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

I'm an American 21+ year old full-time office worker with a BA. 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 as well. You can read more about me here.

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

"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.

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-kei

In this 1996 book, the term "denpa-kei" is coined by author Murasaki Hyakuro and manga artist Nemoto Takashi. In this manuscript, Murasaki reveals that he was born with a unique constitution, in which he is constantly able to hear the voices of gods and demons (or the delusions and malice of others). He attributes the mental transmission of voices, delusions, etc., to denpa (radio) waves. He subsequently wrote several essays on "denpa waves" in the psychopathology journal imago. You can read his work (translated into English) on the Denpa Archive. Just look under the "Translations" tab in the directory.

Denpa Otoko

Densha Otoko (2004) is a novel based on a series of 2channel textboard 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.

Denpa-kei - An Article by Mushizuka Mushizo

Denpa-kei People: From Radio Wave Flyers to the Four Lords of Carbs - An Article by Mushizuka Mushizo

Denpa, Artaud, and Drugs—Narcotics for the Broken by Murasaki Hyakuro (1995)

Why Underground Subculture Matters by Murasaki Hyakuro (2006)

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

No. I'm not a programmer, I'm just a translator. The videos I post to YouTube are raw gameplay footage subtitled with my English translations.

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.

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'll make a site entry on how I personally do things... someday. 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

This is a completely valid criticism but please remember that I work full time on top of juggling an online shop and zine curation. 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.

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. I can be difficult to reach at times. 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.

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.

Japanese, translated into English.

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.

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

1986 - 2010

DRAMAtical Murder re:connect (NITRO+CHiRAL, 2013), Jisatsu no Tame no 101 no Houhou・ジサツのための１０１の方法・101 Ways to Kill Yourself (DUKE, 2001), Lamento -BEYOND THE VOID- (NITRO+CHiRAL, 2006), Odeon・オデオン (BOKU, 2001), Shizuku・雫 (Leaf, 1996), Suki Suki Daisuki!・ 好き好き大好き！・I Like, Like, Love You! (13cm, 1998), Tsui no Sora・ 終ノ空・Endsky (KeroQ, 1999), Makki, Shoujobyou・末期、少女病 (DUKE, unreleased), Slow Damage: Clean Dishes・スロウ・ダメージ Clean dishes・(NITRO CHiRAL, 2021)

Kusumoto Maki's Dolis, Saya no Uta - Tenshi no Nichou Kenjuu -Angelos Armas- Official Works (Mediax, 2005), Sayonara wo Oshiete Official Art & Material Book (3rd edition, 2002), Serial Experiments Lain DVD (Pioneer, 1998), Slow Damage Original Booklet (2021), Kichiku no Susume (Murasaki Hyakuro, 2021) (Posthumous), Suicided (Yoshinaga Yoshiaki, 2008), The Miraculous Notebook (Shigeru Mizuki, 1973)

Denpa, Artaud, and Drugs—Narcotics for the Broken by Murasaki Hyakuro (1995), Denpa-kei - An Article by Mushizuka Mushizo, Denpa-kei People: From Radio Wave Flyers to the Four Lords of Carbs - An Article by Mushizuka Mushizo, End of the Century Kichiku Ramblings ★ A Mental Revolution for Criminals by Murasaki Hyakuro (1999), Why Underground Subculture Matters by Murasaki Hyakuro (2006), Yonezawa Yoshihiro On “Yaoi”: Why Did Girls Give Up Ordinary Love for Boys’ Love? (1991)

ADAMS (Visual Kei Jrock Duo, 2011-2015)

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 exposure to said media and (obviously) does not condone any harmful actions in real life.

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.

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