Weekly News Post

Otome Drama
To start off with some non-drama CD but heavily related (and late) info: in just a few days time (on 2012.02.29 to be exact) おとめドラ (otomedora) will be released. This is a mook (magazine x book crossover) that is all about drama CD's.

It will have about 128 pages and costs 1500yen. As of yet I've been unable to locate an official site, but judging by the cover it talk about drama CD's, seiyuu, and several interviews with seiyuu/makers. Amazon has it, so if you feel like reading up on your drama CD news and backgrounds, here is your chance. (I don't have a credit card so I'm looking for another way to get it)


Mousou Esthe

The cover for Mousou Este has been posted on their blog, and it is wonderfully suggestive as always. The post once again reminds us that we will be given a chance to experience the salon Babylon, but that Kagami Subaru (CV: Suwabe Junichi) will also do a treatment. In the first (or second?) CD, Babylon is described as "a salon with an atmosphere like a cafe". I wonder what it will be like?


Therapia
Vol.2 and 3 for Therapia have been announced. Vol.2 will have characters for Fabric Softener and Dressing (lol what?) and vol.3 Smartphone and Mascara. I think I will have to listen to 1 to get an idea on how this is going to work....

Weekly News Post

Where is the time I had like 16 reviews ready to be posted, hahaha...*sigh*  Anyway, the news.


Oujisama (warai)
The seiyuu for the next prince has been announced: Yusa Kouji. This series is gathering more and more popular seiyuu.... Also, if you go to the official site you'll see that the top has been changed to an image celebrating the Setsubun (the last day of winter）.


Meisaku Bungaku (warai)
The cast for the upcoming CD 'the Ant and the Grasshopper' has been announced. Hino Satoshi will voice the ant, while the grasshopper will be voiced by Fukuyama Jun, and finally Terashima Takuma will voice the stag beetle, though I have no idea where he comes into the story.

The official blog also states that the parody version will also return in this CD. So look forward to the story of the ant and the grasshopper being adapted into: a band version, an idol version, job hunting, and a marriage proposal.

Weekly News Post

You might have noticed that there are some reviews missing in the last few days, that is because someone stole my earphones while I was at the gym, so I can't listen to stuff on the go until I've found a new pair of acceptable earphones. Sorry.


Mousou Este
Two more cast member have been announced: Itou Kentarou and Suzuku Tatsuhisa. The official staff blog also has a small line saying that this time it will be the estheticians from the beauty salon Babylon (rival salon to Entreinte, the salon from the previous entries to the series) that will do the treatments.


Amemakura
The seiyuu for Amemakura vol.5 and 6 will be Sugiyama Noriaki and Suzuki Tatsuhisa. Unfortunately there is no other info on the characters yet...

Weekly News Post

Short plug: Sweet Translations has it's first translation out, with thanks to Vii for proofreading! The translation for Karekoe vol.1 can now be found here. More translations are planned, so go and spread the word :D



Disney Date
You can't beat how popular Disney is in Japan. And thus we now have a Disney x Seiyuu collaboration. It looks like the CD will consist of famous disney songs sung by popular seiyuu. If we can trust amazon and a few other sources, the track list will be as follows:

ホール・ニュー・ワールド（A hole new world)
ひと足お先に（one jump ahead）
いつか夢で（once upon a dream）
愛を感じて（can you feel the love tonight）
ビビディ・バビディ・ブー（bippity boppety boo）
アンダー・ザ・シー（under the sea）
星に願いを（when you wish upon a star）
ハイ・ホー（Hi-ho (the dwarve song）
ゴー・ザ・ディスタンス（go the distance）
サークル・オブ・ライフ（circle of life）

The deluxe edition also has a 'date CD' in which the seiyuu introduce date spots, I'm not sure whether those are Disney related though. Speaking of seiyuu, I haven't seen a confirmation yet, but rumoured are Fukuyama Jun, Kamiya Hiroshi, Suzumura Kenichi, Seki Tomokazu, Morita Masakazu, Sakurai Takahiro, Sugita Tomokazu, Irino Miyuu, Midorikawa Hikaru, Yamadera Kouichi. The CD is slated for a 2012.02.22.

Mousou Esthe II

妄想エステⅡ

Company: 5pb
Based on: original
Released: 2010.12.22
Official Site: http://5pb.jp/moso

Mousou Este is a combination between a drama CD and virtual beauty treatments. You hear the staff of the fictional beauty salon 'Etreinte" talk among each other, and between that there are beauty treatments by one of the staff. The treatment tracks have been recorded with the dummy head microphone, so be prepared to hear them whisper into your ear.

This time the CD starts with Kagami Subaru (CV: Suwabe Junichi) as guest in a radio show, where he introduces his beauty salon. The hostess of the show seems very charmed by him. The next track is back at the salon, where Kagami, Maya Shinnosuke (CV: Taniyama Kisho) and Misaki (CV: Yusa Kouji) are talking about the radio show and... comparing their hands. But the way they keep talking about 'who has the largest' directed my mind in a whoooole other direction.

Back to the order of the day, it is time for Misaki his treatment. He gives you a face massage, although the wording, while describing exactly what he is doing, can still put your mind on other things. The same goes for Shinnosuke his treatment afterwards. Both their voices are so relaxing that my mind simply drifted off and their voices just floated around me, while I completely forgot that they were actually saying something.

In the next scene Odagiri Eito (CV: Terashima Takuma) is worried because this will be the first time to actually give a treatment to a customer. The rest somewhat tries to comfort and tease him at the same time. His treatment is a footmassage, but he talks a bit too much for my tastes (can't help it, he is nervous after all). His comment that this 'is the first time for both of you' made me laugh though. However I remained giggly for the rest of the CD, so whether that is actually a good thing. Anyway, he is a really pure and cute character.

After Eito is finished the rest also enters the room to give you a special treatment. I find it hard to imagine 4 estheticians working at the same time, but their various voices together are highly lethal for sure.

I have to say, this series has a way with words. While they really are just talking about the treatments my mind is definitely thinking of entirely different things. That aside, I fell asleep multiple times while trying to listen to this CD, especially during the first half.

The characters are less quirky than in the first CD, except for the parakeet Noel (CV: Hatano Wataru) who returns in this instalment as well. This made the day to day conversations of the staff a little less interesting, but at the same time they are less noisy than last time, avoiding the 'wake-up call' issue.


Conclusion:
The focus definitely shifted a bit more from relaxation to adding a little ero in here, but they did it in a good way and if you don't want to hear it you can simply ignore it. Above all else it is still very relaxing to listen to. My only problem was that I'm not very knowledgeable about how various parts of your body are called, so at times I wasn't quite sure what they were doing to me exactly (yes yes, you're massaging my head, but how exactly... xD)

Weekly News Post

Mousou Este
Ever wondered what Noel was doing at a beauty clinic? Well, it turns out that he is an esthetician too! Or at least, in his dreams. The special CD ノエルの白昼夢 (noel no hakuchuumu, Noel his daydream) will be released during Comiket 80. If anyone is there and planning to get it, keep in mind that it will only be on sale during the second and third day!

                                             Yandere Heaven 4

Appearently they made a whole new site for yandere 4, no wonder they didn't add anything to the existing one *grumbles*. Ah well, at least that means there is an offical site. No preview or cast interview yet, but lots of other yandere goodness to look at.

Weekly News Post

Not many news items to post about this week, and a little late, but here is the news~



Mousou Esthe IV
Somehow I completely managed to miss that Mousou Esthe IV will be released on 2011.07.27! It looks like Sugita Tomokazu will be making a return visit to the series, while Kondo Takeshi and Kaji Yuuki are new additions to the series.

Kondou Takeshi was already in Kannou Mukashibanashi, so I can say: I am looking forward to this! Mwahahaha. (Well, I'm looking forward to it regardless of the seiyuu~)


Bokutachi Otoko no Ko
A second drama CD has been confirmed for the series! In ドキドキ☆サマーハプニング 編 (dokidoki summer happening) we will follow our three idols to the beach where they have a recording for a tv show. No release date yet, but the CD will be on pre-sale on Comiket 80.


Fushigi Koubou Premium
Another thing I completely missed is that Fushigi Koubou Shoukougun Premium 2 will be released in a few days (June 22nd!!). What is interesting is that entry to the series will be voiced by Taketatsu Ayana. That's right!! The first entry in the series to be voiced by a female seiyuu!! Despite the fact that there are still some male seiyuu that I would love to see in the series (*cough*Hirakawa*cough) I'm looking forward to hearing a story voiced by a woman.

Mousou Esthe

妄想エステ

Company: 5pb

Based on: Original

Released: 2010.06.23

Official Site: http://5pb.jp/moso/

Mousou Esthe is made by the same team as Kannou Mukashi Banashi (it was originally also listed on the same website). Of course that means the Dummy Head Microphone is used here as well. Mousou Esthe mixes the day to day conversations of the members of the beauty salon 'Etreinte' with the beauty treatments they give. And an overall plot somewhere on the background.

In the prologue we hear that Kagami Subaru (CV: Suwabe Junichi) receives an important prize in recognition of his skills as a beautician. Soon however he discovers that while he thought he had everything, he wasn't happy.

We switch to the present where he now owns his own salon in Hisuigaoka. This is where the story takes place. In each track a new esthetician is introduced in the form of a short conversation with Kagami and/or previously introduced characters. Then the scene switches to you (the listener) receiving a beauty treatment by the newly introduced character.

All of the characters are rather quirky. Save for Kagami pherhaps, who acts as the single sane character. Izumino Sei (CV: Sugita Tomokazu) is silent and my-pace, Sakura Naiki (CV: Okamoto Nobuhiko) has an obsession with cleanness, and Sendou Fumiya (CV: Takahashi Hiroki) is probably best described as a lovable narcissist. The final character is not a esthetician, but the shops mascot and extra comedy relief parrot Noel (CV: Hatano Wataru).

Thanks to these quirks the day to day conversations between these characters if funny to listen to. The main attraction of the series however are the beauty treatments. This is where the Dummy Head Microphone (that can make it sound like the characters are actually talking in your ear) is used. Of course it's a bit weird to imagine you are getting a massage when you only hear someone talk, but it is relaxing none the less.

There is something of a plot that spans the entire series going on in the background, but it is neglectable. The plot is not the main focus anyway, the treatments are. With a relaxing piano tune playing in the background it really feels like the atmosphere in a beauty salon. The only drawback to this relaxing atmosphere is that the next scene tends to come as a wake-up call, especially if the characters suddenly start talking rather lively.


Conclusion:
The conversation between the characters make this a lot of fun to listen too, which is why I think that it's a shame that they don't return in the following entries to the series (except for Kagami). Having a voice only beauty treatment feels a little strange, but it is fun to listen to.


Speaking of 'voice only beauty treatment' I think I saw a make-up
hypnosis not too long ago...