Heart Supplement Vol.1 - Namida Jikan

ハートサプリメントシリーズ vol.1 涙時間

Label: Honey Bee
Based on: Original
Released: 2012.09.28
Official site: http://www.honeybee-cd.com/hs


The Heart Supplement series is a series for when you need someone at your side, like when you feel down or like in this case; when you've been crying. In Namida Jikan ("Tearful Times") Yuuya and Shuu try too cheer you up after you've been crying.

The CD begins with both of them explaining how to use the CD. Basically they tell you listen to the CD when you feel like crying, and that you shouldn't hold back but just cry as much as you like. Both of them tell you that you should come see them if you ever feel like crying, after which Shuu teases Yuuya by saying that he might end up crying with you.


Just the two of them slightly joking around and telling you that they will cheer you up if you are down in the first track is enough to cheer me up. You can already feel the kindness and the actual CD hasn't even started yet. And it only gets sweeter in the rest of the CD.

Shuu (CV: Yusa Kouji) is the first one to cheer you up. There are three tracks where Shuu cheers you up / stays by your side. Each track is a different situation. In each one you've been crying, but the way Shuu cheers you up is different. You can listen to all of the tracks in one go, but they don't make a story or anything.

I liked the first two. Shuu tells you it is OK to cry and just sort of stays by your side. The third one is a bit strange though. He tells you that he won't leave you alone, and that you should just ignore him being there and cry all you want... and starts reading a book while sitting beside you. If it were me there is no way I'd be able to cry all I want with someone happily reading a book beside me...

There is also a track for when you've stopped crying. As a reward he hugs you and is just being super sweet.

After this we get Yuuya (CV: Shimono Hiro) his part, which follows the same pattern: three tracks in which he tries to cheer you up and one for after you've stopped crying. While Shuu just silently stays by your side, Yuuya tries to cheer you up more actively. In the first track he tries to cheer you up by doing a magic trick (and failing).

Yuuya isn't being entirely honest with his own feelings, he obviously likes you but everytime he says something that shows his feelings he covers it up. The final track where you've stopped crying and fallen asleep and he is still sitting beside you is super cute though.

The last two tracks are for when you've stopped crying. Shuu makes you hot milk, while yuuya makes you omuraisu (with onions in it, so now he is crying because he is chopping the onions).

Because the CD is meant to cheer you up whenever you feel like crying it is never mentioned why you are crying, the characters just stay by your side and let you cry or try to cheer you up.

Personally I liked Shuu his calm manner better than Yuuya his more active personality. On the other hand, Yuuya is such a cute idiot that you can't help but smile at his actions. But no matter which one you like better; they'll be sure to cheer you up.


Conclusion:
I didn't really have high expectations but... this seems like it could really cheer you up when you are down. Both characters are super sweet (in a kind, cheering you up manner). This really made me wish for someone at my side whenever I feel down, although I guess I'll be fine now that I have this CD xD


PS: Yes I know Honey Bee has romanized Shuu his name as 'Syu', but it hurts my eyes to see it written like that so I'm sticking with Shuu xD

Toubousha ~Naoya Hen~

逃暴者 ～ナオヤ編～

Company: Twofive inc.
Based on: Original
Released: 2012.11.21
Official site: http://www.twofive.co.jp/cd/fugitive_02.html


Toubousha is a CD in which a fugitive is on the run from someone. He uses you to get away, and as a result you are forced to do what he says. The CD uses the dummy head mic for the entire length of the CD (and does so very effectively). There are two endings; a good and a bad one.

In the second CD the person on the run is Ninomiya Naoya (CV: Shimono Hiro). He bumps into you while running away and drops a bloody knife. Because you've seen the knife he quickly grabs you and tells you not to make a fuss. He pulls you to the side and you see people running by - probably looking for Naoya. When they are gone he quickly runs to hide, dragging you along.

The first place where you hide seems to be an abandoned office. You notice that his shirt is covered in blood, but he tells you not to pry to much. He intends to hide here for a while, put apparently the adjacent offices are still used and a guard comes to check the place. You hide beneath a desk to get away, and you can hear Naoya his panicked breathing besides you. When the guard goes away Naoya immediately wants to leave to find a better place as well. You run for a while, but you are apparently wearing high heels or something, because you are not able to run very well. Thus, Naoya drags you into a nearby building.

Judging from the description you are in a (love) hotel. He turns on the TV for a bit, but they are running the news that a male university student was killed, and that someone was seen running from place of the crime. You try to run, but he grabs you and holds you down. After which he starts to desperately tells you that he wasn't the one who killed him. He tells you that the guy who died was a friend of him, and that he was already dead when he arrived at his house.

Naoya starts sneezing, and you offer to make some tea so that you can warm up your bodies. However being a klutz you accidentally spill hot water on your hand, and he immediately grows worried and tells you to cool it with water. In the end he is the one to make tea. Just the tea isn't enough to warm him though, and you offer him the shirt you bought for the birthday of a friend. He wants you to turns around as he changes, which is just too cute.

He finally introduces himself as Ninomiya Naoya. Apparently you go to the same university, and he saw you a couple of times at the cafeteria. You say you've seen him as well, but you have never spoken before. While you are talking a bit a blackout occurs, and you end up sitting together in the dark (after he accidentally trips over you and falls right on top of you by the sound of it). Naoya starts to wonder what is real and what isn't, whether he has actually already been captured and is just dreaming this while he is already prison. He calms down a bit while hugging you.

By being so close you realize that Naoya has a fever. The fever is getting worse with the minute, and he is on the verge of collapsing. You offer to buy some medicine but he doesn't want you to leave. Before he really collapses he practically begs you not to leave him. He's afraid of being alone right now and doesn't want you to leave his side. After he falls asleep you stay by his side. Like I mentioned there are two endings, and both pick up after he wakes up again. If you don't mind spoilers keep reading, otherwise skip the next two paragraphs.

In the bad end Naoya wakes up from having nightmares. He completely freaks out and is convinced you need to change hiding places again. In the epilogue he has gone completely crazy. You are staying at your house, and he is convinced the news that the culprit for the murder has been caught is just to lure him into the open. As a result he doesn't want to go outside and has forbidden you to go out as well. He is still afraid of being alone, and wants you to stay by his side forever.

In the good end he says he will turn himself in. He knows he didn't do it and hopes that if he turns himself in and tells everything he knows that the police will believe him and search for the real culprit. One week later at the university he suddenly grabs you and tells you "not to make a fuss" after which he releases you and says it is just a joke. The real culprit has been caught, and he asks whether you want to walk to the nearby park with him. Once there he tries to confess, which nearly fails but with a little help he succeeds. In the epilogue you have been dating for a while and are currently on a picknick date.

Shimono-san his acting is really great. Those moments when Naoya is panicking, and especially when he is nearly fainting from that fever his voice sounds so fragile that I just wanted to hug him and tell him everything will be all right. It also wouldn't have mattered whether he really killed that guy or not, I just wanted to stay at his side.

What did bother me however is that you already knew each other. That he saw you at the university (or the other way around) is still plausible. That you both noticed each other however is stretching things a bit. Even worse, it seemed like the shirt you bought was intended for him in the first place. Which is just plain weird, considering that you never even talked before. But oh well.

That the bad end was a (semi)yandere end was surprising (although I already knew this from a short remark on 2chan). As some people might know I love yandere characters, you might expect that I liked this ending, but I did not like it. Yes I like yanderes, but this ending just didn't cut it. It isn't exactly unthinkable that things might end like this, but if they were going for a yandere anyway they could have made Naoya the actual killer in the bad end. Considering that he already 'knew' you and probably liked you as well, a yandere end in which he killed that guy over you and then proceeded to trap you as well would have been... more interesting. The material was there anyway. (Or maybe I like my yanderes a bit too extreme...). And it felt like the ending was a bit too short.

Shimono-san sounds so cute when he starts the free talk. Apparently it was a tiring recording, and he was somehow very nervous due to the fact that his character was on the run all the time. Before he talks about the topic he wonders about whether he will be able to talk about this for 10 min (the free talk is 8:40, so he failed xD). The topic is "what would you take with you if you were on the run" but he can't decide on something to take. So in the end he chooses "money". He wonders whether it is OK that he is talking this much on his own so he suddenly starts talking close to your ear again　（*´∀`*)


Conclusion:
This CD very different from the first one, and much more serious.  But both stories are great. I didn't really like the bad end this time, but the good end was very sweet. I am secretly hoping for another toubousha CD, and maybe this time one where the guy actually is guilty. But I guess writing a happy end would get tricky in that case...

Shinsengumi Mokuhiroku Wasurenagusa Vol.4 Toudou Heisuke

新撰組黙秘録 勿忘草 第四巻 藤堂平助

Company: Rejet
Based on: Original
Released: 2012.10.31
Official site: http://rejetweb.jp/wasurenagusa/


Shinsengumi Mokuhiroku Wasurenagusa (after this simply 'wasurenagusa') is a series based on several historically famous people within the shinsengumi. The concept of the CDs is "what if I could have been there (and fall in love with one of them)". So while they are based on historical people, the rest is all fiction. The series uses the dummy head mic for several scenes. The fourth CD features Toudou Heisuke (CV: Shimono Hiro)

This is the longest CD in the series as of yet: 108min.

As always the first track is an introduction track. Heisuke talks about how he hates those who claim to do things in the emperor his name (sono-joi) but in fact just do as they please. And as always we start with the Ikedaya Incident: Heisuke was among those who attacked the inn, and we hear how he gets the injury on his forehead.

After things have calmed down he is told to rest a little longer. Wanting to do something he is ordered to take care of you for a little while. Heisuke is sitting beside you when you wake up. I love how he pretends that his wound is nothing when you asks about it, going all "it is not like I was careless or anything". He continues to talk about how you witnessed your parents being killed, and that he can understand that feeling. While saying that he just wants to cheer you up he is actually fully trying to seduce you.

But in the middle of it you shove him away (even hit him xD). He tells you you should think about where you will go now. The next time you see him you've apparently asked Hijikata whether you can stay at the shinsengumi headquarters, but he refused to let you stay. Heisuke tells you that you should try again. This works: the second time you asked Hijikata agreed - apparently Heisuke asked him to let you stay.

Heisuke has to leave to Edo to recruit more members, and before he leaves he asks you to come with the group going to Edo. You agree and so you join them on their mission. While in Edo no one really has the time to take care of you, but Heisuke promises that he will take you to see the city after he is finished. Teasing you the entire time that you are out on your little 'date'.

When you are out one night you run into Heisuke, who has just killed a couple of enemies. He is obviously shaken, and eventually admits that he doesn't like killing people. When you try to cheer him up he first freaks out yelling at you not to touch him because he thinks of himself as "filthy". When you refuse to let go he at first tries to scare you off by kissing you, but hen you don't resist he eventually apologises. BUT, we don't switch into sexy time just yet. It sounds like things return to normal for a while.

Before you return to Kyoto however, he asks you to come to his room at night. Initially you are just drinking tea, but he starts kissing you and tells you that he loves you. There are still some vague descriptions in the ero parts, but one thing is very clear: he is rather skilled at guiding your hand. That actually makes this the first CD where you are actually being pro-active in some sort of way.

In the final track you have returned to Kyoto. He talks about how the shinsengumi has become larger and how their ideals have changed. He is starting to wonder whether the shinsengumi is the right place for him to be, even though he swore to serve the shinsengumi. After you leave to fix dinner he still talks to himself for a bit: that he is happy that he met you. But he also wonders about when he will die.

When he suddenly started seducing you in the second track I was seriously wondering whether the tracks somehow got mixed up. I was just about to check this when you hit him and the story returned to its normal pattern.

Heisuke is actually really sweet though. After that first time he doesn't try anything anymore and encourages you to ask Hijikata to let you work at headquarters again, even talking to Hijikata about this. The reason why he asked you to come with him to Edo is also because he thinks it would be a nice change of scenery. During your time in Edo he teases you a little bit again, but out of all the CDs so far this is the first one where you act a bit like an actual couple, which was kind of cute.

Heisuke his obsession with death was a little annoying. Understandable, but annoying. Sex and talking about death do not mix. But oh well. Also the kissing sounds... slightly rushed?. Even though I knew that he more or less makes you give a handjob from reviews by other people, I was still squirming like an idiot when I reached that point in the CD. Usually in CDs with these kind of ero scenes the heroine/listener is completely passive, so this was a rather unexpected change.

I don't know why, but I more or less expected this CD to end with Heisuke leaving the shinsengumi. Instead, this almost feels like a (semi) happy ending, with Heisuke saying that he will have to treasure every second together.

Shimono-san begins the free talk in a high-tension mode. He says that has never used the dummy head mic for this long. I had to laugh when he mentioned that he might be a bit like Heisuke in that he also likes to play pranks. Apparently he also played an (out of character) Hijikata in a stage play once? I'm kind of curious what kind of play that was. The final question a "message to the otomes listening to this CD", and because of the word 'otome' he starts to worry about what to say xD



Conclusion:
I feel like these summaries/reviews are getting longer and longer (^-^;;). Well the CDs are long as well so it can't be helped <- -  That is what I keep telling myself. Heisuke his story was very cute. His personal problems don't show until the very late in the story, making the rest even cuter. It was also a nice change that you actually leave the shinsengumi headquarters this time. Hijikata was mentioned a couple of times in this CD, makes me more and more curious about him. Luckily, the wait is almost over.

Disney - Koe no Oujisama Vol.2

ディズニー 声の王子様第2章～Love Stories～

Company: DisneyBased on: Disney song covers
Released: 2012.09.19
Official site: http://www.disney.co.jp/records/DLS/


This CD is all about popular seiyuu singing various Disney songs. The theme this time is love stories, although only some of the songs fit that theme. Other.... not so much. There are two versions: a regular edition that has only one CD, but an extra track that isn't on the limited edition. The limited edition on the other hand, has a second CD with duet songs.

Normally I'm not that much of a fan of seiyuu songs (with some exceptions) but this was just too interesting to pass up on. I'll review the CD track-by-track.

01. 白雪姫 ―朗読― (Snow White -Reading-) / Ishida Akira
This is a reading of Snow White (Disney version) done by Ishida-san. They did a good job of condensing the entire movie into just 20min of talking, although sometimes the lines that Ishida-san voiced as one of the characters seemed a tiny bit random. What I absolutely loved though is that they seem to have used the actual music from the movie. My nostalgia meters went to the max hearing some of the BGMs, and I instantly remembered the scenes from the movie. So all in all, a very good reading.

02. ハイ・ホー (Heigh-Ho)(Snow White) / Kamiya Hiroshi.
This song is so addictive!! I had completely forgotten about the first part of the song, so I hardly recognised it in the beginning (not to mention that the lyrics are completely different than in the original English version xD). But this song is so cheerful an addictive. Really, when you listen to it you become all cheerful and you just to have to sing along. One of my favourite ones.

03. キス・ザ・ガール (Kiss the Girl) (Little Mermaid) / Shimono Hiro
I predicted that this would be one of the cutest things ever - and it is. The entire song becomes so cute, and I love the arrangement. But more than anything: it is so incredibly cuuuuttteeeeee. That is all that needs to be said.

04. ユール・ビー・イン・マイ・ハート(you'll be in my heart) / Seki Tomokazu.
Was Seki Tomokazu his voice this high? I feel like I'm mixing the images of the different Seki's in my head. This is a good song, but the original has been locked into my heart so deep that there is simply no way that it can compare to that. But it is still good.

05. ララルー (Lalalu)(Lady and the Tramp) / Sakurai Takahiro
In case you are wondering, this is the lullaby from Lady and the Tramp. No idea whether it was written for the movie or already existed though. As cute as this song is, and no matter how much I love Sakurai his voice, singing doesn't seem to be his forte. But this is Sakurai singing a lullaby, so all my arguments are invalid, even against myself xD

06. 愛のうたごえ (Love is a Song)(Bambi) / Midorikawa Hikaru
I'll have to admit that I only saw Bambi once when I was very little, and I have as good as no memories about it. So obviously I don't remember thing song either. As a result it has no nostalgia value what-so-ever, which has the end result that I don't really like it. Least favourite song on the CD.

07. ベラ・ノッテ (Bella Notte)(Lady and the Tramp) / Okiayu Ryoutarou
This song is perfection. Sue me, but it is. The arrangement is beautiful, but even more than that Okiayu-san his voice is perfect for this kind of song. Definitely my favourite song on the entire CD.

08. いつでも一緒 (Good Company)(Oliver&Co) / Okamoto Nobuhiko
Cuteness attack number two. What I love is that the music breaks into an semi-epic arrangement somewhere halfway though, and then returns to the simple piano tune to repeat the beginning again. But as can be expected from Okamoto: cuteness all over the place.

09. グレイト・スピリット (Great Spirit) / Yamadera Kouichi
Yamadera-san seems to be getting all the truly epic songs (he did The Circle of Life on the first Koe no Oujisama). He gets away with it though. He really has a good singing voice for these kind of songs, although my real surprise came on disc 2. I can't recall the original song (besides it being epic) but I love this one anyway.

10. 塔の上のラプンツェル ―朗読― (Tangled -reading-) / Yamadera Kouichi
As good as the first one was, this one felt far too hasty. I almost ran out of breath just listening to it. I'd also like to ask how much someone who hasn't seen the movie actually understands what is going on, because I don't think it is the most logical way of telling the story either. What really surprised me is that they used the original English version of the healing incantation ("Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine", etc). It sort of felt out of place, although it is a very pretty song. If they would have cut all the lines that Yamadera-san reads in character, I think they could have avoided the rushed feeling that the story has now.


Like I said, the second disc is full of duet songs. It has only four songs, but they are each featured three times: the first time it is a normal duet between two seiyuu, the other two are like karaoke versions in which you yourself can sing a duet with one of the seiyuu. I'll only review each song once though.


01. 美女と野獣 (Beauty and the Beast) / Seki Tomokazu & Okiayu Ryoutarou
They somehow managed to turn this song into a duet. Seki-san his part is amazing, he nearly makes a convincing woman here. Unfortunately their voices don't really seem to match... Okiayu-san his voice sounds far too low in the duet version, but in the version with him alone it doesn't feel unnatural at all.

02. ハクナ・マタタ (Hakuna Matata) / Shimono Hiro & Okamoto Nobuhiko
Cuteness overload here. One of them sings Timon and the other Pumba, and they switch roles and repeat the song halfway though. Unfortunately, neither of them makes a convincing Pumba xD. And they left out some of the jokes, which is a pity. The refrain is incredibly cute and catchy though. Trying to sing along in one of the karaoke versions is a bit tricky due to there not really being a melody.

03. 輝く未来 (I see the Light - Tangled) / Midorikawa Hikaru & Sakurai Takahiro
This time it is Midorikawa his turn to sing a female role. Which he does rather convincing. Maybe this is because I love the original too much, but Sakurai his voice seems a bit to high for his part. In this song it also more obvious that singing isn't really his thing. Also, in the duet version it doesn't stand out too much but in his solo version you can clearly hear him going "sekaIIII ga maru de..." xD As far as the love songs go, this is one of the better ones though.

04. みんなネコになりたいのさ (Everybody wants to be a cat) / Yamadera Kouichi x2
This is the song that completely blew my mind. Not just because it has an amazing arrangement and I love this kind of jazzy music, but because I would have never guessed that this is sang by one person (although I'm not sure about the voice of Marie -the little cat- in the end...). I swear, one of the singing voices could be a convincing imitation of Louis Armstrong, while the other one is completely normal. If you compare all the different tracks in which Yamadera-san speaks/sings they all seem so different it just amazes me.



I like most of the songs. I still think that most seiyuu -save for some exceptions- aren't the best singers, but the fact that these are all Disney songs, nice arrangements, and/or just incredibly cute makes up for that. Some of these songs are just so cute and addictive I can't help but to love them

Message 4 U vol.1 Happy Birthday to U

MESSAGE 4 U vol.1 Happy birthday to U

Company: Honey Bee
Based on: Original
Released: 2009.08.28
Official site: http://www.honeybee-cd.com/me_top.html

Message 4 U is a series in which the postmen of the Mitsubachi (honey bee) post office deliver a message to you in a very special way. When they receive a letter it gets scattered through time, and you yourself have to find several messages before it becomes a whole letter again. These messages are in places that have something to do with the contents of the letter.

The first CD is titled “Happy Birthday to U” and the letter send is of course a birthday wish. The postmen ‘delivering’ the message are Malcom Catley (CV: Ishida Akira) and Rio Alcott (CV: Shimono Hiro). In the first track the letter is delivered to the post office, after that they take you on a tour through your memories to find the messages.

Rio is the younger on of the two and basically really cute and naive. He calls Malcom ‘senpai’ and gets scolded by him a lot for acting rash or not doing things properly. The interaction between them is part of what makes this CD so cute.
But before you can go collect the messages they still need to find you of course. Rio does an exceptionally bad job at that telling you that he is searching for someone - when you turn out to be the one he is searching for. They explain how the entire letter thing works (although they aren’t very good at explaining) and you head off!

You visit several scenes from your past, one where you are shopping with a friend, your house, your school, your house again (during your birthday party when you were little), and the hospital on the day that you were born. During the time that you see all these scenes Rio and Malcom talk with you, listen to your worries, try to cheer you up, and are obviously attracted to you.

When you’ve got all messages you return to the Mitsubachi post office, where they read the entire letter to you. In the final track they celebrate your birthday with you like they promised somewhere earlier in the CD.

This is a super cute and heartwarming CD. Apparently you were worried about whether your friends really liked you, and this was your friend her way of saying that she really likes you and hopes you will always be friends. The story mood never gets heavy though, thanks to Rio and Malcom being too busy adoring you to let that happen.

I would have loved it if the actual letter was included with the booklet or something, instead of them reading it aloud to you. Somehow it would have been perfect if you went to gather all the messages in the drama CD, and then had to read the actual letter yourself.


Conclusion
Like most Honey Bee things this CD is very cute. Personally I thought the interactions between Rio and Malcom were the most interesting part of the CD though. Neither of them is my type (Rio is too naive and Malcom is, well, voiced by Ishida) so I guess that is why I was more interested in their interaction than in them liking me (*´艸｀*)

Akogare no Situation: Homeraretai

憧れのシチュエーションCD vol.2 褒められたいっ

Company: Gakken
Based on: Original
Released: 2012.02.28


The Akogare no Situation CD series is based on the concept of placing you in a certain situation that you long for/want. (憧れる (akogareru) means "to long for" or "to admire"). That can be being scolded, being protected and in this case; being praised.

The CD starts with you walking into the salon where your boyfriend Aoyagi Yuu(CV: Shimono Hiro) works. He is surprised that you come by so late, and you nearly burst into tears explaining that you had to do overwork because someone else made a mistake. But ---- praises you for properly doing your work, even though the person who made the mistake already went home

You’ve got a rare day off together the next day (Yuu works as a hairdresser, so his days off don’t match yours most of the time) and you decide to go to the amusement park. Despite usually not being able to get out of bed in the morning, you get up early this time, which gets you some more compliments.

While at the amusement park Yuu talks about how you met; apparently you clung to him when you were in the haunted house, only realizing he didn’t belong to your group when you were outside again. Cutest thing ever. But we are here for compliments of course, and don’t worry you’ll get them. You’ve been on a diet and have reached the weight you were aiming for, so lots of compliments there. After that is some souvenir shopping together. And more compliments.

This CD was mostly cute. Yuu is a sweet boyfriend, and he showers you with compliments, but it never gets too much. For all of its cuteness, this CD occasionally snipes you with teasing remarks. Like Yuu suddenly saying that “he had the opportunity to confirm that you lost weight last night”.

One thing that annoyed me a bit were the stops between the tracks and some of the transitions between the scenes. They often felt very abrupt, which kind of breaks the flow of this otherwise very nice CD. This wasn’t the case at all before, nor is it in later entries of the series, so I wonder what happened.

I was really looking forward to the freetalk, because the others I heard were pretty long and mostly hilarious. But Shimono-san his comment is only 3 minutes (the others are closer to 10), and relatively serious. He simply talks about how he is not very good with being complimented.


Conclusion:
The stops are a bit annoying, but otherwise this is cute. Just be prepared for a few snipe attacks to the heart ♥

Penguin Enishi

I didn't know what to start with after the hiatus (there is so much I need to catch up on!) so I eventually decided to go for the review that spent the most time as a pile of notes:

ペンギンゑにし

Company: Frillia Record
Based on: Original
Released: 2012.01.27
Official site: http://frillra.jp/pengin/


Penguin Enishi is a story about a small shrine in that is nicknamed 'Penguin Shrine'. The head priest recently died, leaving the shrine in the hands of his two sons, Miki and Tane. However neither of them is an official priest, and if the head office doesn't send a new priest, the shrine will be abandoned.

Miki (CV: Ono Daisuke), the oldest of the two, is trying to obtain his qualification as priest. But even though he gets the top score at the exam, he has no supernatural abilities and therefore fails the exam everytime. Meanwhile Tane (CV: Shimono Hiro), the younger one, does seem to have abilities, but he is still in high school and cannot become a priest yet. The two of them are actually half brothers, they have a different mother.

A little while ago a talking penguin calling himself Enishi (CV: Nakata Jouji) suddenly appeared at the temple, claiming that he is a god. Miki is sceptical, but Tane is overjoyed so the penguin gets to stay. Now all he does is eat a lot and cause trouble in the neighbourhood (although he does claim that he can be useful, stating excellent skills with word and excel among his strong points).

Meanwhile Hazumi Ten (CV: Sakurai Takahiro), who is Tane his halfbrother (although Tane refuses to see him as a brother) and works as a police officer, brings along the ghost of boy (CV: Suzumura Kenichi). The only thing the boy remembers is Miki his name. While trying to find out his identity, they discover that his name is Nishimaki Kento, and that he was a year under Miki and Ten while they were at high school, and slowly they start to discover why the only thing that he could remember was Miki his name...

Between all of this there are scenes with Chidou Nene (CV: Maeda Ai), Ten and Tane their mother. She left her first husband (Ten his father) and remarried Chidou Daiju (Miki and Tane their father) but left the house and has been living on her own for a while. Nene seems to have become the love interest of Ichikawa Tadamaki (CV: Koyasu Takehiro), although his motivations can be doubted, and neither does he seem to be entirely human...

I'm trying to summarize all this while trying to avoid spoilers, as this is an interesting story. Not all is as it seems in the beginning, and there are some interesting developments. There is a lot of humour as well; especially Enishi is a good comic relief. The pacing of the story was really good as well, and I'm interested in seeing how it will develop (especially with regards to Ichikawa his intentions).

In this review the relations between everyone may seem a bit hazy, but it is all very simple. When in doubt, just take a look at the character chart on the official site here.


Conclusion
A good story, not too much supernatural activity, the right amount of humour and penguin induced chaos, and lots of potential for the next part. Also Koyasu-sama and Sakurai, just saying.

Nego Danshi Vol.1 & 2

ね語男子 其の一   ね語男子 其の二

Company: Wavemaster Happies
Based on: Cats
Released: 2012.01.18


Nego Danshi is a series about cats. Or more accurately, it shows of scenes out of the life of a cat, from the perspective of that cat. Or put more simply: Nego Danshi has seiyuu acting like cats.

Each CD has 4 different tracks, 3 of them depicting 3 different cats and an extra. This time the characters are a 'lone wolf', a cute cat, and a cat in his last moments.

The first track has the memorable lines "I'm a lone wolf. Though I look like a cat". It is a track about a lone cat in the city. He starts out all cool, but then a group of high school girls and some kids with a toy get the better of him. In the beginning there is no ~nya or anything catlike, but just wait until they start to pet him.

The second track is about a cute cat that spends his days sleeping and is hungry when his master gets back. The entire scene where he chases a mouse is so incredibly cute (and funny). Somehow I really hope this is what a cat is thinking when it chases something.

The third track is a true tearjerker though. It is about a cat in his final moments, reliving a few memories, and finally crawling unto your lap too fall asleep forever. Even though the atmosphere was very light and funny before, this track nearly had me crying.

The extra sounds like the seiyuu finishing the recording, and then after they exit the building they meet a cat and... magically turn into one. Hilarity ensues.

All of the scenes are nicely written. I have no idea what cats normally think, and I doubt that this is what they think, but it is a lot of fun (and in case of track 3, touching) to listen to.

The interesting thing here is that, except for the extra, both CD's have the same scenario. Even though the track titles for track one and two are different, the story is the same. The difference between the two CD's is how the seiyuu have interpreted or acted out certain their roles.

This confused the hell out of me in the beginning. Somehow their voices were similar enough to make me doubt whether there was some sort of mistake (several people will now shoot me for not being able to hear the difference after the first second. Go ahead, you have all rights to do so). I like both versions, but the third track was more touching in the Shimono version.


Conclusion:
When saw this I was sceptical but decided to give it a try, but listening to this has me convinced: this is going to be one fun series and I hope it never ends. There is something incredibly funny about cats. Or maybe just about seiyuu saying ~nya all the time. But somehow I would have hoped that they would have different scenario's, instead of the same ones. I really hope the other ones have a different scenario though...

Kannou Mukashi Banashi Vol.3: Kaidan

With Kannou Mukashi Banashi Portable just out I suppose a lot of people will be playing it, so what better time then to pick up reviewing the series again.

官能昔話 3 ～怪談～

Company: 5pb records
Based on: Japanese Folklore
Released: 2009.07.21
Official Site: http://5pb.jp/kannou/index.html


Kannou Mukashi Banashi is a series that tells well know tales in a... slightly different way. Each volume contains several stories, all done by a different seiyuu. The series uses the dummy head microphone, which can make it sound as if someone is talking into your ear (when listening with headphones or earphones). And in this series they have made sure that the seiyuu talk very eroi.

As always the CD starts with an introduction by Inoue Kazuhiko, who explains how the CD works and instructs you to put on your head- or earphones in some very suggestive wording. The setting for this CD is that you are at the Kannou Temple, where the head priest tells you several stories. The stories themselves are are done by several seiyuu.

Hoshi Souichirou tells the story of Miminashi Houichi, a blind biwa player who lives at Amidaji temple. One night, someone who sounds like he is wearing armour comes to temple to request his services. He takes Houichi to a large mansion where he is asked to play the tale of Heike. After he is finished he is left alone with the princess who requested his services, and he teaches her how to play the biwa. He returns to the temple in the morning. Night after night Houichi goes to play, but a priest from the temple is suspicious about where he goes and has someone follow him. It turns out that the place where Houichi goes to play night after night is actually a graveyard...

Shimono Hiro tells a story called Bancho Sarayashiki. The story is about a girl called Okiku who works at the Aoyama mansion. The young master of the house, Aoyama Harima, falls in love with Okiku. After a while she falls in love with him as well. However one day Harima is married to another woman. However he still continues his relation with Okiku in secrecy. To test whether Harima really loves her or not she breaks one of the families heirloom plates. Believing she broke it by accident he forgives her. However his wife finds out, and forces Harima to punish her. Cornered by his wife he stabs her to death, and throws her into a well. However Okiku her ghost comes back to haunt the house...

Koyama Rikiya tells the story of Doujouji and the travelling monk Anchin. One day he injures his leg, and resides at a house. The daughter of the house, Kiyohime, is to take care of him while he is there. As time passes they fall in love, however due to Anchin being a monk he is not allowed to marry. Because of that he decides to leave, but because Kiyohime looks so sad he promises her to return in three years to make her his bride. A promise that he cannot keep. When he never returns Kiyohime goes to search him, but when he is not at the temple where he should be she transforms into a giant serpent in her rage and turns up at the temple where Anchin resides.  He hides under the temple bell, but the now snake Kiyohime still manages to find him...

The final story is called "Sanmai no Ofuda" and is told by all of the seiyuu. This is a story about a young priest who goes into the mountains to find chestnuts. The high priest warns him for a Yamamba (which) residing in the mountains and gives him 3 protective charms. Of course he meets the yamamba and tries to use the charms to get away. He uses all three charms but only manages to escape while the yamamba still chases him. Finally, it is the hight priest who manages to defeat the yamamba.

As these are kaidan, Japanese horror stories, none of them end very well (except for the last one). Most stories have been made a bit more romantic than their original counterparts, but in return they are also very effective on the scare effects. The sound of the armour and princess trying to find Houichi, The ghost of Okiku counting the plates, and finally the voice of the snake Kiyohime circling the bell don't miss their scare effect.


Conclusion:
The tension in the CD is double, on the one hand the phrasing is still eroi, and on the other hand you also have the tension from the horror stories. I don't like the last one as much, but the other 3 are really good. And of course, Kannou Mukashi Banashi is one of my favourite series ever.

Warumono (warai) series: Okami ha tsurai yo

 わるもの(笑)シリーズ 狼はつらいよ

Company: Frontierworks
Based on: Fairytales
Released: 2011.10.26
Official Site: http://www.fwinc.co.jp/www/


After the Oujisama (warai) and Meisaku Bungaku (warai) series we now also have the Warumono (warai) series. This time the so called 'bad guys' are in the spotlight, and this is the second vol. which centres on the (big bad) wolf. First things first though: the jacket illustration!! *drools*  I'm sorry, I'll get back to reviewing...

What if the Wolf from Red Riding Hood, the 7 little Goats, and the Three Little Piggies was the same wolf?? That is the concept behind this CD. We start with the wolf (CV: Shimono Hiro), who is writing a letter to his mama mother about how well he is managing living on his own, only to break down crying saying that he hasn't managed to catch a single thing. Just at that moment Red Riding Hood (CV: Yoshino Hiroyuki) passes by. With a basket full of ingredients to make curry, and carrying a stun gun. And to top things off, Red Riding Hood is a HE.

After getting into a lot of trouble with Red Riding Hood the wolf sees Mother Goat leave her 7little kids behind to go shopping. And thus he tries to get in the house. The door is opened by one of the little goats (CV: Yasumoto Hiroki) and... no words can describe his. Picturing a little goat with that voice, it just doesn't work xD  Anyway, they eventually decide to play hide and seek, with the added difficulty that the entire house turns into a ninja-trapdoor-and-hidden-mechanic-mansion.

After turning completely vegetarian for a while after the that the wolf decides to eat the three little (gourmet) piggies. So he makes a phone call whether he can arrange an interview with them but the three of them have their own plans with the wolf as well... He first arrives at the house of the oldest (CV: Yasumoto Hiroki) where he is burried in herbs, then he arrives at the house of the second (CV: Yasumura Makoto) where they try to turn him into smoked wolf, and after surviving all that he arrives at the house of the youngest one (CV: Yoshino Hiroyuki) where they confess they wanted to try and cook him xD

As expected from the warai series, the stories are brilliantly transformed into something hilarious. Red Riding Hood being a male (delinquent), the much too mature sounding little goat, and the three little piggies trying too eat the wolf instead of the other way around. All of them were brilliant. Also, was that a Tiger and Bunny reference in the last story???

I loved Shimono-san his wolf. So cute. And no wonder he can't catch a thing if he gets distracted by how cute a rabbit is when it is hopping around xD Yasumoto-san his voice is to die for in any situation, and the three little piggies all just sound too sexy. I think I was going to say something insightful but I forgot.

The cast talk was ok. Shimono, Yasumoto and Yasumura are just fooling around and leave weird messages for Yoshino (who did his recording later). Although Yasumoto-san does talk a bit more serious about Yabu no Naka (which you really should listen to if you haven't yet!!).


Conclusion:
The first vol. was already good, but I like this one even better! Although that might have something to do with Yasumoto-san his voice. I really really hope that they will make more entries to this series. (although I have no idea what kind of stories I'd like to hear).

Also, Shimono's wolf in no way matches the cover. But that is totally irrelevant as soon as I stare at the picture again.

Fushigi no Kuni no Alice ~Alice in Wonderland~

不思議の国のアリス~Alice in Wonderland~

Company: Momogre
Based on: Alice in Wonderland.
Released: 2011.05.26
Official Site: http://www.momogre.com/



This story is part of momo&grapes their "men's only" series, meaning that all characters are voiced by male seiyuu. The story is based on (the Japanese translation of) Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

You know me, if something has 'alice' written on it I'm all over it. So when I found out that momogre would do an adaption of the original work I was super exited!

The story itself is so famous that it doesn't really need an explanation. This adaption is very loyal to the original story, so there isn't really much to explain for me there. (except that, well, it is very loyal to the original. And I love that). In fact, I think that they've actually used part of a translation as script, because most conversations seem to be exactly like how I remembered them. The Narration is of course original to this work.

The cast was fantastic as well. Kaji Yuuki is a super cute Alice, although no matter how hard I try he doesn't really sound like a girl to me. He sounds more like a young boy but still super cute and it somehow works so I am not complaining. The only voice I was uncomfortable with was that of the Cheshire Cat, who is voiced by Takeuchi Ken. Somehow his voice didn't suit my image of the Cheshire Cat. Then again I might just be too used to Inoue Kazuhiko as the Cheshire Cat from Are you Alice?

Another funny trivia about the Cheshire Cat is that he is called "Chashire Cat" in the story, even though the official site lists him as Cheshire Cat. The seiyuu talk about this in the freetalk as well.


Conclusion:
Personally I absolutely loved this adaption. I love most things even remotely related to Alice in Wonderland so I'm probably biased, but this was a wonderful adaption. It is very faithful to the original, and has a wonderful cast. Whether you're already familiar with the story or not, this is a wonderful drama to listen to.


Also, I'm sorry for reviewing two different Alice in Wonderland related things in a row :p

ボクたちオトコの娘 ～アイドルデビュー編～

Bokutachi Otoko no Ko



Company: Frontierworks

Based on: Original

Release date: 2011.04.27

Official Site: http://www.fwinc.co.jp/otokonoko/

Last month I mentioned that this drama CD caught my eye, and I found it so that means review time!!

But first, a short recap on the story: Sakurai Seri (CV: Shimono Hiro), Mitsuya Ren (CV: Ishida Akira) and Aoyagi Tama (CV: Yonaga Tsubasa) are three boys that debut as a female idol group. And thus their days of listening to the impossible demands of the company president (CV: Konishi Katsuyuki ) or being chased around by their manager (CV: Maeno Tomoaki ) begin.

The story begins with Seri being scouted by the company president after failing an audition somewhere. Dreaming of becoming an idol one day Seri happily agrees to come to his company (which, btw, is a wordplay on Johhny's production).  A few days later he is calls to the presidents office together with Ren and Tama, and it is announced that they are going to be a female idol group.

Because they are boys this naturally isn't going to be easy, so the three of them receive daily training and start living together to get used to each other. This is basically what the drama is about, their training to become an idol and Seri his doubts about becoming a female idol at that.

I expected more slapstick situations, considering the setting, but the story keeps a good balance between funny situations and Seri his doubts and the obligatory we're-in-this-together moments. Altogether funny and lighthearted but just a sprinkle of being serious.The three main boys of course have very different personalities, with Seri being the 'normal' one, Tama acting incredibly cute, and Ren being more of a cold tsundere personality.

The free talk and bonus track on the other hand are incredibly funny. Apparently the recording was a lot of fun, because everyone is very genki while doing the free-talk. Yonaga-san remarks that those hearing him for the first time might think that he is a woman but that he really is a guy (>▽<). The bonus track is called "the toilet issues of being an otoko no ko" which speaks for itself.

Conclusion:
 I expected more slapstick but it was funny enough, and I hope that they will continue this with how things go after their debut. Also, am I the only one who expected the roles of Maeno and Konishi to be reversed?

News: ボクたちオトコの娘

I found this while looking around the Frontier Works site and it caught my attention.

Later this month the first volume of 'Bokutachi Otoko no Ko' will be released. Apparently the story is about a new idol group. The catch? These three are actually boys.

Sakurai Seri (CV: Shimono Hiro), Mitsuya Ren (CV: Ishida Akira) and Aoyagi Tama (CV: Yonaga Tsubasa) are three boys that debut as a female idol group. And thus their days of listening to the impossible demands of the company president (CV: Konishi Katsuyuki ) or being chased by their own manager (CV: Maeno Tomoaki ) begin.

To be honest, I have no idea what kind of work this is, or what the target audience is. I just can't figure it out. BUT the cast is interesting enough to give it a try. Here is the official site, and Animate has some sample tracks up over here.

黒薔薇アリス

Kurobara Alice

Is it obvious that I am attracted to anything that has 'Alice' in the title? If not let me warn you now; if somewhere in a title the words 'Alice' or "Wonderland' can be found you can be sure that it has my attention.

Same with this one. I didn't read the original manga, so little did I know that it has very little to do with anything 'Alice' and is actually... a vampire story. A bit of a surprise there, but it was still a very good listen.

The original manga is by Mizushiro Setona, and the Drama CD is the same as volume one of the original manga. Because there are more volumes this also means that it is only the beginning of the story, in fact it feels much more like a prologue.


The story begins on the 16th birthday of Anieska (CV: Yukana), who is thrilled to find out that her childhood friend -and now famous opera singer- Dimitri (CV: Nakamura Yuuichi) visits her birthday party, as he had told her he would be in Vienna. Even though Anieska has a fiancee, Theodore (CV: Terashima Takuma), Dimitri truly loves her. A fight between Theodore and Dimitri causes him to rush out of the place and he gets hit by a horse carriage due to not watching where he walks.

Everyone thinks Dimitri died, but he suddenly wakes up as if nothing is wrong. As he has, contrary to earlier reports, only minor injuries he is immediately released again to start rehearsing for his next performance. However, strange things start happening at the rehearsals; most of the people involved commit suicide or die of accidents. Not much later a mysterious figure suddenly tells Dimitri that he is now a vampire...

A few dramatic turns of events later (I'm not telling you, go and listen :P) the story suddenly switches to the present time, Japan. Where we meet the English teacher Kikukawa Asuka who has a secret relationship with Ikujima Kouya, one of her students. Their relationship however takes a turn for more drama as they become involved in a car crash. Asuka survives but Kouya sustains life threatening injuries. Just as everything seems lost a mysterious figure appears that promises Asuka to Save Kouya if she helps him with something.


As most of the story takes place in the past, and only the last minutes in the present this really feels like some sort of a prologue. Not to mention the drama ends with a cliffhanger. The cast themselves also comment on this in the cast talk, saying (or hoping) that there might be a second drama someday.

The story starts quite cheery, and that takes a rapid turn for dark drama and twisted feelings. Despite this I laughed out load at one of Dimitri his lines, simply because I never expected to hear it (if you really want to know, somewhere in a discussion where he is accused of 'doing all kinds of things to get higher up' he suddenly boldly responds with something along the lines of 'I don't do fellatio, it's not good for my throat'. I didn't see that one coming, and I was baking cake at the time so it was a really weird combination xD)

In my opinion there is a liiiitle bit too much drama overall, but it was still a very good story. I really hope that there will be a second volume someday, because this way you are literally suddenly left in the dark.