Samishinbo CD

 さみしんぼＣＤ

Company: Honey Bee
Based on: Original
Released: 2012.05.25
Official Site: http://www.honeybee-cd.com/samishinbo/index.html


Samishinbo CD has been coined as a CD “for those time in which you might feel a bit lonely” and would like someone to talk with. The site mentions situations like on your way home, while eating, etc.

Your cousin Ayumu (CV: Yoshino Hiroyuki) is staying over at your place while he looks for a place to live. Ayumu will be going to university soon, so his mom asked you to let him stay at your place while he is looking for a place to live. You yourself are already an OL by the way. The CD is is presented like a story, with you going home together, eating dinner, watching a movie, before you go to bed, and the next morning.

It begins when you meet by coincidence after your work and Ayumu his house-hunt. You both get on the train. He actually wants to take one later because this one is too full, but you just go ahead and get aboard. In the train he tries to shield you from the crowd, which causes the two of you to get a bit close. He starts to get flustered, but of course you are blissfully oblivious to that.

At home he tries to make curry, but if fails and is more like soup. You still say it looks good and eat it anyway, and it turns out it actually is edible. After dinner you watch a movie on TV. Before it starts though he is trying to get you to eat some chips that have cucumber flavour, of all possible things.

When he gets out of the bath -and you have fallen asleep on the couch where he is supposed to sleep- he finally asks whether something happened today. Bringing a whole lot of snacks first. Despite the fact that you are on a diet. When you finally go to bed he remains at your side until you fall asleep (what am I? A little kid??). He does sound sweet when still talking when you’ve already fallen asleep though.

The next morning he walks you to the station, actually blatantly saying that he wants to spend as much time as possible together, but once again you are blissfully oblivious. He tries to cheer you up a bit before you leave for work (although you already seem revitalized by then)

In the bonus track you are playing the ‘pocky game’ (eating a pocky, or in this case pretzel, from both sides, the one who lets go first loses the game). Ayumu loses and has to massage your shoulders.

Yoshino is doing one of his usual loud (and annoying) characters here. I was already afraid of this when I saw that he would be voicing the CD, but unfortunately it came true. If you ask me this character and the one from Kareshi Recipe 2 could have been the same character. Or twins at the very least. Personally I don’t like this type of character, but if you do it is a hit for sure. I liked Ayumu better when he was talking more subdued (like in the track where he put you to bed).

The concept is interesting, and I get how they incorporated the idea into this story, but it doesn’t really feel different from any other drama/situation CD to be honest. Then again, if they would stress the feeling lonely part too much chances are it would get too... clingy? candy coated? who knows.

Still, I’m kind of happy that Honey Bee has released something that is not Starry Sky. As much as I love the series, Honey Bee had some really interesting shorter series before they started to focus completely on Starry Sky. Of course they are starting a new major project now (Seishun Hajimemashita!) but I hope that they will continue releasing other stuff as well.


Conclusion
Ayumu isn’t my type of character, and I seriously dislike Yoshino-san when he does this kind of voice, but the idea was interesting and I hope that they will release a similar CD voiced by someone who is more my type. If you ask me a more gentle character would suit the concept better.