Type-Moon

Type-Moon

Industry	Video game industry
Founded	2000
Headquarters	Japan
Key people	Kinoko Nasu Takashi Takeuchi
Products	Tsukihime Fate/stay night
Website	Type-Moon's Official Homepage Type-Moon's official Tsukihime website

Type-Moon (タイプムーン, Taipu Mūn) 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. 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.

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 Kinoko's older works, Angel Notes. 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 published by Geneon, 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 January 30, 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 January 6, 2006; a second anime series that premiered in October 2014; and a manga series that ran in publication between December 26, 2005 and October 26, 2012, in Monthly Shounen Ace. A sequel to Fate/stay night, Fate/hollow ataraxia, was released on October 28, 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".

Releases

Type-Moon has developed and produced the following:

Kara no Kyoukai -the Garden of sinners-

• Kara no Kyoukai -the Garden of sinners-, novel of 3 volumes, originally released in October 1998 and reprinted in 2004 and again in 2007. Another story was published in 2008. With 7 Anime film adaptations spanning from December 2007 to December 2009 and an OVA in February 2011. Another film has been released in September 2013 based on the chapter Mirai Fukuin.

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.^[2]
• 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.
• Tsukihime, a remake of the original game, rumored to contain a Satsuki Yumizuka route.

Fate/

• Fate/stay night, PC-based visual novel game, released on January 30, 2004. A DVD version was released on March 29, 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,^[3] the second was a movie adaptation of the Unlimited Blade Works route and also produced by Studio Deen,^[4] and the third was a TV remake of the Unlimited Blade Works route produced by ufotable.^[5] The Heaven's Feel route is presently being adapted into movie(s) by ufotable.^[6]
• Fate/hollow ataraxia, PC-based Fate/stay night sequel, released on October 28, 2005, re-released for PS Vita on December 27, 2015.
• Fate/Zero, light novel prequel, released on December 12, 2006. Made in collaboration with Nitroplus. Animated on October 2011 to June 2012.
• Fate/unlimited codes, arcade, PS2, and PSP 3D fighting game, released on October 28, 2005.
• Fate/tiger colosseum, PSP 3D fighting game, released September 13, 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 2007–2008, followed by two sequels entitled 2wei! and 3rei!!
• Fate/Extra, an RPG dungeon-crawler for the PSP-system, released July 2010. Sequel Fate/Extra CCC was released in March 2013.
• 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.
• Fate/Prototype: Fragments of Blue and 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 will be 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 January 10, 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.^[7]
• Lord El-Melloi II Case Files, a light novel written by Makoto Mita, illustrated by Sakamoto Mineji and published by TYPE-MOON under their label TYPE-MOON BOOKS.^[8] It is considered a side-story to Fate/Zero, following one of the protagonists as an adult.
• 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.^[9]

Melty Blood

• Melty Blood, PC-based fighting game, in association with French-Bread, released in December 2002. Manga serialized from June 2005 to August 2011.
• Melty Blood ReACT, PC-based expansion to Melty Blood, released in May 2004.
• Melty Blood ReACT Final Tuned, update patch to Melty Blood ReACT, released as a free download.
• Melty Blood: Act Cadenza, arcade port to Melty Blood, released on the PS2 platform in 2006.
• Melty Blood: Act Cadenza Version B, the updated PC port of Act Cadenza, was released on July 27, 2007.
• Melty Blood: Actress Again, arcade released on September 2008 and PS2-port on August 2009.
• Melty Blood: Actress Again CurrentCode, the first 2D fighting game for Sega RingWide arcade board, was released on July 29, 2010. Ver.1.07 was released later for Arcade on October 2011 and a PC port on December 2011 along with the Blu-ray release of Carnival Phantasm Season 3 limited edition. An updated version was released on Steam in April 2016.

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: Fuusa Sareta Shibuya de - Nasu wrote a special scenario for the game, with Takashi Takeuchi providing the character designs. This scenario sequel is an anime, Canaan.^[10]
• 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.
• Mahoutsukai no Yoru, a visual novel written by Kinoko Nasu, featuring art by Hirokazu Koyama and music by Fukasawa Hideyuki. Originally written and story-based 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.^[11] This game was released on April 12, 2012. This is the first Type-Moon visual novel not to be an eroge.
• World Conquest Zvezda Plot, a 2014 TV anime 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 is currently in production.
• 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.^[12]

References

External links

• TYPE-MOON's Official Homepage (Japanese)
  • TYPE-MOON's previous official website (Japanese)
• TYPE-MOON's founders and main staff Takashi Takeuchi and Kinoko Nasu's Online Diary (Japanese)
• "Type-Moon". The Visual Novel Database. 
• History of TYPE-MOON