Japanese game company Experience has revealed the box art for an upcoming Nintendo Switch title and according to Gematsu, it's made the name of it even longer.
The original title was the following:
"Monster wo Taoshite Tsuyoi Ken ya Yoroi wo Te ni Shinasai. Yuusha Tai ga Maou wo Taosu Sono Hi wo Shinjiteimasu"
And now, based on the updated box art, it's been extended to:
"Monster wo Taoshite Tsuyoi Ken ya Yoroi wo Te ni Shinasai. Shindemo Akiramezu ni Tsuyoku Narinasai. Yuusha Tai ga Maou wo Taosu Sono Hi wo Shinjiteimasu"
Got all that? The short title for it is simply Mon-Yu. Gematsu also provides the translations of the title before and after it changed:
"The original title translates to “Defeat Monsters to Get Strong Swords and Armor. We Believe in the Day the Heroes will Defeat the Demon Lord.” The new title translates to “Defeat Monsters to Get Strong Swords and Armor. Even If You Die, Fight and Become Stronger. We Believe in the Day the Heroes will Defeat the Demon Lord.”
The box art doesn't seem to have any issues incorporating the title, but the text and font is admittedly a bit small:
Mon-Yu is a dungeon RPG due out this summer in Japan, and more details about it will apparently be shared on 23rd April during an EXP broadcast. The video above shows some gameplay footage (via Games Talk).
[source gematsu.com]
Comments 89
One thing you can say about the Japanese games industry is they like to keep it simple.
This title kinda shows off how...generic the games premise is. Not to mention the character that looks like a child in that clothing on the boxart...
And knuckles
me at the game shop: hello do you have uh hmm uhhh — aah--- hmmm Defeat Monsters to Get Strong Swords and Armor. Even If You Die, Fight and Become Stronger. We Believe in the Day the Heroes will Defeat the Demon Lord for the Nintendo Switch please
In anime that's pretty normal. Short, even. XD
Needs "Plus Ultra" at the end though.
Well, at least no one is going to ask what the game is. It is exactly what it says on the box.
World of Wordcraft
Tack on a "Xross Super" too
People who've read JP LNs:
Ah, that's normal.
So, is that Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious title on video games ? 😜
Well, seems they found a way to compensate for the fact that modern games no longer come with a manual...
It's obviously a good title, they're getting PR, without a single screenshot or video, and even those not interested in the game knows when there'll be released info about it...
@PBandSmelly It's simply the artstyle. It's not that that character looks like a child, it's that they've all been deformed and made cutesy.
Also, the footage shown so far seems extremely promising - the game looks like it is an incredibly in-depth dungeon crawler rivaling the likes of titans like Etrian Odyssey.
I'm cautiously optimistic for now
@kukabuksilaks there is video footage of gameplay out there If you google "monyuu gameplay" you'll find it.
Also, these kinds of titles are HUGE in Japan, and have been since the light novel boom. They attract a lot of attention it seems.
Imagine going into a Game Store & asking for this.
“Excuse me. Do you have that Defeat Monsters Game for Nintendo Switch?”
“Which one do you mean? There’s loads of Switch Games where you defeat Monsters”
Sighs after having to repeat it for the 5th time after trying 4 other shops “ Defeat Monsters to Get Strong Swords and Armor. We Believe in the Day the Heroes will Defeat the Demon Lord.”
@Wesbert That is the comment of the day!
Surprised the company name isn't 'Experience in creating video game entertainment. Mainly centered around japanese RPGs with RPG, combat and loot mechanics, with overly cutesy characters and overly long titles'.
Will this game be localized?
I'm not the only one curious to what the spine of the box would like like, especially with the English version, right?
You know some times people just can't name things.
A bit vague tbh.
Just seeing that title alone makes me want to have the game ported to the Switch just for the hilarity of it.
@Doofenshmirtz The English title will with 99% certainty be Monyuu or Monyu + something else. It shortens it by a ton.
@liam_doolan this article (also from gematsu) features quite a lot of stuff like a gameplay video and more pictures btw. https://www.gematsu.com/2021/03/mon-yu-13-minutes-of-gameplay-new-details
Well the girl in the back definitely looks like she could use some better armor... or... just armor... or clothes even...
So is this a puzzle game? A point and click adventure? I'm not sure the title makes it clear enough.
Maybe a sports game?
@Blizzia
Oh man, I miss Etrian Odyssey SO MUCH.
I might have to keep my eye on whatever this is called.
@PBandSmelly bruh, it's chibi. Not every short character in anime is suppose to depict a child.
That boxart though. Game itself looks... meh.
So if you don‘t find a name for your game, just put the description on the front. 😂
And soon from the same company are coming those new games:
„Drive fast on the street. And even if you crash, get back on your seat to earn more cash and buy a better car.“
„Kick the ball. There is a goal at the other side. Hit it and you team will become stronger and well known.“
and last but not least:
„Beware the falling blocks. Stack them fast and stack them right. See them disappearing? Become the hero of the fading blocks!“
May as well have named itself "The Most Generic JRPG with some fanservice"
They should localise it into Welsh
Could also work as the name of a song by Panic! or MCR.
@Blizzia thanks for the link ! Love me some dungeon crawler, excited to see a new one ! I hope it will be localized in Europe
@kiwi_unlimited I feel you, Etrian Odyssey is so good ! I just want to be able to draw maps all day !
@PBandSmelly @Blizzia
Could you maybe link some details on chibi blizzia?
~~~Serious question not trying to be offensive ~~~
Chibi stuffs (sometimes) look like toddlers I’ve babysat. Their not just petite/cute but chubby legs & arms etc. It is off-putting with adult themes. I’m not even referring to the mild content of this image per se... So from your response (and others I’ve seen elsewhere) it seems like if PBandsmelly and I see the chibii style as reminiscent of toddlers, we are missing something.
Maybe it’s just being in a caretaker role can leave a girl hyper vigilant?
We're about 40 comments in, and so far @Blizzia is the only one to have even mentioned light novels, which is the source of this title trend, and among which this one fits right in. Everyone else loses their Japanese pop culture privileges.
Grad student tip:
If the title is just a little longer it could make a great dissertation subtitle!
(Don’t worry even your PhD committees never read those things.)
~~Science Girl Seal of Quantity~~
Sounds more like the description on the back of the box. Could've just called it Swords and Monsters.
I see games are taking the light novel approach to titles
Rumour has is that Game Freak is working of a similarly verbose game series titled,
“Pockets: a convenient place for storing various items such as keys, loose change, packets of bubble gum, crumpled up receipts, bits of lint, postage stamps, smartphones from ten years ago before they became impractically big, portable gaming devices from fifteen years ago after they became impractically small, expired lottery tickets, pictures of the kids taken into custody after the chaotic breakdown of your last marriage, and of course, monsters”.
There’s apparently a much pithier abbreviation, but I can’t for the life of me remember what.
@Frumpklin
Featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry series!
XXI century light novel titles: now in video games, too.😄
@PBandSmelly no one remotely familiar with the chibi aesthetic would confuse her for a child in this context.🙄
@Kiwi_Unlimited IKR, Etrian Odyssey was AMAZING. I'm really hoping we get a new EO soon.
@NightMiroir you're welcome!
@Dr_G_Lemaitre (LONG COMMENT SPLIT IN TWO, SORRY)
Sure! First off, you have to understand that many Japanese terms have a written meaning, but also a cultural one - meaning that a word could mean something nice, but actually be an insult, and vice versa - or it could mean something entirely different.
One of the most classic and obvious examples of this would be:
月が綺麗ですね | tsuki ga kirei desu ne (The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?)
When you see this sentence you think "well, yeah, so what?"
What the sentence actually means, culturally, is that someone just confessed their love to you. It's literally a way of telling someone "I love you." It's not used often anymore because Japanese people have gotten more open, but it serves as a good example.
Chibi, as a definition, simply means "petite/small/miniature", and the word itself is usually aimed at young creatures (humans, animals, you name it).
But the cultural use of "chibi" is ALWAYS meant to describe something as "petite/small/miniature in a good way". So small in a cute/endearing way. It's a term that is completely removed from sexuality as it only focuses on something being endearing. If you were talking about a person and referring to their body or wanted to bring attention to tiny features (good/bad) - you'd probably use a word like "chiisai" or something similar, as this word.
It's very hard to convey in an understandable manner, but to sum it up: Chibi is usually not controlled in a sentence by other letters/words, meaning it retains its original meaning at all times - chiisai (and other similar words) is often used with conditional modifiers that can determine the tone, mood, subject and focus of it.
Now that we've clarified that - you can safely assume that if one were to use Chibi, or describe something as Chibi, it means that it is small and cute or something along those lines.
Chibi as an art form, or caricature even, is basically an exaggeration of the term itself - you present a being in an exaggerated form.
This form is/was based on features that "cutify" something by simplifying it, and enhancing the areas that can amplify the "endearing/cute" connection that the word has - which is basically the face, as facial features are amazing for when you want to draw attention to certain areas and clearly show emotions or even personality.
You could essentially think of the chibi art form as a way of reducing the importance of other elements of a character in order to amplify the face, and use the face to convey information. Sometimes, perhaps in a stereotypical way as well - stereotypes can be good and bad, but regardless, you can tell that a smirking girl with pigtails is meant to look a bit bratty for example - the face (and hair too) easily convey the intended "minor personality trait".
@Dr_G_Lemaitre I guess what I'm trying to explain here is that while chibi IS, as an artform, a way of "babyfying" or "cutifying" characters, it's also a way of drawing them that takes focus away from features that might be considered sexual - in a way, drawing a chibi character is in itself a way of telling the audience "look, this is meant to be CUTE and ENDEARING - that's it".
Take a good look at the character in a bikini up above in the article, for example. The bodily features are so diminished that you kinda lose all the "allure" which such an outfit might usually bring, in order to completely focus on the "cuteness" of it. The chibi-style has made sure there are no curves to take note off - the bikini seems as good as any random piece of fabric - everything is drawn in a way that brings focus onto the face and her staff.
TL;DR The term chibi essentially means something is small in an endearing way - you could liken this to toddlers, as they're small in a cute way (the general populace would say, I guess) - but its cultural connection lies in that sexuality does not come into play, and while it's not meant to make you go "aww", the focus is removed from the body and transferred onto external factors such as equipment (like holding a book, a staff, a sword or other such things) and, most importantly, the face which becomes the gateway to the entire personality of the character.
P.S.: Your question was a good one, and I WOULD link you a bunch of stuff, but unfortunately, most of it would be in Japanese, and google translate is not going to help you there. There are English sources that discuss these things, but they're few and far in-between as the ones actually fluent enough to dive into these cultural connections properly, opt to speak in Japanese because it makes sense to use Japanese when discussing Japanese terms with Japanese peers.
@JimmySpades Yeah I think unfortunately the cultural connection of the title is lost on most people here since it's really not a trend that goes beyond a niche audience here in the Western world, despite being absolutely huge in for example Japan...
Which is why even manga at times now opt for longer names - as opposed to the previous trend of shortening names as much as possible to make it seem "easy to read" or "accessible", which is essentially what manga is - books that are easy to read because you're often shown what is usually between the lines and the world is visualized for you.
I'm certain that if it's brought to the West by one of the more invasive localization teams, it'll be named Monyuu: Defeat the Demon Lord or something like that instead of retaining its full name.
"So how do we get our game to generate press?"
"Just slap a senselessly long title on the thing and we'll have all news sites reporting on it"
"Brilliant"
It's a pity it appears to have died post Kickstart, but this would be a strong competitor for longest title: The Magical Realms of Tír na nÓg: Escape from Necron 7 – Revenge of Cuchulainn: The Official Game of the Movie – Chapter 2 of the Hoopz Barkley SaGa.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barkley_2
@Blizzia They look like children. Heh, deformed. That’s a new defense for that crap I’ve never heard.
@Torakaka Imagine the look on GameStop employees faces when they get their shipments in. If I had kids, I would specifically ask them to call GameStop to ask the front desk if they had this one Switch game.
NINJA APPROVED
I'm guessing that boxart will get a make-over if this title ever makes it out of Japan. Upskirting and showing pre-pubescent? kids? in bikinis probably wouldn't be deemed acceptable. And damned right too.
Going off of character count for the original Japanese, that's approximately 2 Cadence of Hyrule Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring the Legend of Zeldas.
Or just call it by it’s alternate title “Dungeon crawler for pedo otaku creeps.”
Bookmarking this article so I can reference it when asking for it at the game store.
@BloodNinja I take it you didn't read anything I wrote. Go back and read it, or simply refrain from speaking
Almost naked chibi girls on the box art, Japan sure love to skimpy up their dungeon girls, huh?
(not that I mind 😏)
@Blizzia Now we must agree with you or refrain from speaking? Look at this guy LOL. I don't defend child pornography or it's many depictions in the slightest. Chibi is one thing, but there's nothing charming about a toddler in a micro-kini. Might want to refrain from defending that sort of thing. Chibi is great when it's cutesy, but yeah, that girl they threw in at the top doesn't look endearing or charming.
@BloodNinja ...Ok so you just can't read. Could've just said you post nonsense in the comments and @ random people but can't read replies.
@Blizzia You'll have to reference a reply, you posted a lot and I was referencing your very first one, so I have no idea what you are talking about.
Just imagine Ultra Hyper Super Street Fighter II Turbo X 3D: Hyper Fighting: Arcade: Champion Edition HD Remix Revival EX Plus Alpha Gold: The Movie: Anniversary Edition: Collector's Edition: Tournament Edition: Game of the Year Edition: Grand Master's Challenge X Tekken Vs SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium: Chaos
So there's some MH looking dragon on the thumbnail, and you have to hunt monsters to get better gear.
So, monster hunter?
@Kienda don't count on it. I get asked what you do in Monster Hunter a lot.
Not quite the longest name I’ve heard on a video game, but it is up there all right
Almost as long as "Natsuiro High School: Seishun Hakasuho – Tenkō Shonichi no Ore ga Osananajimi to Saikai Shitara Hōdōbuin ni Sareteite Gekisha Shōnen no Hibi wa Scoop Dairenpatsu de Igai to Motemote na no ni Nazeka My Memory wa Pantsu-shashin Bakkari to iu Genjitsu to Mukiainagara Kangaeru Hitonatsu no Shima no Gakuen Seikatsu to Sekirarana Koi no Yukue"
also known as “Summertime High School: A Young Man’s Notes—How a New Exchange Student Like Myself Ran Into His Childhood Friend On The School Tour, Then For Some Reason Became Super-Popular With The Girls For His Daily Scoops On The School Photography Club Even Though He Only Takes Panty Shots, And What He Thinks As He Goes On Dates During His Summer Of Island School Life.”
....If this ever gets localized, make sure the English name is even longer than this. lol
Looks kinda like Etrian Odyssey. I'm kind of interested.
@BloodNinja simply the latest reply you made.
"Now we must agree with you or refrain from speaking?" - no, you simply need to actually read what is written and reply to something that exists rather than make stuff up. You're free to disagree, but your original reply disagreed with something that didn't exist - you made up a narrative on your own.
My post(s) were an explanation of the term chibi, it's cultural connections and it's existence as an art form or art aesthetic.
The explanation was asked for by another person on this very thread. It was not a defense or argument or discussion - just an answer to a question asking for an explanation of a term.
@Blizzia
Thank you for that detailed 2-part response , I’m honored! I had read a bit as well on the history with sailor moon/chibiusa always wondering if I was missing something due to how ubiquitous chibi style was on 3ds and also the ocasional jarringly adult(?) animation etc. Maybe they were western ripoff ‘anime’ ~~not naming a game, and starting a flame war.
So I think I learned a bit now, and really agree the best (my fav) chibi is the face-focusing simplistic caricatures- and the older kind that kept adult proportions...
So, I also still get where writers like PB or @BloodNinja are coming from. It’s one thing that fine wine is foul to the uninitiated- but even there we’d go too far to scorn the virgin palate,no? So it remains a case by case thing to me-but that’s just about every art style too so maybe I’m swayed a little?
Given your use of the Japanese moon-love idiom, maybe it’s like this? group A sees an “elephant in the room” while group B thinks A are “bulls in a china shop ~ making a mountain out of a mole hill” ~~~~~~ i may be missing it though.
Thanks again for all the comments everyone, sorry it is a touchy subject for people potentially due to abuse, excessive censorship, or both.
@Dr_G_Lemaitre @Blizzia Overall, the artstyle itself isn't harmful but like most forms of art, it's subjective.
For seasoned viewers of most anime properties, they can suspend their disbelief about the design of a chibi character since they can tell by writing and context clues that a character is suppose to be an adult.
For others, they can't get over how a character is designed or how the proportions are "child-like", especially if they don't follow a lot of anime with the artstyle, so when they see examples like the one above, it sets off their fight or flight instincts to make arguments as to why it's wrong or how it's contributing to cp.
I don't blame a person for having an issue with the designs, we all have our own opinions, but let's not make this something bigger than it actually is. The name is long and generic, the box art is simplified, time to move on.
I am not surprised, if you ever seen those Titles for Episodes in japanese Series.
They really love long and also spoiling Titles.
Can't wait for the sequel to Mario Odyssey:
"The second game in which you travel the world collecting moons to power your ship. Even if you die, you can start again at the last checkpoint. We believe in the day when Mario will defeat the evil Bowser and save Princess Peach."
Man, first manga and now games too. When the title alone is a novel, you know you up for some stuff.
Long titles have sort of become a niche market positioning tactic in Japan, so good on these guys for upping the stakes.
Wagering that the spine of any translated version of that game is just going to be "That One Demon Lord Title" and everyone will know what it is.
@Blizzia Ok, I’m aware of Chibi and its history, though. This ain’t my first rodeo, and it’s poor taste to enter a conversation only thinking you are the one with any understanding of the topic, and then suggest people refrain from speaking at the slightest disagreement with you. My statement still stands. It’s cute and endearing until it starts to look like toddlers in harem outfits. Not sure why you feel the need to defend or explain that, the sheer exploitive nature of the imagery alone is explanation enough. Stuff like that is and always will be used for shock value and to turn heads. In the end, it doesn’t matter what the history of chibi is; when it’s used in an exploitative nature for shock value, it loses its original meaning and the intent is lost.
Featuring Dante from Devil May Cry 2
@BloodNinja I never suggested you refrain from speaking because you disagreed - but because your reply made no sense when put into context with my comment, which is what you replied to.
I never implied I was the only one with an understanding of the topic either, so not sure where you're getting that from.
Either way I completely disagree with your final statement here. Chibi art like this is pretty much as common as it gets and you'll hardly see people bat an eye. There's no shock value in it.
But I guess we'll agree to disagree.
@Dakotastomp Eh - wherever you go, someone will have an issue with any design for one reason or another - and that's fair, but I wasn't even talking about whether, for example, these designs, or chibi designs in general were good or bad - I was simply explaining the literal and cultural meaning of chibi as a word and art form.
Anyway, I agree, it's not something that should be made any bigger than it is.
@Dr_G_Lemaitre You're welcome! I think it's a little bit of everything, though the "elephant in the room" vs "making a mountain out of a mole hill" bit certainly has a place in a discussion about how different sides see a subject
And honestly, a case by case basis seems like a good approach.
I also just want to clarify that while I provided an example from the picture in the article (to explain the huge face variant of chibi and why that variant is drawn that way), my 2-part comment was solely meant to explain chibi as a word and art form (and the cultural connection it is, at the very least, supposed to stay within the bounds of.)
Anyway, was a nice discussion all things considered
@Blizzia I appreciate your detailed explanation and @Dr_G_Lemaitre's question, which prompted aforesaid. Some of the comments you received from BloodNinja (full disclosure: I'm not fond of that individual in the slightest) were needlessly aggressive and you were, as far as I understand, fully within your rights to Report them.
If people here feel that subjects are being sexualized, they should contact the moderators. Their refusal to do so indicates their agenda.
@Blizzia You do you!
Without “at-ing” any of these recents-
Sorry for any way this blow up was due to me asking sideways etc. I have respect for you and have appreciated everyone’s comments knowing that~~~
yes it can be a tough subject as was stated before: abuse, censorship, etc. Could influence our comments too.
I hope we all can grow in respect, and though my dear BloodNinja may not have the perfect wording for all; the same goes in the other direction too. Sincerely, let us all forgive talking past each other as just that, mis understandings.
To that ninja also, though maybe too hot headed to some, your sentiment is understood by us who could have used your wraith and empty scabbard in days long past.
@AndyC_MK nope. Not getting back into this. Move on. I'm not even interested in the game or whatever its hook is, I just can't see the merits in trying to make it an issue when it's easier and more effective to just not buy the game.
@AndyC_MK Then ask the creators why they thought it was a good idea to design the characters that way. Ask them what their intentions were when coming up with the idea. I'm not the one to be having this conversation with because i really don't have a problem with this. I respect you find this wrong but you're really not stopping them from making it.
@AndyC_MK that's exactly what my opinion on this. I know I'm not part of the audience or demographic they're trying to reach with this, but i do know that A Western audience's morality isn't going to effect the views or opinions of a Non-American team because we all have our own cultural values. "Live and let live" as they say. It's all about perspective to me and i view it through the perspective of someone who respects other cultures artistic views and don't let my beliefs get in the way. I have no jurisdiction over them or their art because I'm not the audience and I'm not paying them to make it to my taste. I'm also seeing this as someone who has seen enough anime to know the style used here and see this as extremely generic and casual by anime standards, but i guess that's who they're trying to aim for, the casual gamer who's into the stereotypes of anime jrpgs. It would be a totally different story if they used lolis instead. That would deffinetly raise red flags.
All in all, i respect that you and the others find it disturbing and weird since not everyone is going to like this art style and you'll most likely base your opinion on the game simply on that alone. I'd rather wait on gameplay footage before bashing the game. Probably best that you avoid the game all together since it's no doubt going to be what you expected.
However, I do have to disagree with the sinister part of it. I've seen far, FAR more sinister games sold on steam and this one doesn't even scratch the surface of the content some of those games have, at least not design-wise imo. But hey, you do you, imma do me. I'm gonna go play an actually decent game now because i don't want to have to come back to this topic.
The game's length better be equally as long!
This is basically:
“Weeb : The RPG”
Localizing to the west?
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