Blue Drop: Lovers Side Drama CD is a voice renactment of two of the chapters from the first volume of the Blue Drop manga, with an extra story for good luck.
For newcomers to the story, our world has been invaded and subjugated by an alien race of females who are, since there are only females, lesbian. The aliens uses children as test subjects for reasons that are entirely obscure and probably pretty annoying if we knew what they were. And the resistance is constantly after these kids, usually to eliminated them.
The first story “Kami no ko” is also the first chapter of the manga, in which we follow the short, poignant and ultimately, tragic relationship between Mami and the boy she’s always loved, Ryouhei. Unfortunately for her, Ryouhei is an alien and is about to leave, probably to die. Mami and Ryouhei sleep together before they say goodbye, the result of which is a child. All of this is the same as in the manga, with the addition of a female classmate of Mami’s confessing her feelings for Mami to her, then asking her out. Mami is forced to say no because of her feelings for Ryouhei.
The second track, “Kaijin” again, is almost exactly the way it appears in the manga. Kyomi befriends, then resents Rumi, and belatedly learns that Rumi is a weapon against the Kaijin. She is able to save Rumi once, but ultimately loses her before she can express her feelings. The drama CD once again adds a little extra to the story; this time, continuing the conversation when Rumi reappears several years later. “Rumi” is now a construct created by the combination of weapon and the Kaijin that she was sent to neutralize. She finds Kyomi sitting at the waterside, and explains that she is not exactly the Rumi Kyomi remembers, but she knows everything Rumi knew – and she knows how she felt about Kyomi…. The story trails off there, with a distinct feeling of possibility.
The final track is an original story that did not appear in the first volume of the manga, but Bob assures me that it was an extra in the Tenshi no Bokura series. “Tenshi no Itazura,” tells the story of Hana. The track begins (again) with a classmate, Tomo, confessing her feelings to Hana, but Hana is conflicted because she has a crush on Saki-sempai. Even though Saki-sempai is currently an alien, she’s still cool, and her blue eyes are so beautiful. Hana apologizes to Tomo, and pursues Saki-sempai. Saki, an alien, is “afflicted” with alien desires and is more than glad to have Hana. She visits Hana at her home and kisses her. Hana realizes, too late, that she really doesn’t feel “that way” about Saki-sempai. Saki-sempai backs off and tells Hana to follow her true heart’s desire. The next day, Hana finds Tomo and tells her that she likes her, too.
The extra in the CD insert is a short manga of the scene between Hana and Saki drawn by Yoshitomi Akihito – completist fans (I mean you, BobBQ) will want to own it. ^_^
While the Drama CD definitely injects extra Yuri into an already Yuri-riffic series, it doesn’t add much to the story – and before you ask, no Yui.
Ratings:
Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – 5 I pretty much find almost all Yoshitomi’s manga characters to be entirely cookie-cutter.
Yuri – 6
Service – 4
Overall – 6
It was pretty challenging trying to decipher the quasi-military/scientific terms and I pretty much failed completely to do so. ^_^
This DCD was slightly better Yuri-wise than the manga, but overall, less satisfying than the manga and nowhere as fun as the anime. Nonetheless perfectly pleasant for an hour’s worth of entertainment. ^_^
And thanks to the obsessive fans who helped me fix the errors in this review!
Tenshi no Itazura is also the title of a two-chapter extra that came with the volume releases of Tenshi no Bokura, if I remember rightly. Going by your summary, I’d say the CD is another take on the same story.
Thanks.
Are you going to review the “Traitor’s Side” CD? I’ve tried the manga also, and it does have a really different…feel from the anime. (The anime seemed more “shoujo”-style in its execution, if that makes sense.)
If I ever get it, sure. :-)
With all due respect, you got the story totally wrong. Now, I try to be as concise as I can:
1) The resistance doesn’t use children as weapons against the aliens; the aliens use the children as weapons against the remnants of the biological weaponry they used in the war 1000 years ago (ex: the kaijin)
2) Mami and Ryouhei’s child doesn’t play an important part in the later war (more on point 4)
3) The Rumi Kyomi knew and felt in love with was a clone (created to fight the kaijin). The Rumi who appears at the end of the track is not a “construct created” for anything. She’s the real Rumi (a real alien), whom the first one was created from.
4) Kyomi and the original Rumi eventually get married (no, it’s not joke) and one year later have daughter named YUI (this is revealed in the official website).
19 years later, YUI, who is an alien/human hybrid, is introduced as a member of the resistance. She is the one who plays an important part in the later war.
The “Traitor’s Side” CD is about YUI, who is voiced by Kaori Nazuka (Subaru in .hack//SIGN, for example)
Cheers
Anonymous – I know, you’re totally right. I went to bed last night and realized I had completely switched things. I’ll rewrite it today. But no, really Yui is Ryouhei’s and Mami’s kid – not Kyomi and Rumi’s.
No, you’re wrong. But you don’t need to believe me. Look here on the official website:
http://www.bestack.co.jp/bluedrop/4.html
Kaminoko (Ryouhei and Mami), as well as Kaijin (Kyomi and Rumi) take place on ３００４.
On ３００７ Kyomi meets the original Rumi.
YUI is born one year later (3008).
YUI’s story, “Kowareta Tenshi”, “Tenshi no Yakusoku” and “Tenshi no Sentaku”, takes place 19 years later, on ３０２７.
If this is not enough, go grab your Blue Drop manga volume, and read “Tenshi no Sentaku” again. At the end of the chapter, YUI talks about her mother (the human one) and says she married an alien (which you know are all female), and then there’s a panel (as in a flashback) which shows Kyomi and Rumi.
Eddie – I’ll concede to your fannishness. :-)
I hope you at least took a pick at your BD volume, you know, to see if I wasn’t bullshitting you lol.
But I wasn’t. And yeah, I’m a totally hopeless loser BD fanboy; can’t help it ^^.
It’s just that, once you get past the silly stuff, the world of Blue Drop is really interesting; the characters too (specially YUI).
@Eddie No, I don’t think you’re BSing. ;-) I did look at the manga and it seemed absolutely obvious to me that Yui is Ryouhei’s and Mami’s kid. But no, I’m not slamming around timelines and the like, just looking at the Occam’s razor explanation. Since I am not an obsessive fan, I’ll bow to your superior knowledge. :-)