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Sharin no Kuni Visual Novel Localization Kickstarter Suspended, Restart Planned

AKABEi SOFT2, Frontwing, and Tokyo Otaku Mode's Kickstarter campaign to localize AKABEi SOFT2's visual novel Sharin no Kuni, Himawari no Shōjo updated on Friday to announce the cancellation of the project and plans to launch a new campaign.

The project earned US$55,165 from 675 backers, but was only 39% funded with eight days remaining. The staff explained that "reaching our fundraising goal is extremely unlikely at this point."

The announcement also included an apology to backers. "Our project team recognizes the many issues that this Kickstarter project has borne from its initial stages, from promotion and communication to the funding goal and rewards," the update said. "We have reflected greatly upon all of these."

The staff are planning to launch the new Kickstarter campaign at the end of August. Before the launch, the staff will reconsider the goal amounts, reward tiers, and advertising, as well as consider adding new platforms, such as PlayStation Vita and Android, and rewards.

The campaign to localize and release Sharin no Kuni, Himawari no Shōjo under the title Wheel Country, Sunflower Girl on PC launched on June 29. AKABEi SOFT2 is developing the release, while Frontwing is in charge of localization and planning the Kickstarter campaign. Tokyo Otaku Mode is in charge of page management and reward fulfillment for the campaign.

The visual novel's story is set in an unnamed "wheel country," where those who are considered criminals are given "obligations" to fulfill before re-entering society. These obligations take the form of absolute rules which, the violation of which results in the person's transfer to a forced-labor camp. The individuals that can hand down these obligations are "Special High Class Individuals," a distinct stratum of society. The game's protagonist, Kenichi Morita, is undergoing his final examination to be a "Special High Class Individual," which entails that he return to his hometown and rehabilitate three former classmates, reconnecting him with a past that he had left behind.

AKABEi SOFT2 released the game on the PC in 2005, before releasing it on Xbox 360 in 2010, on PlayStation Portable in 2012, and on PlayStation 3 in 2013. Usami Wataru published a manga adaptation of the game in Kadokawa and ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Daioh magazine from 2008 to 2011. Kadokawa published three compiled book volumes for the manga.