Ensemble Stars ! cafe opens in Tokyo, and fans are delighted by how “ordinary yet faithful” it looks

Publication date of the original Japanese article: 2021-05-27 19:58 (JST)
Translated by. Nick Mosier

On May 26, a stylish little cafe opened in the Ikebukuro district of Tokyo Japan. Cafe Cinnamon probably looks like an ordinary cafe at first glance, and some readers might be wondering why a games media website is covering such a place, but this is actually the official cafe of Ensemble Stars! by Happy Elements.

Ensemble Stars! is a male-idol training game that launched in April of 2015 with the main setting for the game being the Yumenosaki Private Academy which specializes in training male idols. The player takes on the role of the academy’s first student in the Producer department and passes the days producing a unique cast of idols.

The game’s main scenario writer, Akira, is an author known for series such as Kyōran Kazoku Nikki and Sasami-san@Ganbaranai. Ensemble Stars! mostly depicts the main character and all the idols working hard to achieve their idol dreams and is very popular with women.

Cafe Cinnamon fits into all of this by being a cafe that appears in the game. The character Niki Shiina from the idol group Crazy:B is a part-timer at the cafe and many of the other idols show up there throughout the game.

The recently opened cafe in Ikebukuro is a faithful recreation of the in-game cafe, all the way to the interior design. Below is a comparison of the in-game cafe and the real one. While the pictures don’t show the same section, you can see how things like the chairs and columns have been accurately brought to life.

The cafe’s menu features just what you would expect from a regular cafe such as omelettes, pasta, and limited time items like the strawberry menu. A wide variety of other items are also on sale like promotional goods, an original jam, and cutlery. The logos and designs are simple so the items won’t stick out during regular use, but the cafe has all sorts of details that fans of the game will notice.

The Shinonon Blended Tea, for example, might make customers feel like they’re drinking a tea blended by the idol Hajime Shino of the black tea circle and the Crazy Spicy Curry is probably inspired by the unit Crazy:B. The baristas also wear uniforms and aprons that match the one worn by Niki Shiina. Amidst the seemingly regular cafe setting, Cafe Cinnamon is filled with touches that only fans who are in the know will catch onto which is drawing a lot of attention to it.

For otaku goods, especially those marketed towards women, there’s been a trend toward more discreet items. More and more people are preferring items that are more suitable for everyday use instead of having giant character illustrations or logo on them.

For example, Touken Ranbu, a game about swords that are brought to life as characters, is releasing shoes and bags with character’s symbols on them and are receiving high praise among fans. They let you show your fandom while being suitable for everyday use like going to work or school.

Another trend that’s becoming popular among all fans is items that are actually used by characters in shows and games. In 2018, Anime Japan conducted a poll of The Best Anime Goods as Selected By Animate Staff and charms for bags based on the ones actually used in the anime Lovelive! Sunshine! were among the selected items.

Cafe Cinnamon seems to encompass both being discreet and having items that characters actually use in their world. Ensemble Stars! takes place in the present day so the more true to the original game it is, the more it will look like just a regular cafe.

Despite the fact that the cafe is geared toward otaku where the tea is blended by your favorite idol, the seats are the same one’s your favorite characters have sat in, and the menu is based off of the game, the cafe is so inconspicuous that customers that don’t even know about the game are stopping by.

As of now, Cafe Cinnamon requires a reservation which are available through Japanese convenience store Lawson’s “Lawson Ticket.” Reservations have already ended through May, but the cafe isn’t a limited time pop-up shop, so as time passes it should be easier to get a reservation.