Hmmm, is the crash always at that exact spot? If so, then two possibilities come to mind. The first that comes to mind is a possible corruption of a game file relating to that particular scene. The only other thing I can think of that could be the problem is your computer having trouble with some effect in the game. (In particular, there is a kind of heat wave effect applied at about that point in the game.) So I guess my advice would be to go in to the options and switch effects to off, then try and get through the scene again. If it makes it through, then I’m guessing that’s the problem, though it would be really odd, considering you haven’t mentioned any problem with effects in the game thus far. If not, then something that might help in diagnosing the problem is telling us more about your computer specifications besides the fact that you are running Vista.
While I’m not sure I’m on the right track in thinking there is a corrupted file, I’m going to go on that assumption for now. So, I’ve thought of a few other things that might help in figuring this out. First, you said you switched on and off various options in the “config” screen. I take it that includes character voices, sound effects, and music? If so, then if there is a corrupted game file, then I’m assuming that the corrupted file isn’t in the archive files for them. (Unless, of course, the game is still accessing the sound files and we just aren’t hearing them.) Did this happen only after you had saved the game and loaded from that save? If so, try starting the game over and skipping through the game (using either the “skip” button, or holding down the control key), until you reach the point at which you are crashing. If it still crashes, then we know that there isn’t something in the save file causing the crash. (I say to start over because if the error is in a save file, and you have more than one save file, we have no idea if that same error is in an earlier save.) Lastly, is there anything more you can tell about the error that pops up on the crash? For instance, does it say anything about a XXXX.exe (e.g. prwaltz.exe) or XXXX.dll (e.g. binkw32.dll) in the error?
Try running the game in XP emulation mode.
I’m also having the exact same problem. I don’t even have AppLocale installed on this computer. 
Nop, that computer doesn’t even have japanese fonts installed. I’ll probably install the game on my laptop or - if I get desperate enough - my other desktop, tomorrow. I had anyway decided to stop playing for today.
I’m not giving up on the main computer yet,though. I’ll try disabling whatever codecs I might have and getting new drivers for everything.
Ok, so I’m stupid 
Turns out I had non-unicode programs being executed in Greek, so switching that to english (United States) fixed this. 
That’s caused by an “unprintable” character being present in that text at that point. There’s at least three such places I’ve come across. I’m running in pure American English settings, and my game didn’t have any problems at that point. Seems those odd characters cause problems in other language settings. Looks like that until Peach Princess patches the game, we will need to run our machines in settings that don’t blow up when they hit those characters in text.
I’ll report those with my typos as normal, unless someone from PP staff want me to email them the screens of those locations before hand.
I just have the problem with the game not wanting to use 800x600 graphics, full screen
or window otherwise in windows 800x600 mode. I also tend to find the game crashing often
during combat mode … any work arounds for that.
The only suggestion I could make would be to make sure your graphic and sound drivers are all up to date. Are you using Vista 64? Vista 32? Something else?
Same exact thing, at same exact place. MY comp uses XP. Went into control panel, “Date, Time, Language and Regional Options”, then into “Regional and Language Options”, the “Languages” tab. There I saw that I had checked off “Install East Asian languages”.
Unchecked it, computer restarted, problem solved, though the font has changed to an ugly yellow, and has stayed that way even after going back and re-checking that language option. FYI: turning off all options, going to a windowed format, had no effect whatsoever.
Patch, please, Peach Princess.
And thanks for posting this problem and focusing on the language problem.
I want to express my sincerest thanks to DanSmith for running into and solving the here initially mentioned problem - because I too ran into it and am now glad that I at least found a solution here.
After I re-installed the game with User- and System-locale set to US-English, I could finally continue from there.
In addition to that, I tested that apparently the locale-settings are only important during the installation.
After I first played beyond the crash mith both settings still on US-English, I first switched the system locale (including the then mandatory reboot) and finally the user-locale back to my usual setting “japanese”. In both cases, the crash didn’t occur anymore - instead the text color was yellow instead of white.
But then - better having to read the text in an unusual color than being stuck with an “Access violation in program prwaltz.exe” and no way around it.
Thus, I also think that either this topic should be stickied - or even better: either Shingo or Lamuness makes a new stickied thread in an FAQ-manner with solutions/workarounds regarding technical problems with Princess Waltz. After all: both threads that Shingo made for other technical problems are also about to disappear into the mist of dead threads.
Do you have the english language version of Windows? if not that might be the issue. I wouldn’t think having programs in another language would affect it all that much. It might effect the programs but not the OS itself.
Just like I said in your YMK thread do you have any codec packs installed
Just wanted to thank everyone. I had the same problem with the crash, but setting everything on my system to US worked. 