Blood Alone 3

Blood Alone 3

Company: Marine Entertainment
Based on: Manga
Released: 2008.06.25



Blood Alone is based on the manga series of the same name. It is about the vampire girl Minato Misaki and the novelist/detective Kurose Kuroe who takes care of her. Each of the three drama CD's has three stories. Most of the time these stories are not directly connected but more like episodes from their life.

As always, this has three stories. The first one is about Kuroe and his sister. After solving a case involving two siblings, Kuroe is reminded of his sister. Misaki asks Sainome to tell her a little about Kuroe when he was younger.

The second story seems connected to both Kuroe and Misaki their past. Kuroe receives a request to guard a former assassin. He reclines at first, but after hearing that a certain party is involved he accepts. The man Kuroe needs to protect has become the target of an organisation called "Einseingrad Sparda" is imediately attacked by a girl named Maria (CV: Sawashiro Miyuki). Kuroe manages to deflect attack, but the girl escapes with heavy injuries.

As coincidence will have it, she is found by Misaki. Recognising the girl as a renfield (the servant of a vampire, red) she takes her home so she can recover. However the vampire that sired her soon arrives and kidnaps Misaki. He suspects that she is something special.

While handcuffing Misaki, the two of them make another attempt on the man his life. Misaki however manages to break free, and holds down Maria so that Kuroe can go after the vampire. We get a glimpse of the vampire hunter Kuroe here, it is clear that his fame as a vampire hunter was earned.

The final story revolves all around Misaki her fear of thunder. Kuroe is just about to go out for work, but on his way out remembers Misaki is afraid of lightning, and returns to stay at her side.

At first I though the first and second story were connected, but they are not. Well in a sense they are, Eisengrad Sparda is responsible for some events in Kuroe his past, but they are not directly connected. Both of them were very interesting though.

Both Kuroe and Higure (CV: Kobayashi Sanae) have taken several lessons in awesome for this CD. Higure only appears for a few moments, but proves himself as an ancient vampire. Kuroe shows us some of his vampire hunter skills, and as kind as he is to Misaki, he is cold to his enemies.


Conclusion:
Personally this might be my favourite Blood Alone CD. Sadly it is also the last one that was released, while there are still some unresolved plot points. The manga however continues those. While keeping the atmosphere of the previous CDs, this one also delivers the most action packed story.

Blood Alone 2

Blood Alone 2

Company: Marine Entertainment
Based on: Manga
Released: 2007.08.24



Blood Alone is based on the manga series of the same name. It is about the vampire girl Minato Misaki and the novelist/detective Kurose Kuroe who takes care of her. Each of the three drama CD's has three stories. Most of the time these stories are not directly connected but more like episodes from their life.

This time the CD starts with a cute valentine story. Misaki (CV: Nakahara Mai) has made Kuroe (CV: Morikawa Toshiyuki) chocolate for valentine. When she hands him his chocolate he already has a whole bag full of chocolates however (apparently he is popular with the ladies?). Continuing with his work, Kuroe notices her chocolate is missing after a while so he tries to find it, and even tracks back to every place he has been that day. When he returns home however, it turns out Misaki took the chocolate home with he so she could re-wrap it: another one of the chocolates in the bag had the same ribbon.

The second story is what you could call the main story of this CD. It starts with a serial killer on his death row and his lawyer talking just before his execution. Not too long afterwards however, the lawyer his assistant -and lover- Maki (CV: Kobayashi Sanae) is killed in the style of that serial killer.

Sainome (CV: Tanaka Rie) and Kuroe investigate this case together. Sainome discovered that similar killings have been occurring over a period far more than one lifespan, and suspects something supernatural is involved, which is why she asks Kuroe for his help. We also discover that Sainome has the ability to 'see' the memories of a dead person. This is also the first time we get to hear Misaki her vampire personality. Every vampire has a sort of 'vampire personality' or instinct, and it slowly replaces the human one. Misaki her personality is... chilling.

The last story is a more humorous one. Misaki has a nightmare about Kuroe and Sainome marrying (TV show style). When she wakes up Kuroe is gone, so goes to find him. First she kalls Higure (CV: Kobayashi Sanae), who seems to be in the middle of something. Then she goes to see Sly (CV: Miki Shinichirou) who mainly just teases her. The cat from the first episode of vol.1 also makes an appearance. Eventually, it just turns out Kuroe was working.

The first and third story are more humorous, the second one however is serious. And very good. You realize what is going on slightly before the characters do, creating just a little more tension. The atmosphere is still the same calm atmosphere from the first CD. Somehow they manage to both keep this, and create tensions as well.

The cast talk has some fun moments. Morikawa-san liked the third story (where he had several possible bride candidates) and Kobayashi-san (who voiced both Maki and Higure) laughs at both her scenes being bed scenes.


Concusion:
This vol heads more towards the direction of a supernatural mystery in the main story. It feels like there are still things being introduced for use in a later story, but this is a great CD on it's own. I'd recommend listening to all the stories separately though, or at least the second one separately, because they are so different.

Blood Alone

 Blood Alone

Company: Marine Entertainment
Based on: Manga
Released: 2006.07.21


Blood Alone is based on the manga series of the same name. It is about the vampire girl Minato Misaki and the novelist/detective Kurose Kuroe who takes care of her. Each of the three drama CD's has three stories. Most of the time these stories are not directly connected but more like episodes from their life.

The CD starts with Misaki (CV: Nakahara Mai) waking up and describing what her usual day (night?) looks like. Kuroe (CV: Morikawa Toshiyuki)is working on a novel that needs to be finished the next day, so in order to help him she goes to search for a lost cat; a request Kuroe got for his detective job. Misaki isn't very succesful in finding the cat though. On the way we also meet the informant Sly (CV: Miki Shinichirou), and his cat side kick Larry.

The second story is a short story that starts with Misaki and Higure (CV: Kobayashi Sanae), who is a very old and influential vampire (but looks like a young boy) , talking about different vampire abilities. Higure teaches Misaki how to use Farumek (a form of hypnosis that can be used to control humans), and we learn what Renfields are (Humans that have drank the blood of a vampire, and therefore become devoted to their blood parent). When Misaki comes home later that night she tries to use farumek on Kuroe to see whether she can really use it.

The third story introduces Sainome Sayaka (CV: Tanaka Rie), a childhood friend of Kuroe. She works as the head of the police forencics department. Kuroe worries about Misaki going out at night often lately, and Sainome seems to know something about it but doesn't want to say. Meanwhile Higure visits Kuroe while Misaki is out to tell him that someone has been hunting (=killing) in his territory, and that he suspects Misaki. Kuroe decides to stalk tail Misaki when she goes out the next night. He loses sight of her, but finds the actual culprit. Through his conversation with Higure afterwards we learn that Kuroe was involved with vampires in his past... Misaki on the other hand, was just visiting Sainome to learn how to knit a muffler.

This series has a very calm, easygoing atmosphere. Some of the stories are more serious, others less serious. Misaki being a young girl and often acting like one also helps to keep the atmosphere light. This atmosphere might be this series greatest charm.

It is obvious that Misaki likes Kuroe, but his feelings are less transparent. He obviously cares for her, but what is exact feelings are is a bit vague. This creates an interesting relation between them. Higure and Sainome also seem interested in Kuroe, although their motives probably differ. Higure his love for male renfields is also... interesting.

The cast talk is fairly simple and cute. The change in Kobayashi-san her voice is quite amazing to hear..


Conclusion:
I love the atmosphere in this work. At least for this vol there doesn't seem to be much vampire stuff going on, it is more about how Misaki and Kuroe are living their life, and their relationship.

Uwasaya

噂屋

Company: Omega Label
Based on: Manga
Released: 2010.07.02


Uemura Takitarou is a fairly normal high schooler, except that he is also a genius cosplayer that can transform himself into almost anyone. When one day his one and only friend Kusakami Asami (CV: Koshimizu Ami) is killed by the 'Night Blindness Man', a serial killer who gouges out the eyes of his victims, he is recruited by his schoolmate Tominaga Hana to join the UC, a company that manipulates rumours and urban legends to solve crimes.

UC, also called 'Uwasaya' (the rumour shop) has only a few employees: the mysterious company president Saekusa Kudan (CV: Fujiwara Keiji), the hacker Kurusu Masutatsu (codename 'channeler'. CV: Hino Satoshi), the fortune teller Koizumi Nao (codename: Sleepless diviner. CV: Matsuoka Yuki), model Tominaga Hana (codename: debate magician. CV: Tanaka Rie).

This drama CD has three cases, of which the first one is the Night Blindness Man. To draw out the killer they decide to spread another rumour: the ghost of the killers latest victim is walking the streets asking people to giver her eyes back. Takitarou dresses up as the ghost so that people really see her, and so they draw out the actual killer.

In the second case UC is asked to spread a scary rumour about a horror video game so that the sales will go up. Takitarou decides to dress up as 'the woman in red', one of the characters from the game. However it turns out that someone has already been dressing up like her, because everyone Takitarou tries to scare with his outfit has already seen the woman in red. And then Takitarou sees the ghost woman for himself...

In the final case UC gets a job by phone from an unknown customer, who asks them to put an end to the killing of crows that appears to be occurring all over town. With the help of channeler his hacking skills they manage to find the culprit, but their client turns out to be someone unexpected as well...

I expected this to be only based on the whole rumour/urban legend concept, but in case two and three supernatural events also occur. Meaning horror, meaning one scared me. The sound effects are particularly effective. And the sound of crows has always been rather eerie, but in this story even more so, and I will never look at crows in the same way again.

All three are good short stories though, even though the second one is so very sad. The first one is more like an introduction, and the second one also has a glimpse of Nao her past in it, which leaves the third story as the best one in my opinion. I'm just sad that I can't see what Takitarou dresses up like, haha.


Conclusion:
This had a bit more supernatural events than I expected (if I had know that I would have reviewed this for Halloween as well...) but it was still a very good CD. Just a lot scarier than I expected. I'd love to hear more, and I know that there was also a radio drama for the series, but until I find that I suppose the manga will have to do.