9. Tokimeki Memorial Only Love

The Tokimeki Memorial franchise has a storied history. The original game and its sequels are often considered the quintessential dating sim. The franchise is also unique for its lack of adult content; porn sells bishoujo games, obviously, but Tokimeki Memorial has always managed to get by without. There’s something innocent about the series, and it shows in its most recent anime adaptation.

Tokimeki Memorial Only Love is a breath of fresh air, to be honest. In this era of bishoujo game adaptations, it’s remarkable for its simplicity: there’s no shocking story to be told, no broken heroines, no despicable protagonist. In essence, it’s a show about high school boys and high school girls doing their thing. There’s a certain wackiness to it, of course, as is typical of most Konami anime properties. The wackiness, however, is all in good fun, and serves as a beneficial counterweight to both the show’s more mundane and more dramatic moments. All in all, it’s a good balance.

Of course, it’s likely because the show is so well-balanced and straightforward that it’s often overlooked. Even I didn’t give it the attention it deserved until about half way through its run. However, as the characters grew, the romantic subplots matured, and the writing continued to improve, I realized the show was more than just “filler anime”. What started off as something I watched only for grins eventually became something I looked forward to on a weekly basis.

I don’t watch as many bishoujo game adaptations nowadays as I did in the past. Somewhere along the line, I grew tired of the extraneous stories and cookie cutter characters so typical of the genre. Occasionally, however, an adaptation will come along that circumvents those limitations. I think Tokimeki Memorial Only Love does just that.

Don’t get me wrong: it’s plainly obvious that the show is inspired from a dating sim. The protagonist is even forced to make a choice between the three main heroines in the final episode. The show is true to its roots, but its not necessarily bound by them. The premise may be obvious and the ending may be pre-ordained, but the intervening episodes are a wonderful mix of competent storytelling, playful comedy, and honest character development. And it got better and better with each episode. That’s not something you can say about too many bishoujo game adaptations, really.

To be honest, I feel a bit silly for recognizing this show. I can hear the head scratching from here. However, it really was one of the more pleasant surprises of the past year. It turned out to be far more enjoyable than I ever expected going in. The show may be simple and all, but…

Well, sometimes, simple is good.