BUSTAFELLOWS season2’s Surprising Return With minetaka and KENN

In an unexpected comeback, the otome visual novel series BUSTAFELLOWS announced its return with the brand-new sequel, BUSTAFELLOWS season2! season2 picks up after the aftermath of BUSTAFELLOWS with the same protagonist Teuta — a brilliant freelancing journalist with the ability to briefly go back in time and find clues — and her crime-fighting gang of love interests. Having endured many hardships during the first game, they must now uncover the darkness that continues to plague their city, New Sieg, whilst deepening their relationships with one another.

With the anticipated release of BUSTAFELLOWS season2 and its demo now out on Steam, Anime Trending had the opportunity to conduct an email interview with BUSTAFELLOWS producer minetaka and Limbo’s voice actor KENN. The two of them reminisced about the creation process of BUSTAFELLOWS, the game’s immersion that is centered around American culture, and hinted at brand-new developments for the second game. 

minetaka on the development of BUSTAFELLOWS season2

How long has BUSTAFELLOWS season2 been in development for? Were there any challenges that your team faced throughout the development process?

minetaka: When we released the first game in 2019, all the ideas and everything we wanted to create about BUSTAFELLOWS were packed into the first game, so to be honest, we felt like we had used up just about every idea we had. But then a huge wave of support came in, and people fell in love with the characters and the setting of New Sieg. I started thinking things like, “You know, I want to see more of New Sieg too…” We needed to consult all the main staff, make the necessary preparations, and start planning it from scratch in an empty notebook, so it took two to three years to get everything together.

Since 2020, the impact of the COVID pandemic has been significant, and not being able to meet and talk with the other staff members in person made it extremely difficult. I had assumed that texting or talking over the phone would be enough to continue development, but it turned out that things like casual conversation or just chatting over a meal are things that create a polished end product.

There were physical challenges like these, but more than that, the fact that it was a sequel was an even greater challenge. As I said earlier, we had packed everything we wanted to do into the first game, and so we felt empty.

The localization of BUSTAFELLOWS season2 is a huge win for Western fans, especially since many otome games unfortunately stay region-locked to Japan. How was the decision to localize the game decided, and what do you expect the future of otome games in the West to look like?

minetaka: Having PQube localize the first game and for BUSTAFELLOWS to become known all over the world through the English version was a very precious experience for me.

I think there are many games that get localized into multiple languages, but visual novels are particularly difficult to localize because the amount of text to be translated is quite significant.

Have you ever stopped and thought about how much text is actually in your average visual novel? Many contain enough words to rival 40 to 50 novels, so translating them becomes an ordeal in and of itself. Depending on the game, you might need to localize more naturally in a method called “culturalization,” but for BUSTAFELLOWS, the English release ended up faithfully retaining the idea of a fictional American city imagined by myself, a Japanese person. I was nervous about how people might react to my interpretation of America, but I was pleased to see that it was received positively.

Will the game be tied into the original BUSTAFELLOWS, or will it be a brand new, standalone story? What kinds of surprises should fans of the original expect to see?

minetaka: As the title suggests, season2 is a continuation of the previous story. If you played the first BUSTAFELLOWS game, then you’ve probably seen the epilogue with a certain someone from New Sieg. The story of BUSTAFELLOWS season2 concerns this person and what happens to them. We didn’t just want to make a story for the sake of making one, so we took great care to ensure it’ll be the type of story that can allow fans of the original to appreciate the setting and characters more than ever before.

Should fans expect to see a BUSTAFELLOWS Season 3?

minetaka: Honestly? I’m not sure. I put my all into this release, much as I did with the first game… So once again, I feel empty. 

However, we have received so many messages, so much love and support from overseas fans. We are seeing more opportunities to explore the world of BUSTAFELLOWS like with the radio show in Japan, the big event we ran in Kyoto, the stage event at Anime Expo 2024, and the release of the Chinese version — all which make me feel like I would like to discover even more of their stories.

KENN on voicing Limbo in BUSTAFELLOWS season2

Please tell us about your favorite scenes in BUSTAFELLOWS and BUSTAFELLOWS season2.

KENN: In the first BUSTAFELLOWS, there was a scene where Limbo speaks French, and I remember really struggling during the recording. Limbo has this innate coolness — like he can do anything impeccably. So to properly express that, I had to re-record my lines numerous times until I could speak French smoothly.

In BUSTAFELLOWS season2, there’s a certain scene where another character pretends to be Limbo. It was a funny scene because I voiced Limbo, but I was also in charge of voicing the person pretending to be Limbo too. I’d like for everyone who’s going to play BUSTAFELLOWS season2 to look forward to it, so while I can’t give any details, I really think it’s a scene that people should be excited about.

Besides Limbo, is there another character that you find interesting?

KENN: All of the characters have really interesting stories, so it’s hard to choose, but I would say I like Mozu and his episode. Mozu has a distinct personality, but in BUSTAFELLOWS season2, he interacts with a very peculiar character. That’s another thing I hope people will look forward to. While there are some pretty gut-wrenching scenes, you’ll also experience some heartwarming episodes as well.

What do you like about BUSTAFELLOWS?

KENN: minetaka previously mentioned that he is really fond of American culture, and that he loaded the things he knows and likes about the US into the game that came to be known as BUSTAFELLOWS. That affectionate worldview makes everything feel so real, and that’s what really draws me in. The characters in that world are truly alive, and you just don’t really see that in other games. It feels like if I were walking through an American town, I might just run into Limbo. The characters are so realistic, and it actually feels just like that.

Thank you to PQube for the interview opportunity. BUSTAFELLOWS is available on Nintendo Switch and Steam, while BUSTAFELLOWS season2 will release on the same platforms on July 17th, 2025.