Another appendix to the soft drink vending machine anthology
Today, the inclusion of interactive vending machines has become a quite common element in a handful of Japanese games. Such is the case of the approaching Kenka Banchou 4 for the PSP, the newest episode of a series initiated on the PS2 depicting the troubled life of Japanese high-school students who want to become the strongest and most respected fighters in Japan. With this much bullying and street fighting, the banchos often need to stop for a rest: and nothing says relaxation quite like the sound of a soft drink can being opened.
For this new game, Spike has made a deal with the soft drinks company Asahi, whose very popular products are sold all over Japan. The company managed to make a quick rise to the top of their business by advertising their beverages during baseball games, often becoming associated with that game in the minds of the Japanese. Four different drinks will be included in the vending machines including the famous Dodekamin vitamin drink, revered by sports fans, as well as the inaugural Mitsuya Cider, the most famous of all Asahi drinks - one so tasty it even gave birth to a whole brand of candy reproducing the drink’s flavor.
Historically speaking, these exciting news have a very clear and defined parallel that can be traced back to SEGA’s Shenmue, possibly the first game to use a soft-drink company tie-in: and this, although it might not seem like it, was more than ten years ago. Back then, SEGA approached Coca-Cola in order to increase the realism of their depiction of Japan in the 1980’s. However, the Coca-Cola Company deal didn’t include western releases of the game, which lead to the creation of Bell Wood’s Jet Cola, a mock brand replacement whose name appears to have quite a hidden meaning if you ask a hardcore Shenmue fan.
In light of the release of Kenka Banchou 3 in the US, the conversion of this upcoming PSP sequel isn’t entirely ruled out at present. But if so, a few questions do come to mind: will Asahi still advertise outside Japan?; or will Kenka Bancho 4 end up suffering from the Shenmue-vending machine syndrome?
