What would happen if another company wanted to buy KS rights

[ubergeneral]

an interesting quesiton.

While KS was a freeware work, it's proven the Katawa shoujo is popular to have it's own nitche and be profitable.

If a company came to the devs and offered to buy rights for katawa shoujo so they could do whatever they wanted with it, would you support it?

What do the devs think about this? KS has certainly made enough noise to get their attension, and with a name change KS might even catch on in japan as well.

[Zig_Zac]

I think the devs have been approached about this, and they turned down offers.. but don't quote me... I think I saw that somewhere...

[ubergeneral]

that might be true actully. They don't want money so what else could they give them? Also I can imagine that they would be afraid of how their game could be ruined.


still I don't want to see this just end with KS, if someone wanted to take their work and make it into a franchise, I would discuss it with them.

[Snow_Storm]

It's not gonna happen. I'm sure they turned down deals and offers in the past.

07th Expansion buys the rights to KS in 2013!

[alien.marksman]

07th Expansion buys the rights to KS in 2013!

Yamaku no Naku Koro ni?
Oh Hell Yes!!!!!!!

[Megumeru]

I'd like to see KyoAni buy the rights for it.

THEN GET KS ANIMATED!!

[encrypted12345]

I'd like to see KyoAni buy the rights for it.

THEN GET KS ANIMATED!!

We can dream, but it'll never happen.

Besides, how could they possibly hope to adapt it well. Shizune's subtleties will probably be the most difficult to transition.

If incidentally, another VN company were to get the rights (which obviously won't happen ), I just hope it won't be Key Visual Arts. They respect characters too minimally for my taste. I would prefer even the tasteless Alice Soft above those guys.

[metalangel]

Besides, how could they possibly hope to adapt it well. Shizune's subtleties will probably be the most difficult to transition.

Just animating the signing would be a huge undertaking.

[gRaViJa]

Buying the rights of the VN itself i would never approve of myself, but for an animated series... That would be pretty cool.

[Tomate]

EA someday will buy 4LS, then we will have more DLC's, at least 8 new clothes for every character, and there will be a multiplayer option. But Yamaku will be localized in west Virginia since Japan is too foreign, and the only route available will be Shizune's, the others will be day one DLC.

[Bigbishounen]

Buying the rights of the VN itself i would never approve of myself, but for an animated series... That would be pretty cool.

Yeah. Animated series I could see. Another VN? Only if 4LS did it themselves or were the controlling creative authority with absolute final say over every last detail. (basically them heading up the project with financial backers paying other people to do the grunt work.)

Actually, even IF it was to be an Animated series, I would say that the 4LS team members should have final say on what happens with it. I think there would be too much pressure internally from any existing JP-based company to just churn out another piece of bishoujo pap only loosely based around KS if they were to try and do it without creative control from 4LS. So the contract would have to be worded VERY carefully.

Ironically, I doubt they could actually GET it made into a series that would be broadcast in Japan. You can't say "Katawa" on the air there.

[Paddy]

There's a simple workaround to the problem of licensing, of any kind (as well as the whole "Katawa" being a swear/slander word).

Superficial changes to the names and appearances!

Example: Katawa Shoujo ---> Fugusha Shoujo Suku-ru.

Now we don't have to worry about offending the Japanese public at large. Onto the changes made solely to prevent a lawsuit!
Emi ---> Ai
Hideaki ---> Hideyoshi
Hanako ---> Haruko
Shizune ---> Izume
Lilly ---> Laura

Lilly's Blonde, Curly Hair ---> Strawberry Blonde Straight Hair
Emi's Pigtails ---> Braid
Kenji's Winter Coat ---> Matrix Jacket

And so on.

Now, Getting 4Leaf to work with a Japanese company - or the other way around, much less getting a company like Toei interested in the idea of making a serious anime about crippled girls - would be a whole other matter entirely.

[ubergeneral]

There's a simple workaround to the problem of licensing, of any kind (as well as the whole "Katawa" being a swear/slander word).

Superficial changes to the names and appearances!

Example: Katawa Shoujo ---> Fugusha Shoujo Suku-ru.

Now we don't have to worry about offending the Japanese public at large. Onto the changes made solely to prevent a lawsuit!
Emi ---> Ai
Hideaki ---> Hideyoshi
Hanako ---> Haruko
Shizune ---> Izume
Lilly ---> Laura

Lilly's Blonde, Curly Hair ---> Strawberry Blonde Straight Hair
Emi's Pigtails ---> Braid
Kenji's Winter Coat ---> Matrix Jacket

And so on.

Now, Getting 4Leaf to work with a Japanese company - or the other way around, much less getting a company like Toei interested in the idea of making a serious anime about crippled girls - would be a whole other matter entirely.

If 4LS doesn't want to sell rights to Katawa shoujo, then this is the most likely scenario. The idea is good and it wouldn't be suprising if someone just ripped it off.

Mentaru shoujo is sorta like this as well as katawa shoujo +

[encrypted12345]

If 4LS doesn't want to sell rights to Katawa shoujo, then this is the most likely scenario. The idea is good and it wouldn't be surprising if someone just ripped it off.

I don't know. Even without the pornographic aspects of Katawa Shoujo, the concept of romancing disabled girls is still disorienting. Japan already has a somewhat negative view of the disabled which you can see if you've seen enough anime. Well, it's not like the West isn't biased against them either. Point is, this is the type of thing that makes TV producers and the general public cringe.

[Paddy]

Mentaru shoujo

...Come again?
Is this going to be a trend, then?
EDIT: *searches*
*lurks forums* o_O French/German/Swiss? names, huh? A Brian Blessed cameo?
This is good.

My guess is they might make an OVA, or more probably a manga out of it first (if ever), before even considering a full-blown series.

And probably only on the off-chance the Japanese translation comes out, or the off chance that one can read English well enough to appreciate the game AND has some kind of power with the entertainment industry. It's a slim hope, unless you want to start bombarding Toei with petitions or requests to make an anime based on this.

Stranger things, prompted by fewer and less powerful people than us, have happened.

Even without the pornographic aspects of Katawa Shoujo

Considering we're talking about Japan, don't you mean despite?