Name: Sentimental Journey (63.33% in 3 votes)
Type: ANIME
Platform: DOS
Company: Bandai
Release date: 1990
Reviewed by: PhoT3K
In case you don't know yet Sentimental Journey is a 12 episode TV series based on the game Sentimental Graffiti (see Anime Densetsu review that I did re: game). It may or may not have been released by Bandai Visual but somehow I doubt that. The series at certain points assumes you have knowledge of the game and have some information regarding the girls. This is due to the fact as there is no real background story or introduction to the girls and their past. However, at some points you get to see flash backs of them and 'you'.
The anime it seems, looks like it was meant for a really specific audience; fans of the game. I doubt anyone without any background knowledge could really delve into the series due to the fact that what basically each episode is, is a day (or 2) in the life of one of the girls that the viewer has no previous encounters with. Another interesting note is that the 12 episodes are perfectly independent of each other and that each of the 12 episodes is just 1 episode for each girl. They never meet each other (nor do they meet the main character, or so we think ^ ^) in the episodes. This makes the anime even harder to enjoy for non-fans of the game Sentimental Graffiti.
On the other hand, if you are a fan of the series, the anime perfectly captures the feelings and atmosphere of the Sentimental Graffiti game. Chie being the outspoken, aggressive type, Honoka as the quiet reserved type, and Emiru as the playful little girl. The plot for each of the girls is very well planned out and executed. However, all of the episodes deal with how the girls cope with their everyday lives without seeing the main character and the impact he had on their lives.
Brief cap on just 3 of the 12 episodes just to give you an example of what an episode might be like:
For Manami she is in a hospital being examined and overhears her doctor expressing his concern and that it would be hard for him to tell Manami's parent. However Manami never hears exactly what he said that would be hard to explain. Manami gets worried and starts writing poems and reminisces of the time she had with the boy.
Taeko tries to set up her friend to a guy she really likes and along the way remembers the main character.
Kaho trains for an upcoming tournament and she seems to be having trouble passing the baton, her friend Kyoko finally realizes that the reason for her having trouble is that she can't forget about the boy whom she never got to pass the baton to.
Each girl has their own story as I mentioned before and can range from the funny (Emiru), the serious (Wakana), to downright weird (Rurika ^ ^).
However, if you are a fan of the series and am able to bear the fact that none of the episodes are connected, the series is a great adaptation and extension of the game.
What I really would have liked to see is if they somehow managed to tie each episode together and have some of the girls meet each other (some the girls apparently will know each other in Sentimental Graffiti 2). The animation is surprisingly good (if you aren't watching some boot leg) and the voice acting is top notch. I found that all of the girl's stories are interesting and unique in their own way (just like the game) and each one is worth watching. However, a few really stand out be if they're funny or really dramatic.
If you like the game, and *most* of the characters, you should have no trouble getting into it and enjoying the anime. If not, it's a give or take sort of thing going. Chances are most people wont appreciate it unless they liked the game but nothing in life is ever %100. For casual anime viewers, this may be the first time they are exposed to an anime series of this type.
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Opening Song (mp3)
Ending Song (mp3)
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