Higurashi, Meakashi-hen

Higruashi Meakashi

We at MangaGamer are proud to announce the upcoming release of Higurashi, Meakashi-hen, available on February 28th.

Meakashi-hen marks the 5th chapter in the 8-chapter Higurashi series. This release will contain only chapter 5, Meakashi-hen.

For those unfamiliar with the series, this chapter marks the beginning of the answer arcs. It is told from the perspective of Shion Sonozaki, and will shed some light on the truth behind chapter 2, Watanagashi-hen. It begins long before Keiichi moves to Hinamizawa and also tells the first story of Satoshi and his disappearance.

higurashi05_003
Last but not least, Chapter 6 and Chapter 7, Tsumihoroboshi-hen and Minnagoroshi-hen, have both nearly completed the translation phase.

Bookmark the permalink.

59 Comments

  1. Half the price of the first 4 arcs for only one answer arc? That’s pretty bogus.

  2. Question Arcs 1-4: $36.95 EUR
    $51.21 USD
    $57.64 AUD

    Question Arcs (per arc): 9.23 EUR
    12.79 USD
    14.39 AUD

    Answer Arc 5 (of 5-8): $19.95 EUR
    $27.65 USD
    $31.12 AUD

    Answer Arcs 5-8: $79.80 EUR
    $110.60 USD
    $124.49 AUD

    In addition we were told (by Mangagamer devs) to expect the answer arcs (not arc) by the end of February.

  3. Whoever though it was a bright idea to milk the individual Kai episodes for all their worth with each same price tags as the original four-episode bundle is a marketing genius!

  4. I’m a bit confused with this decision, and if you look at forums you’ll notice that quite few others are too.
    If all of the answer arcs will be released seperately, in the end it will cost 80 euros, double the cost of question arcs.

    Will Matsuribayashi release contain all of the previous answer arcs too? If so, I’ll wait and buy that. It would be good to get some clarification on this.

  5. 80 euros for all the answer arcs?

    The first 4 Umineko episodes cost roughly 20 euros in Japan, why would anyone pay that for just one Higurashi chapter?

    Unless you’re planning on releasing the last chapter with all the earlier ones for the same price the first four are (36.96 euros) I’m not sure if anyone’s gonna buy these. I know I won’t.

  6. Don’t forget that, when 07th Expansion released Matsuribayashi-hen, that chapters 5-7 had already paid for themselves through prior release, so its sales only had to cover the costs of writing Matsuribayashi-hen itself. With MangaGamer, they don’t have that luxury. They have to cover the costs of translating all of Higu Kai.

  7. I have to know, are you guys planning on at least including each arc you release with the previous arcs (as was done in the Japanese releases)?

  8. But at the same time, I’m pretty sure it’s cheaper to translate/localize and proofread than to create, produce, write and edit. Though I don’t know about localization cost, but I’m sure it’s not bad enough that they would have to double to cost of the answer arcs.

  9. Yes, believe it or not, 19.95 Euros per chapter is actually a fair price for the cost involved. The answer arcs are each considerably longer than any of the individual question arcs. For example, Meakashi covers the events in both Watanagashi and all the events of the year before which surrounded Satoshi. Likewise, with each answer arc, not only are the events of the original question arc touched upon, but the events which took place in the shadows behind them are also revealed as well, and different endings then unfold as well. So each answer arc is in fact longer than than each question arc. Lastly, not only do the licensing fees and other costs have to be paid, but the translators, editors, and proofreaders also must be paid for their work.

    The only reason you can find the Japanese version of Higurashi for 2100円 with all of the answer arcs packaged together now, is because the game has already sold dramatically well in Japan, with PS2 ports, Drama CDs, Figures, and the DS ports all bringing in enough money that the author can afford to lower the price.

    For those with complaints about the price per chapter, please allow me to put things in perspective for you.

    The original version of Higurashi was sold at 2100円 (~17 Euros or ~$23) per chapter over the course of four years. By the time it was finished, customers had paid 16,800円 (~133 Euros or ~$185) for the series.

    We are offering the answer arcs for 19.95 Euros (~$27 or ~2500円)each, and the question arcs at 36.95 Euros (~$51 or ~4600円)for a total of 116.75 Euros (~$162 or ~14,700円).

    Meanwhile, the manga for Higurashi is published and sold at $10.99 per volume, with at least two volumes per chapter of Higurashi, for a total of $21.98 (~16 Euros or ~2000円) per chapter. This means that by the time one purchases the entire Higurashi manga, they will have spent $175.84 (~127 Euros or ~16,000円).

    Also, the anime version sells at a $30 list price per volume, so individually bought it will still run $360 (~259 Euros or ~32,700円) for both the Question and Answer arcs.

    Furthermore, our version of Higurashi contains considerably more text than the manga does while both the manga and the anime leave out all of the tips and many other details to the story which can be found only in our version of the game.

    • Also, the novel version of the series sold by Kodansha BOX in Japan, which contains only the text and very little illustration, is still 1365円 per volume with two volumes per chapter of Higurashi. This totals 21,840円 (~$240 or ~173 Euros) for the entire series of question and answer arcs.

      • Just a little note:

        The manga version of the Answer Arcs all have 4 volumes each rather than 2, so that actually increases the expense by a whole third. Making it $263.76 for the entire series in manga form. (not counting the side-story manga-only arcs)

        Compared to that, this price for the sound novels sounds perfectly reasonable.

        • Thanks for the update, Baru. That also helps to prove my point that there is more content in each answer arc than there is in each question arc.

          • Hurr durr. Way to take things out of context, kouryuu. I know I’m late for the party (how could I still not have heard about this stuff two weeks after it happened??), but I guess you lost another customer here. I was going to buy Higurashi Kai despite the fact that it would cost a lot, but MangaGamer’s just plain scamming us here.

            It’s unfair to compare the price to manga and anime volumes, their industry is completely different. Manga readers can read the manga for a cheap price in manga magazines, while anime viewers can view it for free on TV. The entire point of the volumes (and the reason they’re so expensive) is that fans buy them to support the series. They can also read and watch the series without buying them, but the real fans want to buy it to support the creators.
            Your VN sales are different – we have to buy the VNs in order to play them in the first place. We can’t just play a VN and then buy it afterwards to support MangaGamer (theoretically, at least – in practice, it’ll be easy to pirate it). To have the same prices in such a different business model and defending it with ‘but they also have such prices!’ is just scamming your customers. (You could try to defend it by saying anime licensors do the same, but general consensus is that they’re ripping off their customers as well.)

            Furthermore, the original creators can charge such prices because they created it and released it as new. You are merely translating a six year old game, yet you charge more for it than the original creators did. The effort you put into translating isn’t nearly as much as the effort that went into MAKING it (not saying translation isn’t much effort, but rather that making it is just so much more effort).

            I was also considering buying Kira Kira Curtain Call, but I’ll refrain from doing that as well. I do not want to support a company that scams its customers like this. This is not only a scam, it’s also a heavy insult to the customers who bought the original Higurashi.

            Fuck you, MangaGamer.

          • @VDZ
            Cool story bro…I’m curious, are you dumb or is critical thinking just too hard for you? Or do you simply feel the need to rage over something that you know nothing about to flex your epeen?

            What has Kouryuu taken out of context? He’s listed the original Japanese retail price, he listed the price of the localized manga, the localized anime, what are you complaining about????? Each of those items were released as “new” and at a “new” item price range even though the original had debut in Japan earlier. What is being taken out of context?

            But you’re right about one thing, it is unfair to compare the manga and anime industry. For starters the visual novel industry, despite being small still charges a good $50-$60 a game for games almost a decade old. Once again this is the localization company charging a “NEW” item price for something that has been released in Japan a while ago. How is Manga Gamer any different in this situation? If anything, they are on par for the course, nothing is being taken out of context.

            Next time you decide to have a little fart of a thought, pretend that gap between your ear is actually filled with a brain and think a little before raging over something you know nothing about. I know it’s hard, I know it’s painful, but one day you’ll have to do it in real life and you’ll thank the internet for it.

          • >What has Kouryuu taken out of context?
            The prices. You can’t compare prices from one business model to another business model just like that. People can watch anime and read manga legally without buying the volumes, but people have to buy VNs to read them.

            >Once again this is the localization company charging a “NEW” item price for something that has been released in Japan a while ago. How is Manga Gamer any different in this situation? If anything, they are on par for the course, nothing is being taken out of context.
            Not really, only MangaGamer is doing that.
            If you look at its competitor, JAST USA’s prices, you’ll see that JAST has much lower prices than even MangaGamer’s default prices, let alone MangaGamer’s raised prices.

            Also, this isn’t even a “new” price, this is way higher than the original “new” price for Higurashi Kai.

          • For starters, people cannot watch anime and read manga legally without buying the volumes. This is a common misconception as things on broadcast TV seem free but are in fact being paid via the commercials or if you subscribe to cable or another subscription medium. The same applies to manga; even in a library, the volumes are being paid for by your local government and in turn you.

            Putting all of this back into context, just because you don’t directly pay for content, doesn’t mean you don’t pay. The only difference in this situation, they are asking that you directly pay. This same concept applies to many things in life, like groceries, gas, taxes, video games, books, movies, etc. It’s quite a well established form of barter and trade that has permeated human society for quite a long time now.

            In regards to your second point, Family Project debuted for $59.99 (or was it $49.99? It’s been a while…), I’m slightly out of touch with console and PC games these days, but I’m quite sure $59.99 (or $49.99) is a ‘NEW’ item premium. You’re being asked to pay $27 for the first chapter of Kai…math is hard…

            In the end, yes you are being asked to pay more for each chapter of Kai than it originally debuted at in Japan, but you conveniently forgot that you paid SIGNIFICANTLY less for the first four chapters. You want to take the purist position? Where was your outrage when those were released?? Or are you simply so hypocritical that you like to pick and choose your facts, out of context?
            When it’s all done and over with, you still end up paying less than the Japanese did for the original. Your outrage is over the unit price of only that one chapter to which $27 is not much at all when compared to any other English localized Japanese digital product within reason.

          • >When it’s all done and over with, you still end up paying less than the Japanese did for the original.
            Please see some of the posts below. It’s been confirmed that all answer arcs together would’ve cost 42 euros (as opposed to MangaGamer’s 80 euros) to people who bought them as they came out, and that the question arcs were even cheaper.
            So, the question arcs would cost 42 euros at most if you bought them as they came out. 42 + 42 = 84 euros at most for the original releases (and you get 8 nice disks as well). MangaGamer makes us pay 37 + 80 = 117 euros for the entire story.

            >For starters, people cannot watch anime and read manga legally without buying the volumes. This is a common misconception as things on broadcast TV seem free but are in fact being paid via the commercials or if you subscribe to cable or another subscription medium.
            Looking at the Western market, I can understand how you got this idea, but for anime broadcasts on Japanese TV, the studious actually LOSE MONEY to broadcast it. The business model really does rely on fans buying the extra products.
            But even if you were right, even if it’s paid in some way, the readers/viewers have to pay a LOT less, or in the case of advertising, they don’t even have to pay ANYTHING, to read the manga or view the anime. Watching ads does not magically drain money from my bank account. Paying a small fee to the library barely affects my bank account as well. When buying something, it does take a lot of money from my bank account, on the other hand. I just want to read the rest of the Higurashi story without having to pay a lot of money.

            Also, Family Project debuted at $39.99. Which is cheaper than all MangaGamer games except for the sex romps and Hinatabokko. And it’s their most expensive game.

          • >I just want to read the rest of the Higurashi story without having to pay a lot of money.

            You know that comes down to the level of “I want a Playstation 3 without having to pay a lot of money”?

          • More like “I want to read the last part of this two-part story without paying more than twice as much as I paid for the first part”. A PS3 is expensive, therefore I’m not expecting to buy one.
            On the other hand, I was expecting to be able to finish this story without paying much more than expected.

          • Um…not sure if you looked, but Orophin’s link doesn’t list the actual debut prices, but rather their current price…and since most large doujin games run about $20-$25, I’m more inclined to believe kouryuu’s numbers. I’ll admit, the page might have changed between February 3rd and now, but I sincerely doubt it had the original Japanese prices listed.

            >Looking at the Western market, I can understand how you got this idea..
            In case you missed the glaring point of this discussion, we’re talking about the western market. If this entire diatribe of yours is trying to justify the Japanese release of the game, then by all means go buy it; I’m referring to the Manga Gamer release. If you’re complaining that comparing the anime and manga industry to the VN industry is “unfair” then how is comparing the price of Manga Gamer’s Meakashi to the Japanese late-night anime industry even relative…?

            I’ll concede Family Project’s price to you as I make it through Otakons via caffeine, but that is still more expensive than Meakashi’s asking price…

            Beatrice kinda summed up the rest of my argument.
            And in case you missed it, Higurashi has eight parts, not two…

          • >Um…not sure if you looked, but Orophin’s link doesn’t list the actual debut prices, but rather their current price…and since most large doujin games run about $20-$25, I’m more inclined to believe kouryuu’s numbers.
            EvoSpace admitted that the numbers kouryuu gave were wrong. There is no indication Orophin’s prices have changed since the games were released.

            As for the comparison with the American anime/manga market as opposed to the Japanese one: Like I said before, their prices are also way too high. There’s a good reason there’s such controversy about especially anime pricing. A very, very small percentage of anime viewers watch it legally, but the rest is not willing to pay the extreme prices they charge (20 euros for 4 episodes??!).
            (Also note that the new service Crunchyroll does have a lot of viewers. People are willing to watch legally if it doesn’t cost them too much.)

            MangaGamer is a company. In other to make profit, they need to make sure their price is low enough for the customers to buy their products, and that they satisfy their customers enough to make them buy more products. A lot of people have decided not to buy the Higurashi answer arcs, and a lot of customers feel screwed over with the sudden price change. This is simply a very bad business move on MangaGamer’s part.

            It’s not really a matter of whether I’m right on the price being too high. What’s more important is that there are a lot of people who think the price is too high. People don’t buy stuff when they think the price is too high, which means MangaGamer will sell way less copies.

    • Actually, each of the Higurashi chapters (Answer arcs) were released at 1050 yen per chapter, the question arcs were cheaper than that, I think. Only the 4th (1575 yen) and 8th chapter (2100 yen) cost more because they’re the ones that had all of the chapter for each game.

      So even if someone in Japan had bought all of the answer chapters as they came out, it would still only cost 5250 yen, which is roughly 42 euros, half the price you’re selling them for. And the question arcs were even cheaper, so even buying them all individually would have cost less than the price Mangagamer sells them for.

      I know the answer chapters are way longer than the first ones, and I really understand there’s much more work involved in them, but 80 euros is still a really high price for a download-only doujin visual novel.

    • I’m not sure how the chapters being longer (around 1.5 times the length) justifies charging more than twice as much.

      I’m guessing that sales aren’t as good as they hoped, so the price needs to be raised… But uh, that makes the very flawed assumption that people will buy it regardless of the price. In fact, people have the option not to buy it, and will pirate it if they feel the price necessitates it. Even less will buy it now, so profit won’t be higher – it will just mean fewer people get to enjoy the game, which seems cruel.

      I’m sure the same profit could be attained at a lower price point by selling to more customers. This ESPECIALLY applies to the digital medium where distribution costs are almost non-existent – so a model that maximises quantity, not volume, is the best one from a buesiness perspective.

      I know that MG is obviously smaller than a mainstream gaming company, but I’d still suggest looking at something like the Telltale Games model. They have episodic releases much like this which can be purchased in a cheaper set, giving pre-purchasers the ability to download each new chapter as it is released, while also having the more expensive option of buying individual chapters. Telltale also need to pay for writers, artists, programmers, voice actors, musicians, marketers, testers, licensing, etc., and they STILL manage $9 per episode. What’s your excuse? They know people will buy it BECAUSE the price is accessible. 20 euros will simply scare people off and you’ll see less money than you would at 10-15 euros. There IS an upper limit for people, you have to see that.

      • And since it probably needs repeating, yes, I know VNs are a very niche market, etc., but having one of THE most well-known VN series in the west (thanks to the anime) be so inaccessible price-wise to newcomers is doing nothing to help that. In the very least, the option of buying all 4 together for a cheaper price should be there. I cannot comprehend how translation/licensing costs amount to charging more than twice as much than they originally did in Japan – and in Japan, they still had to recoup development costs before dropping the price.

        You’re trying to say that fans shouldn’t be pissed, but it doesn’t matter. No matter how fair you think the price is, fans ARE pissed, and they will not buy the game (which seems to be the reaction I’m seeing in every fan community). This is a bad business move and a bad way to expand the userbase/market. Basic economics knowledge (balancing price/quantity/supply/demand, for example) seems to be lacking from some of MG’s decisions.

        Not to mention how much worse this is made by the mediocre quality of Higurashi’s translation. Who the hell wants to pay 20 euros for a short VN littered with typos and grammatical errors that seems to be written by someone who doesn’t speak English as a first language? Improve the product’s quality before you double the price.

        • “I cannot comprehend how translation/licensing costs amount to charging more than twice as much than they originally did in Japan – and in Japan, they still had to recoup development costs before dropping the price.”
          Doujin game circles:
          1) do not have to worry about profit; usually as long as they break even and they had fun, it’s fine for them.
          2) do not get charged exhorbitant licensing fees for the materials they use but did not create, since they are doujin and not commercial. Many creators specify that their materials can be used directly and/or as inspiration as long as the activity is noncommercial.
          Furthermore, since the primary asset in Higurashi is the text, one should figure that the localization itself should have costs similar to the production, since translation is equivalent to rewriting a chosen work in a different tongue. Sure, it takes more skill to create an original work, but the actual amount of work (time) put into the work should be similar. Furthermore, MangaGamer isn’t as streamlined as 07th Expansion, so expect costs to be higher than usual. Lastly, MangaGamer is going to be moving nowhere near as much volume as 07th Expansion is. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that MangaGamer has to charge more per title than 07th Expansion has to charge.

          However, this does not necessarily mean that charging the current price is correct. If the market won’t take it, it doesn’t matter how much MangaGamer deserves to set their price at that point.

      • “I know that MG is obviously smaller than a mainstream gaming company, but I’d still suggest looking at something like the Telltale Games model.”

        Therein lies the problem. The $9 you mention sounds like a pretty sweet spot for gaming according to the market itself. That is, if MangaGamer can reach a market as large as Telltale Games, then yes, $9 will probably do. However, they are probably hitting orders of magnitude less people, which means that the amount of money they make is limited by the number of people who know them and are interested in their games, as opposed to the size of the market who are willing to pay $9 for a game, regardless of whether they know them or not.

        Granted, the English-localized anime industry isn’t totally top notch healthy, but they are now offering prices that are not outrageously expensive compared to their non-anime competitors (TV shows, etc.). However, that is only because they have a huge market to work with. If you rewind 15 years back, the anime market was much smaller, and buying anime releases was *expensive*. If you want these types of games to become cheaper in the future, you want to expand the market, not undercut the price at which companies who have the potential of expanding the market can still maintain profit. Simply lowering the price by itself is not enough impetus in my opinion to spur enough additional people to buy the product.

  10. Though are the chapters going to be combined when more are released?

  11. This is going to hurt you, Mangagamer.

    I’m trying to be mean or a damper, but it will.

  12. Don’t change the BGMs and don’t removes the minigames in Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni Kai onegai u.u

  13. There are no mini-games in Kai.
    As for the price, I full well understand it, but I seriously hope the text will warrant it. And I’m not meaning the story…

  14. Let’s hope the extra charge is going to hiring some competent proofreaders this time around.

  15. For the love of god, translate Meakashi well. It’s my favorite chapter in the series, and I’ve waited quite a while for it. I bought your original Higurashi release first day due to my love for the series, but the grammatical errors were down right awful. Please spare Meakashi from that.

    I’m probably going to wait to buy this until I hear it has gotten a quality translation. If the translation quality is still awful, I will wait until it’s patched. Since the overall price has been raised, I sure hope this time your proofreaders will be able to do a better job.

    • We are doing the best with the proofreading (trying different methods, but hey the club activity rules says we can do whatever we want in order to win!) and I hope it would be acceptable to your liking.

      It is perfectly understandable for people to wait for reviews.

  16. “The original version of Higurashi was sold at 2100円 (~17 Euros or ~$23) per chapter over the course of four years. By the time it was finished, customers had paid 16,800円 (~133 Euros or ~$185) for the series.

    We are offering the answer arcs for 19.95 Euros (~$27 or ~2500円)each, and the question arcs at 36.95 Euros (~$51 or ~4600円)for a total of 116.75 Euros (~$162 or ~14,700円).”

    All complaining ceases at this point.

    • That information is false, though.

      Actually, every arc prior to the final bundles were sold for 1050円 (€8.32) each. As for the last Question and Answer Arcs, they were and are still sold for 1575円 (€12.48) and 2100円 (€16.65) respectively. In the end, someone who bought every single release of Higurashi paid 9975円 (€79.18).

      Source: https://secure.pmoon.co.jp/new/R_NEWS/umineko/umineko2.html

      • We’re sorry for the false information.
        I admit it was an impulsive reaction on our end when people stated they can get all of Higurashi Kai for merely 2100 yen.

        But please understand they were still separate releases over the course of 2 years, 07th Expansion never considered profit at the time, and doujin works can take shortcuts over various licensing fees.

  17. I can’t say I’m not pretty disappointed. I mean, look, I want to buy the answer arcs. Higurashi’s one of my favorite series. But the first arc was already pretty much at the top of my budget range at $50 (which is, by the way, more than I am willing to pay for an 80+ hour videogame, so frankly, I found it overpriced even then), but I’m just not willing to pay over a hundred dollars for the answer arcs. Period. I sympathize with your development costs, and the fact that you’re trying to recoup them off a currently very small market, but you’re quite simply pricing it out of my, and many other people’s range.

    Frankly, at this point I’m regretting buying the first arc and am actively recommending my friends against getting into the games at least until you guys have finished releasing them, especially as you’ve been consistently overpromising and underdelivering. (Wasn’t the first release supposed to come out two months earlier? And contain the minigames and perhaps even the original music, considering it’s, you know, a sound novel?) Again, I sympathize with your problems with the content and your need to recoup your development costs, but after a certain point, it just doesn’t matter. I can buy 5 hardbacks for the price of Higurashi at this point. 17 paperbacks. A cheap ebook reader. Between 4-16 used games. A hundred bucks wouldn’t have thrilled me as the price of the whole series, but I would have dealt. But I’m not willing to pay over a hundred dollars just for the second half. I’m disappointed, because I was looking forward to it, and I refuse to pirate, but as much as I want to, I’m just not willing to spend over double what I was expecting to for the second half. Sorry dudes, but unless you lower the price dramatically (as I’m half expecting you to do once they’re all out and have been for a bit, but frankly, you haven’t struck me as competent enough for me to say for sure), you just lost a customer. And I very highly doubt I’ll be the only one.

  18. Personally, I think you should sell them at 1.5x (or around there) the cost of the question arcs. Individually still, if needed, but instead of 20 euros, 12-15 euros each? That would bring it to 48-60 Euros total, still being more than the question arcs, but not being double…

  19. I talked to a lot of my friends about this and they told me they would pirate it sinec they werent paying this much, I wont pirate but I probably wont buy it either since I’m under 18, and only get 10 euros each month I need to buy a lot other anime/manga things and since I dont even get a CD with this game I’ll just wait for the fantranslation wich has awsome quality.

  20. Why is everyone acting like they’ll have to pay a huge amount of money outright? This is paying for 4 different releases over 4 months, which is different than paying for everything at once… even with the high overall price, this method should make it more acceptable since you’re only taking a bit more out of your pay than normal for 4 months and results in less of a monthly loss… it’s basic economics…

    • Everybody’s upset because of how much they would have to pay all together.

      • It’s a common practice seen in the market where the first volume of a series is sold cheaper.

        And 20 Euro (about US $27) is just about a price of an anime DVD. I wouldn’t mind paying that much for a chapter of Higurashi each month if that’s what it costs to put it out.

  21. will 6-8 include previous chapters? if so cool ill buy 8

    • It doesn’t seem like it, but I think that might be a workable compromise. Have 5-7 be at the current price, but include previous chapters, and 8 at the full price and include the previous 3 chapters. The diehard fans who can’t wait can buy the episodes as they come out, and the casual players can wait.

  22. Dear Mangagamer,

    I am reading a book at the moment; it is the third in a series. It has many chapters, which in turn make up the five divided parts of the novella. If I had to pay the same amount for the novel split into five I would see this as entirely acceptable. However if I had to pay a premium for the five parts, which in their entirety added up to much more than should be expected, I would as a consumer, despite my love for the story; decline to purchase. Why? Because as a lover of books I would weigh the worth of the book versus the other books I might buy instead and see that I could buy two or three books from other authors I likewise enjoy.

    This would result in me not purchasing the book. I would not be contributing to the publisher or the author. Furthermore I would be bitter about the fact that an author/publishing house I respected had made their product unobtainable to me unless I submitted to their price gouging. It would especially sting considering the fact that I had obtained the first two books in the series for a much lower and reasonable cost, anticipating the same with further chronicles.

    I hope the Mangagamer staff can understand what I am trying to say with this analogy, I would like to support you; I only ask that you make this possible. I acknowledge that the second part of the series is 1.5 times the length of the original four. Therefore I suggest lowering your pricing to 13.99 EUR, which is just slightly more than 1.5 times the price per arc of the original series.

    I would consider this an acceptable price. After the four arcs are released this would amount to an overall price of 55.96, compared to the original first four arc release at 36.95. This is roughly 19 EUR more than the questions arc. As an Australian that means I would need to pay $88 dollars for your four releases, which is at the very upper limit of my consideration. After all I could purchase 2 new release games for that price (If I had the consoles), 4-5 brand new books, 6 music cds or about 15 decent second-hand books.

    At the current pricing of 79.80 EUR (124.50 AUD) I can pretty much guarantee that myself and many other Australians will not consider purchasing. At 110.60 USD, the citizens of the United States will probably likewise declined to buy your product. All countries outside the EU and England will consider your pricing structure prohibitive and/or excessive. If Mangagamer wishes to succeed you need to be mindful of your consumers, their needs and their limited income (which they can spend on many other things besides you product).

    I do not wish to see your company disappear like Hiremeki or Himeya Soft. Best of luck regardless of what you choose to do, I hope your business does well and you continue to release quality titles. I just hope myself and other fans will be able to afford them.

    Vash

  23. Just have ep 8 come with all Kai arcs and we’re fine.

  24. Well now, I think this is acceptable. As Baru said, its basic economics. You will get your salary each month, and remember all the arcs can be considered as larger as Edelweiss, for example. It’s like saying you will buy a full game. I don’t have a problem with it.

    Of course, it’s better if you get close to the japanese price, like they said before, 15 EUR would be ok. You’re translating one of my favorites series, so I’m happy about the release.

    If the people here really like it, they will buy it.

  25. Why do everyone assume that everyone here are working adults, higurashi actually has a fairly large underage community, I live in sweden and get low monthly allowance we dont have a lot manga translations so I have to buy expensive US imports which cost more than the double price in Sweden I dont want to skip out on my manga in several months and therefore wont buy this. Whats the point in opening an all age store when underage people cant afford it?

  26. > Whats the point in opening an all age store when underage people cant afford it?
    Just because you chose to not buy this game so that you can buy your manga doesn’t mean other people in your situation would make the same decision. Does Sweden not allow you to work part-time? I think in the US, kids generally will get part time jobs to supplement their discretionary income.

    • No, generally kids in my age cant get parttime jobs´. adults usually dont want kids to babysit their kids for example so its hard to get that kind of job here. Some kids get payed for cleaning and doing things at home but I dont. w are allowed to get some part time jobs but most people will give them to older teenagers instead of us 14 years old people.

  27. Okay so I bought Meakashi. It worked fine and dandy for a few days. Now I try to boot it up and it says,

    “An internal exception occured (Address: 0x7t00f73f) Please, contact support@settec.com. Thank you!”

    Then, “Cannot find ‘Idler.dll’. Please, re-install this application.”

    Okay, I extracted my meakashi bgi stuff again, and it did the same thing. What’s going on?!

  28. Hey small question, I noticed that their was no “Wrap Up party” in this chapter but the staff thing was included, was it like this in the original release as well?

    • >Uzuki

      Yes and no.
      From what I read up, the now rare Meakashi-hen Comic Market version had it, but it was taken out in the latter versions.

      It was later placed in Higurashi Rei as Batsukoishi-hen. I think 07th expansion did that because the content had nothing to do with Meakashi and was too silly?

  29. will the next kai episodes come with the previous ones like in the jap version?

  30. When will you be releasing the next arc? Are you going to do them one at a time or will the other three be all together?

    Will the next arc be released this month?

  31. I have a question about the iPhone release, if you know anything about it. I assume that it’s translated by you guys, since your name is on it and all. So do you know when Meakashi-hen will be released in English on the App Store? Thanks for any help.

    • They are using our translation, but we actually don’t have anything to do with the iPhone releases ourselves. Though if you don’t want to wait, I can recommend the Higurashi Kai Bundle on sale at our website already. That contains all four of the answer arcs (Meakashi, Tsumihoroboshi, Minnagoroshi, and Matsuribayashi.)

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.