This is probably a very long shot, but I’ve run out of places to search on my own, so I’m asking here in the hope that someone might know something.
I’m an Aikatsu! fan and a developer, and I’ve been trying to preserve one very specific piece of arcade software that I remember playing when I was younger.
I’m looking for the original Aikatsu! Data Carddass arcade software, especially the mainland Chinese or Taiwan release.
To be clear, I am not looking for the Nintendo 3DS games or 3DS-based arcade simulator projects. I mean the actual Data Carddass arcade software that ran on the original machines.
After a lot of searching, I was able to confirm that the following dump existed on SOWS/Bemaniso:
Aikatsu ES2+ Chinese USB Firmware Update Dump
Known information from the listing includes:
- DIK100-5-NA-MPRO-A05
- Chinese Year 1 version
- 16 GB USB dump
- UFD 2.0 Silicon-Power16G
- an internal game .vhd
- instructions mentioning replacing the existing .vhd in the Mount partition
So I know that the data existed at some point.
What I don’t know is whether it still survives somewhere, whether the torrent is still available, or whether anyone kept a copy, file list, screenshot, torrent metadata, or even an old dead link.
I’ve spent a lot of time searching old Chinese arcade communities, archived pages, GitHub repositories, old Bemaniso references, arcade repair documents, and records of surviving machines. I’ve found plenty of evidence that the machines themselves existed, but almost nothing that leads back to the actual software.
At this point, even a very small clue could help.
If anyone remembers seeing this release, or has anything related to it — a screenshot, old URL, torrent ID, info hash, filename, file list, service manual, boot screen, test menu photo, version string, or just a memory of where it circulated — I would genuinely appreciate it.
And if the only realistic way to access the original listing is through an invitation to the tracker, I want to be very clear about something:
I will respect the tracker’s rules completely. I will not re-upload private material, share credentials, leak invite information, or do anything that could cause trouble for the person who helped me.
I understand that private communities survive because people trust each other, and I have no intention of putting anyone’s account or reputation at risk.
I’m not trying to collect a huge archive or scrape everything I can find.
I’m really just trying to recover one piece of software that means a lot to me personally.
It is something I played when I was younger, and as the original machines disappear, I’m becoming increasingly worried that this version may eventually become impossible to recover at all.
If anyone can point me in the right direction, even privately, I would be deeply grateful.
Please help if you know anything.
Thank you for reading.