Nekopara Is a Stand-Out Example of Translating Visual Novels to the West
When it comes to well-established video game genres in the West, visual novel may not be the first that comes to mind. Before the massive interest generated around Doki Doki Literature Club, one of the few break-out visual novels to be developed in the United States, Western gamers may not have known about a single visual novel. Visual novels are further divided into several subgenres, with «eroge» titles like Nekopara being one of particular note in Japan.
There are horror visual novels like DDLC, or adventure visual novels like Ace Attorney, but many major publishers probably wouldn't think about touching eroge due to its explicit content. In fact, American publisher Sekai Project, responsible for translating dozens of visual novels, began as a fan translation group that expanded over time. Among many works that can now be found in English, Neko Works' Nekopara is one of the best examples of how to translate foreign media for Western audiences.
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In a world where humans live alongside anthropomorphized cats called Nekos, Minaduki Kashou opens a confectionery and takes in Chocola and Vanilla, two abandoned Nekos he and his sister Shigure found. Nekopara Volume 1 focuses mostly on the relationship between Chocola, Vanilla, and Kashou as the trio run the new business while trying to keep things professional. The subsequent Nekopara volumes add new Nekos to Kashou's staff list, and dive deeper into the different characters.
Nekopara's story is fairly standard compared to other visual novels like Yosuga no Sora, which has more thematic depth. Yet, there are no shortages of poignant scenes in Nekopara, like Chocola's confession to Kashou, and the voice acting injects a
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