This post is coming out a little later than I would have liked, but I did play some Tokyo Mirage Sessions last week! That means that you get to read what I have to say about it. That’s how this series works. But, before we get started, let’s go over some numbers. My total playtime is just under 14 hours, my main character is level 28, and I’m partway through episode 3.One thing I haven’t mentioned in the last couple weeks is the “intermissions” that pop up in-between chapters of the story. They’re pretty self-explanatory, but basically, you get time after you finish an episode to take care of side objectives without having to be pressured by the story. Honestly, since you can stop doing the story content at any point and some side quests, I don’t really see the point. But, it creates a time when you can naturally do those quests.

Since I finished chapter 2 at the end of my previous Check-In, I started the week in an intermission. I had unlocked one of Touma’s side quests, so I decided to start with that. I meet Touma in the same place that he performed in that Power Rangers-esque show. This time, Touma wants me to help him pick up chicks. Okay, sure. But that jerk kid from Touma’s previous side quest shows up, and he’s made that Touma lied about appearing in the next episode of the show. After we talk a little bit, we find out that the kid is only acting up because his parents are getting a divorce. Touma promises that he will be a hero for him some day.

So, back to the whole “picking up chicks” thing. It turns out that Touma has a new role in the live Raiga show. Instead of playing a villain, he’ll be playing as an unmorphed Power Ranger. Apparently, his character is a bit of a ladies man, and he wants to be able to pull that off convincingly. We go outside of a store and talk to basically every girl that walks by. Touma totally blows it, but it’s okay because Itsuki is a great wingman. After getting all of the girls’ Topic information (basically, their Facebook information), Touma is ready to perform. At the show, he constantly acknowledges all the women in the audience, and everyone loves it. So, that’s that, I guess.

Partway through Touma’s quest, I got a message from Maiko signifying that she had a side quest for me. After talking to her, I find out that she is super hungover. Apparently, a lot of her job involves drinking with clients, including people who might have leads on Mirage activity. She had a pretty busy night and was really feeling it this morning. She tells us that Tiki was able to fix her hangovers in the past, so we should talk to her to get the cure.

Unfortunately, Tiki is all out of the medicine, but we can make some with three ingredients. We need some special clams, mushrooms, and dirt, all of which can be found in one of the Idolospheres. Thankfully, it’s a dungeon that I’ve completely over-leveled, so I just run through it and grab everything I need. Tiki whips up a bottle of medicine, I pass it off to Maiko, and she’s back to normal. Another job well done.

At this point, I decide to finally start chapter 3. Mamori, star of the show Microwavin’ with Mamorin, has always really wanted a singing job. She’s finally getting her chance on a TV show called Serenade. She heads off to the show and everything seems okay. But that’ll end up being where the Mirages attack next, right? That seems likely.

Next, Yashiro shows up at the Fortuna office. He really wants to see Tiki, and even though we tell him he can’t, we don’t do much to stop him from entering the Bloom Palace. We chase after him, and now we decide to try and do something. The fight doesn’t take long, as it’s one of those ones where you’re supposed to lost to move the story forward. I don’t like those very much. But anyway, he beats us and goes to Tiki. However, after learning that Tiki has lost her memory and doesn’t know him at all, he leaves. Well, that was a thing.

After returning to the office, a report comes on the TV showing that the Serenade show is under attack. Who saw that coming? Definitely not me. From what we see on the TV, Barry has been possessed by a Mirage this time. So, it’s off to the TV studio to enter another dungeon and save the day.

This dungeon feels a little different from the previous ones. It’s mostly a large building, and has some NPCs. It’s a pretty cool change of pace. An NPC I found tells me I need to light four lanterns before they can start a show of some sort. It’s simple enough. There’s lanterns outside of the building, and you just walk up and hit A on them.

Around this time, I flagged another side quest, this time for Ellie. I decided to take care of that right away instead of continuing with the dungeon. Ellie is preparing for a part in a TV show where she’s supposed to be involved in a romance. Unfortunately, she doesn’t really know what that’s like, so Itsuki is asked to go on a “date” with her. Yeah, sure, why not?

The date is kind of weird. We start at a the He Ho Mart and read magazines. She notices an ad for a jewelry store she wants to check out, but right now she’s thirsty. I mention that we’re in a convenience store, let’s just buy something to drink, but she didn’t like that answer. She goes off to a place to get a drink and tells us to find her. It was pretty obvious that she was at the cafe.

At the cafe, we have some drinks and talk for a bit. Apparently, the fact that Ellie is biracial has resulted in her always feeling out of place. But it’s okay because she’s going to be a big Hollywood star and find her place in the world. Next, we hit up the jewelry store. While there, Ellie asks if the other customers would think that we’re a couple. Itsuki says yes, and she gets kind of embarrassed. I tell her that I’ve been having fun, and the date is over. Back to the TV show, Ellie seems like she’s capable of performing her role now.

And that’s what I did this week. Tokyo Mirage Sessions continues to be super charming, however the majority of  what makes it good come from the characters and the side content. While what little I played of the chapter 3 dungeon seems promising, it still isn’t as compelling as the other content.  Hopefully, I’ll have that dungeon finished in time for the next installment.