Sentimental Journey is a collection of twelve short stories about twelve
different girls. Though unrelated, there is one common theme that binds the
episodes together: each girl's bittersweet experience of first love.
Sentimental Journey Anime Review
Sentimental Journey was first released in Japan back in 1998, based on a
bishoujo game entitled Sentimental Grafitti. I remember being awed by various
Sentimental Grafitti images strewn throughout the net back in the late 90's,
as I was similarly fascinated with Sentimental Grafitti figurines I'd see on
sale in various anime shops. Sentimental Journey is one of those titles which
I never expected to see translated into English.
Sentimental Journey is a coming-of-age feature with twelve teenage girls at
the helm, and each of the twelve episodes is a re-telling of their first brush
with romance. To give an example, the first episode is entitled
"Akira Endo".
Akira is a budding violinist who becomes infatuated with a male schoolmate who
also plays the violin. He becomes her inspiration, resulting to richer and
deeper performances on Akira's part. But he moves away, leaving Akira alone.
Akira loses her desire to play the violin, and the episode further unfolds to
show us how Akira eventually realizes what is important in her life.
Every story imparts a lesson in love and life in general, as seen and felt
from an ordinary Japanese girl's perspective. There's an episode which shows
the heroine going on an omiai (or "arranged marriage meeting"), as well
as one wherein the heroine impersonates her twin brother in order to go on a
date with another girl -- among others.
The art and animation are very good, albeit somewhat washed out -- a minor
flaw which can probably be attributed to the title's age. Lovely character
designs and a good assortment of Japanese backdrops
(ranging from bustling cityscapes to rustic countrysides) make up the
visuals, while likeable mellow pop songs and unobtrusive background music
comprise the soundtrack. I should also mention that there is no English dub
track, just English subtitles.
Sentimental Journey is a series which demonstrates the various aspects of
young adulthood, with unrequited love at the top of its agenda. I personally
thought it was executed nicely, but its languid pacing and character-driven
episodes leave a sort of open-endedness that may bother those who prefer a
more solid and defined approach. Sentimental is right. Feeling is emphasized
instead of action, and there's a pervading sense of nostalgia as I am once
again reminded of how old I'm getting.
Miscellanies: Sentimental Journey
Sentimental Journey anime is comprised of twelve episodes, all of which are in a
double-disc set.
Sentimental Journey | |
| Genre | Drama, Romance |
|---|---|
| Episodes | 12 |
| Status | Finished Airing |
| Aired | Apr 8, 1998 to Jul 1, 1998 |
| Producers | - |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Rating | PG-13 - Teens 13 or older |
| Themes | - |
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