Dies Irae - Chuunimare

Yes. A chuunimare. Yes, it is a bad pun.

So. I made the thread because I am sort of interested in the VN myself. But there is one gigantic wall in my way: The ridiculous language barrier. Especially in this case, seeing as the writer has a fondness for purple prose. Or so I have heard.

''As the Soviet Union marches on Berlin in May of 1945, a secretive group of sorcerers and madmen gathers to perform a terrible ritual. They care nothing for the fate of the Reich. To them, the countless lives lost in the battle are the perfect sacrifice to fuel their spell. After the war, they vanish and are not heard from again, except in rumor. One day, it is whispered, they will return. And on that day, the world will end. Fear the demons in human form. Fear the Longinus Dreizehn Orden.

Flash forward to present-day Japan. Fujii Ren is released from the hospital after two months spent recovering from wounds suffered in a vicious brawl with his best friend Shiro. As Christmas approaches, he tries to rebuild his life, clinging to what brilliance remains. But even that is soon threatened. For the knights of the LDO have returned, and brought the apocalypse to his doorstep. Forced to wield the same unholy power as his foes, will Ren be able to protect what is dear to him from the inhuman might of the Longinus Dreizehn Orden?''

Pretty much the synopsis of it. Has anyone here read it? If so, what are your thoughts on it?

I have tried translating some using my poor japanese that I have a grasp on with the finesse of a toddler coupled with muscle twitching. So. Yeah.

But enough about me. I have gotten through the prologue atleast. Not with my own abilities, mind you. But so far the Writing is interesting to say the least. Then again, I have Always been weak for the chuuni genre. I do Believe Fate/Stay Night falls under it as well. Maybe.

• cough* To be honest, I don't mind spoilers. In fact, I would almost be grateful for it as I can atleast glean some of the plot. What I do remember about it is that it has some fairly insane Power levels later on.

... But now I am just rambling. >_<

edited 10th Dec '14 6:06:49 AM by EvilMegaCookie

Not sure if this is illegal or not, but I figured it might be worth necroing the thread to notify anyone that has looked at this thread once or twice that there is a Kickstarter going on for the localization of the VN.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1986219362/dies-irae-english-localization-project-commences?token=08472cba

And the official channel has also uploaded the opening speech held by Mercurius, which should make for a fine appetizer in regards for what to expect:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwWF-2SbfI8

I might give it a shot later on.

Pus, if it does well, we might get more of the Masada-verse here in the west.

edited 4th Jan '17 7:33:49 AM by Demongodofchaos2

Please do. It'd be awesome to see the West have a VN like Dies Irae in its midst.

Hello everyone! I've noticed this kind of stuff, that's already been running for quite a while, hasn't gotten a proper advertisement around the internet, nor has basic information for non Japanese speaking public been made widely known, so here I am, trying to fill that empty spot, at least as far as TV Tropes is concerned. So here we are people, glad to introduce you!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwWF-2SbfI8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umZ2Nqj5zq4&

​ So now let's begin with the basic questions:

1.- What is the Dies irae Emanation Project?

Easy, it is a project to ask for the support of fans to bring Dies irae: Amantes Amentes , fully translated to English, to the West.

2.- What the hell is Dies irae?

Dies irae is a critically acclaimed action Visual Novel made by light, a pretty well known studio in Japan for making action Visual Novels with pretty high production values (at least nowadays...). It is a story working on similar narrative principles to those of Fate/Stay night, authored by Nasu Kinoko and published by TYPE-MOON, which is the example of reference towards the genre Dies irae belongs to.

3.- Who is behind the creation of Dies irae?

The writer of Dies irae is Masada Takashi, known for his incredibly verbose prose (that sometimes poses a challenge to even native Japanese speakers) and his penchant for creating stories full of exciting, creative action scenes. Masada is currently one of light's flagship authors, and his writing style has influenced how the studio has approached their Visual Novels. Dies irae is the first critically acclaimed Visual Novel written by Masada and one of light's most succesful products to this day, and has influenced other light productions, such as the also well regarded action VN Silverio Vendetta. Of course, aside from Masada, the development team has also two other essential members: G Yuusuke, artist and designer of every single CG and sprite in the game, and Yonao Keishi, composer of its critically acclaimed soundtrack, regarded as above average in terms of what you'd find in the Visual Novel medium.

4.- What's the plot of the game?

The plot of Dies irae is something really typical, that slowly turns into its own unique thing. As seen in the Prologue (linked above), the Battle of Berlin (1945) at the end of World War II is ensuing. The Soviet Union is winning and the German troops are getting pushed back and defeated. However, something incredible happens that makes this event diverge from the history of our world. That is, the arrival of 13 men dressed in SS uniforms who, despite their clothing, do not belong in either side. They are a third party and, despite their reduced numbers, possess enough power to crush both world powers if they wanted to. Berlin turns into a sacrificial ground, as Germans and Soviets alike are massacred by the supernatural might of the strangers. After the battle is over, their 5 commanding officers leave this world, dissappearing without a trace, while the remaining 8 are left, wandering the Earth, till the time of their gathering in a certain place... The Eastern Shamballa, Suwahara City, in Japan.

Some 60 years later, the story jumps to the perspective of our protagonist, Fujii Ren, a relatively normal Japanese teenager living in Suwahara City, who has just come out of the hospital after a brutal fistfight with his best friend, Yusa Shirou. However, after a visit to the Museum with his childhood friend Ayase Kasumi, and his encounter with a Guillotine from the French Revolution and the mysterious ghost of the girl inhabiting it, a spree of murders begins happening in the city. From here on, Ren will be involved in a struggle against supernatural forces, a clash in which he'll come to know about his past, his relationship to his attackers, and the very nature of reality itself.

5.-Who the hell are these Nazi guys we see in the Prologue anyway?

They are the upper echelons of the Longinus Dreizehn Orden, more commonly known as the LDO, who act as the main antagonistic group of Dies irae. They are not aligned with Nazi Germany in any way, shape or form, in fact, they burn down Berlin in the scene above. Some of their members, including their leader, originate from the SS, but most of them are serial killers and bystanders who happened to catch the attention of the big guys. Most of the members do not appear on screen during the Prologue, but they are there in the background, doing their own stuff (massacring the population). The members we actually see are the commanding echelon of the LDO, who will leave the world for another place (spoiler) at the end of the Battle of Berlin. They are Wolfgang Schreiber, Eleonore von Wittenburg (also known as Samiel Zentaur) and Goëtz von Berlichingen, more commonly known as Machina.

Of course, that leave the question of who those guys who are floating in the sky are. The man with golden hair is Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich, leader of the LDO, and the other is Mercurius, his second in command, who will act as the main antagonists of this story. Both them and their subordinates possess supernatural power, and are basically walking weapons of mass destruction who get power from the souls of those they slay.

6.-Who is speaking in the speech above the Prologue?

The one delivering the speach is Karl Ernst Krafft, also known as Mercurius, the LDO's second in command, directly under Heydrich's command. He is, beyond any doubt, the greatest mystery of this story, and a character you'll be enthralled by. He is the trigger to Dies irae's plot and the very driving force behind all events within it. A powerful sorcerer and magician, he is the creator of Die Ewigkeit, the magical formula the members of the LDO derive their powers from, and thus the source of their powers. However, he is seen with fear and hatred by his subordinates, for reasons you'll have to play the game in order to know. All of these facts make him arguably the main antagonist of the game, even more so than Reinhard. He also, beyond their sharing of a voice actor (Toriumi Kousuke), has a very deep relationship to Ren.

As for what's the gist of what he says in his speech? Secret. That you'll have to see for yourselves by playing the game :p (unless you want me to spoil you).

7.-How is the game structured?

It consists of one common route that will later branch into four different routes, one corresponding to each heroine of the game. This makes the VN a very long ride from start to finish, but one worth it, regardless.

The first route belongs to Ayase Kasumi, Ren's childhood friend and the first heroine. It is the route that serves to set the tone of the game, but also the one that will reveal less of the storyline. You won't see the upper echelons make an appearence, the antagonistic role will be taken by another character that, while important, doesn't reach the importance of the others.

The second route deals with Sakurai Kei, a Japanese teenager who is a member of the LDO, occupying Seat V in replacement of her previous occupant, now dead for reasons unknown (play to find out). The route will deal with Kei's story, along with advancing the main plot far more than Kasumi's Route did.

The third route has Margueritte Breuil, also known as Marie, as its heroine. She is mysterious girl, born in the French Revolution era, that Ren meets as a ghost trapped in the Guillotine, which will later become his main weapon (Holy Relic/Ahnenerbe). Marie is one of the most significant characters in the story, and a mystery all of her own. This route also provides the first real ending to the story.

The final route belongs to Himuro Rea, an upperclassman who befriends Ren is his daily life. She has, even unknown to herself, a really deep connection to the LDO. Her route is the canonical and definitive ending to the story, tying all missing plot threads. This route also has a subroute that features a really spoilerific three way fight.

8.- How many versions of this game are there?

There are four versions. However, only Amantes Amentes, the most complete one, will be translated if the project succeeds.

The first one, Dies irae Also Sprach Zarathustra, was an incomplete work that did only include Kasumi and Marie's Routes, and left many plot threads hanging. Plus, the productions values of the game weren't that high.

The third version, Dies irae Acta est Fabula, can already be considered a finished product, as it contains all the routes.

Dies irae Amantes Amentes added a subroute in the last route, while also removing all sex scenes and censoring some of the most gory scenes in the game. It also added numerous adaptations of Drama C Ds to the VN format, with new art, as unlockable side stories. The Emanation Project will offer a patch that will include all sex scenes in this version if the customers desire so, while also removing the censorship on gore by default.

9.-Does Dies irae belong in a wider series?

Yes, it does. Dies irae is the middle and most well known title from the Shinza Banshou series, published by light and authored by Masada as a whole. It's made up of Paradise Lost, Masada's first work and a VN set before Dies irae, and Kajiri Kamui Kagura, a "what if" sequel that acts as a sequel to Marie's Route from the previous game. Also, a Dies irae spin off, called Dies irae: Interview with Kaziklu Bey , also exists, and features Seat IV of the LDO, Wilhelm Ehrenburg, as its protagonist, in a story that takes place before the Battle of Berlin.

With this, I finish the introduction! If anyone has any further questions, wants clarifications on the release, or even plot details to clear their minds, you are all free to ask!

Thank you, and Merry Christmas!

And it is now at 130k. Only 30k more to go.

I am really hyped about this one. I've been wanting to read it since a few months ago!

Also, are there any plans to translate Dies Irae: Interview with Kaziklu Bey? It'd be a shame to leave it out, when Acta est Fabula is being translated...

The VN is now live on Steam.

Base game is free, but the routes must be purchased. It all comes to $40 for all four routes. From what everyone is saying, the preferred route order is Kasumi > Kei > Marie > Rea

Bumping this, because... 1) I never thought a thread about Shinza Bansho Series existed, 2) this thread is so inactive and old, and 3) why limit ourselves to just Dies Irae?

Redditor posted this article about Masada's recent plans about the roadmap and the currently-cancelled Pantheon.