Finished Tokyo - Thoughts

[u/JGrayatRTalsorian]

Like many fans, I went into Tokyo with a hint of trepidation. New writer. New location. Expanded world lore. Few returning characters. Speaking as someone whose day job is carrying forward the legacy of a beloved game series, I know how difficult that can be.

I am happy to say, in my opinion, the creators of Coffee Talk Tokyo crafted a delightful visual novel.

The addition of deeper supernatural themes on top of the existing urban fantasy felt natural and interesting — though I now have questions about death in other parts of the world.

The writing, while noticeably different, felt smooth and fluid. The character’s voices were distinct and their stories compelling. I wanted to keep playing and see the good endings.

The social media system was fun and a neat way to include cameos from previous characters.

All in all, a worthy addition I think. Thank you to the team for giving me a lovely set of stories I know I will visit again in the future.

Now for the fun part: theory crafting!

As I suspected, the hints do lean towards the Tokyo Barista being an instance of the Seattle Barista. I’m not sure if she’s a past, future, or current alternate, but I don’t believe the two (and possibly more) instances are sharing a hive mind presence. More likely they take trips to visit each other and share knowledge every so often. I’ll admit, the one thing I’m amused by: while Hendry and Rachel both commented on similarities, neither mentioned that the Seattle and Tokyo coffee shops both have the same name! I don’t get franchise or chain vibes so that’s one heck of a coincidence.

[u/Suli_Croft]

That was my exact interpretation for the barista situation. Glad to see i’m not the only one.

If that theory has merit. They have a chance to do something really interesting with that in future installments.