Double Score ~Narcissus~

Double Score ~Narcissus~

Company: BlueMoon
Based on: CD <-> Otome Game
Released: 2012.07.27
Official site: http://www.asgard-japan.com/bluemoon/ds/


Double Score is an upcoming series of otome games where every obtainable character is between 29 and 46 (the heroine is 17). The concept of the game is that "age doesn't matter when it comes to love". Before the games are released however, each character gets a situation CD.This is the CD for Saiga Rui and Seiya, both voiced by Hirakawa Daisuke.

Rui and Seiya each have their own story, which means that both of them are pretty short compared to the other ones. Rui is a teacher at the heroine her school, and Seiya is a host. Both of them seem interesting so I'm kind of sad that they don't get their own CD. Then again I still wouldn't be surprised if the whole plot twist in their story is that they are the same person after all. (But I hope not).　But untill any evidence pops up I will treat them as two different characters.

Rui his story takes place at school. He is walking towards the library to bring back a book when he sees Sano Fumiya (CV: Kusao Takeshi). Rui tries to scold him for abandonning his post, but Sano says he is just buying a drink from a vending machine (although he apparently went missing for 3hours with that excuse once). Sano tries to ask Rui for some details about his relationship with you, but Rui keeps saying that the school isn't the place to discuss things like that - and then tells him all sorts of things anyway.

When he finally gets to the library he is surprised to find you there. You are helping out with returning books to the shelves, and there are quite a lot left so Rui offers to help you. In the beginning he keeps saying that you can't act like lovers at school, but in the end he is the one who can't hold back and kisses you. He hands you a key to his appartment and asks you to wait for him there.

What I loved most is that while Rui is a hetare he doesn't seem to be completely without backbone. When Sano is teasing him he says that it is way to early for Sano to tease him, and when Sano continues he actually plants an elbow in his stomach. Twice (probably the most brilliant moment in their conversation).

Seiya his story begins with him meeting Sano on his way home (they apparently live in the same building). Sano also tries to tease Seiya but it doesn't really work (although strangely, it feels like Sano has the upper hand this time). Apparently Sano likes the food at the host club where Seiya works, so he tells Seiya that you were together with a guy when you left school in echange for free food. Seiya gets supprisingly jealous over this. The guy in question is Mori Kengo btw, a classmate and friend of the heroine and a side character in the games.

When he gets home you were waiting for him at the entrance. Seiya first teases you a bit -ok, a lot- before he demands to know who you went home with and what you were doing. Really demands by the way, he seems quite possessive. What followed was suprisingly the cutest moment in the entire CD though: he confesses that he is actually pretty scareed that you will leave him for someone your own age.

Considering the fact that he works as a host Seiya is actually suprisingly... serious? From the conversations in the CD it is clear that he went to meet your parents, and that he is seriously planning to marry you (although he hasn't proposed yet). Also the moment where is tells you that he is afraid you might leave him, and how distraught he sounds when he does are somehow so endearing.

As always the first press comes with a bonus track (or in this case two) where the characters answer a few questions. Rui his track is really cute, to the point where he literally hides his face when he reaches the question about what kind of underwear he prefers his girlfriend to wear. I expected Seiya to answer that question straight on, but suprisingly even he doesn't feel like answering at first. Though he finally answers it that "it should cover as little as possible" but that it doesn't really matter because he will be taking it off anyway.


Conclusion:
While the stories are a bit short because we have two characters this time, but they were both interesting. Despite me loving Hirakawa-san his voice most when he uses a deeper voice, I think I might actually like Rui more. While Seiya is a full do-S, Rui seems to be hiding several of those traits beneath his hetare mask, and that might just be the more interesting personality.

Dogs - Bullets and Carnage

Dogs - Bullets and Carnage

Company: Shueisha
Based on: Manga

Released: 2007.10.22


Dogs is set in an unnamed, post-apocalyptic European city, where violence, crime, genetic manipulation and other scientific brutalities have become common. The story focuses on four antiheroic protagonists who, through a series of coincidences, meet as they search for a way "below", looking for answers to their individual pasts (description shamelessly taken from wiki).

This first drama CD covers the prequel manga, and only introduces the four main characters and various sub-characters. Doesn’t make it any less interesting though.

In the first track everyone meets in a cafe. Timeline-wise this is the present in the series. Not much happens in this track, it is a bit out of the everyday (albeit weird) life of the characters. The later chapters sometimes switch between the past and the present when introducing the various characters.

The second track introduces Mihai (CV: Ootsuka Akio) and Kiri (CV:Ohara Sayaka). After being away for many years Mihai returns to town and visits Kiri, who now runs the cafe/ restaurant Buon Viaggio. Hanging on the wall there is a picture of Mihai, Kiri, Milena (CV: Matsutani Kaya) and Ian (CV: Yusa Kouji). Milena was Mihai his former lover, and Ian the son of the (mafia) boss Mihai was working under at the time. Ian was entrusted in Mihai his care by his father, however he grew jealous of Milena afraid that she would take Mihai away from him.

Seeing the picture on the wall Mihai remembers several of the events surrounding Milena her death, and confronts Ian. The switching between timelines was the most confusing in this story, in the other ones it is a lot clearer.

The third track introduces Badou (CV: Ishida Akira) an informant with a serious nicotine problem. Badou, more or less by accident, obtains some compromising foto’s of a gang leader and is promptly hunted down by the entire gang. He is saved once by Mihai, but while he explains his situation and negotiates for Mihai to be his bodyguard while staying at the cafe they are attacked by the gang again. Fortunately his nicotine level is so low by then that he goes on a rampage, defeating the entire gang on his own.

Badou his story was the most lighthearted of them all, caused both by his normally wimpy personality and the fact that he ends up covered in trash a couple of times. That, and all he can think about while being chased around is somehow obtaining a cigarette.

The next track introduces Naoto (CV: Itou Shizuka). When she was little her family was slaughtered by someone wielding a katana, causing her to lose part of her memories. She is taken in by the swordsman Fujimine (CV: Koyama Rikiya), who teaches her how to fight with a sword as well. Naoto thinks that Fujimine is the one that killed her family and lives to kill him, but before she gets the chance he is killed Magato (CV: Kusao Takeshi)., who also tells her that the real killer is still out there somewhere.

This was the saddest story of them all. Naoto her conflicting feelings are just too sad. In fact, no one in this story seems to be exactly straight forward with their feelings. Magato his final speech makes me think he actually liked her, despite his earlier attitude.

The last character to get introduced his Heine (CV: Sakurai Takahiro) who underwent various genetic manipulations when he was a child. As a result, he recovers from wound very fast, even from almost fatal ones. It also gave him a very violent second personality. Heine encounters Nill (CV: Noto Mamiko), a young girl with angel wings. He tries to save her from some thugs, but she is re-captured a little later, while the attack leaves Heine heavily wounded. Which doesn’t stop him from retaliating and going to save her a second time, dragging Badou along as diversion.

The final track are some more hints at the continuation of the story, but, just like the first track, not really memorable compared to the rest. The story is told in a somewhat fragmented manner, and how the various characters meet isn’t shown (except for maybe the how Badou en Mihai meet). I kind of like this style, and it fits the dark atmosphere of the world it is set in.


Conclusion:
I was obviously interested in this because it has Sakurai, but if you like action packed and darker stories this is definitely a recommendation. Too bad that this is only a prologue, and while the first volume has been turned into a drama CD you’ll need to read the manga (which is still ongoing btw) for the rest of the story. Luckily, the manga is very stylish as well.