there is quite an egregious audio error somewhere deep into this video. it lasts about five seconds. please don't ask me if it's "intentional." it's not. why would that be intentional? it happens to involve copyrighted music, as well, which is the worst thing. oh well: this is what happens when you have like 19 audio tracks under your video lol feel free to guess what i was saying there. and sorry if it gets real loud all of a sudden! also you could back me on patreon if you want me to be able to afford to hire more people to help avoid stuff like that in the future . . . !! if i get 1,000 thumbs ups on this comment i'll re-export a fixed version of the video. though in that case, you all gotta comment again . . .
What album is #4 on your list of favorite albums? It looks so familiar but I can't place it. I've been looking through lists of black and white album covers by even the most obsessive people on rateyourmusic and can't find that album with a sketch of a girl.
oh! that's not the moment. there is something much worse later. that part was intentional. doom shotguns / demons = always intentional. the other thing, wow, absolutely not intentional lol
hey listen I know there's a lot to take in here and there's a lot of really dense good stuff, but I think we need to pay some attention to the fact that the ball roll athletics game unearthed that the avatar character has an absolute dump truck ass
@@ActionButton I have never played this game in my life but I have played similar games and hearing you discover that "hair combing" is just general grooming was gold. It's one of those abstractions that's become so common place that it's always a trip to see someone experience/discover it for the first time. Like going through most of Megaman X2 or 3 without Dashing and then finding out about it two thirds of the way through
"Some of us are so ashamed of even the most inoccent aspects of who we are that eventually we run out of people to be". This quote will pop in my mind everytime I'm not being true to my self from now on.
This was the last video I watched together with my best friend before she died. Action Button, thank you so much for these last moments you gave us together.
I am currently one hour into this review - you haven't even talked about the game yet, but I am fully invested in your thesis AND your life stories. Are you the final boss of video essays?
Consider the old screenwriting adage that one page of dialogue equals one minute of screen time (yes I know this was most likely not written in script format )
Can't get over that person messaging you about reviewing games literally no one cares about when I'm several hours into this and it's easily the most intriguing game you've talked about/most gripping video you've made so far
@RandomPasserby OnTheInternet I believe Shiori's requirements are much stricter. You have to satisfy ALL of her parameters, make her go into Tokimeki state, and trigger the event that leads to her confession. Fail one of these three requirements, and it's time to reload.
@RandomPasserby OnTheInternet Her req. are health = 30; culture, logic, art = 130; sport, insight/trivia = 110; looks, spirit = 100 and stress lower 50. (I think you could raise culture art and logic the first year and trigger girls. In the second year raise other stats but not high enough to trigger girls. On third year new girls can't appear.)
Kinda ironic that the difficulty around Shiori made players enjoy the game even more(back then) like - Try really hard to get her attention, *or* completely ignore her and hang around with other girls.
2:47:04 - “The emulator reloaded so quickly that I felt guilty, so I downloaded an mp4 of the original PlayStation bootup sequence off the internet and played it in VLC.” Only a man of culture and respect for the art would burn daylight for the sake of achieving true 1995 immersion. I salute you, good sir.
During the chapter 'The Itch The Freak Scratched', I was reminded of your earlier reference to Groundhog Day. In the film, Phil Connors uses his days on repeat to learn all there is to know about Rita Hanson (or at least what he initially thinks counts as 'all there is to know'). At the end of his first almost-but-not-quite successful wooing of Rita, she says, "You don’t even know me." "This whole day has just been one long setup." "What are you doing? Are you making some kind of list or something?" "Did you call up my friends and ask them what I like and what I don’t like?" "Is this what love is for you?" "I could never love someone like you, Phil, because you’ll never love anyone but yourself." He objects, but the audience knows the truth. He spends the rest of the film trying to become the kind of person that Rita could love. It seems that in Tokimeki Memorial, the player takes an opposite journey, having high intentions of becoming that person for Shiori, but in the end resorting to what can be gleaned from repetition and meticulous note-taking. I'm sure there are more comparisons to be made...
Your first playthrough is the most accurate representation of high school I've ever seen. It's basically just 4 years of you hanging out with people that barely like you, but if you don't hangout with them enough they spread rumors about you.
Except in the game you are forced to date people you met only once, otherwise they spread rumors about you so the girl you actually like hates you. This game is so messed up, it's like the opposite of reality.
16:15 "Honestly, when I review a Persona game, it's going to be Persona 2." Instantly subbed. Combined with a 6 hour review of TokiMemo, I can only surmise that you are my sworn brother and I will stand with you against any foe from henceforth until the end of days.
If anyone is curious, the Top 11 Albums that flash by at 39:12 are: 11. Mind Game by Miho Nakayama 10. No Fuse by Naniwa Express 09. Gokutsubushi by Jagatara 08. Thanks Giving by Ra Mu 07. Aventure by Taeko Ohnuki 06. Purple Rain by Prince and the Revolution 05. Goat by The Jesus Lizard 04. Sappukei by Number Girl 03. Starbow I Tanpopo hata de Tsukamaete by Starbow 02. Our Connection by Ayumi Ishida and the Tin Pan Alley Family 01. Wispy, No Mercy by Citrus
Tim Rodgers' videos are the JRPGs of video game reviews. You can't remember what you did before starting the video, and by the time it ends, you don't know what to do with yourself. All you remember is hearing him talk about Tokimeki Memorial. It's like, a part of your life now. So you just... start it over again.
If you were wondering, I can confirm that playing the shotgun sound effect at various speeds and volume levels and flashing a contextually relevant thing on the screen bright red did not get boring during these 6 hours.
Same. Pretty sure I heard this line in my teens. In fact, I was called "gay" in college when I joined a hip-hop class. My "friends" who called me "gay" came to one of the classes to "laugh" at me. But they stood and watched me dance with 100 women, intimately, jovially. I clearly had the last "laugh". (I put "laugh" in parenthesis because nobody actually laughed).
I feel like shiori fujisaki did her grindset during elementary or middle school because she had a crush on the MC. In her journey of self-improvement to catch the MCs eyes, she realized she outstripped him and now can only accept him if he chooses to undergo his own transformation for the sake of her love. She realizes her standards changed and is overwhelmed with joy when she finds you to be exceptional. Seems pretty toxic to me
Alternatively, Shiori cannot date someone her peers believe to be beneath her (or rather, not on her level). And thus the problem. Her childhood crush is only an option, her childhood _dream_ is only obtainable if MC becomes popular. Tim Rogers voice: Becomes... _desirable_ to other women. o.o
According to an uncited entry on TvTropes (the most reliable source on the internet), if you progress down Nozomi's route to the point of guaranteeing her confession, and then STOP dating her completely for the last few months of the game, she will grow her hair out to look more girly as she confesses her love to you under the tree of legend. To describe the level of detail in this game as "insane" would be an injustice to the entire field of psychology and would necessitate the drafting of an entirely new DSM.
My first encounter with this game was a fan translated episode of Japanese TV show Game Center CX where comedian Shinya Arino was challenged to reach the Shiori Fujisaki ending after getting married the week before. He got the ending on his first try by going entirely off his own real life wisdom. After watching this video I now realise that it may be one of the most impressive things ever done in the entire series.
@@corvaes The copyright holder has clamped down hard on uploads but you can still find it on daily motion by searching "game center cx tokimeki memorial"
Man I had forgotten about Game Center CX. There was a period there where... I think Kotaku was behind or supportive-of a paired-down half-hour translation of the show.
What I love about that episode is that, at least how the show presents it, he wasn't even trying. He plays the field, he wastes time fucking up dates, and yet his innate sensibilities still got him a win on the first try. Might still be his most impressive feat.
I'm new to your channel and enjoying all of your reviews, but I loved this one IMMENSELY in particular. I also wanted to let you know that - while it's not exactly "bubbus" - my parents' pet name for each other has always been "Bub." Kind of like Wolverine. When my dad proposed, he said, "Will you marry me, bub?" Since you said you found it funny to imagine, I hope this brings you a spark of entertainment 1/100th of how much I was delighted by this video.
I'm gonna be honest, I'm here because John from Super Eyepatch Wolf recommend this, which only makes it more baffling that I apparently already watched half of this video, but I can't remember this, I feel cursed
This is one of the neatest videos I've ever seen. First of all, I really really like you! You use poetic language when describing important moments, you have hilarious comedic asides where you say "buddy" and it always makes me laugh, you have great recurring bits. Also, you're a fluent Japanese speaker who moved to Japan to work in the games industry, which is exactly what I hope to do in my future. (That tip about playing Dragon Quest 5 is much appreciated-- I'm going to study abroad in Japan soon and I haven't even gotten to N5 yet) You give games the respect and time they deserve: veritably the opposite of a "played through this game for an hour, didn't like it, too hard" IGN review. You're talking about games that are genuinely interesting, you're respecting the classics (which so few people do nowadays), and you use your time so well! It feels like you have a Harry Potter timeturner, because the amount of games you play and the amount of research you do makes me feel like I have so much more potential, that I could be doing so much more with my time than just playing Tetris and watching TH-cam. Knowing that we're both humans and yet you're being so incredibly prolific, it makes me feel like that same potential is within me as well. Also something about how you made a reference to your own book that you knew no one would ever read was so hilarious and yet so familiar to me as a creative individual who can be ashamed of the art he's made in his life. It's a little crazy to think, you're 41 and I'm 20-- it seems are interests and goals are vaguely aligned and so I see you as a sort of future version of myself. I'm sure this TMI for you, but all in all, I just wanted to say that I really really enjoyed this video. May God bless you man, I hope you keep making great stuff and growing as a person (and maybe get married and have those kids too). I wish you luck!
I'm so glad you wrote this comment because now I don't have to. :D But yeah, his use of verbose language, ie., "poetic language when describing important moments", man, I love that stuff. In-depth analysis definitely feels like it's going by the wayside as it relates to entertainment purposes (or perhaps has been going by the wayside for some time now), but I'll go to my grave loving the flourish of language.
@@phillernst9748 Amen amen, brother! I may be a Gen Z'er, but I'll die before I use "oof", "bet", "sadge" or any other millennial newspeak that keeps me from describing my emotions in exact detail.
Shiori may only date guys that get first place in exams, but have you asked yourself if you're willing to settle for a girl that only got 7th? Know your worth, King 👑
@@coffinheadcoffinhead if women can set exceptionally high standard for their partner, then us men can also set exceptionally hih standard for our partner
“Much like in real life, every girl has a birthday” These words are like the devil playing a circus organ in my brain as I consider the birthdays I have neglected
I really hate it when people say they could disscuss a topic for hours without any intention to do so. That's why I watch ACTION BUTTON REVIEWS BY TIM ROGERS
That first run-through where you tried to just at least keep a friendship going while everything collapsed around you leaving you broken and alone at the end was a little bit too real for me
1:48:45 I don't know if Shiori is the greatest final boss in video game history, but the line "Shiori Fujisaki, history's softest, smiling final dracula, sits upon an endgame throne as tall as the moon, ready to reveal every miserable secret in your little pile." certainly makes me feel like it!
I don't think many English speakers would know this, and I don't know of a better place to put it: the quote "What is a man ? A miserable little pile of secrets" comes in fact from the French writer André Malraux who, in his memoirs published in the 60's wrote "Pour l'essentiel, l'homme est ce qu'il cache : un misérable petit tas de secrets". (For the most part, man is what he hides, a miserable little pile of secrets). I have no idea how it got to Castlevania. That would be an interesting story ! Does it in turn predate Malraux ? It seems like something that could be in Shakespeare. Is it a complete coincidence ? Bonus fact: Malraux only wrote the sentence to refute it: in the book, it's a sentiment echoed by a character that is immediately put down by the author surrogate, who replies: "L'homme est ce qu'il fait !". (man is what he does / his deeds)
I've brought up that point in the Discord and someone helpfully pointed me at this video from Easy Allies giving some context on the quote: th-cam.com/video/WKR392rkPL8/w-d-xo.html Turns out the Japanese version does not quote Malraux at all, so Tim may just be trolling us there, since I'm positively certain he both knows about the Malraux reference and the fact that Iga dit not wrote that line at all. Still, could you think of another French writer quoted in a popular video game? (Does Cioran in MGSV count?)
There is an idea of a Shiori Fujisaki, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real Shirori, only an entity, something illusory. Although she can hide her cold gaze, and you can shake her hand a feel flesh gripping yours, and even sense your lifestyles are probably comparable, she simply is not there.
Sorry to disappoint you, but the Tokimeki franchise is too much attached to otaku in Japan. There won't be a real push for this franchise on America, unless it is viewed as an historical artifact (like this review), or paraded ironically by people pretending to like it to get virtue points.
I'm sure someone has mentioned this, but if not may I suggest that Tim is the equivalent of a "method actor". Listening to era appropriate music, playing sequels and spin-offs, watching episodes of full-house and fresh prince...thank you for your sacrifice so that we may be entertained.
@RandomPasserby OnTheInternet It's good. Not the "best" version of the game, but still good and worth playing, especially if your only alternative is not playing it at all.
I've started playing this myself, and found that, as the review states, this game has bonkers amounts of STUFF in it. In my game, Megumi had, by year 3, actually worked up the courage to come and introduce HERSELF to ME /without/ needing Shiori's help, OUTSIDE the Christmas party's gates when I wasn't let in. As this seemed to go completely against her character as I had understood it from watching this video, I was left speechless.
I had to know, so I counted. He uses the Doom shotgun sound effect 260 times in this video. For those interested in the breakdown by section: Introduction: *9* (3.46%) "The First Dating Simulator?" (No, actually): *13* (5.00%) intermission #1: *0* (0.00%) let's talk about the game: *8* (3.08%) intermission #2: *1* (0.38%) Let's Play Tokimeki Memorial (playthrough #1: no-research shiori attempt (failure)): *68* (26.15%) Let's Play Tokimeki Memorial (playthrough #14: no-guide shiori attempt (success)): *57* (21.92%) intermission #3: *0* (0.00%) The Point: "The Itch the Freak Scratched" (or, "Myself Isn't Here"): *20* (7.69%) The Bottom Line: *48* (18.46%) The Post-Review: *36* (13.85%) Yes, I probably got a few wrong as some of what I believe are Doom shotgun sound effects are unrecognizably pitch-shifted. No, I'm not going back to double-check that the number I came up with is accurate. No, it wasn't worth it.
@@LucasSampaioMaia @dan don The good news is that it's just up to processing now, which is waiting on whatever happens with that on TH-cam's side. But the apparent immensity of the video as well as a more general trend that some TH-cam creators have noticed lately for processing times to be much longer than expected means that processing is taking much longer than expected. But it's just a matter of time now.
i went into this video thinking that the arboretum was a perfectly acceptable location for a date. i know realize that the reason why the most serious romantic relationship in my life ended is because our final date was at the arboretum. the correlation is clear now.
Oh my god you’re right. I too have experienced a final date in a serious relationship at an arboretum. I was dumped like a week later. Never take hot girls to arboretums.
@@user-ns3nj1jr8h it just seems to be cursed somehow. i mean it sounds like a good idea on paper right?? it's basically a park that's been landscaped specifically to be beautiful to walk in. but i guess theres some malicious arboretum spirit that refuses to let couples be happy.
Over the past four days, this video has been getting me through a breakup with the person I thought was my life partner, whom I’ve been with for almost the last four years. This has got to be the most immersive, enjoyable, and touching piece of game criticism I’ve ever seen, and it’s been such a source of comfort this week that even at this length, I really didn’t want it to end. It’s also given me a crush on Tim Rogers. Take me out on a date, Tim.
@@EASYANSWERS I'm so glad! I've done the same thing myself weirdly enough and she's still my partner in a lot of ways, just, you know, not the obvious one X)
This is the modern equivalent of a travelling man sitting down by a hearth of a social gathering place and telling about his travels with useful info, jokes and weirdly personal and heartfelt anecdotes mixed in, to anyone who'll listen. You have a way with words mr. TH-cam man.
This is a game that I had the intention of playing for years on end. One day, when I felt my Japanese comprehension was enough, only then would I play. I watched an hour of the video, just for the historical context and left it there. But with Roger's personal relation to the game hitting me on such a personal level, being in a somewhat similar place in life at the time of his first playthrough, after a week of having the game constantly bouncing around my mind, I burned the disc. Just for later. I put the disc into my PS1s disc tray. Just to appreciate the art on my CRT while I was at home to see it. I picked the last save slot, so it wouldn't get in the way of my future, real playthrough. I played for 18hours. To my surprise, it was almost perfectly suited to my level of Japanese. Midway into the second year, I decided to try for Shiori. I don't really know why. Shamelessly (shamefully) I looked up Shiori's stat requirements and went to save-scumming, bomb disarming and watching the will and guts stats teeter on the balance. If only my PS1 wasn't skipping audio throughout the confession. At least it was stable enough for me to clearly hear the「好きだ」. God, the satisfaction. I'm just ranting because of the immediate impact of this game, but the point is: You probably don't read these comments, but regardless, thank you for the inspiration and the final push to just make me play it. I copied my save to slot one.
"Never use the word 'literally' unless it's for a really good joke." "Now I found myself inadvertently and literally [...] romantically involved" Well done
Definitely check out Tim's old videos from his Kotaku days. He's been pumping out content at this quality level for years, before he quit Kotaku to make Action Button.
"You wouldn't learn Japanese for just one game, would you?" "I... Look, the man spoke about a single game for six hours uninterrupted and only managed glowing and effusive praise, what am I gonna do, *not* play it?"
Perhaps someone could make a custom textbook that only covers the grammar and vocab used in this game... sort of like those "Passport to ..." pamphlets Clyde Mandelin wrote for Zelda / Mother 2, but more on the scale of "À la recherche du temps perdu".
My Japanese is honestly pretty bad, but I started playing it because of this video. As long as you have some way of looking up words you don't know, (I use a mix of an OCR app on my phone and a handwriting keyboard for Japanese), I see no reason you couldn't learn enough Japanese to play this game in a month or two. The grammar is very straightforward, and you only need to know nine words to understand what's going on with the core gameplay mechanic of choosing how to spend your time. I'd reccomend you learn hiragana, get your hands on some Tadoku Graded readers, (and read them as intended!), and you'll be ready to play the game by the time you're fairly competent at level 3 tadokus. The game gives you as much time as you need for each of its textboxes other than the opening, and the music is nice enough that I honestly don't mind spending extra time listening to it. Another game that you can play without many issues, even if you Japanese is really bad, is Final Fantasy VII. Unlike Konami, Square has actually made their game available, so you can buy FFVII on basically any platform. Playing Tokimeki Memorial Legally is another story....
My Japanese is at about an intermediate level after roughly five years of study, and the catalyst for my learning Japanese was actually an untranslated Corpse Party video game.
I can't stop thinking about how Shiori's standards are so high that in a way, the game is about trying to save Shiori from a life of loneliness by repeating this time loop where every ending but one condemns her.
Yet, it necessitates you sacrifice everything authentic about your blank-slate character, manipulating your 4th wall understanding like a weapon. Who's to say she won't change her mind tomorrow? Who's to say you won't regret your quest? It's profoundly grim, if you want to stare between the lines with a magnifying glass.
While Shiori might be the canonical ending, I can't help but figure that perhaps the true ending of the game has to be with the other girls. That it can be a story of a boy who had a crush on a girl who by all accounts was perfect around school and had such high expectations for the first boy that she fell in love with, only to watch said boy drift away when he found someone else who he's more compatible with. She can only give a melancholic "Sayonara" to him now as he waits for the girl that he truly connects with. I wonder if Shiori too wonders what she could do over again, if she could do over her teenage years one more time...?
The fact you can choose Shioris birthday and blood type makes me think she's the true protagonist and the player characters is her imaginary friend and in her ending it's literally falling in love with herself/learning to be confident. This is a nod to the fact I don't think the protagonist has a non chibi sprite and I'm not convinced he's real
@@byakuyatogami2905 Let's run that theory some more. Shiori thinks better of the MC because he's impressing her peers (or other women rather). She wants their approval, so to see him obtain it is to indirectly obtain it herself. Vicariously. Which raises a question: Is Shiori a closet lesbian who was so popular (and therefore social) that she couldn't for the life of herself figure out how to have non-platonic relationships with women? Or is she just a closet lesbian who was figuring herself out by dating others? Is MC's best friend even real? Or just a representation of the inner workings of Shiori's mind? Tim Rogers voice: In... _every_ ... girl's mind? o.o
@@byakuyatogami2905 Just hit me a moment ago that she's trans. Her confession under the tree is an acceptance of and love for herself as a transmasc. Wonder how the cooking/sick scenes playout with this headcanon. 🤔
I have watched this while working at a warehouse at least 5 times and I never get tired of it. This is my favorite review on all of youtube, hands down
I was almost brought to tears when he brought up that he actually did tell the girl on the swim team that he had a crush on her and they became friends. I really understood how much that meant to him
You are as precise and articulate in speaking about video games as Jonathan Blow is in speaking through video games. BTW, already rewatching this whole thing, a few weeks after I first watched it, because Super Eyepatch Wolf reminded me how great it is.
I literally spent a few minutes thinking where I heard the way you've been reading your scripts recently, and finally figured it was Tim's inflexion, not calling you out or anything, legit feels so refreshing to see what I'd call his "finesse for words" with a completely different script
What Tim is referencing when mentioning "Idoru," and says "Tokimeki Memorial is a Cyberpunk artifact." Idoru is a book by William Gibson, as he says, but it's only after reading it that I understand what he means exactly now. It's a Cyberpunk novel about, basically, a man marrying an idol AI from Japan. That's not exactly true, but it's not wrong either. Read it yourself (you really should) to figure out where I lied. So, when the professor and author of that wonderful article speculates on the nature of "2D syndrome" (which had only grown more true over time) they were literally writing "truth" to a Cyberpunk book that had recently came out... to the creator of Cyberpunk. It's highly ironic, and ties directly into the theme of this season on the channel. In the sense that Gibson predicted such a scenario "Cyberpunk," that makes Tokimeki an "artifact" of Cyberpunk by way of definition. Artifact means "a human made object." It came full circle.
I just.... need More!... every 6 months i drop your playlist in the background while i'm working. There's no content around thats equally humorous and insightful as Action Button. Whenever you find yourself creating again, I'll be there to binge:-)
Maybe that's one of those "hidden jokes" he puts on the video in which only he and maybe some people that know him can laugh about it (like the chronicle of a tennis monster quote he did at the end of The Point). And i think that's actually quite nice ahahahah
@@nathan-christopheredouard7876 dude, think about who you're talking about. I'll be disappointed if he doesn't review the PS1 original versions AND the PSP re-releases
This is one of my favorite TH-cam videos of all time. It's spectacularly informative and funny and infused with some sort of magic that brings me back over and over again.
This literally is the best TH-cam video ever made! I just finished watching it and I'm literally in tears. I'm currently in high school and am considering a career in writing. I love the editing and your style of writing. I also like how you talked about your personal experiences; it made the video very relatable. I became a fan of Tokimemo during the pandemic and it has a special place in my heart because of the characters, art style, and OST. It's amazing how a game that's thirty years old has so much depth! I wasn't able to play the PlayStation version, but I did play the translated SNES version; it was really fun! Thank you, Action Button, for this wonderful review. I hope I'll be able to write like you in the future. :3
It is an incredible feat to be able to write a 6 hour script, never-mind a 6 hour script about a game many of us in your audience will never play (especially with an as-of-yet conquered language barrier), and have it prove captivating the entire time. I watch a shameful amount of TH-cam. This went so far beyond content... it's easily the best thing I've seen in months, maybe years. I enjoyed every minute. Thank you for your reviews.
"Some of us are so ashamed of even the most innocent aspects of who we are that, eventually, we run out of people to be." Fuck. Been struggling lately with my social anxiety and timidness and just overall inability to adequately express myself to others. That quote hit like a brick, and was a revelation about myself I needed to hear right now. Thanks.
@@GabrielCosta-xt1dv absolutely it does, problem is people fall in love with the idea that there is something wrong with them that cannot be fixed. 6-12 months grinding hard on the BJJ mats and you'll never feel insecure in situation knowing you can choke out anyone in the room.
5:29:58 "I wish I could talk to more people about Tokimeki Memorial 2" Sorry, I had to find copies of both Tokimeki Memorial and Tokimeki Memorial 2 and play through them both. I'm here now. Tokimeki Memorial 2 completely owns, hi.
Tim, you may not care for Yuko, but I will never forget, nor deny my friend and I's delight at noticing Yuko was in something called "Beans Club" realizing "Beans Club" was a band when we saw it on the magazine and then seeing aforementioned "Beans Club" with her. I am a member of Beans Club, and you can't change me
insanely high quality review. it feels both professional and intimate at the same time without over stepping the boundaries of either. That's an insanely hard thing to do.
I believe the world is Arboretum as the latin word for "Where trees grow", but hahah funnily enough i believe the word is neither... It was meant to be Greenhouse
this comprehensive video breakdown of Tokimeki Memorial is such a masterpiece that it belongs in the library of congress, though the hard drive on which it's stored would not fit in the library of congress due to the entire usable space of the library of congress (and its parking lot) being occupied by all the printed-out game pieces which are used in the hypothetical board game adaptation of Tokimeki Memorial
me at the beginning of this video: of course you didn't translate the whole game that would be crazy me at the end of the video: god i wish the game was translated
GIRLS SIDE 3 IS SO GOOOD,,,,,, Genuinely the tokimeki memorial ever!! The characters are so amazing.. The routes too, specially ruka's. :3 Honestly I'm glad ruka is way easier of a main bachelor when compared to kei from tmgs1. JSJFJSJFJ
@@moch1675 my bias is kouchan... but that comes packaged with loving ruka as well 😔💕 definitely gotta go for that 3P ending soon. bambi has two hands!!
I’ve watched Metal Gear Solid 4 was a Mistake and Pathologic Is Genius, And Here’s Why. But this... this is the final boss of fantastic, feature-length (TRILOGY-length!) TH-cam video game essays.
"However, this was NOT The Monty Hall Problem. I WAS Monty Hall! I already knew what was behind all three doors." Probably one of the best lines I have ever heard someone say out loud. Incredibly interesting video and game. Your channel I definitely one of my new favorites on all of TH-cam. Keep up the amazing work Tim!
Tim I would like to say that because of this review I finally got around to learning Japanese. While I'm still far from fluent (probably around N4 at best) I was able to play and enjoy this game on a real Japanese PS1. On my 5th playthrough after my 3rd attempt at doing so I got Shiori Fujisaki's ending. I guess this is just a way to say thank you for making this video.
I say this with no hyperbole, having watched this 3 times; this will go down in history. We will be looking at this review in 10 years, sipping our fine wine and expensive imported beers. Reminiscing on the pure transcendent brilliance of this video essay.
42:14 Just saying that I appreciate that you literally had footage with "hit" (in baseball terms) in the background while you're talking about a hit (in sales terms) even though not many would pick it up. Got a small chuckle out of me.
It's an interesting coincidence that 14 three-year high school playthroughs is 42 years of in game time, and that's how old Tim (almost) was in real life.
I remember the first time my buddy accidentally crossed the “Sports Girlfriend Threshold” we were running on a bike path and suddenly he disappeared It was only after that I noticed the shimmering wall of reflected light where my friend had disappeared I never saw them again
The first one was "You've started looking stronger lately" the second was "Your fashion sense has been getting better/you're looking more stylish lately", and the third one was "You've gotten cool lately".
The way you navigate between your own confidence and humility-even, dare I say, self-aggrandizement and self-effacement-in these reviews is fantastic. I don’t know that I’ve seen anyone else manage that as well as you, at least not as consistently, or at length. It’s inspiring. I WOULD be here all day for this.
there is quite an egregious audio error somewhere deep into this video. it lasts about five seconds. please don't ask me if it's "intentional." it's not. why would that be intentional? it happens to involve copyrighted music, as well, which is the worst thing. oh well: this is what happens when you have like 19 audio tracks under your video lol
feel free to guess what i was saying there. and sorry if it gets real loud all of a sudden!
also you could back me on patreon if you want me to be able to afford to hire more people to help avoid stuff like that in the future . . . !!
if i get 1,000 thumbs ups on this comment i'll re-export a fixed version of the video. though in that case, you all gotta comment again . . .
What album is #4 on your list of favorite albums? It looks so familiar but I can't place it. I've been looking through lists of black and white album covers by even the most obsessive people on rateyourmusic and can't find that album with a sketch of a girl.
id rather you kept the views, tim! errors like these are fun, theres no worries, the video is still a masterpiece.
I’m kinda into it. It’s vibes
I might be tainted by my dirty subconscious, but is 'orgasmed' the word you intended to say? 🤔
oh! that's not the moment. there is something much worse later. that part was intentional. doom shotguns / demons = always intentional. the other thing, wow, absolutely not intentional lol
hey listen I know there's a lot to take in here and there's a lot of really dense good stuff, but I think we need to pay some attention to the fact that the ball roll athletics game unearthed that the avatar character has an absolute dump truck ass
i would pin this comment if the current pinned comment did not contain more boringly valuable information
@@ActionButton how dare you imply this is not equally valuable information
@@ActionButton I have never played this game in my life but I have played similar games and hearing you discover that "hair combing" is just general grooming was gold. It's one of those abstractions that's become so common place that it's always a trip to see someone experience/discover it for the first time. Like going through most of Megaman X2 or 3 without Dashing and then finding out about it two thirds of the way through
holy fuck I read this comment early on confused, and when I saw it a few days later I was crying
@@cyberninjazero5659 And that’s why you start with X1
"Some of us are so ashamed of even the most inoccent aspects of who we are that eventually we run out of people to be". This quote will pop in my mind everytime I'm not being true to my self from now on.
Yeah that cut deep
Holy shit, yeah that resonates
That's called social anxiety
@@jewymcjewjew9939 People be givin' bad vibes out there man, majah suss.
I legit think about this quote at least once a week. The mask is rough.
Me: "I don't care for tropes"
Tim: "She called me BUBBUS"
Me, sobbing: "Oh my god she called him bubbus"
Can anyone timestamp? 🙏
@@carlo_m 3:39:13
@teatime The hero we need!
@jlkjlk jkljklj Take notes
@@carlo_m mmmmmmkmmmmmmmkmmmm lol
This was the last video I watched together with my best friend before she died. Action Button, thank you so much for these last moments you gave us together.
🥺
super sorry for your loss
Hope ur doing well ❤
My bunghole don’t work so good
A loving memory of an important part of your (and your best friend’s) friendship history
I am currently one hour into this review - you haven't even talked about the game yet, but I am fully invested in your thesis AND your life stories.
Are you the final boss of video essays?
Something something the dark souls of video game reviews
never thought i'd see someone who made multiple videos on gacha games here.
Dude makes the best shit
You must be new here
Consider the old screenwriting adage that one page of dialogue equals one minute of screen time (yes I know this was most likely not written in script format )
Can't get over that person messaging you about reviewing games literally no one cares about when I'm several hours into this and it's easily the most intriguing game you've talked about/most gripping video you've made so far
Always a pleasure to see you commenting as a loyal fan of Mr Rogers, Mr Black.
yeah this is the most interesting thing I've seen in weeks
Literally
Agree to agree
What he said.
"touched a book unsuccessfully" and "deja zoo" have both absolutely sent me into the stratosphere
The sociopathic rampage you have to go on in order to win over Shiori in this game is more intense than playing Dark Souls blindfolded
@RandomPasserby OnTheInternet I believe Shiori's requirements are much stricter. You have to satisfy ALL of her parameters, make her go into Tokimeki state, and trigger the event that leads to her confession. Fail one of these three requirements, and it's time to reload.
@RandomPasserby OnTheInternet Her req. are health = 30; culture, logic, art = 130; sport, insight/trivia = 110; looks, spirit = 100 and stress lower 50.
(I think you could raise culture art and logic the first year and trigger girls. In the second year raise other stats but not high enough to trigger girls. On third year new girls can't appear.)
@RandomPasserby OnTheInternet the info is from english wiki. It just happend that I had screenshot nearby.
@RandomPasserby OnTheInternet the worst part about playing kei's route is dodging sakuya while it takes 20 million years to get kei from :| to :)
Kinda ironic that the difficulty around Shiori made players enjoy the game even more(back then)
like - Try really hard to get her attention, *or* completely ignore her and hang around with other girls.
This is my first exposure to Action Button, I'm completely floored.
Go back and watch all of Tim's reviews on Kotaku. The man is a treasure.
Watch Let’s Play - Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Kills me every single time
@@codexnecrogeddon That Japan article was fucking garbage
Watch is Dragon Quest XI review. It's what got me into his stuff.
@@naheemquattlebaum2267 this something that I should play dragon quest before watching or will it still hit?
2:47:04 - “The emulator reloaded so quickly that I felt guilty, so I downloaded an mp4 of the original PlayStation bootup sequence off the internet and played it in VLC.”
Only a man of culture and respect for the art would burn daylight for the sake of achieving true 1995 immersion. I salute you, good sir.
During the chapter 'The Itch The Freak Scratched', I was reminded of your earlier reference to Groundhog Day. In the film, Phil Connors uses his days on repeat to learn all there is to know about Rita Hanson (or at least what he initially thinks counts as 'all there is to know'). At the end of his first almost-but-not-quite successful wooing of Rita, she says, "You don’t even know me." "This whole day has just been one long setup." "What are you doing? Are you making some kind of list or something?" "Did you call up my friends and ask them what I like and what I don’t like?" "Is this what love is for you?" "I could never love someone like you, Phil, because you’ll never love anyone but yourself."
He objects, but the audience knows the truth. He spends the rest of the film trying to become the kind of person that Rita could love. It seems that in Tokimeki Memorial, the player takes an opposite journey, having high intentions of becoming that person for Shiori, but in the end resorting to what can be gleaned from repetition and meticulous note-taking. I'm sure there are more comparisons to be made...
yep... The conclusion is "If you focus too much on the objective, you will lose yourself during the journey"
“Is love the verb or the object in the sentence that is life?” Is just plain good writing
It's a long sentence, but I think I prefer being in here to being outside.
Love is the adverb
Your first playthrough is the most accurate representation of high school I've ever seen. It's basically just 4 years of you hanging out with people that barely like you, but if you don't hangout with them enough they spread rumors about you.
Except in the game you are forced to date people you met only once, otherwise they spread rumors about you so the girl you actually like hates you. This game is so messed up, it's like the opposite of reality.
@@genpri1010 Idk I heard that Gen Pri was an incel. I flirted with him and he didn't even ask me on a date. Probably a hentai perv.
This is true.
I felt this man, well put.
Was this the experience people had in highschool? Only my mortal enemies talked shit about me and deep friendships were common in my class...
Alternate title: Shiori Fujisaki: how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb
this is one of the best comments i have ever read
Buena!
16:15 "Honestly, when I review a Persona game, it's going to be Persona 2."
Instantly subbed. Combined with a 6 hour review of TokiMemo, I can only surmise that you are my sworn brother and I will stand with you against any foe from henceforth until the end of days.
Episode 2 of season 2. The Time Draws Near
@@sharkosupreme no LA Noir ?😟
So, if Edge reviewed this game they would rate it 7/10 "if only you could shoot these girls!"
this is so goddamn funny
Still the Goated comment
Goddamn
Gal Gun moment
(Doom shotgun noise)
If anyone is curious, the Top 11 Albums that flash by at 39:12 are:
11. Mind Game by Miho Nakayama
10. No Fuse by Naniwa Express
09. Gokutsubushi by Jagatara
08. Thanks Giving by Ra Mu
07. Aventure by Taeko Ohnuki
06. Purple Rain by Prince and the Revolution
05. Goat by The Jesus Lizard
04. Sappukei by Number Girl
03. Starbow I Tanpopo hata de Tsukamaete by Starbow
02. Our Connection by Ayumi Ishida and the Tin Pan Alley Family
01. Wispy, No Mercy by Citrus
there goes my hero
it was cool to see Ra Mu and Starbow to get love in a gaming video essay of all places, they are pretty under-loved even in the 80s kayo community
The real MVP right here
Your a superhero. Real MVP here.
I love you
I’m now convinced tokimeki memorial is one of the most important video games in history
Tim Rodgers' videos are the JRPGs of video game reviews. You can't remember what you did before starting the video, and by the time it ends, you don't know what to do with yourself. All you remember is hearing him talk about Tokimeki Memorial. It's like, a part of your life now. So you just... start it over again.
I'd add, a JRPG where the grinding is actually really fun. In this case, grinding stands in for long meandering yet related side tangents.
Indeed, it's my 3rd time watching this video
😂🤣
I can’t get over how good this is. The absurd length. The detail. The obscure choice of game that I’m now fascinated by. More like this please.
If you were wondering, I can confirm that playing the shotgun sound effect at various speeds and volume levels and flashing a contextually relevant thing on the screen bright red did not get boring during these 6 hours.
"a game where you date girls and not stab men? thats GAY"
is probably the funniest way to summarize 90's culture XD
guys, is it gay to date girls?
Same. Pretty sure I heard this line in my teens.
In fact, I was called "gay" in college when I joined a hip-hop class. My "friends" who called me "gay" came to one of the classes to "laugh" at me.
But they stood and watched me dance with 100 women, intimately, jovially. I clearly had the last "laugh". (I put "laugh" in parenthesis because nobody actually laughed).
ROFL
@@DrNuyenVanFaulk Hyper promiscuity does actually turn you bi tho. That and meth.
@@sp4cehouse Only if they dated other guys before you
I feel like shiori fujisaki did her grindset during elementary or middle school because she had a crush on the MC. In her journey of self-improvement to catch the MCs eyes, she realized she outstripped him and now can only accept him if he chooses to undergo his own transformation for the sake of her love. She realizes her standards changed and is overwhelmed with joy when she finds you to be exceptional.
Seems pretty toxic to me
Alternatively, Shiori cannot date someone her peers believe to be beneath her (or rather, not on her level). And thus the problem. Her childhood crush is only an option, her childhood _dream_ is only obtainable if MC becomes popular.
Tim Rogers voice: Becomes... _desirable_ to other women. o.o
According to an uncited entry on TvTropes (the most reliable source on the internet), if you progress down Nozomi's route to the point of guaranteeing her confession, and then STOP dating her completely for the last few months of the game, she will grow her hair out to look more girly as she confesses her love to you under the tree of legend.
To describe the level of detail in this game as "insane" would be an injustice to the entire field of psychology and would necessitate the drafting of an entirely new DSM.
You can get long hair ending if go for the Nozomi second time. Not sure about this method.
That put a pit in my stomach, my gosh.
I've never been so excited to watch a six-hour-long video.
hello! i was going to DM you about something video-content-related on twitter . . . maybe i'll do that soon . . .
Tim's collab-crazy in 2021! Big plans! 😲
Hell yeah me too!
This is the collaboration we all need.
If this Collab happens that means Tim Rodgers will only be one step away from the Castle Super Beast guys.
Tim: "Do you want to listen to the junk shop music uninterrupted for 30 seconds?"
Me: Buddy you got me for 6 hours, carry on.
My first encounter with this game was a fan translated episode of Japanese TV show Game Center CX where comedian Shinya Arino was challenged to reach the Shiori Fujisaki ending after getting married the week before. He got the ending on his first try by going entirely off his own real life wisdom. After watching this video I now realise that it may be one of the most impressive things ever done in the entire series.
I totally forgot about that episode. Thanks for the reminder to rewatch it!
@@corvaes The copyright holder has clamped down hard on uploads but you can still find it on daily motion by searching "game center cx tokimeki memorial"
Man I had forgotten about Game Center CX. There was a period there where... I think Kotaku was behind or supportive-of a paired-down half-hour translation of the show.
What I love about that episode is that, at least how the show presents it, he wasn't even trying. He plays the field, he wastes time fucking up dates, and yet his innate sensibilities still got him a win on the first try. Might still be his most impressive feat.
Thank you for letting me know there’s an episode of GCCX on this game 🙏
I'm new to your channel and enjoying all of your reviews, but I loved this one IMMENSELY in particular. I also wanted to let you know that - while it's not exactly "bubbus" - my parents' pet name for each other has always been "Bub." Kind of like Wolverine. When my dad proposed, he said, "Will you marry me, bub?" Since you said you found it funny to imagine, I hope this brings you a spark of entertainment 1/100th of how much I was delighted by this video.
yeah, that's good
Is that time of the year again: The beginning of it
Oh my god, best comment
The comment we all needed
I understood that reference
@@narcspector 1:19:21
I'm gonna be honest, I'm here because John from Super Eyepatch Wolf recommend this, which only makes it more baffling that I apparently already watched half of this video, but I can't remember this, I feel cursed
Lmaooooo same, I'm here because of The Wolf
How many views do you think The Wolf is gonna get this video? An extra 100K maybe? Over the next month or so.
That’s actually incredibly troubling lmao.
Either that or you started it once, then fell asleep and your phone eventually died. 😅
maybe you got timestamp linked?
@@mf-h3659 The Wolf didn't timestamp his link, the wolf doesn't play games like that. He is the alpha.
This is one of the neatest videos I've ever seen.
First of all, I really really like you! You use poetic language when describing important moments, you have hilarious comedic asides where you say "buddy" and it always makes me laugh, you have great recurring bits. Also, you're a fluent Japanese speaker who moved to Japan to work in the games industry, which is exactly what I hope to do in my future.
(That tip about playing Dragon Quest 5 is much appreciated-- I'm going to study abroad in Japan soon and I haven't even gotten to N5 yet)
You give games the respect and time they deserve: veritably the opposite of a "played through this game for an hour, didn't like it, too hard" IGN review. You're talking about games that are genuinely interesting, you're respecting the classics (which so few people do nowadays), and you use your time so well! It feels like you have a Harry Potter timeturner, because the amount of games you play and the amount of research you do makes me feel like I have so much more potential, that I could be doing so much more with my time than just playing Tetris and watching TH-cam. Knowing that we're both humans and yet you're being so incredibly prolific, it makes me feel like that same potential is within me as well.
Also something about how you made a reference to your own book that you knew no one would ever read was so hilarious and yet so familiar to me as a creative individual who can be ashamed of the art he's made in his life. It's a little crazy to think, you're 41 and I'm 20-- it seems are interests and goals are vaguely aligned and so I see you as a sort of future version of myself. I'm sure this TMI for you, but all in all, I just wanted to say that I really really enjoyed this video.
May God bless you man, I hope you keep making great stuff and growing as a person (and maybe get married and have those kids too). I wish you luck!
I'm so glad you wrote this comment because now I don't have to. :D
But yeah, his use of verbose language, ie., "poetic language when describing important moments", man, I love that stuff. In-depth analysis definitely feels like it's going by the wayside as it relates to entertainment purposes (or perhaps has been going by the wayside for some time now), but I'll go to my grave loving the flourish of language.
@@phillernst9748 Amen amen, brother! I may be a Gen Z'er, but I'll die before I use "oof", "bet", "sadge" or any other millennial newspeak that keeps me from describing my emotions in exact detail.
Tim has the kind of drive I always wish I had
@@boiboi7717 “bet” is old slang!
@@yakovhadash Yes, now the kids say "sheeesh" and "mood"
Shiori may only date guys that get first place in exams, but have you asked yourself if you're willing to settle for a girl that only got 7th?
Know your worth, King 👑
On tim's megumi run, shiori did get 1st place. Its on the VODS channel
Clearly Shiori’s feeling’s for Tim are so strong she can’t even excel at school anymore.
women only date up
@@coffinheadcoffinhead if women can set exceptionally high standard for their partner, then us men can also set exceptionally hih standard for our partner
@@coffinheadcoffinhead not true in the least lmao
“Much like in real life, every girl has a birthday”
These words are like the devil playing a circus organ in my brain as I consider the birthdays I have neglected
what?
That’s a really good image.
I really hate it when people say they could disscuss a topic for hours without any intention to do so. That's why I watch ACTION BUTTON REVIEWS BY TIM ROGERS
That first run-through where you tried to just at least keep a friendship going while everything collapsed around you leaving you broken and alone at the end was a little bit too real for me
素晴らしい動画をありがとう。
マジで誰か日本語字幕をつけるべきだよ、これ。
トキメキメモリアルをこんなにも深く(？)面白く語れる人は、日本人でもなかなか居ないのでは。
ちなみに自分は、トキメキメモリアルをプレイしたことは一度もありません。
1:48:45 I don't know if Shiori is the greatest final boss in video game history, but the line "Shiori Fujisaki, history's softest, smiling final dracula, sits upon an endgame throne as tall as the moon, ready to reveal every miserable secret in your little pile." certainly makes me feel like it!
I don't think many English speakers would know this, and I don't know of a better place to put it: the quote "What is a man ? A miserable little pile of secrets" comes in fact from the French writer André Malraux who, in his memoirs published in the 60's wrote "Pour l'essentiel, l'homme est ce qu'il cache : un misérable petit tas de secrets". (For the most part, man is what he hides, a miserable little pile of secrets). I have no idea how it got to Castlevania. That would be an interesting story ! Does it in turn predate Malraux ? It seems like something that could be in Shakespeare. Is it a complete coincidence ? Bonus fact: Malraux only wrote the sentence to refute it: in the book, it's a sentiment echoed by a character that is immediately put down by the author surrogate, who replies: "L'homme est ce qu'il fait !". (man is what he does / his deeds)
I've brought up that point in the Discord and someone helpfully pointed me at this video from Easy Allies giving some context on the quote: th-cam.com/video/WKR392rkPL8/w-d-xo.html
Turns out the Japanese version does not quote Malraux at all, so Tim may just be trolling us there, since I'm positively certain he both knows about the Malraux reference and the fact that Iga dit not wrote that line at all. Still, could you think of another French writer quoted in a popular video game? (Does Cioran in MGSV count?)
@@HellPe Good video!
Hey nice!
Nice post
Great post. When I first heard about Malraux and the quote, I checked out Man's Fate and it was awesome.
There is an idea of a Shiori Fujisaki, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real Shirori, only an entity, something illusory. Although she can hide her cold gaze, and you can shake her hand a feel flesh gripping yours, and even sense your lifestyles are probably comparable, she simply is not there.
Rewatching this again three years later. Still a banger.
If Tim Rogers single-handedly brings the Tokimeki Memorial series to the states, it will be a hot day in frozen hell.
Sorry to crush everyone's hope, but remember that Konami isn't a video game company anymore. No localization will ever happen.
@@lhumanoideerrantdesinterne8598 a fan translation is much more likely to happen. "Official" is not the only option in 2021.
@@lhumanoideerrantdesinterne8598 I wonder if they will ship over a pachinko machine or two? :P
Sorry to disappoint you, but the Tokimeki franchise is too much attached to otaku in Japan.
There won't be a real push for this franchise on America, unless it is viewed as an historical artifact (like this review), or paraded ironically by people pretending to like it to get virtue points.
*heck
I'm sure someone has mentioned this, but if not may I suggest that Tim is the equivalent of a "method actor". Listening to era appropriate music, playing sequels and spin-offs, watching episodes of full-house and fresh prince...thank you for your sacrifice so that we may be entertained.
Who here is watching this around the time that Tokimeki Memorial is up for nomination for the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2024?
I ended up playing the recently fan-translated SNES version of this game purely because you made what might be my favorite video game review ever.
@RandomPasserby OnTheInternet It's good. Not the "best" version of the game, but still good and worth playing, especially if your only alternative is not playing it at all.
If you wanna be Shiori's lover you gotta get with her friends.
Playthroughs last forever-- this game(-and-its-sequels) never ends!
But not too with her friends
This is the joke I wish I made...
I've started playing this myself, and found that, as the review states, this game has bonkers amounts of STUFF in it.
In my game, Megumi had, by year 3, actually worked up the courage to come and introduce HERSELF to ME /without/ needing Shiori's help, OUTSIDE the Christmas party's gates when I wasn't let in.
As this seemed to go completely against her character as I had understood it from watching this video, I was left speechless.
Tokimeki has CRAZY variety and path divergence. It's really impressive for such an early title.
your game might just be haunted
Every copy of Tokimeki Memorial is personalized
Why does the Doom shotgun blast sfx gag make me laugh EVERY. TIME.
“At the end of the date she no longer beheld me as though I had a terminal illness.”
Died laughing at this. A+
I had to know, so I counted. He uses the Doom shotgun sound effect 260 times in this video. For those interested in the breakdown by section:
Introduction: *9* (3.46%)
"The First Dating Simulator?" (No, actually): *13* (5.00%)
intermission #1: *0* (0.00%)
let's talk about the game: *8* (3.08%)
intermission #2: *1* (0.38%)
Let's Play Tokimeki Memorial (playthrough #1: no-research shiori attempt (failure)): *68* (26.15%)
Let's Play Tokimeki Memorial (playthrough #14: no-guide shiori attempt (success)): *57* (21.92%)
intermission #3: *0* (0.00%)
The Point: "The Itch the Freak Scratched" (or, "Myself Isn't Here"): *20* (7.69%)
The Bottom Line: *48* (18.46%)
The Post-Review: *36* (13.85%)
Yes, I probably got a few wrong as some of what I believe are Doom shotgun sound effects are unrecognizably pitch-shifted. No, I'm not going back to double-check that the number I came up with is accurate. No, it wasn't worth it.
Vehemently disagree that this wasn't worth it, I am enthralled. Thank you.
Thank you for your sacrifice
anyone know what's going on with tim? did he turn full patreon since then?
@@dandon1968 he is filling a thread on twitter with a lot of problems on the upload of his new video for days now
@@LucasSampaioMaia @dan don The good news is that it's just up to processing now, which is waiting on whatever happens with that on TH-cam's side. But the apparent immensity of the video as well as a more general trend that some TH-cam creators have noticed lately for processing times to be much longer than expected means that processing is taking much longer than expected. But it's just a matter of time now.
i went into this video thinking that the arboretum was a perfectly acceptable location for a date. i know realize that the reason why the most serious romantic relationship in my life ended is because our final date was at the arboretum. the correlation is clear now.
Oh my god you’re right. I too have experienced a final date in a serious relationship at an arboretum. I was dumped like a week later. Never take hot girls to arboretums.
Brb gonna try this. Will respond with results.
You barked up the wrong tree. You branched out, tried to put down roots, and then she had to leaf you
@@PanAndScanBuddy oh my god.
@@user-ns3nj1jr8h it just seems to be cursed somehow. i mean it sounds like a good idea on paper right?? it's basically a park that's been landscaped specifically to be beautiful to walk in. but i guess theres some malicious arboretum spirit that refuses to let couples be happy.
It's time to rewatch Action Button Reviews all over again... ALL over again
Over the past four days, this video has been getting me through a breakup with the person I thought was my life partner, whom I’ve been with for almost the last four years. This has got to be the most immersive, enjoyable, and touching piece of game criticism I’ve ever seen, and it’s been such a source of comfort this week that even at this length, I really didn’t want it to end.
It’s also given me a crush on Tim Rogers. Take me out on a date, Tim.
I hope you're getting through okay!
@@Skolroksys Thank you, that’s so kind! Actually I am. My ex and I seem to have gotten through the rough part already and now feel like best friends.
@@EASYANSWERS I'm so glad! I've done the same thing myself weirdly enough and she's still my partner in a lot of ways, just, you know, not the obvious one X)
@@Skolroksys oh yay we’re gay!
not if I caN DATE HIM FIRST!
This video series has come along way since Pac-Man
Like one video
Tim Rogers has come a long way since Final Fantasy VI
This is the modern equivalent of a travelling man sitting down by a hearth of a social gathering place and telling about his travels with useful info, jokes and weirdly personal and heartfelt anecdotes mixed in, to anyone who'll listen. You have a way with words mr. TH-cam man.
Truly the Heart of Darkness of dating simulator reviews.
@@andrew_cunningham On cocaine!
This is a game that I had the intention of playing for years on end. One day, when I felt my Japanese comprehension was enough, only then would I play. I watched an hour of the video, just for the historical context and left it there. But with Roger's personal relation to the game hitting me on such a personal level, being in a somewhat similar place in life at the time of his first playthrough, after a week of having the game constantly bouncing around my mind, I burned the disc. Just for later. I put the disc into my PS1s disc tray. Just to appreciate the art on my CRT while I was at home to see it. I picked the last save slot, so it wouldn't get in the way of my future, real playthrough.
I played for 18hours. To my surprise, it was almost perfectly suited to my level of Japanese. Midway into the second year, I decided to try for Shiori. I don't really know why. Shamelessly (shamefully) I looked up Shiori's stat requirements and went to save-scumming, bomb disarming and watching the will and guts stats teeter on the balance. If only my PS1 wasn't skipping audio throughout the confession. At least it was stable enough for me to clearly hear the「好きだ」. God, the satisfaction.
I'm just ranting because of the immediate impact of this game, but the point is: You probably don't read these comments, but regardless, thank you for the inspiration and the final push to just make me play it. I copied my save to slot one.
"Never use the word 'literally' unless it's for a really good joke."
"Now I found myself inadvertently and literally [...] romantically involved"
Well done
I'm really glad Super Eyepatch Wolf sent me over here. This was one hell of an experience!
Definitely check out Tim's old videos from his Kotaku days. He's been pumping out content at this quality level for years, before he quit Kotaku to make Action Button.
Same, this was actually a great time.
im at 27:00 idk wtf he talking about parts so i guess ill just watch the whole thing
@@vintheguy Tim seems to go on really epic tangents, but trust me, it's all relevant. In a roundabout way.
@@coredumperror i meant "wtf are parts?" like is he talking about the different segments of the video in the description?
"You wouldn't learn Japanese for just one game, would you?"
"I... Look, the man spoke about a single game for six hours uninterrupted and only managed glowing and effusive praise, what am I gonna do, *not* play it?"
Perhaps someone could make a custom textbook that only covers the grammar and vocab used in this game... sort of like those "Passport to ..." pamphlets Clyde Mandelin wrote for Zelda / Mother 2, but more on the scale of "À la recherche du temps perdu".
Hey to be fair, he did say he wishes you could save the game more often - that's technically a criticism I guess
My Japanese is honestly pretty bad, but I started playing it because of this video. As long as you have some way of looking up words you don't know, (I use a mix of an OCR app on my phone and a handwriting keyboard for Japanese), I see no reason you couldn't learn enough Japanese to play this game in a month or two. The grammar is very straightforward, and you only need to know nine words to understand what's going on with the core gameplay mechanic of choosing how to spend your time.
I'd reccomend you learn hiragana, get your hands on some Tadoku Graded readers, (and read them as intended!), and you'll be ready to play the game by the time you're fairly competent at level 3 tadokus. The game gives you as much time as you need for each of its textboxes other than the opening, and the music is nice enough that I honestly don't mind spending extra time listening to it.
Another game that you can play without many issues, even if you Japanese is really bad, is Final Fantasy VII. Unlike Konami, Square has actually made their game available, so you can buy FFVII on basically any platform.
Playing Tokimeki Memorial Legally is another story....
My Japanese is at about an intermediate level after roughly five years of study, and the catalyst for my learning Japanese was actually an untranslated Corpse Party video game.
I can't stop thinking about how Shiori's standards are so high that in a way, the game is about trying to save Shiori from a life of loneliness by repeating this time loop where every ending but one condemns her.
Yet, it necessitates you sacrifice everything authentic about your blank-slate character, manipulating your 4th wall understanding like a weapon.
Who's to say she won't change her mind tomorrow? Who's to say you won't regret your quest?
It's profoundly grim, if you want to stare between the lines with a magnifying glass.
While Shiori might be the canonical ending, I can't help but figure that perhaps the true ending of the game has to be with the other girls. That it can be a story of a boy who had a crush on a girl who by all accounts was perfect around school and had such high expectations for the first boy that she fell in love with, only to watch said boy drift away when he found someone else who he's more compatible with. She can only give a melancholic "Sayonara" to him now as he waits for the girl that he truly connects with.
I wonder if Shiori too wonders what she could do over again, if she could do over her teenage years one more time...?
The fact you can choose Shioris birthday and blood type makes me think she's the true protagonist and the player characters is her imaginary friend and in her ending it's literally falling in love with herself/learning to be confident. This is a nod to the fact I don't think the protagonist has a non chibi sprite and I'm not convinced he's real
@@byakuyatogami2905 Let's run that theory some more. Shiori thinks better of the MC because he's impressing her peers (or other women rather). She wants their approval, so to see him obtain it is to indirectly obtain it herself. Vicariously.
Which raises a question: Is Shiori a closet lesbian who was so popular (and therefore social) that she couldn't for the life of herself figure out how to have non-platonic relationships with women? Or is she just a closet lesbian who was figuring herself out by dating others?
Is MC's best friend even real? Or just a representation of the inner workings of Shiori's mind?
Tim Rogers voice: In... _every_ ... girl's mind? o.o
@@byakuyatogami2905 Just hit me a moment ago that she's trans. Her confession under the tree is an acceptance of and love for herself as a transmasc.
Wonder how the cooking/sick scenes playout with this headcanon. 🤔
I have watched this while working at a warehouse at least 5 times and I never get tired of it. This is my favorite review on all of youtube, hands down
"The time of the first page of a romance novel had passed, and here we stood on the last page of a coming of age novel."
a+++
I was almost brought to tears when he brought up that he actually did tell the girl on the swim team that he had a crush on her and they became friends. I really understood how much that meant to him
i’ve literally rewatched THE ITCH THE FREAK SCRATCHED over a dozen times. “We call that a DOUBLE LUNGFUL where I’m from!!”
You are as precise and articulate in speaking about video games as Jonathan Blow is in speaking through video games.
BTW, already rewatching this whole thing, a few weeks after I first watched it, because Super Eyepatch Wolf reminded me how great it is.
Is that Geoff Thu of Mother’s Basement?
Nice to see you’re a man of culture, though I already knew that.
Lmao aye it’s Geoff
ahh i remember you
I literally spent a few minutes thinking where I heard the way you've been reading your scripts recently, and finally figured it was Tim's inflexion, not calling you out or anything, legit feels so refreshing to see what I'd call his "finesse for words" with a completely different script
Resident shit bag
I don't know why, but the doom shotgun sound effect never gets old.
He has a sound board for his occasional live streams and it Really ever gets old, then.
@@Shadowonshadows ever or never gets old? For what its worth it does work on me. Always made me chuckle quietly inside.
Honestly angry that three hours into the video he’s still using the same gag, and I see it coming, yet it *still* sends me every time somehow 😂
It's the "That's actually not that bad!" that gets me
The demon death sound byte doesn’t either.
What Tim is referencing when mentioning "Idoru," and says "Tokimeki Memorial is a Cyberpunk artifact."
Idoru is a book by William Gibson, as he says, but it's only after reading it that I understand what he means exactly now. It's a Cyberpunk novel about, basically, a man marrying an idol AI from Japan. That's not exactly true, but it's not wrong either. Read it yourself (you really should) to figure out where I lied.
So, when the professor and author of that wonderful article speculates on the nature of "2D syndrome" (which had only grown more true over time) they were literally writing "truth" to a Cyberpunk book that had recently came out... to the creator of Cyberpunk. It's highly ironic, and ties directly into the theme of this season on the channel.
In the sense that Gibson predicted such a scenario "Cyberpunk," that makes Tokimeki an "artifact" of Cyberpunk by way of definition. Artifact means "a human made object." It came full circle.
I just.... need More!... every 6 months i drop your playlist in the background while i'm working. There's no content around thats equally humorous and insightful as Action Button. Whenever you find yourself creating again, I'll be there to binge:-)
I love how he mentions an actual date from his own life with no context and does not explain it at all. This happens multiple times.
... I wanted to know what happened in September 2015
Maybe that's one of those "hidden jokes" he puts on the video in which only he and maybe some people that know him can laugh about it (like the chronicle of a tennis monster quote he did at the end of The Point). And i think that's actually quite nice ahahahah
welcome to putting up with Timmy rogers! maybe he'll tell us what soda he was drinking while playing
Maybe he wants to prove that he can have real life dates too
@@MrJohnOHM when he was younger, chubbier, and greasier he some how used to bed japanese 4's.
hearing Tim Rogers say that he'll review P2 is like hearing Tim Rogers whisper "I love you" in your ear.
He better review BOTH Eternal Punishment AND Innnocent Sin or we RIOT
@@nathan-christopheredouard7876 dude, think about who you're talking about. I'll be disappointed if he doesn't review the PS1 original versions AND the PSP re-releases
@@skalliedA We should hold his feet to the flame!
I'm excited already
This is one of my favorite TH-cam videos of all time. It's spectacularly informative and funny and infused with some sort of magic that brings me back over and over again.
This literally is the best TH-cam video ever made! I just finished watching it and I'm literally in tears.
I'm currently in high school and am considering a career in writing. I love the editing and your style of writing. I also like how you talked about your personal experiences; it made the video very relatable. I became a fan of Tokimemo during the pandemic and it has a special place in my heart because of the characters, art style, and OST. It's amazing how a game that's thirty years old has so much depth! I wasn't able to play the PlayStation version, but I did play the translated SNES version; it was really fun!
Thank you, Action Button, for this wonderful review. I hope I'll be able to write like you in the future. :3
The twist that fucking Suda51 gave you wisdom to romance a digital girl is just amazing
I'm pretty sure he was making that part up for an absurdist laugh. If not, WOW.
@@SalientLamprophany i mean he literally worked with him on no more heroes th-cam.com/video/XHS68ZrS3b8/w-d-xo.html
@@definitelynotethan7959 that was great, thanks
You are a true legend may the algorithms bless you
So this is where you go to get the diapers!
Hey look a random Johne!!
Same here and I apologize for saying this here but both you and this guy are just really handsome.
Johne my man!
👀👀👀
Man, TV is dead. I’ll watch this all day
It is an incredible feat to be able to write a 6 hour script, never-mind a 6 hour script about a game many of us in your audience will never play (especially with an as-of-yet conquered language barrier), and have it prove captivating the entire time. I watch a shameful amount of TH-cam. This went so far beyond content... it's easily the best thing I've seen in months, maybe years. I enjoyed every minute. Thank you for your reviews.
"Some of us are so ashamed of even the most innocent aspects of who we are that, eventually, we run out of people to be."
Fuck. Been struggling lately with my social anxiety and timidness and just overall inability to adequately express myself to others. That quote hit like a brick, and was a revelation about myself I needed to hear right now. Thanks.
Solidarity, comrade
Start learning BJJ or muay Thai, that will get rid of your social anxiety and timidness in a few months.
I'm 30 and have settled into not minding who I am or what it's all about any more and it HIT ME TOO.
@@user-zb8wb4vi3w
Really not how social anxiety works
@@GabrielCosta-xt1dv absolutely it does, problem is people fall in love with the idea that there is something wrong with them that cannot be fixed. 6-12 months grinding hard on the BJJ mats and you'll never feel insecure in situation knowing you can choke out anyone in the room.
5:29:58
"I wish I could talk to more people about Tokimeki Memorial 2"
Sorry, I had to find copies of both Tokimeki Memorial and Tokimeki Memorial 2 and play through them both. I'm here now. Tokimeki Memorial 2 completely owns, hi.
Tim, you may not care for Yuko,
but I will never forget, nor deny my friend and I's delight at noticing Yuko was in something called "Beans Club"
realizing "Beans Club" was a band when we saw it on the magazine
and then seeing aforementioned "Beans Club" with her.
I am a member of Beans Club, and you can't change me
I'm so grateful for these videos! You push the medium of commentary and review so far, and I really appreciate the explorations!
insanely high quality review. it feels both professional and intimate at the same time without over stepping the boundaries of either. That's an insanely hard thing to do.
thanks . . . to be honest i am barely even getting started so please stick around lol
@@ActionButton oh i sure will! thanks for replying
Intimate?
say insane again
*5 months later*
Fun fact: Tim Rogers says "aboretum" way more than the word "anime" in this video. That's impressive
I believe you implicitly
I believe the world is Arboretum as the latin word for "Where trees grow", but hahah funnily enough i believe the word is neither... It was meant to be Greenhouse
@@Hdx64 Arboretum means tree park
I love how the comparison between Doom’s demons lends context to your constant use of the shotgun sound effect in the summary sections.
this comprehensive video breakdown of Tokimeki Memorial is such a masterpiece that it belongs in the library of congress, though the hard drive on which it's stored would not fit in the library of congress due to the entire usable space of the library of congress (and its parking lot) being occupied by all the printed-out game pieces which are used in the hypothetical board game adaptation of Tokimeki Memorial
"I'd gone from zero to
*_B U B B U S_*
in just 8 months."
me at the beginning of this video: of course you didn't translate the whole game that would be crazy
me at the end of the video: god i wish the game was translated
looks like i'm studying japanese now
I really hope this video spurs some benevolent soul to translate it
Yesterday i found people on Reddit organizing themselves to translate the game. Can't wait!
Tokimeki Girls' Side 2 and 3 are fan translated apperantly
as someone whos studying the language this game is a godsend
as someone who just wept after finishing a playthru of tokimeki memorial girl's side 3, i cannot wait to feel equal parts informed and justified 💘
RIGHT?? idk what it is about girls side 3 that also makes me cry at the ending LOL god these games are so good
@@gloomsi those sakurai brothers, man... theyre so good..!!
january and february 3rd year, ruka's route... that's when i always sob uncontrollably
GIRLS SIDE 3 IS SO GOOOD,,,,,,
Genuinely the tokimeki memorial ever!! The characters are so amazing.. The routes too, specially ruka's. :3
Honestly I'm glad ruka is way easier of a main bachelor when compared to kei from tmgs1. JSJFJSJFJ
@@moch1675 my bias is kouchan... but that comes packaged with loving ruka as well 😔💕 definitely gotta go for that 3P ending soon. bambi has two hands!!
I have arrived at 2:17:09 at this very moment and wish to say, on this day of days, happy birthday, bubbus.
Oh man, Super Eyepatch Wolf wasn't kidding. I'm going to need to watch this in chunks like a series.
Heck, Tim *himself* suggests that! And he's not wrong. I watched it in two chunks of about 3 hours each, and that was still hard. lol
I’ve watched Metal Gear Solid 4 was a Mistake and Pathologic Is Genius, And Here’s Why. But this... this is the final boss of fantastic, feature-length (TRILOGY-length!) TH-cam video game essays.
@@RetepAdam My man have you ever seen MatthewMathosis? You might like his content
I watched it all within 24 hours at 2x speed. I had some weird dreams when I took a nap.
@@coredumperror I literally just had this on my second monitor at work and it took me three days
"However, this was NOT The Monty Hall Problem. I WAS Monty Hall! I already knew what was behind all three doors."
Probably one of the best lines I have ever heard someone say out loud.
Incredibly interesting video and game. Your channel I definitely one of my new favorites on all of TH-cam. Keep up the amazing work Tim!
I searched on TH-cam "the first dating sim ever made"
And found this video, I was concerned at first but watched all of the video in the end.
This is a good comment.
Tim I would like to say that because of this review I finally got around to learning Japanese. While I'm still far from fluent (probably around N4 at best) I was able to play and enjoy this game on a real Japanese PS1. On my 5th playthrough after my 3rd attempt at doing so I got Shiori Fujisaki's ending. I guess this is just a way to say thank you for making this video.
I say this with no hyperbole, having watched this 3 times; this will go down in history. We will be looking at this review in 10 years, sipping our fine wine and expensive imported beers. Reminiscing on the pure transcendent brilliance of this video essay.
I have no doubt for this.
you drink wine and beer at the same time?
@@tylernilson7021 I call it bine.
@@novelezra sounds like a real wineer
@@sweetpeabee4983 Tokimeki Memorial Offical Craft Ale
"accidentally joined the brass band, as one does" this is more or less what happened to me in real life, in both middle school and high school
Same. Trumpet for me.
@@grappydingus same
42:14 Just saying that I appreciate that you literally had footage with "hit" (in baseball terms) in the background while you're talking about a hit (in sales terms) even though not many would pick it up. Got a small chuckle out of me.
It's an interesting coincidence that 14 three-year high school playthroughs is 42 years of in game time, and that's how old Tim (almost) was in real life.
I remember the first time my buddy accidentally crossed the “Sports Girlfriend Threshold” we were running on a bike path and suddenly he disappeared
It was only after that I noticed the shimmering wall of reflected light where my friend had disappeared
I never saw them again
lmao
The Sports Girlfriend Threshold can strike at anytime. Hopefully he's in a better place XD
@@konamisatellite he isn’t 😌
i'm glad I found SMT instead of this
''She told me, and I quote: .... something I don't understand because I don't speak or read Japanese''
- Nice!
The first one was "You've started looking stronger lately" the second was "Your fashion sense has been getting better/you're looking more stylish lately", and the third one was "You've gotten cool lately".
Congrats on 1M views! This is probably a top 3 all-time TH-cam video for me so I'm happy to see it reach the 1M milestone.
The way you navigate between your own confidence and humility-even, dare I say, self-aggrandizement and self-effacement-in these reviews is fantastic. I don’t know that I’ve seen anyone else manage that as well as you, at least not as consistently, or at length. It’s inspiring.
I WOULD be here all day for this.