Tokimeki Memorial Piano Collection 1 is quite possibly the best piano arranged album ever created. I’ve listened to that CD so many times, I’m surprised the disc hadn’t been scratched to pieces. The only flaw was that it was too little and too short. I wanted more, MORE I TELL YOU! To my delight, not long afterwards I learned of a second CD of Tokimemo piano arranged music. I hurriedly ordered my copy and waited in gleeful anticipation for my hunger to be sated. And, after the first listen through, I felt like I was going to cry; not from joy, but from an overwhelming feeling of disappointment. I don’t consider myself a piano music connoisseur, but compared to the first album, Tokimeki Memorial Piano Collection 2 doesn’t compare to the emotion and beauty of the pieces found on the first.
Tokimeki Piano Collection 2 isn’t a bad CD. The arrangements are on par with other memorable arranged albums; it’s just that it’s missing the emotional touch that made the first so wonderful. I really wish Taro Iwashiro would have arranged and performed this music. I feel that it was his influence and talents on the first that made it the beautiful music that it was. But all of that aside, why am I so opposed to these arrangements? Part of it may be due to the fact that the track selection is not what you’d expect for these type of arrangements. Not only are the pieces some of the more obscure ones from the game, but oftentimes it’s hard to recognize the original melodies. Also, the pieces tend be stretched out; a seven minute arrangement of a piece that originally was only a minute and a half long is too much for me.
The tone of this album is a lot more laid back. There are a few jazzy pieces, but they’re not that noticeable among the rest. I just couldn’t help thinking to myself that this sounds like “lounge” music. It’s nice to sit back and relax to, good background music, but not much else. The pieces that stood out for me were the ones I was actually able to recognize, after about a minute or two into it. The ending vocal is a nice closing piece, but I just can’t help feeling like I’m missing something.
I really wish I could have been happier about this album. Please keep in mind that I’m probably more biased against these arrangements due to my love of the first CD. If you’re a piano music fan, I’d definitely suggest trying this out though. All in all, it’s a nice album. For those of you who are skeptical, listen to some samples first and form your own opinion before searching this one out. As with most of the Tokimeki CD’s, it’s out of print, but not extremely hard to find. It pops up on eBay every so often and sells for about $30.
