FE: Vision Quest (Fan game)

Today is not really a translation or localization thing! More just a fandom shout out and general blog post.

I wanted to talk a little bit about this nifty FE fan game named Vision Quest. Created by Pandan! Please see details and a page over here about it. Everything you need to know about it is there.

I have slowly been making my way through this game over the last few months, and finally completed it today! It is actually the first time I have played an FE fangame. I found it when searching fangames on a whim due to wanting to play a GBA FE again yet also experience something new. I certainly got that!

Writing in a kind of stream of consciousness fashion, I wanted to write some thoughts out here just for a kind of informal post, I guess a “retrospective” of sorts. This is by no means any kind of review and has no real structure. It goes without being said, this is purely opinion on just the kind of thoughts I had.

I am not really sure where to begin, but I do highly recommend the game for fans of the GBA FE games, yet it also brings a lot to like from the Tellius games and the like. Of course, this is purely a matter of preference, but I would urge you to give a few chapters a shot and see how you feel. That’s the best way to really see if you’d like it or not, after all!

If you’d rather read my rambling thoughts on it, then read on!

7 Years of Kantopia

This blog has now been around for 7 years as of today. Can you believe it?

While I stopped doing my daily uploads awhile ago, I’m still enjoying every looking into trivial matters and comparisons as they come.

There are still some bigger projects I’m working on translating in the background (hint: more FE 4koma), so please look forward to those once they’re ready.

Thank you to everyone who reads and shares the super trivial articles from this blog! Here’s to 7 more years!

Lilina’s spirit is represented by Palutena in Smash Bros. Ultimate?

Today is a quick post that isn’t really a comparison or anything, just a curiosity.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, there is a system of spirits that inhabit different fighters that you rescue them from. This is a fun way to get even more characters in a game by getting similar characters and quirks in on a character that best represents them, for a lack of better words. (This is not the exact intention/statement as given by anyone, just a summarized observation).

Anyway, for fans of these characters who are familiar with their original source games, you get a lot of fun nods that others may not get.

One particular favorite of mine is L’Arachel’s spirit, for instance. She inhabits female Robin –and with her are two other allies: Wario and Sheik.

Fans can already get why the other two are even here. They represent Dozla and Rennac! It’s much like how Awakening‘s bonus box fights featured classes that were meant to represent other characters that traveled together.

Another instance is how Ninian is represented by Palutena, and with her is Roy (likely to be Eliwood):

There are many more, but as a final example, which I unfortunately neglected to take a screen shot of, was that Wrys was inhabiting Kirby. I suppose they went all out on his baldness.

So I started to wonder if Lilina is around. I figured the Zelda (of the A Link to the Past look) would be a good candidate for her.

A Japanese friend posted this when they found it:

I was pretty surprised! Since I fully expected Lilina to actually be inhabiting Zelda rather than Palutena. The fire affinity/ability, the manner of dress, the red alt, body structure, and status as a Princess seemed pretty fitting in my head! So this was especially interesting. I wonder why they went with Palutena?

One guess, due to her staff, is that perhaps it was to reflect Lilina’s sage look –where she has the long white dress and can wield a staff as well. I’m sure there are other reasons.

Outfit as seen here. Also drawn by said friend who presented the screen shot to me. Please follow them on twitter!

So for fun I drew a quick oekaki (pixel sketch) of Lilina in one of Zelda’s victory poses, just because it was fun to imagine.

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When I get through the game, I’d love to write a post that has every single fun FE nod through the spirits (I’m sure the wikis will do that already, but still).

Just to be clear –this isn’t a complaint or anything. I just thought it was odd!

What do you all think of the game so far? Please avoid any World of Light spoilers if you can. Who are you playing as? Main? All that good stuff. Last game I would mostly play as Lucina, but this time I’m prioritizing Zelda for the above, hehe.

Mia, Edward, Oekaki, Birthdays (not a translation/trivia post)

Today is just a brief post that isn’t really a translation/comparison/trivia post, so please feel free to ignore it. It’s a rare actual-blog/picture sharing post.

It’s a special friend’s birthday today! She reminds me of the Mia sort and often associates with her. At the same time, to celebrate my most recent Radiant Dawn clearing (and Mia being in first place as a result), today is a random post about Mia.

First I drew this oekaki style picture a few days ago, but wanted t post it here on the 28th to celebrate:

Four Years of Kantopia!

Four years! Wow… I remember writing about the third year anniversary just…last year? Today I drew a new Lilina banner to celebrate:

This year was the first year that I didn’t do daily posts. I still managed to do weekend posting though, to which I’m happy, and, of course, when I had time, made sure to post in succession.

Accomplishments the last year include completion of the Tellius Recollection Volume 2: Radiant Dawn project! I’m very proud of how that turned out. The Shadows of Valentia 4Koma mini project was also a thing. The Valentia Accordion project is still underway, as is the ongoing Day in the Life of Heroes comics!

So there’s still quite a lot to get through. I gathered some nice books too, some Fire Emblem stuff that hasn’t been translated yet that I hope to get through when I get time! There were a few interviews here and there, as well as some more fun comparisons this year.

Speaking of comparisons, I finally got around to making a special page that lists all comparisons in one place. It serves as a neat hub. I wrote much more than I thought (especially about Fates!) WordPress has an inconvenient tag system on the right, so I hope this comes in handy for people who just want to read the comparisons and not dig through the rest.

I hope to add more special hub pages for things like interviews and trivia that was discovered in art books.

This post, by the way, is a little late too. It’s May 18th as of this writing, but the anniversary was actually April 3rd!

Thanks to all the readers who commented and shared my articles. It humbles me every time, and I really enjoy reading and replying to all your comments!

Here’s to the future!

Daily Posts Resume & New Lilina Banner (Summer 2017)

This is just to post showing off a new banner for the website, and to announce continued posting through the summertime thanks to vacation (and hence more freetime)! Though it is mostly for twitter, I thought it would be fun to put around on this site too. I was happy with how the drawing came out! Lilina is a great mascot, I think.

Of course, I do not claim any ownership over her character! So please consider this fan art. : )

Daily posts should continue up until the end of August hopefully! A big thank you to anyone who is still around and looking forward to translation work!

-Kan

Today is Kantopia’s 2nd Year Anniversary

It’s just a portfoli-blog, but it seems to have gained some sort of following thanks to the comic translations and stuff…

So it’s nice to get comments now and then. Two years now, 749 posts (including this one), and a lot of translation work/portfolio material.

Here’s hoping it leads somewhere career-wise. But, even if it doesn’t, I’m glad to have helped bring things to those that enjoy reading them!

Have a pseudo-site-mascot Lilina I drew to celebrate! Here’s to another year!

Looks sort of like meeting her in MyRoom…should make a sprite for that!

Thank you!

Happy Valentine’s Day! (2016) Japanese Culture Trivia + Misc Thoughts

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Taking a break from posting a translation today, with the shallow excuse of Valentine’s Day… either way a little busier today so here’s a post that isn’t really about anything in particular.

Did you know that in Japan, only girls give boys chocolate on Valentine’s Day rather than both giving to each other? There are many different types of chocolate, from “obligatory chocolate” [義理チョコ] (such as to a boss, colleague, etc), and “genuine chocolate” [本命チョコ] (given to those specifically intended, be they close friends, lovers, etc). A month later, on March 14th, the boys then have to pay them back, on a day known as “White Day.” The best part? They are expected to give back something that is “three times as valuable” [三倍返し] (as the usual saying goes, it does not literally have to be, but basically means not a simple mirror gift return). Now isn’t that just fun? Look up White Day on the net, you’ll run into some fun stuff on the matter!

Eliwood 25th Anniversary Artwork (Cleaned)

Today is not exactly a translation, but it does have to do with the Fire Emblem 25th Anniversary book. The book features five special illustrations that have Marth, Sigurd, Eliwood, Ike, and Lucina, each drawn by the same character artists in charge of their respective games.

You may view them on the book’s compilation post here, but I wanted to make individual pages for each one, too.

So, today, I provide Sachiko Wada (character designer in Blazing Sword)’s artwork of Eliwood. I went out of my way to clean it up for people who wanted the artwork. Nostalgic!

As you can imagine, the process of doing this all took a lot of time, so if you like what I did, then…

Please donate!

Enjoy!

Sigurd 25th Anniversary Artwork (Cleaned)

Today is not exactly a translation, but it does have to do with the Fire Emblem 25th Anniversary book. The book features five special illustrations that have Marth, Sigurd, Eliwood, Ike, and Lucina, each drawn by the same character artists in charge of their respective games.

You may view them on the book’s compilation post here, but I wanted to make individual pages for each one, too.

So, today, I provide Katsuyoshi Koya (character designer in Mystery of the Emblem and Genealogy of the Holy War)’s artwork of Sigurd. I went out of my way to clean it up for people who wanted the artwork.

As you can imagine, the process of doing this all took a lot of time, so if you like what I did, then…

Please donate!

Enjoy!