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--- visualnovel:buying [2024/12/22 07:02] – latest changes yesvnsonlinux
+++ visualnovel:buying [2025/06/04 04:26] (current) – Link to archive.org page for Witch Hunt letter, since the site is now owned by a betting company :( yesvnsonlinux
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 ===== Fan Translation Patches =====
-Unofficial English fan translations exist for some Japanese visual novels, and sometimes the creators respond positively. In the late 2000s, Witch Hunt provided their fan translations as patches for Umineko no Naku Koro ni, and [[https://witch-hunt.com/letter.html|Ryukishi07, the creator of these games, officially endorsed this project]], going so far as to work the name of the translation team into the games.
+Unofficial English fan translations exist for some Japanese visual novels, and sometimes the creators respond positively. In the late 2000s, Witch Hunt provided their fan translations as patches for Umineko no Naku Koro ni, and [[https://web.archive.org/web/20181225055725/http://witch-hunt.com/letter.html|Ryukishi07, the creator of these games, officially endorsed this project]], going so far as to work the name of the translation team into the games.
 While we don’t officially endorse fan translation projects, it’s hard to ignore how many people over the past 20 years were only able to become fans of the medium because of a passionate fan. They helped pave the way for the localization industry we have today. Mainstream game marketplaces like Steam now carry an impressive catalog of visual novels in English, though fan translation projects remain common for less popular games.
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 ^Vendor                                                                                                                                                                          ^Notes                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             ^
-|**DLsite** \\ [[https://www.dlsite.com/soft/|All-Ages]] \\ [[https://www.dlsite.com/pro/|Adult-Only Games For Men]] \\ [[https://www.dlsite.com/girls-pro/|Adult-Only Games For Women]]|Some releases are DRM-free, some are encumbered with PlayDRM, and some are encumbered with SoftDenchi. The product page makes it very apparent if the game is encumbered by DRM, highlighting the text in a bright green box in the product description. For DRM compatibility with GNU/Linux, see [[visualnovel:problems#drm_and_region_restrictions|this page.]] \\ \\ If you’re using Windows 10, [[https://cs.dlsite.com/hc/en-us/articles/4401855931417|you may need to change various settings to Japan/Japanese for the game to function correctly]]. You can change the language on the website to English, but all games are in Japanese. 注意してください！                                                          |
+|**DLsite** \\ [[https://www.dlsite.com/soft/|All-Ages]] \\ [[https://www.dlsite.com/pro/|Adult-Only Games For Men]] \\ [[https://www.dlsite.com/girls-pro/|Adult-Only Games For Women]]|Some releases are DRM-free, some are encumbered with PlayDRM, and some are encumbered with SoftDenchi. The product page makes it very apparent if the game is encumbered by DRM, highlighting the text in a bright green box in the product description. For DRM compatibility with GNU/Linux, see [[visualnovel:problems#drm_and_region_restrictions|this page.]] \\ \\ If you’re using Windows 10, [[https://cs.dlsite.com/hc/en-us/articles/4401855931417|you may need to change various settings to Japan/Japanese for the game to function correctly]]. You can change the language on the website to English, but all games are in Japanese. 注意してください！\\ \\ DLsite doesn't accept MasterCard or VISA. You need to make purchases through DLsite Points, which are available at third-party vendors.                                                          |
 |[[https://novelgame.jp|NovelGame]]                                                                                                                                              |Free visual novels in 日本語! You can support the creators with コイン, but all visual novels on this site are free-of-charge. NovelGame usually offers a Windows build or the option to play the game in your browser, which will work on any operating system.                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
 |**DMM** \\ [[https://www.dmm.com/en/|DMM Games (For General Audiences)]] \\ [[https://dlsoft.dmm.co.jp|FANZA (Adult-Only Games)]]                                                               |All DMM/FANZA releases are encumbered by some form of DRM. The DRM encumberments we know of are SoftDenchi, DMM Game Launcher, and Buddy Launcher. \\ \\ To confirm a product is encumbered by DRM, check the product page closely for this wording: ID認証形式. In this section, there will be an advisory like this: 本商品を利用するためには、最新版のソフト電池ランタイムが必要です。You may need a Japanese IP address at some point, either to make the purchase, or to satisfy the DRM check. For DRM compatibility with GNU/Linux, see [[visualnovel:problems#drm_and_region_restrictions|this page.]]|
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 |**Toranoana** \\ [[https://ec.toranoana.jp/tora_r/ec/mdv/|Adult-Only Games For Men]] \\ [[https://ec.toranoana.jp/joshi_r/ec/|Adult-Only Games For Women]]                                                                                                                                   |Some visual novels are available for pre-order with pre-order bonuses. Does not re-stock items, so there is a limited quantity. Does not ship internationally but accepts foreign credit cards. You can use a forwarding service (([[https://www.toranoana.jp/info/shop/tenso/english.html|Toranoana recommends Tenso]])) or buy through a proxy shipping service to ship internationally.                                                  |
 |[[https://a.sofmap.com/product_list.aspx?gid=002210010|Akiba Sofmap]]                                                                                                     |Sells new and second-hand games, anime, and other hobby products. Does not ship internationally but accepts foreign credit cards. You can use a forwarding service’s address or buy through a proxy shipping service to ship internationally. ((Sofmap provides information about shipping internationally with their site [[https://www.sofmap.com/contents/?id=crossb&sid=translation_e|here]]. Any forwarding/proxy service should work with Sofmap, but they recommend WorldShipping and directly integrate with it.)).                                                                                                                                                                                           |
-|**Surugaya** \\ [[https://www.suruga-ya.jp/search?category=652042222&search_word=&adult_s=3|Japanese Site]] \\ [[https://www.suruga-ya.com/en/category/600|English Site]]|Chain of stores for new and second-hand goods and more games than Mandarake. All products are sold directly from Surugaya, rather than going through a third-party seller. The English site carries only all-ages releases and ships to a [[https://www.suruga-ya.com/en/qa-detail/45|limited number of countries]]. The Japanese site has more items, but requires a proxy shipping service((Surugaya only officially deals with credit cards issued in Japan, but their system //does// allow you to use a foreign credit card. There is a risk they may cancel your order, so bear this in mind.)) as it does not accept foreign credit cards.((See [[https://www.suruga-ya.jp/man/customer_guide/shiharai.html#shiharai2|this section]] on what payment methods Surugaya JP accepts.))|
+|**Surugaya** \\ [[https://www.suruga-ya.jp/search?category=652042222&search_word=&adult_s=3|Japanese Site]] \\ [[https://www.suruga-ya.com/en/category/600|English Site]]|Chain of stores for new and second-hand goods and more games than Mandarake. All products are sold directly from Surugaya, rather than going through a third-party seller. The English site carries only all-ages releases and ships to a [[https://www.suruga-ya.com/en/qa-detail/45|limited number of countries]]. The Japanese site has more items, but requires a proxy shipping service((Surugaya only officially deals with credit cards issued in Japan, but their system //does// allow you to use a foreign credit card. There is a risk they may cancel your order, so bear this in mind.)) as it does not accept foreign credit cards.((See [[https://www.suruga-ya.jp/man/customer_guide/shiharai.html#shiharai2|this section]] on what payment methods Surugaya JP accepts.)) If you want to buy from Surugaya's English site, consider waiting for Surugaya to launch a free shipping campaign, as it does this frequently.|
 |**TRADER / TRADER AKIBA** \\ [[http://www.trader.co.jp/shopbrand/a_top/|New Games]] \\ [[http://www.chuko-tsuhan.com/shopbrand/a_top|Second-hand Games]]|Sells both new and second-hand games. TRADER doesn't ship internationally, but they accept foreign credit cards, so you can use a forwarding service or proxy shipping service.|
 |[[http://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/|Mandarake]]                                                                                                                         |Large chain of stores for second-hand goods, like visual novels. All products are sold directly from Mandarake, rather than going through a third-party seller. Ships internationally (make sure to select the English language option to enable international shipping). Does not support undervaluing shipments.                                                                                                                      |
-|[[https://shop.lashinbang.com/products/list?cat=%E3%82%B2%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A0&subcat=PC%E3%82%B2%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A0|Lashinbang]]|Popular chain of stores that sell second-hand products, such as PC games. Accepts foreign credit cards, so you can ship internationally with a forwarding service or proxy shipping service.|
+|[[https://shop.lashinbang.com/products/list?cat=%E3%82%B2%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A0&subcat=PC%E3%82%B2%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A0|Lashinbang]]|Popular chain of stores that sell second-hand products, such as PC games. Only accepts orders made from a proxy shipping service if you are outside of Japan.|
 |[[https://auctions.yahoo.co.jp/|Yahoo! Auctions]]                                                                                                                         |Marketplace for second-hand goods. **All products are sold from a third-party seller who lists their items on the site.** This site is similar to eBay in concept and popularity for Japanese customers. Requires a proxy service to ship internationally.                                                                                                                                                                              |
 |[[https://jp.mercari.com/|Mercari]]                                                                                                                                       |Marketplace for second-hand goods. **All products are sold from a third-party seller who lists their items on the site.** Requires a proxy service to ship internationally; some proxy shipping services will refuse to buy from this site due to a larger risk of scams as compared to Yahoo! Auctions.                                                                                                                                |
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 |[[https://play-asia.com/|PlayAsia]]                                  |Carries many Japanese products and sells Japanese gift cards for console stores. More expensive than buying directly from a Japanese store, but offers an English interface and ships to most countries.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
 |[[https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/games/|CDJapan]]                                |Carries many Japanese products. However, it also lists “proxy items” alongside normal items. “Proxy items” use CDJapan’s proxy shipping service, so be aware of this when browsing.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
-|**Surugaya** \\ [[https://www.suruga-ya.com/en/category/2|English Site]] \\ [[https://www.suruga-ya.jp/game.html|Japanese Site]]  |Chain of stores for new and second-hand games and other products. All products are sold directly from Surugaya, rather than going through a third-party seller. The English site carries only all-ages releases and ships to a [[https://www.suruga-ya.com/en/qa-detail/45|limited number of countries]]. If the English site doesn’t ship to your country, you may need to buy from the Japanese site with a proxy shipping service.((Surugaya only officially deals with credit cards issued in Japan, but their system //does// allow you to use a foreign credit card. There is a risk they may cancel your order, so bear this in mind.))((See [[https://www.suruga-ya.jp/man/customer_guide/shiharai.html#shiharai2|this section]] on what payment methods Surugaya JP accepts.))|
+|**Surugaya** \\ [[https://www.suruga-ya.com/en/category/2|English Site]] \\ [[https://www.suruga-ya.jp/game.html|Japanese Site]]  |Chain of stores for new and second-hand games and other products. All products are sold directly from Surugaya, rather than going through a third-party seller. The English site carries only all-ages releases and ships to a [[https://www.suruga-ya.com/en/qa-detail/45|limited number of countries]]. If the English site doesn’t ship to your country, you may need to buy from the Japanese site with a proxy shipping service.((Surugaya only officially deals with credit cards issued in Japan, but their system //does// allow you to use a foreign credit card. There is a risk they may cancel your order, so bear this in mind.))((See [[https://www.suruga-ya.jp/man/customer_guide/shiharai.html#shiharai2|this section]] on what payment methods Surugaya JP accepts.)) If you want to buy from Surugaya's English site, consider waiting for Surugaya to launch a free shipping campaign, as it does this frequently.|
 |**TRADER / TRADER AKIBA** \\ [[http://www.trader.co.jp/shopbrand/trader_tvgame/|New Games]] \\ [[http://www.chuko-tsuhan.com/|Second-hand Games]]|Sells both new and second-hand games. TRADER doesn't ship internationally, but they accept foreign credit cards, so you can use a forwarding service or proxy shipping service.|
-|[[https://shop.lashinbang.com/products/list?cat=%E3%82%B2%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A0&subcat=TV%E3%82%B2%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A0%E3%82%BD%E3%83%95%E3%83%88|Lashinbang]]|Popular chain of stores that sell second-hand products, such as console games. Accepts foreign credit cards, so you can ship internationally with a forwarding service or proxy shipping service.|
+|[[https://shop.lashinbang.com/products/list?cat=%E3%82%B2%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A0&subcat=TV%E3%82%B2%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A0%E3%82%BD%E3%83%95%E3%83%88|Lashinbang]]|Popular chain of stores that sell second-hand products, such as console games. Only accepts orders made from a proxy shipping service if you are outside of Japan.|
 |[[https://a.sofmap.com/product_list.aspx?gid=002110|Akiba Sofmap]]|Sells new and second-hand games, anime, and hobby projects. Does not ship internationally but accepts foreign credit cards. You can use a forwarding service’s address or buy through a proxy shipping service to ship internationally. ((Sofmap provides information about shipping internationally with their site [[https://www.sofmap.com/contents/?id=crossb&sid=translation_e|here]]. Any forwarding/proxy service should work with Sofmap, but they recommend WorldShipping and directly integrate with it.)).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
 |[[https://ec.geo-online.co.jp/shop/c/c11|GEO]]                           |Sells both new and second hand games. Requires a proxy shipping service.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
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 The advantage to a forwarding service is you can make the purchase immediately, which is important for limited-time items and high-demand items likely to go out of stock. A proxy shipping service may have already reserved an order for a customer, but not gotten around to fulfilling the request yet. There is no delay when using a forwarding service, as they only give you an address to ship to. Fees are generally lower than proxy shipping, but it's worth comparing.
-Proxy shipping services may be easier to use if you have a lower level of Japanese compared to navigating one of these stores, setting up an account, and completing the checkout process.
+If your Japanese ability isn't high enough to order from a vendor's website, a proxy shipping service might be easier for you.
 ===== What is Proxy Shipping? =====