Clannad Visual Novel to be released on Steam November 23 [Update 11-21-2015]

…The hype is real!

I knew it was coming because of the kickstarter program launched last summer. The ambitious project designed to localized Clannad for North America was fully funded within a month’s time with almost $250,000 raised. We now know that will be coming to Steam Monday, November 23–that’s next Monday. The price tag not yet been announced but anyone who considers themselves a Clannad fan will buy it no matter the price =O

For those who’ve only seen the Anime, the Visual Novel is what it is based on. Unofficial fan translations have long existed but this is the first time the Clannad Visual Novel has been officially released in North America. Although Nagisa is the canon girl Tomoya makes his girlfriend and later his wife the Anime touched on the others: Tomoyo, Kyou, Ryou and to a lesser extent Kotomi. Tomoyo actually got a spinoff Visual Novel titled Tomoyo After where she and Tomoya start living together after High School. Not sure if Tomoyo After will be included but it would be awesome if it is even if it’s as DLC Content.

On a related note, I submitted my application for the Anime Boston panel Clannad: The Place Where Wishes Come True tonight. I am excited though it looks like I will be doing the panel solo this year: All of my copanelists from last year will be at the con though they have made other plans for the weekend. It’s all good. Plans change and I have alot of fun things planned ^_^

 

Update 11/21/2015:

It looks like the price tag will be $50. When news of the game’s price was released, the internet rage was loud and in full force: Gamers and Clannad fans alike are furious the 11 year old Visual Novel is being sold on Steam for $50, which they consider “overpriced”. This despite the fact most console games sell for $50 or $60 on average, contain less content AND have DLC Content.

I think it’s unfortunate the game’s official North American release has been tainted by the “controversy” over its pricing: All of the people complaining about the price are not only not Clannad fans but never contributed to the Kickstarter Campaign. Like I said when I first posted this, if you consider yourself a fan of Clannad and want this VN, you’ll buy it regardless of the cost. That said, I’ve decided to wait until next next month to buy it in case there is a sale. You never know with Steam XD

 

I am now Registered for Anime Boston 2016!

 

I registered online a short time ago. It’s now official. I will be at Anime Boston 2016. Aside from that, being a panelist and possibly being unemployed during that time, nothing else is certain for me between now and then. This will be the first time I will be going to the convention without spending money to cover expenses.

I will create a Go Fund Me page sometime next month to collect donations. The goal is to raise $3,000. That would cover 4 days and 3 nights in a nearby hotel (Thursday to Sunday), transportation, meals, prizes for some of my panels and spending money. Said hotel would be within walking distance of the convention, likely the Midtown Hotel or the Sheraton. Anime Boston has become my vacation every year. I tried to get a hotel room the year before but that ended up not working out for various reasons (LOL). I am also looking to secure a hotel room by the end of January ahead of the big rush in February.

 

Moving on, I want to repeat the following panel will definitely be back at AB2016:

• Clannad: The Place Where Wishes Come True (90 Minutes): Pretty obvious. This will be my 6th year doing it and my 4th year doing it with my usual team of Copanelists. Like I said at AB2015. I will keep doing the panel as long as I am physically able and the con allows it. The panel will also be made to match the theme as well.
• Pokemon: 20 Years Later 2.0 (120 Minutes): Due to technical difficulties I ended up cutting half of what I had planned for the panel. I will be bringing it back as promised. If I get donations, there will definitely be another copy of Pokemon OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire being offered as prizes and yes, there will be Pokemon giveaways for those who bring their 3DS Pokemon games.

That’s it for returning panels. They’ll be easy, fun and are guaranteed to pack the room. The following will be new but relate to the convention’s theme:

• Persona 4: Dancing up a Sweat (45 Minutes): I’ve actually been developing a Physical Education curriculum using select songs from the soundtrack of the video game Persona 4: Dancing All Night. I’ve been developing it for the school where I worked but since I am transitioning out of working in the classroom, I now have more time to modify it for the convention. The whole thing will be about 30 minutes but I will request 45 minutes so that I will have time for Q&A.
• School Rumble: Past and Present (60 Minutes): I will play the entire Field Day event from the Anime series (Dubbed), which will take up about half of the panel. The of the time will be spent talking about how much the practice of Field Day has chanced over time.
• Baseball: Made in America, Played in Japan (30 Minutes): America’s favorite past time is Japan’s national sport. I will talk about the history of baseball in Japan and touch on some Anime that feature the sport as well. If things work out, there may have a special presentation.

That’s it so far. I’m not gonna be lazy this time around and focus more on substance and less on style. Like last year, I only expect two, maybe three panels to be slotted. Several panels that made the cut last year had no business being slotted and many panels that should have been slotted were left out.

While yes, I get it Panels and Programming has to balance old and new content, I also think new panelists should be required to provide a sample of what they have planned to give Panels and Programming an idea of weather they want to slot it or not. Don’t think they’d use the idea for the sake of being fair to the process but that’s my 2-cents. Many longtime congoers were disappointed by the number of old favorites that didn’t make the cut this time around. While it’s easy attribute that to there being a new Panels and Programming head, it’s also true some folks couldn’t make the con this year for one reason or another.

I am also planning on looking into getting some musical talent to perform at my Baseball panel. I have two possible sets of talent, one of which is a family member. The other is a high-porfile band from Boston. Not naming said band as I have some things to look into. Plus I don’t want to give folks the wrong idea.

 

Stay tuned.