“The Moon Over the Mountain” is a rewritten interpretation of the classic story “The Tiger-Poet” by Japanese author Atsushi Nakajima, telling the tragic tale of Li Zheng, a scholar of the Tang dynasty who transforms into a tiger amidst inner conflict and despair.
This work presents a new Chinese retranslation of the original text, adapted into a visual novel, aiming to provide a smoother and more resonant reading experience for modern readers.
The game is a single-route visual novel in NVL mode, featuring simple visuals and minimal music, focusing purely on the text and emotion of the story.
Average playtime is about 15 minutes.
Below are excerpts from the translated text:
“He had all but lost hope in his own poetry.”
“Death came to my mind at once.”
“I feared I was not a gem and thus dared not polish myself with effort; yet half-believing that I was a gem, I also disdained to mingle with common stones.”
“Now I can no longer live as a human. Even if I could compose brilliant poems in my mind, I can no longer present them to the world. Moreover, my heart is gradually turning into that of a tiger. What should I do? What will become of the life I have wasted? I can’t hold on any longer.”
“So I climbed to the peak of a mountain and roared into the empty valley, wishing to let others hear this burning sorrow. Last night I roared at the moon, hoping someone might understand this anguish. But the beasts only trembled at the tiger’s cry; the mountains, trees, moon, and dew all took it for the howl of a maddened creature.”
“Even if I roar and lament to the heavens, no one will ever understand my heart—just as no one did when I was still human.”
“Soon I shall sink again into drunkenness and become a tiger once more. The moment of parting has come.”
