Sentimental Graffiti

Sentimental Graffiti
センチメンタルグラフティ (Senchimentaru Gurafuti)
Genre	Romance, Drama
Game
Developer	NEC Interchannel
Publisher	NEC Interchannel
Genre	Dating Simulation
Rating	CERO: All ages
Platform	SG1: Sega Saturn (SS) PlayStation (PS) Windows (Win) PlayStation Network (PSN) SG2: Dreamcast (DC) Windows (Win)
Released	SG1: 22 January 1998 (SS) 30 October 1998 (PC) 29 March 2001 (PS) 10 February 2010 (PSN) SG2: 28 July 2000 (DC) 23 March 2001 (Win)
TV anime
Sentimental Journey
Directed by	Kazuyoshi Katayama
Studio	Sunrise
Network	TV Tokyo
Original run	1998-04-08 – 1998-07-01
Episodes	12 episodes
Anime and Manga Portal

Sentimental Graffiti (センチメンタルグラフティ, Senchimentaru Gurafuti^?) is the name of a popular dating simulation series by NEC Interchannel. A TV anime based on the series was later produced, titled Sentimental Journey. Three Japanese radio dramas based on the series, titled Sentimental Night, Kaettekita Sentimental Night, and Only Sentimental Night 2 were produced. A number of non-broadcast Japanese audio dramas have also been produced. Several dojin games have been made based on the characters, including the infamous Sentimental Shooting scrolling shooter, which combines a very engaging (and difficult) shoot 'em up with provocative imagery. Its nicknames amongst fans are typically Senchi or the contraction SenchiGura.^{[citation needed]}

Following the 1994 hit success of Tokimeki Memorial, NEC Interchannel initiated a cooperation between Tabeta Toshio and the main staff of the Graduation series with game production house Marcus in an attempt to produce a "Tokimeki-like" game. While the six central characters were cast by Seiji Productions, the remaining six were considered unconventional for the time in that they were selected for public appeal. At the time, many of the staff and cast were unknown by the general public, which spurred a large media sales campaign designed to widen the game's exposure and establish it as a new brand. Advertisements and articles were placed in many magazines such as Dengeki G's Magazine as well as the TBS radio show Sentimental Night which aired in 1997. A unit entitled "SG girls" was formed and numerous events and concert were held. The promotion paid off, as sales of various related goods took off, the game received a positive reaction from fans, and copies became scarce.

What makes Sentimental Journey unusual is that each episode is completed unrelated to any of the others; instead, each episode focuses solely on one girl and tells a short romantic story. The only common element tying the stories together is the presence of a boy (and not even the same boy) in each girl's past, a boy who used to be puppy love, or an old crush, or a best friend, or just a short acquaintance. And this boy would have an influence over some part of that girl's present life. The stories ranged widely from straightforward girl-gets-boy romance to supernatural drama, and the actual storytelling and animation quality also tended to fluctuate noticeably, making it quite unusual.

Heroines

Akira Endou (遠藤 晶, Endō Akira^?)

• Location: Nagasaki, Nagasaki

  Birthday: October 31

  Voice actresses: Urarako Suzuki, Rhee Dong Eun

Akira met the protagonist when he walked in on her practicing the violin and encouraged her to put true feeling to her music.

Asuka Hoshino (星野 明日香, Hoshino Asuka^?)

• Location: Yokohama, Kanagawa

  Birthday: June 21

  Voice actresses: Asami Okamoto, Yang Jeong Hwa

Asuka wanted to date the protagonist, imagining herself to be the heroine of a popular romantic comedy film, but she fell ill on the day that they were supposed to go out and he moved away soon after.

Chie Matsuoka (松岡 千恵, Matsuoka Chie^?)

• Location: Fukuoka, Fukuoka

  Birthday: November 23

  Voice actresses: Chizu Yonemoto, Rhee Myeong Seon

The protagonist and Chie were charged with arranging the school festival, and together they managed to make the event one of the biggest in school history, but the protagonist moved away before Chie could sing the song she had composed for him.

Emiru Nagakura (永倉 えみる, Nagakura Emiru^?)

• Location: Sendai, Miyagi

  Birthday: July 20

  Voice actresses: Ai Maeda, Rhee Ja Myeong

Emiru was ostracised by her peers for her strange mannerisms, but the protagonist didn't mind and became friends with her. When he had to move, they made a time capsule promising each other that they would continue to be friends after they grew up.

Honoka Sawatari (沢渡 ほのか, Sawatari Honoka^?)

• Location: Sapporo, Hokkaidō

  Birthday: May 14

  Voice actresses: Mariko Suzuki, Ryoo Jeom Hooi

The protagonist was one of Honoka's few male friends, having won her trust in a riding accident when she fell off her horse and the protagonist let her fall on him. They kept an exchange diary until the protagonist had to move away.

Kaho Morii (森井 夏穂, Morii Kaho^?)

• Location: Osaka, Osaka

  Birthday: April 19

  Voice actresses: Yukiko Mannaka, Yoon Mi Na

Kaho is one of the best runners in her school, and had claimed crowns in every event except for the relay race. The protagonist is roped into joining the team and practices with Kaho every day, but he had to move away on the day of the race.

Manami Sugihara (杉原 真奈美, Sugihara Manami^?)

• Location: Takamatsu, Kagawa

  Birthday: March 12

  Voice actresses: Machiko Toyoshima, Rhee Hyeon Jin

Manami was often ill and therefore absent from school, but after meeting the protagonist and taking care of an injured bird with him, she gained the courage to be stronger.

Miyuki Hosaka (保坂 美由紀, Hosaka Miyuki^?)

• Location: Kanazawa, Ishikawa

  Birthday: February 16

  Voice actresses: Yuki Makishima, Kim Hyo Seon

Miyuki worked in her parents' kimono store and felt tremendous pressure to inherit the family business because her siblings had run away from home. An offhand remark by the protagonist suggesting that the kimonos her parents sold were as beautiful as the paintings she made caused her to change her mind.

Rurika Yamamoto (山本 るりか, Yamamoto Rurika^?)

• Location: Nagoya, Aichi

  Birthday: August 22

  Voice actresses: Hiromi Konno, Kim Na Yeon

Rurika accidentally broke a fossil when cleaning up after class, but the protagonist (who also had cleaning duties that day) took responsibility for the act.

Taeko Adachi (安達 妙子, Adachi Taeko^?)

• Location: Aomori, Aomori

  Birthday: January 19

  Voice actresses: Junka Okada, Chae Eui Jin

Taeko was the protagonist's neighbour when they were children (making her chronologically the first girl he met) and the two often teased by the other kids as the "Adachi couple".

Wakana Ayasaki (綾崎 若菜, Ayasaki Wakana^?)

• Location: Kyoto, Kyoto

  Birthday: September 16

  Voice actresses: Michiko Oda, Kim Seon Hooi

Wakana was locked in the family warehouse as punishment for trespassing it; the Protagonist, though he was chased out for this infraction as well, sneaked back in at night to be with her so she wouldn't be afraid. The two then found an old music box that played a lovely melody.

Yuu Nanase (七瀬 優, Nanase Yū^?)

• Location: Hiroshima, Hiroshima

  Birthday: December 18

  Voice actresses: Yuka Nishiguchi, Rhee Ji Yeong

Yuu met the protagonist by chance one evening during summer vacation and watched a meteor shower with him, but he transferred away before the school year began.

Sentimental Graffiti 1

The first game focused on the relationship between a boy and the various girls he met throughout his life. The protagonist, Tanaka Ichirou, is a high school student who, prior to the spring vacation of his third year, receives a letter simply stating "I want to meet you." During middle school, his frequent transferring of schools allowed him to form unique relationships with various girls. In order to search for the sender of the letter, he travels nationwide to various places, and meets the 12 girls of his memories once again.

Sentimental Graffiti 2

The second game takes place in a world in which the first protagonist died in a traffic accident during his journey. The game takes place in a college town in which the original 12 girls have gathered to attend. The protagonist, Shiina Kouhei, is a second-year college student and a member of the Photography Club. He has been tasked with the job of finding his own model for the photo exhibition at the upcoming school festival, and thus turns to one of the now emotionally scarred girls in hopes of convincing them to become his model.

Sentimental Graffiti 2 was received on a much smaller scale than the first one. By this time, the momentum of the series had already been lost since three years had passed since the release of the original and by this time the genre was flooded with similar games. In addition, the original scenario writer was not in charge of the second game, stating that even if he did wanted to, it was impossible for him to write such a continuation as to have the original protagonist die in such a way. Moreover, fans of the series were upset by the change in Taeko Adachi's voice actress, who was played by Arishima Moyu for the sequel.

External links

• Sentimental Graffiti 2 - Gene-X's Page for Sentimental Graffiti 2 PC (Japanese)
• Sentimental Museum(Japanese)
• Sentimental Journey (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia