Hello! I was wondering, have you listened to the second Drama cd (related to Utsukushii koto) called Itoshii Koto? I'd be interested of seeing your opinions on it and how/if it changed your point of view about the Utsukushii koto at all.
I listened to Itoshii Koto years ago when it was released and haven’t had the time to listen to it again.
I plan on giving it a listen sometime soon and I will post a review about it then :)
(From the little I remember though, I’m pretty sure Hirosue is still a giant dick.)
Adapted from a novel of the same name by Konohara Narise. Matsuoka cross-dresses on Friday nights as a sort of stress relief. One night, he is assaulted by another man and finds himself stranded without shoes or his wallet under the rain. That’s when Hirosue, a bland guy who works at his company, saves him by paying for a taxi drive home. Matsuoka decided he’d never cross-dress again, but after seeing Hirosue waiting at the train station several evenings in a row, obviously waiting for a woman who doesn’t exist... Matsuoka gives in.
Despite himself, Matsuoka ends up texting and seeing Hirosue as a woman named ‘Eto Yoko’. He continually tries to end their relationship, until he realizes that he’s fallen in love with Hirosue.
Matsuoka gathers his courage to tell Hirosue the truth. That Eto Yoko doesn’t exist. That he’s a man.
And everything goes downhill from there.
Impressions:
This review is a long time coming. It’s one of my favorites, even though I haven’t written about it before. It was a lot harder to, back then, when there were a lot of things about this drama that I didn’t understand. The gender dynamics. The homophobia. The transphobia. The story itself is relatively simple, but it has layers and it’s the layers that tear my heart to pieces.
Utsukushii Koto isn’t for the faint of heart. There’s nothing fun about it. The first disc does focus on the more innocent aspect of the relationship, but it quickly turns around at the end of it.
Hirosue is the kind of man everyone woman has met. The kind, quiet, socially awkward guy who, for some reason, doesn’t have friends. Fukuda describes Hirosue’s kindness as “half-assed” and that’s exactly right.
He is kind to “Yoko”. His love for her is so innocent, so pure. He’s careful about boundaries at first. He insists that he loves her. Not just because she’s pretty. Not just because she’s mute. He loves her ‘kindness’ and her ‘energy’, he says.
Hirosue is in understandable disbelief when Matsuoka reveals the truth. Matsuoka gives Hirosue some time before inviting him out to dinner. And what does Hirosue do? Get hella fucking drunk because he didn’t want to go in the first place.
Matsuoka carries him and tries to explain to Hirosue’s drunk ass that he and “Yoko” are the same person. That, if anything, “Yoko” is the one who doesn’t exist. Hirosue’s answer? “She’s real to me. Beautiful and quiet like a doll.”
Hirosue fell in love with an “idea”, not a person.
Matsuoka ended up falling in love with a gross piece of shit.
That’s the tragedy of this story.
It’s being so desperately in love with someone who doesn’t at all deserve an inch of your affection. It’s knowing that they’re awful. That you need to quit and stop and leave it all behind... but not being able to. Matsuoka is trapped and desperate.
And Tatsun’s acting in this drama makes it all work so well. Sugitan is incredibly talented at voicing these AWFUL SCUMBAG characters, yes. But Tatsun’s definitely the reason to give this a listen. That and the heartbreaking story that still gives me pages and pages worth of things to think about.
Content warning: The only karami scene in this drama is rape. And it’s appropriately uncomfortable and doesn’t last very long.
Hi there ^^ in your opinion What's your top 5 blcd?
That's really tough-- but I'll narrow it down to things I've reviewed.
Kotonoha no Hana (Ono Daisuke/Kamiya Hiroshi) is probably one of my favorite BL stories of all time. It's a typical length 2-disc drama CD focusing on a man named Yomura Kazuaki who has the ability to read minds. Being able to hear people's thoughts, Yomura has grown sick of their duplicity. Until he meets Hasebe, a man whose thoughts perfectly echo the things he does and says. A lot happens in this CD that my 7-year old review fails to explain, but it is definitely worth checking out if you want a great story. Its alternate universe sequel, Kotonoha no Sekai (Miki Shinichiro/Hirakawa Daisuke), is just as great. Their stories parallel each other, with the key difference being the seme has the ability to read minds (whereas in Hana, it's the uke).
Shinayaka na Netsujo series (Miki Shinichiro/Kamiya Hiroshi) is another CD I reviewed way, way, way too many years ago, but remains to be one of my all-time favorites. Last I listened to it they were 4 main CDs in addition to 2 extra CDs-- looks like there are 6 main CDs now, though! In any case, this drama is about a cop and an artist who through circumstances end up seeing a lot of each other and then getting into a relationship. It's pretty slow paced, but the journey is definitely worth it. It's down to earth and features some of my favorite sex scenes ever.
Mr. Romanticist no Koi (Hatano Wataru/Sugiyama Noriaki) is a light-hearted high school story about a tall, handsome, all-round very masculine guy who is both the tennis club ace and student club president-- but despite his manly appearance has an otome's heart with a completely innocent and pure crush on this other guy. Not gonna lie, this is definitely one of the cutest BLCDs I've ever listened to.
Honto Yajuu (Nakamura Yuuichi/Kakihara Tetsuya) is another light-hearted story featuring a cop and a young master of the yakuza. It's based off a manga of the same name.
Kyuuso wa Cheese no Yume o Miru (Nakamura Yuuichi/Yusa Kouji) is definitely one of the deepest BL stories out there if only because it is outright about homosexuality, homophobia, internalized homophobia, bisexuality, and other gender issues abound in general. The manga is already an incredible story-- just summarizing it would be waste, to be honest. However, the BLCD has the advantage of Nakamura Yuuichi's and Yusa Kouji's voice talents.
A really close one is the Utsukushii Koto series (Sugita Tomokazu/Suzuki Tatsuhisa), which I don't think I reviewed but also kept out of the list because I thought I needed to put light-hearted things in it too and because this one has really heavy content warning for
*** rape and assault ***
It's about a successful businessman, Matsuoka (Tatsun), who cross-dresses as a hobby in order to get rid of some work stress. However, one day, he's assaulted at a bar by a guy convinced he's a woman. He escapes and an ordinary guy named Hirosue saves him. Attracted to Hirosue's innocence, Matsuoka continues to meet him dressed as a woman. Things get complicated after Hirosue confesses to Matsuoka and Matsuoka's eventually forced to tell him the truth. Things don't go very well from there at all. This one isn't for the faint of heart and it doesn't really have a happy ending at all. There's abuse, violence and really intense homophobia ontop of the rape and assault. Still, it's an extremely interesting story for delving into those issues with respect.
Hi there I was wondering if u can u do a review on kotonoha no hana?
Funny story, Kotonoha no Hana is actually the first drama CD I ever reviewed-- unfortunately it is a 7 year old review so maybe I'll review it again along with Kotonoha no Sekai (its sequel).
Yamashita is a dull, gloomy, gay virgin whose past-time happens to be masturbating to his favourite gay porno actor "Hikaru-san"-- One day, he happens upon "Hikaru-san" on the streets and instantly goes up to him, confessing his admiration, and asks him to take his virginity.
Surprisingly the guy doesn't say 'no, but when they get to the hotel, turns out "Hikaru-san" actually isn't "Hikaru-san" at all-- but some guy named Asaoka Ryuichi.
Impressions:
With a title like "Porno Superstar", it's probably better not to expect anything amazing-- but! I was pleasantly surprised by how hilarious and cute this CD was.
I mean, I expected a cute dorky uke-- especially considering Hirotan was voicing Yamashita. And I don't know if I've mentioned it before but I love Hirotan's aegi to bits. It's loud and whiny and just super fucking cute. And I also infinitely prefer him in these less-genki roles-- mostly because he has that voice that kind of makes you want to pinch his cheeks and be like "BAW CUTE". Yamashita pretty much gives off the same feeling.
But I think the biggest surprise of this CD was Asaoka-- who actually turns out to be a huge tsundere.
He starts out like the typical mean seme-- using Yamashita as a toy and all-- but then progressively gets kinder to him and then bam! Big reveal. He liked Yamashita all along and was just being stupid about dealing with it. Cute. Cute. Cute.
So damn cute.
My favourite scenes are definitely the two confessions: Yamashita's in the beginning, then Asaoka's in the last track. It's some illegal shit how cute they are.
The manga's floating around out there so everyone should just read if they can't listen to CDs.
SHINSENGUMI CHI TAMASHI ROKU ~WASURENAGUSA~ DAI ICHI MAKI OKITA SOUJI
Cast:
Suzuki Tatsuhisa as Okita Souji
Summary:
Impressions:
Let me warn you again, just in case. SAVE YOURSELF WHILE YOU'RE AHEAD. DON'T LISTEN TO THIS CD UNLESS YOU'RE PREPARED TO HAVE YOUR HEART RIPPED OUT AND TORN TO PIECES AND UNLESS YOU'RE PREPARED TO GET SO TURNED ON YOU'RE SEXUALLY FRUSTRATED FOR 500 YEARS. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Tatsun is an amazing seiyuu and I THINK WE ALL KNOW THIS ALREADY BUT PLEASE LET ME RE-ITERATE WHAT AN AMAZING JOB HE DOES IN THIS FUCKING CD CONSIDERING HE IS THE ONLY VOICE YOU HEAR FOR LIKE ALMOST 2 HOURS. As Okita Souji, Tatsun is a fucking dream come true. He plays the character like it's him-- like it's just perfect for him and IT IS FUCKING PERFECT FOR HIM.
It hurts. It hurts so much to hear him ask you stories about the shinsengumi because he misses them. It hurts because you can't tell him anything. It hurts because he feels useless and alone. He's sick and he's dying and it hurts. And he hurts. And he is AGONIZING. The last track on the main disk is a MASTERPIECE of emotion. He's cold. He grieves. Then, suffers and agonizes. And cries. And you cry. And all I could think is yeah-- I'd let him pin me down and rip my clothes off too-- (POISON THINKING I KNOW, BUT YOU GROW TO CARE AND LOVE AND SYMPATHIZE FOR THIS CHARACTER AND YOU FEEL POWERLESS BECAUSE YOU CAN'T HELP HIM)
On top of ALL THIS PAIN, you know what else you get? Tons of sexual frustration. It's a lot of kissing in the main disk-- but there's a bed scene in the tokuten CD. BUT TRUST ME THAT KISSING? HA. DAMN. Unless you're asexual, you are very likely horny by the third track.
I can literally summarize this CD in one sentence though and that's: "Tatsun is fucking amazing."
I MEAN SURE, I'm incredibly biased towards him-- BUT, this CD is amazing. And if you are a Tatsun fan, I BEG of you to get your hands on this. You don't want to miss out.
I took one look at the cover and thought I was in for a home tutor drama, but nope, turns out this is a editor/author story! The pacing of story is fucking incredible. It's light-hearted and hilarious 99.9% of the time.
Wacchan voices Hidaka who I thought would just be the usual fare of puppy seme, but turns out he's a lot more exciting than that. Hidaka's awfully trigger happy with a camera, super excitable and is a huge pervert despite himself. He doesn't actually fit into a trope much at all, being just a combination of qualities found in a guy who just happens to be really really in love.
Takkun though, oh god, Takkun. He was holy hell amazing in this drama. Kanou-sensei is pretty mood swingy and hearing Takkun change gears so quickly was super fun. From kakkoi megane Kanou-sensei, to negatively blowing things out of proportion sensei, to wow oh my god cute and kind of tsun sensei, to-- well lots of stuff. In one word? HOLY FUCKING HELL IS HE CUTE.
I don't usually relate well with BL characters but Kanou-sensei is pretty much my spirit animal. It's quite hard not to fall in love with a guy so frantically cute and hopeless in love. He's just. Wow. I can't count the number of times I cried 'preach' while listening to this drama.
The script and characters are amazing for such a simple and standard overly used BL plotline. No, like, seriously. Wow. Listen to it, you'll be on the floor laughing because Kanou-sensei is hilarious when he's blowing shit out its scope and because Hidaka is a huge pervert without knowing.
Also Hidaka's co-worker is so deadpan-- I just wish he had more screen time (AND ALSO BECAUSE HE HAS HIS OWN LOVER THERE'S SO MUCH SIDE-STORY POTENTIAL AND I GOT NOTHING).
There's only one real sex scene in the drama-- but Takkun makes so many cute ass noises during the whole that I hardly noticed.
If my summary is any indication, the story kind of doesn't matter here-- but you can think Sex Pistols without the great characters and beautiful depth. Despite the pretty awesome casting pair, Kuroneko was largely a disappointment and all but a total waste of my time.
For a CD that's really only supposed to be ear-candy, the smut is so unfortunately lacking. I'm not saying it was bad, but it could have been so much better. Most of the sex scenes feel too short, have too much talking and just really aren't satisfying at all-- which sucks because, come on, Maeno and Kondo? They are both capable of so much more than what was presented here.
On the minimal plus side, Shingo did have enough cute moments to make get through what was obviously going to be a disappointment from the get-go. Honestly though, if you wanna hear Kondo voice a super cute cat, Sentimental Garden Lover is a way better choice.
WARNING LEVEL 5 INCEST. Ryou's parents divorced when he was really young and he's been raised by his mother since. The last time he saw his dad was practically ten years ago, so one summer he decides to go visit him in Kyushu. Not too long after he arrives (and the atmosphere's pretty awkward between them), Ryou trips in the back garden and time slips back 22 years in the past...
Impressions:
I just read the manga this morning and went to listen to the drama CD pretty much right after, so pardon me if I'm a little excited.
I saw the incest warning, forgot it, remembered it, then felt my heart squeeze and barf all over my chest. I guess I went into this a little unprepared, because I pretty much didn't expect anything I got. You come to expect the kind of soft and pretty atmosphere from BL works, but come on, with a summary like this, you kind of wonder what the hell kind of story you're going to get. And Not Equal was really, wow.
He. Falls. In. Love. With. His. Dad. I couldn't bring myself to believe there was any way this story could end well. I was bracing myself for the worst because the worst was bound to happen. But, luckily for my heart, Not Equal didn't take all the dramatic turns it could have taken. The very obvious lack of a supporting cast was really great because you literally only spend time with Ryou and Konomi. And that's enough emotional turmoil, really. And you get to just enjoy the few really sweet moments between all the pain and inner conflict.
Plus, come on, NojiHiro and Tatsun? Sold at names. Not sure if I've said this in a previous review but I love love love NojiHiro's silent sufferer voice-- because that's what I'm going to call it. He's just really good at voicing this kind of character. Tatsun was great, as usual, and he even had me going at quite a few scenes. Especially the one where he's starting to realize the futility of his plight and he just grabs onto Konomi and cries. Wow, my heart.
There's a single H-scene and (though you should be surprised) really fucking great. Ah.
My only complaint is that the drama stops at the manga's half-point (when Ryou is sent back to the present), but if I trust Atis and this drama's freetalk track, then I'll believe we'll get a second drama soon enough.
Wow, ok. I'm pretty sure this isn't just because I'm biased towards both Okita and Tatsun-- but, wow. This CD was just really amazing-- and I'm not even really that into Talk CDs. Tatsun's portrayal of Okita was just flawless. He moves through emotions so fluidly that it sends chills down my spine. He's so full of pain and sometimes it's shown through his eerily calm demeanor-- or how easily he speaks of death and killing people-- or how he teases you and just... I'm... wow.
I also just really appreciate how the sound travels when you listen to the CD with headphones. It's so eerie and sometimes I'd get legitimately surprised when Okita was suddenly on my left? Or when he was behind me? I mean, gosh. Chills!
And the BED SCENE I AM JUST SO RED AND EMBARRASSED BY HOW TURNED ON I WAS OK WOW NOPE NO SHAME HERE. So maybe I'm a little masochistic but I just-- wow-- I'm-- I can't form words to write how amazing this CD was.
Look, if you care in the least about Tatsun or about Okita or both-- then you probably really ought to listen to this one if only to hear HOW AMAZING TATSUN IS AS OKITA.
(If you don't know what I'm talking about-- it's pretty much a CD a la Hitsuji de Oyasumi or Starry Sky)
Impressions:
I will be very honest. Most of the first half bored me, but, Takashi Naozumi's voice was enough to keep me going. Even if I'd let what he was saying escape me, just HEARING him to talk to me in that sweet, cool voice of his was... well, enough to make me swoon and die. The CD only completely took my attention when Hajime hugs you for the first time... then kisses you. I was just, like, whoa, wow, WAIT, my heart is... not... ready for this... oh my god. And if THAT wasn't enough, there is actually a bed scene in this CD.
Lord save my soul, because damn was that whole track just damn fucking hot to listen to. It was even better than some BLCD H-scenes, which is completely insane considering the 'girl' doesn't have a voice here so it's pretty much just Hajime moaning, groaning and making squishy noises and--- by the gods, by the GODS-- It was really, really hot.
I had to admit that after such sexy-sounding love-making even I was feeling a little teary-eyed when Hajime had to leave me in the next track.
Just saying though, Talk CDs really aren't for everyone-- but hey, if you want to hear a seiyuu basically say a lot of sweet nothings to you then pretty much have sex with you-- by all means, listen to this one. Takashi Naozumi's voice is absolutely great and I can't wait to hear more of him.
Another big plus is that this CD features great background music, seriously.
(Note: Now, honestly, HONESTLY, speaking, I only gave this CD a try because I'm seriously looking forward to Volume 2 in a couple of days which feature Tatsun as Okita Souji-- and if Volume 1 is any indication... I'm looking forward to hearing Tatsun's sweet moans fuck me over, hn.)
Just want to say I enjoyed your reviews very much, thank you! Samehara-kun to sasahara-kun is extremely hilarious~ please do recommend if there are anymore CDs similar to it. xD
I'm glad you like my reviews!
If you liked Samehara-kun to Sasahara-kun, I'm pretty sure you'll probably enjoy: Danshi Meiro, Honenuki ni Saretai and Akanai Tobira! (I'd have more to recommend, but these are all I can remember right now?)
Danshi Meiro's just as hilarious as SameSasa, with just a wider cast and more characters. Honenuki's a light-hearted love comedy type with a super puppy-like seme just like SameSasa. And Akanai Tobira's just--well, it has a special place in my heart and the uke in it is basically a man-magnet.
Note: This drama is based off a shoujo manga of the same name.
Summary:
Snow White is a pitiful young girl, ostracized by pretty much everyone for her white hair and demon red eyes. Also, her mother's a crazy bitch. One day, Mirror decides to send Snow White to another world and, as she is falling, he tells her: "If you want to come back home, make Alice king."
(Note: Excuse the summary. This is a fairy tale crossover, so I really don't think it needs much explanation. Also, check out the manga-- it's really pretty)
Impressions:
Shiro Ari very appropriately named, what with being a Snow White (Shiroyuki) and Alice (Arisu) crossover, is an amazing cute shoujo fantasy comedy featuring a bunch of Wonderland figures (plus a bishounen Mirror and an immensely cute Snow White) in a setting that can pretty much let whatever happen. It's a notable contrast to Are You Alice? which is incredibly dark and absurd in comparison. Anyway, though the scene was cut out of the drama CD, Mirror sends Snow White away right after accidentally telling her stepmother that he believes Snow White to be the fairest of them all-- because obviously her stepmother would bring all hell upon poor Snow White if she'd stayed in her world. And so begins the story.
All the characters in this drama are very distinct-- which I guess you would expect from a pre-existing cast. They are very amazingly portrayed by each of their seiyuu though and, while being character we all know and love, they still manage to bring something adorably new to the palette. Kugimiya Rie's Snow White is sugar-death cute, super clumsy, naive and as kind as you would expect her to be. She blames no one for her unfortunate situation and is rather grateful to her stepmother for giving her a home. The same goes for when she ends up in Wonderland. Even if Alice is a total douchebag, she still believes that there is more to him and that eventually he'll be kind to her as well. Also, animals love her and it's just totally cute when they protect her from Alice in the scene where he reveals his two-facedness.
Speaking of Alice. Wowee. I just love hearing SuzuKen use his sadist voice, (Gintama's Okita, wink wink) but hearing a two-faced sadist is even better. Snow White calls him 'sado otoko'-- and Alice's outside face is always that of a super kind, super sweet guy. Throughout the whole drama, he shows literally no sign of relent in his sadism... which actually surprised me, considering how these types of character usually show at least one moment of warmth. Then again, Shiro Ari being a comedy, this probably shouldn't surprise me.
The rest of the cast was also pretty mindblowing. Terashima's Mirror is incredibly smooth. Masayan's Mad Hatter is a joke-- well like pretty much all of Masayan's characters. Yucchi's March Hare was suave and cool and I literally ended up shipping him with Mad Hatter because of ONE exchange. Yonaga's Jack of Hearts, though. Big highlight for me. Jack of Hearts appears in the story acting 100% like a girl-- until bam! nope, his clothes are torn off and we're presented with a flat-chest-- to which Jack of Hearts runs away crying about his otome kokoro. In the freetalk, Yonaga said himself 'oh gee is it okay that I'm voicing a woman?' until he got to the part in the script that reveals Jack of Hearts is a guy (at which he was surprised).
Story-wise, well it's a comedy with a great setting. After all the introduction stuff is over, the rest of drama CD focuses on a sweets-making contest, during which Dormouse (who has a huge ass crush on Alice and talks with a Chinese accent and is quite cute at first but then irritating after a thought), Jack of Hearts and Snow White have to make something after Alice's image. It's a cute skit-like thing you'd expect from a comedy. Honestly, this whole drama is a good cute laugh. The freetalk track was also pretty entertaining-- mostly when Masayan and Yucchi talking-- but that's also probably because I like conversations about food and cooking.
All in all, Shiro Ari was a great easy listen. It's short and sweet and just totally worth your time. Also. KugiRie and SuzuKen together in drama, more like Kagura and Okita cute cute (sorry I'm that kind of shipper).
Highlights:
Snow White is so cute wow ohmg
SuzuKen voicing a two-faced sadist
YONAGA VOICING A CROSSDRESSER UGH THE CUTE
Dormouse's Chinese accent, wowee
ok actually dormouse gets irritating after a while
WOWEE JESUS ALL THESE CHARACTERS ARE SO CUTE
Fairy tale crossovers, man-- Come on, that should be enough.
A priest. A high-schooler. A cop. A penguin. And oh, a ghost, too. It may sound like the perfect set-up to a crack-filled drama CD, but no. Instead, we get a fabulous original Drama CD with an peaceful and magical atmosphere a la Natsume Yuujincho. Chidori Miki, our priest, runs the Penguin Shrine where he and his younger half-brother, Tane, reside. Miki's (the dark-haired, megane-wearing fellow) goal is to make sure their shrine strives on-- but the problem is, though he gets amazing grades at the priest exams (or whatever, pardon me, I'm too good on the details here), he's got no divine power (jintsuuriki) whatsoever. Tane, the high-schooler, has a total brother complex and, ironically enough, the divine power that Miki lacks-- problem is, he's got no intention whatsoever to take up the study. Then, Ten, the cop, who's also Tane's half-brother (as they have the same mother), is a cool dude with way less shit to worry about (don't let my description deceive you, Ten's my favourite). And finally, Enishi, the mysterious penguin who claims he's God's servant-- but, you know, is actually just a drunk pervert-- and other things...
Episode 1 introduces the setting and characters while also having a whole (fabulous) side-plot with a lost ghost.
(Note: I know this was a long summary, but that's because there's no info on this drama otherwise)
Impressions:
I went at this drama knowing literally nothing about it other than it's an original drama CD and it has a bunch of seiyuu I hadn't heard in a while. Namely, Sakurai and SuzuKen-- whom I haven't heard together in forever. That being said, I spent the first two tracks struggling to keep up. The shrine setting implies a lot of terms that I don't really understand. But, I suppose it's mostly important to know that jintsuuriki refers to divine power-- so the ability to sense stuff and purify shit. When I finally settled into the story though, I was presented with a great script and amazing characterization. Every character has a distinct personality and very clear motives. All-around, great drama.
So, characters. There aren't many, sure, but unlike for BLCDs where it would suffice to just talk about the seme and uke-- original dramas aren't as kind. Every character in this drama deserves a paragraph, but I'll cut it short. Miki, the priest, is hard-working, but is lacking certain self-esteem that he's almost kind of self-deprecating-- also, he's kind of naive. It's a rarity to hear OnoD voice this kind of quiet, passive, princely-type character, so boy did I get a kick out of it! Also, it strangely suited-- if only because Miki's closer to OnoD's actual personality.Tane, the high schooler, is-- well, the straight man with a huge, huge brother complex for Miki. Not exactly a tsundere though, as he kind of always just tsun-tsun. Personally, I do love Shimo-chan's voice on these type of loud, always angry characters-- so bam, insta-happy. Ten, the cop, is the more sarcastic one-- but he's actually caring and sweet-- and he's voiced by my sweet prince Sakurai, so there. Enishi is a big perv, drunk with a personality that reminds me a lot of Nyanko-sensei. Finally, we also get the ghost, Kento, in this episode and he's voiced by SuzuKen who does a great job at the "genki" as you'd expect. There's also another side character and Nene-san (who's Tane and Ten's mother)-- but this paragraph is long enough.
Original drama CDs aren't as easy to listen to as BLCDs or Drama CDs adapted off Manga, mostly there's nothing else to go on with. Well, unless you're fluent-- which I'm not, so. That being said, only some of the finer details of dialogue escaped me and, otherwise, another listen should give me a proper hold on the story. The characters are really enough to give this a go, if only to hear really great seiyuu do roles they don't usually get the chance to.
(Note: This drama was also really great in comparison to other original Drama CDs I've heard-- if only because 90% of them were crack stories like Kiyosho and Balett Star. But it wasn't as deep and dark as Are You Alice? Penguin Enishi actually plays out more like an anime-- if episodes were longer.)
(Note: Satomi calls Haru "Shunin" throughout the CD. It's apparently used to address a person of higher rank in an office, so.)
Summary:
Impressions:
I'm sorry. It's another Wacchan CD, but I really couldn't help it. It's my duty to head off and listen to Atis CDs, after all. But anyway, as you would expect from them, this is a fantastic drama. Also, despite being told by Haru's point of view, every character gets their fair share of spotlight and, by the end, everyone's feelings and motives are as clear and real as the Earth and sky. Noji-nii, Wacchan, Kiiyan and Mizushima all do a fantastic job with their character and-- wow it's just amazing the kind of chemistry Noji has with Wacchan in this story.
So Haru. He's as calm and mature-seeming as most of Noji's heroes are, but five minutes in we quickly learn that he's actually extremely sensitive and prone to loneliness. He lives alone and his only family is the adorable robotic dog on the cover, Kinpira-- and it literally does nothing but say "Haru-chan, okaeri!" in a mechanical voice, but every time Haru starts talking to him it's the saddest most emotional shit ever. And Enomoto, Haru's best friend, is literally the coolest best friend character since that best-friend character from Mr. Romanticist no Koi. He's extremely blunt, asks all the right questions as soon as you want the answer, and largely pushes the plot forward. Best. Fucking. Support. Ever. Then, Satomi. He's as Wacchan-type as Wacchan gets. The younger seme who's really kind, really sweet, and very dog-like. Also, he attacked Haru twice while drunk. Small details. But still, no matter how many times Wacchan voices these types of characters, he always manages to make every experience different and perfect. You can't go wrong with him. Finally, Takahashi who, if anything just term-wise, is pretty much the antagonist. Unless we're calling Haru's cowardice the antagonist. But anyway, the biggest plot turns come around when it turns out Takahashi isn't doing so well with his boyfriend of eight years-- at once putting Haru in a position to back off and Satomi in the position of 'oh shit two guys love me'.
Since I'm already getting into it: story. Plot-wise, this drama was pretty much a shoujo in disguise. Besides the atmosphere and characters, every thing else felt like I was reading a shoujo manga instead of listening to a BLCD-- which, you know, is pretty fucking refreshing. It's story about actual gays who are actually just shoujo characters in the bodies of men who act like men. Trust me, that'll make sense when you listen to the CD. BL largely presents us with characters who aren't really gay but just in love with that one special guy or with stories that don't discuss sexuality at all, so you know, this is nice. Though, I can't help if every plot twist in this drama had me crying in both laughter and tears about the extreme shoujo-ness of it. I mean, literally, as soon as the "guy likes guy who likes other guy" scenario came in-- it's just: SHOUJO. And with Enomoto playing the role as protag's best friend who's pretty much always going "GO GET YOUR MAN, GURL"-- well, it's just all very shoujo-like.
The pacing is also really good here. It never feels like nothing's happening and, at the same time, it never feels like events are pulling by too fast. The twists and turns may feel gimmicky, but the execution fits with the shoujo of it all and you just kind of forgive it. Besides, it's hard not to fall in love with the chemistry these characters have. Clap clap to the seiyuus! We're also given three pretty fucking sweet h-scenes and boy, boy, Noji-nii can work his aegi. But, you know, we know that already, haha. They're not too long or super explicit or anything, but they feel just right.
All in all, another perfect title to Atis Collections perfect catalog of perfect drama CDs. I know in summary Chiru Chiru, Michiru, probably doesn't sound too exciting-- but trust me, you're in for a fun load of emotions with this one. Even if the story is attractive, the character chemistry and great voice work should be enough to get you on this one.
Highlights:
Kinpira is the cutest robotic dog and my heart dies whenever Haru talks to it
Enomoto's every line
Satomi lying about knowing how to cook
Drunk sex
That breast cancer plot twist gimmick
hearing Noji-nii say 'bai-bai'
Haru NOT OPENING THAT GIFT AND EVERYTHING THAT ENTAILED
Asada's been admiring this guy who works at the same company as him for a while now. Some day, turns out Asada gets to work with the object of his admiration-- a handsome man named Mizuki. After an awkward conversation with Mizuki, where Asada asks him if he's married due to the ring on his finger, Asada finds out from some co-workers that Mizuki's gay and out of the closet. Not that it matters. Asada gets to know Mizuki better and finds himself getting more and more drawn to him and a roller-coaster of feels set in a pretty slice-of-lifey atmosphere takes your heart and squeezes until you can't breathe anymore before letting it pump up again with happiness.
Impressions:
So yeah I kind of had no real idea what to expect from this drama and I was amazingly surprised by it. FLUTTER was refreshing in terms of story and character treatment. Compared to most BL, this drama was mostly realistic-- which is a nice pull-off from our usual utopic BL world.
Kondo Takashi uses a really smooth, cool voice here that mostly reminds me of Sakurai Takahiro's cool prince voice. I don't think I've ever heard the tone on him, so I found it amazingly sexy. His character, Mizuki, is pretty complex. He's a normal businessman, admired and accomplished-- yet gay and out of the closet-- which is refreshing. He's pretty tough to fit into an archetype, so I'm just not going to try. He has a terrible self-loathing side, a fairly brisk attitude and maybe a lack of belief in others, or perhaps low self-esteem. He's neither incredibly forward or too shy. And his actions and words sometimes make you rethink his personality-- but mostly just adds to the depth of the character. He ain't no one-trick-man.
Asada, on the other hand, is a little simpler to understand. He's friendly, kind of a dork with a sincerely naive side. More importantly, he's fiercely blunt, honest and pretty much doesn't hesitate about anything. He realizes his emotions for Mizuki pretty early on but doesn't dwell or panic. The calm manner in which the actual romantic feelings are dealt with is incredibly slice-of-lifey and just... mostly... really realistic. I mean, not to say there ain't no drama in FLUTTER. Just that it's all dealt with peacefully that it truly feels like a real-life story.
The bulk of the plot relies of Asada getting to know Mizuki more and more, until finally finding out about the ring Mizuki wears and how it's related to his ex-boyfriend (who we know as 'sensei' until we find out his name is 'yoshino'. Mizuki's backstory is pretty much like a BL manga gone totally wrong. I could sum it up really bluntly, but that really wouldn't be doing the story justice at all. Also, only in the bonus track (set a while later) do we get a curt sex scene-- which made me incredibly happy because realistically you can't have buttsex with someone on the spot-- a fact we tend to ignore because sex scenes are hot.
Probably because I literally just finished listening to the drama, I still have quite a few of FLUTTER's highlights in mind. Asada crying at the movie he and Mizuki go to watch being one, the rest being hilarious exchanges between the two. Like when Mizuki was like "I'm selfish and I've got a bad personality" to which Asada replied bluntly "I know"-- or when Mizuki said "you're the type of guy who gets confessed to and then dumped afterwards, aren't you?" and Asada innocently went "how did you you know!?"-- Or, on the less funny, but more emotional lines which were abundant-- when Asada gives his don't-misunderstand-my-feelings-i-want-to-be-by-your-side-even-if-you-don't-love-me speech (well, the whole 4th track was just a lot of tears actually)-- or when Asada literally just charges to Mizuki's place after hearing him on the phone crying... Fucking feels.
Luckily, shit brightens up towards the end of the last track where there's enough to cute to make you want to cry because Asada and Mizuki can finally be happy-- YES HAPPY ENDING OK, SPOILED IT. On a last note, this drama was also blessed with amazingly good background tracks. The music box track was just... so... emotional... and... I am a puddle of tears, I am.
If the length of this review and the quality of my English doesn't make it obvious, I really enjoyed this drama. It's a good recommendation to anyone. A veteran will appreciate the refreshing story and character treatment. A newbie might like the ease in since the sex scene is only in the bonus track and it pretty short and overshadowed by a monologue partway. Or you might not like that because wowee sex is hot shit. So there. Only not recommending to people who want to hear some hot karami scenes. Otherwise, go get it.
Miyake Kenta as That Poor Guy who Keeps Cockblocking Aki
Summary:
The sweet light-hearted love story between Ueda, a policeman, and Aki, a member of the yakuza. After Ueda basically catches this guy who stole his underwear, Aki falls in with him at first sight and finds him the next day all like "I love you" and Ueda's like "let's get to know each other first" so then Aki basically starts coming over to his workplace like every day and they eventually start dating. Cute shenanigans follow.
Impressions:
Wow I can't believe I haven't reviewed this after I first listened to it like years ago? Anyway, I suddenly felt like listening to it again and bam here I am. Honto Yajuu's definitely one of my old favourites because wow damn it's so cute and light-hearted and how many yakuza-involved bl stories do you know are angst-less?
Alright so Ueda's a great character if just because his personality's so disconnected yet morally just and unbelievably kind. Then again, You-kyan (Nakamura Yuuichi) does often play this kind of character-- still I mean, if you compare Ueda's "go with the flow" personality to, say, Kyouichi's (Kyuuso wa Cheese no Yume o Miru) "go with the flow" personality... Big difference. Anyway, his actions are pretty much defined by the simple fact that he thinks people are interest, regardless of who they are and it's this kind of open-mindedness that makes him a great partner to Aki.
So Aki has a rough, loud and brash personality-- reminding me more a delinquent than yakuza, but hey, I'm not Japanese so what do I know? So first you get his crazy out of nowhere confession of love to Ueda setting him as the blunt and honest uke, but Aki also gets embarrassed and cute at the most perfect moments and man, Ueda's not the only one mentally dying from his crazy cuteness.
No well, I mean, basically, both of them subvert enough of their respective stereotypes to just... make... you... love them so damn fucking much. It helps that nothing is ever taken too seriously in the story. Most of the plot twists are taken care of within minutes and it's just really refreshing. I mean, about the only time something drags on a "little" long is when Ueda gets strangely angry and jealous at meeting Aki's first man. But even that is resolved pretty fucking quickly and it was actually darn cute to see Ueda's angry side.
The dramas are also pretty fucking short and divided into cute little mini-stories (which is probably why all the "drama" gets resolved so fast). My favourite one is probably when Ueda's little brother Natsuki shows up, just because there was that one cute moment when Natsuki was heading back home and Ueda was all like "You're too young for a girlfriend!"-- I mean, really. That was kind of the only time you get to hear him pretty desperate. Ueda having dinner at Aki's place was a great scene, too-- but maybe I'm saying that because I'm listening to the track right now as I type this--Moving on.
The sex scenes in this are really hot, like yum. Kakki has a great aegi and it's actually too bad I haven't heard it in too many places. And also, the side characters (Yamase and Miyate-san's character) are hilarious despite not having too many moments. Miyate-san's character had this one super fucking funny line that went something like "Ueda, Ueda, ore wa shita da!"-- I'm sorry, I'm just crazy weak for puns.
Anyway, this is a definite listen to anyone. I'm not kidding. It's just perfect for anyone. Simple plot. Great sex scenes. But incredibly believable characters. A story that doesn't ever bog down with stupid plot twists. And, come on, humour. It's perfect or maybe I'm just weak for the whole yakuza thing.
(Note: I should probably go listen to Honto Yajuu 3 because, pause to gasp, I haven't yet.)
