Haha, I feel like he's capable of feeling annoyance! He gets so petty in Gilbert's route. :D
So true! I almost forgot how he gets angry in Gilbert's route XP I also love it when he gets angry at the twins, haha :P
This actually does make me worry though, I would not be surprised if he took out his anger on Liliana the way he does in the after-story. Because, sigh, Yang. :P
Yeah, same here~ Somehow, I've just accepted Yang's colorful character. What otome games do to my brain, lol.
I'm really excited for the fandisc as well! We got the CxM and Code Realize translations, so hopefully next year...?
Hopefully~! There was news of new otome games that will be translated and released next year, so perhaps those will tide us over until the Piofiore fandisc gets translated :P
Oh, I haven't yet. Thank you for the link! I'll definitely check it out ^^
...okay, I'm sold! The game is actually on sale on the Switch right now, so I might pick it up.... :O
Yes! Definitely pick it up (if you can)! It's totally worth it :D
Oh, I'm curious! What pinged you as untranslatable?
A lot of what I noticed was that Hakouki seems to be playing with...history, and the perception of history, and how to conceive of honor -- which feels like a conversation that requires a lot of footnotes. And probably other things I completely missed. But even without all of that, the themes on honor and duty and sacrifice and change still resonate; it is such a beautiful game.
It's been awhile, but I remember it was things like samurai bushido, seppuku, and things that don't have an English equivalent. As you've mentioned, the game definitely dealt with honor, duty, and sacrifice (all ideas encompassed within samurai bushido), but like with Nightshade, the way it's viewed in Japanese culture has much more significant weight than perhaps in a Western context.
Also, on a slightly unrelated note, but samurai bushido were precepts that then later became the standard ethical code during the Tokugawa period (during the 1850s), which lead to things like the growth of Japanese nationalism (which is when Hakuouki takes place). And I think this is something that can be easily missed if not well-versed in Japanese history as you've brought up. I think it's why at the end of the first act in Hakuouki, loyalty and duty to the emperor becomes much more significant because those had always been directed to the daimyo (feudal lord), so it represents a huge power and cultural shift taking place during that time. There was a line in Kazama's route that said something about the idea/ways of samurai were a dying breed or no longer feasible. And it's this significant shift in the game/history that makes Kazama's line all the more true.
I also recall the issue of conformity, which isn't so much an untranslatable issue and more of a cultural factor. It isn't a hard concept to grasp (thankfully! lol), but as opposed to Western culture, the weight of conformity is much more prominent within Japanese culture as they heavily favor conformity/unity rather than individuality (demonstrated best in Hanzou's and Chojirou's routes in Nightshade), which is no secret. But I think it greatly helps to explain why people feared and looked down at the Shinsengumi who were considered outsiders and very different from typical samurais. I think it's also why change becomes an important theme that runs throughout the game/routes.
So, long story short, I agree~ XD It's a game that I think requires lots of footnotes relating Japanese history and culture. Luckily, as you've mentioned, it wasn't difficult to understand the ideas relating to duty, change, sacrifice, and honor, so it still managed to resonate, making the game fantastic and amazing!
(I deeply apologize for the super long tangent/rambling there ><; It's my favorite otome game, so I get super excited talking about it ^_^;)
alias_sqbr has some excellent recaps/reviews for Hakuouki as well, in case you haven't seen them.
Oh, cool! Thank you so much for letting me know! I'll definitely take a look at it.
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So true! I almost forgot how he gets angry in Gilbert's route XP I also love it when he gets angry at the twins, haha :P
This actually does make me worry though, I would not be surprised if he took out his anger on Liliana the way he does in the after-story. Because, sigh, Yang. :P
Yeah, same here~ Somehow, I've just accepted Yang's colorful character. What otome games do to my brain, lol.
I'm really excited for the fandisc as well! We got the CxM and Code Realize translations, so hopefully next year...?
Hopefully~! There was news of new otome games that will be translated and released next year, so perhaps those will tide us over until the Piofiore fandisc gets translated :P
Have you seen the teasers? If not, they're over on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh1VG9d99ljJBa0pTHFCfLw
Oh, I haven't yet. Thank you for the link! I'll definitely check it out ^^
...okay, I'm sold! The game is actually on sale on the Switch right now, so I might pick it up.... :O
Yes! Definitely pick it up (if you can)! It's totally worth it :D
Oh, I'm curious! What pinged you as untranslatable?
A lot of what I noticed was that Hakouki seems to be playing with...history, and the perception of history, and how to conceive of honor -- which feels like a conversation that requires a lot of footnotes. And probably other things I completely missed. But even without all of that, the themes on honor and duty and sacrifice and change still resonate; it is such a beautiful game.
It's been awhile, but I remember it was things like samurai bushido, seppuku, and things that don't have an English equivalent. As you've mentioned, the game definitely dealt with honor, duty, and sacrifice (all ideas encompassed within samurai bushido), but like with Nightshade, the way it's viewed in Japanese culture has much more significant weight than perhaps in a Western context.
Also, on a slightly unrelated note, but samurai bushido were precepts that then later became the standard ethical code during the Tokugawa period (during the 1850s), which lead to things like the growth of Japanese nationalism (which is when Hakuouki takes place). And I think this is something that can be easily missed if not well-versed in Japanese history as you've brought up. I think it's why at the end of the first act in Hakuouki, loyalty and duty to the emperor becomes much more significant because those had always been directed to the daimyo (feudal lord), so it represents a huge power and cultural shift taking place during that time. There was a line in Kazama's route that said something about the idea/ways of samurai were a dying breed or no longer feasible. And it's this significant shift in the game/history that makes Kazama's line all the more true.
I also recall the issue of conformity, which isn't so much an untranslatable issue and more of a cultural factor. It isn't a hard concept to grasp (thankfully! lol), but as opposed to Western culture, the weight of conformity is much more prominent within Japanese culture as they heavily favor conformity/unity rather than individuality (demonstrated best in Hanzou's and Chojirou's routes in Nightshade), which is no secret. But I think it greatly helps to explain why people feared and looked down at the Shinsengumi who were considered outsiders and very different from typical samurais. I think it's also why change becomes an important theme that runs throughout the game/routes.
So, long story short, I agree~ XD It's a game that I think requires lots of footnotes relating Japanese history and culture. Luckily, as you've mentioned, it wasn't difficult to understand the ideas relating to duty, change, sacrifice, and honor, so it still managed to resonate, making the game fantastic and amazing!
(I deeply apologize for the super long tangent/rambling there ><; It's my favorite otome game, so I get super excited talking about it ^_^;)
alias_sqbr has some excellent recaps/reviews for Hakuouki as well, in case you haven't seen them.
Oh, cool! Thank you so much for letting me know! I'll definitely take a look at it.