Archive for the Drama CDs & Audiobooks Category


Yuri Drama CD: Jitensha to Kase-san (自転車と加瀬さん)

June 20th, 2018

The Asagao to Kase-san movie is still in theaters (and has added some new theaters this week, which will be getting it in July). It’s really all kinds of wonderful. Typically anime OVA/theatrical releases hit theaters for a week, then go straight to DVD. This Blu-Ray is available at theaters with proof of a ticket. In fact, they’ve had to restock theaters. So, wow! 

Earlier in the year when the tickets first hit the stores, our YNN Kase-san Correspondent Verso S kindly offered to buy one on my behalf so I could have the Drama CD which was one of the very first rewards for ticketholders. ^_^ Never beyond abusing a friendship in order to get a Drama CD, I jumped on that. (The ticket itself went to the lovely Uchida-san from the Yuriten to thank her for her help.)

Jitensha to Kase-san (自転車と加瀬さん) is a 20-minute long voice drama version of the first two chapters of Asagao to Kase-san, (published in English by Seven Seas as Kase-san and Morning Glories). Yamada is voiced by Takahashi Minami and Kase-sen by Sakura Ayane.

The story is told from the point of view of Yamada as she notices and begins to have feelings for Kase-san, the school’s track star. It’s pretty much told word for word, so if you’re familiar with the source material, it’s a simple and entertaining listen. 

Ratings:

Art – 7 Adorable SD characters adorn the disk in a clear jewel case
Voice Acting – 10 They sound perfect, I couldn’t ask for better.
Story – 7 
Character – 8
Yuri – 6 First love is sweet, but I’ll never quite *like* it. I always feel a bit squicky when I’m in a high schooler’s head as she notices another girl romantically or sexually for the first time. ^_^;
Service – 2 

Overall – 8

As an appetizer to the movie it’s perfect. The voices fit the characters well and all I want to do now is get my hands on that Blu-Ray! Right now it’s only available through 3rd party sellers for usurious rates and against the whole point of it being available to ticket holders. As soon as it gets a general release, I’ll get you a link.





Drama CD: Kara no Shoujo Tenni Musubuyume (虚ノ少女-天に結ぶ夢-)

May 27th, 2018

You may be familiar with the Flowers Yuri Visual Novel franchise, with it’s classic girl’s school setting. We’ve had several reviews here on Okazu of the VNs, Jye’s discussion of the VN in Japanese and mine in English.

Last year, as I was perusing one thing or another, I encountered a suggestion for something a little different – an Original Drama CD from Innocent Grey. Kara no Shoujo Tenni Musubuyume  (虚ノ少女-天に結ぶ夢-) is a two-disk Drama CD set from the same team that brought you Flowers. The first disk immediately recalls the tone of Flowers – gothic depression meets ‘S’-informed school.

Yukiko is a girl with a dark past. People she cared about have died, several of her friends among them. But these have all been classified as “accidents.” She is surprised and pleased when Mie wants to be her friend. The two of them become close and then very close. Yukiko feels a bit bad this time, one hopes, when she kills Mie. But at least it allows the police to finally arrest her.

The second drama CD is obscure and vaguely Dante-ish. A wooden doll finds herself in the afterlife with no memory of her life. She is first met by an angel who brings her to Purgatory, where she is handed over to a goat-man who acts as a guide. He pushes her to remember her sins in life and, when at last she does, she recalls that she had been a rabbit. 

The vocal tones of the series are grim and gothic, the music tends towards atmospheric and angelic.  The voice acting was done well enough. I’m not entirely sure if I enjoyed either story, but I am deeply disappointed that Mie did not kill Yukiko first, and that the goat-man’s name was not Baphomet. These were missed opportunities in the story-telling and the whole gets points off for blowing both. 

Ratings:

Overall – 6

Like the VN authored by this team, the intentions were good, but they needed some help in execution. I think I would make a fine Drama CD and/or VN editor, if overly an overly critical one. ^_^





Yuri Drama CD: Anoko ni Kiss to Shirayuri wo – Seiran School Festival (あの娘にキスと白百合を ドラマCD)

October 31st, 2017

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!





Drama CD: Grand Stage Special Performance (グラン・ステージ 特別公演)

September 14th, 2017

The Drama CD Grand Stage Special Performance (グラン・ステージ 特別公演) is technically the end of the first season of the series, but I had listened to the second group CD, Grand Stage Daiundokai , first, so I ended up listening to this one last of all the Grand Stage Drama CDs. And I have to tell you, it worked really well as a final CD for the series, so I don’t feel bad at all about it.

In the opening tracks, the established otokayaku of the Sora-gumi troupe, Suoh Yui, Hiou Akito, Subaru Ryoya and Kazmiya Eru meet the newest of their group – Minami Kohaku. Kohaku’s sister Kurea, is well known to all of them, so Kohaku, it turns out, has a reputation to live up to.

The bulk of the CD follows the otoyaku as a group. The leader of the Sora-gumi is planning a special performance and the otokoyaku are being asked to do a play – “Passive-Aggressive Red Riding Hood.” Frankly, I think Ryoya is a natural fit and I’m not the only one, but there’s a problem. The otokoyaku are not well-suited to play the female role. Hiou and Yui try to play the part together, but they both end up sounding like otokoyaku. Eru has a small crisis at the very idea of even attempting to play a female role, something that had this been in any way an LGBTQ series they could have made a plot point. But instead, they just circle around Eru’s insistence on being a cool guy on stage. They do the same for Ryoya’s inability to be in Kabuki. Lost opportunities to speak about gender roles and Japanese culture, but oh well. In the end, they play it for a comedy with Hiou in the role and then look forward to their musumeyaku doing their performance.

Ratings:

Overall – 9

It was a a fun end to what was a more amazing than I could have ever have expected series of Drama CDs. I’m gonna have to listen to them once more from the top. ^_^





Yuri Drama CD: Grand Stage Romance Review #5 “Akabara no Kimi” Suoh Yui (グラン・ステージ ロマンスレビュー 第5幕「赤薔薇の君 蘇皇唯」)

July 16th, 2017

If you learn one thing from Grand Stage Romance Review #5 “Akabara no Kimi” Suoh Yui (グラン・ステージ ロマンスレビュー 第5幕「赤薔薇の君 蘇皇唯」), it’s that the sound of a nod and a head shaking back and forth as represented by the movement of material sound completely different. How fascinating.

It’s not the only thing we learn, obviously. We also learn that, under her cool, sophisticated exterior, the woman who goes by the name Suoh Yui, the senior otokoyaku of the Grand Stage Sora-gumi, has a very passionate and possessive heart.

She invites us over her apartment to discuss our partnership, but doesn’t hesitate to note she has a large bed. Classy, Yui, classy. But as we speak, she almost offhandedly points out that she lets us see part of her that no one else can ever see. She is, as one might expect, teasing and seductive, but, also as expected, it’s all a joke. After we leave for the night, Yui starts to fret.

The next day, Yui comes across Hiou Akito shopping at a home goods store. It turns out that Akito and her partner are talking about moving in together and she’s finding herself looking for furniture. As Akito shares her concerns and doubts with Yui, Yui tells Akito that she reminds her a lot of herself. As Akito talks, she finds her her own unease growing and leaves. Akito says that this is the first time she’s seen Akabara like this. Yui starts to call us over and over. When we finally call back, she sounds desperately lonely…and a little frightening. She comes over to bring us back to her place.

When we get there, Yui tells us that we’re her’s…but when she sees us asleep, she realizes how much she’s fallen for us, watching us on stage. We’re awake and we hear everything she’s said. We embrace, as she asks us to be her Shirayuri-hime. We agree. Holding each other, we go to sleep, but not before she kisses us on the neck.

The next morning it’s all love-love banter between us. Again, Yui points out that we are the only one to see her like this. It’s obvious to us that her true self has been a well-kept secret.

Yui meets Akito once more, who asks about her relationship with her previous partner. Yui is glad to talk about it. Akito’s worried about asking her partner to move in, and is looking for a good time to ask. Yui’s advice is applicable to many situations – no one is like anyone else, every relationship and situation is unique. They both come out of the conversation relieved. Yui admits to being nervous about the announcement of the new Top Stars for the new year.

Yui comes home to find us cooking. She tells us that she kind of nervous and kind of relieved at the announcement, and offers us a “partner ring,” then embraces us and asks us to stay with her forever, her beloved Shirayuri.

The final track is a Spanish guitar-inspired song called “You’re mine.” Which you can hear in this Youtube clip:

As everyone had predicted this is a pretty darn Yuri CD. ^_^; And Saiga Mitsuki fans must have been downright swooning as she really pulls out all the stops her in her 10000x Yuri power up. A fine way to end the character CDs for this series.

Technically the Grand Stage Daiundokai is the final CD of the series, but I listened to the group CDs out of order, so I still have one left.

Ratings:

Overall – 10

The only thing I *don’t* know is who was announced in the stage play as the new Top Star! I can’t find any reviews of the play or spoilers. How vexing. I’m also a little bummed that this series is over and I’m not getting any more sexy-voiced Grand Stage Drama CDs, but I’m really glad to have gotten these. ^_^ And seriously we got two series, so I can’t complain too much.