FIRST UTAU COMPLETE

Casting has not been completed (will likely occur after the next two are finished), but I've posted about the new voicebank on Instagram!

Visual Novels and Theatre

At a first glance, these two mediums seem like two completely different worlds. One is among the oldest art forms developed by man, with a rich history and appreciation throughout the entire world. The other is a relatively new type of artistic mutt that is typically associated with shovelware nukige. However, if we consider the conventions of contemporary theatre, we'll find some traits that might make a bridge between these two worlds.

The most obvious similarity is the reliance on dialogue. While monologues are used in both mediums, most of the action and character development tends to occur through verbal interactions. In fact, most of their scripts are words shared between characters.

A more obscure (and debatable) similarity is between stage directions and code. VN characters operate both from their dialogue and the programming that dictates which sprite they will use/how they will look. Actors use stage directions as a tool for determining how they should portray their characters, although they are given a bit more leeway compared to computer code.

Musical theatre uses songs sung by characters as tools for conveying plot and themes. VNs often have opening and ending songs that reflect on the plot and themes of character routes, and these songs are often sung by the characters' voice actors.

With these elements in mind, it could be possible to translate a VN into a stage play. The interactivity and choices would obviously have to go, but putting a kinetic novel or the true ending of a route on stage doesn't seem too difficult.

But how would this play out the other way around? What if we tried to translate, say, a musical into a VN? Would we try to spread the songs out through the novel and have the voice actors perform them? Would we have to use cutscenes, and would readers get annoyed by having their reading interrupted? Could we incorporate these segments into the general BGM to reinforce their importance?

These are all questions I'm mulling over while making BFD. I promise that chapter 2 is being worked on, but it's taking longer since I've been spending a lot of time on other assets. I'm almost done otoing the first UTAU recordings. New character designs are being completed. Chapter 1's directing is being planned out.