Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories Depicts Harsh Truth of Dreamcast Ownership

Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories is a series I'd never heard of before being alerted to its existence by Twitter user Decider-VT. After a little bit of research (via a mysterious and arcane tool known as Google), I deduced that Tokyo Diner is a well-regarded but still fairly obscure Netflix exclusive series that focuses on the neon-soaked, nocturnal eating habits of the denizens of the Japanese capital.

Episode 7 of Midnight Diner is of particular interest here though, not least because it paints an unforgiving image of the destiny of a person who is just the right age to have been a gamer at the launch of the Dreamcast, but who's life has spiralled out of control. The scenes in question unfold in the following manner:

I can identify with this unknown and unnamed bum. I'm almost 40 myself. I was there at the launch of the Dreamcast and my life is a bit of a car crash. I'm certainly not a bum living in my auntie's house, freeloading and falling asleep in my own squalor; but I'm definitely living from shit paycheque to shit paycheque writing utter bollocks about a console that's about as dead as my zest for life.

I'm pretty sure that one day I'll wake up in a dumpster/mold-ridden bedsit, surrounded by broken Dreamcasts and empty beer cans. Until then though, I'm quite happy to look upon the mystery Dreamcast bum and offer my support and respect. This legend might be in his 40s and jobless, but he has impeccable taste in retro video game consoles. Also, he should probably change the aspect ratio on that screen before the internet finds out...