Norn Saber Online: Legendary Taiwanese Plagiarism
- Categories: Games, News
- Date: Jan 16, 2009 10:17 JST
- Tags: Comparison, Copyright, Eroge, Made in China, MMORPG, Plagiarism, Taiwan
Taiwanese anime fans have uncovered plagiarism of truly staggering proportions in the Chinese language MMORPG “女神ONLINE ~NORN SABER ONLINE~”, by “developer” Chinese Gamer International. It looks as though just about every single element of the game, from CG to sprites, and even TV commercials, is tainted with plagiarism.
Sadly, it seems the uniquely Chinese approach to copyright we have come to be familiar with is not restricted to the mainland…
In terms of the breadth and brazenness of its plagiarism, Norn Saber Online is undoubtedly in a class of its own:
(Originals are on the right)
Even Minamike is not sacred…
The actual game:
Even their opening comes from another title:
Original:
Norn edition:
Is there anything they won’t copy? No, because even their advertising is copied:
From a deodourant ad:
The Norn effect:
Will anything be done about this most egregious abuse of the original works, or is Taiwan merely on a similar footing to China after all? Though at least Taiwanese anime fans have exposed this debacle…



























Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut “Dragons & Mechs?”
Monster Hunter X Megaman Event Profusely Blue
Love Live! Sunshine!! MV “Will Brighten Up Your Day!”
Top 10 Best Anime Girls of 2015
Hai to Gensou no Grimgar “Has Oppai!”
Picking Up Japan Express Vol. 36 Worth a Pickup
Dimension W Out Of This World
Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir PV Certainly Nostalgic
One-Punch Man Soundtrack PV Packs A Wallop
XmasTrickStar “A White Christmas Indeed…”
Wo-Class Carrier Ero-MMD In Dire Straights
Voice Translation Tool Promotional Video “Inexcusable!”
Luck & Logic Far From Lucky
Yandere Simulator Possibly Headed to Kickstarter
Top 20 Recent Anime Most In Need Of A Sequel
Hyrule Warriors Legends PV Clashes Interminably
Akagami no Shirayukihime English Dub Surfaces
Koukaku no Pandora Really Opens That Box
Gate Season 2 Darker Than Ever
Super Sweet Sonico Bikini Figure
Delectable Dizzy Cosplay by Lechat
Dark Elf Cosplay by Non Very Dark Indeed
Titillating Tamako Cosplay Perfectly Pink
Goddess of 2ch: “Full of Lust & Urges (& Also Videos)!”
Raunchy Reisen Inaba Cosplay by Tsuyato
Haruhi Bunny Girl Cosplay Rocks Out
Youmu Ero-Cosplay by Madoka Adachi Deadly Sexy
Comiket 89 Cosplay Sickeningly Sweet
Comiket 89 Cosplay A Guilty Pleasure
Comiket 89 Cosplay Ceaselessly Sexy
Being chinese myself, I feel shameful. The biggest problem with Chinese is that they are greedy and only think of themselves, thus they only see the money in front of them, and easiest way is to copy. That's why when I am grown up, I will try my best to make China's own first brand name (of anything). Even among my friends (all Chinese of course), I am pretty much the only few creative thinker. The others might be smart, but they can't think innovatively nor enjoy innovative things. They copy what others enjoy. Hope this would change (hopefully I would be the one >: D)
Good for you.
Changed: The biggest problem with _people_ is that they are greedy and only think of themselves, thus they only see the money in front of them, and easiest way is to copy.
Ouch.......
Some of these images I'm sort of OK with, when not much beyond the pose is copied. A number of them are even cliché poses you'll find in dozens of eroge - I doubt they're all ripping off each other's works. For example, there's only so many camera angles to show the framed photograph someone is looking at while holding it.
Also, is dat sum May-Be SOFT in the top right of image #1?
This just turned bland game into horribly hilarious remarkable game.
If they get away with this, the reputation and word of mouth they'll get will be incredible. Sales will soar.
I was expecting that this kind of plagiarism would come from China but I'm surprised that it came from Taiwan
Lol, 100% plagiarism is the way to go. Epic fail, but epic lulz.
Wow, they didn't even TRY to hide it did they??
who cares?
let the anime fan be an anime fan
To think China was once a great nation, pioneer in everything.
Now just ... this.
Stop buying shit from them already, people!
To be fair, Japan did the same sort of thing for a while...
If I remember correctly, Japan had spies in some industries (automobile industry etc) in the US to copy their work methods to speed up their industrial revolution.
But they still made their own cars, right? They didn't just copy the designs and put their logo on it.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
Or did you refer to something else, maybe?
Yeah heard that from a Japanese buddy too. Well Japan had it's fair share on copying and plagerising in it's past. Especially copying quite a bit from China and then making it their own, don't know how much Korea had an involvement. But I read that the Shinto Shrines designs were taken from Korea, or I think part of it's religious belief. Can't quite remember on that part.
Hard to say what isn't copied/imitated or plagerised nowadays, heck even music. Not that I can have a say in legalities with MP3's and the like. Since half the blooming world has copied Chinese, Egyptions, Greeks or even Babylonians inventions. Hell look at the so called English, it's pretty much a 'Mongrel Race' almost eveything is copied or made their own from all over Europe. Then again we all apparently originated from Africa(?).
Before it caught up to the west, Japan played plenty of dirty tricks to ensure it could catch up quickly, as China does now - for example, not so long ago it was impossible for non-Japanese companies to set up shop in Japan without a "partnership" with a local company, and there were laws which essentially made non-Japanese patents fair game to Japanese companies.
Naturally, as they got richer they had to stop this sort of thing. Probably China will follow suit, eventually.
Maybe they thought, that if they make it so obviously, everyone will think, that it can't be plagiarism because it's just TOO obviously.
This would be a big rip off to the original artist who created it. They may face some copyrighted issue here with Japan.
I don't think the japan can touch them unless there's a pact between taiwan and japan...
giving what I am seeing that they produce in their educational institutions, I really wouldnt be surprised about the amount of plagiarism flying around...most students (and some faculty in fact) are without the knowledge of what defines lawful use of materials.
Hate to admit the fact that I am from that island
...
...
...
Damn, someone must really suck at imagining different ways to draw angles and perspectives...
Epic indeed...
Hey, Taiwan might consider having their own Anime Industry with that kind of art, not bad.
From what I've gathered, it's common for this kind of thing to occur; the plagiarism I mean. You see, so long as the "image" is different, you're somehow able to "bypass" copyright laws. Obviously as we see in these posted images, they ARE ripoffs. I don't appreciate this fact one little bit; but the games themselves at least are tolerable, (If you can get past the heavy misuse of the English language, God-awful customer support, their lust for US Dollars, (Or other currencies), AND the way they just plain run the games....) All in all, it's not so bad.
If anything, these MMOs do their job right: Making us laugh at all the "replicated" material. Oh, and leveling up. That's fun.
So, to the Anonymous of 2-20-2011, think a tad more carefully before you troll another user simply posting the facts.
Signed, Mr. Zard
so if they have the same pose its plagiarism? lol your stupid
Those who can, create. Those who can't, make shoddy replicas.
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/7748/talesm.jpg
Console RPGs aren't spared either.
Blurry, but that's what I get for screencapping youtube videos.
Those are an awful lot of event CGs for an online game. Of radically different activities, even. How do you play this game, anyway?
Moi chinese, moi hate chinese.
When I saw Gunslinger Girls got harrassed there, a vein popped.
Moi sad at myself being chinese...
You know, whoever made that game should have ate a FALCON PUNCH, then Chuck Norris' and Kamen Rider Kabuto's Rider Kicks (the Dreaded Roundhouse)!
*facepalm*
That's just so "NetGame Crisis Saga" for them, in the name of cash, they'll pirate.
Lol, Wonderland Online.. There's no reason to wonder why the CGs look exactly like Japanese Dating sim..
Haha....its funny. Although its probably going to sound like a excuse. Its really not that bad. The company that make this aren't some big shot companies. Online game is a lot more popular in Taiwan and it cost like $3 around per month. With adjustment to US living standard that still around $6-7. So the company really don't have much resource available to them to produce original work.
Anyway for those with Strong hate for Taiwanese/Chinese. consider that your motherboard/RAM/Graphic Card/PS2 and PS3 parts and lots of semi-conductors are made there. Why don't you try buying US made?
because, they are failing to be innovative
whenever a company starts a new project, it is usually when they see a theme sell successfully elsewhere. So by the time the products roll out, there is no more pie to go around. Endless cycle until the company decides to start doing MMOs that provide extra service for cash to keep themselves afloat
There is no doubt that The Zwei Worter is copied. The rest I am not totally sure. At least the ones on the left seem more fappable.
The Advertisement is not copied though.
Plagiarism.. Plagiarism.... A most disgraceful part in the world.
Lol. Wow. I'm just amazed. I saw the first comparison image earlier today, and that's still the most obvious + the opening. I know I myself am not particularly creative... but.. must you completely copy the work of others like that? D:
This is so kick ass lol
No it isnt. Would like to hear u say that if you were the original artist...
lol busted XD
I lol'd at how much they copy other's work :D
Not creative is one thing cuz not everyone has creative minds, but copying almost all scenes from other sources? man, that's epic
This is just absolutely pathetic. Even worse than Aurora Blade. Well, maybe not... But either way, China just plagiarizes way too much. -_-;;
It's good that know that even I, someone who has no artistic talent, can create great pieces as long as I move to Taiwan and rip off people who actually have talent.
I for one welcome our plagiarizing overlords.
I was ok with it until I saw the minami-ke rip.
*RAGES*
This is just lazy....
I mean... straight out plagiarism!
Play this game, get girlfriend. \o/
Correction:
Play this game, get a harem!
... I am speechless. Copying from 10+ VN/anime titles. I'd like to see when the companies sue the, ahem, "game developers".
The Gundam Seed copy was hilarious, though. Apparently, Abort = About?
If you copy from enough sources, would that make it research? :-) At least they're not as gruesomely bad at it as those Chinese who did that Shinkai knock-off.
This is so sad that it's awesome.
Strangely awesome and strangely DO WANT to see the demo.
What I really wonder is that if this is an online game (MMO?), then why the hell do they have character introductions in the opening?
I agree. Massively multiplayer online dating of the same seven characters is unlikely to sell well.
"I'm sorry, Takaya-kun. Mizuhara-kun has been online all week getting me presents and lavishing attention upon me without breaks for sleep or food, so I like him more than you."
And I don't know why it became a reply to you...
i second you onso..so awesome