5/5 A pleasent mistake
  by Steven Hinton (upton, wirral United Kingdom)
I bought this series, as it reminded me of another series, called Diamond dust dreams, both series tall storys of people and places, this series was really good, the only down side was that it was all in Japanese with English subtitles, which made watching and reading what is being said a little distracting. But if you like real life tales of people living their lives with problems that are taken from life, then this series is worth watching.



4/5 Low-key and surprisingly effective
  by Eu4ia
This quiet show consists of twelve separate vignettes, each focused on a different character, all of whom seem to have known the same (unseen) person at different points in the past. There's nothing explosive about either the stories or the animation, but there's still plenty to like about it. Most of the cast members are sympathetic, and the screenwriter(s) clearly had a keen eye for the inexpressibly awkward moments that we all experience from time to time. While this is more a drama than a comedy, there are also a few sputteringly funny conversations. This is a treat for nostalgic anime fans, as its style and content hearken back to older material. Try it if you liked the (also very good) Diamond Daydreams.

4/5 Sugar, spice, and everything nice.
  by Rowena Wendy Lim (Asia)
Sentimental Journey is a coming-of-age feature with twelve teenage girls at the helm, and each of the twelve episodes is a re-telling of their first brush with romance. To give an example, the first episode is entitled "Akira Endo". Akira is a budding violinist who becomes infatuated with a male schoolmate who also plays the violin. He becomes her inspiration, resulting to richer and deeper performances on Akira's part. But he moves away, leaving Akira alone. Akira loses her desire to play the violin, and the episode further unfolds to show us how Akira eventually realizes what is important in her life. Every story imparts a lesson in love and life in general, as seen and felt from an ordinary Japanese girl's perspective. There's an episode which shows the heroine going on an omiai (or "arranged marriage meeting"), as well as one wherein the heroine impersonates her twin brother in order to go on a date with another girl -- among others.

The art and animation are very good, albeit somewhat washed out -- a minor flaw which can probably be attributed to the title's age. Lovely character designs and a good assortment of Japanese backdrops (ranging from bustling cityscapes to rustic countrysides) make up the visuals, while likeable mellow pop songs and unintrusive background music comprise the soundtrack. I should also mention that there is no English dub track, just English subtitles.

Sentimental Journey is a series which demonstrates the various aspects of young adulthood, with unrequited love at the top of its agenda. I personally thought it was executed nicely, but its languid pacing and character-driven episodes leave a sort of open-endedness that may bother those who prefer a more solid and defined approach. Sentimental is right. Feeling is emphasized instead of action, and there's a pervading sense of nostalgia as I am once again reminded of how old I'm getting.



4/5 Woooahh just hold on a moment there .... no English audio
  by Frederick Brown (Melbourne, Australia)
Just thought I'd let everyone know that this title's audio format is Japanese language only with optional English subtitles. I find this disappointing as its rated at 7 years and up and children do not like reading subtitles !!! I've kept the rating at four stars so as not to change the overall rating so far on this title. The reviewer below says it all anyway.

4/5 A Welcome Addition to Any Shoujo Fan's Collection
  by Ultra K (Seattle, WA)
Sentimental Journey, though probably one the smaller titles to come out of Sunrise studios in 1998 (to put things in perspective, they also released Cowboy Bebop and Outlaw Star that year,) is probably one of the most innovative story-wise. By telling the unique stories of 12 young women in 12 cities, it's like a collection of shoujo short films. Though the animation and music seem about 10 years too dated, the story and characters are interesting and engaging enough to compensate. The blend of drama, humor and even the occaisional horror or meditative, philosophical element lends each episode a unique flavor and tone as well. Some episodes are a laugh riot, some are more contemplative, but it's never dull.