Haraiva on twitter made a post and then deleted it about orientalism in "cozy/wholesome" games specificially about fetishizing and infantilizing japan.

They went on to say that just because something is cutsey and charming doesnt mean that it isnt a form of racism. Celebratory intent doesnt negate harm and appropriation.

Its a real shame they had to delete it because they got harassed. i think is completely correct and this conversation needs to be more in the public conscious. Ive been seeing some of it in ttrpgs vis a vis 'ghibli aesthetic', but i'd like to see more of it esp within ""wholesome"" games discussions.

This is especialy relevant given there are 2 different games made by different teams that are using japan as a backdrop all while using fake kana. There is genuinly no reason for this other than fetishization.

Edit/Amendment: I want to acknowledge that orientalism is an issue throughout all genres of games, but for the purposes of this post I was focusing soley on those listed as "cozy" or "wholesome"

I am not a scholar, not an expert, and i am a white man, but the term "cozy orientalism" a la "techno-orientalism" really seems like an appropriate phrase for this phenomenon

Capes is an elegant, streamlined, and challenging addition to a genre enjoying something of a golden era. Its clever design holds familiar and novel concepts in a careful balance, and its campaign consistently adds new mechanical twists and turns. While the difficulty curve is quite harsh at present, Capes has a lot to offer seasoned and rookie tacticians alike.

Review by @andy-johnson