Developer Notes

HoodedTissue, Project Leader - When I first started this project by myself all the way back in 2020, I honestly never thought that it would be completed. I thought it’d just be another one of the countless translation projects that get dropped and left untranslated, and that I’d be the one asshole that gave people hope and let them down. Yet here I am, with an entire team and a translated game just two years later. It’s been an incredible journey, and I can’t thank everyone involved enough for all that they have done. If you’re sad about seeing our project come to a close, fret not, as we are planning on transitioning into scanlating manga. Our first stop is the PlaMemo manga, so look out for what we have in store in the near future!
~ tissue o(≧▽≦)o

Shaggy, Video and Image Editor - When I joined this project back in February to subtitle PlaMemo's cutscenes, I never thought I would end up editing the game's textures and a few CGs. At first, I was pretty nervous about working on the images because I wasn't sure how I would fit many of the texture changes into the game or what people would think of them, but when ShwampBam shared the first CG I edited and saw the positive feedback it got, that worry dissipated. I'm excited to share the work done on the game's menus, cutscenes, and other things related to the game, such as the Steam art assets and video tutorials. I'm very grateful to HoodedTissue and ShwampBam that I got to work on this project and with this team. I'm someone who's always been into games where story is the main focus, and being able to help bring a visual novel made by a company I like and dislike to you all has been a highlight of this year for me. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy what we've put together here. Take care! :)

Marche100, Proofreader - Hey, all. I was asked if I wanted to write something here, and trying to figure out what to say has been difficult, but here goes nothing.

I joined this project fresh out of college, having just gotten a degree I didn't especially want. I had always been pressured by family to get a job that pays well, but as someone who's only ever enjoyed creative pursuits, I felt for years like I was in a sort of limbo. I didn't know what to do, and it was frankly terrifying. Then I saw one of my closest friends force her way into the localization industry and went, "I'm going to do that too." Hence, this was one of the projects I hopped in on order to gain some experience.

In the year and a half since, I've gone pro and am busier than ever. At the same time, I'd say I'm the happiest I've been since those golden years of the late 90's/early 2000's. (I'm a millennial, so it's in my blood to look back on those times fondly.) That's not to say it's all sunshine and roses, but if you're like me and you have a dream your very being is screaming at you to chase after, I say go for it. I know it can be hard, especially if you don't have the support of the people around you, but it's worth it. Even if you try and fail, it's worth it.

You know, I didn't intend to come off sounding like a motivational speaker when I started writing this, but here we are...

I guess I'll wrap this up and do some plugs. If you want to follow me and my exploits, you can find me on Twitter @Marche100. At the time of writing this, I've got a pretty banger project on the horizon that you're not going to want to miss if you're a fan of JRPGs. I'll be screaming about that once it finally comes out.

Other than that, big thanks to everyone who worked on this project. Especially ShwampBam, who really took charge and made this release come far, far sooner than it would have otherwise. And with that, I hope you enjoy the full English patch for Plastic Memories!

Alma, Proofreader - Hey y'all, it’s Alma, just wanted to say thanks for the patience with the project, I took some time off here and there for mental health reasons, and I just wanted to say to all of yall this: chase your dreams and don't let anyone hold you down, as a young child I've always wanted to help make a game, even if it was correcting one word in a VN. Well, flashforward like 11 years and here I am, at the age of 21, being able to have a hand in my favorite anime's Visual Novel, trust me, the dream isn't dead just because you can't grab it yet, you got this. I'm glad I was able to be a part of this production and a part of the team (even if I never really talked to them much LOL). Anyway, keep your head up and if you ever need to reach out to someone for career advice, I'm always in the discord. Good luck y'all, and hold the ones you cherish close. ♥️

Rayen, Proofreader - I was with the team during the earlier stages, though I did take some on/off time from it due to university starting up. I remember the early days where I went through the first chapter, making sure the lines were not going off the screen and everything lined up grammatically! To think that it has already been roughly two years since this project started is nothing short of amazing, in how fast time flies by! It comes to show that you should value time as much as possible, and that life is fleeting in the grand scheme of things. I hope you enjoyed our work.

Bloody, Game Consultant - I'm glad that people are finally able to see an expanded version of the wonderful Plastic Memories story that has been unavailable to the public for a long time. I hope you enjoyed a ton of new content. However, the PlaMemo story doesn't end there! Ahead of you is the manga Plastic Memories Say to good-bye, which is focused on Michiru's development and the light novel Plastic Memories -Heartfelt Thanks-, which tells us more about working in Terminal Service. See you!
ビシィ〜

DoubleEyepatch, PC Port Developer - When my friend and I made the PC conversion two years ago, I had in mind that it might make translating it easier, yet when a project actually came about I was honestly surprised. I'm really happy that more people are finally going to be able to enjoy the "complete" version of Plastic Memories. Thank you, everyone that allowed this to come about! (can someone please now reimburse me for the PC copy of Konosuba I had to buy? No? ok...)

Shadeslayer.1227, Playtester - When I was first bullied into approached about becoming a playtester, I was annoyed very excited about the prospect. I have received nothing but ridicule overwhelming support from the staff and you all. Thank you all for allowing me to be a part of the project. And now some final words:
We're no strangers to love
You know the rules and so do I (do I)
(and so on and so forth, I’m shutting that shit down. -ShwampBam)

ShwampBam, Head Translator - This was an immense and insane project. Easily the largest one I’ve taken on up to this point, and I don’t know that I have much desire to do another visual novel, so it may remain my largest project. Nonetheless, it was incredibly satisfying to take part in making this happen. I joined on a whim from a reddit post at the end of 2021, hoping I could add something, only to become essentially the lynch pin to the project’s completion. Our group, server, and this project have come a long way in just one year.

I’m super grateful to the crew that came together to make this happen. To Rayen, for playtesting even though he was really busy with school. To Hecks, for always having something really strange to say that livened things up. To Marche, for being an excellent proofreader and challenging my writing skills. To Shadeslayer, for letting me bully him in general chat to blow off some steam. To Bloody, for helping me understand how the game worked and dealing with my short temper on occasion. To Tissue, for doing what I wouldn’t have and trying to put together a project with almost no resources. To Shaggy, for learning how to do literally anything I asked him to and setting the bar high while he was at it. Fortunately, it seems I won’t be getting rid of these guys any time soon, as we plan on continuing the group to test new waters. Let’s see where that goes.

In all honesty, though, I really struggled sometimes. I put in a lot of hours, and sometimes it felt hard to justify it. I’ll be straight with you: I’m actually not a super huge fan of Plastic Memories, and definitely not Hayashi in general. I think Hayashi has good ideas that he is not very good at executing, and Plastic Memories has tonal issues and fails to fully realize its world and the consequences of its premise in a lot of ways. I think the game suffers greatly from being too indulgent, and focuses on satisfying desires over telling a consistent and meaningful story. I do not like the implementation of events in the Isla Route. I think the bad ending is narratively better than the true ending. It was torturous having to read every file over and over and over again.

When all is said and done, I doubt I will touch this visual novel or the anime ever again. The songs were fun to translate though.

But as I worked, worked, and worked some more, I tried to make it not about me, but the people who were looking forward to a release. The people that encouraged me with every monthly announcement, the ones who had been in the server a year longer than me, the new members joining every month, the ones who wanted nothing more than to take part in the story I was helping form.

So all I want now is for you to enjoy this game. If you can do that, then my work was worth it, no matter how I may feel about the writing or anything else.

So please, tell me what you think about our work. My DMs are always open on Discord (ShwampBam). Share it in our server’s general chat, and thank the rest of the staff who worked their butts off, too. The encouragement from others and the desire to be a part of the story I was translating was what kept me going, and I want to know what your experience was. I hope my personal takes on some of the more iconic lines of the series don’t annoy anyone too much.

I made a promise months back to help with the manga too, so it seems that whether I like it or not, I’m quickly becoming a Plastic Memories lore master. You will have to find someone else to translate the novel, though, that’s where I’m drawing my line.

I’ll stop before my “note” becomes longer than the rest of this manual. Thanks for playing our patch, and reading this, if you did. Really, thank you. I am truly grateful for the experience and challenge that translating this game brought me. I hope you enjoy the game, and that you’ll stick around for whatever we get up to next.