Katawa Shoujo Forums

Hisao could note "she's signing something" whenever the game would have had Shizune doing so (as indicated by her dialogue box of "...")

This topic is hypothetical, since KS isn't and probably will never be voiced.

simple question, should Shizune's lines be spoken? Until Hisao learns sign language, Misha has to speak on her behalf. However later on Hisao does learn sign language. Should shizune's lines be spoken?

A good comparison would be Celty from Durarara! She cannot speak and used her cell phone to communicate. Yet what she types is spoken. Would this work for Katawa Shoujo? Should it?

It could work I guess. I'd imagine that Hisao and Shizune will have some sort of telepathic conversation through their sign language. And we could hear her words while she's signing.

I know (maybe)! Signing makes some noise (very little), but if you could get a varied enough sample base, you could replace the ... with the sounds of signing. About the other issues, I'm currently at a loss. This is a tough problem. Adding a voice for Shizune is not the way to go though. The soft noises she does make are meant to be significant, as is her deafness (is she also mute? or is that unspecified). I believe any of the alternatives, however clunky they are, are the choice to pick. Even reading, there was some level of incommunicability. I feel like I'm bringing up what OP has already stated.

It would work for me. I see nothing wrong with voice-overs, maybe with comical hand-flurries to save on animating every sign.

I would say that Shizune and HIsao would talk in subtitle speak.

Morgan Freeman will narrate her lines.

I'd prefer it being subtitled only, for the sake of "realism."

There's already a thread about this in the Fan Works section.

To paraphrase my answer from there: yes, but not by Shizune's voice actress. Her lines should instead be spoken by whoever is interpreting her sign language at the time: usually Misha, but sometimes Hisao. Shizune still needs a voice actress, for those rare moments in the story when her voice actually engages (never as words, but there's a gasp here, a giggle there, and so on). But Shizune does not speak, period, and this is an important part of her character. Any voice recording for this game needs to respect that.

I think it'd be good, but only after the point Hisao attaches a voice to shizune's gestures.

Chronopolize wrote: (is she also mute? or is that unspecified)

Her vocal chords work, but she doesn't use them except for involuntary noises like laughs or passionate moans. We don't know if any attempt to teach her to talk was done when she was younger, or how successful it was. When she wants to communicate by sound, she snaps her fingers.

The problem with her sign-speaking starts after Hisao learns sing language. Everything before that should be presented as is, so I'm with Nekken on that.

Nekken wrote:Her lines should instead be spoken by whoever is interpreting her sign language at the time: usually Misha, but sometimes Hisao.

No problem there.

But after some time they start signing to each other, and their conversations become voiceless.
I see two ways here, the logical one, which is subtitling (which in the game is already done), and the wacky one...

I remember some time ago there was a special block in TV, for hearing impaired. So for this one news bulletin and some soap opera had "the little man" in the corner, which was a superimposed image of a sign interpreter, seen from his belly up, who was signing the things the news anchor, or soap opera characters were saying. It seems now outdated, but then it was cheaper probably than subtitling, and subtitling a live news bulletin real-time is probably impossible.

That resulted in a mental picture I had reading this topic: There should be a little animated, somber looking guy in the corner of the screen, reading their lines from a bunch of loose sheets with totally impassive voice. It would look especially good if used in never-to-be KS anime. Plus, he could be made into additional comic relieve, like ducking when Shizune makes especially emotional, wide gesture, getting bored when they don't sign, and whatnot.

Chrono from Chrono Trigger, Link from The Legend of Zelda, or the Pokemon Trainer from Pokemon Red and Blue should voice Shizune's lines.

metalangel wrote:

Chronopolize wrote: (is she also mute? or is that unspecified)

Her vocal chords work, but she doesn't use them except for involuntary noises like laughs or passionate moans. We don't know if any attempt to teach her to talk was done when she was younger, or how successful it was. When she wants to communicate by sound, she snaps her fingers.

Actually, Jigoro mentions that he hired tutors for some twelve years to try to get her to speak. How successful they were is unknown, but regardless, she doesn't speak.

I dont really mind either way. It would be cool if her lines are spoken once Hisao learns sign language, but i would also be fine with her lines just being subtitled, actually that might fit even better if she was just subtitled.