The aforementioned Song of Memories actually offers a number of good examples of this for just one, one of the characters there is a rhythmic gymnast, but really that’s only so you get plenty of opportunities to ogle her in a leotard. So many of these romance VNs feel like they’ve got limited characterisation because each of the characters is nothing more than a plot device and gameplay mechanic for use by the protagonist outside of what they’re doing with him or for him, there’s nothing to them. Each of the three girls is very different, and have lives outside of the whims and interests of the protagonist. I enjoyed Song of Memories well enough, but I’m also so glad that Tokyo School Life is very different.įor one thing, while this is a romance visual novel and your end goal is to get one of the three main girls to fall for you, the journey on the way there is so much more interesting than it tends to be in the fanservice-heavy visual novels.
I assumed that it would be a game of excessive, frequent fanservice and characterisation really designed around driving towards the next ultra-fanservicey moment. From this introduction I assumed that Tokyo School Life would head down a similar path as Song of Memories, another recently-localised visual novel (by the same publisher, too – PQube). And, of course, once of the first things he does is wander into the bathroom when two of them are changing. Initially he’s excited by the idea of having a little harem of his own while living as an exchange student, but that’s quickly shot down by all three girls proving to be quite different to his mental image of what a Japanese girl is. On arriving in Japan he discovers that he’s been allocated a dorm space to live near a shrine, and inhabited exclusively by three of his classmates. Of course, the dude’s also completely ignorant about what life in Japan is really like, and he’s badly keen to get his end wet, so he’s looking forward to enjoying the company of the demure Japanese girls of his fantasies and wet dreams.
You play as an American boy who, after busting his backside to get good grades, earned the opportunity to spend two months in beloved Japan as an exchange student a country that the boy has also been absolutely fascinated about thanks to manga, anime, and videogames.
The narrative concept is as familiar and well-worn as they come, of course. Related reading: Another visual novel released recently by PQube on PlayStation 4 is the hyper-fanservicey Song of Memories.
We all have memories of those schoolyard crushes and summer camp flings, and Tokyo School Life is actually one of the better attempts I’ve seen to do that theme justice within the context of a video game. The summer school romance – is there any single topic out there that is sweeter, more nostalgic, and warmer than that? I’d argue not.
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