Name: Tokimeki Memorial OVA 2 (76.41% in 39 votes) Type: ANIME Platform: VHS/VCD Company: Konami Release date: 1999 Reviewed by: Orochi
I've finally got my hands on the 2nd Volume of of this OVA but frankly speaking,as a Tokimemo fan, I was a bit disappointed by it. More details to come!
Story: The last time we saw Shiori Fujisaki, 3rd year student of Kirameki High ,she decided that she's in love. That was Fall. Now Fall goes,Winter comes. Shiori had about 3 months to make her last moments of her life in Kirameki High School a memorable one as well as taking up courage to confess her love.
The above is just a summary of the main plot. There is a sub-plot involving Ayako, Nozomi and Saki.
Visuals: As usual, great as always. Konami had taken efforts in re-drawing the characters and backgrounds from the original games. Seems that they do not want the viewers to confuse the story of the game(s) (especially for those who had played the 3rd game in the Drama Series) with those in the plot of the OVA.
Music: Seems that there was an unusually lots of Classical Pieces in this volume compared to just remix of the BGM of the game(s) from the first volume. From Chopin's Minute Waltz to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.Almost all the music here are done in a symphonic fashion. Not that I'm complaining but this does fit well into this vloume of the OVA considering that the main character is, afterall, Shiori Fujisaki. And those who knows her well, you know what her interest are :) Oh yeah, Konami is famous for the efforts they put into the music of their games so I don't think anyone will be disappointed by the music pieces. BTW, the opening theme for this OVA, "Begining", is one of the better songs I've heard for a while in the anime scene.
Character Developments: What's an anime without character developments? And even more so when Tokimeki Memorial is a series that stress on it's characters. I hate to say this but some of the characters are under-developed in this OVA. I know that Shiori is a goddess in some otakus' heart and she's supposed to be the main forcus here, but characters like Yuko Asahina,Yukai Koshiki are given very little screen time in this OVA. Koshiki ain't even got the chance to speak in it. However, we did manage to see a side of the arrogant Mira Kagami that was never seen before in the game(s).
Plot Development: I had to complain about this one. It's started out good at Iyjuin's Christmas Party where we see Shiori trying to look out for the main guy. Then we see her trying to do something memorial for memory's sake as well as trying to attract the main guy's attentsion before graduation day. Looking good, but then all this comes to an end with the sudden ending (Fans of Tokimemo will not be unfamilar with this one). I was hoping that there would be some flash backs of the happier times Shiori had with the main guy... all the good stuffs are there and it could be more developed on, not that there isn't any. I still could not believe that it ended like that even with Shiori's confession of love in the background with the credits rolling in the fore. The ending of this OVA comes when everything was feeling good...damn it! The only consolation I had was with in the omake where the seiyuu speaking of their feelings of the years they had spent doing the characters and the two trailers of Tokimeki Memorial 2. I can only hope that Konami might release a prelude of some sorts where the plot can be developed farther as well as the characters.
Pros: Great visuals, nice music and overall a good romance drama with a nice story.
Cons: Some underdeveloped characters. The whole thing just come to and end when the show was reaching climax, a classic case of spoil-sports and anti-climax.
Recommended: Tokimemo Fans (Especially for Shiori Fujisaki's fans). Anyone who likes a good romance drama and do not mind it all coming to an end all of a sudden.
