Ushi No Tane Forum

This may be a strange thing to wonder, but I am curious how XSeed will translate the frequent comments on the weather. I assume literally.

The reason I wonder (and am always curious about it in any Japanese to English game), is because it is slightly different implications culturally. Here, when greeting people, we tend to ask "How are you?" As a casual opener. Since we do not usually expect a in depth or even an answer beyond "good/fine", it's just polite conversation. But in Japan, such a question is considered personal. So their cultural equivalent, meaning their phrase to greet someone after hello, is generally a comment on the weather.

In Harvest Moon, with how much the towns are one with nature and such, it is not unusual for the weather to mean a lot to them. But since many of the towns are fairly Western, to me, it is interesting to see how certain Japanese cultural aspects still carry over. (And what ones don't, too.) For example, how most of the food is Japanese versions, such as all the omlets having ketchup on them. While we do that here, it is not nearly as common. Or the bowing and such ofc.

It is just interesting to see their portrayal of a western farming fantasy town culturally, you know?

I tend to constantly gab about the weather, sometimes even to people halfway across the world who can't relate at all, so it never felt like a strange cultural thing. The "how are you" is harder to deal with because it puts you on the spot (and you're always supposed to say "good"), IMO. Sometimes the characters ask how your day was or if you've had lunch yet as an opener too, so it feels like universal small-talk to ke

Interesting. Where I live we hardly discuss the weather, so all three of my Japanse teachers have explained weather vs how are you to me aha. Especially my third teacher was confused by how often we ask how she was instead of weather comments.

So maybe it is more regional culture than country?

Sorry for my misnomer then!!

I'm British, so I'm used to spending at least an hour a day talking about the weather.

Well, they did say they would keep the "japanese flavors" of the original version.

I think that means they'll keep the weather talk.

I didn't even make it through half a credit year of Japanese (I got pregnant with complications that year), but the cultural importance of talking about the weather as "these are the basic social noises that humans make" small talk was impressed pretty heavily on me during that time.

Even in A New Beginning, the weather talk is pretty present and persistent, I can't imagine XSEED would change that, since they are all about giving authentic to the original version localizations.

My few friends who teach English in Japan are already lamenting on their twitters that it is the season of talking about if America gets this hot in the Summer, too. (I live in Arizona, so that is pretty lolercakes to me, except I think we have more widespread and efficient central air than Japan does...)

Arcy wrote:I didn't even make it through half a credit year of Japanese (I got pregnant with complications that year), but the cultural importance of talking about the weather as "these are the basic social noises that humans make" small talk was impressed pretty heavily on me during that time.

Even in A New Beginning, the weather talk is pretty present and persistent, I can't imagine XSEED would change that, since they are all about giving authentic to the original version localizations.

My few friends who teach English in Japan are already lamenting on their twitters that it is the season of talking about if America gets this hot in the Summer, too. (I live in Arizona, so that is pretty lolercakes to me, except I think we have more widespread and efficient central air than Japan does...)

That is similar to my and my friend who is in Japan's experience as well. As we are from the Seattle area, where we get tons of rain, everyone in Japan kept warning us of how much it rained but it was very par for the course to us.

Either way I do rather like all the weather comments. It's just nice and different to where I live as if we discussed it it would be only "It's raining again" and "IT'S SUNNY--Oh wait, nope, raining again".

I'm glad XSEED's translating the game because their translations often stay true to the original, but their decision for the title is baffling. Why call it "Story of Seasons"? That sounds like some somniferous program on the discovery channel.

Anonymous Fish wrote:I'm glad XSEED's translating the game because their translations often stay true to the original, but their decision for the title is baffling. Why call it "Story of Seasons"? That sounds like some somniferous program on the discovery channel.

As said earlier in the thread and on Hatsuu's tumblr, basically it was the only suggested name the whole team liked. The head of bokumono over in Japan approved the title as well, and specifically asked that they keep Connect to a New World out of the title.

Anonymous Fish wrote:I'm glad XSEED's translating the game because their translations often stay true to the original, but their decision for the title is baffling. Why call it "Story of Seasons"? That sounds like some somniferous program on the discovery channel.

to quote rope's newly edited faq....

RopeMaidenKirie wrote: Q: Wait, WHAT? Story of Seasons? This isn't Harvest Moon anymore?! WHAT'S GOING ON??????
A: Calm yourself. This game is Harvest Moon: Connect to a New World in everything BUT the name. XSEED is now the localizer for the game, NOT Natsume. This means that XSEED CANNOT use the name "Harvest Moon" because it is trademarked by Natsume. No, they can not use "Farm Story" either as another company already has that name trademarked, and it's in use. Source

Q: Come on, can't they just buy the name from Natsume or something? I don't like change!
A: No. Please stop asking. Straight from XSEED's mouth: "Whatever scenarios anyone has thought of in the past few days, I guarantee you, we hammered that scenario into the ground. The answer to your question is that it is absolutely, 100% impossible to use previous names or similar names to represent Bokujo Monogatari under XSEED." Source
Whether it be because of legal reasons, or just their own reasons, Story of Seasons is here to stay, so you'd best get used to it.


Q: Story of Seasons. I can handle that, but why don't they use a subtitle? It sounds odd to me.
A: They originally wanted to use a subtitle, but the Japanese producer of the game actually asked them NOT to. So they are respecting his wishes on that. Future games in the SoS franchise will use a subtitle. Source

re: every faq question about the name

SilentPsycho wrote:I'm British, so I'm used to spending at least an hour a day talking about the weather.

I've noticed that over here, aha! Also (maybe it's just my hosts), but I get asked "Are you okay?" a lot. I'm like why, do I look upset? But they really just mean like, "How are you?".

We barely talk about the weather at home (it's kind of a joke, like you talk about the weather if you have nothing else to talk about), so interesting to see other culture's take on it.

And the name change doesn't bother me, as long as it's a good game I couldn't care less what they call it.

I'm heartbroken...I just don't know what else to say.

Anonymous Fish wrote:I'm heartbroken...I just don't know what else to say.

Heartbroken?? It would make sense to be upset if it wasn't getting localized at all but I have played the games that XSEED have translated and they are really well done. Natsume seems to be doing more than okay and they even have a few games that they are waiting to announce at E3. I think, or at least hope, that once everyone gets used to the name change that people will be more positive.

no offense, but how anyone can be "heartbroken" over natsume no longer being in the picture is beyond me. a little hesitant, sure, sad to see old things go I can get, but like.. have you not been paying attention to how « Cow Poopoo » a company they've been the last I-don't-even-know-how-long compared to what XSEED has done in a matter of days?

we talk about how certain political positions, laws, amendments, politicians themselves, ext can undo years of progress and hard work and how difficult it is to come back from these things, but XSEED has done the exact opposite.

they're undoing years of horrible stuff that natsume's done to this series with how they're working with the parent company and the fans alike. it's obvious things will only get better the longer they continue to work on it.

the only thing to be heartbroken about is that this didn't happen sooner!

Ida wrote:

Anonymous Fish wrote:I'm heartbroken...I just don't know what else to say.

Heartbroken?? It would make sense to be upset if it wasn't getting localized at all but I have played the games that XSEED have translated and they are really well done. Natsume seems to be doing more than okay and they even have a few games that they are waiting to announce at E3. I think, or at least hope, that once everyone gets used to the name change that people will be more positive.

I have to agree with Ida on this one. The name might be different, but the translation will be MUCH higher quality. There's nothing to be heartbroken about.