An otome game ( Japanese : 乙女ゲーム , Hepburn : otome gēmu , lit. " maiden game ") is a story-based romance video game targeted towards women with a female protagonist as the player character. Generally one of the goals, besides the main story goal, is to develop a romantic relationship between the female main player character and one of the usually male, secondary lead characters.
54-541: The first otome game is generally acknowledged to be Angelique , released in 1994 by Koei in Japan for the Super Famicom , and created by Ruby Party , an all-woman development team division of Koei. The game was originally designed for pre-teen and younger teenage girls, but became unexpectedly popular with older teenagers and women in their 20s. In 2021, the series continues with Angelique Luminarise , in which
108-518: A PC platform which are rated 18+ for their sexual content . Some games were originally released for the PC with pornographic content, and were later toned down and re-released for the PS2. Other common elements in otome games are the importance of voice acting, CG stills, and a small epilogue or set scene at the end of the game when a character is successfully finished. Traditionally, the goal of these games
162-415: A Queen Examination - a test to see who is better qualified to be the next Queen of the universe. For this special examination, both girls are given their own continent on a planet. The girls must raise the continents into thriving civilizations and environments. Nine Guardians (who control various spiritual elements, such as fire, wind, and water) have been chosen to help the girls raise their continents during
216-505: A breakthrough due to its supposed ability to give actors more control over licensing their voice and how it may be used, the deal received backlash for its actual lack of protections from prominent voice actors such as Steve Blum , Joshua Seth , Veronica Taylor , and Shelby Young . The use of AI voices in video games and animation has also been criticized in general by voice actors such as Jennifer Hale , David Hayter , Maile Flanagan , and Ned Luke . AI voices have caused concern due to
270-768: A career of it across many of the main game-manufacturing countries, mostly the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Their names have sometimes been linked to a particular character they have voiced. Notable video game voice actors include Maaya Sakamoto (the Japanese version of Lightning in Final Fantasy XIII ), Tatsuhisa Suzuki (Noctis Lucis Caelum in Final Fantasy XV ), Miyu Irino (the Japanese version of Sora in
324-479: A certain parameter or parameters to be at a certain level for them to fall in love with the main character. There is also often a pure dating aspect of gameplay in simulations. This involves asking or being asked on dates by the love interest, doing an activity with them, and responding to their questions or comments. The player has a choice of responses, and a correct answer will raise your standing with that character. One feature that has become common in otome games
378-506: A character or providing information to an audience with one's voice. Performers are often called voice actors/actresses in addition to other names. Examples of voice work include animated , off-stage, off-screen, or non-visible characters in various works such as films, dubbed foreign films, anime , television shows, video games, cartoons, documentaries , commercials, audiobooks , radio dramas and comedies , amusement rides, theater productions, puppet shows, and audio games. The role of
432-459: A film, the voice actors spoke instead of the film actors. Although this type of voice is related to years ago and now with the increase of facilities, it is possible to record the voice of the actors at the same time, but even today, sometimes the voice of the voice actors is used instead of the main actor. The tail of the voice is on Iranian animations, and like in other parts of the world, voice actors speak instead of animated characters. But most of
486-471: A foreign-language film or television series. Voice-over translation is an audiovisual translation technique, in which, unlike in Dub localization, actor voices are recorded over the original audio track, which can be heard in the background. This method of translation is most often used in documentaries and news reports to translate words of foreign-language interviewees. Automated dialogue replacement (ADR)
540-404: A manga and otome game also exist, such as Angelique and Full House Kiss . It's also common to find dōjinshi featuring popular characters from otome games. Some popular games have also been adapted to anime , OVAs , or series, such as Angelique , Diabolik Lovers and Uta no Prince-sama . Angelique (video game series)#Angelique Angelique ( アンジェリーク , Anjerīku )
594-463: A narrow, flat inflection pattern (or prosody pattern) whereas radio commercials, especially local ones, tend to be voiced with a very wide inflection pattern in an almost over-the-top style . Marketers and advertisers use voice-overs in radio, TV, online adverts, and more; total advertising spend in the UK was forecast to be £21.8 billion in 2017. Voice-over used in commercial adverts had traditionally been
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#1732781007784648-520: A pose, and some dialogue. Most otome games' heroines are not voiced, due to the budget concerns of voicing all their dialogue. However, there are some games featuring fully voiced heroines, such as Norn9 or Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time . In otome games, the main female character is generally categorized as either self-insert or non-self-insert. Self-insert does not have personality and backstory, giving players space to insert themselves into
702-559: A voice actor in Brazil, one needs to be a professional actor and attend dubbing courses. Some celebrities in Brazil have also done voice acting. Voice acting in Iran is divided into three categories. Voice over Persian films , voice over Iranian animations, and dubbing of films and animations related to other countries (in non-Persian language) In the first category, due to the lack of facilities for simultaneous recording of sound while filming
756-451: A voice actor may involve singing, most often when playing a fictional character, although a separate performer is sometimes enlisted as the character's singing voice. A voice actor may also simultaneously undertake motion capture acting . Non-fictional voice acting is heard through pre-recorded and automated announcements that are a part of everyday modern life in areas such as stores, elevators, waiting rooms, and public transport. Voice acting
810-401: Is "full voice" ( フルボイス , furu boisu ) , which is to have voice acting throughout the entire game. The love interests are often voiced by well-known voice actors . At certain points, or when the player passes certain requirements, special events can occur, often with a "CG" (computer graphic) as a reward. This CG is a set picture featuring the love interest and sometimes the main character in
864-437: Is a Japanese otome game series and media franchise. There are various OVAs, Drama CDs, Music CDs and Anime series, developed along with the base game, or broadcast on TV channels, etc. The series began in 1994 and has continued since. The latest entry in the series is Angelique Luminarise , released in 2021. The first game was released in 1994 on Super Famicom . This is the first otome game ( dating sim for women) known in
918-528: Is a required story element; in other types of (chiefly non-literary) narratives (such as plays, television shows, video games, and films) narration is optional. One of the most common uses for voice acting is within commercial advertising. The voice actor is hired to voice a message associated with the advertisement. This has different sub-genres such as television, radio, film, and online advertising. The sub-genres are all different styles in their own right. For example, television commercials tend to be voiced with
972-422: Is for her to fall in love with one of her favourite male characters. If her love is fulfilled, her rival will become the new queen instead, but she may win the love. These are two main types of endings to this game. In the other games of this series, there is no rival, and the player should perform her mission alone. While trying to complete her mission or task, the same situations take place. To perform her task,
1026-440: Is more freedom because there is no need to match a dub to the original actor or animated character. Producers and agencies are often on the lookout for many styles of voices, such as booming voices for more dramatic productions or cute, young-sounding voices for trendier markets. Some voices sound like regular, natural, everyday people; all of these voices have their place in the voiceover world, provided they are used correctly and in
1080-427: Is recognized as a specialized dramatic profession in the United Kingdom, primarily due to BBC Radio 's long and storied history of producing radio dramas . The voices for animated characters are provided by voice actors. For live-action productions, voice acting often involves reading the parts of computer programs, radio dispatchers or other characters who never actually appear on screen. With an audio drama, there
1134-414: Is selected to become a savior of these crisis or troubles. The player takes on the role of this girl. In the first game, Angelique , the player becomes a candidate for the new queen who will be the savior of the universal crisis. The player is asked to complete her mission or task during the course of the game. If the player completes her mission in the scheduled period, before her rival candidate completes
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#17327810077841188-454: Is the process of re-recording dialogue by the original actor after the filming process to improve audio quality or reflect dialogue changes, also known as "looping" or a "looping session". ADR is also used to change original lines recorded on set to clarify context, improve diction or timing , or to replace an accented vocal performance. In the UK, it is also called "post-synchronization" or "post-sync". Voice artists are also used to record
1242-453: Is to have the desired partner fall in love and have a relationship with the player character, but the requirements for gaining a "good end" differ from game to game. While the plots of otome games differ greatly, there is usually a single female main character, and several good-looking males of varying "types". Gameplay occasionally does not particularly focus on romance, even if there are several characters whose "routes" can be followed. In
1296-1823: The Kingdom Hearts series), David Hayter ( Solid Snake and Big Boss in the Metal Gear series), Steve Downes and Jen Taylor ( Master Chief and Cortana in the Halo series), Nolan North ( Nathan Drake in the Uncharted series and Desmond Miles in the Assassin's Creed series), Troy Baker ( Joel in The Last of Us series) and Charles Martinet (former voice actor for Mario , Luigi , Wario , and Waluigi in Nintendo 's Mario franchise). Other actors more linked with film or television acting have also voiced video game characters, such as Ray Liotta ( Tommy Vercetti in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Billy Handsome in Call of Duty: Black Ops II ), Michael Dorn (various characters in World of Warcraft and Gatatog Uvenk in Mass Effect 2 ), Kaili Vernoff (Miranda Cowan in Grand Theft Auto V and Susan Grimshaw in Red Dead Redemption 2 ), Ashley Johnson ( Ellie in The Last of Us series), Kristen Bell ( Lucy Stillman in
1350-427: The otome game: Oresama, Kuudere, Childhood Friend, Shota, Mature/Older Man, Dandere, Megane, Tsundere, Yandere, Genki Guy, the flirt, and the playboy. Otome games have strong links with shōjo manga , with popular titles often spawning a manga series (e.g. Neo Angelique and Meine Liebe ), and popular manga series getting adapted to videogames (such as Nana ). Some examples of simultaneous releases of
1404-511: The visual novel examples of the genre, the player proceeds in the story by selecting dialogue or action choices which affect their relationships in a decision tree format. In simulation otome games, there is also other gameplay which affects the plot, either by playing minigames or by raising stats. The main character often has several parameters, such as looks, style, intelligence, talent, etc., that can be raised through various activities in normal gameplay. The potential partners usually require
1458-465: The 2021 game Angelique Luminarise in the 30,000s in Japan and Asia in the first quarter of 2021 (April to June). According to Teitengame.com, the sales ranking of Angelique Luminarise is 132nd, and its total sales in 2021 were 14,506. Neo Romance series is the otome game series developed by the women-based group Ruby Party in KOEI. Voice actors Voice acting is the art of performing
1512-569: The Queen Examination. There was a Koi Suru Tenshi Angelique series (25 episodes) from 2006 to 2007. Keiko Erikawa established the woman-based game developing team in the mid-1980s. This resulted in the birth of team Ruby Party and the first otome game Angelique in 1994. The Angelique series greatly promoted and produced the development of otome games and their franchise markets. The Angelique games sold over 850,000 copies in 2020. Koei-Tecmo has reported sales of
1566-690: The US in the past. The first Japanese otome game to be officially translated and sold in English was the visual novel Yo-Jin-Bo in 2006 for the PC. Some publications that regularly cover otome games include B's LOG and Dengeki Girl's Style . The genre has many style elements in common with shōjo manga and josei manga , and plotwise they are often similar to harem manga . Otome games that are released on console and handheld platforms contain no pornographic content, as companies such as Sony and Nintendo do not allow it. There are games released on
1620-449: The activities of Iranian voice actors are in the field of dubbing foreign films. In this case, the main language of the film is translated into Persian, and the dubbing director compiles the sentences according to the atmosphere of the film and the movement of the actors 'mouths and other such cases, and finally the voice actors play roles instead of the actors' voices. Actors often lend their voices to characters in games and some have made
1674-570: The candidates is given a land to populate. Whoever finishes populating their land first wins and becomes the next Queen. It is done with the help of nine Guardians who use their powers to make the people of the candidate's land happy, or to devastate their rival's lands. Along the way, the candidates become friends with the Guardians and can fall in love. If they choose love, they forfeit their chance to become Queen, but will live happily ever after. The story expands in later titles, but most entries in
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1728-708: The creation of believable audio deepfakes featuring celebrities or other public figures saying things they did not actually say, which could lead to a synthetic version of their voice being used against them. In October 2023, during the start of the British Labour Party 's conference in Liverpool , an audio deepfake of Labour leader Keir Starmer was released that falsely portrayed him verbally abusing his staffers and criticizing Liverpool. That same month, an audio deepfake of Slovak politician Michal Šimečka falsely claimed to capture him discussing ways to rig
1782-446: The entertainment industry have reacted negatively to this development due to the threat it poses to their livelihood. The 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike included negotiations between the union and Hollywood studios about the regulation of AI, as well as discussions with video game studios about new terms that would protect voice actors who specialize in that field. Although SAG-AFTRA heralded the deal it struck with AI company Replica Studios as
1836-669: The first three mainline entries in the Assassin's Creed franchise) and Kevin Spacey (Jonathan Irons in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare ). Some actors from both live-action and animated works have also reprised their respective roles in video games, such as Kevin Conroy ( Batman ) and Mark Hamill ( The Joker ) in the Batman: Arkham series, Sylvester Stallone ( John Rambo ) in Mortal Kombat 11 , various actors from
1890-441: The game character as an avatar of the player is ambiguous and complex, a state where subject and object coexist: they are both the player's "shoes" and admirable icon. The main men characters who can develop a romantic relationship with vary from game to game. In general, however, the appearances of main men characters who can develop romantic relationships are handsome and attractive. There are some typical character archetypes in
1944-405: The game series has been released exclusively in Japanese, except for a Chinese PC version of the first game in 1994. Although KOEI is not opposed to releasing the games in other language(s) than Japanese, in order for such translations to be produced, the existence of enough demand must be shown. There are 4 OVA series: Angelique Limoges and Rosalia de Catargena have been chosen as candidates in
1998-420: The game. In contrast, the non-self-insert main character has a more vivid personality and detailed story, whose characteristics do not depend on the player for existence. However, in either case, the main character in most otome games has a fixed image. Usually, the game unfolds from the protagonist's first point of view. In general, it is difficult to represent the female protagonist in simple terms, because
2052-401: The guardians and how to complete the task. Sometimes the former and the latter are contradictory, yet the player needs them both to achieve good endings. The major characters appeared in the otome games: Angelique 1994, 1995 ( Special ), Angelique Special 2 1995, Angelique Trois 2000, Angelique Etoile 2003, and Angelique Luminarise (Anmina) 2021. Legend : As of May 2022,
2106-429: The guardians may favor her. And when the player wins favor of the guardians and the male characters, she will be able to better perform her task, and at the same time, she is capable of establishing romantic relations with some of the male characters. At this point, there are two options for her. Working best in her mission with the help of the guardians, she can defeat her rival, and become the new queen. The other option
2160-560: The iconography and story conventions of "retro shoujo manga", "the archetypical girly heroines, the emphasis on pure, sexless, tranquil romance and on a peaceful, stable setting", but as the category expanded, other narrative and gameplay elements were introduced, including action, adventure, combat and plots in which "the heroine can 'save the world' and 'get the guy' at the same time". McKenzie & Co (1995) from American Laser Games and Girl's Club (1992) from Philips Interactive were simulation games for girls developed and released in
2214-549: The individual sample fragments played back by a computer in an automated announcement. At its simplest, each recording consists of a short phrase which is played back when necessary, such as the " mind the gap " announcement introduced on the London Underground in 1969, which is currently voiced by Emma Clarke . In a more complicated system, such as a speaking clock, the announcement is re-assembled from fragments such as "minutes past", "eighteen", and "p.m." For example,
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2268-443: The mission, the player will win and become the new queen. But while trying to complete the given mission or task, the player necessarily needs some help from the nine guardians, who know and control the spiritual powers of the universe. The player needs to win their favor. If they do not favor a player, they will not provide assistance to that player. To win favor from the guardians, the player should properly work in her mission. Thus,
2322-438: The only area of voice acting where "de-breathing" was used. This means artificially removing breaths from the recorded voice, and is done to stop the audience being distracted in any way from the commercial message that is being put across. However, removal of breaths has now become increasingly common in many other types of voice acting. Dub localization is the practice of voice-over translation , in which voice actors alter
2376-569: The opening or closing themes of shows in which they star, or become involved in non-animated side projects such as audio dramas (involving the same characters in new storylines) or image songs (songs sung in character that are not included in the anime but which further develop the character). Most of the films in the theaters are dubbed in Portuguese , and most Brazilians tend to prefer watching movies in their native language. Many voice actors are also dubbing directors and translators. To become
2430-623: The people who had been banned. Voice actor ( Japanese : 声優 , Hepburn : Seiyū ) occupations include performing roles in anime , audio dramas, and video games; performing voice-overs for dubs of non-Japanese movies; and providing narration to documentaries and similar programs. Japan has approximately 130 voice acting schools and troupes of voice actors who usually work for a specific broadcast company or talent agency. They often attract their own appreciators and fans, who watch shows specifically to hear their favorite performer. Many Japanese voice actors frequently branch into music, often singing
2484-588: The player needs the help of the guardians and other male characters, and she should win their favor. In this case, there are typically two endings, as in the first game: There are many candidates for romance. Typically, the nine guardians are all possible targets of the player's love. There are at least ten main endings, but there are other endings as well, where the mission and/or the romance may be broken. The number of endings ranges between 10 and 30. The most interesting and difficult points of this game series are that there are many combinations of how to win favor from
2538-596: The powers of the Queen and the Guardians fade over time, and successors must be appointed. In the first game Angelique , the protagonist is a 17-year-old girl named Angelique Limoges who has been chosen by the current Queen and her aide Dia as one of two candidates from the Royal Smallney Girls' Academy to become the next Queen. She is transported to the Flying City to begin her final examination. Each of
2592-523: The protagonist Ashanty, a young woman who will have to choose between being the new sacred protector of a kingdom, or falling in love and living happily with one of her knights who will help her during the game. In 2002, Konami released its very successful Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side , which brought many new fans to the still-new genre. In 2006, Famitsu 's listings for the Top 20 selling love games included seven otome games. Early games borrowed heavily from
2646-417: The protagonist is a 25-year-old office worker. Angelique is credited with "set[ting] up the specifics and conventions of women's games: a focus on romance, easy controls and utilizing other multimedia." In 1997 the second otome game, Albaria no Otome was released by Gimmick House and Magical Craft for PC-FX and later for PlayStation. The game has a very similar dynamic to its predecessor Angelique , with
2700-479: The right context. In the context of voice acting, narration is the use of spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. A narrator is a personal character or a non-personal voice that the creator of the story develops to deliver information about the plot to the audience. The voice actor who plays the narrator is responsible for performing the scripted lines assigned to them. In traditional literary narratives (such as novels, short stories, and memoirs) narration
2754-604: The series feature a girl named Angelique or a variant thereof (Enju or Ange) as the protagonist, with ever larger casts of characters. The roster of potential love interests swells to 19 characters in later titles (in Angelique Trois and Angelique Etoile ). Through the Angelique series games, the story begins with some crisis of the Universe, or some troubles in the Universe. To resolve a crisis or troubles, one girl
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#17327810077842808-698: The upcoming election. In January 2024, voters in the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary received phone calls featuring an AI-generated voice of U.S. President Joe Biden that tried to discourage them from voting. In films, television, and commercials, voice actors are often recruited through voice acting agencies. The UK banned broadcasting of the voices of people linked to violence in Northern Ireland from 1988 to 1994, but television producers circumvented this by simply having voice actors dub over synchronized footage of
2862-719: The word "twelve" can be used for both "Twelve O'Clock" and "Six Twelve". Automated announcements can also include on-hold messages on phone systems and location-specific announcements in tourist attractions. Since the late 2010s, software to modify and generate human voices has become more popular. In 2019, AI startup Dessa created the computer-generated voice of Joe Rogan using thousands of hours of audio from his podcast , while video game developer Ubisoft used speech synthesis to give thousands of characters distinguished voices in its 2020 game Watch Dogs: Legion , and Google announced that same year their solution to generate human-like speech from text. Most voice actors and others in
2916-486: The world. The Angelique series is also the first otome game series of the Neo Romance series by Ruby Party . Currently, the games in this series are only published in Japanese. The basic lore of the series is built around a Queen who fairly and wisely rules a Universe. By balancing elemental forces with the help of nine Guardians, she keeps the various planets in her domain stable and her people content. However,
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