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No Name Losers retired on September 28th, 2007.
We thank everyone for over five years of support.

Our final fansubs are available here. For older fansubs, use the BitTorrent link at the top.
The ef project page is here. The news archive for 2007 is here.

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May others continue to keep minority spirit...
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Visual-Novels.net

2008.05.09. Let's titter like little girls! This game actually happened...

I ended up winning by three points. Yay! I am so immature.

I'm going to have a table at this year's ANorth Nominoichi (flea market). I'll be selling some new Nintendo DS lites. If you want one, mention this site and I'll give you a good discount!

ef - the latter tale comes out in three weeks. We're still not going to do anything from it... or are we? If the demo is typical of minori (under 1500 text blocks), we might do it. But no promises! Reikoku has been working extra shifts because he wants to splurge at ANorth. I can't blame him. If we do anything, I will probably have to translate the damn thing instead of Reikoku, so it depends on how I feel after ANorth. Yay!

SPECIAL
It is high time that I finalize the Wind fandisc scripts, something that you've heard me yap about for two years but never got around to doing. However, due to lack of manpower and my general distrust of the English visual novel community, I have come to realize that our original goal is a pipe dream. There are no current plans to continue with Build D, and since I do not wish to contact anyone on the old team, there will likely never be one. Consider this announcement as Build D's official cancellation. However, I thought it would be a real shame if Reikoku's work was all for nothing.

Since I don't have Wind installed on my computer anymore due to the fansubbing purge, some of the descriptions may be inaccurate. These scripts were pulled out of a random folder, and some of it was incomplete. Whatever.

Once I post a script up here, it's final. NNL will not entertain any additional offers of assistance. These scripts are internal bonuses from Reikoku and myself for the few people who still care about it. They are not canon NNL releases, and there is no ETA on the completion of the entire thing. In fact, the next script probably won't be up for a couple of months. This is just a diversion in case I get insomnia. If I had lots of free time, I'd work on ef instead. Wind just turned SIX years old last week. It's ooooold, and virtually no one gives a damn anymore. Consider yourself lucky that you're getting these at all.

These scripts will not have the original Japanese text. Reikoku simply translated from scratch files, and I'm too lazy to make a tool that integrates the Japanese text with the English text. Just use the fandisc to compare the text blocks. You do have the original game, right? If not, then these scripts are not for you.

I don't think I need to remind anyone that these scripts spoil the main game, but here's your obligatory warning. Spoilers abound!

2008.04.20. fd001 and g005 added.

2008.04.14. We're not doing anything from ef - the latter tale... for now. That includes the opening. Because the fairy'll flap off. Besides, my fansubbing tools have been deleted from this computer. Call me back in 2009.

2008.04.10. I win!

2008.04.09. Okay, the finals is tonight at 9 PM EDT/6 PM PDT. Go to allgames.com for more info. Wish me luck!

2008.04.06. Life after fansubbing is good. Tomorrow (Monday), I will be playing for approximately $1000 worth of Nintendo prizes in the allgames.com Advance Wars: Days of Ruin tournament. I won three games on my way to the finals, including a grueling 4.5 hour marathon match against an equally skilled player. The finals will be broadcast live at 9PM EDT at http://justin.tv/allgames. Come in and root for me!

Among the booty is an autographed DS Lite by Nintendo of America localization producer Tim O'Leary. Allow me to go on the record to say that aside from a few quibbles here and there, he did a fantastic job with the localization, putting the European English script to shame. Instead of going for an hardheaded literal translation like the European English script did, Mr. O'Leary infused the script with some additional mannerisms that weren't there in the original script. In fact, the Japanese script (which is embedded in the game data) took itself way too seriously. By rewording some scenes in order to make them sound campy, Mr. O'Leary made the script bearable and entertaining.

Anyway, all that matters is getting the final win. It would be nice to be number one in the world at something, too. Hee hee~

Time to pray that my ISP doesn't fail me tomorrow...

EDIT: The match has been postponed to Wednesday. This is to ensure a higher quality feed.

2008.03.29. As always, Reikoku and I will be at this year's AnimeNorth. However, for the first time, neither of us are going to be wearing any t-shirts identifying our affiliation with No Name Losers. (I am not wearing the Wind t-shirt for a third straight year, and I have no clue of the whereabouts of the black retirement shirt.) On May 21st, I'll post our itinerary based on the pre-schedule so you know where we'll be. If you want to talk to us in person, it is up to you to contact us beforehand so that we'll be expecting someone. As an aside, I can bring the Wind manuscripts or any other NNL relics if anyone is interested in looking at them. Time to grab the duster...

We had camcorder footage for the previous two years. However, due to lack of manpower and funds, we will not be doing that this year. Also, I can't find the time to edit and release the video we have for ANorth 2007. Unless someone wants to volunteer to be the cameraman, there will be no new footage.

We're finally staying at the Doubletree this time, and we've got a free spot. Contact us if you're interested in bunking with us at a special price. You're looking at two men in their early twenties.

See you there!

2008.03.08. The ef - the first tale project has been canceled.

Q: Why?
A: The translator dropped for personal reasons that I will not divulge. We did state that the project was subject to cancelation at any time. However, to avoid any rumors that may start, I will tell you this: he did not drop because he was unsatisfied with our direction, nor did he drop due to ethical issues with our distribution method. In fact, I believe he wanted the project to be succeed, but it was not to be. It was an honor to have worked with him for the short time we were together, and I wish him the best in life.

Q: But you believed in him!
A: Unfortunately, we all did. I honestly thought the project would be a success, and this unexpected turn was not what anyone had in mind. However, as project director, the burden of responsibility lies with me. I am truly sorry that we may have caused anyone to get excited for nothing.

Q: Will you release what you have done?
A: No. The only person who can cobble together a proof-of-concept at this time is me, and I feel that presenting what we did (a bit over 20%) would be too much work for absolutely no gain. ef Supah Preview is sufficient for anyone who is interested in working with us and wants to know what we can do.

Q: Will the project be revived if another translator hops on?
A: The prospect requirement would be raised to 30%. Since over 20% has been done, no announcement would be made unless over half the script is completed. If the prospect then drops, we would release Miyako's story as a standalone. That way, hearts would not be broken again.

Q: So how do we know that the project wasn't a complete ruse?
A: You'll have to believe us. Okay, fine. You get one screenshot. Don't mind the "Supah Preview" in the title; that's because the executable was not modified.

Q: Will you be releasing Wind Patch Build D or anything else in the backlog?
A: No. All outstanding revisions have been suspended indefinitely. No Name Losers is retired once again.

Effective immediately, #nnl is no longer supported. It is still around, but Reikoku and I will not frequent it anymore. Therefore, I have removed our IRC info. We will still respond to any feedback via e-mail.

Now if you'll excuse me, it's time to play Super Smash Bros. Brawl with Reikoku.

2008.02.02. No Name Losers is back. Sort of. We have assembled a team that is currently localizing ef - the first tale. That's right, we're doing the full game, and translation has already passed the 20% mark! Hop on over to the ef project page for more details.

After ef Supah Preview, we never intended to work on ef - the first tale. The project page was an elaborate joke, set up to fool people who didn't have the attention to read the main page. It worked on some people, too. However, one day, someone in #nnl messaged me and said that he and his friend were interested in working with us. I told him that we would provide full support if he finished 20% of the script in under three weeks. To my surprise, he did, proving that he was for real. As a result, there was a ripe opportunity to localize ef - the first tale before ef - the latter tale's Japanese release. Since I did not want to be the lead editor of a full-length bishoujo game project again, all we needed was manpower for the non-translation phases. With Wind patch build D editor TDOMMX becoming available, the matchup was complete.

The current team is assembled of #nnl regulars, and I have the utmost faith in them. As for me, I will only be assisting in minor tasks such as co-ordination, build assembly, and technical support. Reikoku will not be involved at all, except for occasional translation checking. However, I am overjoyed that I have the opportunity to share my experiences with the next generation. Yeah, that sounds cheesy, but that's how I genuinely feel.

This warning is on the development page, but I will repeat it here: Do NOT purchase ef - the first tale just for this project, because it is very likely that there will be no patch. We are taking a controversial route for reasons explained on our development page.

Due to this unexpected turn of events, we are focusing all of our time on this project. All other outstanding projects (Wind patch build D, Wind anime scripts, Haruoto Demo build B) have been canceled until further notice. We apologize for this, but I think we can all agree that it's time to let go of a game that is nearly six years old. As for Haruoto, well... no one cares about that, either.

2008.01.14. Oops! Our ef HD Op had a typo (a fairly tale of the two) all this time. We ain't no fairly oddparents!

2008.01.05. The new year brings some sad news. Hirameki nternational has pulled out of the bishoujo game localization business. As one of the few who supported them by owning seven of their thirteen releases, I have a few parting words.

First, let's rewind back to the end of 2005. Ai Yori Aoshi and Ever17 came out at around the same time. They were highly anticipated due to coverage on insertcredit and on their site. Ever17 was acclaimed by almost everyone who touched it, while Ai Yori Aoshi was a cute three hour diversion.

Then there were two releases from them in 2006: Animamundi and Yo-Jin-Bo. Yo-Jin-Bo is notable because it was produced by TWOFIVE, the company who was responsible for the music in Wind -a breath of heart-. Both were otome games (the opposite of bishoujo games) and were aimed at the yaoi contingent, even if the games themselves are not, which turned off many people. They even got Don McCow, the man behind the lyrics of Wind's songs, to visit a yaoi-only convention. 2007 brought us one release, Piece of Wonder. Unlike the 2005 releases, these three games were announced with very little fanfare. Without a reputation, you're not going to make money in any business if you do not focus on advertising. Hirameki attemped to rectify that.

Hirameki had a booth at AnimeBoston, AnimeExpo, and AnimeNorth for 2006 and 2007. I was fortunate enough to visit them both times. Considering their situation, I questioned the strategy of going to conventions this early because other than Ever17, they had no killer app. I thought their money would be better spent on Newtype USA coverage.

The AnimeNorth 2006 booth was spearheaded by their new release, Animamundi. It was going to do reasonably well due to the fact that it looked like a yaoi game (AnimeNorth has enough yaoi content to warrant a separate website for it). Sales were brisk, due to their "buy one get two free" deal that was going on. Anyone who purchased Ai Yori Aoshi or Ever17 got two of their DVD titles for free! I paid $35 for Majyo no Otya Kai (Tea Society of a Witch) when it came out in 2004, so it was definitely the steal of the convention. The man told me that they were liquidating their old titles to make way for the new ones. I left the booth a happy camper with Ever17, Hourglass of Summer, and Phantom of Inferno. It was a promising start, and I definitely believed that 2007 would be full of surprises. My only complaint was that they didn't set up a rolling TV demo to demonstrate what they were all about.

Alas, that was not to be. They had the same booth in 2007, except for Yo-Jin-Bo in one corner and Piece of Wonder in one corner. The titles that were "liquidated" in 2006 were still there. They were getting a few sales, but it was a far cry from 2006 in which their product was flying off the tables. One thing about AnimeNorth (and presumably any other con) is that the majority of conventioneers are veterans. It was like Nintendo trying to sell a Gamecube today. They needed innovation to capture the market, and they simply didn't do that. By the way, Piece of Wonder wasn't selling at all.

Perhaps their business and game selection model was in shambles, but surely they were genuine people, right?

If they were, they certainly didn't show it. They sent two lackeys and not their core team to Toronto in both years, which meant that there was no serious discussion of company matters. I dearly wanted to know about the history of their company and how they were doing, since they were one of the inspirations for the Wind Translation Project. The men who were there couldn't give me any of that. The man from Hendane! (which is currently a shell of its former self) in 2007 knew us, but Hirameki didn't. That was something I didn't expect.

Their website didn't have much insight other than the "Ask Aoyama" section, and that section wasn't even about company matters. None of their staff were active on their own BBS. I could clearly see that the passion wasn't there. If I were an employee at Hirameki, I would have been busting my ass off building hype for the next release and trying to make the fanbase salivate in anticipation. I still think that passion is what drives bishoujo game translation projects, be it for a hobby or for commercial reasons (see my rant in 2007). I remember a web site that interviewed the enthusiastic localization team for Phoenix Wright 2 and 3, so it's not just the little guys who need it.

A business model where customer service is not a high priority will inevitably come back to bite you in the end.

Even their goodbye notice will invariably leave some people sour. They have pulled all support for all of their products. Where are people going to obtain patches for Ever17 now? Fan sites can be quite unreliable. I'm looking at you, VisualNews.

NNL may have retired, but we will support our own fansubs until the very end. We have kept this domain through 2016. Our current situations and recent experiences forced Reikoku and I into retirement, but we may want to revisit our ex-hobby some day. When we do, we would like to have things the way they once were.

I would like to finish up on a sombering thought. We may have already lived through the golden years of commercial bishoujo game localization. As computer graphic technology becomes more advanced, the chances of a renaissance on the PC platform are becoming more and more unlikely. It's not that the genre is bound to fail; see Phoenix Wright. Hirameki simply screwed up the delivery and dug their own grave. Just look at the Nintendo DS: it's a rehash of the failed game.com in many ways, yet it has recently outsold the venerable PlayStation2 in all-time sales. Presentation is everything.

And that's enough from me. Updates will be sporadic from here on in, but remember, our e-mail is always open. Take care, everyone.