Apologies for the long delay! Lots of things happened, including me growing another year older, and not a day wiser. ^_^

I actually listened to the Maria-sama ga Miteru, Rosa Canina Drama CD ages ago, but am just getting around to telling you how wonderful it is. And this time, it’s very easy to tell you why – Noto Mamiko, the voice actress for Shimako, really gets to shine in this version of the story.

Chalk it up to the fact that the anime aired out of order and that the Rosa Canina arc was moved up slightly in the episodes, but Shimako’s character seems particularly watery in the anime version of this arc. Maybe because the actresses were only just getting warmed up by the time the anime was over. In any case, in this Drama CD, Shizuka (now much more blatantly hitting on Sei, now that we know that *everyone* knows about her) is even more mysterious and cool, and Shimako has a hell of alot more backbone.

I bought this Drama CD as a “special box set” and got two little dolls as extras – little SDs of Yumi and Sachiko. They now stand, with quiet grace and charm in front of my Maria-sama ga Miteru collection on my new shelves! (I know, I should let go of the shelf thing…but they are SO great! I am going to put this in writing – thank you Charlie Lawler for the fabulous shelves. I love them!!! Now I will move on, but I make no promises that I won’t mention them again. )

There’s little else I can say about this story that wasn’t in either anime or manga (except that the manga has some internal monologuing by Shimako that exists nowhere else). If you like Noto Mamiko’s voice – and how could you not? – this is a great way to spend a few more hours having it tickle the inside of your ear. ^_^

The only down side – we *still* didn’t get the scene of Shizuka’s classmates cheering her on.