Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side

Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side

Developer(s) Konami
Publisher(s) Konami
Composer(s) Akari Kaida
Series Tokimeki Memorial series
Platform(s) PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, mobile phones
Release date(s)
  • JP May 20, 2002 (PS2)
  • JP February 15, 2007 (DS)
  • JP 2010 (Mobile)
Genre(s) Dating sim[1]
Mode(s) Single player
Distribution DVD

Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side (ときめきメモリアルGirl's Side Tokimeki Memoriaru Girl's Side) is a female-oriented dating sim[1] video game released by Konami for the PlayStation 2 game console on June 20, 2002. It was also rereleased with enhancements for the Nintendo DS as Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side: 1st Love on February 15, 2007. It has two sequels: Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side: 2nd Kiss and Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side: 3rd Story. The original game also received a version for mobile phones in 2010.

Game features

Although the Tokimeki Memorial series was originally male-oriented, this game is directed toward the female market and involves a female protagonist looking for love amongst a cast of male characters. Some modifications in game-play were also made to make the game more appealing to female gamers. The player is able to go shopping on her free days to buy clothes and is able to change her daily attire as well as dressing-up for a date. In addition to the male love-interest characters, there are also female characters who can become the player's friends, study together, go out for coffee, etc. These characters can also become love rivals. The parameters which are built up through different activities include academic ability, art, popularity, sport, attentiveness and beauty.

Among the changes in the Nintendo DS version there is a new character, Tendo, and new features including a best friends scenario, skinship, and kiss endings. The best friends scenario involves a confession of love from a male best friend. The clothes have been switched to the more popular Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side 2nd Kiss fashions. The second DS release, Tokimeki Memorial 1st Love Plus, added all the new features from Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side 2nd Season, as well as compatibility with Nintendo DSi.

Game content

The game's main character is a student at the fictional private school, Habataki High School, located in the fictional city of Habataki. The protagonist has returned to Habataki after living away for a time due to her parents' work, but she lived there as a child. While leading a normal high school life including academics, club activities and part-time work, it is also possible to become friendly with boys who can make a declaration of love on graduation day.

Club activities

Clubs can involve both physical and academic activities. All activities increase attentiveness. Through prolonged participation in a club it's possible to become the club's leader and also to create related career opportunities for the future. Athletic clubs and the school band hold practice every third Sunday. If the player misses practice twice (once for the band), she is expelled. All clubs have a summer session in August, although the player doesn't interact with other club members then. The summer session will feature cooking duty, and the player will be able to cook a meal according to her attentiveness score.

Part-time work

If the player works at any one location for a long time, she will be offered a full-time position upon graduation.

"Skinship" mode

As an added feature of the Nintendo DS version, the player can touch many of the characters using the stylus causing many different responses depending on their feelings for you (e.g. if Hibiya is on neutral, you increase his love for you if you touch his arms and torso).

Best friends mode

Another addition to the Nintendo DS version. When there is more than one love interest, they get separate love and friendship parameters, when the love parameter reaches a certain level there is a possibility of a declaration of love. This feature was very well received by fans.

Legend

Like in other installments of the Tokimeki Memorial series, there is a legend. There is a fairy-tale story of a traveling prince who falls in love with a princess but are torn apart. The story is told by a young boy to the main character as a young girl in a church on the grounds of Habataki High School. The boy promises to one day return to that same place to declare his love.

Characters

Male characters

CV : Hikaru Midorikawa

The main male character, Hazuki is an honor student, an excellent athlete and a model. Perhaps because of this, his standards for a girlfriend are very high, and is a difficult catch. Although he appears cold, he shows his warm side through his fascination with cats. His grandfather is a German stained glass window maker. Hazuki has a tendency to fall asleep; however, during exams he gets very high scores. He appears to have few friends, but Morimura has been his friend since junior high school.

CV : Akira Ishida

Morimura is a kind-hearted honor student. He's the only son of a doctor, but as he is interested in plants wants to become a botanist. His way of thinking and plans for the future bring him into conflict with his father and his mother doesn't live with them. He's very knowledgeable on many subjects, and he often offers explanations on physics. His hobby is playing video games and is friendly with many people, including Reiichi Himuro and Ikkaku Amanohashi. He loves video games.

CV : Nobuyuki Hiyama

Suzuka is a typical jock. From the beginning of the first year he's a regular at the basketball club and his dream is to go to America on a basketball scholarship. He is very talented, but has a hard time playing as part of a team. He takes afterschool lessons together with Madoka Kijo and sometimes plays video games with Morimura.

CV : Ryōtarō Okiayu

Kijo is a dark-skinned boy originally from the Kansai area. His mother died and he does not get along with his father, so he now lives alone. He cooks for himself and even prepares the main character an Obento. He intends to become a "freeter" after graduation but also seems interested in working for a company. Madoka loves to cook and is a huge fan of bikes. He is friends with Morimura and Suzuka. He has several run-ins with Himuro due to his bad grades and conduct. He does not participate in any clubs since he has a part-time job at a Gasoline Station.

CV : Shin-ichiro Miki

Both of his parents are famous artists and he's considered an artistic genius. His works hang in the museum. He is a member of the arts club. He has a kind and sincere, though highly narcissistic, personality and loves beauty both in nature and in art. He loves bungee jumping and roller coasters.

CV : Takehito Koyasu

Himuro is the player's homeroom teacher and is feared by his students. He enjoys driving and owns a Maserati. Himuro teaches mathematics. He has a tough and serious personality, and the students talk about him being an android built in the church basement. However, he has a soft side he reveals when he sleeps in, speeds while driving or goes to different events organized by his bartender friend. He appreciates horror movies. His name is a bit of a pun since the kanji could mean "ice room zero one".

CV : Kappei Yamaguchi

Hibiya is one grade below the main character and won't be able to meet him until your 2nd year. He aspires to be a good man, and admires Kei Hazuki. He even tries to be like him(he is very bad at it though)! He seems to dream of becoming a professional baseball player and to marry a female announcer. He shares an interest in pro wrestling with Suzuka and they watch videos together. He is a member of the baseball club.

CV : Jūrōta Kosugi

Amanohashi is the school's chairman of the board of trustees who dreams of educating an ideal woman. He is wealthy and invites the students to the yearly Christmas party he holds at his residence. He's an old friend of fashion designer Goro Hanatsubaki. It is suggested that his father is an acquantance of Hazuki's grandfather. He was instrumental in admitting Kijo into the school.

CV : Showtaro Morikubo

Aoki is a hidden character. After he sends the main character an e-mail by mistake they start corresponding. He's an American-born exchange student and at first he cannot speak Japanese. His Japanese improves gradually through his e-mails. He is, in fact a student at Kirameki High (the original Tokimeki Memorial's school) and is a member of the computer club. He has a kind personality. He goes shopping often and might accidentally bump into the main character at the mall.

CV : Sōichirō Hoshi

Tendo is an exclusive character of the Nintendo DS version and is the second hidden character. He meets the main character by chance. While he was a top student in junior high school, his grades have seriously declined in high school although they improve after studying together with the main character. He is a student at Hanegasaki High (Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side: 2nd Kiss' high school.)

CV : Shō Hayami

Goro is a well known fashion designer. He is a friend of Amanohashi. He is very eccentric and is known for his infamous snake dance.

Female characters

CV : Yukana

Arisawa is an honor student and has excellent academic abilities. She seems a bit cold and distant but is also very helpful. She enjoys writing poetry, and has a complex for being tall. She has a part-time job in a flower shop and has a crush on Morimura. If the main character dates him she becomes a rival instead of a friend. She plans on going on to a first-class university to study law. She is poor in sports and misses the sports festivals. She re-appears in Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side 2nd kiss, when she is attending university and working in the same flower shop.

CV : Ikue Ōtani

Sudo is the only child of a wealthy businessman and is always seen together with her butler, Garçon Ito. She has an egocentric personality and has few friends, but is actually quite lonely and very kind. She seems to have lived in France and mixes in French words in her speech. She is a member of the tennis club and is good friends with Mihara. She has interest in popular culture and enjoys watching popular dramas on TV. She plans on going as an exchange student to France after graduation.

CV : Tomoko Kawakami

Fujii is an energetic and spontaneous girl. She's the type of person who acts before she thinks. She's Himuro's natural enemy and is constantly trying to play pranks on him. She's a member of the cheerleading club and works part-time at a fast food restaurant. She has a crush on Kijo. If the main character dates him she becomes a rival.

CV : Omi Minami

Konno has a quiet and shy personality. She held a record in swimming during junior high school. She has a younger brother who is a classmate of Tsukushi and catchable in the 3rd installment. Konno is the manager of the basketball club and is friendly with Suzuka. If the main character dates Suzuka she becomes a rival.

Other characters

CV : Ai Orikasa

Tsukushi is the main character's younger brother. Although he may be a little arrogant at times, he is concerned about his sister and will provide information about potential love interests. It is possible to visit him on free days.

CV : Kōichi Kitamura

Ito is Mizuki Sudo's butler. He has taken care of her since she was small and is very emotionally attached to her.

CV : Masaaki Ōkura

Masuda is a close friend of Reiichi Himuro from their student days who runs a Jazz bar. Although he appears only on a few occasions, he is a very popular character to the point of being the only secondary character to have inspired a Japanese phone card.

CV : Ayaka Saitō

A boy the main character remembers from her childhood.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Note: Citation for dating sim is needed due to common confusion with the visual novel genre. Since the official website calls it a "恋愛シミュレーションゲーム" (love simulation game), it is considered a true dating sim.

External links