commits to them great attention for us Western mortals whom moan at Western writers (my faith in Western stories have been quite broken since Inheritance came out…), making the labythrine universe we all call the godly Nasuverse. When you name an entire story world after an author, you know he’s seriously awesome, and it’s all the better since he works with such great illustrators; the pieces above are just godly. Hey ufotable, you know you want to animate this…

Argh, now I’d try to see if I could finally get the demo working but uni already bombarded me with tests! Why?! It’s just the third week now!! 🙁

Reply
- Kyokai says:
  
  March 19, 2012 at 12:32 pm
  POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
  
  Did you download the Japanese version? There’s no setup and you just have to run the exe to launch the VN. You can check the English version DLs I pointed out above. Also, the demo is not very long. Just 5 chapters and you can finish it within two hours; though I took forever on every screen because I was so happy and loved the BGM. xD
  
  Also, what mom? Touko is Aoko’s older sister and a better friend of Alice compared to Aoko but they do warm up to each other during their training/partnership in Mahoyo. I’m really looking forward to how Touko would be introduced because as Nasu said, he wrote Touko in KnK just because he felt guilty about her role in Mahoyo.
  
  And Nasuverse all the way. I was warned by people, not to touch inheritance. Though, if you are looking for a good Western author, try Stephen King. The guy is a King of horror – no pun intended and his stories are very involving with complex characters. He’s a very good short story writer as well (try his compilation of work), a rare for a novelist, who has produced many fat books.
  
  Good luck with uni. It will let up in time, I hope. ><
  
  Reply
  - Reaper says:
    
    March 20, 2012 at 5:37 am
    POWUH: 400-499 with 428 comments
    
    Ah, no, what I meant with the whole ‘mom thing’ was how someone descibred Touko in KnK…might have been Aoko when they’re older, just as an insult/compliment to each other (?) But yes, I definitely want to see what her entire back is, especially from the little teasers in KnK and the whole ‘inheritance issue’…speaking of Inheritance, yes. To regret is human. To read Inheritance…regret is an understatement. Let’s just say I’ve lost all faith in Western writers since Inheritance and now delve into Japanese light novels instead. Remembers for a Certain Pilot definitely achieved what Paolini could not in four books; damn satisfying read. He’s not that bad but…I felt bitter afterwards.
    
    Ah, King, he is the King of horror…I’ll probably drop by the bookstore and check out his stories…and hope I don’t leave a mess on the floor afterwards…
    
    Reply
  - Kyokai says:
    
    March 20, 2012 at 11:56 am
    POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
    
    Yeah, I definitely want to know the reason behind their fighting and why both of them steal from each other (Touko, her money, while Aoko, Touko’s magic). I guess, it must be a sibling rivalry kind of a thing?
    
    And yeah, definitely check out King and on the Japanese side check out NisiOisin and Haruhi novels, which are really good.
    
    Reply
lvlln says:

March 20, 2012 at 11:03 pm
POWUH: 700-799 and Parkouring Fanboy with 776 comments

I’m pretty hyped for this. Hate to sound hipster, but I’ve liked Type-Moon’s older franchises – Kara no Kyokai and Tsukihime – much better than its new ones – Fate/stay night and Canaan. And this is going really far back.

I started playing the demo months ago, but I still haven’t had the time to finish it. Just got to the part where Alice is going into some dark forest to find someone. The game actually chugs a bit on my netbook – it’s truly gorgeous and shows just how much work Type-Moon must have put into pushing forward the VN medium. Besides the beautiful artwork, the use of animation and various special effects are stunning – it starts to blur the line between visual novel and anime. As you write, it’s almost like a silent film. With beautiful music to accompany it. Remember when Supercell’s Utakata Hanabi/Hoshi ga Matataku Konna Yoru Ni came out in October of 2010, at the same time as this game? Heh.

A little disappointed that Type-Moon is no longer going the eroge route – I guess as a successful professional studio instead of a doujin circle, they no longer feel the need to do that. But pornography was at the heart of the 2 visual novels that put them on the map. And the supposed Tsukihime remake is even supposed to be all-ages. That’s not a true remake in my eyes!

Reply
- Kyokai says:
  
  March 21, 2012 at 11:35 am
  POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
  
  I’m with you on liking his older works, after all Kara no Kyoukai is my all time favourite everything.
  
  Actually, you are not really far off in finishing the demo because after Alice’s fight, it has a short presentation of Aoko and then it goes to the OP Sequence, shown at the end of this post, ending it.
  
  Though, it’s a treat to the eyes and I do remember the Utakata Hanabi release and going YAY for the VN release which was then delayed further. At least this it’s final so I can’t wait to see the full version.
  
  I wasn’t aware of the non-eroge route for Tsukihime remake. That is what got their doujin circle noticed in the first place. I understand the all-age rating for Mahoyo because Type-Moon wants to invite more fans and followers but what kind of a rebuild would it be if the core ideas are forgotten? I’ll keep my fingers crossed for something in the middle. xD
  
  Reply
  - lvlln says:
    
    March 22, 2012 at 3:49 am
    POWUH: 700-799 and Parkouring Fanboy with 776 comments
    
    True irony would be if Sacchin gets a route, but no accompanying sex scene. Would be tragedy right there. Isn’t it sad, Sacchin?
    
    Reply
  - Kyokai says:
    
    March 22, 2012 at 10:31 am
    POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
    
    It will be very sad if they ever do it. Nuoooo! ><
    
    Reply
Myst says:

March 21, 2012 at 11:39 am
POWUH: iLurker with 8 comments

Thanks for taking the time to compile all this info Kyokai! The quotes from Nasu and Takeuchi were especially interesting and informative. 😀

Even though I won’t be able to read it right away (language barrier D:) I am really excited to see this VN finally released. Even more now that I have gotten the chance to play the demo. Speaking of which, April is going to be a huge month for type-moon fans with both Mahou Tsukai no yoru and Fate/Zero season two releasing.

Reply
- Kyokai says:
  
  March 22, 2012 at 10:55 am
  POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
  
  Thanks, Myst! It was a motherload when I found these interview translations and wanted to share it with the fans. ^^
  
  I’m sure cokesakto will be on translation once the VN gets released and seriously, I can’t wait for Fate/Zero to restart again. Oh that cliffhanger and the enthusiasm for seeing the amazing story line finally animated.
  
  Reply
From the Cutting Room: Nisemonogatari 11 Missing Adaptation Excerpt - METANORN says:

April 25, 2012 at 9:37 pm
POWUH: iLurker with 2 comments

[…] Usual caveats apply: this is a Japanese to Korean to English translation. Credit goes to Junsoo Hyun for the official Korean translation, which I encourage you to buy if you can read Korean. I also give thanks to canon_rap for giving me help translating what type of combat Kagenui was using. Check out his site Quality Mistranslations for other translations including his on-going project Nekomonogatari White “Tsubasa Tiger,” the 2nd volume of the sequel to Nisemonogatari. He also has a Tumblr page in which he will be posting as he plays through Witch on the Holy Night. […]

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12 Days of Anime #10 – Type-Moon – METANORN says:

January 4, 2014 at 12:56 pm
POWUH: iLurker with 2 comments

[…] about this year. A year, which saw the completion of Fate/Zero, Carnival Phantasm and release of Mahou Tsukai no Yoru and re-ported FSN Realta Nua visual novels. Let’s not forget the the amazing news of Mirai […]

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