Naming System - Japanese style vs English style

[Coatl]

Thank you for the correction. I hope I didn't offend anyone just by mentioning the word. You said exactly what I meant by using it as an example. Context means everything, and often those outside the communities may not pick up the nuances.

Coatl, you should put in your profile under "Occupation:"

Ambassador of the Hood.

I should and I am

[risingdreams]

I believe it's alright, as long as the person has common sense and there's a reason the characters have Japanese names.

I believe the character's names have to match the setting.

Unfortunately, I'm having some issues with setting while writing my first VN. I don't know wheter it should take place in an English speaking country (as the VN is in English, plus it's set in a boarding schools and these are easier to find in the United Kingdom), in Brazil (as I'm Brazilian) or Japan (take a third option but unfortunately there are few boarding schools in Japan).

If it makes any sense... Setting in the States doesn't feel so different from setting it in Japan. I'll have to research before writing either way.

I wonder if I'm creating a problem, or if this is a problem other OELVN authors from non-English speaking countries face.

I hope I didn't offend anyone.

[Coatl]

I believe it's alright, as long as the person has common sense and there's a reason the characters have Japanese names.

I believe the character's names have to match the setting.

Unfortunately, I'm having some issues with setting while writing my first VN. I don't know wheter it should take place in an English speaking country (as the VN is in English, plus it's set in a boarding schools and these are easier to find in the United Kingdom), in Brazil (as I'm Brazilian) or Japan (take a third option but unfortunately there are few boarding schools in Japan).

If it makes any sense... Setting in the States doesn't feel so different from setting it in Japan. I'll have to research before writing either way.

I wonder if I'm creating a problem, or if this is a problem other OELVN authors from non-English speaking countries face.

I hope I didn't offend anyone.

no dont trip, it's alright. I think what the OP meant was that do we as western VN artist/writers name a certain way and what do we feel about those that do it a certain way.

[Deji]

I believe it's alright, as long as the person has common sense and there's a reason the characters have Japanese names.

I believe the character's names have to match the setting.

Unfortunately, I'm having some issues with setting while writing my first VN. I don't know wheter it should take place in an English speaking country (as the VN is in English, plus it's set in a boarding schools and these are easier to find in the United Kingdom), in Brazil (as I'm Brazilian) or Japan (take a third option but unfortunately there are few boarding schools in Japan).

If it makes any sense... Setting in the States doesn't feel so different from setting it in Japan. I'll have to research before writing either way.

I wonder if I'm creating a problem, or if this is a problem other OELVN authors from non-English speaking countries face.

I hope I didn't offend anyone.

I'm from a non-English speaking country too :3
I try to give my characters names that don't sound too weird in my language or in English (mostly european names) and I also try to make the setting generic western (though it keeps some influences from my country and city because that's what I know best), so more people can relate.
I only know my city, and it's a big city so I don't even know it that much, so I think making a generic setting that could be anywhere (maybe with a little bit of imagination, but still) is easier than doing research about cities and countries I've never been to and probably never will or making the story take place where I live.

[JinzouTamashii]

I just want to speak out here, that—man—I'd really like to play some games in English set in other countries. I'd really be interested in the cultures of others.

[oiseau]

Same. I agree with the above post. People shouldn't shy away from writing stories showcasing their own settings just because it's not the "usual" (like Japan or something) visual novel thing. Any setting is cool, as long as the writer enjoys writing it and doesn't go too off-base if they're going for realism without any reasons to back it up. It's all up to the writer and what they want to write.

[Deji]

I doubt I'll ever attempt to make a story that takes place in my country Dx
It's the dreaded oh-it's-so-lame-because-it-takes-place-here feeling that is pretty widespread across my country xD;


Facts about my country that gives us that omg-is-set-here-so-it's-lame feeling:

1. My country is very classist and it pretty much has 3 very defined classes: low class, socially-resented people that hate everbody but themselves, high class rich european-like people that live in their own bubble-like world, and a lot of people in the middle that dislike both of the other classes, complain a lot and are never happy with what they have.

2. Classic national literature and movies tend to be awfully naturalist and normally talks about low class people and their environment, or highly unstable mid-class or high-class people. It's rather vulgar, dark and depressing.

3. As a nation, we tend to think we're lame and everything we have or do is lame. We compare ourselves to europeans (young mid-to-low-class people look up to USA) all the time and we think they're awesome, good looking and have a rich culture and tradition, unlike us ugly lame people with a lame background. We even hate the countries around us because we think they're even more lame than us (it's a national trait to always find somebody lamer or worst than us so we can feel better). The exception is that we hate Argentinians because they're prettier and more european-looking and are so full of themselves they annoy the hell out of us.

And since I don't like or find interesting any of that, I won't set my stories here xD

[JinzouTamashii]

That all sounds quite interesting to me...

[Deji]

That all sounds quite interesting to me...

sure, it does xD
But I grew up with all that and live with all that everyday, so I'm already sick of it and seriouisly don't want to read/watch anything that has to do with it or simmilar stuff xD (that's why I have cable tv and almost don't watch local tv at all, lol)

[Voight-Kampff]

I doubt I'll ever attempt to make a story that takes place in my country Dx
It's the dreaded oh-it's-so-lame-because-it-takes-place-here feeling that is pretty widespread across my country xD

It's odd, but I have a similar sentiment about setting a story in the U.S. I actually think it likely stems from, well...If you're used to a setting, it's difficult to build up a sense of "wonder" that far-away locations conjure up in one's mind.

Which is doubly strange, since the Japanese doesn't seem to have any such difficulty using the backdrop of Japan for their stories.

[Aleema]

Which is doubly strange, since the Japanese doesn't seem to have any such difficulty using the backdrop of Japan for their stories.

Hmm. Well, it may be that we just don't notice how many of our own stories are set in our setting as it is. All of our television shows are almost exclusively set in our own country. I wouldn't go so far as to say that the Japanese are more comfortable in their own country... They do have the extreme fascination with the foreign, especially if you look at VNs. A lot of them are in Europe, or historical (well, based on the Otome games I play). And if you look at English casual games, like Diner Dash and such, they are set in our modern world.

I don't really think the "amatuer" decision to place our OELVNs in Japan is really about foreign intrigue so much as it is a flavor that games with the medium. Because we have to preface our VNs with "THIS IS AN ENGLISH ONE, BTW" kind of establishes that, technically, they're supposed to be foreign, and specifically Japanese. (But that's just an objective view of it, I don't necessarily agree.) Until we get to a point where english VNs are no longer referred to as "OELVNs", the Japanese flavor is going to be rampant.

[Voight-Kampff]

Well, it may be that we just don't notice how many of our own stories are set in our setting as it is. All of our television shows are almost exclusively set in our own country.

Ah. That's true. Although, I was referring more towards manga/anime/VN materials.

I could cite any number of manga set in Tokyo, or Kobe, or even some fictional city in an unnamed Asian country that bares an uncanny resemblance to a real Japanese city.

OEL Manga? I can't think of many titles that were set in a specific American city. The only one that comes to mind is MBQ (set in Los Angeles - or at least, fictitious Los Angeles), done by Felipe Smith...Who is now doing "real" manga in Japan. Kinda ironic in a way, I suppose.

[@berration]

Because we have to preface our VNs with "THIS IS AN ENGLISH ONE, BTW" kind of establishes that, technically, they're supposed to be foreign, and specifically Japanese. (But that's just an objective view of it, I don't necessarily agree.) Until we get to a point where english VNs are no longer referred to as "OELVNs", the Japanese flavor is going to be rampant.

This might be a bit off topic, but I just wanted to say that I tend to cringe whenever I see the term "OELVN." I wasn't aware that there was enough of a backlash against non-Japanese visual novels to require that classification.

With OEL manga, one of the arguments that always came up was, "Manga is the Japanese word for comics, so they should just be called comics." Visual novels don't really have such an equivalent—it's a fairly unique media, so I don't see the need for the OEL qualifier.

Not to mention, if we use the term right from the start, it's unlikely that we ever will get to the point where they're not referred to as such. The label will probably stick.

[Nya-chan Production]

1. How do you represent your characters and locations in your work, in a Japanese style reminiscent of JVN's or in an English style that reflects the nature of the OELVN and/or your spoken language?

Mostly in Japanese style, it just seems weird to me to see Czech, English or other people in anime style and in VNs generally. Though usually I just hint it (though names are a big hint) and don't set my game exactly in the Akihabara middle of Tokyo - mainly because I would have to do some research about that first.

2. How do you feel about the use of Japanese naming styles in other people's VN's when used by amateurs and when used by accomplished writers respectively?

and

3. Can seeing that a VN follows one style (i.e. a Japanese style or an English style) turn you off from playing a VN? Why or why not?

Usually I don't care as long as it's well used and it doesn't rape romaji in the ear.

[Teh Kitten Person Thing]

I don't even live in the real world, so I barely think about any of these topics. x3
My main fantasy world has an even blend (sometimes mix-and-match) of Japanese, Western, and even occasionally Hebrew names all re-romanized in a katakana-compatible way because of the way the counterpart-cultures interacted when they met in the country the stories take place in. For example, a main character's next-door neighbors are named Shirabane Jozaya, Shirabane Sara, and Shirabane Maiko: Josiah, Sarah, and Michael Whitefeather.
My visual novel fantasy world includes a lot of people who remember Earth but don't remember themselves, so they choose their own names ranging from Kelly Watcherweed to Jennifer Lopez XIII to Himeko Kirakira Kiregami Nadeshiko Yamato Tanaka Fujimori to Xivrielle to Glitter Flavoured Condom. (I think the whole thing is rather funny. I probably can never sell that story if I finish it, but I love having the freedom to exercise such randomness. xD)
(I do want it all to -look- anime-esque because to me at this point, that is the definition of beauty. I don't care whether or not it comes from the other side of the world.)
I would have a lot of trouble setting something in any country on Earth because I wouldn't have as much control over the underlying structure of the world, and I would also have to stick to "normal" life, which isn't as familiar to me as it would be to my readers.
I don't usually care what the characters in other people's visual novels are named as long as I can remember who is who.
I would probably assume an OELVN ren'ai game full of moetic bishoujo with Japanese names was just an homage to the style of its Japanese counterparts. That idea doesn't really bother me.
I guess I would be weirded out if someone put something more significant than names in a story that I KNEW didn't belong in the setting, but I probably would know even less than the writer about such matters.
Sometimes if a visual novel looks to be too far away from the cute little manga bubble I know from the Internet, I worry about whether I am going to be able to understand the subject matter. I don't really watch any TV or read any modern novels, so the culture of the story might turn out to be very alien for me (even if it is created and set two towns away). I guess that could be good or bad, and only checking it out would reveal which. (Therefore, I usually end up downloading anything that does not look overtly offensive nor is in a language I cannot read. Most of the time, it all just ends up accumulating in my "to look at when I have time" folder. ^^; )



In other news, I would be pretty curious if I encountered a character named Dog @$$. As the sum total of the thread seems to be, context is vital to any approach.
(I wonder if Glitter Flavoured Condom and Dog @$$ have a history?)

Largely Irrelevant Postscript: Mommy says I can't use the N-word in my visual novel--even though I had it spelled correctly with an A at the end, and the character speaking had every reason to assume that the first Ambiguously Brown "Mukokuseki" she met was a fellow African American. [The fact that nobody is in their "original" bodies or even on their "original" planet had not yet occurred to her.] Mommy is probably right, and I ultimately changed that conversation, but even now I don't understand the complexities of human communication. o_0