Type-Moon

Type-Moon (タイプムーン, Taipu Mūn, stylized as TYPE-MOON) is a Japanese game company, best known for their visual novels, co-founded by author Kinoko Nasu and illustrator Takashi Takeuchi. It is also known under the name Notes Co., Ltd. (有限会社ノーツ, Yūgen-kaisha Nōtsu) for its publishing and corporate operations, as it is the company official name, while Type-Moon is a brand name as a homage to the original doujin group. After creating the popular visual novel Tsukihime as a doujin soft circle, Type-Moon has since incorporated and produced the also popular visual novel Fate/stay night. The latter has also been adapted into anime and manga series that have amassed a global fanbase.

Type-Moon
IndustryVideo games
Publishing
Founded1998
FounderKinoko Nasu 
Headquarters4 Chome-2-２ Asakusabashi, Taitō-ku, Tōkyō-to 111-0053
Key people
Kinoko Nasu
Takashi Takeuchi
ProductsTsukihime
Fate/stay night
SubsidiariesType-Moon Studio BB
WebsiteType-Moon's Official Homepage
Type-Moon's official Tsukihime website

History

Type-Moon was founded by artist Takashi Takeuchi and writer Kinoko Nasu, whose first project was the novel Kara no Kyoukai,[1] which was originally released in October 1998 and reprinted in 2004. The company name Type-Moon actually comes from one of Nasu's older works, Notes. [sic], written for the angel-themed doujin anthology Angel Voice in May 1999. In December 2000, Type-Moon released the adult Windows visual novel Tsukihime, which sold extremely well and amassed a large fanbase[1] because of its comprehensive and expansive storyline and writer Kinoko Nasu's unique style of storytelling. The game led to the creation of numerous top selling merchandise, memorabilia, and a fanbase numbering millions around the world. Tsukihime was adapted soon after in 2003 into an anime series, Shingetsutan Tsukihime, which was produced by J.C.Staff and licensed by Geneon in North America, and a manga series based upon Shingetsutan Tsukihime that has been published since 2004.

Soon after, in January 2001, Type-Moon released Plus-Disk, an addition to Tsukihime that featured three side-stories and assorted multimedia. In August 2001, Type-Moon released a sequel to Tsukihime, Kagetsu Tohya, and soon, in April 2003 released Tsuki-Bako, a specially packaged three-disk set that included Tsukihime, Plus-Disk, and Kagetsu Tohya, as well as a remixed soundtrack for both games and more multimedia.

In December 2002, Type-Moon, in association with French-Bread (known as Watanabe Seisakujo prior to 2003), released their first fighting game, Melty Blood, a PC-based doujin game based on the Tsukihime universe, which was very popular and was followed soon after by an expansion, Melty Blood Re-ACT, released in May 2004, to which a patch update, Melty Blood Re-ACT Final Tuned, was released as a free download over the Internet. Melty Blood is widely considered among the best doujin 2D fighting games ever made, and has been released as an arcade port, Melty Blood: Act Cadenza, in March 2005, and was released on the PS2 platform in August 2006.

Type-Moon soon transitioned from a doujin soft organization to a commercial organization, and on 30 January 2004, released their first commercial release, a PC-based eroge visual novel game, Fate/stay night, which broke all records on its opening day and became immensely popular. It was later adapted into an anime series that aired 24 episodes in Japan starting 6 January 2006; a second anime series that premiered in October 2014; and a manga series that ran in publication between 26 December 2005 and 26 October 2012, in Monthly Shounen Ace. A sequel to Fate/stay night, Fate/hollow ataraxia, was released on 28 October 2005. Fate/stay night was also released on the PS2 platform in May 2007. A prequel, Fate/Zero, was released as a light novel written by Gen Urobuchi (from nitro+) under Kinoko Nasu's supervision, featuring art by Takashi Takeuchi, in 2006–2007, followed by an animated adaptation by ufotable in 2011–2012.

At Comiket 72 in 2007, they released the "All Around TYPE-MOON drama CD".

In August 2019, Type Moon announced that they established a new company called Type-Moon Studio BB, a video game development studio with former Square Enix and Atlus employee Kazuya Nino, who was a director for the series Trauma Center, Etrian Odyssey and Dragon Quest Builders as the head of the studio. According to Nino, the company plans to make medium to large-scale 3D games developed in cooperation with external developers, and small-scale 2D games developed in-house.

Releases

Type-Moon has developed and produced the following:

Kara no Kyoukai – the Garden of Sinners
  • Known in Japan as Boundary of Emptiness (空の境界, Kara no Kyōkai) and sometimes referred as Rakkyo (らっきょ), is a light novel series originally released as a series of chapters released independently online or at Comiket between October 1998 and August 1999, the chapters were later republished by Kodansha into two volumes in 2004, and again in three volumes between 2007 and 2008. Ufotable produced a series of seven anime films based on the series between 2007 and 2009, and also produced an original video animation episode in 2011. A final anime film was produced and released in 2013. A manga adaptation illustrated by Sphere Tenku started serialization in September 2010 in Seikaisha's online magazine Saizensen.

Tsukihime
  • Tsukihime, PC-based eroge visual novel game, originally released in December 2000. A television adaptation of the visual novel, called Lunar Legend Tsukihime, aired October 2003 by J.C.Staff.
  • Tsukihime PLUS-DISC, released in January 2001.
  • Kagetsu Tohya, PC-based Tsukihime sequel, released in August 2001.
  • Tsukibako, a specially packaged three-disk set that included Tsukihime, PLUS+DISC and Kagetsu Tohya and a remixed soundtrack for both games and more multimedia, released in April 2003.

Fate/
  • Fate/stay night, PC-based visual novel game, released on 30 January 2004. A DVD version was released on 29 March 2006, a non-ero PS2 port entitled Fate/stay night [Réalta Nua] has been released in 2007 and re-ported non-ero to PC on three versions covering each arc. Currently, three anime adaptations exist of Fate/stay night: the first was produced by Studio Deen and primarily based on the visual novel's Fate route, the second was a movie adaptation of the Unlimited Blade Works route and also produced by Studio Deen, and the third was a TV remake of the Unlimited Blade Works route produced by ufotable. The Heaven's Feel route is presently being adapted into a movie trilogy by ufotable.[2]
  • Fate/hollow ataraxia, PC-based Fate/stay night sequel, released on 28 October 2005, re-released for PS Vita on 27 December 2015.
  • Fate/unlimited codes, arcade, PS2, and PSP 3D fighting game, released on 28 October 2005.
  • Fate/Zero, a light novel prequel to Fate/stay night, released on 12 December 2006. Made in collaboration with Nitroplus. Anime adaptation by ufotable aired from October 2011 to June 2012.
  • Fate/tiger colosseum, PSP 3D fighting game, released on 13 September 2007. Made by Capcom and Cavia.
  • Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya, a spin-off manga series written and illustrated by Hiroyama Hiroshi, serialized in Comp Ace magazine from 2007 to 2008, followed by two sequels entitled 2wei! and 3rei!!
  • Fate/Extra, an RPG dungeon-crawler for the PSP-system, released in July 2010. Sequel Fate/Extra CCC was released in March 2013. Animated by Shaft as Fate/Extra Last Encore.
  • Fate/Apocrypha, a light novel written by Yuuichirou Higashide and illustrated by Konoe Ototsugu, was released between December 2012 and December 2014 spanning across five volumes. Animated in July 2017 by A-1 Pictures and released in USA by Netflix.
  • Fate/Prototype: Fragments of Sky Silver, a light novel written by Hikaru Sakurai, illustrated by Nakahara and published by Kadokawa Shouten, started publication in August 2013. It is a prequel of Fate/Prototype, the original version of Fate/stay night with a female protagonist.
  • Fate/Labyrinth, a light novel written by Hikaru Sakurai and illustrated by Nakahara. It acts as a side-story to Fate/Prototype: Fragments of Blue and Silver and was released between Fragments' 3rd and 4th volume.
  • Fate/strange fake, a light novel series written by Ryohgo Narita, illustrated by Morii Shizuki and published in Dengeki Bunko starting from 10 January 2015. It is a remake of the original 2008 April's Fool's web-published one-shot known as Fake/states night which was later edited and included in TYPE-MOON Ace Vol.2 in 2009. A manga adaptation, also illustrated by Morii Shizuki, is being released alongside aforementioned current novelization.[3]
  • The Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II, a light novel written by Makoto Sanda, illustrated by Sakamoto Mineji and published by TYPE-MOON under their label TYPE-MOON BOOKS.[4] It is considered a side-story to Fate/Zero, following one of the protagonists as an adult. A manga adaptation illustrated by Tō Azuma has been announced.[5] Animated in July 2019 by Troyca.
  • Fate/Grand Order, an RPG for the Android/iOS that was released in July 2015. The game contains characters from previous Fate properties along with new characters. A new class, Shielder, was added to the game. The first chapter of the game was animated as a movie titled Fate/Grand Order First Order by Lay-duce.
  • Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star, an Action RPG Game released in 2017 for PS4, PS Vita, Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows.
  • Fate/Extella: Link, an Action RPG Game released in 2019 that was not a direct sequel to Umbral Star but its own individual story for PS4, PS Vita, Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows.
  • Fate/Requiem, a light novel by Meteo Hoshriza published in December 2018. Set in a timeline where a large Holy Grail War took place, which in the aftermath resulted in everyone having a servant.

Melty Blood

Other works
  • Decoration Disorder Disconnection (DDD), a light novel series written by Kinoko Nasu and illustrated by Hirokazu Koyama. With two volumes released in 2004, the series is currently on hiatus.
  • 428: Shibuya Scramble – Nasu wrote a special scenario for the game, with Takashi Takeuchi providing the character designs. This scenario sequel is an anime, Canaan.[6]
  • Carnival Phantasm, animated OVA series mixing characters from Tsukihime, Kagetsu Tohya, Fate/stay night, Fate/hollow ataraxia and the Melty Blood series, with minor cameo appearances from Fate/Zero, Fate/EXTRA, Kara no Kyoukai, Mahoutsukai no Hako and KOHA-ACE characters.
  • Fire Girl, a light novel with an original story by ex-Liarsoft member Hoshizora Meteor and illustrations by bunbun, published by TYPE-MOON under their label TYPE-MOON BOOKS.
  • Mahōtsukai no Yoru, a visual novel written by Kinoko Nasu, featuring art by Hirokazu Koyama and music by Fukasawa Hideyuki. Originally written and set before Tsukihime, the story follows a young Aozaki Aoko alongside two new faces – Kuonji Alice and Soujuuro Shizuki. In an interview with 4Gamer, Kinoko Nasu expressed the desire to make a game that feels like a finished work, and considers this a success.[7] This game was released on 12 April 2012. This is the first Type-Moon visual novel not to be an eroge.
  • World Conquest Zvezda Plot, a 2014 anime television series directed by Tensai Okamura, written by Hoshizora Meteor and animated by A-1 Pictures.
  • Sekai Seifuku 〜 Shiroi Keito to Manatsu no Berubiaaje, a light novel side-story of World Conquest Zvezda Plot, written by Kimura Kou and illustrated by Kouhaku Kuroboshi was released in March 2014, published by Ichijinsha.

Upcoming works
  • Tsukihime, a new visual novel re-telling the story of Tsukihime was announced in 2008, but has fallen into development hell due to Nasu's commitment to other works. The remake is said to have better visuals, new characters, more character development and a new route focused on Satsuki Yumizuka.
  • Girls' Work, a new all-ages work written by ex-Liarsoft members Hoshizora Meteor, Myogaya Jinroku and Kimura Kou, with character designs by Takenashi Eri. An anime adaptation by ufotable is planned.[8]
gollark: Idea: computercraft laser clacks.
gollark: Interesting.
gollark: Wait, there's actually a documented clacks protocol of some kind?
gollark: Ah yes, a blinky light?
gollark: I am NOT that evil except on april fools' day in which case I'm totally that evil.

References
  1. Lada, Jenni (5 August 2011). "Important Importables: Type-Moon". TechnologyTell. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  2. "Gekijōban 「Fate/stay night[Heaven's Feel]」|Daiichi Shō Zessan Kōkai chū" 劇場版「Fate/stay night[Heaven's Feel]」|第一章 絶賛公開中 [Official Fate/stay night [Heaven's Feel] website] (in Japanese). Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  3. "Fate / strange Fake - TYPE-MOON.COM" (in Japanese). Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  4. "TYPE-MOON BOOKS" (in Japanese). Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  5. "Type-Moon's The Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II Novels Get Manga". Anime News Network. 2 June 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  6. "【TGS2008】「428 the animation」TYPE-MOON監修シナリオ、TVアニメに" (in Japanese). 12 October 2008. Retrieved 24 December 2008.
  7. "4Gamer Interview with Kinoko Nasu - tsukikan.com". Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  8. "Gāruzu Wāku -Anime Kōshiki Saito-" ガールズワーク -アニメ公式サイト- [Girls' Work – Anime Official Website] (in Japanese). Retrieved 26 February 2016.
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