Since yesterday we had a piece of Canno news, with Yen’s license announcement, I thought that made a nice lead-in to today’s review of one of the Anoko ni Kiss to Shirayuri wo Drama CDs (あの娘にキスと白百合を) . Specifically, the Drama CD that covers the goings on during the Seiran School Festival.
The school festival is a great scenario for highlighting all the couples we’ve seen so far in the Kiss and White Lily for My Dearest Girl manga series. Of course we focus on the main couple, Kurozawa Yurine and Shiramine Ayaka. And they hit a small snag caused – as usual – by Ayaka’s inability to see their relationship for what it really is. She promises to watch Yurine in the track races, but then says she’ll be unable to, Yurine falls into a funk and is saved – as usual – by Ayaka showing up to cheer her on after all.
Ultimately Ayaka and Yurine decide to have a one-on-one race to see who wins today. If you know the series, you know who wins. ^_^
Later in the rose garden, Yurine is able to explain to Ayaka that their relationship, which Ayaka still views as rivalry, she views as more like lovers. Then punctuates her point with a kiss.
Other scenarios include favorites like Mizuki ( who gets to be extra cool here, even winning her track race ) and Moe, Chiharu, Ai and of course Yurina and Towako. The voice actresses do such a good job of bringing the characters to life that I thought, “Well, obviously they sound just like that.”
It’s a long, crowded Drama CD, with a staggering 79 minutes of content. This “regular edition” of the drama CD includes a insert which has cast and staff info and messages, bonus art by fellow Yuri artists and a short comic by creator Canno.
Ratings:
Overall – 8
If you love the girls of Seiran and want to spend a more than an hour in their company – and work on your Japanese listening skills – this is a really good Drama CD with which to start.
There is also a deluxe edition which I was unable to have shipped to me. It includes a second disk with “to be announced” audio tracks. If you get it, let me know what they are!
(Apologies if this double-posts, I was having technical difficulties on another device)
Oh, wow! I actually just got this from the post office today :) The regular version – I only found out there was a deluxe edition after I ordered my copy. However, I found a listing with track names on the bonus CD, here: https://www.suruga-ya.jp/product/detail/120090279001
Track 1 is something like “Kurosawa-san’s Study Method” (framed as a “Kiss Theater,” just like the little one-page strips that conclude each manga chapter), while tracks 2-5 seem to be a discussion with the cast, one track to highlight each of the 4 CDs that were made. So:
Track 02 is with Yumi Uchiyama and Manami Numakura (Senoo Mizuki and Nikaido Moe, respectively)
Track 03 is with Ayaka Fukuhara, Kanae Ito and Naomi Oozora (who play Kusakabe Chiharu, Akidzuki Izumi and Uehara Ai, respectively…Ai gets a ton of airtime on Drama CD #2, and kind of steals the show, in my opinion)
Track 04 is with Ryoko Shiraishi and Mita Towako (Ooshiro Yukina and Mita Towako), and
Track 05 is with Haruka Terui and kaori Mizuhashi (Shiramine Ayaka and Kurosawa Yurine)
Anyhow: Thank you for reviewing this! I’m farther than I ever was with my Japanese studies, but it would still take me forever to take everything in properly. I was really happy to see this review today :)
Thank you very much! I had ordered the deluxe version several times, but they wouldn’t ship it. They originally wouldn’t ship this one, either. Suddenly this summer, thy decided to ship it. ^_^