Two years after the first game, “Hatsukoi Valentine Special” hit the Japanese dating-sim market, and with it came the release of this soundtrack, from Absord Music Japan. Let’s take a quick look at this album release.
The tracklist is laid out in a simple, “themed” fashion. The first twenty tracks encompass all of the character themes (being a game based primarily around character interaction, this comes as no surprise). Then there are four “seasonal” themes (very common for this genre), some special music for dates and romantic moments, a handful of “others,” the ending piece, and some bonus tracks. This is a no-frills experience (unless you think the bonus tracks are super-magical or something…).
The character themes are fun and simple, but they are not looped, which is part of why the album is relatively short in terms of disc time. My favorite tracks are the season themes, and the final track. I really like “Projection” (the ending theme from the original Hatsukoi Valentine), so it’s great that they tacked it onto this disc.
You’re not likely to find this album readily available for sale, but it’s a decent album. And if you’re a completionist, what’s great about Hatsukoi Valentine as a series is that there are relatively few albums. Compare that Tokimeki Memorial, which probably has over 200 albums out by now (I know they’re well over 100). I very much enjoyed this soundtrack, and I hope to find more in the vaults of obscure graphic adventure / dating sim soundtracks from the 1990s in the future.
