When it comes to adapted work, there will always be a passionate contingent of fans insistent on checking out the original, but outside the pirate bay, that hasn't always been easy. Despite their connections to some of the biggest anime properties of the last decade, Fate/Stay Night, Tsukihime, and many of Type-Moon's other visual novels haven't been released in the U.S.
That could change considerably in the future, however, as on November 3, Playstation 4 and Nintendo Switch owners got a demo for Witch on the Holy Night. This Tsukihime prequel is set to come to the west this winter, and assuming it is received well, this might just be the beginning of a new wave of Type-Moon localizations.
What Is Witch on the Holy Night?
Witch on the Holy Night is set in 1989 in Misaki Town and follows Aoko Aozaki, a young woman practicing magecraft under the guidance of mage Alice Kounji. Together they live in an old manor until the intervention of a young man named Soujuurou Shizuki sends the three of them on a strange journey.
The Aozaki has exciting significance to fans of writer Kinoku Nasu's work, and for readers who are friends with Fate fans, you have no doubt been on the receiving end of many a passionate rant. Aoko Aozaki in particular is a major character from Tsukihime, having given the protagonist, Shiki Tohno, the glasses that let him keep his powers in check.
Aozaki is one of those names that pop up all around Fate and its associated works. While Aoko plays a significant role in Tsukihime, her older sister was a crucial part of the story that inspired Tsukihime. Fans of Garden on Sinners know her as Touko Aozaki, the proprietor of Garan no Dou (The Hollow Shrine).
The Aozaki sisters are poetically similar; so much so that they each are mentors of sorts to the protagonists of different but similar stories in which the leads have the same unique power. But they are also quite different in personality and their goals. As sisters, their early relationship is complicated and wrought with conflict.
Witch on the Holy Night, originally released in Japan in 2012, offers fans a chance to delve deeper into the pasts of the Aozaki sisters while enjoying an exciting modern fantasy. Not only is it a prequel to the events of Tsukihime, but in particular it functions as a fitting prequel to the new remake from 2021.
What Next?!
An international release of Tsukihime feels especially warranted given how much other Kinoku Nasu works have been given with regard to adaptations. While Fate/Stay Night and Garden of Sinners have gotten hugely popular and critically acclaimed anime adaptations from Ufotable, Tsukihime has gotten left out.
Apart from the loathed anime adaptation from 2003 or the Melty Blood game franchise, there haven't been any other avenues to appreciate what is regarded as one of Nasu's best works. Unlike Fate/Stay Night, the VN of which has also never come out, there is no high-quality alternative in the form of a series or a film.
Nasu himself stated at the release of the Tsukihime remake that he would love for it to be released in English, notably on Steam, which has no shortage of visual novels. So it has certainly been on the table and there is no doubt an audience for it. Even better, consider if Fate fans in the west could finally buy the original VN and see story details lacking in Ufotable's adaptations.
Fans of Fate and its associated works, be it in anime, manga, novel, or visual novel form, should take special interest in the upcoming release of Witch on the Holy Night. It could very well be a sign of more things to come, and more ways to enjoy this beloved, sprawling fantasy universe. The demo is currently available on PS4 and Switch, with the full release slated for December 8.
Additionally, Ufotable announced in late 2021 that Ufotable would be adapting Witch on the Holy Night into a feature film, though no official release date has been given.
Source: GamerBraves.com