Dogs - Bullets and Carnage 2

Dogs - Bullets and Carnage II

Company: Shueisha
Based on: Manga
Released: 2008.10.23

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. again).

The first drama CD covered the prequel manga, and this second one covers the first volume of the Bullets and Carnage manga.

At the start of the CD Haine (CV: Sakurai Takahiro) and Badou (CV: Ishida Akira) save a bunch of kids from a brothel. After that a lot of things happen at once. Naoto (CV: Itou Shizuka) visits the church where the Bishop (CV: Seki Toshihiko) and Nill (CV: Noto Mamiko) live and they all get into some problems there. Meanwhile Heine gets kidnapped by a crime gang and wreaks havoc there, while his 'brother' Giovanni (CV: Nakahara Shigeru) also wants to meet him and play around while Luki (CV: Kugimiya Rie) and Noki (CV: Tsuji Ayumi). And while all of this is going down Mimi (CV: Shiraishi Ryouko) and Mihai (CV: Ootsuka Akio) get into some trouble of their own. If you are overwhelmed by the amount of names just listed rest assured - it is just as confusing while listening to the actual CD.

While the first CD was pretty easy to understand without any knowledge of the manga the story becomes pretty convoluted in this second CD and it becomes a lot harder harder to understand. This is partly due to the rather large amount of characters and the story telling which shows short scenes from various events occurring at the same time. The result is that you have to pay really close attention to get who is doing what. While I usually like fragmented storytelling, there are so many things going on at once that it becomes a bit too confusing.

Near the end there are two tracks that are a bit more lighthearted. The first is about Zack (CV: Tanaka Kokoro) and Baran (CV: Souma Yukito), two members of the gang that Badou beat to pulp in the previous CD. For some reason Kiri and Mihai took them in to work at the bar. Both of them have fallen for Kiri and swear to protect her and the bar. The second track is about the boss of the same gang being chased around by Luki and Noki. While the two of them are still only little kids they are incredibly dangerous bounty hunters and they turn every hunt into a game of 'tag' (with weapons).

These two tracks are more comical, and also the most comprehensible. As an ending it was a good choice, but it would have been better if the rest was also a bit easier to follow.


Conclusion:
While I can recommend the first drama CD to anyone who likes darker stories, this second one is probably better only to listen to if you know the manga/ anime. Or even better to skip it as a whole.

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.

Shinigamihime no Saikon

死神姫の再婚 Vol.1

Company: Frontierworks
Based on: Light novel
Released: 2009.11.26
Official Site: http://www.enterbrain.co.jp/bslog/bslogbunko/shinigamihime_cd/


Shinigamihime no Saikon is a drama CD based on the light novel series of the same name. The story is about the rather eccentric Alicia who is bought by the duke Kashuvan to be his wife. Alicia doesn't seem to mind however, as that is what saved her own family from bankruptcy.

*the names are once again my best guess. Why can't they think of names that are easier to decipher?

The story begins when Alicia (CV: Kobayashi Yuu)  arrives at Kashuvan (CV: Sugita Tomokazu) his castle. At that moment it is completely shrouded in mist, making her excited because she loves all kinds of ghost stories. She is completely aware that she was only 'bought' because of her family name, and doesn't seem to mind at all (She is actually happy about it). Thus suits Kashuvan, as she really is just a political tool to him.

As soon as Alicia arrives they are wed (or, well, they say their vows) but they are interrupted by Tiernald Reiden (CV: Fukuyama Jun) and his servant Yuuran (CV: Seki Toshihiko). Tiernald wants to stop Kashuvan from expanding his influence and calls him a tyrant, while Yuuran sort of tries to stop him. Being a servant of the church ("the prayer of the wings"), Yuuran tends to comment that things are not going according to the laws of the church.

Other characters that add to the rather colourful cast are Nora (CV: Koshimizu Ami), a maid who declared herself Kashuvan his lover. Treize (CV: Konishi Katsuyuki), who used to work as a butler at the castle but has quit when his sister died. And Ruark (CV: Kishio Daisuke), the assassin who killed Alicia her former husband and is now hired to kill Kashuvan.

Of course, nothing in this story goes they way you think it would. Alicia being an incredible airhead does help a lot, and of course Kashuvan isn't half as bad as people say he is. Yuuran secretly pulling a few strings here and there also helps.

With Alicia being free to go anywhere except for the rose garden, this story immediately reminded me of Bluebeard for some reason.. The story partly mirrors that, although luckily not entirely. And of course it adds a rather strange assassin and a semi-corrupt church to the mix. There is also a serious amount of double-and/or-triple backstabbing going on near the end (maybe a bit too much).

The free talk starts quite interesting, with Kobayashi Yuu introducing the theme ("strange hobbies") still in-character as Alicia, after that it switches to a normal cast talk.


Conclusion:
While there is actually a lot of drama going on, the humorous response the characters give makes this a fun story to listen to. While there are 14 novels (the last one was published just a few days ago on 2012.02.15) there is only one drama CD. Which is a bit of a pity but can't be helped.