User talk:-BANLK-

Your Request
I have just replied to your request on my message wall over on Community Central, where you originally asked it. Thanks, Revriley (talk) 08:14, August 19, 2017 (UTC)

"Hello" Response (on LNs)
On my delayed response: I may or may not have burned myself out wiki-wise yesterday creating pages and full summaries for ten chapters on the DMDP Wiki over the course of ten hours...what can I say.

On Vamp!: I'm glad you liked it! All hail Watt, the pettiest of petty villains. He's so good. Gerhardt's so good. Michael's so good. Dorrikey, Doubs, QAWSED, the twins, Shizune (who is one of the most stone cold characters Narita has ever written and I'm so here for "woman who just does not give a damn"), Dimguil (he's in one book but I desperately want an illustration of him, Dorrikey + Mirald, and the Blue-Haired Werewolf give him a name Narita )...I love Vamp!. Please let him write Vamp! VI already.

Your Question: I most certainly can direct you to sites where you can buy the official Yen Press translations. Here is the series on Amazon (I don't know why they haven't included Volume 9 in the series collection yet, but it will likely show up in the "customers also bought" sections). Here is the Barnes & Noble equivalent. Bookwalker. Google Play. They're also available on iBooks, I believe. Inquiring at your local bookstores is always a nice thought.

Now, I suspect that is not the answer you necessarily wanted, given how you worded your question. If, perhaps, you had other translations in mind... Yes, I do know how one could read the fan translations.

No, I'm not sure if I'm comfortable providing access (directly or indirectly) to them on the wiki's platform.

It's true that this wiki includes information from novels yet to be officially translated--but for the majority of Baccano!'s history (and the majority of this wiki's existence) there were no official translations to speak of. Of course the fandom relied on non-official translations. They made the fandom. They are the reason I was able to get into the light novels at all, and the reason I am financially supporting the official translation now.

There's a difference between drawing upon non-official translations for information on the wiki and providing access to them (esp when official translations now exist), and I don't want to do the latter on what is essentially an online reference/encyclopedia for fans. I don't want to necessarily make it easier for people not to support the official translations via the wiki I administrate.

And on that note, me being a sysop is all the more reason why I probably should not do such a thing on the wiki. Copyright violations are a thing, and there's a reason fan translators take down their translations of series when said series receive official licenses. (Well, aside from the reason wherein they want to encourage supporting the official translation). They don't want to get into legal trouble with the publishers.

In short: I don't intend to share links/access to the fan translations on the wiki platform. As an admin, it would set a bad example and it would potentially be legally troublesome. As a fan, I don't want to publicly provide links on a wiki that gets 1.5-2.5k views daily and make it easier for visitors not to support the official release.

I do encourage you to support the official release if you are financially able (and not geolocked or something, which...I just realized might be the precise problem for you. You have my full sympathies on that if so; geolocking's the worst). As for using the fan translations in addition to them, I do want to make it clear I'm not opposed to that at all (as it's something I've obviously done myself). Let me just say this: that I won't link to them here does not mean there are not other roads that lead to Rome.

Revriley (talk) 18:44, January 19, 2019 (UTC)


 * Ronny's Origin Story
 * See, this is all the more reason I should write an article on the subject. Note to self: bump up to-do list.
 * So: Ronny's origin story, which is summarized (and thus canonized beyond doubt) in Volume 22...his origin story doesn't actually originate in the light novels. Narita originally wrote it for 電撃ｈ＆ｐ(はじまり＆ピリオド) - Dengeki h&p (Beginning & Period - a limited Dengeki magazine issue published in November 2007. The magazine contained the "first story and final chapter" of various Dengeki Bunko works as written by the works' authors, with most it not all of these stories being parody works/having parody elements, in an April Fools mode of sorts.


 * (Narita not only wrote Ronny's origin story for the magazine, he wrote the Durarara!! short story Durarara!! x0 Goodbye Mikado-senpai for it too.)


 * This magazine, by the way, is super hard to come by these days. The reason the fandom knew what happened in Ronny's origin story all this time is because there are two existing fan-translations of its Chinese translation (so NOT translated from the original Japanese).


 * These fan-translations (which I am comfortable sharing because there is of course no official English translation and almost certainly will never be one, + again magazine is long out of print) are as follows:


 * The first attempt as translated by Bluttier and shared on FFN.


 * The second go by Monomae on Tumblr. Between the two I recommend this one. The "I could distort the physical phenomena of this world, and just as easily destroy this very planet beneath your feet. Of course, I wouldn’t carry out such a useless action" line is from Part 2/3, by the way.


 * So have at it! Oh...one more thing. You know how I said the magazine is very hard to come by this days and not cheap?


 * I own it now. The bonafide Japanese magazine. Mine.


 * (It arrived in the mail in November and no, I'm still not over it). I did some hasty mediocre scans of the Baccano! story and sent 'em to a Japanophone fan (and did the same with the Durarara!! story to another Japanophone fan) -- so it's possible she'll translate the story from the original Japanese in the future. So that's exciting.


 * While we're on the subject of "Baccano! media without official translations," you may want to check out the Endings Index of all 59 Endings of the NDS game if you haven't already (as cleaned up from the original Endings Index compiled by the same fan who I sent the origin story to, with her permission). The game's main article has a link to the full translation of Ending 3 (canon) at the bottom, but I don't necessarily recommend reading Ending 3 (or anything about it) until after you read Volume 14.


 * (There are also spoilers for Ending 3 on the main page so I'd advise not looking at the "Endings" section of that article. Hm, maybe I should collapse that section).


 * Summaries of Volumes 1-2 of the 2006 manga also exist on their respective articles, and you can read about Jacques-Rosé Boronial and Rosetta (two characters who debuted in the 2006 manga and have cameos in the light novels) on their articles to learn more about them as well. If you haven't come across information about the second audio drama on the web (Firo Prochainezo Witnesses the 53rd Death of Pietro Gonzales), I'm adding summaries of the tracks to the article so that's something to check on in the future. (You could also check out the Pietro and Dominico, Elita, and Antonio Baro articles if you're impatient).


 * Sorry, I know you literally only brought up Ronny's origin story, but I did think it only fair to highlight some of the other Baccano! media that has no official English translation... Anyway. Enjoy the story! Like I said, do go into it knowing that there are going to be major parody elements in it as part of the magazine theme. Despite the parody elements, the main ideas behind the story are otherwise canon.


 * Revriley (talk) 07:02, January 20, 2019 (UTC)

Re: Baccano! LNs; Vamp!'s Status
(This is a response to your message left on my Talk Page on April 10, 2019).

"I guess I have a lot of reading to do..." I suppose so... I admit I find the idea of someone making LN-based Baccano! edits without having read some or all of the novels (or: doing so w/o having read the novels in eons) a bit...concerning (I see it's been two years since you first asked me where you could read them), but... Well, no matter. (Except it does matter, since one would be relying on wiki information and others' words rather than one's own).

Still, better late than never? On that note, Yen Press' translation of Volume 10 is due April 23; if you catch up on Volumes 1-9 over the next two weeks, you should be in time to read the official translation of Vol 10 when it comes out. Speaking of official translations, were you able to buy those of Yen Press in the end?

On Vamp!: Vamp! was...never officially cancelled, but given that the latest volume came out in October 2010...one might say it's been on 'extended hiatus'. It's not that Narita has forgotten Vamp! or that he doesn't want to write Vamp! VI (he was using every excuse to promote Vamp! when Durarara!!x2 was airing), but his schedule is ultimately up to his publishers' discretion--not his.

(He's stated as much himself--that his publishers decide what he's working on--and what's happening w/him and Dengeki Bunko right now is as good an example as any. Before he fell ill in 2017, Dengeki Bunko was planning for him to release Baccano! Vol 23 that November. But look at what his first DB publication is post-recovery But just look at what his first DB novel publication is in two years--it's Fate/strange fake Vol 5 (released just now on April 10), despite Baccano! Vol 23 having been originally slated first.

(Well, F/sf is super popular, and I'm 100% convinced DB decided it was more important Narita get a new F/sf work out as soon as possible and made a new volume their first priority...)

It all comes down to popularity and sales in the end, and I'm afraid the fact of the matter is that Vamp! is not one of Narita's more popular works. (And that man has a lot of works, both original and non-original). Vamp! VI will happen only if Dengeki Bunko greenlights it, and that won't happen unless Vamp! sees a resurgence in sales or there's, I don't know, an opportunity for Narita to slip it in between the publications of more popular volumes. Considering how much catch-up work Narita has to do right now (making up for time lost during his illness), an opportunity for the latter won't happen anytime soon.

What can us non-Japanese fans do in the meantime? Besides expressing interest in a Vamp! license to western publishers, we can consider importing/buying the Japanese tankobons as a show of support (I know at least two fans that have done this and want to do the same). It's also for this reason that I am seriously considering importing Baccano! Volume 23 when it eventually releases, as it'll be three years this August since Vol 22 and I really want Vol 23 to succeed.

(Narita says in Vamp! V's afterword that Vamp! VI will be a collection of short stories, but...as much as I'd love to read the ideas he outlined there, my feeling is this: considering how long it's been since Vamp! V, a theoretical Vamp! VI now would probably deal with the main plot and not mess around with side stories. I doubt it could afford to.)

My suggestion is that you also consider importing/buying the original Japanese tankobons or buying the Japanese e-editions if possible--that is, if you are able to and sincerely want more Vamp!. We're all individuals, but my view is that any show of support is good support.

(Side note: I guess in theory I could 'reply' to your question on my Talk Page simply by indenting my response...but given the length of this reply, it might be better if I just leave this response here.)

(I know that Help:Talk Pages says one can reply on one's own page, but is the original asker actually notified when a reply occurs in this manner? Or would they have to manually check my Talk Page for a reply? I've tended to respond to messages on my Talk Page at the other users' Talk Pages since that way they're at least guaranteed to get an email and/or notification...)

Revriley (talk) 02:10, April 11, 2019 (UTC)

Baccano! vs Durarara!! Popularity
Hey, you accidentally (I assume accidentally) replaced all the content on my Talk Page with your latest message, so I decided to undo your edit and restore the removed content. Hope you don't mind? I'll copy your message and respond to it below:

"I have the official english version of volume 1 to 7, rest of them are fan translations, though I will be buying the official releases whenever I can. I got a question actually, if Baccano is so popular then why is there no anime continuation, like with Durarara? -BANLK- (talk) 04:58, April 11, 2019 (UTC)"

"If Baccano! is so popular..." Ah, there's your problem.

The short of it is that the 2007 anime wasn't popular enough in Japan. Its ratings weren't great, nor were the DVD sales (averaging around 3k-4k per volume). I don't know the Baccano! LN sales figures during the original airing period, but it's likely the anime failed to significantly increase the source material's sales...in other words, all evidence that suggested at the time a second season would not be worthwhile. Remember, anime adaptations serve as 'advertisements' for the source material; DVD/BD sales are one thing, but what's also important is whether the media adaptations bolster (financial) interest in the original series.

Durarara!! is definitely more popular than Baccano! in Japan, and--you guessed it--Durarara!! S1 not only sold quite well, it boosted sales of the Durarara!! light novels. It boosted them so well that the first four Durarara!! novels (published several years before the anime) were consistently making top ten on the weekly light novel sales rankings during the anime's runtime. When Volume 8 was published on June 10, 2010 (two weeks before season 1's end), it sold nearly 80k copies in the first week of its release (Jun 7-13)--and was #1 for that week's sales rankings.

In other words, Durarara!! S1 was *absolutely* successful enough to warrant a season 2. Also, note how a big gap between anime seasons can impact sales: the five year gap between Durarara!! S1 and S2 definitely took its toll; Durarara!! S1 was selling an average of 18k copies, S2 Shou 4k, S2 Ten and Ketsu in the 2k range. That's a huge drop from the S1 sales.

I'm also not confident that S2 had nearly as big an impact on the LN sales as S1 did. They certainly didn't bolster ''Durarara!! SH'' sales much; SH hasn't been selling nearly as well as the main series did. (In the first 9 days of Vol 13's release, Vol 13 sold nearly 38k copies. In the first 10 days of SH Vol 1's release, SH Vol 1 sold around 35k copies.

(Note: DVD/BD sales these days aren't as crucial as they used to be--it's not that they aren't important, but they cannot be the only metric by which we judge whether a series has 'succeeded' or 'failed'. Durarara!!x2 ultimately did make a profit through merchandise and international licensing--both Takagi and Narita commented on this as summarized here.)

The week of 1935-D: Luckstreet Boys (Vol 22)'s release (Aug 8-16, 2016), Vol 22 sold 8,584 copies or so and was #10 in Oricon's top ten LN rankings for that week. Here's the full top ten. Sounds encouraging, right? Yeah...but what worries me is that, while I don't know how many copies Vol 22 sold overall in the month of August, I do know that it didn't make August's top 20 sales rankings. #20 had close to 18k sales by copies; so...Baccano! didn't reach 18k sales in three weeks.

(Note: I think for the Bunko weekly paperback sales it was 49th on August 14, and 176th on August 21.)

Maybe you've seen the high praise the Baccano! anime has gotten in the West (not to say it didn't receive high praise in Japan, but I find that people are often thinking of western reactions to Baccano! when they assume it is popular) and gotten the impressive the anime did super well at the time? High praise does not equal/guarantee 'high sales'--and an anime that's gotten 'high praise' isn't necessarily one that's been widely watched.

(This is where recency bias comes into play again. Durarara!! S2 aired in 2015-2016, and Durarara!! is still available to stream on streaming platforms. So Drrr!! has the benefit of more name recognition and legal avenues to watch it. It's been over 10 years since the Baccano! anime aired. As of Feb 2016 there are no available legal ways to stream it in the west, and DVD/BD prices have gone up b/c DVD manufacturing has ceased as well.

So...this is why I keep encouraging people to support the Yen Press releases. I realize there's a risk of coming off as pushy, but it's so important that we show consumer enthusiasm for Narita's works. By that I mean 'with our wallets', but showing enthusiasm on social media (and expressing gratitude toward YP/DB) is also a good thing!

(General enthusiasm; if one wants to get specific, try to limit the specifics to what's been officially released. aka try to avoid praising what hasn't gotten an official license if you're clearly a non-Japanophone. Especially if you decide to, say, ping Narita or one of the publishers on Twitter. Writing to the publishers or pinging them and saying how much you like Narita's [insert officially licensed work here] and how you'd love it if [publisher] also licensed [insert non-licensed series here] is fine.

I'll end by saying it's also important to support the little things. We were all shocked by Yen Press' announcement that it was licensing the Baccano! LNs in 2015--and just as shocked when the BACCANO! (2015 Manga) was announced (and that Yen Press had licensed that too). None of us expected Baccano! would get another manga (really, literally any new media adaptations), so that it got one at all? Yeah, that's something to celebrate. To make a big deal out of.

(And something to financially support the heck out of, because that's how you demonstrate consumer demand. 'We're grateful for the manga'. 'We want the manga'. And, 'we just might want more of the manga/new media adaptations'.)

Anyway. I've spent a couple hours writing this response, so I hope it is satisfactory as is and that you don't mind if I leave off here. (If you have follow-up questions/thoughts...eh, shoot.)

Revriley (talk) 22:37, April 14, 2019 (UTC)