| Status: | Active |
| Founder: | Overdrive, Tarte, Nexton, Circus |
| Country: | Japan[1] |
| Distribution: | Worldwide |
| Genre: | Visual novel |
| Url: | www.mangagamer.com |
MangaGamer is a video game publisher specializing in the English localization and distribution of Japanese eroge and visual novels. It is run by Japanese-based company Japan Animation Contents.[2]
MangaGamer was originally envisioned as a company that would sell Japanese visual novels overseas by Hiroshi Takeuchi, also known under his alias Bamboo, president of Japanese eroge development company Overdrive. Due to the cost involved, he convinced several other Japanese eroge companies (Tarte, Nexton and Circus) to take part in a joint venture.[3]
Due to this setup, the initial lineup of titles consisted of titles produced by companies involved in MangaGamer's creation, with Navel soon joining with their first title, Shuffle!. These early titles were translated by native Japanese speakers involved with parent companies, which resulted in a subpar quality.
After complaints from fans,[4] [5] it was announced that a complete re-translation of Edelweiss was in progress.[6] Starting with Soul Link, translation and editing is handled by an international team of native English speakers, resulting in an increased quality. The company itself is headed by a relative of Takeuchi, and a core Japanese staff is spread between the involved Japanese companies.[3]
At their panel at Otakon 2011, MangaGamer announced that they are expanding their business into digital distribution of erotic manga (by Japanese publisher Akane Shinsha) and anime (by Discovery).[7] [8]
MangaGamer has served as a mediator in talks between several fan translation groups and Japanese game companies that ended in deals made to officially release said translations through MangaGamer. Their games include Kara no Shōjo by Innocent Grey[9] and by Minori.[10] MangaGamer also distributed for a time the Japanese versions of several games created by the dōjin circle 07th Expansion (Umineko no Naku Koro ni, Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni, Rose Guns Days) for explicit use of the respective English fan translations.
Originally, MangaGamer sold their titles exclusively via digital distribution, and it remains their primary release channel. During the Anime Expo 2010 and Otakon 2010 conventions, physical disks were sold with the first four games in the Higurashi When They Cry series and Kira Kira All-Ages. Those games were later sold by HimeyaShop and Hendane!.com.[11]
In January 2011, a collaboration was announced between Hendane!.com and MangaGamer resulting in the sale of physical copies of Da Capo Limited Edition through Hendane!.com.[12] In July 2011, J-List became the primary North American distributor of physical copies for all current MangaGamer titles, except Da Capo LE.[13] Around the same time, MangaGamer opened their own webshop for physical copies aimed at European customers.[14]
| Marketed title | Japanese title | Japanese developer | Release date < | -- Use iso format to allow sorting --> | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edelweiss | Overdrive | Re-released on September 2, 2011 with a new and improved translation | |||
| Which girl should I choose? | Tarte | ||||
| My sex slave is a classmate | Removed from MangaGamer's website on June 4, 2009, restored on October 30, 2009 | ||||
| Tasty Shafts | |||||
| Shera, My Witch | |||||
| Da Capo | Limited edition hard copy published on March 29, 2011 | ||||
| Suika A.S+ | |||||
| Kira Kira | Overdrive | ||||
| Shuffle! | Shuffle! | ||||
| Suck my dick or die! | Removed from MangaGamer's website on June 4, 2009, restored and released on October 30, 2009 | ||||
| Higurashi When They Cry | Contains the first four games in the series | ||||
| Soul Link | |||||
| Sandwiched by my wife and her sister | |||||
| Kira Kira All-Ages Version | Overdrive | Translation used in iOS version published by Mtrix | |||
| Cosplay Alien | |||||
| Higurashi When They Cry Kai "Meakashi" | |||||
| Edelweiss Eiden Fantasia | Overdrive | Edelweiss fandisc | |||
| Higurashi When They Cry Kai "Tsumihoroboshi" | |||||
| Kira Kira Curtain Call | Overdrive | Kira Kira sequel and fandisc | |||
| Higurashi When They Cry Kai "Minagoroshi" | |||||
| Higurashi When They Cry Kai "Matsuribayashi" | |||||
| Da Capo Innocent Finale | Da Capo "alternative version" with the focus on Kotori Shirakawa | ||||
| Da Capo 2 | Limited edition hard copy published on July 1, 2011 | ||||
| Higurashi When They Cry Kai Bundle Pack | Last four games bundled | ||||
| Koihime Musou: A Heart-Throbbing, Maidenly Romance of the Three Kingdoms | Released without voices, but after 2,000 sold copies, an update to add voices was announced | ||||
| Guilty: The SiN | |||||
| Kotori Love Ex P | Da Capo fan disc, a bundle of various chapters from across the franchise that focuses on Kotori Shirakawa | ||||
| Kara no Shoujo | Innocent Grey | Originally released without voices (released later as a new version or upgrade patch) | |||
| We Love Master! | |||||
| Go! Go | Nippon! ~My First Trip to Japan~ | Overdrive | Originally written for the English market | ||
| Conquering the Queen | |||||
| Harem Party | |||||
| Deardrops | Overdrive | ||||
| Magical Teacher: My Teacher's a Mage? | |||||
| EVE burst error | EVE burst error | C's Ware | |||
| Dengeki Stryker | Overdrive | ||||
| Ef: The First Tale. | Ef: The First Tale. | ||||
| Sexy Demon Transformation | Softhouse-Seal | ||||
| Boob Wars: Big Boobs vs Flat Chests | Softhouse-Seal | ||||
| Otoboku - Maidens Are Falling for Me! | Caramel Box | ||||
| Slave Witch April ~Sexy Magic Training~ | Aconite | ||||
| SSSS: Super Secret Sexy Spy | Softhouse-Seal | ||||
| Tick! Tack! | Tick! Tack | ||||
| Orion Heart | Portion | ||||
| Throb! The Greatest Inventions of the Sexy Era | ~Second Science Club–A Secret Society of Love, Rage, and Sorrow~ | Softhouse-Seal | |||
| Harukoi Otome ~Greetings from the Maidens' Garden~ | |||||
| Eroge! Sex and Games Make Sexy Games | CLOCKUP | ||||
| Umineko no Naku Koro ni | 07th Expansion | Japanese version | |||
| Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru | 07th Expansion | Japanese version | |||
| Cum on! Bukkake Ranch | ~Rear Elementals Into Wet, Horny Girls!~ | Softhouse-Seal | |||
| Ruby Striker | MorningStar | ||||
| Demon Master Chris | Nyaatrap | ||||
| Touma Kojirou's Detective File -Murder at the Opera House- | Softhouse-Seal | ||||
| Warrior Princess Asuka | MorningStar | ||||
| Ef: The Latter Tale. | Ef: The Latter Tale. | ||||
| Valkyrie Svia | Black Lilith | ||||
| Rose Guns Days | 07th Expansion | Japanese version[15] | |||
| Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni | 07th Expansion | Japanese version | |||
| Ultimate☆Boob Wars! | ~Big Breasts vs Flat Chests~ | Softhouse-Seal GRANDEE | |||
| Chou Dengeki Stryker | Overdrive | ||||
| Milles, Knight of Anal Tyranny ~Impregnated by Lusty Tentacles at the Ends of Oblivion~ | Devil-Seal | ||||
| Lapis Gunner | MorningStar | ||||
| Really? Really! | Really? Really! | ||||
| Hypno-training My Mother and Sister | Ame no Murakumo | ||||
| Armored Warrior Iris | Black Lilith | ||||
| Imouto Paradise! | |||||
| Obscene Medical Records of a Married Nurse | Ame no Murakumo | ||||
| d2b VS DEARDROPS -Cross the Future- | d2b VS DEARDROPS -Cross the Future- | Overdrive | |||
| Cartagra ~Affliction of the Soul~ | Innocent Grey | ||||
| Royal Guard Melissa | MorningStar | ||||
| Secret Sorrow of the Siblings | Appetite | ||||
| Space Pirate Sara | Black Lilith | ||||
| Eden* They Were Only Two, On The Planet | Eden* They Were Only Two, On The Planet | ||||
| No, Thank You!!! | No, Thank You! | parade | |||
| Princess Evangile | |||||
| Amber Breaker | MorningStar | ||||
| Forbidden Love with My Wife’s Sister | Appetite | ||||
| Free Friends | Noesis | ||||
| Sweet Sweat in Summer | Ammolite | ||||
| Asuka Final Chapter | MorningStar | ||||