Archive for the Drama CDs & Audiobooks Category


Yuri Drama CD: Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan ~ Pink Princess

May 29th, 2009

Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan Drama CD: Pink Princess is the Drama CD that came with the most recent volume of Comic Yuri Hime as a bonus. It’s meant to be a little taste of things to come for the ladies of the Ame-iro Kouchakan and, as a result, I had very reasonable expectations for plot, characters, running time, etc. The CD blew me away on everything but plot. It wasn’t that the plot was bad – it was that there is, in fact, very little plot possible when the entire story is a bunch of people talking about tea. :-)

The Ameiro Kouchakan has been developing a reputation, it seems, and two new customers have wandered in because of mysterious rumors about the place. It turns out that the newcomers are Saotome Manaka-sensei, the author of the St. Lotecia books (first introduced in “Otome-iro Stay Tuned” from Yuri Hime S) and her number one superfan and new editor, Shiko. Mana-chan-sensei wants something to bring excitement and happiness to a girl’s heart, so Sarasa creates a disgusting delicious Strawberry Creme tea that is *exactly* what the author was looking for!

We spend a little time listening to Mana-chan-sensei and Editor Shiko-chan, and it’s not hard to see that Shiko is quite besotted with the youthful author who, in turn, has pegged Sarasa and Seriho as a couple…as soon as they get around to it.

Sarasa asks where Mana-chan-sensei learned of the tea shop and is told in no uncertain terms that Manako’s “Yuri Network” told her it had a great atmosphere. :-)

Everyone parts happily, and the main cast wonders what will happen with Mana and Shiko, which, we are assured will be covered in the full Drama CD that comes with the deluxe version of the first volume of Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan, “White Engage.”

Oh, hey, did I mention that Mana-chan-sensei is voiced by Tamura Yukari? Oh, yes, she is. Mizuki Nana is Sarasa. Playing 6 degrees of Yuri is always fun with them, because it’s like, 1/10th of a degree. :-) Shiko is voiced by Horie Yui, who voiced Yasuna in Kashimashi ~ Girl Meets Girl.

The nicest thing about this DCD? For a insert in the magazine it had a more than 30 minute run-time. Extra super nice, in my book. … Even if strawberry cream tea sound utterly gagariffic to me. ^_^

Ratings:

Characters – 8
Story – 7
Yuri – 5
Service – 1

Overall – 8

The CD is decorated to look like a lace doily. Too cute. ^_^





Maria-sama ga Miteru Special CD, Volume 1

May 1st, 2009

Such voyeuristic joy, such pure pleasure, such girly, giggly, sweets and flower-filled minutes pass as we once again enter the second-floor meeting room of the Bara no Yakata and spend time with the women who bring the Rosa Chinensis family to life as they discuss important things like who gets the chocolate, the strawberry or the pumpkin flavored sweet.

No seriously, that’s the kind of thing we listen to when Itou Miki (Sachiko,) Kugamiya Rie (Touko) and Ueda Kana (Yumi) get together to chat about everything an nothing for the Maria-sama ga Miteru Special CD, Volume 1.

They discuss the 4th season, and Touko’s character development. They discuss the novels (Kana is clearly the group authority on this, having clearly read them all) and about the New Year’s Eve event.

The drama portion of the CD is “Chocolate Portrait,” the story of how Shouko and Tsutako met. The entire story was dramatized – if anything was cut, I was completely unaware of it, it was so small and inconsequential. To say that this story is wonderful is really an understatement. IF there was any couple in the whole of Lillian that I could ever call a “couple” in the romantic sense, it would have to be Tsutako and Shouko. They fit together beautifully. Shouko is sweet, polite and a little bent, while Tsutako is just about the most social, functional and fun sociopath I’ve ever read. ^_^ Together they make a pair so awesome that they can’t be beat.

The last track on the CD is “Oshiete, Oneesama,” in which the same series of questions are asked of each guest – which character would you want for a sister, a daughter, a friend, (if you were male, of course) a bride, a soeur. Everyone wants Yumi for a friend, and Shimako for a daughter. ^_^ And mostly, although not all the time, whichever guest it is wants their character’s soeur for a soeur. Kugamiya Rie did not deviate too much from the norm.

Up until this CD, the DJCDs have been anywhere from 25-35 minutes. This “Special” CD is about an hour long – the “Chocolate Portrait” drama is a good 30 minutes plus, so it’s good entertainment value for your money.

Ratings:

Overall – 9

When I listened to the Winter Special DJCD, I said it was the best I’d listened to so far, Well, this one was better. ^_^





Maria-sama ga Miteru DJCD Winter Special 2008

February 27th, 2009

Please allow me a moment of self-indulgent Fangirlyness.

zOMG, this was the most awesome MarimiteDJCD evar!!!!11111

Thank you.

In truth, the Maria-sama ga Miteru Winter Special DJCD was, in fact, the best of the bunch I’ve listened to so far. For any number of reasons. Here are some of them:

Ueda Kana, the voice of Fukuzawa Yumi, and the host of the radio specials that are collected and turned into these DJCDs has, over her years of doing this become much more comfortable in the role. Where the pauses were long and slightly awkward in the early days, Ueda and the other seiyuu are now quite comfortable with each other and the conversation is more and more like a conversation between old friends.

Ueda Kana has also read all the Marimite books and is a total fangirl for them. ^_^

In discussing the role of Shouko with Inoue Marina, Ueda confidently and excitedly talked about the “Chocolate Portrait” Radio Drama, but concluded with – “Oh, wait until the amusement park scenes…” (from Kira Kira Mawaru) which she goes on to discuss in some detail, mentioning that it’s the 30th book in the series. Inoue admits to only having read up to the 20th novel. Ueda’s practically jumping up and down in fangirlish delight as she speaks of the wonderfulness that is Shouko and Tsutako in that novel. For good reason.

When Nabatome Hitomi arrives for a chat, Ueda says, with obvious delight, “Nana’s here!” Not – Eriko-sama….Nana. ^_^ There’s a moment when they are talking about the “sendai Rosas” (the previous generation of Rosas i.e., Youko, Sei and Eriko’s oneesama. They mention the VAs for Rosa Gigantea, Takayama-san, and for Rosa Chinensis, Katsuki-san, then there’s a pause…. Ueda, Nabatome and I all say in hushed tones of reverence, “to…Mitsuishi-san…”. :-D

The first and fourth guest talks are with the voice actresses for Kanako and Noriko, and all I can say is that they are equally as wonderful.

This is followed by a radio drama which had me in stitches. Mami wants a big scoop for the Lillian Kawaraban, but the Yamayurikai isn’t cooperating by doing anything interesting. Tsutako suggests that she write a fiction – much like her oneesama did. Mami writes a parody of one of my favorite old-school J-dramas ever: Zenigata Heiji.

The constable role is played by Yoshino, who is joined by Yumi as the plucky, goofy and somewhat limited sidekick. Rei plays Yoshino’s wife Orei. (Edo period female names all begin with “O” as an honorific.)

They go up against the evil gang boss Satou Sei and her partner in crime, the madam of the local brothel, Torii Eriko, as they try to ruin the Toudou family’s senbei business so they have to sell their precious daughter to pay off the debt. The whole thing was absolutely hysterical – made even more enjoyable because I just loved Zenigata Heiji, so I knew what was coming in any given scene. (Yoshino had been likened to Zenigata Heiji in the seventh novel, btw. That’s why she got the role.) At the end of the story, as Oshimako arrives to thank Yoshino (and as Orei bickers about something good-naturedly,) Yumi comes running up with some stupidity. Orei says something like, “Oh well, it can’t be helped” and there’s a pause…after which Shimako, Yoshino, Rei, Yumi and I all laugh utterly fakely, because that *exactly* how every episode of ZH ended. ^_^

The story ends with Sachiko and Rei having hissy fits over the story, but eventually being placated.

The final track is a New Year’s meeting between Ueda and the three voice actresses for the first-years, Noriko, Touko and Kanako. It was interesting to hear how the three actresses for the first-year students treat Ueda with the same respect that their characters treat Yumi. Most of the track is listening to them eat sweets and giggling. ^_^

In all seriousness, I had more fun listening to this one DJCD than all of the others so far – and all of the others were pretty terrific. This one is just the best one *evar.*

Ratings:

Overall – 9





Yuri Drama CD: Blue Drop, Lovers Side

February 9th, 2009

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!





Ichigo Mashimaro Drama CD, Volume 5

January 6th, 2009

What does it say about my grasp of Japanese that I understand *more* when the characters get weirder? In the fifth Ichigo Mashimaro (苺ましまろ) Drama CD (available from both Amazon.co.jp and Amazon.com), our characters spend a great deal of time being weird.

Early on Chika creates a kind of mental TV channel out of their sitting around playing make-believe on which shows are played out during the rest of the DCD. These range from Nobue’s creation of a drama to an epic samurai story, in which Ana plays the female samurai who protects a miserable Matsuri, to at least two bathhouse scenes that I can think of, to randomly abusing Matsuri, because she’s very easy to abuse.

Chika spends most of the CD wondering how the hell she got here, although she plays along just fine with whatever ridiculous scenario Miu or Nobue has concocted, Nobue alternately attempts to be kind of cool and pervs after Ana and sort of half abuses, half protects Matsuri and, of course, the ringmaster of 80% of the madness is Miu. Matsuri spends the entire CD whining with occasional bonus sniveling.

As I said in the opening line, the weirder it all got, the more I followed it. When they all sit around just goofing, the language was mostly beyond my ability to follow. When they suddenly decide to do a Taiga drama, oh, *then* I have no trouble following – and heaven help me, when they are in the bath it’s all plain as day. Time to stab myself in the ears.

Ratings:

Story – There was a story?
Characters – 8 for everyone, especially Ana who really stood up to Nobue as gang boss and Miu as Miu, 2 for Matsuri who was wayyyy more annoying that usual.
Yuri – 5
Service- let’s see, 4 for each bath scene, 4 for Nobue perving, and an extra 4 for anything I missed, for a total of 20

Overall – 8

Today’s review was sponsored by the always fabulous Ana M., and my sincere thanks to her and all the Okazu heros out there!