when Ritsuko times out

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This episode is a nice start, with a song that sounds a lot like Schubert, but with elements from Schumann (EDIT: that’s it! Schumann’s violin sonatas). At least the song she played was good. Story: girl doesn’t want to play violin anymore, picks up violin and goes to Austria (yeah! Austria!) by the end of the story, aided by a guy who is supposed to speak Deutsch, but I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. Boy-in-the-past motif is strong and well integrated.

Dude, is that fucking Heath? I had no idea they portrayed him like that! Go X-Japan! The song they play isn’t particularly spectacular though. This episode was stronger than the previous one. Oh yeah, story: ‘privacy issues’ tend to force the band apart, but they all come together again once the protagonist decides to finally sing a love song. Boy-in-the-past motif: just there.

Nanase Yuu is hawt. This episode is all about them risking a typhoon to go see shooting stars. Weird, but there you go, and it’s not too bad after all. Sure would be fun to just go with somebody you met on the train, though. Strong episode, and the boy-in-the-past motif isn’t tacked on.

This episode was about a sick girl who writes down her dreams (all 100 of them) before she dies. Nice… as nice as a sick girl story can get anyway. I never was a sucker for sick girl stories…

Kaho – a girl on the track team who’s got problems with relays. The boy-in-the-past motif integrates nicely. Real nicely. And I really want to taste that Tsuutenkaku Special.

My second-favourite episode. Wakana Ayasaki, a really cute girl, is troubled by ‘worldly desires’. Of course, you know what 17 year old girls’ ‘worldly desires’ are, don’t you? So she’s naturally afraid to show the monk what exactly she wants to cast out. After a long and worldly talk that would make your friends go green in envy for not having this on their hard drives, you get a cool plot in the background, grassroot jelly, and the monk dating Wakana. Fucking awesome. Of course, I really don’t see how the boy-in-the-past thing fit in… again…

Girl who looks like her brother helps out Girl who is in love with her brother. The boy-in-the-past motif shows why the first girl is reluctant to disguise herself as her brother – but still, it’s a bit tacked on.

Finally, we’re at my favourite episode! A re-adapted Cinderella story, except without the silly magic part. And the boy-in-the-past wasn’t tacked on. And I love them ‘ladies’. Yes, ‘ladies’. There really isn’t much to say about this episode, but I love it, mostly because I love Hoshino Asuka.

First episode I watched. I found it boring, and what the hell is up with the computer-fear that’s going on here? A computer-designed kimono? don’t you mean a CAD designed kimono? How the hell is a computer designed kimono gonna work, unless it’s abstract Bezier curves? Still, the arranged meeting was nice, if only for the fact that they never saw each other again. And I totally forgot what the boy-in-the-past element was.

Shades of Rahxephon anyone? I didn’t get this episode. A washed bottle, a girl who believes in UFOs, and a sentient school building make their appearance here. At last, the boy-in-the-past plays a major role in the plot. In the end, I had no idea what happened though.

Girl 1 helps Girl 2 get together with Boy 1 (the boy-in-the-past), all the while thinking that Boy 1 liked her, but secretly Girl 2 and Boy 1 had the hots for each other. Here Girl 1 kneels, defeated by the power of true love.

Honoka Sawatari (cute name) who dates her father (not cute; I’m sure the Greeks have a word for this) runs away from the postman, who seems to be her real father, or man-in-the-past. I have absolutely no clue what the hell is going on in this episode. No clue whatsoever. It pains me that I don’t know what is going on.

So, that’s Sentimental Journey. A guy on BoxTorrents says this is the first of the dating sim game to anime adaptations. I really don’t see who’s dating who in any episode, though. Wikipedia says this anime was made in 1998, but seriously, it could have been made in the 80s and I wouldn’t have noticed the difference. Not that it sucks, but the colour palette looks distinctively 80s-ish, like Maison Ikkoku’s although the drawing style is decidedly different. They were pretty sentimental, yeah, but most of the time, like Episode 9, nothing really happens. And seriously, what’s with the computer-fear thing? Episode 3, 6 and 8 made it all worthwhile, though. Conclusion: Rarely recommended – a guilty pleasure.