Bright, bubbly early-2000s visual novel synths that sound like a Windows XP desktop come to life. Ikinari Happy Bell is a 2002 Windows romance game, and the soundtrack is pure warm nostalgia. 爽やかな朝 (Refreshing Morning) sets the scene with the cheeriest wake-up music imaginable.
Read more
ウキウキデート is date-scene energy cranked to maximum sweetness. But then 悪意 (Malice) shows up and the whole tone shifts. Dark, tense, completely at odds with everything around it. 悲しい出来事 pulls into genuine sadness. The drama tracks at the end are a nice bonus, giving you voiced scenes with the BGM in context.
優しさがせつない captures that bittersweet core perfectly. For anyone who misses the sound of early 2000s PC romance games and all those feelings that came with them.