DANCING BLADE: KATTE NI MOMO TENSHI
Game Manual and Story Translation
By: Jason and Hiro of HISSATSU/ISHINGUN
PUBLISHER: Konami
GENRE: Animated Adventure/Dating Hybrid
TIME TO FINISH: 30 minutes for each scenario (there are four)
DIFFICULTY: Very Easy
WHO SHOULD BUY: Anime Fans
ALSO TRY: Sakura Taisen
INTRODUCTION
I've always loved Konami ever since the heyday of 8-bit video games,
largely due to their action-oriented games (Contra,Castlevania,
Gradius, etc.). As such, their recent fondness for releasing all these
dating games (e.g. Forever With You) have bothered me a bit, especially
since I've never liked these kinds of games in their uhà let's just say
"pure" form.
Well, one day, my friend Hiro and I were thumbing through some new
Playstation magazines from Japan and we happened to see an article on
Dancing Blade. After reading the article and looking at the game
screens, we got a little bit curious, given the fact that all the game
shots showed animated clips instead of the still pictures we've normally
come to expect from games like this.
Anyway, we ended up buying it and lo and behold, we actually got a
good game in our hands. Those of you familiar with Sakura Taisen should
have a little bit of an idea as to how this game plays. It's just like
playing a cartoon with "LIPS" choices (for those of you unfamiliar with
Sakura Taisen, LIPS choices are, basically, choices that you make in the
game which eventually affect its outcome). Dancing Blade gives you
control of the game's main player character during decision-making
events, which can influence the direction the story takes.
There are four possible endings in all and I happened to enjoy each
and every single one of them. Whoever wrote the story on this sucker did
a very good job, skillfully alternating wacky and serious story
scenarios while making parodies of several Japanese legends (more on the
story below). The art is excellent too, reminiscent of the El Hazard
series as far as character design, and the Tenchi Muyo series in terms
of craftily melding traditional Japanese art and architecture with
modern designs..
Konami didn't skimp on the voice actors either, rounding out the cast
with some very recognizable names. There's Ogata Megumi (Main Player
Character) who did Shinji's voice in Evangelion; Miyamura Yuuko
(Nayotake) who did Asuka's voice in Evangelion; Koyasu Takehito
(Hachiku) who did Zecks Marquis' voice in Gundam Wing and Kayama in
Sakura Taisen 2; and Fuchisaki Yuriko (The Mad Scientist) who,
appropriately enough, played Kohran in Sakura Taisen.
Anyway, I'm starting to write a novel here so I'll start wrapping
this up. You really don't need to know Japanese to complete this game
but it sure helps if you want to fully appreciate the story line. That's
why Hiro and I will start posting translations of all the game's
scenarios in this guide. I'll also post a translation of the game manual
for people who want to start playing the game or just want some
background info on the characters. There's also an alternate version of
this page at >http://users.intercomm.com/hidalgo< which has pictures and
looks "artsy-er" cause I have more leeway as far as using graphics. I
normally update that first too.
GAME MANUAL
This one here's a no-brainer really. I mean, you can NOT know a whit
of Japanese and still be familiar with the controls and menus on your
own. However, for the sake of being thorough, we'll just post them
anyway. Besides, it should be pretty helpful for those who've never
played the game. We'll list the manual sections, along with the
appropriate page number.
STORY (Page 3)
Born from a big peach fruit, Momo travels around the world to find
the reason for her existence. Accompanying her is a ragtag group of
adventurers: a young boy skilled in the ways of magic; the sexy Kijime;
the kind and mild-mannered healer Oinu; and the lumbering armored giant
Sarukichi, master of an infinite amount of weapons and gadgets.
This particular chapter of our heroes' story takes place in the
capital of a kingdom under siege, where they search for a young girl
named Nayotake. It appears as if Nayotake was born under the same
mysterious circumstances as Momohime except she came out of a bamboo
tree instead of a peach. Upon their arrival at the capital, however, our
heroes also find out that the capital was being attacked by "demons"
under Nayotake's control. Rumors have also been circulating about a new
final weapon, the Kyodai Oni (Giant Demon), which is about to be
unleashed on the capital.
Having a strong sense of justice, Momo decides to join the demon
counter-strike force that was being formed in the capital. Now this
grand adventure begins.
CONTROLS (Page 5)
The nice thing about games like this is that they always have easy
controls. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to grasp these easy
commands:
D-Pad: Move screen cursor
Circle Button: Validate command/ make selection
X Button: Cancel command/ selection
Start: Pause, Bring up In-game Save Menu
MENU SELECTION SCREEN (Page 6)
After pressing start during the title screen, the following choices
appear:
1. Hajime Kara: Start the game from the beginning.
2. Tsuzuki Kara: Continue a saved game.
3. Muubii Kanshou: This allows you to view the games 62 different
animated screens. More on this later.
4. Omake: This doesn't show up until you finish the game at least once.
It has four submenus: a. View Next episode, b. View Game Art, c. Voice
Actress Interview, and d. 3-D Momo. Each sub-menu shows up everytime you
finish the game.
GAME FLOW (Page 7)
Progression in this game is done through several animated scenarios.
There are two main story lines and four different endings, based on
which of the four girls in the game has the most points in the end
(Momo, Kijime, Oinu, or Nayotake). Normally, the main character has to
make a choice at the end of one of the animated scenarios. The choice
you let him make affects which path the game will follow. You'll want to
pay attention to Scenario 3 since the choice you make here determines
which of the story's two main paths you'll go through. Choice 1 leads
you to Momo and Nayotake's path (gets serious at the end) while choice 2
leads you to Kijime and Oinu's path (wacky and hilarious all the way).
SAVING (Page 8)
You basically have two ways to save in this game. The first way is to
save within the game by pressing start during each of the animated
scenarios. The second way is after you finish the game. Saving after the
game opens up the different omake screens and changes the title screen
depending on whose ending you got last. Too bad the best title screen is
the one you see BEFORE you get any of the endings. It doesn't seem as if
you can get it again too.
VIEWING MOVIES (Page 9)
As previously mentioned, this allows you to view any of the 62
animated scenes from the game. There is one catch though, you can only
view scenes that you've already viewed while playing the game.
You can view movies any of two ways. There's the scene select mode
which lets you view any of the scenes by number (1 through 62). There's
also the director's cut mode which allows you to view a pre-arranged set
of scenes that depicts the entire game from start to finish. There are
four versions of the director's cut based on each of the four
characters. The downside with the director's cut is that you don't see
certain scenes when you play this way. The director's cut only becomes
available once you finish the game once.
CHARACTERS (Page 11)
MOMOHIME
Voice: Kuwashima Houko
Momohime is a cheerful and spunky girl who possesses a strong sense
of justice. She's a total straight arrow and abhors even the slightest
of wrongdoings. She's also quite na´ve, having lived a sheltered life,
and as such, doesn't know much about the world as of yet. The only thing
she knows for sure is that one moonlit night, she was born from a peach
with the Shintou (Holy Sword) Hakutoumaru cradled in her hands. The
mysterious circumstances surrounding her birth has led her to constantly
ask the question, "Why was I born from a peach?" She has been travelling
the world ever since to seek the answer to that very question.
MYSTERIOUS FEMALE WARRIOR
This woman bears an all to familiar resemblance to Momohime. Could
she be the rumored Momotenshi (Peach Angel)?
MAIN (PLAYER) CHARACTER
Voice: Ogata Megumi
The player character looks like a normal boy all around, possessing a
remarkably kind personality. Once he sets his mind on something, he
basically sees it through. He has a fondness for unusual books and can't
pass by a bookstore without stopping in. His fondness for reading has
made him a well-educated person and an expert in the magical arts. He is
a specialist of Onmyoudo (also known as inyou, a kind spiritualism based
on opposing forces or principles like Yin and Yang, light and darkness,
etc.) and demonology. Upon hearing Momohime's plight, he decided to join
her in her travels.
OINU
Voice: Shiratori Yuri
Oinu appears to be a carefree person without a worry in the world.
She's always concerned about the welfare of others and would never leave
a person in a bind. She's well versed in healing and recovery magic and
specializes in treating the sick or injured.
KIJIME
Voice: Narahashi Miki
Kijime is a very free-spirited and sensuous person-putting it mildly.
Her hobby is collecting a varied assortment of whips from skin/hide
whips, thorn whips, chain whips, and all that neat stuff. She just loves
karaoke too and basically doesn't let go of the microphone until she's
content and satisfied.
SARUKICHI
Voice: Ueda Yuuji
Sarukichi is normally described as having a "rough" and wild
personality. He possesses incredible strength and is also shrouded in
mystery, largely due to his "Powered Armor" which he never seems to take
off. He has a weakness for young women and just can't resist their pleas
for assistance.
NAYOTAKE
Voice: Miyamura Yuuko
Born from a bamboo tree, Nayotake is precocious young girl with a lot
of pride. That normally stems from the fact that she's a genius,
possessing incredible intellect and intelligence. Her ability is so
renowned that she's actually respected even by the scholars of the
capital.
HACHIKU
Voice: Koyasu Takehito
Nayotake's right-hand man, Hachiku is a very handsome young man with
delicate features. He possesses great intellect and serves as the
commander of the Onigashima demons. Nayotake looks at Hachiku as a
brother and trusts him with her life.
SENBURI
Voice: Fuchisaki Yuriko
Her full name is Hiraga Senburi and her age and occupation is
shrouded in mystery. All that's known is that she's a mad scientist.
NAZUNA
Voice: Hikami Kyouko
Nazuna serves as the captain of the Raidoumaru battleship and
commander of the Anti-Demon Strike Force.
SANHOU
Voice: Ohki Tamio
Sanhou serves as the advisor and strategist of the Anti-Demon Strike
Force.
ONITAROU
The first half of Nayotake's loyal robot aides, Onitarou is the first
"oni" that Nayotake built.
ONIJIROU
The second half of Nayotake's loyal robot aides, Onijirou is the
second "oni" that Nayotake built.
KYOUDAI ONI (Infant stage)
?????????????
==========================PART 2==============================
EPISODE TRANSLATIONS
SCENARIO 1: PROLOGUE
MAN 1
Ao kekkai yaburaremashita!
The blue field has been compromised!
MAN 2
Baka mono!!! Nanto shite de mo tomerou!!! Ou no gosinka ni zoku ga
shinnyu suru nado!!!
You fool! Drop whatever it is that you're doing! The thief's breaking
through the king's defenses!
MAN 1
Murasaki kekkai de tomarimashita!
The purple field has just been de-activated!
MAN 2
Waga kuni saikyou no mamori o sou yasuyasu toà.
Our country's strongest defenses can't be breached that easilyà.
MAN1
Matte kudasai! Houmotsuden ni mo shinnyousha. Saishuu rokku kaijo
saremashita!
Wait a minute! The thief has just entered the treasury. The final lock
has been neutralized!
HACHIKU
Fu. Nayotake-sama, yarimashita. Kaishuu o onegai shimasu.
Hmph. It's done, Mistress Nayotake. Please prepare the necessary
arrangements for reception.
NAYOTAKE
Wakatta no da.
I know.
SCENARIO 2: THEME SONG
No translation for this one.
SCENARIO 3: MIYAKO (The Capital)
SARUKICHI (Saru)
Ou! Mieru, mieru!
Hey, I see it, I see it!
MAIN CHARACTER (M.C.)
Hi wa hotondo chinka shita mitai da ne.
It looks like the fire's finally been put out.
SIGNBOARD
Seifu Kohou
Government Public Works Agency
Onigashima no oni o taiji seshi mono houbi o terasu.
Reward being offered for the destruction of the Onigashima demons.
* Onigashima literally translates as Demon Island. Since it's a place
name, I'll just leave it as is.
M.C.
Kinou no yoru, oni-tachi ga daidairi o semetan datte.
I heard the demons attacked the Emperor's palace last night.
KIJIME
Tenshu-sama no yashiki o osou nante, taishita mono ne.
I guess it's no wonder they made the proclamation, the demons having
attacked Lord Tenshu's home and all.
MOMOHIME (Momo)
Oooooi! Minna!
Hey guys!
Hidoi! Machi no hitotachi ni hanashi o kiite iru aida ni icchaun da mon.
That was mean! I was just hearing what the people of the town had to
say, you know!
M.C.
Gomen, Momo. Miyako no yousu o mitakattanda.
Sorry for leaving you, Momo. It's just that I wanted to look around the
capital.
MOMO
Sore ni shite mo, miyakotte okii wa ne.
Actually, now that you mention it, the capital sure is big.
OINU
Oni ni osowareta tsugi no hi datte you noni mou omise mo aitemasushi ne.
Yeah, I mean, only a day has passed since the demons ravaged the city
and all the shops are already open.
MOMO
Sou na no yo. Watashi no mura nanka, ame ga futta dake de, omise
yasunjau noni.
That's right! Why, all the stores in my village close shop just because
it rains.
M.C.
De. Nanika wakatta.
Uh, can we like, talk about something else?
OINU
Ohiru kurai ni Onigashima e iku fune ga aru sou desu.
Actually, I heard that a ship bound for Onigashima will be leaving
sometime this afternoon.
MOMO
Yoooosh! Onigashima mezashite shuppa~tsu!
Alright~! Let's head for Onigashima!
ALL
Ou!!!!!!!!!!
YEAH!!!!!
MOMO
Onakasuichatta.
Uh, I'm kinda' hungry.
OINU
Soudesune. Asagohan ni shimashou ka?
Hey, you're right. Shall we go have breakfast?
MOMO
Dattara mukou de, oishisouna kibidango utteta yo. Kibidango tabeyo! Ne,
kibidango.
I heard that there's supposed to be a good "kibidango" place around
here. Hey, let's all have some kibidango! Huh, huh, can we have some
kibidango?
KIJIME
Yaada! Nande kibidango nano yo? Sekkaku miyako made kitandakara, nanka
motto oishii mono tabeyo.
No way! Why the heck do we have to eat kibidango! I mean, we've made it
all the way to the capital so we should eat something more sophisticated
and delicious!
CHOICES:
1. Oni taiji to ieba kibidango ka na.
Well, since we're going to help defeat the demons, we should just have
some "kibidango."
GO TO SCENARIO 4
2. Tamani wa zeitaku suru ka.
Well, it's not that often that we get to splurge.
GO TO SCENARIO 42
SCENARIO 4: KIBIDANGO
M.C.
Uun. Muduzukai suru nomo nandakara, kibidango ni shiyou ka.
Well, I really think that we shouldn't waste money so let's just have
some kibidango.
KIJIME
Chie-.
Aw crap.
MOMO
Waaa~i! Watashi katte kuru yo.
Yaaay! This one's on me, 'kay?
At the portà
MOMO
Onigashimatte donna tokoro kashira ne?
I wonder what kind of place Onigashima is?
SARU
Nandemo, Nayotakette onna ga oni-tachi o shikitteru rashiize.
I heard that some woman called Nayotake's controlling the demons.
M.C.
Ano take kara umaretatte iu?
Isn't she the one who was supposedly born from a bamboo tree?
OINU
Nandaka, momo kara umareta Momo-chan to nitemasu ne.
Hey, that's just like Momo here except she was born from a peach.
MOMO
Sounano. Sono ko ni aeba wakaru kamo shirenai. Watashi ga ittai nani mo
de, doko kara kita ka na.
You're rightà. Maybe I'll finally understand where I came from and what
my real purpose in life is, if I meet this woman.
KIJIME
Ryu-no-kubi-no-tama o nusunda nomo sekai seifuku no tame na no ka?
So was the Dragon's Neck Crystal stolen so whoever took it can take over
the world?
M.C.
Ryu-no-kubi-no-tama wa tsuyoi mahou enerugii o himeterun da. Sore o nani
ka ni riyou shite iru koto wa tashika nanda kedo.
The Dragon's Neck Crystal posseses incredible magical energy. They
definitely need to use it for some purpose but I'm not exactly sure
what.
MOMO
Sore ni shite mo, fune osoi wa ne.
At any rate, the ship seems to be running really late, huh?
OINU
Soudesune, doushimashou?
You're right. So what should we do?
*So exactly what is a KIBIDANGO anyway? Well, a kibidango is some sort
of dough treat that's rolled into little balls and arranged in a little
stick. It plays a major part in the Momotaro stories because Momo used
this to recruit his animal friends. They basically promised to help Momo
get rid of the "oni" in exchange for 1 measly kibidango. That's a pretty
good bargain if you ask me.
SCENARIO 5: RAIDOUMARU NYUUKO (The Raidoumaru comes to port)
M.C.
Mou sukoshi matte mite konakattaraà.
Let's just wait a little bit longer and see if it arrives.
SARU
Kitazo.
Here it comes.
Kougun no saishin ei sentou kan daze.
The Imperial Army's new battleship.
M.C.
Ookiinaà.
Boy, it sure is big.
OINU
Sa, hayaku funatsukiba ni isogimasho.
Well then, let's hurry on to the wharf.
Editor's note: Well that's it for now. For pictures and our most recent
updates, check out our Dancing blade page at
http://users.intercomm.com/hidalgo
