Garteam
Smash Master
In recent years, Smash has sort of been on a bit of a “genre” kick when it comes to the roster, getting third party characters meant to represent general genres of gaming in addition to their respective franchises. This can be seen in Ryu, Ken, and Terry, who bring traditional command inputs and a fighting style that has them always face their opponents in a one-on-one battle to represent 2-D fighters, and Hero, who has a command menu meant invoke those seen in traditional JRPGs. As such, many “genre reps” have been proposed to bring their game’s genre to Smash, such as Arle as a Puzzle rep and Doom Marine as an FPS rep. However, one genre that doesn’t usually get brought up in this discussion very often is the humble dating sim. Despite the genre mostly being restricted to meme games and subversions in the west, it is an absolute juggernaut in the Land of the Rising Sun, being a multi-million-dollar industry that is well-celebrated. And, among all of the hopeful men and beautiful women who have emerged from this genre, few are as iconic and well-equipped for Smash as Shiori Fujisaki.
Who is Shiori Fujisaki?
Shiori Fujisaki is the heroine of Konami’s 1994 Dating Sim Tokimeki Memorial. Shiori is a student at Kirameki High School. She is kind, sociable, beautiful, athletic, intelligent, and artistically talented. Because of this, Shiori has caught the hearts of every Tom, ****, and Harry at Kirameki, gaining the title of “Kirameki’s Idol”. The icing on the cake is that Kirameki has its own romantic legend: if a woman admits her love to a man under the legendary tree in the school’s courtyard, the two will live happily ever after.
Despite all of this, Shiori has yet to find her Prince Charming.
Enter the game’s protagonist (who is named by the player), an average joe who struggles to stand out against the crowd in any meaningful way. Shiori is his childhood friend, girl next door, secret crush, and the entire reason he wanted to attend Kirameki. Unfortunately, Shiori’s always been a little out of his league, but high school is the opportunity for all of that to change. It’s the player’s job to guide him through the rollercoaster that is high school, hopefully developing him into a fine young man along the way. Through studying, dates, and general hijinks, the player’s goal is to have Shiori (or another one of Kirameki’s many bachelorettes) waiting for him under that fateful tree on the day of graduation.
While Shiori is not the player character, she is the game’s mascot for all intents and purposes. Her face adorns the game’s case, advertising materials, and merchandise. Likewise, she’s the subject of most of the many spin-offs of the original Tokimemo, including an OVA from Studio Pierrot. She’s basically synonymous with Tokimeki Memorial and would undoubtedly be the Tokimeki character to get into Smash.
That’s nice and all, but what’s a Tokimeki Memorial and why should I care?
Given that this series is largely unknown in the west, I'd imagine many people reading this thread are very unfamilar with it. As such, here's a little crash course on both the gameplay, critical reception, and impact of Tokimeki Memorial:
“She loves me, she loves me not…”: Shiori’s chances to join Smash
Now that we’ve concluded Tokimeki Memorial 101, it’s time to answer the question that it is on our mind: What are Shiori’s odds at actually joining the battle at Smash Ultimate? This isn’t a super easy question to answer, as Shiori has a lot of moving pieces that makes her difficult to put an exact probability on. However, weighing all of the factors involved, I sincerely believe the pros outweigh the cons.
Let’s start with Shiori’s biggest hurdle, the fact that Tokimeki Memorial has never been released outside of Japan. Initially, this doesn’t seem like too big of a deal, seeing how Marth, Roy, and Lucas appeared in Smash despite not appearing in an international release. However, Takamaru was specifically denied from Smash for Wii U/3DS as he was not recognizable to an international audience. On the one hand, there is more evidence to suggest being Japan only isn’t that big of a deal, while the most recent piece of evidence suggests it is a big deal. Likewise, we don’t know how Shiori being a third party would factor into this issue. In my opinion, while having no international release doesn’t help Shiori, it doesn’t mean she’s impossible like some might think. I honestly think Sakurai will add who he wants, regardless of how internationally recognizable they are. Sakurai was concerned with adding Ayumi in Melee because she wasn’t an international character, but didn’t have this issue when adding Marth in the same game, suggesting that a character’s individual appeal may overrule any reservations Sakurai has about their recognizability. Likewise, all the characters we’ve seen so far in the Fighter’s Pass seem to appeal to certain regions above others. Both Dragon Quest and Fatal Fury/King of Fighters are huge in Japan and lukewarm in the West, while the inverse is true of Banjo-Kazooie. Even Persona, the most cosmopolitan of the DLC franchises, has significantly more recognizability in Japan than other regions.
Also, to those of you looking at options to appeal to the verging Chinese market, Tokimeki Memorial did receive a Chinese release on the PC.
There’s also the issue of Shiori being from a third-party company, Konami. Currently, third-parties seem to be riding somewhat high in Smash, with the last 4 fighters all hailing from non-Nintendo companies. This is obviously in Shiori’s favour, but it’s difficult to predict if things will change as we go into Wave 2 of Smash DLC. Will we continue to only see third parties? Will we get a Nintendo pass to counteract all the non-Nintendo characters? Will we see a mix of the two? It’s really difficult to tell.
Likewise, Shiori being from Konami is also worth discussing. Obviously, Konami is already in Smash with Metal Gear and Castlevania fighters, along with a Bomberman assist trophy and Goemon mii fighter costume. This removes a good amount of Tokimemo’s internal competition, but there’s still series like Silent Hill, Frogger, and Contra. General consensus seems to be, while Silent Hill is a massive series, it’s overly dark tone wouldn’t work in Smash. I agree. If Sakurai thought Castlevania was stretching how dark Smash could get, Silent Hill is definitely off the table. Frogger has been tossed around a lot recently, and he’d compliment Pac-Man well, but his series tends to come back once a decade only to immediately comatose again. Of these three, I’d say Contra is her biggest competition: it’s got a long history with Nintendo, is relatively popular, and has defined characters. Tokimeki Memorial’s impact and legacy might outpace Contra, but it’s tough to tell.
Let’s start talking about the positives. First, Tokimeki Memorial has a massive legacy in its home country. Even though I discussed it in my spiel on the series’ legacy, it is honestly difficult to do justice to just how large the series was back in the day. Tokimeki Memorial was able to transcend the gaming sphere and become something discussed by the general public, it would be difficult to find someone living in Japan who didn’t know who Shiori Fujisaki was. It’s difficult to go to a Book-Off (Japanese second-hand store) and not find some Tokimeki Memorial knick-knacks. Even nowadays, the series is very well respected among Japanese gamers. Famitsu readers ranked Tokimeki Memorial as the 23rd greatest game of all time in 2006, and the series was frequently brought up when discussing historic games of the Heisei era. If Shiori got into Smash, you’d best believe that Japanese Twitter would explode.
Of course, identity doesn’t matter too much when the big man himself said:
Shiori would undoubtedly have a unique playstyle. Being a mundane school girl amongst a cast of intergalactic bounty hunters, legendary warriors, and monsters that fit in your pocket will do that. Additionally, drawing from the mechanics of Tokimeki Memorial’s unique gameplay would distance Shiori from other characters on the roster. Off the top of my head, I picture her playing like a mix between Isabelle, Wii Fit Trainer, and Hero, with some of her own stuff mixed in. Her normals would mostly be similar to the Animal Crossing characters, using average, everyday objects as a reference to the various clubs and activities in Tokimemo, albeit with a more frantic and unpredictable edge to emphasis both that she’s not a fighter and the quirky atmosphere of her home game. For her specials, I could see two types of attacks coming into play. First, specials that raise her various stats could reflect the main challenge of Tokimeki Memorial, boosting your stats to meet the various girls’ expectations. Likewise, I could see her having specials that take advantage of a text box and a series of answers to perform an attack. Shiori’s moveset potential is just defined enough to have clear boundaries, but just loose enough to give her a lot she could do.
What opportunities are there to play the series in English?
Unfortunately, there really aren’t any ways to play an English translation of the series. The original was never localized for a variety of reasons (an overly Japanese setting at a time when that was frowned upon, being a 2-D game when Sony of America really didn’t want those, and the high cost of both localizing the text and hiring voice actors being some). The PSP port was considered for an international release, but was quickly decided against after Konami’s Brooktown High failed. Likewise, basically every attempt at a fan translation has gone the way of the Dodo.
That being said, there have been little droplets of Kirameki thanks both to references in media that has seen an international release and the glory of the worldwide web. Because I’m a dependable guy like Yoshio Saotome, here’s some of the best ways to experience Tokimemo:
Hoo-boy, I didn’t expect things to get this long. However, given how most people are unfamiliar with this series and character, I think going a little in depth is necessary. To summarize, Shiori Fujisaki and Tokimeki Memorial were able to capture the hearts of a generation, even among those who didn’t play video games. Not only does this series deserve a spot at Smash’s table, but Shiori would bring a unique moveset and aesthetic unseen in Smash. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait until graduation to see Kirameki’s Idol join the battle.
Who is Shiori Fujisaki?
Despite all of this, Shiori has yet to find her Prince Charming.
Enter the game’s protagonist (who is named by the player), an average joe who struggles to stand out against the crowd in any meaningful way. Shiori is his childhood friend, girl next door, secret crush, and the entire reason he wanted to attend Kirameki. Unfortunately, Shiori’s always been a little out of his league, but high school is the opportunity for all of that to change. It’s the player’s job to guide him through the rollercoaster that is high school, hopefully developing him into a fine young man along the way. Through studying, dates, and general hijinks, the player’s goal is to have Shiori (or another one of Kirameki’s many bachelorettes) waiting for him under that fateful tree on the day of graduation.
While Shiori is not the player character, she is the game’s mascot for all intents and purposes. Her face adorns the game’s case, advertising materials, and merchandise. Likewise, she’s the subject of most of the many spin-offs of the original Tokimemo, including an OVA from Studio Pierrot. She’s basically synonymous with Tokimeki Memorial and would undoubtedly be the Tokimeki character to get into Smash.
That’s nice and all, but what’s a Tokimeki Memorial and why should I care?
Given that this series is largely unknown in the west, I'd imagine many people reading this thread are very unfamilar with it. As such, here's a little crash course on both the gameplay, critical reception, and impact of Tokimeki Memorial:
While Tokimeki Memorial basically codified the dating sim, that doesn’t mean it’s a cheesy visual novel like you’d expect from many modern dating sims. There are brief sections of gameplay based around providing the correct response to a text prompt to make your date happy, most of the gameplay is instead based around micromanaging various stats and time-management. To attract any girl in Tokimemo, you need to make sure your character’s stats are up to snuff. For example, artsy girl Ayako will only notice you once you’ve gotten your art stats high enough. As such, you are given various options on how to spend your time, with each one increasing a handful stats while decreasing others. On top of this, each girl also has a hidden “affection value” which determines how much they personally like you. This is where dating, walking from school together, and gift giving come in, as they influence your affection stat. Likewise, ignore a girl for too long and they begin spreading rumours about you among the student body, tanking the affection stats across the board. As such, you can’t just focus on a single girl, lest the masses rise up and slander you. Combine this with a limited amount of time to accomplish all this and the added pressure of getting decent enough grades for post-secondary, Tokimeki Memorial plays less like Ace Attorney and more like Princess Maker or Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
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Also, for those of you wondering, Shiori is by far the most difficult route. Not only does her ending have the highest stat requirements in everything but looks, but getting those stats also means you’ll have to appease virtually every other girl in the roster to ensure they don’t spread rumours. Tokimeki is serious business.
When Tokimeki Memorial hit the PC Engine Super CD-Rom in 1994 (The TurboGrafx-16’s CD add-on), it did alright, but being tethered to an add-on for a console that was already a distant third place in terms of sales wasn’t helping anyone. However, Konami gave the game a second chance in the form of a Playstation port with enhanced visuals, music, and full voice-acting in 1995’s Tokimeki Memorial: Forever With You. This game did absolutely gangbusters, selling 1.1 million copies in a single year, launching enough merchandise and spin-offs to fill full books cataloguing, and turning the cast into domestic superstars with their own fan clubs. Tokimeki Memorial basically started waifu culture. The series got so big that the New York Times ran an article on the effects of Tokimeki Memorial and various dating sims on the Japanese public. Konami would also pull a Bethesda and port Tokimemo to the SNES, Saturn, Gameboy Colour, PC, PSP, PS3, and PC Engine Mini.
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As you might imagine, Tokimeki Memorial’s success had a massive impact on the Japanese game industry. Tokimeki Memorial did not actually start the dating sim genre (which is a rather common misconception), but it did redefine it and bring it to the mainstream. Prior to Tokimemo, dating sims were a much… seedier affair. They more or less sold themselves on content that is not for the good boys and girls of Smash, while Tokimeki Memorial instead focused on likeable characters and strong writing. While saying “I play Tokimemo for the writing” sounds like the gaming equivalent of “I read Playboy for the articles”, Tokimeki Memorial was extremely popular among women, so clearly there was something there other than the babes. Even among those not trying to create the next wholesome dating sim, the mechanics of Tokimemo were inspiring devs outside the genre. For example, Fire Emblem creator Shouzou Kaga directly cited the rise of dating sims when discussing the marriage system implemented in Genealogy of the Holy War. The ability to marry Lucina and raise a beautiful baby girl with her? You can thank Tokimeki Memorial for that.
Tokimeki Memorial also elevated Konami from being just another developer to being a business juggernaut. Shortly after Tokimeki Memorial’s release, Konami began expanding from a singular developer to a large corporation with various individual teams working on large products in tandem. Now, I couldn’t find any source that directly said “This is because of Tokimeki Memorial”, but the timing seems to be too convenient. I doubt that Konami would’ve been able to open up multiple Konami Computer Entertainment teams across the country without that sweet Tokimeki money. As such, it’s likely that Konami’s massive PSX projects like Metal Gear Solid and Silent Hill would not exist in their current forms without Tokimeki Memorial bankrolling them.
Since the original, Tokimeki Memorial has launched into a well-remembered but slightly inconsistent franchise. A direct sequel taking place at a new high school was released in 1999 for PlayStation. Tokimeki Memorial 2 is a massive game spread across 5 discs and is generally considered to be the series’ magnum opus gameplay-wise, but it never reached the success or acclaim of the original. 2001’s Tokimeki Memorial 3 is a rushed mess with weak writing, gameplay, and visuals which effectively crashed the franchise. Tokimeki Memorial 4 was released on the PSP in 2009 and saw much greater success, being considered a return to form for the series. Unfortunately, outside of a few IOS games, 4 is the final entry in the main series. However, a spin-off series titled Tokimeki Memorial: Girl’s Side (reversing the dynamic by making the player a girl trying to attract guys) has been going strong since 2002, with a fourth entry coming in 2020.
Fun fact: Koji Igarashi was a scenario writer on the first Tokimeki Memorial before taking helm of the Castlevania franchise. Yes, the man who wrote Symphony of the Night also has a writing credit on a game acclaimed for its script.
When Tokimeki Memorial hit the PC Engine Super CD-Rom in 1994 (The TurboGrafx-16’s CD add-on), it did alright, but being tethered to an add-on for a console that was already a distant third place in terms of sales wasn’t helping anyone. However, Konami gave the game a second chance in the form of a Playstation port with enhanced visuals, music, and full voice-acting in 1995’s Tokimeki Memorial: Forever With You. This game did absolutely gangbusters, selling 1.1 million copies in a single year, launching enough merchandise and spin-offs to fill full books cataloguing, and turning the cast into domestic superstars with their own fan clubs. Tokimeki Memorial basically started waifu culture. The series got so big that the New York Times ran an article on the effects of Tokimeki Memorial and various dating sims on the Japanese public. Konami would also pull a Bethesda and port Tokimemo to the SNES, Saturn, Gameboy Colour, PC, PSP, PS3, and PC Engine Mini.
As you might imagine, Tokimeki Memorial’s success had a massive impact on the Japanese game industry. Tokimeki Memorial did not actually start the dating sim genre (which is a rather common misconception), but it did redefine it and bring it to the mainstream. Prior to Tokimemo, dating sims were a much… seedier affair. They more or less sold themselves on content that is not for the good boys and girls of Smash, while Tokimeki Memorial instead focused on likeable characters and strong writing. While saying “I play Tokimemo for the writing” sounds like the gaming equivalent of “I read Playboy for the articles”, Tokimeki Memorial was extremely popular among women, so clearly there was something there other than the babes. Even among those not trying to create the next wholesome dating sim, the mechanics of Tokimemo were inspiring devs outside the genre. For example, Fire Emblem creator Shouzou Kaga directly cited the rise of dating sims when discussing the marriage system implemented in Genealogy of the Holy War. The ability to marry Lucina and raise a beautiful baby girl with her? You can thank Tokimeki Memorial for that.
Tokimeki Memorial also elevated Konami from being just another developer to being a business juggernaut. Shortly after Tokimeki Memorial’s release, Konami began expanding from a singular developer to a large corporation with various individual teams working on large products in tandem. Now, I couldn’t find any source that directly said “This is because of Tokimeki Memorial”, but the timing seems to be too convenient. I doubt that Konami would’ve been able to open up multiple Konami Computer Entertainment teams across the country without that sweet Tokimeki money. As such, it’s likely that Konami’s massive PSX projects like Metal Gear Solid and Silent Hill would not exist in their current forms without Tokimeki Memorial bankrolling them.
Since the original, Tokimeki Memorial has launched into a well-remembered but slightly inconsistent franchise. A direct sequel taking place at a new high school was released in 1999 for PlayStation. Tokimeki Memorial 2 is a massive game spread across 5 discs and is generally considered to be the series’ magnum opus gameplay-wise, but it never reached the success or acclaim of the original. 2001’s Tokimeki Memorial 3 is a rushed mess with weak writing, gameplay, and visuals which effectively crashed the franchise. Tokimeki Memorial 4 was released on the PSP in 2009 and saw much greater success, being considered a return to form for the series. Unfortunately, outside of a few IOS games, 4 is the final entry in the main series. However, a spin-off series titled Tokimeki Memorial: Girl’s Side (reversing the dynamic by making the player a girl trying to attract guys) has been going strong since 2002, with a fourth entry coming in 2020.
Fun fact: Koji Igarashi was a scenario writer on the first Tokimeki Memorial before taking helm of the Castlevania franchise. Yes, the man who wrote Symphony of the Night also has a writing credit on a game acclaimed for its script.
“She loves me, she loves me not…”: Shiori’s chances to join Smash
Now that we’ve concluded Tokimeki Memorial 101, it’s time to answer the question that it is on our mind: What are Shiori’s odds at actually joining the battle at Smash Ultimate? This isn’t a super easy question to answer, as Shiori has a lot of moving pieces that makes her difficult to put an exact probability on. However, weighing all of the factors involved, I sincerely believe the pros outweigh the cons.
Let’s start with Shiori’s biggest hurdle, the fact that Tokimeki Memorial has never been released outside of Japan. Initially, this doesn’t seem like too big of a deal, seeing how Marth, Roy, and Lucas appeared in Smash despite not appearing in an international release. However, Takamaru was specifically denied from Smash for Wii U/3DS as he was not recognizable to an international audience. On the one hand, there is more evidence to suggest being Japan only isn’t that big of a deal, while the most recent piece of evidence suggests it is a big deal. Likewise, we don’t know how Shiori being a third party would factor into this issue. In my opinion, while having no international release doesn’t help Shiori, it doesn’t mean she’s impossible like some might think. I honestly think Sakurai will add who he wants, regardless of how internationally recognizable they are. Sakurai was concerned with adding Ayumi in Melee because she wasn’t an international character, but didn’t have this issue when adding Marth in the same game, suggesting that a character’s individual appeal may overrule any reservations Sakurai has about their recognizability. Likewise, all the characters we’ve seen so far in the Fighter’s Pass seem to appeal to certain regions above others. Both Dragon Quest and Fatal Fury/King of Fighters are huge in Japan and lukewarm in the West, while the inverse is true of Banjo-Kazooie. Even Persona, the most cosmopolitan of the DLC franchises, has significantly more recognizability in Japan than other regions.
Also, to those of you looking at options to appeal to the verging Chinese market, Tokimeki Memorial did receive a Chinese release on the PC.
There’s also the issue of Shiori being from a third-party company, Konami. Currently, third-parties seem to be riding somewhat high in Smash, with the last 4 fighters all hailing from non-Nintendo companies. This is obviously in Shiori’s favour, but it’s difficult to predict if things will change as we go into Wave 2 of Smash DLC. Will we continue to only see third parties? Will we get a Nintendo pass to counteract all the non-Nintendo characters? Will we see a mix of the two? It’s really difficult to tell.
Likewise, Shiori being from Konami is also worth discussing. Obviously, Konami is already in Smash with Metal Gear and Castlevania fighters, along with a Bomberman assist trophy and Goemon mii fighter costume. This removes a good amount of Tokimemo’s internal competition, but there’s still series like Silent Hill, Frogger, and Contra. General consensus seems to be, while Silent Hill is a massive series, it’s overly dark tone wouldn’t work in Smash. I agree. If Sakurai thought Castlevania was stretching how dark Smash could get, Silent Hill is definitely off the table. Frogger has been tossed around a lot recently, and he’d compliment Pac-Man well, but his series tends to come back once a decade only to immediately comatose again. Of these three, I’d say Contra is her biggest competition: it’s got a long history with Nintendo, is relatively popular, and has defined characters. Tokimeki Memorial’s impact and legacy might outpace Contra, but it’s tough to tell.
Let’s start talking about the positives. First, Tokimeki Memorial has a massive legacy in its home country. Even though I discussed it in my spiel on the series’ legacy, it is honestly difficult to do justice to just how large the series was back in the day. Tokimeki Memorial was able to transcend the gaming sphere and become something discussed by the general public, it would be difficult to find someone living in Japan who didn’t know who Shiori Fujisaki was. It’s difficult to go to a Book-Off (Japanese second-hand store) and not find some Tokimeki Memorial knick-knacks. Even nowadays, the series is very well respected among Japanese gamers. Famitsu readers ranked Tokimeki Memorial as the 23rd greatest game of all time in 2006, and the series was frequently brought up when discussing historic games of the Heisei era. If Shiori got into Smash, you’d best believe that Japanese Twitter would explode.
Of course, identity doesn’t matter too much when the big man himself said:
Shiori would undoubtedly have a unique playstyle. Being a mundane school girl amongst a cast of intergalactic bounty hunters, legendary warriors, and monsters that fit in your pocket will do that. Additionally, drawing from the mechanics of Tokimeki Memorial’s unique gameplay would distance Shiori from other characters on the roster. Off the top of my head, I picture her playing like a mix between Isabelle, Wii Fit Trainer, and Hero, with some of her own stuff mixed in. Her normals would mostly be similar to the Animal Crossing characters, using average, everyday objects as a reference to the various clubs and activities in Tokimemo, albeit with a more frantic and unpredictable edge to emphasis both that she’s not a fighter and the quirky atmosphere of her home game. For her specials, I could see two types of attacks coming into play. First, specials that raise her various stats could reflect the main challenge of Tokimeki Memorial, boosting your stats to meet the various girls’ expectations. Likewise, I could see her having specials that take advantage of a text box and a series of answers to perform an attack. Shiori’s moveset potential is just defined enough to have clear boundaries, but just loose enough to give her a lot she could do.
What opportunities are there to play the series in English?
Unfortunately, there really aren’t any ways to play an English translation of the series. The original was never localized for a variety of reasons (an overly Japanese setting at a time when that was frowned upon, being a 2-D game when Sony of America really didn’t want those, and the high cost of both localizing the text and hiring voice actors being some). The PSP port was considered for an international release, but was quickly decided against after Konami’s Brooktown High failed. Likewise, basically every attempt at a fan translation has gone the way of the Dodo.
That being said, there have been little droplets of Kirameki thanks both to references in media that has seen an international release and the glory of the worldwide web. Because I’m a dependable guy like Yoshio Saotome, here’s some of the best ways to experience Tokimemo:
VibratingSheep’s Something Awful Let’s Play: This is probably the best way to experience Tokimeki Memorial. Not only does VibratingSheep translate a couple of routes from the first three main series games and the first Girl’s Side game (including a playthrough of Shiori’s route!), he gives information on cultural meanings that would otherwise go over your head.
GameCenter CX Season 3 Ep. 13: Another solid option, you lose some of the cultural stuff, but it is real gameplay (as opposed to the still images of the Let’s Play) and I actually prefer some of their translations. Plus, you get to experience the ride with Arino, which is always a treat.
Tokimeki Memorial's Shiori Fujisaki Route -- Designing For Love: Provides a good explanation of the appeal of Tokimeki Memorial, and a fantastic analysis of why Shiori is so loved from a game design aspect. I’d say read the Let’s Play or watch GameCentre CX and then watch this for the analysis.
QLai’s FAQ: This FAQ is from when the game first released and is absolutely ancient (seriously, the thing’s older than me!) and definitely has some flaws, but it’s the only one out there. If you want to try your hand at love directly and don’t speak Japanese, this will likely be helpful.
High Score Girl Ep. 13: Series protagonist Haruo plays a little bit of Tokimeki in a comedic scene, highlighting just how bad he is with girls. You don’t get a ton of info about the game, but it is cute and worth watching. Then again, this show is great and you should really be watching it anyway.
The OVA: A two-episode OVA from 1999 by Studio Pierrot (the folks behind Yu Yu Hakusho and Naruto). Unlike the Fatal Fury OVA, this one goes in assuming you’re already somewhat familiar with the characters, so you’re not going to get much out of it unless you know the source material. That being said, it does do a good job portraying these characters and it captures that late 90’s anime charm that the original game has.
GameCenter CX Season 3 Ep. 13: Another solid option, you lose some of the cultural stuff, but it is real gameplay (as opposed to the still images of the Let’s Play) and I actually prefer some of their translations. Plus, you get to experience the ride with Arino, which is always a treat.
Tokimeki Memorial's Shiori Fujisaki Route -- Designing For Love: Provides a good explanation of the appeal of Tokimeki Memorial, and a fantastic analysis of why Shiori is so loved from a game design aspect. I’d say read the Let’s Play or watch GameCentre CX and then watch this for the analysis.
QLai’s FAQ: This FAQ is from when the game first released and is absolutely ancient (seriously, the thing’s older than me!) and definitely has some flaws, but it’s the only one out there. If you want to try your hand at love directly and don’t speak Japanese, this will likely be helpful.
High Score Girl Ep. 13: Series protagonist Haruo plays a little bit of Tokimeki in a comedic scene, highlighting just how bad he is with girls. You don’t get a ton of info about the game, but it is cute and worth watching. Then again, this show is great and you should really be watching it anyway.
The OVA: A two-episode OVA from 1999 by Studio Pierrot (the folks behind Yu Yu Hakusho and Naruto). Unlike the Fatal Fury OVA, this one goes in assuming you’re already somewhat familiar with the characters, so you’re not going to get much out of it unless you know the source material. That being said, it does do a good job portraying these characters and it captures that late 90’s anime charm that the original game has.
Hoo-boy, I didn’t expect things to get this long. However, given how most people are unfamiliar with this series and character, I think going a little in depth is necessary. To summarize, Shiori Fujisaki and Tokimeki Memorial were able to capture the hearts of a generation, even among those who didn’t play video games. Not only does this series deserve a spot at Smash’s table, but Shiori would bring a unique moveset and aesthetic unseen in Smash. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait until graduation to see Kirameki’s Idol join the battle.
Supporters
1. Garteam
2. Smashkirby
1. Garteam
2. Smashkirby
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