Joshuseki Kareshi Vol.1 - Hajimete no Drive ha Osananajimi

 助手席彼氏 - 初めてのドライブは幼なじみ

Company: Gakken / Animedia
Based on: Original
Released: 2012.07.28
Official site: http://www.e-animedia.net/archives/6911808.html


In Joshuseki Kareshi ("passenger seat boyfriend") you go on a drive with your (would be) boyfriend. Only you will be the one driving. In the first CD you take your childhood friend Sakuraba Naoki (CV: Morikubo Shoutarou) for a drive to celebrate that you got your driver's licence.

The CD begins with Naoki picking you up at your house in the morning, and you overslept. He tells you to get ready quickly, saying that it is no use putting on make-up because he knows how you look without it anyway. But when you come down again he is surprised by how pretty you look anyway (I love the sparkle sound effect when you get back).

You first go to rent a car because you can't use the one at your house. After picking one you start your drive date. Naoki his constant remarks on how to drive are annoying, but to be honest it sounds like the heroine (you, whatever) can't drive at all. Seriously, how does one get their license and drive like this? Poor Naoki, no wonder he is scared.

Once you get to the highway things seem to go slightly better though. After driving for a while you get stuck in a traffic jam though, so he suggests that you go to a nearby rest station to grab something to eat. After that you continue your drive (although Naoki switches with you and drives the rest of the way) until you reach your destination: the beach.

Once there you suddenly cling to his arm, which he sees as a chance to confess that he liked you for a long time. Unfortunately your attention is drawn by a nearby cat and you are gone before he manages to actually say it (which seems to happen every time).

Afterwards you go to a cafe to get something to drink, and Naoki gets himself a piece of cake as well. You go all couple mode and try to feed it to him. He takes one bite but says that it is embarrassing so he'll eat the rest himself, and then you suddenly run off (causing him to panic). When he finds you again you are catching to wedding bouquet that was just thrown at a nearby wedding. I was just as surprised as Naoki was when the entire scene happened. But apparently you already forgot all about what just happened and are happily showing him the bouquet.

Naoki ends up driving the entire way back, and when he tries to wake you up when you get back home you somehow end up accidentally kissing. He then finally confesses his feelings, and of course you were feeling the same all along.

I am not entirely sure about this, but from what I know the practical part of getting your driver's license in Japan requires you to drive through a course that is especially designed for this. So I guess that it is possible to get your license without having much or any actual road experience. Probably for exactly that reason, people who have just gotten their license are required to display a beginners mark on their car. This is the "wakaba mark" that Naoki mentions. Officially it is called 初心運転者標識 (shoshin-unten-hyoushiki, "beginners driving sign" but it is often called 若葉マーク, wakaba maaku, literally "new leaves" mark) or simply 初心者マーク (shoshinsha maaku, "beginners' mark). You are required to display this sign for the entire first year that you got your license, although I know people who used it after that as well because they don't drive much.

The story itself was pretty cute. And to be honest it is kind of funny how bad you are at driving. On the other hand Naoki his constant pointers annoyed me; I already get annoyed when my instructor does that, let alone someone else. Naoki is a bit of a standard childhood-friend-who-likes you character, but he is kind of cute.

After the main drama there are several tracks with Naoki saying random phrases. Some were already used in the main story, others are slightly different or new. In the free talk Morikubo-san mentions that he would probably be commenting on your driving just like Naoki, but also that he never dated a girl that had a license so that he would like to go on a drive where the girl would be driving some time.


Conclusion:
I can't take it when someone comments on my driving so that annoyed me, but luckily this stops halfway through and the rest is just a very cute story. I am still amazed at how bad the heroine her driving is though.

Shiro Ari!!

  

白アリッッ

Company: Frontierworks
Based on: Manga
Released: 2012.01.25
Official Site: http://www.fwinc.co.jp/shiroari/


Shiro Ari!! is based on the manga of the same name, and mixes the characters Snow White and Alice in one story that has little to do with the original stories but is rather hilarious.

Snow White (CV: Kugimiya Rie) is seen as a demon child in her own world due to her red eyes and white hair. The fact that the animals always defend her when she is bullied by other kids don't really make things better either. Despite this she continues to believe that there are people in this world that are purely good.

In the beginning of the story the Mirror (CV: Terashima Takuma) takes her to Wonderland. Where Alice almost falls off a cliff due to a waysign being mirrored. She is saved by Alice (CV: Suzumura Kenichi). Although saved, he almost immediately pulls a gun on her thinking she is in league with the White Rabbit. After some complications he decides to take home, by knocking her unconscious and dragging here off.

Snow White regains her consciousness in the cafe run by the Mad Hatter (CV: Onosaka Masaya) and the March Hare (CV: Yusa Kouji). While Alice is still trying to hear out Alice they are attacked by the Jack of Hearts (who looks like a girl but is actually a guy, CV: Yonaga Tsubasa). And Snow White learns that Alice and the Red King have been fighting over who rules the country since hundreds of years.

While staying at Alice his house Snow White runs into the Cheshire Cat (CV: Morikubou Shoutarou), Who pulls a vanishing act when they run into Alice. Turns out that the Cheshire Cat was coming to pick up the weapon that Jack left. He makes a few more remarks about the Red King and Blue King (Alice) fighting and leaves.

And that is about as far as we get with the plot. The part after that switches into a sweets making contest. The next day the Dormouse (CV: Kaneda Tomoko) comes dropping in. Turns out she has a huge crush on Alice (and one hell of an annoying voice). Snow White, Jack, and the Dormouse end up making a sweet in Alice his image. The end results are of course... interesting.

The drama keeps pretty close to the chaos of the manga, although some scenes are slightly shorter or in a different order (mainly Snow White her flashbacks). This also causes one weird moment: In the manga Snow White comes crashing out of the sky, lands on Alice and in the process they have an accidental kiss. In the CD they skip this part, yet they do talk about it a bit later on.

The CD only covers the first few chapters, so the plot isn't very deep yet, but it would have been nice if we would have seen a bit more of it. Instead the plot is literally abandoned halfway though for the sweets contest. I suppose it does show more of Snow White her mindset, but to use half of the CD for it might have been a bit much.

This is the second series I know with a male Alice, and his personality is just as bad as the first one. In front of everyone Alice is the perfect nice guy, but he actually has an incredibly bad attitude - causing Snow White to call him "sadist guy" (he calls her bitch so I suppose they are even). Snow White her naivety can be a bit annoying, but together they make a balanced combo.

The one character I found incredibly annoying was the Dormouse. Of course she is intended to be annoying, but her voice makes my ears bleed. And when you listen to the cast comment you discover that Kaneda-san her actual voice isn't that much better either. It just annoys me to no end.

I had just one glaring problem with the CD; The cast. Not that the cast is bad, on the contrary they are good if you ask me. But I have become so used the cast of Are you Alice? that hearing anyone else as Alice/Hatter/Jack/Cheshire Cat just doesn't feel right to me. (the March Hare and Dormouse I'm less used to so there were less problems there). Especially hearing Morikubou Shoutarou -who is the White Rabbit in Are you Alice?- voice the Cheshire Cat caused my brain to short-circuit. This is just a personal problem though.


Conclusion:
The story seemed promising, until they just decided to shelve it for a sweets making contest. The characters are funny though (barring the annoying Dormouse) and the amount of hilarious chaos is what you would expect from a series set in wonderland. I do hope that they make another CD (with more plot) because in my opinion the CD is better than the manga: the manga is written slightly to chaotic for my taste.

Fushigi Koubou Shoukougun vol.10

 ふしぎ工房症候群 朗読CD EPISODE.10「最後の願い」

Company: Cosmic Ray
Based on: Original
Released: 2006.05.26
Official Site: http://www.cosmicray.co.jp/fks/


ふしぎ工房症候群 (fushigi koubou shoukougun) translates into something like 'mysterious workshop syndrome'. The mysterious workshop in the title is what binds all of the stories in this series together. The shop can only be found by someone who is lost and really needs it, and is run by an old man, who sells 'happiness'

Each story is told by a (high profile) voice actor who both tells the story and acts out certain characters. The story is told from the perspective of the main character, and mostly centres on that person his thoughts. In each story the main character is going through a troubled period or trauma, and the mysterious workshop becomes a turning point in their lives.

The tenth story is told by Morikubo Shoutarou and is about someone who has always been regarded as a 'bad person' or someone you shouldn't associate with purely because of his looks. This pisses him off more than anything, but eventually he started working as a debt collector. That way his looks are actually an advantage, but more than that he feels like he is collecting debts from people that are even worse than he is, giving him some sense of superiority.

One night while he is waiting on a train a girl walks forward as if she is planning to jump in front of it. In a reflex he pulls her back, throwing her on the ground. Because she is blind and he is always judged on his looks he is immediately taken into custody, but the situation is cleared soon enough. She eventually thanks him for saving her life.

A few days later at work he is ordered to collect a debt. The man who borrowed the money has long bailed, but he left the address of his daughter so that is where he goes. When he reaches the old apartment where she lives it at first seems like no one is home, but the door is open so he goes in. And finds the girl from a few days before collapsed on the floor with a high fever.

Again in a sort of a reflex he starts to aid her. She doesn't want to go to the hospital because she has no money, so he takes care of her at home. When he leaves that evening he discovers that his company is not the only one that is trying to collect a debt, apparently her father borrowed money from all sorts of places. He takes her key with him and promises to check back the day after.

That evening he gets himself drunk and while trying to find his way home arrives at the Fushigi Koubou. The old man, like everyone else, refuses to help him at first because "you can see he is a bad person at first sight". This actually surprised me a bit, I would have expected him to be willing to serve anyone but apparently not. The protagonist gets angry at him and tries to him, but this is where we learn that the old man apparently has a black belt in several martial arts or something. At any rate he fights off our debt collector.

Scared by the old man and probably still hazy with alcohol, our protagonist wishes to "become a good person". When he goes to visit the girl the next day there are indeed other debt collectors at her door. He waits until they are gone to get her out of there and brings her to his place. He leaves her there for now, but when he returns she has made him dinner. That he discovers that she knew he was a debt collector all along, but that she decided that if she was going to be taken away anyway, she should go with him because he treated her so well. This is where he realizes that he loves her, and the sleep together that night.

The next day he puts her on a train to safety, and chooses to face the other debt collectors. He gets severely beaten up, and wakes up at the hospital with the girl at his side. She sensed something was wrong and returned to get the police. While he is treated as the victim for this case, he still has done a lot wrong, and has to go to jail for one year. But when he comes out she is waiting for him, with their newborn baby.

This was an interesting story. You can sort of guess how it ends from the beginning, but that doesn't make it any less interesting. I suppose this is a typical 'big guy small heart' kind of story, but it really is very cute to hear how he cares for the girl. It is less of an emotional story than many of the others, but still a very touching romance.

Two interesting things in this CD were the old man suddenly being an accomplished fighter, who'd expect that the old guy who always seems to know what everyone needs is also able to beat someone to pulp? And the fact that the protagonist makes a reference to Episode 5. He talks about a man "who suddenly had so much money that he scattered bills into the air when we came to collect" which is exactly what happens in Episode 5.



Conclusion:
Maybe it is predictable, but I enjoyed this story. It takes a step back from the far more emotional tone that many of the other stories have, but still delivers a touching story. It makes you a little less melancholic than most other stories as well.

Superior

 シューピアリア

Company: Frontierworks
Based on: Manga
Released: 2007.03.21


Superior is a story about the hero Exa who travels with his companions to find the 'ideal land' by order of the prince. Exa his actual dream is to restore peace to the world so that monsters and humans can coexist by killing the Demon king, however he doesn't know that said demon king is actually female and has fallen in love with him.

The story starts with Ex (CV: Morikubou Shoutarou) and his companions Lakshri (CV: Morita Masakazu) Sheila (CV: Kuwashima Houko), Angelica (Kugimiya Rie) being summoned by prince Juno (CV: Saiga Mitsuki) to search for the 'ideal land' where monsters and humans are rumoured to live in peace.

And so they set off. The personalities of all the characters are a but off though. Lakshri is a perverted ore-sama, Sheila seems to be only interested in food and talks like a cat (with a lot of nya~), Angelica looks and sounds cute put is actually a very powerful mage. And they are followed around by the monster Okina, who looks like an old man with many arms coming out of his face and has fallen in love with Exa...

On their way to the 'ideal land' they come across a lot of problems, partly caused by their own actions, partly caused by the guardians Reek (CV: Hoshi Souichirou) and Jin (CV: Sugiyama Noriaki) who try to keep anyone from entering the Ideal Land. And then there is the 'copy demon queen' (CV: Kaida Yuuko) who was created to take the demon queen her place while she is away and her servant Kagami (CV: Koyasu Takehito) who also come to wreak havoc...

This drama CD was a lot more light-hearted than I expected. The beginning sounds serious, but after that it first takes a trip down the humour lane. Only near the end it becomes serious again. I'm not saying it is a bad thing though, especially Lakshri creates a lot of funny situations and conversations, but it is not what I expected from the cover and the description. (I have never read the manga, so I don't know what it is like)

In the cast talk they talk about what the 'perfect place' would be like. All kinds of interesting a ridiculous stuff is mentioned: A place where there are a lot of dogs and cats, where you can get drunk without forgetting things, where you can keep eating without getting fat, Where there is no need for money, Where Hoshi Souchichirou doesn't exist (he keeps interrupting Koyasu-sama), Where the trains are not overcrowded, that kind of stuff.


Conclusion:
I expected a much darker drama, but it was actually very light-hearted although there is a very serious plot going on in the background. The randomness was fun, but not very special. Lakshri and his idiot behaviour create for a lot of funny moments though.

Are you Alice? - Alice the Gibberish! 2

Are you Alice? - Alice the Gibberish! 2

Company: IM Label
Based on: Original
Released: 2009.05.20
Official Site: http://imlabel.jp/alice/


In Are you Alice a male Alice wanders into wonderland and is subsequently involved in 'the game to kill the white rabbit'. Alice his story is told in three drama CDs - Drink me, Check Mate, and Call me- but there are several expansions to the story. This is a collection of CMs with Alice and the Hatter talking complete nonsense in between.

This time the Mad Hatter opens the skits with incredible tension (and referencing Star Wars just like they did in the first Alice the Gibberish). Just like the first time, this is a collection of CMs, and Alice and the Hatter commenting on them in between.

A large part of the CMs are in the shape of the fictional radio show "Alice no Heya". Hearing all of them together is kind of fun, especially because they get more and more random each time.

This time the CMs go all the way up to the unbirthday scraps and character singles, they don't realy mention any of the content, but just to be on the safe side it might be better if you've listened to all of them before listening to this.


Conclusion:
To be short, this is just more of the same, but that definitely isn't a bad thing here. Randomness and hilarity are guaranteed again so go and listen if you know the series.

Are you Alice? - All in the Golden Afternoon

Are you Alice? - All in the Golden Afternoon

Company: IM Label
Based on: Original
Released: 2011.04.07
Official Site: http://imlabel.jp/alice/


In Are you Alice a male Alice wanders into wonderland and is subsequently involved in 'the game to kill the white rabbit'. Alice his story is told in three drama CDs - Drink me, Check Mate, and Call me- but there are several expansions to the story. This was released with the limited edition of the Are you Alice? PSP game.

The characters start with re-introducing themselves and their setting in the story. Alice (CV: Sakurai Takahiro), the Mad Hatter (CV: Hirata Hiroaki), the Cheshire Cat (CV: Inoue Kazuhiko), the White Rabbit (CV: Morikubo Shoutarou), all tell their setting and some of their feelings.

After that all of them start arguing a bit about their respective setting and personalities. And thus the arguing escalates xD And is it me, or does Alice make a Makai Senki Disgaea style announcement for a so called next time? (even the music seems to match)

The switch between a serious introduction and the random conversations feels a bit off this time. Usually they effectively cancel out the seriousness, but here it just somehow goes from serious into Alice style randomness, and then suddenly changes back in a weird way. Also, I think they used the background music from the game, which is slightly different from the music used in the drama CD's.


Conclusion:
It is hard to say about my favourite series, but I didn't like this work very much. There isn't anything new. It is always nice to hear the cast go about in their usual ways. But compared to other works (even shorter ones) this one simply doesn't really cut it.

Shiawase Kissa Sanchoume

幸福喫茶3丁目

Company: Marine Entertainment
Based on: Manga
Released: 2007.01.25


I can do this... I can review something normal once in a while... Wait, maybe Are you Alice? can count as normal? Or maybe not... either way!

Shiawase Kissa Sanchoume (which would translate into something like "[the] Happiness Cafe on block 3") is a drama CD based on the manga of the same name. 16 year old Takamura Uru (CV: Kanda Akemi)  works parttime at the cafe "Bonheur" together with fellow part-timers Shindou Satsuki (CV: Toriumi Kousuke) and Nishimura Ichirou (CV: Sugiyama Noriaki). Working at the cafe fills Uru her days with happiness.

The first tracks of the drama CD are more of an introduction to the world of Shiawase Kissa. We meet everyone at Bonheur, regular customer Yamasaki Mitsuki (CV: Toyoguchi Megumi), and sons of a nearby wagashi (japanese sweets) shop; Abekawa Kashiwa (CV: Yusa Kouji) and Sou (Morikubo Shoutarou) and their little sister Sakura (CV: Tanii Asuka). If you haven't read the manga (like me) this is a nice introduction, as it everything you need to enjoy the story.

After that the actual story starts. The owner of a nearby french restaurant (CV: Yasumoto Hiroki) asks Uru  to be the model for a poster for their upcoming dinner for couples and newly weds. Uru agrees, but she still needs someone to act as the groom. Of course, all four of the above guys want the role of Uru her groom (ok, except maybe for Shindou who acts indifferent). Eventually they decide to decide who can be Uru her groom by holding a contest to decide. The one who gives Uru the present that makes her happiest wins and becomes her 'groom'.

The charm of this drama CD (and the manga as a whole) lies in the quirky personality of the characters. Shindou seems like an ever grumpy and violent person but actually bakes all the cakes for the cafe. Ichirou falls asleep the instant he gets hungry, and only wakes up again when you force-feed him something. Mitsuki is a super tall model, but is actually still in junior high and can eat for two. The Abekawa brothers speak kansai-ben, which is funny enough on its own. Sakura is just your standard super cute baby sister that every series needs.


Conclusion:
Any conversation between these characters is already funny, and the gifts they give Uru only make things better. While you could argue that this is just another shoujo manga, it is a very funny one and that is all that counts.

Are you Alice? - Good Bye

 

Are you Alice? - Good Bye

Company: IM Label
Based on: Original.
Official Site: http://imlabel.jp/alice/


In Are you Alice a male Alice wanders into wonderland and is subsequently involved in 'the game to kill the white rabbit'. Alice his story is told in three drama CDs - Drink me, Check Mate, and Call me- but there are several expansions to the story. This is one of the side dramas for Are you Alice? It originally was an extra drama that you got if you bought the three main CDs at Animate. It isn't for sale.

This drama starts with Alice (CV: Sakurai Takahiro) pestering the Mad Hatter (CV: Hirata Hiroaki) with asking how far the Hatter got with Alice Liddel.

The the scene suddenly switches to said Alice Liddel (CV: Nakahara Mai) walking around wonderland. She meets both the Cheshire Cat (CV: Inoue Kazuhiko) and the White Rabbit (CV: Morikubo Shoutarou) but seems a bit confused. Eventually they take her back to the Mad Hatter, where she is greeted by... Alice?

This short story is a bit confusing. Not that it is confusing on its own, but the implications are. After all, it means that both Alice and Alice Liddel are in wonderland at the same time, and both are the "Alice" from the title of the book.


Conclusion:
Confusing, but still somehow nice to listen to. It does show that both the Cheshire Cat and the White Rabbit treat the actual Alice Liddel a whole lot different than any other Alice. Nothing relevant to the plot happens however, so you don't really miss out if you can't listen to it. But there is no harm in listening to it either.

Are you Alice? - Sweet November

Are you Alice? - Sweet November

Company: IM Label
Based on: Original.
Official Site: http://imlabel.jp/alice/


This is one of the side drama's for Are you Alice? It originally came with Alice no Tea Party Phase 3, though I'm not completely sure which company had it as a bonus.

In Sweet November the Mad Hatter (CV: Hirata Hiroaki) complains that he has to write a story due tomorrow and asks Alice (CV: Sakurai Takahiro) what kind of events there are in November. Eventually they decide to do a school trip story, and the Cheshire Cat (CV: Inoue Kazuhiko), the White Rabbit (CV: Morikubo Shoutarou) and the Dutchess (CV: Kawata Taeko) are called so that they at least have a few students for the trip.

Of course the Hatter has zero understanding about what a school trip should be like, and no one really cooperates anyway so chaos ensues. Hilarious chaos.


Conclusion:
While not one of the better side dramas this is still highly amusing. It is completely unrelated to the actual story, so you can listen to it any time.

Are you Alice? - Bunk it

Are you Alice - Bunk it

Company: IM Label
Based on: Original.
Official Site: http://imlabel.jp/alice/


This is one of the side drama's for Are you Alice, if you bought all unbirthday scrap albums at Messe, you got this as an extra. It isn't for sale.

Like many side drama's this is complete crack. It starts with Mitsuki (CV: Fukuyama Jun) introducing himself as a born victim of ijime (bullying) but that he will be reborn now that he has transferred to a new school. Only to be bossed around by Alice (CV: Sakurai Takahiro) right after saying so.

As this is a school life parody they try to actively use every cliche there is in the genre. From the Mad Hatter (CV: Hirata Hiroaki) who is the homeroom teacher and Alice forcefully changing the setting into a mixed school so that they can see Alice Liddel (CV: Nakahara Mai) in a mini skirt, to Mitsuki constantly being bullied, to Alice Liddel abusing her absurdly powerful position as president of the student council to turn the Cheshire Cat into the school nurse, everything is complete crack.

And absolutely brilliant. This is why I love these tokuten, the completely nonsensical stories are just too brilliant.In the story Alice says that they did something like this before, which references to the Blackboard Jungle story from the Lost End drama CD.


Conclusion:
Go and listen to it now! You could probably even listen to it without knowing anything about the series as it is mainly just a parody of the school life genre, but knowing the series does make it more fun.

Don't Cry, Girl ♥

ドントクライ、ガール♥

Company: Movic
Based on: Manga
Released: 2011.04.06


Based on the manga of the same name by Yamashita Tomoko, this is the story of Taeko (CV: Kobayashi Yuu). Who, for whimsical reasons, has to start living with Masuda (CV: Morikubo Shoutarou) , a friend of her parents. The only problem is that Masuda tends to walk around naked at home. All the time.

That means also when he opens the door when Taeko first arrives. Or when he is cooking. Or, well always actually. To makes things worse he sometimes uses the word moe. Taeko tries her best to endure all of it, but her reactions are just as priceless as Masuda his silly actions.

The cast is made even livelier by Masuda his friend Jinnai (CV: Suwabe Junichi) who is only sliiiiiightly perverted. And by Teako her two best friends, who seem to be oblivious to all the strange things Masuda and Jinnai say.

I already knew this was going to be win when the drama starts with Taeko saying "... my mother, open bracket, an idiot, close bracket..." (she literally says that). And from there on it only gets better. The best part of the entire drama is when Taeko her friends ask her to arrange a meeting with Masuda and Jinnai (because they look good) and the following conversations. Especially the part where Jinnai his answer to what his ideal romance would be is one large sensor beep xD

The last two tracks where Taeko for some reason considers marrying Masuda are brilliant as well. Just listen and you'll understand what I mean ;)


Conclusion:
I didn't know what to expect when I started listening but it turned out to be more than worth the listen ♥. It has been a long time since I laughed this much while listening to something. I love the randomness, the seiyuu, everything. Go and listen. Now ♥

Are you Alice? - Unbirthday scrap #001

Are you Alice? unbirthday scrap #001 : Dyna → Cheshire Cat

Company: IM Label
Based on: Original.
Released: 2008.02.29
Official Site: http://imlabel.jp/alice/


In Are you Alice a male Alice wanders into wonderland and is subsequently involved in 'the game to kill the white rabbit'. Alice his story is told in three drama CDs - Drink me, Check Mate, and Call me- but there are several expansions to the story.

The unbirthday series is one of those expansions. Aptly named, each entry tells us about the lives these characters used to live before the main story started (or in some cases, the events prior to the story). While they are a sort of prologue it is best to listen to them after you've listened to the main story, as you're assumed to know various things.

This also means there may be slight spoilers ahead.

The first unbirthday scrap is, maybe a little surprisingly, about Dyna. Dyna his life before and with Alice Liddel (CV: Nakahara Mai), and how he becomes the Cheshire Cat (CV: Inoue Kazuhiko). While I was first surprised that Dyna is the first character to be featured, it does make sense. The events in this drama are chronologically some of the first things that happen.

While it mostly gives us Dyna/ the Cheshire Cat his background story, it also sheds some light on Alice Liddel her life, and how the Cheshire Cat found Alice? (CV: Sakurai Takahiro) when he was thrown away.

Hearing the background story for these characters really helps to understand certain actions within the main story, and adds an extra layer of emotion to some events. In this case, the (already charismatic) Cheshire Cat becomes even more lovable.


Conclusion:
 It is too bad that listening to the story in chronological order would be like someone filling you in on the gaps of story you don't know, but you'll want to listen to the main story again after listening to this. Only recommended for people who already know the series (or there will be too many things you don't understand) but if you do know the series this is a must.