Despera Drops, the latest otome localization from Aksys Games is here and currently taking the Western otome fandom by storm! With character designs by AI: The Somnium Files artist, Yūsuke Kozaki and it’s thrilling mystery adventure story, Despera Drops offers a unique otome experience. While fans are still acquainting themselves with Mika and her criminal harem, I had the chance to chat with the localization team behind the game and get their thoughts on the new otome release!
In this exclusive interview, I spoke with Zihan Gao (Localization Team – Translator), teiko (Localization Team – Editor), Fallon B. (Localization Team – Editor), Brittany (Localization Team – Proofreader), as well as comments from Aksys Staff Member, Bryan.
Thank you for taking the time to sit down with me! I am excited to be talking with you about the localization work you did on the otome game, Despera Drops! Tell me about yourselves and your roles within the team.
Zihan: Hi there! I’m Zihan, and I’m one of the two translators for this title. I’m honored to be here! My role was, well, mostly what it sounds like, translating from Japanese to English! I handled half of the script with my colleague and mostly did the common route, alongside the DLC stories, Words section text, and a few other tidbits between.
teiko: Hey! I’m teiko, and I had the honor of being an editor on Despera Drops. For this game, I tackled just about all the LI routes! The first otome game I ever played was Yo-Jin-Bo, and I’ve never been the same (positive).
Fallon B.: I’m very excited to speak with you about Despera Drops, too! I adore my job localizing visual novels and this title was no exception. I was a co-editor on this title, so once our lovely and creative translators bring the game’s script into English, we editors refine its style and grammar. Our fantastic proofreader makes sure the text is spic and span after that. Something I really appreciate about Aksys’s team is that the translators, editors, and proofreaders collaborate throughout the entire process (as opposed to just their own work or sections).
I asked the team which characters they wanted to represent them visually in the interview and this is who they chose and I thought their choices were fun!
Zihan chose… Carlos!
Brittany chose… Mika!
teiko chose… Hamiel!
Bryan chose… Rebecca Rosso!
Over the years Aksys Games has been dedicated to bringing more great otome titles to international fans. And the latest title from your team Despera Drops definitely stands out as a unique otome title. How would you describe the plot of Despera Drops?
Zihan: Hmm, I’d describe it as a story of character growth, found family, and learning to reconcile differences. At the core, it’s a mystery thriller adventure on the run that explores the morally gray area of our society and the different forms love can take, especially with people that have been worn down by our flawed world. But well, that’s something a lot of otome explores, so I’ll focus on what I think makes it unique!
I personally feel that Despera Drops places a heavy focus on modern and realistic issues within our society that impact us on a personal level. I don’t want to spoil too much, but it even brings up themes like student protests, which I was honestly surprised to come across in a otome game. Above all else, traveling from place to place in Europe during a short time frame was definitely a fun experience!
teiko: Well, if it were a light novel title: MAMMA MIKA! Framed & Blamed On My Study Abroad, I’m Now On the Run With Studs and a Broad?!
Sorry, I just had to get that out of my system. Fundamentally, I’d say DD is about a ragtag group of unlikely heroes on the run—either from something, toward something, or somewhere in between—with police and politicians, mysterious actors, and ghosts of the past hot on their heels every step of the way. Our lovable crew is up against some real powerhouses, and the only way they’ll come out on top is by finding strength within themselves—and in each other.
Fallon: Mystery upon mystery upon mystery! This is the perfect title for fans of suspense. With just a touch of the supernatural, one girl’s once-normal life gets turned upside-down, a la Amnesia or Bustafellows–although as you said, this game is one of a kind.
Brittany: Despera Drops is definitely a mystery game with a heavy helping of drama and romance.
How was Despera Drops chosen for localization? What aspects of the story made it a good fit for an international release?
Bryan: After internally evaluating the game, and we felt it was a strong title to bring over to the West. We enjoyed the character designs, and we thought the mission mode portion was an interesting addition to an otome game. We liked the setting and the pacing of the story.
Unlike most otome games Despera Drops is largely set in Europe as opposed to Japan. How did this affect the localization process? Did the western setting make the game easier to adapt for an international audience? Harder?
Zihan: I wouldn’t say the part about it being set in Europe made it difficult for me, since I’ve translated quite a few media set in fantasy Europe settings before. The real challenge was the fact that it’s set in modern Europe. I had to fact check a lot of things when I was doing the glossary translation, such as place names, food names, and organization names, and so on one by one. Sometimes, because information is lacking in the Japanese about certain things in Europe/English, there would be minor things lost in translation when the JP authors does research about western concepts, just like how we’d have access to a different wealth of information when we search up Japanese history and places in English.
As an example, one of the discussions we had was how to translate the title 捜査官 when it comes to Europol officers, since it’s typically “agent” when it comes to FBI like in Detective Conan. I had to explore the official Europol website thoroughly until I found the very last question on the FAQ that specifically mentions that Europol aren’t special agents but law enforcement. That’s only one of many things on the list!
teiko: Great question! I think both, to be honest. The devs did so much research, it’s incredible—and having real-world analogues to pull from made our jobs that much easier.
As for the challenges? You’re essentially playing a game made in Japan about a fictionalized Europe, which is then localized by an international team for an English-speaking audience. The cultural crossover and the lenses at play are fascinating, and they raised a lot of complex questions. How are police in Japan portrayed compared to Rome, for example? What sets an Austrian weeb apart from a Japanese otaku, and how do you make sure those subtleties are getting across? How does body language differ from one culture to another? Whether or not each answer informed a creative decision, they were important to consider in being faithful to both the words and the feel of the source material.
Fallon: Having the game set in Europe was surprisingly a challenge, but a fun one. We did a LOT of research since all of the places the characters go are real locations. We looked at maps, pictures, histories, old wives’ tales even, to be as accurate and descriptive as possible. We all hope it makes the story more immersive for our audience.
Brittany: It was probably easier in that we could look up English information about the real life cities and locations, but it’s relatively rare that games cover such a large swath of real-life locations, so trying to ensure everything was as accurately named as possible added a little complexity.
What are some interesting story elements or gameplay mechanics that fans can expect from Despera Drops?
Bryan: We thought the fact that the game takes places throughout different countries in Europe was very interesting, and that the various backgrounds in the game really brought you into every location. While the game is a visual novel/otome game, we thought the addition of the mission mode gameplay was also really interesting, and made it stand out.
With localization each team brings their own unique voice to the projects they work on. What are some things that you brought to the localization of Despera Drops that are unique to you and your style?
Zihan: Now that’s a bit of a tough question. I typically adapt my style to the work I’m translating, whether it be the tone, the way the characters speak, or the wording of the narration. The professional translator who first brought me into this field once told me that as translators, we are representatives of the author—it’s the author’s name printed on the medium in the end, so delivering their intent (not in a literal manner, but what they likely want to express) is the most important part of our jobs. I’ve always kept that close to heart ever since.
When it comes to Despera Drops, I think what I uniquely bring is probably information, research, and clarity. Whenever the editors or proofreader wants clarifications about anything or more information to make a decision, I can always provide my analysis or notes to support them. (I’m really grateful for all their expertise since mine definitely lies more on the Japanese side!)
teiko: Two of my strengths are evocative prose and snappy comedy. This game had ample amounts of both, so it was fun to flex those creative muscles! I’m especially proud of polishing some tender moments in each route to really bring out the emotional quality of the writing. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
Fallon: My background prior to working in localization is in poetry and psychology. That might make me sound stuffy and wordy, but really it makes me strive for accuracy. Sometimes the best, hard-hitting lines are the short ones that get straight to the point. This team was really cohesive and found a good balance, in my opinion, between eloquence and concision.
Brittany: I like to focus on the flow between sentences. Outside of your standard spelling and grammar, my highest goal is helping phrase things in ways that are both descriptive and fun to read.
Despera Drops has a pretty eclectic cast of characters–a manga obsessed bomb expert, a suave con artist, and a cute hacker to name a few. Which routes were your favorite to work on? Were there any that you found a bit more difficult to work on? And more importantly who is your favorite love interest?
Zihan: Like I mentioned, I mostly did the common routes and DLC while my colleague did the character routes. However, if I have to pick a character voice that was challenging for me personally, it would probably be Hamiel. Not in the sense it’s difficult to translate him, but in the sense of brooding about how to fully convey his sass and snark in English! It’s fun, but definitely needs a bit more brains because subtle is key.
I’m what you’d call a box pusher who loves everyone, but I have a special fondness for Ramie and Sally! I love them both to bits.
teiko: Hamiel’s was a breeze! He’s a funny little guy, and his ridiculous pick-up strategies will forever live in my memory. I found Camu, Ramie, and Sally more challenging due to the nature of the major conflicts in their respective routes; there’s a lot of nuance and tension that merits extra careful handling of the text. Gib and Ash are tied for my favorite LIs, but I somehow ended up with Hamiel brainworms against my will… Forgive me…
Fallon: Sally, Sally, and Sally again! Each character is so unique that you can tell even without voice acting or a character sprite who’s saying what, and Sally stands out the most. Hamiel was a joy, the kind you hate to love and love to hate. Ash, the strong and silent type, was a struggle: there’s only so many ways you can write a “hmph“!
Brittany: My favorite thing about this game is how well-rounded and unique all of the characters are. All of the routes were great, although Sally’s required a bit more contemplation, which you’ll see when you play the game. The first route I worked on was Gib and he was a fast favorite… but in the end, I think Hamiel or Ramie has to take first place.
The quality of a localization can make or break the immersion of a story. What are some things that your team has done to ensure that fans are getting the best localization possible from your titles?
Zihan: There are a few things I’ve already mentioned, but I’ll note the ones that came to my mind! Before starting the translation, my colleague and I play the game to the end so that we wouldn’t mistranslate plot points that shows up in other routes. (For example, vague and meaningful sentences in the common route that hints at plot points in individual routes.) As I play, I’d note possible problems or pun inspirations I have in a shared server with my colleague, and if there are choices we have to confirm before we start the script, we’d bring them up and discuss them between ourselves, or pass on the decision to the editing team if we can’t figure it out.
I also have a habit of noting down major plot points, characterization, and character voice in the shared glossary before editing starts so that the editing team can go in with an idea of what’s happening.
One thing we I like to do is to translate the dictionary section of the game before anything else, ensuring that we have one consistent place to refer to in terms of terminology and in-universe concepts from the get-go.
teiko: Everyone on this team is great and so passionate about the genre. We had a lot of roundtable conversations about how best to translate this or that, and I learned so much from them! Highlights from the chat include meticulously comparing the game’s timestamps and locations to step-by-step routes in Google Maps and trading unhinged MS Paint sketches of scenes like [redacted] to figure out how the HECK it would have worked.
Fallon: As I sprinkled in throughout the other questions, the Aksys team has everyone working in all parts of the game, every step of the way. Another important factor is having people who love what they do work on the games; I know all of us who worked on Despera Drops play otome games in our free time, so this is a product of our collective passion.
Brittany: Well, we work as an integrated team, so all of us (translators, editors, and me) work together if there are any questions about anything. Everyone on the team is friendly, quick, and thoughtful.
The heroine of Despera Drops stands out from many in the main cast as the sole “non criminal” so she has a very unique view of some of the actions she and the LIs take during the story. If you were in her shoes how do you feel you would fare as a fugitive with your own personal harem?
Zihan: Haha, now that’s difficult! There’s always the argument of nature vs nurture—I’d like to think that I’m a virtuous person, but I can’t say the same if I’m thrust into the same environment as her. I admire her for being able to hold on to her morals in the face of adversity, even if they started off as less heartfelt values she passively gained in the semi-privileged part of society. I don’t think I’d fare that well, because I’m a person who lives in my mental world, so if I have to fight for survival in the physical world, I’d be raising a flag of surrender from the start! Also now that I think about it, it would be a bit terrifying to be surrounded by so many unfamiliar criminal men, Sally aside. Thank goodness they’re gentlemen.
teiko: I’d love to claim I would be as daring and brave as she is, but if it were literally me? I’d probably shamefully turn myself in at the first opportunity and hope to get a plea deal and a lifetime supply of sfogliatelle or something.
Fallon: I so appreciate our heroine Amamine for all her strength and admitted cowardice. Her defining trait is staying true to herself, no matter the pressure. As for me… I probably would have run for the hills the second I got the chance! I mean, these guys are terrifying!
Brittany: Haha… I might crumble under the pressure. Mika’s character really grows throughout the game and she comes into her own as a strong lead. She’s one of my favorite leads in an otome game to date.
In the past few years the Western otome fandom has grown considerably, we now have so much more variety in the types of otome localizations we see released each year. And with Aksys Games and others supplying a healthy lineup of games the future of otome games in the West is looking bright. What are your hopes for the fandom moving forward? Are there any games you are hoping to see get a localization?
Zihan: I just hope some of the older titles would get localized too, because I’d be dying to talk about them with my close otome friends! I can’t say I have any wishes for the fandom as a whole, but I hope that all the otome everyone wants to be localized will come to the West one day. My personal ones would be Wand of Fortune series, Geten no Hana (Switch port please, also heroine turning into a Buddha statue as a disguise is hilarious), and Tokeijikake no Acopalyse (Time loops ftw! Also this one needs more love.). Also can we please please have a Cafe Enchante FD Ninomae Joe.
teiko: Yes, it’s been so exciting to watch it grow! I used to play every localized title, but now they release faster than I can keep up. I’m thrilled that the fandom is now spoiled for choice—there are games for every price point, medium, and genre, and that’s so healthy for the player base at large. I’d love to see more indies, adult titles, and lesser-known devs rising to the forefront of the Western otome scene.
My dream loc is the Wand of Fortune series, by which I mean the whole multi-installment console treatment. Going back even further, the old QuinRose catalogue is full of absolute bangers that I pray will someday, somehow see the light of day in the EN space. And personally, I’m always down for more otome with gameplay elements and love triangles 😉
Fallon: My personal wish, year after year, is to see Nil Admirari no Tenbin localized, and I suggest it whenever I can! For several years, I’ve seen a lot of the newest, latest titles come West, which is great for new and old fans to ride the hype along with Japanese fans. Now that the fandom is solid, I really do hope we can bring back the oldies.
Brittany: My hope is that we can bring over more titles that span the spectrum of genres. I loved that this game was a drama mystery, and I look forward to more serious, darker games. I will forever be a Diabolik Lovers hopeful, even though the chances of that series coming West are near zero.
A HUGE THANK YOU to Zihan, teiko, Fallon, Brittany, and Bryan for taking the time to answer my questions and share their experiences working on the Despera Drops localization! Thank you to the Aksys team for coordinating this interview! And if you haven’t already, be sure to check out Despera Drops for yourself!!
Very fun interview, always enjoy how in-depth the localizers go to try ad make things work – step-by-step google maps path tracking or going deep on Europol’s website to try and find if their enforcement officers are called “agents” or not is really cool and shows a real specific way of having to think!