The good news is that, phew, that’s behind us now. No more Rainy Blue ever again…until the manga catches up. D’oh!

Well, for the moment, we can wallow in the comfort of the 14th Drama CD of the Maria-sama ga Miteru series, Parasol wo Sashite, in which Yumi gets back both her favorite umbrella and her beloved onee-sama.

This Drama CD is a 2-disk set, each disk has about 45-60 minutes of material.

The first disk has the half of the book in which Yumi meets Katou Kei and her older relative, the entirely adorable Yumiko. The second has the appearance of Youko and the revelation of what Sachiko has been going through for the past few months.

Two scenes in this story were critical to my understanding of the characters. When Touko snaps at Yumi outside the cafeteria, it occurred to me that, at that point, Touko has no idea that Yumi does not know what’s up with Sachiko. So, to see Yumi having fun with classmates is upsetting. Of course, yes, Touko’s a absolute jerk about it, which adds to the drama of the scene. But in the second half of the book, Touko knows that Yumi doesn’t know, which is probably one of the very first bricks in the wall she builds between Yumi and herself.

The second scene that really blew me away, was the scene with Kei’s older relative, Yumiko. Kei imagines her to be a taciturn old lady and Touko later points out that she was clearly used to frowning alot. But something about Yumi’s unexpected kindness opens up Yumiko in a way that I think she could never have expected. Yumiko tells Yumi something so important that I missed it the first 30 times I read/watched/read/listened to this scene. She says, simply, that if Yumi loves her onee-sama, she should tell her. Verbalizing this changes Yumi’s whole perspective…and Yumiko’s own life.

Of course it was nice to encounter Sei and Youko again, and “meet” Kei.

And the whole bit at the end that had gotten cut out of the anime, about Youko being too competent to forget an umbrella, then not having one, proving that she was totally discombobulated and Sachiko’s mother obsessing over convenience store food were told in full, to my immense pleasure.

The second disk also includes a bonus track, in which the actresses point out that it had been almost a year since they recorded Rainy Blue and how they were all kinda tense about that not being resolved.(Most of them have now read the novels, something I find fascinating.) But the thing that makes the bonus track priceless is right in the very beginning, when they are all talking about how emotional this CD is and Itou Miki says that saying “I love you Yumi,” was really emotional for her. When Itou-san says the words, “I love you, Yumi,” Ueda Kana immediately replies, “I love you too, Onee-sama!” And I, and the entire cast of Maria-sama ga Miteru screamed of “Ow! That hurt!” as our hearts exploded from the cuteness. (^_^) Toyoguchi Megumi says something like, “Aw, c’mon, I don’t want to see that!”

So, although it took a really long time to get…Parasol wo Sashite was totally worth it.

Ratings:

Overall – 9.5

Now that I think about it, this novel had *three* adorable adult characters – Sachiko’s mom Sayako, Kei’s relative Yumiko and “Miffy-chan,” the middle-school teacher who returned Yumi’s umbrella.

Maria-sama ga Miteru Premium CD, Volume 2 jumps right into the drama. By which I mean the drama of Yoshino and Rei coming to terms with the fact that their relationship will have to change forever.

In “Kibara Panic,” a date with Nana becomes a race to see who Rei’s omiai partner is. Yoshino learns that Nana is disturbingly like a former Yellow Rose that she knows well….and is at least her equal in every way.

Yoshino is forced to come face to face with her feelings about Nana in “Kibara Shinken Shoubu.” Yoshino begs Rei not to let go her as she tries to ride a bicylce, but when Rei and Nana cross swords in the dojo, it’s Yoshino ends up casting the past aside to embrace the future.

Both of these were brilliant, funny, emotional dramas. Yoshino and Rei, the bickering couple of the Yamayurikai, cannot go on as they have. For Yoshino to grow, Rei has to let go, something she doesn’t really want to do. Yoshino also has to stop being grasping, but she knows she’s cheating by having someone else to lavish attention on. In the second drama, Yoshino has time to recognize that her love for Rei is obsessive and has been in many ways, suffocating to her beloved cousin.

Nana is a wonder. She’s Yoshino’s equal on every level, and has more than just vocal similarities to the former Rosa Foetida. She likes interesting things, is up for an adventure and no matter what Yoshino throws at her, she’s right there to stand by Yoshino’s side. Using Nabatome Hitomi was a stroke of genius, because it does give Nana more than a little of that slightly “hrm…this sounds familiar” feeling.

The final track is a bonus talk by Ueda Kana selling us all the current Marimite goods and reminding us to follow the Oshaka-sama mo Miteru series (about Yuuki and his life at Hanadera  and which I have been reading and may just review at some point, because the last book had a great ending.)

Ratings:

Overall – 9

A really lovely CD if you like the Yellow Rose family. Which I do.

Champagne for New Years’ Day, sandwiches and a lot of giggling start off the Maria-sama ga Miteru Winter Special from 2009.

Shimizu Kaori (Noriko) still calls Noto Mamiko (Shimako) “Onee-sama” for our entertainment, and we learn important things like Noto-san likes roast beef and Shimizu-san is really good at janken pon.

Since we have the White Rose sisters in the house, it’s not that surprising that the drama this time is “Shirobara no Mono Omoi,” in which we and Noriko learn the tip of the iceberg of Shimako’s complicated family situation and Noriko finally meets Sei. As Noriko and Shimako discuss what a calm and peaceful souer couple they are, Shimako is dragged off by a man who pulls up in a car. The situation is unlikely, but Noriko’s got a steel trap mind even under stress, and guesses who Sei is on her first try (her image is different than she expected but 1) She refers to Shimako as “Shimako” – no honorific and 2) Noriko saw her at the kendo match and she guesses that she’s a Lillian U. student when she first sees her outside the gate.) Noriko apologizes for figuring it out so quickly and not giving Sei a Yumi-esque reaction.

Sei…is Sei. (I’m still/again amazed at Sei’s speech patterns. I don’t think I’ve ever heard/read someone is so all over the place in the way she speaks, from super casual to formal in three words.) And Noriko, after talking to Shimako that night says what anyone might say – “Is that *really* your Onee-sama?” ^_^

The whole segment is actually pretty funny. It’s the first time we see that Shimako is a steady ship who has a whole family of stormy seas – and it’s only going to get stormier.

The only negative of the Drama part was that the Foley was pretty intrusive. I really didn’t need to hear the swallowing that clearly. ^_^;

The final segment tests the actresses’ memory and art skills and they are both better and worse than you’d expect. The CD insert amusingly includes all three of their attempts at reproducing the Lillian logo, so you can have a good laugh.

Ratings:

Overall – 9

All in all, another excellent hour spent with “old friends.” Unfortunately, this CD appears to be sold out on Amazon JP, so you may have to resort to finding it elsewhere.

The Maria-sama ga Miteru Special CD, Volume 4 begins with what was a most obvious and silly gag as Nabatome Hitomi introduces herself as Torii Eriko’s VA, followed by Itou Shizuka as Rei, Ikezawa Haruna as Yoshino and then Nabatome-san starts to introduce herself again as the voice actress for Arima Nana to complete the Yellow Rose family roster, but starts to laugh and completely blows the gag. ^_^

This was followed by….sweets! The crackling of plastic and the various “yum” noises will be familiar to anyone who has listened to any of the previous CDs. Also the random conversation about nothing much.

This is followed by the drama Frame of Mind, which really struck home just how *much* Tsutako and Shouko there is in and around the series. Because, we’re *still* not done with them. I keep saying we’ve got all the pieces, but we’re nowhere near the end. ^_^

Frame of Mind covers the mystery of a handful of film cartridges that Yumi received from a 1st-year that say “Takeshima Tsutako” in katakana on them and that Tsutako herself says are not hers. Yumi, Great Detective Yoshino and Tsutako investigate the mystery and find out the criminal was….! We learn that the 3rd-years of the Photography Club are not above hazing the new kid on the block, which will lead into another trick they play in a later story, on the new club president-elect. Man, that Photo Club is tough. ^_^ This story has the added attraction of Yumi’s realization that the Photography Club is not just made up of Tsutako and Shouko.

This drama is followed up by “Souer no Kizuna” where the entire Kibara Family is eerily in synch and they all laugh alot.

Ratings:

Overall – 9

Once more, a hour of fun and another drama to add to the ole mp3 player. When I get the whole series on there, no doubt it will break and I’ll have to start from scratch….. And can you believe that I am *still* not done with the pile of stuff I brought home from Japan three months ago? There’s still a pile of Light Novels and at least two CDs left. Phew.