This is BBQ, who applied for a visa renewal more than two months in advance, and now, over a month after my visa has expired, I still haven't received any news. The Immigration Bureau and banks are truly the two institutions most despised by foreigners in Japan. Last year, stocks in Japan soared, but banks alone did not rise, and BBQ thinks Japanese banks should really look into their own issues.
Recently, to ease my mind, I started gardening—essentially weeding the overgrown yard and planting some crops. Tragically, I bought watermelon seeds too late; out of seeds costing 1,100 yen, only one sprouted, what a loss! However, the sprouting of scallions, melons, and corn made up for it.
I also signed up for driving school. If I get the money, I want to buy a CT125, otherwise it's inconvenient when I want to travel farther. These past two years, my short-distance transportation has all depended on a bicycle, really takes me back to my high school days.
By the way, maybe it's because summer has started, but it feels like everyone's efficiency in the team has dropped a bit... It's a bit risky whether we can finish the Priest demo this month.
This is BBQ, who didn't take a single day off during Golden Week. Work is really fun (sarcastically). The Steam page for Kabukicho is now live. Please note that since the English version is not yet complete, the page does not indicate English support, but rest assured, there will be an English version available at launch! If possible, I would appreciate it if you could add it to your wishlist. Thank you!
Additionally, I've been under a lot of work pressure recently, with many decisions to make, so the frequency of updates for my notes will increase slightly in the near future. After all, I’d like to hear everyone’s opinions on many matters.
Oh and, English fans please rest assured, we are working on EN sub for our Nebel ASMR part II
Here's BBQ, who's been overworking to the point of exhaustion (guess why I'm posting at this hour). I've finally managed to complete the translation and synchronized lyric production for the Chinese and Japanese versions just in time for the launch. By the time this article is published, the second part of Nebel's derivative ASMR should be online as scheduled. Although the plot continues from the first part of the ASMR, thanks to the excellent performance by 陽向葵ゅかsama and the effort of the scriptwriter, even those who are completely unfamiliar with the Nebel game and the previous audio works can thoroughly enjoy nearly two hours of nice experience.
If you have any thoughts or comments on the ASMR itself or the Nebel series, please feel free to leave a review or comment under the Dlsite product page or this article.
After the second part, the story of the ASMR has come to a pause, and BBQ will now fully commit to the production of the Priest and FPS...
In fact, I'm already discussing with 月見sama and 鶸蟲sama on how the new CG should be designed. 鶸蟲's drawing is just too amazing...
The preview page I submitted this morning was made public by the afternoon...
Who are you? You're not the Dlsite I know!
Of course, I guess it's because there really isn't much need to review audio works, haha.
Anyway, the preview page for the latter part of the Nebel audio is now live. I hope everyone can help by adding it to their favorites, which is very important for BBQ. Thank you! The work is scheduled to be released on May 1st, and we're currently rushing to finish the final bonus CG!
Regarding last year's lack of game releases, the criticism is well-deserved. The primary reason is that BBQ applied for a business visa to stabilize life in Japan. The process, including purchasing a rural house for proof, significantly drained BBQ's energy and time, diverting attention from game development. (I'm truly sorry for using Nebel's earnings on the house instead of more game development.)
From applying for the company to getting the new visa, and moving from Tokyo to the new house, it was a busy time until August.
After getting the visa, BBQ had to learn various tax laws and faced substantial financial pressure (mainly initial company expenses, including the house). Running a company is exhausting, especially when dealing with tax issues. Monthly expenditure calculations and receipt sorting can take a whole day, and poor management means losing a lot of income to taxes. (In fact, in 2022, without a company, more than half of my income went to taxes, which was very disheartening.)
After a few months, I've finally adapted to this lifestyle, but the immense pressure has significantly reduced my creative time. Writing became a chore, constantly interrupted by various emails, artwork previews, model confirmations... Additionally, there were many tasks at the circle level that needed my attention. In 2023, I learned that stress can indeed cause physical pain, like stomachaches.
On Christmas Day, I was calculating the month-end financials while chatting on Line. Seeing the festive Line interface, I realized that this was not the life I wanted; I just want to make games...
However, all this wasn't in vain. Now, BBQ is stable and living freely in Japan. After overcoming the first fiscal year's difficulties, I will have more time to focus on game development. With my connections in Japan, I can create better games and stories. The hardships of 2023 were necessary, and I'm almost through them, although the first fiscal year's data is already a write-off.
BTW: The inefficiency of the Japanese government in dealing with foreigners is astonishing. If they were even a bit faster, at least Kabukicho could have been completed by 2023...