Koi Sentai LOVE&PEACE Vol.1

恋戦隊LOVE＆PEACE ドラマCD1

Company: Broccoli
Based on: Mobile game
Released: 2010.12.22
Official site: http://www.broccoli.co.jp/cd/sp/loveandpeace/


Koi Sentai LOVE&PEACE is based of the mobile game of the same name. In the game you become the pink Heart Ranger, and have to choose one of the four guys that make up the rest of the team as your instructor. Obviously, that is also the character you will fall in love with. A PSP port of the game will be released later this year.

They kept the concept of you being the pink ranger for the CD, so this becomes a mix of a sentai drama and a situation CD, which works surprisingly well actually. In the first CD Akagi Fuuta (CV: Hoshi Souichirou) is your instructor, so the CD is partly focused on him.

The CD begins however with the henchmen of the evil organisation "Menos" stealing people their wallets at lunchtime. Of course this kind of evil can not go unpunished, so the Heart Rangers show up to beat them. The narrator (CV: Kawahara Yoshihisa) introduces all of the characters: The leader Akagi Fuuma / Heart Red, the cool glasses character Aoyama Reiji / Heart Blue (CV: Toriumi Kousuke), the always smiling gentleman Sarutobi Kouhei / Heart Yellow (CV: Miyata Kouki), and the un-hero like Kuromine Tsuguru / Heart Black (CV: Nakai Kazuya). There is some interaction between the narration and the characters as well (he is thanked for introducing everyone for example) which is something I like.

After beating the bad guys everyone retreats to the base, where you works on some image training by practicing yelling your attacks. Meanwhile, the narrator introduces the three main bad guys: Dark (CV: Madono Mitsuaki) who has a gun incorporated into one of his arms and speaks Kansai-ben, the vampire Juteemu (or Je t'aime probably, CV: Maeno Tomoaki), and the wolf-man... Wolf (CV: Shimowada Hiroki) who's ears are first described as cat-ears. Just like there is a 'main hero' for each CD, there is also a main nemesis for each CD, and this time it is Dark. So he gets a little bit more 'screentime' than the other two bad guys. But not that much more. Understandably irritated by the fact that they are always beaten, the evil trio comes up with a strategy to deprive Heart Red of his power.

Which they put into action the next day. They start destroying the city so of course the Heart Rangers show up, minus Kuromine because he made up an excuse. We are first treated to a pretty hilarious transformation scene, and than the battle begins. The bad guys taunt Heart Red to use his full power, and then use their secret weapon (some sort of device that suppresses his power, which comes from his voice) to beat him. You try to cover for him but are too weak. Luckily Kuromine decides to show up after all, and manages to distract the bad guys long enough for you to escape.

Back at the base Aoyama performs a medical check on Akagi, but according to the results he should be fine. They conclude that there must have been some sort of device sealing his powers, and decide to train on fighting without yelling out. They don't get much time though, because the next day Menos is already creating havoc again. Another fight starts (in which the Heart Rangers talk very soft) but the rangers are almost beaten again. Until you are in trouble and Akagi mysteriously finds the power to fight them off.

The rest of the CD is is Akagi realising what gave him so much power, and some moments together with you. In the final track he wants to practice whispering, so he whispers all sorts of random things (really random things) until he finally whispers some sweet words. And then starts to blush like an idiot.

I love the fact that there is an actual opening song and transformation scenes. The opening song is quite catchy too. The interaction with the narrator is a nice touch as well. Not to mention his constant "let me explain!" before he explains something. And Dark his Kansai-ben. It has been a while since I heard a Kansai-ben character!

The mix between sentai drama and situation CD works surprisingly well. During the drama your actions are explained by the narrator or sound effects, or self evident from what the other characters say. When you are alone with a character it CD feel more like a situation CD, where they talk directly to you. The last track was pure fan service in that sense.


Conclusion:
I didn't know this was based of a mobile game at first, but the CD itself explains everything clear enough to understand and enjoy it without knowing the game. The other CDs put one of the other rangers in charge of your training, so you get a chance to be alone with everyone. I'm actually getting interested in the PSP game thanks to this.