Interest
MangaGamer to Release minori's ef Software (Updated)
posted on by Egan Loo
The visual novel distributor MangaGamer.com has announced on Monday that it will release minori's ef adult interactive novel software with authorized English translations by the fan group No Name Losers (NNL). The ef-The First Tale, ef-The Latter Tale, and Eden* titles will be the first ones to be released under the partnership that covers minori's software library.
The two ef titles feature computer graphics by Da Capo illustrator Naru Nanao and animation by 5 Centimeters Per Second director Makoto Shinkai. They inspired the ef: a tale of memories television anime series (pictured at right) and its sequel ef: a tale of melodies. Other software by minori have also inspired the Haru no Ashioto The Movie: Ourin Dakkan video anime project and the Wind a breath of heart anime franchise.
The minori software studio had sent a cease-and-desist notice to NNL for the fan group's earlier unauthorized translations on July 12. However, minori had added a postscript to the letter to express its willingness to discuss with NNL an official license for the English-speaking market. The studio then announced that it started "preliminary discussions" with NNL two days later.
NNL listed the number of changes that will be made to the authorized release of the ef software titles, including improved and more consistent translations, changed terminology "to comply with Western laws," and fixes for technical issues.
Update: MangaGamer notified ANN that the mention of Eden* in its press release is an error from an earlier draft. MangaGamer's representative added, "Official announcements regarding a possible release of Eden* will be made later if official plans for Eden*'s release begin."
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history