What is this?

Started on 02.12.2022, the Denpa Archive is an archive of denpa / psychological horror works (visual novels, manga, blog posts, etc).

Who is the Webmaster? What does he do?

I'm a 21+ year old university student. I go to school full time and work part time. Translating (JP to EN) is a hobby of mine and I'm currently working through a collection of visual novels that I'm interested in. I also collect manga, doujinshi and magazines, which I scan and translate sometimes.

The Denpa Archive is purely a hobby. Please don't expect frequent updates. Thank you.

What is Denpa?

“Denpa” (電波) roughly translates to “radio waves”. The term is often used to describe people or characters that exhibit bizarre behavior. They may claim to hear voices that come from a higher power or environmental factor out of their control. As a genre, denpa is generally defined by madness. Denpa characters are often disconnected from reality and may engage in delusional and/or paranoid fantasies and behavior.

Works where characters suffer from trauma-induced or naturally occuring mental illness are common in stories where denpa waves are not present. These works are still considered denpa even if elements of madness have no explicit cause and are based on "vibes" alone.

History

The Fukagawa Serial Slasher

In July of 1981, Kawamata Gunji committed a series of stabbings in Koto, Japan. He took the lives of four people and held a woman hostage in a Chinese restaurant for up to seven hours. During this time, he ranted at the restaurant’s security cameras and demanded that the government bring electromagnetic engineers to the scene.

At trial, Gunji testifies that he was not responsible for his crimes because he was being manipulated by radio waves.

Denpa Otoko

Densha Otoko (2004) is a novel based on a series of 2chan imageboard posts made by an alleged 23-year-old otaku under the alias of “Densha Otoko” (Train Man). He had fallen in love with a girl he met on a train and frequently posted about their encounters. Other users encouraged him to cut his hair and change his wardrobe, which ultimately led to a successful relationship between Densha Otoko and his crush. This came at a cost, however, as Densha Otoko left the otaku subculture in favor of his relationship.

Toru Honda, a deeply traumatized and disgruntled otaku, voiced his criticism on Densha Otoko and Japanese society in a 405-page manifesto titled Denpa Otoko. Honda wrote that he felt that the Densha Otoko protagonist surrendered to capitalism and that men spend money on women to win their hearts. Men like Honda feel they are unlucky, as they have no social capital or wealth to woo women and are therefore marginalized by the system. Honda coped with these feelings by confining himself to his room to watch anime and play video games all day.

In short, media that is denpa (even if retroactively described as such) tends to touch on themes of surrealist existential horror, misogyny, loneliness, and trauma (such as sexual assault or parental abuse). Characters often descend into madness the further their story progresses.

This section is abridged from On Denpa: A Guest Article by Kenji the Engi. Please support the author by reading the original article.

Why Denpa?

I have psychological problems of my own so it's comforting to read stories about characters with similar struggles.

Can I play these visual novels in English?

No. I don't know where to start with language patches and I'm not a programmer. The videos I post to YouTube are raw gameplay footage with English subtitles of my translations.

I know how to code. Can I patch the games myself?

Of course! I'll post entire scripts and route guides on this site once they're completed. If you're a programmer that wants access to my (unfinished) scripts, please send me an email.

Where can I download these games myself?

I urge you to buy official copies of these games on DLSite to support the official release. However, since the games I'm inclined towards are from defunct companies and OS, a lot of these games aren't available for purchase anymore. Files for "lost" games can be found here.

I downloaded the games. How do I run them?

I'll make a site entry on how I personally do things. In the mean time, here are some great resources on the topic.

VirtualBox Info and Setup

Windows XP VirtualBox Setup

Playing Old Games on VirtualBox

I'm here for updates on [insert project here]. What's taking you so long? Why are you posting about unrelated topics on your social media?

This is a completely valid criticism but please remember that I'm an employed university student chasing a degree. I archive and translate in my spare time (for free)! It costs 0 dollars for me to sit down and grind out a translation for a few hours... but it also costs 0 dollars (and takes 30 seconds) to interact with posts on social media. Hence why my Tweet to production ratio is so wonky.

I'm interested in working with you. What are your terms of service?

Thank you for your interest in working with the Denpa Archive. The Archive is a passion project. Updates are sporadic. There are no deadlines and I am unable to compensate you in the event that you choose to work with me. School and work (unfortunately) always come first and I can be difficult to reach at times because of this. I often need to be reminded to do things and can be somewhat flighty. If none of these factors are bothersome to you, feel free to contact me. If any of these factors do bother you, please don't contact me. Your time is valuable and I don't want to waste it.

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of magazine and manga scans along with visual novel footage. Content of interest include works of psychological horror (mainly visual novels and manga), anime figures and garage kits. Noteable aesthetics are dark / "edgy" character design of early 2000s anime and manga.

Language of Materials

Japanese, translated into English.

Conditions Governing Use

Anyone can use this site. I only ask that you share it with others. I hate gatekeeping and if you gatekeep I hope you die.

Tools for Acquistion

Windows XP virtual machine (Oracle VM VirtualBox), Neko Project PC98 emulator, CamScanner.

Relevant Media Dates

1986-2010

Related Titles

Shizuku (Leaf), Jisatsu no Tame no 101 no Houhou (DUKE), Odeon (BOKU), Tsui no Sora (KeroQ), Gothic & Lolita Bible, Dolis (Kusumoto Maki), Figumania, Figure Maniacs, Replicant, Litchi Hikari Club, Tokyo Grand Guignol, Serial Experiments Lain, The Miraculous Notebook (Shigeru Mizuki, 1973)

Content Warnings

Media referenced on this site may contain mentions/imagery of STRICTLY FICTIONAL death, suicide, self injury, violence, assault, gore, nudity, rape, incest, pedophilia, delusions, hallucinations, depression, anxiety, and paranoia. Denpa works may be dark at times. Viewer discretion is advised. This site is recommended for those aged 18 and up. The Webmaster takes no responsibility for any harm caused by the consumption of said media and (obviously) does not condone any harmful actions in real life. The Webmaster is firmly against crime that causes direct bodily, mental, and/or social harm to others.

Disclaimer

I am not a professional translator so please take my interpretation of these works with a grain of salt. The scans published to this site won't be the greatest quality as I don't want to ruin my collection of books and magazines by tearing them apart to scan each page traditionally. Also I'm not very good at coding and tech support.

Contact

Cohost Blog

YouTube

Twitter

MyFigureCollection

Archive.org

For all other inquiries, please email denpaarchivist@gmail.com.

I'm not very good at socializing. Please don't take it personally if I don't reply right away.

Support the Site

If you like my work and want to support me, donations can be made via PayPal or Ko-fi. I also have a shop for fanart and other things.

The Denpa Archive Stamp

And other sites you should visit.

_{Proceed with caution; links may be NSFW!}