Sweet Voices is closing down

There have been no updates for two whole years now so I don't expect anyone to check for new posts, but I wanted to make an official post that there will be no more updates on this blog.

The truth is, I have slowly moved on from this hobby. It has been months since I last listened to anything, and I don't think I will get back into it either. People change, hobbies change, and that is OK. I had a great time writing reviews and learned a lot from it, and it was amazing to connect with people who shared the same interests.

For now the blog will remain online, but it will no longer be updated. Thank you all for a great couple years!!

Kareshi to Issho ni Ofuton de Icha Icha Goro Goro CD - Evening

カレと一緒におふとんでイチャイチャごろごろするCD - Evening

Label: Black Butterfly
Based on: Original
Released: 2013.11.15
Official site

In this series you spend some quality time with your boyfriend. Basically all you do is cuddle, which makes this CD super cute. This is the third CD in the series, voiced by Hirakawa Daisuke.

Your boyfriend this time is Kousei, who is a writer. At the start of the CD you enter the room where he is working, to remind him of the fact that it is already late and that he should probably stop working. Kousei finishes what he was writing for a bit (a overly sweet passage that is obviously based on you), and realizing that you were lonely while he was working so hard,  you decide cuddle on a sofa on the veranda together.

The rest of the CD is a lot of cuddling, Kousei telling you how much he loves you, some kissing (which sounds surprisingly eroi, seems like the poor guy is having a hard time suppressing certain urges), and more Kousei telling you how precious you are to him.

You do discover a little about your relationship through all of this. Apparently you met while he was in a slump, and it is thanks to you that he recovered. It took a while before you started dating though. In the final track you have fallen asleep, and Kousei once again declares his love for you (as well as planning to do more than kissing once you wake up, fufu)

While the CD is mainly cute, there were some sentences that caught me completely off guard. Along with a lot of his kisses...


Conclusion:
Plot zero, cuteness 90%, embarrassment 10%. No really, the amount of overly sweet words and kisses are almost overkill. But if you are fine with that then this is a really cute CD that makes you want to cuddle the nearest available thing. Because of the overkill you should probably only listen if you either like the seiyuu or are looking for something caries-inducing sweet, because lets be honest, it really is nothing more than cuddling.

Toubousha ~Ryou Hen~

逃暴者 ～リョウ編～

Company: Twofive inc.
Based on: Original
Released: 2013.07.31
Official site

Toubousha is a CD in which a fugitive is on the run from someone. In the previous CDs someone would use you to get away, in this one you are the one being chased. The CD uses the dummy head mic for the entire length of the CD (and does so very effectively). As always there are two endings; a good and a bad one.

The CD starts with you getting of the Shinkansen at Shinagawa station. Immediately someone demands your bag and tries to take it from you. Iikura Ryou comes to your help, and urges you to go back into the shinkansen. He holds off your pursuers so the two of you can get away in the train.

Once inside he begins to explain that your bag probably got switched with the one those men were looking for. He seems to know more about the situation but doesn't explain much at the time. Meanwhile he occasionally gets calls on what sounds like a walky-talky, keeping him up to date with what is happening.

Once you arrive at Tokyo station he instructs you to go to the station office to hand over the bag and tell them your own is missing, but a few comrades of the people who harassed you before were apparently still on the train and come after you. One of them fires a gun, and panic and chaos ensues.

Ryou takes you through the ticket gates into the shopping area of the station, and finally properly introduces himself. He is an inspector currently working to catch the remaining members of a terrorist organisation that was disbanded not too long ago. Because this is the best chance they've had in ages he asks (almost threatens) you to cooperate in order to lure them out. He is nice enough to you while you walk around the station though.

However the terrorists are not entirely stupid, and set off fires at several entrances to cause chaos and prevent the officers in civilian that serve as backup from reaching you. You are cornered by the remaining members of the organisation and have no choice but to follow them.

Ryou whispers instructions to run away when you reach a flight of narrow emergency stairs, and you manage to get away, but due to the fires the fire prevention shutters are down and you can’t get out. You are once again cornered, and Ryou gets shot twice while trying to cover for you. While he urges you to stay behind him the backup arrives and the scene fades out. From here you can go to either to good or bad end.

In the bad end the terrorists get away, causing Ryou to confine you at his home. He is convinced that they will come after you, and seems obsessed with catching them so he intends to keep you close. At first I thought it was another yandere ending, which made me slightly excited, but it soon turns out that Ryou just went completely crazy, and is scary a hell.

In the good ending the terrorists are captured, and you visit Ryou in the hospital. While he seemed full of confidence on the job he is being adorably awkward now, not knowing what to talk about and mumbling a lot. In the epilogue you have just moved into his apartment after you’ve been dating for a while, and he is still being adorably awkward.

I know Hirakawa-san is good at playing characters that are insane, but even so the bad ending scared the hell out of me. As soon as I realized that he was not yandere but completely broken his bad ending became a nightmare. It was so bad that when Ryou mentions how warm you are in the good ending it made me shiver because he said something similar in the bad one. If you are going to listen to the bad ending, listen to that one first, that way you’ll at least have the super sweet good ending to heal the scars it will cause.

Part of Ryou his obsession with the terrorist organisation is due to the fact that his former room mate was a member, causing his colleagues to treat him like dirt. This is only hinted at in the bad ending and properly explained in the good ending. But you only discover this in the endings, and I think they could have used it a bit more to create some more suspicion during the story. The entire time you are with Ryou you have no real proof that he really is a police officer, and I personally think they could have made more use of that as well.

Despite these things, this CD was all I could have asked for as the (for now) last entry in this series; a seiyuu that I love, a bad ending that I will remember for years to come, and a good one that was super sweet. And after two stories that had less to do with running away this one was much more satisfying. I loved that they made you the one being chased this time, it made for a nice change. My love for Hirakawa-san obviously makes me biased, but I think that this is still a good CD if you are a fan of the series but not of the seiyuu.

Conclusion:

I am kind of sad that this is the last CD for now, but on the other hand they were clearly starting to run out of inspiration, and I’d rather have that the series ends with a good CD (because it is good) than that they release more CDs that fail to live up to the earlier ones. Just, be wary of the bad ending when you listen, ok?

And the series continuuuueeeees!

I am both happy and cautious. But mostly Happy.

Aisaresugite xx Sarechau - Gekiama Joushi & Kichiku Joushi Comparison

I think this is the first time that I’ve actually made a comparison post about two linked CDs, but I noticed so many similarities and interesting links between the two that I felt like writing this. Spoilers, as far as you can call them that, all around so read at your own discretion.

愛されすぎて××されちゃう CD 激甘上司 &  鬼畜上司

Like I mentioned in the actual reviews, each Aisaresugite CD has two versions – a sweet one and a twisted one. You can compare them to the good and bad end routes in an otome game. The stories are partly the same, and split somewhere after you make a choice. With this being a CD, the choice is obviously being made for you ;)

For this CD the story splits depending on whether you choose to remain living with your boss-turned-boyfriend or insist on living separately.

But even before that they are not entirely the same. The Gekiama version starts with you catching a cold after a long day of work, and skips right to the time you went drinking together to celebrate your recovery. The Kichiku version one the other hand only references you catching a cold last week, and includes the actual invite to go drinking. His confession is slightly different as well; in the Kichiku version his voice almost breaks when saying that he loves you, while it is more subdued in the Gekiama version.

What I find interesting is that he promised to not do anything to you when you start living at his place – and he seems to have kept that promise in both versions. It is only after you’ve accepted his feelings, after he sees you as his own, that things start to get out of hand in the Kichiku version. And it is not like his possessive trait is entirely absent in the Gekiama version either. In the track where you have a fever he mentions that “he wouldn’t let you go even if you wanted to”.

Besides this there are other sentences that are used in both CDs “Omae ha ore dake wo mireba ii” (“you should/ only have to look at me”) and “Ore nashi de irarenai you ni” (“so that you can’t do without me”) for example. The difference is the context in which they are said; in the Gekiama version they add to the cuteness of the CD, and only make you love him more. In the Kichiku version they are said in a way that make you want to run away as fast as you can, and serve to illustrate how possessive (and insane) he is.

Another parallel can be found in the 3^rd track. In both versions he mentions that he never really trusted people, and never had any deeper bonds/relationship with anyone, but that he trusts you. In the Gekiama CD this is a sign of how much he trusts and loves you, in the Kichiku one it is followed by threatening to hurt you should you ever betray him. BUT in the Gekiama version he also says that he was covertly trying to keep other guys away from you. Which, once again, sounds sweet in the context of that particular CD, but when combined with the Kichiku one it gains a few implications.

The kouhai scene is obviously scene with the most similarities. It even starts the same in both CDs, although it gives a totally different vibe thanks to a different tone of voice. The part where you can hear him both through the phone and right next to you sound cute and happy in the Gekiama version, while you can already sense the tension in the Kichiku one.

Technically they follow exactly the same pattern. Your kouhai helping you with work results in your boss/boyfriend  being jealous, which results in sex at the office. And once again the Gekiama version turns this into a sweet scenario (making out in the office to express/prove his love in a more physical way) while the Kichiku version twists it (sex as punishment for “betrayal”). Both are pretty graphic btw.

There are two other things that caught my attention. While it may just have been pushed to the background in the Kichiku version, it was pretty interesting to see that you were slightly jealous in the Gekiama version as well. You call him out twice - the first time when you confront him about the rumours at the office, the second time when you want to know who else he took to his favourite hotel (no one btw, he used to go there on his own).

The second thing I noticed is the difference in the amount of H scenes. In the Gekiama version only the kouhai/sex at the office scene contains actual love making, along with the (un)appropriate squelchy sounds. The Kichiku version on the other hand you are treated to your first sex(ual abuse) scene in the fourth track, along with two extra scenes afterwards – both of them pretty abusive. Interestingly enough the Gekiama version is actually equally explicit, but lot more sensual.

Listening to both CDs shortly after each other, I can’t help but feel that they are tied together pretty good. Certain elements appear in both CDs, and there are traces of possessiveness even in the Gekiama CD, although you are less likely to notice them if you don’t listen to the other one first.

Precisely because of that reason I’d recommend listening to the Gekiama one first, otherwise certain sentences might trigger a rather traumatic déjà vu (at least for me that was what happened).

I hope you enjoyed my ramblings about these two CDs.

Aisaresugite xx Sarechau CD - Kichiku Joushi

愛されすぎて××されちゃうCD 『鬼畜上司』　

Label: Melty Drop 
Based on: Original
Released: 2013.08.23
Official site　

Aisaresugite xx Sarechau is a CD series where you are ''loved too much by your'' boyfriend. There are two versions for each release – a sweet version and a more twisted version. Both versions start the same and have similar situations, but are slightly different. Vol.2 has Hirai Tatsuya (Hirakawa Daisuke) as your boss at work.

This version is titled Kichiku Joushi, which would mean something like Brutal Boss, as a Kichiku is someone who treats others in a cruel manner. So don’t expect another cute CD like the Gekiama version ;)

The start of the story is almost the same as the Gekiama version – one day you have to return to work in the evening because you forgot your phone, and meet your boss who is still working. You end up going out to drink together. While you are out drinking there is a fire your apartment building and because it is the middle of the night and you have nowhere else to go your boss offers you a spare room in his apartment.

You end up staying there for a while searching for your own place. When you've found one and tell him you will sign the contract soon he asks you whether you don’t want to stay at his place in stead and confesses his feeling for you (the way his voice almost breaks when he does is too precious).

In the this version you accept his feelings but tell him that you still want to live separately because you are worried about rumours at work, which triggers a jealousy switch in your now boyfriend. Unfortunately for you and fortunately for him, it seems there was a double booking and you are unable to get the new apartment, and end up staying at his place after all.

His jealousy behaviour continues; after finishing a deal with a customer he seems in a bad mood because  the customer was an old classmate of yours, and he is convinced that you were flirting with the guy. And thus you end up going straight to a hotel room where you have to be taught exactly who’s woman you are... and not in a gentle manner either

He orders you to strip, and makes it very clear that you shouldn’t try to disobey. He continues with what he is doing even though you are obviously afraid and crying.  Also introduction of the squelchy  sounds (>_<) ... He also appears to be carrying handcuffs with him. Well prepared indeed.

This time in the kouhai scene you didn’t mention that your kouhai had been helping you with overwork untill a few moments ago, and he discovers this (in fact, he ordered the guy to help you to test your loyalty). Obviously  „punishment“ ensues; he drags you into a meeting room and forces you to masturbate for him.

Not unexpectedly, you are upset about how you were treated, and tell him you want to leave his apartment the next day. But telling a yandere you want to leave is probably the worst thing you can do. I won’t be going into details but the next few scenes involve a photo album of when you were asleep or passed out after you slept together, a blindfold made out of the necktie you once gave him as a present, more squelchy sounds, and numerous implications that you will never be leaving this room again...

The first and second part of this CD are so different they could have been two different CDs. Which makes sense since this is basically the same story as the Gekiama version, except that things went very very wrong this time. He won’t go full yandere on you immediately (the first punishment scene has far less yandere vibes than the final scene for example) but the change in attitude is still pretty huge.

When mentioning that you want to move out we see the first glimpses of jealousy, and that this has the potential to escalate. Which it obviously does. While I do see the Kichiku (brutal) part at first (he is being incredibly rough and sadistic ) it switches into Yandere a little later. So much as looking at another guy or not mentioning someone was with you is considered betrayal, and is followed by sexual punishment, while he grows incredibly jealous and wants you “all to himself”. That room you were unable to get? That wasn't a coincidence.

Hirakawa-san has proved his skill in voicing yandere characters before, and lives up to that here. Honestly, that man can breathe in a way that is terrifying. It also reminded me that while he can sound adorable if he wants (the title call is the most adorable things ever), I really do love it when he uses his deeper voice. Even if the character happens to be a sadistic yandere.

Conclusion
Those who know me probably know that I love Yanderes and that I love Hirakawa-san, so obviously I am partial towards this CD. However it also reminded me that R18 is not really my thing. Especially if any H scenes are accompanied by gracious amounts of squelchy noises. I know the title says Kichiku, but if you ask me this is 95% Yandere.

While the Gekiama version really is a sweet CD that I can recommend to almost anyone (if you can stand R18, that is), this version should probably best be avoided if you don’t know what you are dealing with. It is definitely a bad CD to start with if you’re not familiar with either R18 or Yandere CDs, but if you like both; go for it!  So umm, yeah, listen at your own discretion ;)