Rose Guns Days (07th Expansion)

[Mr. Dent]

Originally Posted by TW25

Regarding Ryuukishi's popularity, you're right that there's nothing to worry about there. The people who are talking about that stuff don't know what they're saying. His partnership with Square Enix for Rose Guns Days characters and the manga is a great example of this. I've said it before, but Ryuukishi wants to be doujin. He was never trying to go commercial so popularity isn't even a huge factor for him, although it certainly has helped to open doors and those doors certainly aren't closing anytime soon.

Higanbana does work as another example. Instead of starting off as a VN, it did start off as a manga and was later used for the "break" period between Umineko and RGD.

I knew it! It simply made no sense to me how Square Enix, which is, to my knowledge, a fairly huge company, would run a series of manga adaptations, spin-offs, and prequels written by somebody nobody liked. It made no sense how there could be so many different series, running in several different magazines, when he wasn't popular, and the fact that everybody's excuse is "Manga are cheap," drove me crazy! I love the 07th Expansion mangas, so hopefully the new work gets an adaptation as well. (I particularly enjoy Miss Jirou Suzuki's jobs!)

For the card games:

07th Expansion started making card games, but stopped to produce Higurashi and just recently returned with 2012's "Train Each Other As Trap Maids Game" and 2014's "Ushiromiya Residence Serial Murder Incident". So, we may even see a Rose Guns Days card game one day.

Is the Umineko one the one with the cosplay? Ooh, know where I can import that?

[TW25]

Another point regarding the popularity, just to emphasize it, Ryuukishi was very happy with RGD Last Season's sale numbers and Higurashi Hou sold out at Comiket no problem.

But on the topic of things selling out, the Ushiromiya Residence game (yes, the one with the cosplay characters on the cards) sold out quickly at Game Market and only a very small number were available at 07th Party 3. Unlike the visual novels, these aren't commercially distributed

[Mr. Dent]

Originally Posted by TW25

Another point regarding the popularity, just to emphasize it, Ryuukishi was very happy with RGD Last Season's sale numbers and Higurashi Hou sold out at Comiket no problem.

But on the topic of things selling out, the Ushiromiya Residence game (yes, the one with the cosplay characters on the cards) sold out quickly at Game Market and only a very small number were available at 07th Party 3. Unlike the visual novels, these aren't commercially distributed

Great to hear that about Hou! People on the Higurashi Thread were talking about how it was recieved with backlash and criticism, nice to know that's not quite the case.

Drat! Well, I don't really need anything else to spend money on right now. I'm currently eyeing the RGD manga, which I can get on eBay for a decent amount, and for a whole season as a bundle.

[mmxhmj2]

Originally Posted by Mr. Dent

Honestly, I just want to see it. It doesn't even need to be translated, I just wanna see it!

Also, does anyone know about the official Higurashi Drama CDs? There seems to be two different series- one based on the Visual Novels, and one based on the manga. Do you think we'll ever see a Rose Guns Days Drama CD? I don't think Frontier Works had anything to do with either, so it'll come down to how popular the manga is, I guess. It's published in the Square Enix mags, right? Do you think that's something we'll we see?

I'm not sure if this can be attributed to Drama CDs...It's not an official one.But the donjin group 飛鷺銀 have worked on such projects and released Season1 and Season2 till now. I've heard part of them,just the beginning of each one,quite impressive.

[Mr. Dent]

Originally Posted by mmxhmj2

I'm not sure if this can be attributed to Drama CDs...It's not an official one.But the donjin group 飛鷺銀 have worked on such projects and released Season1 and Season2 till now. I've heard part of them,just the beginning of each one,quite impressive.

Holy smokes, you're right! I've gotta check this out! They appear to be side-stories (Considering I cannot remember a single time Zel flashed her panties...), not full-on adaptations, but that's just fine. (They also have Higanbana and Umineko dramas!)

UPDATE: I am not having an easy time navigating the website, and haven't heard any of the RGD dramas. However, I took a quick look at the Umineko one, and- WOW. If I didn't know otherwise, I'd think that these were official works!

[Lyendith]

I love the 07th Expansion mangas, so hopefully the new work gets an adaptation as well. (I particularly enjoy Miss Jirou Suzuki's jobs!)

I'm pretty sure Jirou Suzuki is a guy though?

Regarding the rumors on R7's popularity, that may have to do with the fact that none of his works have had an anime adaptation since the Umineko anime's trainwreck. Chiru is pretty much unadaptable − not without a significant budget, i.e. not the first anime's budget − and Higanbana may be a bit hard to adapt too. I don't see anything coming for RGD either… instead we have a bazillion adaptations for Higurashi. Also, what I've heard of Kamikanshi's story left me pretty… huh… --'.`-- I wouldn't be surprised if it had some backlash indeed.

From what TW25 said it seems like R7 has turned the When They Cry page for good, regarding new works. Which makes it all the more bizarre that he continues to cling to Higurashi like that.

… and damn, I have to go listen to these RGD dramas!

EDIT: Holy cow, why are all these girls in panties. >.< Even Maria and Hsiao-Lan, seriously… although we don't know Hsiao's age now that I think about it…

Where do we listen to the dramas on their site anyway?

EDIT2: Ugh, I want big versions of this page's fanarts. TT^TT

[Mr. Dent]

Originally Posted by Lyendith

I'm pretty sure Jirou Suzuki is a guy though?

Oh, really? Oops. I guess I thought something about the art style and extras were kind of feminine, uh... But "Jirou" is a pretty masculine sounding name... Oops, sorry, Mr. Suzuki!

Also, what I've heard of Kamikanshi's story left me pretty… huh… --'.`-- I wouldn't be surprised if it had some backlash indeed.

I've read a summary, but will not pass judgement until I have read it myself.

From what TW25 said it seems like R7 has turned the When They Cry page for good, regarding new works. Which makes it all the more bizarre that he continues to cling to Higurashi like that.

Despite what people have said about Umineko Chiru, I felt it was a perfect way to end the series, and do not mind in the least if it ended like that. I think Higurashi and Umineko compliment each other fantastically, and make a fine duology. As for Hou? I dunno, it makes sense to me that he'd want to celebrate the anniversary (it was celebrating an anniversary or something, wasn't it?) with the game that started the 07th line-up of Visual Novels in the first place.

[TW25]

If you want a summary of where Ryuukishi stands with all his works so far, here's everything that I know.

Higurashi: Hou is intended to be the final release and was produced to celebrate 10 years since finishing (from Ryuukishi's perspective, as 2006 was when Kai was finished)

Umineko: When asked about doing an additional work for Umineko, Ryuukishi considered the idea but didn't say anything more

Higanbana: Ryuukishi has expressed interest in writing a Third Night a few times

Rose Guns Days: This is probably the only work so far to be properly concluded as Ryuukishi said a 2 year production felt right and you can also look towards the last entry being called 'Last Season'. I think everyone who knows how the story ends up would agree it's properly concluded.

Future When They Cry titles: Ryuukishi has said he will certainly write more one day and that there are various ideas he is considering.

[Mr. Dent]

Originally Posted by TW25

Higanbana: Ryuukishi has expressed interest in writing a Third Night a few times

Oh, really? That'd be interesting, and, honestly totally unexpected. I was really satisfied with the Second Night's final story, but, given the nature of the series, definitely wouldn't mind more!

Future When They Cry titles: Ryuukishi has said he will certainly write more one day and that there are various ideas he is considering.

Huh, really? Well, we'll see if he can top Rokkenjima or Hinamizawa, but I'm not holding my breath. He'd have to pick a preeetty interesting locale for this one, which is probably why everyone assumed the 3 Worlds one was it.

Hmm, know if he's still on good terms with Alchemist? I know that they were initially wary of remaking Chiru, and eventually cancelled the PSP ports, and haven't touched Higanbana or RGD, but I quite like their Seiyuu... (Although the ones they picked for Erika and Dlanor sounded nothing like how I had pictured them sounding.)

[einhorn303]

Thanks a million TW25 for all this illuminating information.

Originally Posted by Lyendith

...I don't see anything coming for RGD either… instead we have a bazillion adaptations for Higurashi. Also, what I've heard of Kamikanshi's story left me pretty… huh… --'.`-- I wouldn't be surprised if it had some backlash indeed.

Which is a shame, since RGD is probably the 07th Expansion work that'd be best suited to an anime adaption, with it's straight-forward action-heavy story.

The spoilers I've seen from Kamikanshi have fascinated me, but then again,

Spoiler for Kamikanshi:

I'm a huge science fiction fan (which also means I'm super psyched about the next work!

[Lyendith]

Rose Guns Days: This is probably the only work so far to be properly concluded as Ryuukishi said a 2 year production felt right and you can also look towards the last entry being called 'Last Season'. I think everyone who knows how the story ends up would agree it's properly concluded.

I agree buuut I wouldn't mind a few extra short stories, be it in VN or in manga form. There are still some elements of the ending that were left a bit too open to me. =[ Regarding Hsiao-Lan, Butler and Keith notably. But yeah, other than that there is nothing to add.

Actually, I feel like this is the first long work where he really did exactly what he wanted to do from beginning to end, which may be why the Last Season feels more "clean" in its execution than Matsuribayashi or Twilight (I liked most of Twilight mind you, but admittedly it was a bit of a mess). Though I can't tell for Higanbana, I have to read that goddamn Second Night already. >.<

And yeah, RGD would totally make an awesome anime. TT^TT

[Mr. Dent]

Originally Posted by Lyendith

Actually, I feel like this is the first long work where he really did exactly what he wanted to do from beginning to end, which may be why the Last Season feels more "clean" in its execution than Matsuribayashi or Twilight (I liked most of Twilight mind you, but admittedly it was a bit of a mess). Though I can't tell for Higanbana, I have to read that goddamn Second Night already. >.<

Excellent! Glad to hear that, I'm looking forward to it. Higanbana's ending is also very clean, and, for a series that started off so utterly grimdark, is really very uplifting and inspirational.

And yeah, RGD would totally make an awesome anime. TT^TT

I have thought long and hard about this. At first, I thought Studio BONES, but now I'm thinking A-1 Pictures. Certainly not Studio DEEN!

[Lyendith]

We had talked about it a few pages back I think, yes. I would say Ufotable would be nice, but maybe that would be pulling out the big guns. That would change us from Nasu at least. A1 is the one that made Silver Spoon, is that right? That would be… interesting.

Excellent! Glad to hear that, I'm looking forward to it. Higanbana's ending is also very clean, and, for a series that started off so utterly grimdark, is really very uplifting and inspirational.

Yeah, the Tsukimi story had surprised me a bit with its light tone. If the rest of Second Night keeps a similar tone I'm probably going to like it.

[Mr. Dent]

Originally Posted by Lyendith

We had talked about it a few pages back I think, yes. I would say Ufotable would be nice, but maybe that would be pulling out the big guns. That would change us from Nasu at least. A1 is the one that made Silver Spoon, is that right? That would be… interesting.

Ufotable is gorgeous, but I'd rather them tackle Umineko- That is, if the anime were to be based on the Alchemist version. If it's based on the manga version, I'd prefer SHAFT, I think, as Kei Natsumi's artwork is very surreal and intricate, and SHAFT does surreal and intricate like nobody's business. However, for RGD, I must say I believe A-1 to be the proper choice.

I love Silver Spoon! However the big ones they've done are Sword Art Online (Which I dislike, but must admit is beautifully animated,) and Aldnoah.Zero (Which is alright, but mostly is beautifully animated and has a fantastic soundtrack.) They've produced pretty much every super popular action anime in recent memory. Also, if they made it, it'd be Aniplex that brings it to the US, and I'd love to have a Rose Guns Days Limited Edition Blu-Ray!

Originally Posted by Lyendith

Yeah, the Tsukimi story had surprised me a bit with its light tone. If the rest of Second Night keeps a similar tone I'm probably going to like it.

If I remember right, the Tsukimi story is undoubtedly the lightest in tone. However, the Second Night is much brighter overall than the First. I feel like the First Night was Ryukishi just trying out new things with horror and shock, and the Second Night is him revisiting it and making it matter. The Second Night is still dark, but it's much more meaningful, and took the shock and horror of Higanbana's world, and used it to make an emotional point. It's surprisingly poignant, and there's a particular story that really hits hard. I don't want to tell you which one it is, but it's ending scene will always be somewhere in my conscious.

[TW25]

I don't know much about Alchemist, but it's possible they would have an interest in Rose Guns Days because it has two major attractive points:

*Gameplay segments. This is an area where they'd be able to bring their own creativity to the table much like they did with choices in Higurashi. There's all sorts of cool stuff they could do here.

*Original content potential. The world of RGD is more like Higurashi than Umineko in that you can create your own original story within that world with just a little bit of supervision from the author. There's a good reason the Umineko ports didn't have any new episodes and that's because Ryuukishi himself would have had to have written it due to things like the Red Truth system. You don't have that problem with RGD.

If anything, Alchemist has probably backed down on doing 07th Expansion ports because they realized Higurashi's mega-popularity wasn't enough to sell a significant number of units for other titles. Umineko's port didn't bring anything new to the table other than artwork which was a major reason why it suffered. I mean, if there had been an "Episode X Revival of the golden witch" or something... who wouldn't have bought that?

RGD has a super awesome world which is why we have the manga spinoffs and there's plenty of potential for this world to grow in the future. It comes down to whether or not someone's interested in doing it though. I think Ryuukishi's done and there aren't any companies working on anything right now but the potential is there.

[Mr. Dent]

Originally Posted by TW25

I don't know much about Alchemist, but it's possible they would have an interest in Rose Guns Days because it has two major attractive points:

*Gameplay segments. This is an area where they'd be able to bring their own creativity to the table much like they did with choices in Higurashi. There's all sorts of cool stuff they could do here.

*Original content potential. The world of RGD is more like Higurashi than Umineko in that you can create your own original story within that world with just a little bit of supervision from the author. There's a good reason the Umineko ports didn't have any new episodes and that's because Ryuukishi himself would have had to have written it due to things like the Red Truth system. You don't have that problem with RGD.

If anything, Alchemist has probably backed down on doing 07th Expansion ports because they realized Higurashi's mega-popularity wasn't enough to sell a significant number of units for other titles. Umineko's port didn't bring anything new to the table other than artwork which was a major reason why it suffered. I mean, if there had been an "Episode X Revival of the golden witch" or something... who wouldn't have bought that?

RGD has a super awesome world which is why we have the manga spinoffs and there's plenty of potential for this world to grow in the future. It comes down to whether or not someone's interested in doing it though. I think Ryuukishi's done and there aren't any companies working on anything right now but the potential is there.

A "Cross-Knife" or "Golden Revenge" arc added would be so cool, especially since I know nothing about either besides the fact that they exist. The problem, though, comes from Alchemist picking out Seiyuu. They'd have to be very careful with it, because if they screw up, then the character is stuck with that voice. (They voices they picked out for Erika, Dlanor, and Will in Umineko were all very disappointing to me. But that's just my opinion.)

[st_nick5]

Are there any updates on the translation status? Sorry if it's already been mentioned, but I'm trying to avoid reading the thread too much in case of spoilers.

[Lyendith]

Apparently not. :x

There is no other choice but to wait, sadly.

(read the 9th story of Higanbana by the way. Loved it all the way through. )

[einhorn303]

Originally Posted by Lyendith

Apparently not. :x

There is no other choice but to wait, sadly.

(read the 9th story of Higanbana by the way. Loved it all the way through. )

That'd be "The Thirteenth Step," right? I loved that one, too. I could related to it so well. As I read it, I was also participating in an exercise/weight loss challenge at work, and it felt like my own transformation paralleled Aya's (albeit a bit less dramatic!). It's amazing how much simple running can free up your breathing, improve your sleep, give you more energy, change your mood, etc.

It highlights one of the things I love about Ryukish07. He writes fantastical stories of the supernatural, but the conflict their characters face is so real and cuts to the core of daily life.

[Levani]

I'm a huge fan of Ryukishi and his work yet I'm dragging through with snail pace with this one. It's just not clicking with me. Endless one lines are starting to get annoying and I just finished the chapter where

Spoiler for RGD S1:

they stop Alfred's guy from blowing up Primavera.

There is just...zero plot so far, just stuff these characters go through as they live in dire times. Does it continue like this? I'm quite disappointed so far.