Learn English with Bishoujo – Courtesy of Square Enix
- Categories: Games, News
- Date: Apr 28, 2011 13:42 JST
- Tags: Adventure Games, Apple, iPhone, Moe, Otaku, Square Enix, Translation
Square Enix have finally given Japanese keen to brush up on their English the chance to do so in a suitably bishoujo-rich environment, in an English learning adventure game entitled “Summer Story.”
The title takes the form of an ¥800 iPhone/iPad app for learning English, designed as a bishoujo adventure game and bearing some rather fine artwork.
Players get the chance to converse with four pretty girls – the flower-maniac daughter of an English aristocrat, an Aussie lass wanting to work as a tour conductor, a Japanese English teacher keen to teach proper English to the protagonist, and, of course, an anime-obsessed American blonde.
The English parts are designed by a native speaker involved with NHK’s educational programming and so presumably possess some educational value.
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Anyone else notice how the characters that are supposed to be American look exactly like EVERY OTHER ANIME CHARACTER EVER?
All Japanese Animation is based on American looks.
This is fact.
That's not really true. But it's not false either. I won't bother searching for it, but it's human ego in general. They see themselves in their designs, we see ourselves in their designs. It's the basics of character design, anime characters are in the middle ground between representational and realism so that more of the audience can relate. They're more detailed than a smiley face that everyone can identify as 'a human representation' but not too detailed to define them as specifically having connected earlobes and as such are from German/Scandinavian descent or some such.
But to deny western civilization has affected them is just foolish, so just consider that someone who's used to drawing anime characters was hired to make an anime game with anime characters that appeal to the anime crowd who wish to learn english, aka - Japanese people. It's less about what they look like than the chosen artist's commercial style.
You act like this is something new. BTW what is "American"? American is not a race.
'American is not a race.'
Grover Cleveland would disagree with you.
Do not challenge Grover Cleveland. He is mighty. His might attracts nubile women as a magnet draws iron.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grover_Cleveland
well there is american english and british english.. (that's what our teacher said).. xD
well it is kinda true, after all its all about the wording.
American = People that hail from the Americas. I'm pretty sure that's what I learned when I was growing up... back in my foreign birthplace... Well, it beats saying US citizens, so what the hell.
I believe anime characters are based more on
an aesthetic ideal more than something immediately
"real". Whatever the intentions of the original
author(s) of the look, anime characters are tend
to have a undefined nationality.
/agreed also
Wasn't there an article on here a while back about just that?
I still get what he's saying. I'm pretty sure sankaku posted something about when the japanese strongly disagreed with the notion that most of anime character designs look mostly American (white, spanish, etc)
I honestly don't care anymore but when I see stuff like Summer story or Index (she's British but looks pretty much like any other anime character in index) I start to question the Japanese's argument. Again though, I'm over it.
They're not supposed to look foreign, they're suppose to look pretty. If they really wanted to make them look foreign they would have huge noses and speak with shitty accents. The Japanese have stereotypes for foreigners, and these characters (surprisingly) don't have them.
You remind me of that "default race" thingy back then in the JRPG VS WRPG topic.
If by "fact" you mean "opinion", then you could be right.
>All Japanese animation is based on American cartoon looks.
Fixed. Anime looks the way it does because the pioneer Japanese animators were enamored with the styles of Hannah Barberra and old Disney cartoons, and these aesthetics are still present in their modern animations. I don't know about you but Bambi doesn't really look like a typical American to me lol.
After failing to make money via FF14, SE went to educational programs with... Bishoujo that teaches Japanese how to speak English. What else can go wrong with this path of making money?...
DLC - Cloud teaches you to swear in english...
Wouldn't that be Cid's job?
Shut up and drink your GODDAMN TEA!!!
I want to drink a reversed version of this game.
nah, that would be Barret's forte
aussie aussie aussie!
Oi Oi Oi
Not real unless she calls herself a sheila
Or at least says "struth".
I love teaching Japanese exchange students aussie slang, it's hilariously cute.
Please don't do that. Aussie slang is the most annoying thing I've ever heard.
You teach them about dingos eating babies?
"Please don't do that. Aussie slang is the most annoying thing I've ever heard."
QFT
I'm from Sydney Tony
Another Aussie where are you from I'm from Melbourne
erms.... Sydney! where all the nice beaches are.
She's obviously not a Sandgroper because she hadn't called the grill a BBQ.
Wouldn't she say "barbie" instead?
I must have been watching too much Nostalgia Critic for reading Tommy Wiseau's voice [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOEESGYyiv0]...
Sweetness learning english from hot girls but it should be the other way around for us. Square Enix should make on where the hot girls teach us Jap they would make a lotta money
Pretty sure you can use the same game to learn Japanese as well, it's translated, after all.
sweet
Awesome pear is awesome :3
Sweeter than sweet
Is enough of the text in English that that would actually work? If so, I might have a go.
With menus being in kanji and kana it might be tough at 1st, but still worth a try:3
Nope, won't work. Japanese isn't like French or Russian. You can't just learn the alphabet and start picking up words you bump into. The writing system alone takes years of first-hand language experience to master even if you systematically study the characters from beforehand.
*shock and sadness*
Cmon Square Enix How about a PSP version.
Damn true. We're not going to buy that overpriced.. thing.
Agree with the above post, if it were them teaching us how to read and write Japanese
are that poor. 800yen is like 8 weaboo bucks
Why buy when you can download
The "thing" he refers to is the iphone.
Actually that's a fucking geniuss way. I learned my english by playing Final Fantasy and MGS. Though the first one translation could be better, the simplicity of it was actually beneficial.
English: alphabet of 26 characters
Japanese: 2x47 syllabary and over 2000 semanto-phonetic characters, most of which having at least 2 different readings.
Somehow, I doubt it would work the same way.
Actually, this works for English speakers trying to learn Japanese too. I might have given it try if I had an iPhone.