Tokimeki Memorial is the most prolific, popular, and definitive dating simulation video game series in Japan. The difference between a dating sim and a love adventure is that a love adventure is merely a Choose Your Own Adventure story whereas a dating sim is more stat driven, very much like an RPG. Instead of fighting battles to increase one’s stats, dating sim players will need to engage in social and academic activities typical of Japanese high school students in order to build the necessary character stats to woo a girl.
It is very difficult for me to think of a video game series that has as many sountracks as Tokimeki Memorial does. Memories Off is quite prolific as well, but even it comes in a distant second. With the sheer volume of Tokimeki Memorial soundtracks out there, music aficionados can find music that’s awesome, music that’s awful, and everything in between. It’s very possible to find the entire spectrum in one soundtrack. Tokimeki Memorial 3’s soundtrack certainly fits that bill. There are some excellent pieces, some that are just plain rotten, and a vast majority of contrived and mediocre pieces. The soundtrack consists of 73 tracks across two CDs, so the tracks themselves run no longer than two and a half minutes.
Stylistically, the synthesized music presented on this two-disc soundtrack attempts to utilize a variety of styles, but is ultimately bland save for a few standout tracks. Most of the pieces are the standard synth-pop fare found in most dating sims and love adventures. The more interesting ones utilized different styles of music such as flamenco, but still seemed plain vanilla. The more whimsical tracks either sound noncommital or cartoonishly exaggerated.
But there are shining points in this otherwise mediocre soundtrack. Disc 2 actually has some very good tracks. Disc 1 is an absolute disappointment and, in my opinion, a waste in comparison. Tracks 3, 4, 15, 26, 28, and 29 in disc 2 are the best of the lot. These pieces are dynamic, emotional, and/or just plain cool. Track 28 could be a solid boss theme in an RPG.
Despite the handful of good tracks, the soundtrack still gets a thumbs down from me. I found it rather boring and contrived. I also felt that the mixing was not done well. The soundtrack as a whole sounded way too trebley and that sometimes led to peaky and harsh sonic textures. Some deeper bass and heftier low mids would have balanced the sound out nicely. I still have yet to be fully impressed by a Tokimeki Memorial soundtrack. If other Tokimeki Memorial soundtracks are on par with this one, then I honestly fail to see why Tokimeki Memorial music is so good that it deserves the sheer volume of soundtracks that it has.
