About

Nihonsei Media is a blog focused on news, reviews, and Western localizations of books, games, and other media originally created in Japan.

Our reviews and critiques are a.) submitted anonymously by verified industry professionals and b.) represent only their personal opinion. Our critiques in particular are intended to serve as analyses of a given localization’s greatest successes or shortcomings without dwelling on any aspects that are otherwise average or passable, and therefore may seem more negative or “cherry-picking” when compared to a traditional review.

Our ranking system, from highest to lowest:
Excellent – The script is so polished, it shines.
Very Good – One or two problems hinder an otherwise great script.
Good – The localization has its flaws, but it’s clear an effort was made.
Mediocre – There are serious problems that detract from the experience.
Awful – The quality is so poor that it should be redone from scratch.

We try to ensure that our writers remain as fair and impartial as possible, and as a matter of integrity, no reviewer will ever be given the opportunity to use our platform to review a localization of their own making. While we proudly list localization credits where possible so that a given work can be correctly attributed to its human creators instead of faceless corporations, we do not condone any harassment of individual localization personnel.

Because no amount of words or screenshots can ever truly convey the overall quality of a localization, we urge our readers never to use these reviews as the primary source for their own opinions, and encourage them to try it for themselves before forming a final conclusion.

Here at Nihonsei Media Blog, our greatest ambition is to serve as an educational resource for aspiring localizers, as well as to encourage higher standards of localization across the board.