I was introduced to Touhou sometime in 2011. When I discovered that it was a long-running series of scrolling shoot-em-up games I decided to import Perfect Cherry Blossom and Imperishable Night to give them a try. That moment, in my mind, was what brought me into the fandom. As I became aware that the unique terms set by ZUN meant that fanmade content can be freely created (within certain restraints) I began looking at various derivative works, importing games I found interesting. Before I knew it, I had entered the world of doujin "culture" and began appreciating the ones that make it what it is.
At one point, it was my dream to see Touhou games officially released in the West. The thought of being able to walk into a store and buy games belonging to the franchise, whether they're the ones made by ZUN himself, or fangames (some of which are of top-notch quality) was something I could only fantasize about. Several things prevented that from becoming reality, mainly the mentality shared within the doujin community that these self-produced, self-published works were to be sold at conventions and certain "hobby" shops specializing in such content.
Faat-forward to 2014. ZUN announces a partnership with Sony, allowing Touhou fangames to be released on the PlayStation platform. I remember being ecstatic about this, knowing that Touhou would now be able to reach a wider audience. The same games that were available on the Windows platform had expanded to cover a new platform, and good things would come of it from the perspectives of both the circles that work hard to make these games possible and the customers who now have the option to buy these games on the platform of their choice. Things were looking good at this point, but these games were still only sold in Japan, in Japanese, for a Japanese audience.
2017. The year Touhou fangames got official releases in the West. The year my dream manifest itself as the nightmare that is reality. I can go to Amazon.com or walk to the Video Games section of Target, Fry's Electronics, or Best Buy and see these Western releases of games I love behind glass shelves. My debit card's in my pocket. If I wanted to I can ask the section manager to hand me a copy, which I'd buy and bring home with me to add to my collection. There's just one problem, though: I can't play it.
In case I wasn't clear enough, I have no problem with these games being on the PlayStation platform. The more people that can play a game, the better things would be. Believe it or not, there are people so selfish that they claim a game has been "stolen" from them when it is no longer exclusive to their platform of choice. I'd like to think that those people are just internet trolls, saying nonsense like that just to incite arguments and create drama.
I can go on for another paragraph or two about computers versus consoles, but that's not what I want to write about. Besides, I'm sure everyone knows the advantages and disadvantages of the two platforms. For whatever reason, somewhere along the line between the doujin circles and the publisher, the thought that Touhou fangames, which are multi-platform in the Japanese market, should be exclusive to the PlayStation platform in the West. To an audience of players who enjoy a video game franchise that originated on computers, this shunning of them is absolutely unnecessary. A large majority of paying customers eager to play the games they love are shut out from doing so.
So what can I do? The only choice I have is to purchase the Japanese version, using the Google Translator app on my phone to see a often-inaccurate English translation. Because of the game's software-protection scheme all assets are encrypted, making even an unofficial translation impossible. I tell myself that this is the price I pay for wanting convenience, to be able to play a game that doesn't require hardware anywhere near high-end on a modest laptop computer that can be conveniently transported and carried. I paid full price for that game, as well as a small foreign transaction fee. If at any time in the future that game gets a release on the PC platform, I would buy it again on day one.
I'm still dreaming. Dreaming of the day when I can walk into a store and buy Touhou games in English to play on the platform everyone who has ever played such games is familiar with. I'm sure many of you, whether members of this forum, or just a visitor passing by, shared my dream and thoughts. In the end all this writing probably won't do much. After all it's just a post on an English-language forum dedicated to Touhou Project.
Touhou is still very new to the West in terms of localizations and official, physical releases. Things can still change, and nothing is ever certain. Just like how nobody would have thought that games like Touhou Genso Wanderer being released in the U.S. and Europe back in 2011 or even 2014, there's still hope for localized Touhou games to be released for the PC platform in the future. We're all here because we appreciate these games, so let's look forward to the day when us English-speakers can enjoy the games we love, in the language we understand, on the platform of our preference.
Thank you for reading this, and thank you for your understanding.
Never stop dreaming.