Girl of the Bakehouse: Difference between revisions

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==Development history==

MICA's director and scenarist Yuzhong first shared his work on a visual novel project in April 2008 in a series of posts on Sina Blog~~, showing in-progress artworks, the title “Epiphyllum~昙花” with the tagline “A girl who performs Siting~~[~~sic] Quartet No~~.~~14 in D Minor, D~~.810 “Death and the Maiden” ,but[sic] only by herself forever” and an expected release date of February 2009 for ComiCon 4. The cover and CD soundtrack were announced in a 19 June 2008 post. A 22 December 2008 post jokingly announced PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game with a cover art closer to the final release. A 14 May 2009 post revealed the final title and cover as well as the soundtrack, titled [[Withered]]~~. Mail reservations were open and 400 copies of each were made for ComiCup 4 on 28 May 2009 and ComiCon 4 on 7 June 2009 (despite the copyright on the cover stating 2008~~)~~. While no concrete figures are known, Yuzhong said he was satisfied with the sales in a 10 June 2009 post~~.

MICA's director and scenarist Yuzhong first shared his work on a visual novel project in April 2008 in a series of posts on Sina Blog ([https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VP-f4vpS4wDd_4NQyVpln_J-ZyXMhzBy0BNSf2ClUMQ/edit archived here]).

~~In a 2 June 2009 post~~, ~~Yuzhong explained that someone at ComiCup 4 motivated him to create~~ a ~~full-fledged strategy~~ game.<ref>[~~https~~://~~docs~~.~~google~~.~~com~~/~~document~~/d/~~1VP~~-~~f4vpS4wDd_4NQyVpln_J~~-~~ZyXMhzBy0BNSf2ClUMQ/edit# Archive of Yuzhong's Sina blog~~]</ref> In the ~~following years~~, ~~MICA and~~ Yuzhong ~~would produce the~~ [[~~Guns&~~Girls]] ~~doujin series and work~~ on ~~a sequel and an HD remaster for Bakehouse, which eventually led to the release of~~ [[~~Codename~~: ~~Bakery Girl]~~] in ~~2013~~. The ~~new game reuses Mendo~~ and ~~Jefuty'~~s ~~names as well as details such as Jefuty using a bolt~~-~~action rifle, Mendo's foster father being a Colonel, a Major as an antagonist and a sniping sequence from a bell tower~~, but the ~~two stories are otherwise completely different~~.

The project began as an animation class assignment that Yuzhong kept expanding on, eventually producing an initial 42-pages storyboard and choosing NScripter as a game engine. Finding his original script too ordinary, he heavily revised it, making the story increasingly darker.<ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af10100991j.html?type=-1 Sina Blog - 啊啊，作为3个月计划启动的纪念~~]</ref> Though Yuzhong does not mention it in his blog, one can note that the anime ''Gunslinger Girl -Il Teatrino-'', which Yuzhong later cited as an inspiration for [[Girls' Frontline]]'s story,<ref>Dream Theatre interview on [https://www.bilibili.com/read/cv6865471/ Bilibili] & [https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/8sS1Twoi_DLEJi33xV2Uag WeChat]</ref> aired in the same time frame. The posts showed in-progress artworks and revealed the name of the protagonist, 云 (Yún, “Cloud”).<ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af1010099rc.html?type=-1 Sina - 今天是生日啦啦啦…………不过也没什么好高兴的- -]</ref> Yuzhong also talked about his compulsion to not make the ending entirely sad, but to leave some hope for the main character.<ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af101009c9j.html?type=-1 Sina - 因为什么都不想贴所以随便写些的东西随便怎么想当填坑也可以= =]</ref><ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af101009drr.html?type=-1 Sina - 4月24日蹲图书馆写剧本有感]</ref>

A scene inspired by the infiltration of the Antarctican camp plays in Act 8-4E of [[Girls' Frontline]]. A scene in [[Reverse Collapse: Code Name Bakery]] is inspired by the cover of the “Epiphyllum” prototype: {{spoiler|~~the character is named~~ [[Cloud]] ~~and is~~ [[Jefuty]] and [[Mendo]]'s daughter in a doomed future.}}<ref>{{cite|rc|Chapter 5, Act 1}}</ref>

On 21 April 2008, Yuzhong announced the title “Epiphyllum~昙花”, with the tagline “A girl who performs Siting[sic] Quartet No.14 in D Minor, D.810 “Death and the Maiden” ,but[sic] only by herself forever”, and an expected completion date of February 2009, along with a synopsis:<ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af101009bts.html?type=-1 Sina - 《Epiphyllum》制作宣告（更新宣传图用意）]</ref> {{CollapseSection|

From blooming to withering.

So the Epiphyllum begins, and so she ends.

Her time is unbearably short.

And yet her time is unbearably long.

Such is the Epiphyllum.

Her beauty lasts but a moment…

At my spot on the shore, I listen intently. My skin is terribly dry from the cold sea breeze. The sun has yet to emerge from the sea, and there isn’t a sound except for the waves crashing on the bank, and her music.

She’s playing her violin as if conveying her worries. Dawn filters through the clouds and shines on her silhouette, casting her in a foggy halo.

Ever since I met her, I come back everyday to listen to her music. I am her only audience, this sea-sprayed embankment is her only stage. The sound of the crashing waves echoes endlessly along the coast, drowning the sound of her performance.

“I’ve always loved the sound of the violin…”

This is what she said the first time we met.

Then she looked in my direction, like she wanted me to respond.

I pretended I didn’t hear her.

She looked disappointed, and my heart ached. But I don’t know how I could have answered.

I’m powerless. I can’t share the joy of music with her, I can’t even save her.

Sadness overcomes me every time I think back.

----

The lone island and its single bridge sit between two continents. Years ago, it was consumed by a cruel war and swept by a plague, and remains officially off-limits. The inhabitants have been called monsters, and a heavily armed force occupies the main city.

“This can’t be…”

I’m a member of this armed force, and while patrolling I suddenly found a girl playing the violin. I couldn’t find it in me to obey my orders and shoot this girl who shouldn’t be here. I talked and sympathized with her, and this is why I go to the seaside every day to listen to her music. Though we enjoy our arrangement, I don’t know who she is and what her future holds.

So the Epiphyllum begins, and so she ends. Through truths and lies, the blooming Epihyllum disappears in a flash…

}}

The work was credited to MICA Team, a doujin group founded by Yuzhong during his freshman year of college.<ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af10100ceia.html?type=-1 Sina - 10000达成~~大庆贺！羽中的超长篇~！]</ref> The cover of the CD soundtrack was shown in a 19 June 2008 post, announcing credits for MICA Team and OTAKU FOUND.<ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af101009znr.html?type=-1 Sina - 《Epiphyllum》原声CD封面杀青~~]</ref> In August, Yuzhong announced that the game would be presented in black and white to speed up production,<ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af10100auja.html?type=-1 Sina - 更新几张画稿……我练功发自内心！]</ref> but later clarified that he would in fact only tone down the use of colors.<ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af10100bznb.html?type=-1 Sina - 好久不更新，更新下《昙花》的情况吧]</ref> Promotional material for the game was included in the pamphlet for the Chinese Doujin Game Makers Alliance (中国同人游戏制作联盟) at ComicDive 1 in Beijing on 5 October, at YACA in Guangzhou on 12 October, and ComiCup 3 in Shanghai on 1st November 2008.<ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af10100akmh.html?type=-1 Sina - 新宣传图用意！好久没发游戏新图了~~]</ref><ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af10100b1lx.html?type=-1 Sina - Epiphyllum新宣传图登场~]</ref><ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af10100b4fg.html?type=-1 Sina - 国内同人游戏联合宣传志《同人游戏祭》发售在即~~]</ref>

A 22 December 2008 post jokingly announced PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game with a cover art closer to the final release.<ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af10100c2px.html?type=-1 Sina - PS3《昙花》封面暴光！官方表示360版本将会延期发售]</ref> A 14 May 2009 post revealed the final title and cover as well as the soundtrack, titled [[Withered]]. Mail reservations were opened and 400 copies of each were made for ComiCup 4 on 28 May 2009 and ComiCon 4 on 7 June 2009 (despite the copyright on the cover stating 2008), selling for 35RMB for the game, 28RMB for the soundtrack and 60RMB for both.<ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af10100dmwo.html?type=-1 Sina - [同人游戏宣传]面包房少女~Withered[预约开始]]</ref><ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af10100dumf.html?type=-1 Sina - 劳资也是人参淫家拉！拉！拉！拉！拉！！！]</ref> While no concrete figures are known, Yuzhong said he was satisfied with the sales in a 10 June 2009 post,<ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af10100e1eg.html?type=-1 Sina - 基情四射之CC4篇]</ref> though he also said the game was rushed.<ref name=Final />

In a 2 June 2009 post, Yuzhong explained that someone at ComiCup 4 motivated him to create a fully fledged strategy game.<ref name=Final>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af10100dxaf.html?type=-1 Sina - 我又开新坑了啊哈哈哈(招募会SLG的程序员以及象素画师]</ref> In the following years, MICA and Yuzhong would produce the [[Guns&Girls]] doujin series and work on a sequel and an HD remaster for Bakehouse, which eventually led to the release of [[Codename: Bakery Girl]] in 2013. The new game reuses Mendo and Jefuty's names as well as details such as Jefuty using a bolt-action rifle, Mendo's foster father being a Colonel, a Major as an antagonist and a sniping sequence from a bell tower, but the two stories are otherwise completely different.

A scene inspired by the infiltration of the Antarctican camp plays in Act 8-4E of [[Girls' Frontline]]. A scene in [[Reverse Collapse: Code Name Bakery]] is inspired by the soundtrack cover of the “Epiphyllum” prototype: {{spoiler|[[Cloud]] makes an appearance as [[Jefuty]] and [[Mendo]]'s daughter in a doomed future.}}<ref>{{cite|rc|Chapter 5, Act 1}}</ref>

==Credits==

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File:Bakehouse Promo Screen 6.jpg

File:Bakehouse Promo Screen 7.jpg

File:Epyphillum cover.jpg|Non-final cover using the Epiphyllum title.

File:Epyphillum cover.jpg|Non-final OST cover using the Epiphyllum title.

File:RC CG 50006 3.png|[[Reverse Collapse: Code Name Bakery]] scene inspired by the “Epiphyllum” prototype.

</gallery>

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 ==Development history==
-MICA's director and scenarist Yuzhong first shared his work on a visual novel project in April 2008 in a series of posts on Sina Blog, showing in-progress artworks, the title “Epiphyllum~昙花” with the tagline “A girl who performs Siting[sic] Quartet No.14 in D Minor, D.810 “Death and the Maiden” ,but[sic] only by herself forever” and an expected release date of February 2009 for ComiCon 4. The cover and CD soundtrack were announced in a 19 June 2008 post. A 22 December 2008 post jokingly announced PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game with a cover art closer to the final release. A 14 May 2009 post revealed the final title and cover as well as the soundtrack, titled [[Withered]]. Mail reservations were open and 400 copies of each were made for ComiCup 4 on 28 May 2009 and ComiCon 4 on 7 June 2009 (despite the copyright on the cover stating 2008). While no concrete figures are known, Yuzhong said he was satisfied with the sales in a 10 June 2009 post.
+MICA's director and scenarist Yuzhong first shared his work on a visual novel project in April 2008 in a series of posts on Sina Blog ([https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VP-f4vpS4wDd_4NQyVpln_J-ZyXMhzBy0BNSf2ClUMQ/edit archived here]).
-In a 2 June 2009 post, Yuzhong explained that someone at ComiCup 4 motivated him to create a full-fledged strategy game.<ref>[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VP-f4vpS4wDd_4NQyVpln_J-ZyXMhzBy0BNSf2ClUMQ/edit# Archive of Yuzhong's Sina blog]</ref> In the following years, MICA and Yuzhong would produce the [[Guns&Girls]] doujin series and work on a sequel and an HD remaster for Bakehouse, which eventually led to the release of [[Codename: Bakery Girl]] in 2013. The new game reuses Mendo and Jefuty's names as well as details such as Jefuty using a bolt-action rifle, Mendo's foster father being a Colonel, a Major as an antagonist and a sniping sequence from a bell tower, but the two stories are otherwise completely different.
+The project began as an animation class assignment that Yuzhong kept expanding on, eventually producing an initial 42-pages storyboard and choosing NScripter as a game engine. Finding his original script too ordinary, he heavily revised it, making the story increasingly darker.<ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af10100991j.html?type=-1 Sina Blog - 啊啊，作为3个月计划启动的纪念~~]</ref> Though Yuzhong does not mention it in his blog, one can note that the anime ''Gunslinger Girl -Il Teatrino-'', which Yuzhong later cited as an inspiration for [[Girls' Frontline]]'s story,<ref>Dream Theatre interview on [https://www.bilibili.com/read/cv6865471/ Bilibili] & [https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/8sS1Twoi_DLEJi33xV2Uag WeChat]</ref> aired in the same time frame. The posts showed in-progress artworks and revealed the name of the protagonist, 云 (Yún, “Cloud”).<ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af1010099rc.html?type=-1 Sina - 今天是生日啦啦啦…………不过也没什么好高兴的- -]</ref> Yuzhong also talked about his compulsion to not make the ending entirely sad, but to leave some hope for the main character.<ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af101009c9j.html?type=-1 Sina - 因为什么都不想贴所以随便写些的东西随便怎么想当填坑也可以= =]</ref><ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af101009drr.html?type=-1 Sina - 4月24日蹲图书馆写剧本有感]</ref>
-A scene inspired by the infiltration of the Antarctican camp plays in Act 8-4E of [[Girls' Frontline]]. A scene in [[Reverse Collapse: Code Name Bakery]] is inspired by the cover of the “Epiphyllum” prototype: {{spoiler|the character is named [[Cloud]] and is [[Jefuty]] and [[Mendo]]'s daughter in a doomed future.}}<ref>{{cite|rc|Chapter 5, Act 1}}</ref>
+On 21 April 2008, Yuzhong announced the title “Epiphyllum~昙花”, with the tagline “A girl who performs Siting[sic] Quartet No.14 in D Minor, D.810 “Death and the Maiden” ,but[sic] only by herself forever”, and an expected completion date of February 2009, along with a synopsis:<ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af101009bts.html?type=-1 Sina - 《Epiphyllum》制作宣告（更新宣传图用意）]</ref> {{CollapseSection|
+From blooming to withering.
+So the Epiphyllum begins, and so she ends.
+Her time is unbearably short.
+And yet her time is unbearably long.
+Such is the Epiphyllum.
+Her beauty lasts but a moment…
+At my spot on the shore, I listen intently. My skin is terribly dry from the cold sea breeze. The sun has yet to emerge from the sea, and there isn’t a sound except for the waves crashing on the bank, and her music.
+She’s playing her violin as if conveying her worries. Dawn filters through the clouds and shines on her silhouette, casting her in a foggy halo.
+Ever since I met her, I come back everyday to listen to her music. I am her only audience, this sea-sprayed embankment is her only stage. The sound of the crashing waves echoes endlessly along the coast, drowning the sound of her performance.
+“I’ve always loved the sound of the violin…”
+This is what she said the first time we met.
+Then she looked in my direction, like she wanted me to respond.
+I pretended I didn’t hear her.
+She looked disappointed, and my heart ached. But I don’t know how I could have answered.
+I’m powerless. I can’t share the joy of music with her, I can’t even save her.
+Sadness overcomes me every time I think back.
+----
+The lone island and its single bridge sit between two continents. Years ago, it was consumed by a cruel war and swept by a plague, and remains officially off-limits. The inhabitants have been called monsters, and a heavily armed force occupies the main city.
+“This can’t be…”
+I’m a member of this armed force, and while patrolling I suddenly found a girl playing the violin. I couldn’t find it in me to obey my orders and shoot this girl who shouldn’t be here. I talked and sympathized with her, and this is why I go to the seaside every day to listen to her music. Though we enjoy our arrangement, I don’t know who she is and what her future holds.
+So the Epiphyllum begins, and so she ends. Through truths and lies, the blooming Epihyllum disappears in a flash…
+}}
+The work was credited to MICA Team, a doujin group founded by Yuzhong during his freshman year of college.<ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af10100ceia.html?type=-1 Sina - 10000达成~~大庆贺！羽中的超长篇~！]</ref> The cover of the CD soundtrack was shown in a 19 June 2008 post, announcing credits for MICA Team and OTAKU FOUND.<ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af101009znr.html?type=-1 Sina - 《Epiphyllum》原声CD封面杀青~~]</ref> In August, Yuzhong announced that the game would be presented in black and white to speed up production,<ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af10100auja.html?type=-1 Sina - 更新几张画稿……我练功发自内心！]</ref> but later clarified that he would in fact only tone down the use of colors.<ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af10100bznb.html?type=-1 Sina - 好久不更新，更新下《昙花》的情况吧]</ref> Promotional material for the game was included in the pamphlet for the Chinese Doujin Game Makers Alliance (中国同人游戏制作联盟) at ComicDive 1 in Beijing on 5 October, at YACA in Guangzhou on 12 October, and ComiCup 3 in Shanghai on 1st November 2008.<ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af10100akmh.html?type=-1 Sina - 新宣传图用意！好久没发游戏新图了~~]</ref><ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af10100b1lx.html?type=-1 Sina - Epiphyllum新宣传图登场~]</ref><ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af10100b4fg.html?type=-1 Sina - 国内同人游戏联合宣传志《同人游戏祭》发售在即~~]</ref>
+A 22 December 2008 post jokingly announced PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game with a cover art closer to the final release.<ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af10100c2px.html?type=-1 Sina - PS3《昙花》封面暴光！官方表示360版本将会延期发售]</ref> A 14 May 2009 post revealed the final title and cover as well as the soundtrack, titled [[Withered]]. Mail reservations were opened and 400 copies of each were made for ComiCup 4 on 28 May 2009 and ComiCon 4 on 7 June 2009 (despite the copyright on the cover stating 2008), selling for 35RMB for the game, 28RMB for the soundtrack and 60RMB for both.<ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af10100dmwo.html?type=-1 Sina - [同人游戏宣传]面包房少女~Withered[预约开始]]</ref><ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af10100dumf.html?type=-1 Sina - 劳资也是人参淫家拉！拉！拉！拉！拉！！！]</ref> While no concrete figures are known, Yuzhong said he was satisfied with the sales in a 10 June 2009 post,<ref>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af10100e1eg.html?type=-1 Sina - 基情四射之CC4篇]</ref> though he also said the game was rushed.<ref name=Final />
+In a 2 June 2009 post, Yuzhong explained that someone at ComiCup 4 motivated him to create a fully fledged strategy game.<ref name=Final>[http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_51b31af10100dxaf.html?type=-1 Sina - 我又开新坑了啊哈哈哈(招募会SLG的程序员以及象素画师]</ref> In the following years, MICA and Yuzhong would produce the [[Guns&Girls]] doujin series and work on a sequel and an HD remaster for Bakehouse, which eventually led to the release of [[Codename: Bakery Girl]] in 2013. The new game reuses Mendo and Jefuty's names as well as details such as Jefuty using a bolt-action rifle, Mendo's foster father being a Colonel, a Major as an antagonist and a sniping sequence from a bell tower, but the two stories are otherwise completely different.
+A scene inspired by the infiltration of the Antarctican camp plays in Act 8-4E of [[Girls' Frontline]]. A scene in [[Reverse Collapse: Code Name Bakery]] is inspired by the soundtrack cover of the “Epiphyllum” prototype: {{spoiler|[[Cloud]] makes an appearance as [[Jefuty]] and [[Mendo]]'s daughter in a doomed future.}}<ref>{{cite|rc|Chapter 5, Act 1}}</ref>
 ==Credits==
@@ Line 61: / Line 111: @@
 File:Bakehouse Promo Screen 6.jpg
 File:Bakehouse Promo Screen 7.jpg
-File:Epyphillum cover.jpg|Non-final cover using the Epiphyllum title.
+File:Epyphillum cover.jpg|Non-final OST cover using the Epiphyllum title.
 File:RC CG 50006 3.png|[[Reverse Collapse: Code Name Bakery]] scene inspired by the “Epiphyllum” prototype.
 </gallery>