The visual novel series Coffee Talk, which places players in the role of a barista serving magical patrons in a fantastical Seattle, returns with Coffee Talk Tokyo. While its predecessors effectively used their setting to explore societal issues like racism and the inclusion of marginalized peoples, this latest entry falters in its transplantation to Japan. Despite its title and setting, Coffee Talk Tokyo largely eschews deep engagement with Japanese culture and contemporary societal concerns, instead opting for a surface-level aesthetic.
The strength of the earlier Coffee Talk games lay in how their dialogue and character arcs were woven into the fabric of Magical Seattle, touching on themes such as interspecies relationships and societal prejudice. These narratives acknowledged the complexities of public opinion and the fluid nature of social issues. Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly built upon this foundation, introducing new characters and exploring themes like the marginalization of peoples and the impact of mass layoffs.
Coffee Talk Tokyo shifts the setting to Magical Tokyo, introducing characters drawn from Japanese folklore, such as dragons, kappas, and yuki-onna. However, the game fails to capitalize on this new locale to explore issues specific to contemporary Japan. While English-speaking characters pepper their dialogue with Japanese honorifics like -san, -chan, and -kun inconsistently, and use terms like 'senpai' without clear reason, these elements feel more like decorative window dressing than an authentic representation of the language or culture. Even a storyline involving a child of English and Japanese parents, which could have explored themes of dual cultural identity, is underdeveloped and sidelined.
The game's depiction of Tokyo's intense summer heat is frequently mentioned, with the barista often lamenting "Gosh, this heat..." However, this observation is never interrogated for its real-world implications, such as the severe effects of heatstroke on Tokyo's workforce, a significant concern in the actual city.
A prominent recurring character is Kenji, a kappa salaryman who embodies the stereotype of the overworked and stressed middle-aged Japanese man. He expresses concerns about his job and work-life balance, but the game stops short of delving into Japan's notorious overwork epidemic and its devastating potential consequences for mental well-being. This reluctance to explore such a Japan-specific and potent issue is particularly striking, given that the game's setting would have provided a unique context for such a narrative.
Instead of engaging with Japan's realities, Coffee Talk Tokyo appears to lean into the idealized image often presented through anime, manga, and games. This approach mirrors Japan's 'Cool Japan' strategy, which promotes a curated, positive image of the country that often omits its more challenging societal aspects. The game prioritizes a palatable, aesthetically pleasing representation of Japan, akin to adding a Torii gate stencil to a latte, rather than exploring the complexities of its lived experience.
Hints of deeper social commentary are present but remain largely unexplored. Newspaper headlines glimpsed between workdays touch on topics like elderly wellbeing and the changing role of faith in modern Japan. These headlines imply a potential for exploring societal concerns related to an aging population and declining Shinto belief, but they are relegated to fleeting visual elements rather than being integrated into the game's core dialogue and character interactions.
Fernando Damas, writer of VA-11 Hall-A and a former resident of Osaka, commented on the challenges of writing settings inspired by Japan. He emphasized the importance of being cognisant of cultural differences and avoiding the assumption of first-hand experience. Damas noted that while a story has the license to simplify elements, commentary on real places should be handled with care and integrated contextually. He also highlighted how advertisements for officewear in Japan, with their focus on comfort for long hours, implicitly acknowledge the deep-rooted expectation of overwork. Coffee Talk Tokyo, however, avoids such difficult topics, preferring to maintain an idealized, surface-level portrayal of Japan.
By choosing to set its story in a real place like Tokyo, Coffee Talk Tokyo inherits the weight of its history and contemporary issues. The game, however, largely sidesteps these complexities, opting for a comfortable, culturally appropriated version of Japan seen through popular media. This results in an experience that feels less like an exploration of a culture and more like a picturesque, albeit superficial, tourist snapshot.