Something very important was supposed to happen this week: Mahou Tsukai no Yoru would’ve finally seen its official public release. Sadly it’s been postponed to “sometime this winter” and of course there’s no telling if and when an English language version will follow (fanslated or otherwise). Even so, I shouldn’t be the only one who’s looking forward to it and I’m dead certain it’ll be worth the wait.
Image may be NSFW.
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After all, it’s effectively fourteen years in the making so what’s a couple of months’ delay in the grand scheme of things? This is for me the ‘missing link’ that fills out a large part of the background that I’ve wondered about for so long; it’ll go right back to early lives of the Aozaki sisters, specifically concentrating on Aoko. She’s so far been given little coverage in the Type Moon works: she made an appearance during the opening scenes of Tsukihime but apart from that, we fans know precious little about her.
I’m having to do a bit of speculation here: we already know there was a serious falling-out between Aoko and Touko at some point, with the end result of the former inheriting the family’s name and the latter ending up studying in London. It’ll be interesting to see if this is also the time when Aoko upsets her sister by stealing those glasses for Shiki Tohno too, because that would tie up another loose end that’s been dangling in front of our noses for the longest time.
What I’m particularly looking forward to is seeing how the two Aozakis differ in terms of personality, and how this dynamic affects whatever the story intends to tell us. Touko has always struck me as the shrewd, businesslike and practical sort but the beginning of Tsukihime presents Aoko as more caring and sentimental; I suspect they’re quite different in character if not appearance, and sibling rivalry will inevitably rear its head. This is also a story of their formative years, i.e. before they are fully trained as mages, so it’ll be pretty unpredictable but hopefully quite fun into the bargain.
Interestingly, the artwork is drawn by Hirokazu Koyama rather than Takashi Takeuchi. The promo graphics I’ve seen so far look great though, so if Nasu’s writing is up to its usual standard I reckon we shouldn’t have anything to worry about. Besides, Koyama has been a key member of the group for many years so it’s fair to say he’s experienced enough for the task.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
TM’s success so far has I think now given them (or their financial backers) the confidence to not make an ero game. Quite frankly I welcome this; partly because the H-scenes in Tsukhime and F/S N were by and large gratuitous, but also because it’ll make the marketing foreign language editions easier…should anyone be kind or courageous enough to consider it. If the Rakkyo movies proved anything it’s the fact that enticing fans in with gratuitous sauce isn’t necessary when the storyline, artwork and characterisation are strong enough to hold their own.
Although it doesn’t feature explicit sexual content, the writing is still unlikely to be geared towards a young and/or squeamish audience. Nasu has never pulled punches in giving the fans an unflinching experience of the world in his head, which often ventures into dark territory and views events from unusual perspectives. The combination of non-linear narratives, moral questioning and the liberal use of supernatural violence has proved to be a winning formula so far so I’d be surprised if the familiar themes and concepts aren’t present here too.
I know it’s extremely unlikely but I’d love to see a 100% legal English-translated edition of this. It has the potential to win over new fans by introducing the nasuverse without the association with the eroge genre, it will throw the reader into the timeline near the very beginning and hopefully, for existing fans, the storyline may even make us see the stories and characters we already know and love in a slightly different light.
And judging by the weather lately, winter doesn’t feel all that far away, does it?
Tags: nasuverse, visual novel