2009年6月8日月曜日

BACK IN BUSINESS!!!


After a long, unexpected not to mention PAINFUL absence, I am happy to report I now have a stable work place and internet connection. In other words, very soon we will be

♡BACK IN BUSINESS!!!♡

So stay tuned and happy listening~!
Thanks for all your patience. (^_-)-☆


☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°
All translations copyrighted and owned by myself.
All copyrights of their respective owners. No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner.

2009年2月20日金曜日

Alice? Radio: ☆LIVE EVENT☆

March 29, 2009!!!


Announcing the live recording event, 「Honeyed invitation」

*DATE: March 29, 2009 (Sunday), Two showings planned
*PLACE: Kudan Kaikan, Main Hall
*TICKETS: sales date and price currently not set (see below)
*HOST: Marine Entertainment

Present at the recording will be the following cast members from the Are You Alice? series:
平田広明(イカレ帽子屋役)~ Hirata Hiroaki ♡♡ (Mad Hatter)
井上和彦(チェシャ猫役)~ Inoue Kazuhiko ♡♡♡ (Cheshire Cat)
藤原啓治(眠りネズミ役) ~ Fujiwara Keiji (Dormouse)
森久保祥太郎(白ウサギ役) ~ Morikubo Shoutarou (White Rabbit)
大川透(ハートの女王役) ~ Ookawa Tooru (Queen of Hearts)



☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・° ADDENDUM ☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°

The following is updated information from the OFFICIAL EVENT SITE.

*DATE: March 29, 2009 (Sunday), Two showings planned.
-> FIRST SHOW: door opens @ 2:30 PM
show starts @ 3:30 PM
show ends @ 5:00 PM
-> SECOND SHOW: door opens @ 6:00 PM
show starts @ 7:00 PM
show ends @ 8:30 PM

*TICKETS: 5500 Yen with tax. All seats reserved.

Stay tuned and happy listening~! (^_-)-☆




☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°
All translations copyrighted and owned by myself.
All copyrights of their respective owners. No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner.

2009年2月14日土曜日

「AZ」, 彡★ revisted ★彡

{sound of lock?revolver? being wound.}

Little Red Riding Hood:
Once upon a time, at the edge of a peaceful village lived a young girl.
Everyone called her "red riding hood" because of how wonderful she looked in the red velvet hood that her dear grandmother had made for her. However one day red riding hood took beside herself when she heard that her grandmother had taken to bed ill. So red riding hood, putting cheese and bread, and scarlet red wine in her basket, decided to visit her sick grandmother who lived deep in the forest.
"There's a bad wolf that lives in the forest. You mus'nt speak with him."
Will red riding hood obey her mother's warning and safely reach her grandmother's house?

{footsteps on dry fallen leaves}


I don't think it's possible. Mother. Because I love him.

{footsteps continue}

Wolf: Hey, little red riding hood. Won't you play with me?

「AZ」, Darkness - The Grimm FairyTales 201, 00:00 - 01:45




[ Summary ]
The town that continues to grow and the forest caught in the past.
For all unfavorable incidents, their truth is distorted then thrown out in to the forest where they are reborn as "The Grimm Fairytales". The townspeople forget about those incidents and pass on the Grimm tales-their incoherent days spent pleasantly in peace.
A young boy, having lost both his parents and his older brother, searching after the truth, heads into the forest. He pulls a scarlet hood deep down over his eyes and carries in his basket a bottle of wine and a gun. To kill his brother who has become the Big, Bad Wolf. However, what he meets in the forest and the actual wolf that appeared in the fairytale "Red Riding Hood" are...?

[ Cast ]
保志総一朗 ~ Hoshi Souichirou as Red Riding Hood
能登麻美子 ~ Noto Mamiko as Little Red Riding Hood
平田広明 ~ Hirata Hiroaki as the Wolf ♡♡
加瀬康之 ~ Kase Kouji as the Hunter
石田彰 ~ Ishida Akira as the Older Brother
浅川悠 ~ Asakawa Yuu as the Harlot
辻桃子 ~ Tsuji Momoko as the Foster Mother

[ Track list ]
Darkness - The Grimm FairyTales 201
The Forest - Ehrenberg
The Town - Brother
The Wolf - Little Red Riding Hood
Red - The Grimm FairyTales 202

[ Author ・ Scenario Writer ]
二宮愛 ~ Ninomiya Ai
加藤千穂美 ~ Katou Chihomi

[ Release Date ]
2009/1/30

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・° COMMENTS ☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°

OMG was this amazingly fabulous!!!!
Run out and buy it NOW!
Seriously, much like the IM production 11, Twilight Suicide, I listened to this twice in FULL the day I acquired it.
It has elements of that mild distortion paired with lingering sadness feel from Captain Hook and an unbalanced sense of reality/truth like the Are You Alice? series.

Can't wait for the next one!!
(Very likely to be a series. See forthcoming translation about this from the official LOCO site HERE..)

Stay tuned and happy listening~! (^_-)-☆


☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°
All translations copyrighted and owned by myself.
All copyrights of their respective owners. No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner.

2009年2月13日金曜日

KIRI 「霧」, anthem two

Naturally, I don't have it yet. That's OK. I am patient. (Alright, that was an outright lie.) I will be in South Korea soon enough and you had better believe that with my first pay check I am heading straight to the bookshop and placing an order for this. In the meantime, I was able to collect some information.


霧 -the route of infection KANARIA. ansem:02


[ Summary ]
KIRI - the route of infection KANARIA. Anthem:02

Who should be protected? The girl? The world?
Who should be loved? The world? The girl?

On the condition that she be allowed to live as a normal human, Kiri, in order to protect the world from the global infectious virus "bird cage" hides the "world memories" within her own body.

A world loved by the virus. A world that continues to reject the virus.
Before long, the world, while eating away at the memories of the girl without a free spirit, begins to fall in love.

[ Cast ]
三木眞一郎 ~ Miki Shinichirou ♡♡♡
鈴村健一 ~ Suzumura Kenichi
平田広明 ~ Hirata Hiroaki ♡♡
櫻井孝宏 ~ Sakurai Takahiro ♡♡
かないみか ~ Kanai Mika
青野武 ~ Aono Takeshi

[ Track list ]
1. KAINOPHOBIA‐ The birdcage for a dead master.
2. KALEIDOSCOPE‐ The proper way for you and the world to exist
3. KAFKA‐ Second Contact
4. KOUNOTORI‐ Balfour
5. KATAHANE‐ Dear bird, without a fall.

[ Author ・ Scenario Writer ]
二宮愛 ~ Ninomiya Ai

[ Release Date ]
2007/12/24

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・° COMMENTS ☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°

I have been bravely ignoring other people's reviews of this so as not to spoil any surprises.
Random thoughts as I type this...
IM sure loves the Christmas season release date.
I hope they release a soundtrack like they have for the Are You Alice? series.

And as I said before, this story is just starting. IM continues to provide a lot of background information which I will be translating and posting for you in the future weeks. In the meantime, you can find general series information here.

Stay tuned and happy listening~! (^_-)-☆


☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°
All translations copyrighted and owned by myself.
All copyrights of their respective owners. No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner.

2009年2月9日月曜日

BL DRAMA CD: CHINTSUBU series

Talking... body parts.
This is really really good.
Seriously.

Chinko no Tsubuyaki


Chintsubu 01
[ Summary ]
俺のち●こが、こんなトコに!!
楽しい修学旅行が事故で一転。バスが突っ込んだ珍古神社の祟りか、綾瀬の股間にはなんと取手の意識を持ったモノが!一方、犬猿の仲の神谷と岩淵まで、互いの分身が入れ替わって――!高校生4人と3本のつぶやくちんこ達が繰り広げるギャグコメディ!


Chintsubu 02
[ Summary ]
高校生4人と3本のつぶやくちんこ達が繰り広げるギャグコメディ! あの話題の人気作品のドラマCD第2弾がついに登場! 原作者は人気作家の大和名瀬。ドラマは、発売中のコミックスと商業誌未収録作品をまとめた内容です。
綾瀬のことが好きな取手は、修学旅行のバスで隣の席に座れ楽しい旅行になるはずだったが、みんなが乗ったバスが事故に巻き込まれてしまう。意識不明の重体になった取手だったが、バスが突っ込んだ珍古神社の祟りのせいか、なんと綾瀬の股間の分身に取り憑いてしまった! 取手は綾瀬の股間から、綾瀬に告白をし晴れて付き合うことに。一方、同じ事故に巻き込まれた犬猿の仲の神谷と岩淵まで、互いの分身が入れ替わってしまっていて――!


Chintsubu 03
[ Summary ]
修学旅行中に起きたバス事故で、意識不明の重体となった取手は、なんと想い人・綾瀬の分身に取り憑いた! かたや犬猿の仲の岩淵と神谷もお互いのモノが入れ替わってしまい…。悩みながらも案外楽しく、そしてちょっぴりキュンとする関係を続ける少年4人と分身3 本。綾瀬と取手のバカップル度は過激さを増し、岩淵と神谷の仲は超接近。そして災難だらけの取手には新たな受難が…。常識を越えた可愛さと面白さ、つぶやくちんこ達が織り成す、愛と苦悩と笑いの青春疾走ストーリー!

Absolutely no chance of translations this time. For some reason it's OK to read it in Japanese, but I get all red and embarassed just thinking about how I am supposed to phrase these things. Sorry!

[ Cast ]
置鮎龍太郎 ~ Okiayu Ryoutarou ♡♡
宮田幸季 ~ Miyata Kouki
遊佐浩二 ~ Yusa Kouji
櫻井孝宏 ~ Sakurai Takahiro ♡♡
岸尾大輔 ~ Kishio Daisuke
沢海陽子 ~ Soumi Youko
木内秀信 ~ Kiuchi Hidenobu
大畑伸太郎 ~ Oohata Shintarou
加瀬康之 ~ Kase Yasuyuki
川上未遊 ~ Kawakami Miyuu
小林ゆう ~ Kobayashi Yuu

[ Pairing ]
Okiayu Ryoutarou x Miyata Kouki
Yusa Kouji x Sakurai Takahiro

[ Author ・ Scenario Writer ]
大和名瀬 ~ Yamato Nase

[ Release Date ]
2004/01/31
2007/01/26
2008/08/29

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・° COMMENTS ☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°

Do not listen to in bed. You will fall out from laughing too hard.
This is seriously, as one person put it - EXTREME CRACK.
It is just so far out there... There are no words to describe this. Don't get me wrong; it is great fun. I recommend it highly. Easy listening, a mood lifter if you will. Nothing heavy, but nothing you want to listen to in a public bus or before bed time.

Stay tuned and happy listening~! (^_-)-☆


☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°
All translations copyrighted and owned by myself.
All copyrights of their respective owners. No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner./span>

2009年2月1日日曜日

BL DRAMA CD: GENZAI series

I decided to introduce this series in one post because there's not much to say about it. Not that it is bad quality or anything, just it is what it is - a very well-acted but typical BL Drama. There are more novels that continue the story, about four to date. There may even be more CDs to come given the huge lag time betwen release of part one (Yuuzai) and part two (Genzai).

有罪


[ Summary for Yuuzai ]
桜井透也は念願の売れっ子ミステリー作家・穂高櫂の担当編集に抜擢される。だが会社命令で予定より早く本を出すことに…。気難しい穂高を説得するうち、透也は原稿と交換条件に穂高と肉体関係をもってしまう。仕事のための恥ずべき行為が躯が感じてくるにつれ、透也は次第に戸惑いと苦しさを感じはじめて―…? 甘く切ないラブストーリー...
TRANSLATION WITHIN THE DAY.

原罪


[ Summary for Genzai ]
編集の桜井透也は、担当作家の穂高櫂とプライベートで親密な関係にある。憧れの作家と恋愛をしていること自体、透也にとっては信じられない上に、仕事の立場で、肉体関係をもっている相手にどう接していいのか戸惑っていた。そんな時、透也は新人作家の担当になる。新鮮な気持ちで仕事に夢中になる透也だが、穂高に会う時間が少なくなり…。
TRANSLATION WITHIN THE DAY.

[ Cast ]
小杉十郎太 ~ Kosugi Jurouta ♡♡♡ 
井上和彦 ~ Inoue Kazuhiko ♡♡
緑川 光 ~ Midorikawa Hikaru
長沢美樹 ~ Nagasawa Miki
深見梨加 ~ Fukami Rika

[ Pairing ]
Kosugi Juurouta x Midorikawa Hikaru

[ Author ・ Scenario Writer ]
和泉桂 ~ Izumi Katsura

[ Release Date ]
2005/07/22 {Yuuzai}
2008/02/29 {Genzai}

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・° COMMENTS ☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°

As much as I love Kosugi-seme - what a voice - he comes off as really flat this time. It's not a fault of Kosugi's voice acting though; it's the character he is portraying. So in a roundabout way to say Kosugi sounds flat and lifeless is a compliment. His character is not able to associate normally with people merely because he never learned how so he comes off as distant and uninterested in others. Unemotional to sum it up in one word. And Kosugi carries it off beautifully.

Midorikawa plays the younger uke and he does a great job, too. I'm not in particular a fan of Midorin, but I can't see anyone else fitting this part as well as he does. I only wish Kazuhiko had a larger role.

Oh, and in case you were hanging on wondering... LOTS of smex. Yet they manage to work in a lot of smex without turning it into a completely PWP drama like Big Gun wo Motsu Otoko. o.o

Anyway, back to packing.
Stay tuned and happy listening~! (^_-)-☆


☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°
All translations copyrighted and owned by myself.
All copyrights of their respective owners. No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner.

2009年1月27日火曜日

「AZ」 ≠ azuki ∈ koshian

This is the first release from the circle Loco created by Ninomiya Ai and Katou Chihomi. It is under their own new label title, 「LOCO ** un」pronounced loco AHN as in the yummy sweet red bean treat koshi"an". Hence the title of this post.

The pronunciation of the title itself,「AZ」, is ahz as in azuki - that miraculous little bean from whence koshian is made. 「AZ」 originally started as a novel. The CD release follows the story of what happens afterwards with the Wolf and Red Riding Hood. Unlike the novel, Ninomiya Ai had mostly a freehand in writing the CD scenario.

「AZ」



[ Summary ]
The town that continues to grow and the forest caught in the past.
For all unfavorable incidents, their truth is distorted then thrown out in to the forest where they are reborn as "The Grimm Fairytales". The townspeople forget about those incidents and pass on the Grimm tales-their incoherent days spent pleasantly in peace.
A young boy, having lost both his parents and his older brother, searching after the truth, heads into the forest. He pulls a scarlet hood deep down over his eyes and carries in his basket a bottle of wine and a gun. To kill his brother who has become the Big, Bad Wolf. However, what he meets in the forest and the actual wolf that appeared in the fairytale "Red Riding Hood" are...?

[ Cast ]
保志総一朗 ~ Hoshi Souichirou as Red Riding Hood
能登麻美子 ~ Noto Mamiko as Little Red Riding Hood
平田広明 ~ Hirata Hiroaki as the Wolf ♡♡
加瀬康之 ~ Kase Kouji as the Hunter
石田彰 ~ Ishida Akira as the Older Brother
浅川悠 ~ Asakawa Yuu as the Prostitute
辻桃子 ~ Tsuji Momoko as the Foster Mother

[ Author ・ Scenario Writer ]
二宮愛 ~ Ninomiya Ai
加藤千穂美 ~ Katou Chihomi

[ Release Date ]
Expected release date of 2009/1/30


☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・° COMMENTS ☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°

It is considered a 少女作~a work aimed at the younger female audience. You would never guess by the themes it seems to touch upon; but, that would be if you were looking at it from a normal conservative American perspective. Since I don't have one, I don't have to worry about that. (^_-)-☆

Anyway, this time I thought I would showcase that comments from the authors about there work as taken from their blog since I don't own this CD yet.

From Ninomiya Ai:
"This is completely subjective, but I feel that in terms of both the written scenario and the acoustics we accomplished creating a nicely dark fairy tale with an unpleasant Red Riding Hood. It's probably not a very appropriate story for celebratory New Year time." (laughter)

From Katou Chihomi:
"For this first CD, I thoroughly relied on Ninomiya. I want to give it my all in our next production."

... Does this hint that 「AZ」 does not end with this CD release or to something else?

Stay tuned and happy listening~! (^_-)-☆


☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°
All translations copyrighted and owned by myself. All copyrights of their respective owners. No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner.

2009年1月26日月曜日

Ninomiya Ai Interview!♡!

Apparently her interview appeared in the free monthly magazine aimed at female readers, Girls' navi volume 10 in 08.06.

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°


☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°


I got all excited and ran over there only to see this:
【Girls' Navi】休刊のお知らせ

...
That would figure. I finally hear about something I think might be new and interesting to share and I'm a day late and a dollar short. The IM official site also relates that the regular column in the back cleverly entitled 「IM@nia」is suspended for this release. Naturally, since that was the last release. Why make the effort.

They do not seem to have ever offered an online version; although that would be probably have been cheaper and not resulted in a "cessation of publication notice". So if anyone has a copy and can scan it in for us, that would be a wonderful New Year's gift. Not belated or anything.

At any rate, stay tuned and happy listening~! (^_-)-☆
Maybe it will turn up eventually. Somewhere.


☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°
All translations copyrighted and owned by myself.
All copyrights of their respective owners. No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner./span>

2009年1月23日金曜日

ZERO ZANY. {and no, the period is not a typo.}

This series, until recently as in this week, was listed on the IM hp in their "works" section. Its disappearance from both the works page and the general news was confusing at first until I tracked it down only to discover it is a joint venture between IM and 5pb. Apparently, the IM works page has now been strictly dedicated to introducing IM only works.

The does not make a whole lot of sense to me from a monetary perspective. Since they would be getting some cut of the profits from ZERO ZANY., I would think they would want to advertise and entice people into purchasing it. But ultimately, that is their dilemma, not mine. I am just hear to share the goodness. And it is good.
I just wonder who Dorothy is supposed to be?

ZERO ZANY.



[ Summary ]
It is a new world.
Assassins are recognized as public servants and murder is a legallalized establishment. Those that are not useful to the country are 'cleansed' by legitimate assassins recognized by the Diet.
And then there is「ZERO ZANY.」. Commonly called OZ, this is the home of the illegitimate assassins. Through their clients and targets now begins the final futile struggle of those that have lost their ability to live lawfully.

[ Cast ]
三木眞一郎 ~ Miki Shin'ichirou ♡♡♡
井上和彦 ~ Inoue Kazuhiko ♡♡
杉田智和 ~ Sugita Tomokazu
森久保祥太郎 ~ Morikubo Shoutarou
大塚明夫 ~ Ootsuka Akio
石田彰 ~ Ishida Akira
田村ゆかり ~ Tamura Yukari

[ Track list ]
WIRETAP #I
UNDER THE WORLD
GO TO BLAZES!
R≠R
LOST SYNDROME
WIRETAP #II

[ Author ・ Scenario Writer ]
二宮愛 ~ Ninomiya Ai

[ Release Date ]
2007/03/21

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・° COMMENTS ☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°

Good news is, if you don't have it yet, jump to amazon JP for samples of each of the tracks. I clicked on a track to try it out and it loads up its own nice player with all the CD tracks to choose from meaning that you do not need to rely on windoze or tricks to get around windoze only みんな滅べばいいのに traitorous sites like Animate. About 45 seconds per sample track.

Also, unlike the hugely popular Alice? series for some reason this miniseries has a short introductory video you can watch off the official ZERO ZANY. site. Again, I don't know why. It is not that it is bad - they have a great cast lineup and quite an interesting plot line - but it is no comparison to Twilight Suicide or Are You Alice?.

That being said, it gets really good with the second installment. {I really have to restrain myself from saying anything more.} In the first installment you find yourself dumped squarely in an almost day in the life scenario in Mayberry. Provided Mayberry is on crack and into cutting. No sense of prelude or introduction. You hit the ground running and it's full speed ahead! And that in itself is an interesting stylistic deviation from the norm. But it's in CODE-02 where they really take you for a ride.

Stay tuned and happy listening~! (^_-)-☆
really! you can listen this time!


☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°
All translations copyrighted and owned by myself. All copyrights of their respective owners. No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner.

2009年1月21日水曜日

IM scenario writer: Ninomiya Ai

As we are all about the IM label here, it seemed only fitting to introduce their one and only writer whom we are all familiar with by now, Ninomiya Ai. ♡♡♡

二宮愛



[ Summary of Works to Date ]
11, Twilight Suicide
Captain HOOK love's lock. get off the track
Captain HOOK love's lock. genetic aberration
ZERO ZANY.
ZERO ZANY. CODE-02
Are You Alice? series
KIRI: the route of infection series
「AZ」
~In more or less chronological order. Some of the releases overlap.

[ Official Site ]
Writers Ninomiya Ai and Katou Chihomi {加藤千穂美} have banded together to create a blog site for their own circle known as LOCO. It's so pretty and girly looking. Deceitful... (^_-)-☆

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・° RANDOM MUSINGS ☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°

Right off I have to say a pretty warped individual if her writing says anything about her. Frankly, right up my ally. I would love to sit in a 居酒屋 with her from just one evening.

Her characters and stories are not just bizzare for that over-played, simplistic "extreme factor" so predominate in modern American media, but because life and humanity itself is often a conglomerate of the bizarre and twisted. As she has that rare talent of flawlessly, fluidly wielding time and space I personally think those attributes match the mood and overall setting perfectly. It's like a reality roller coaster - too hard to believe but unable to deny.

Something else I have noticed, as like a junkie I have been mostly sucked into listening to IM works this past month - there are a few phrases that she uses frequently even across genres. It is not so much the frequency perhaps, but the uniqueness of the words themselves that make them standout when you run across them in other scenarios. In other words, for as much as there is no sense at all of a reused plot line or recycled character, these are phrases that Ninomiya seems to be particularly fond of and perhaps hints at some of the common themes that run throughout her works.

Listed, not in order of frequency, but in order of my personal preference:
慣れって怖いよねえ。{なれってこわいよねえ。} - This is my personal favorite as Ninomiya's works often have that loose time and space element. In other words, her stories are not necessarily restricted by common conceptions of linear time and space but balance on specific events and all the radial connections between them. Much the way atoms can be at two places at once and other squirrelly concepts of nuclear physics. Besides, on so many levels, it's so true. And that is precisely what makes it so scary. >.>

波乱万丈 {はらんばんじょう} - A common personality trait. Think Alice?.

滅びる {ほろびる} - Something she often wishes other people, particularly the young, to do. No argument there. >.>

悪い足掻き {わるあがき} - Something I suspect she would like to do, but is restricted to living out her desires through her characters. That's more than most of us get though.

何でもいいけど。。。 {なんでもいいから。。。} - The only response after just 5 minutes dealing with someone of the 波乱万丈 type.

Other traits that stand out: her love for warping classic fairy tales. From the {in}famous Are You Alice? wonderland story, to the psychotic landscapes of Captain HOOK, we now reach further back to Red Riding Hood with 「AZ」. This tale apparently appeared at Tokyo's COMIC CITY 東京120 in November of 2008. If you are lucky enough to live in Japan currently you can apparently order this online through kaiteki honyasan. The rest of us will have to wait from something to show up in the torrents. Incidentally, this a light novel, not a drama cd. The drama cd first appeared at Comiket 75. Look for more info on the 「AZ」 release later. I'll give you a hint though, Ishida Akira and Hirota Hiroaki are in it.

Final thoughts...
I personally can not wait to see what the future holds for her works although I know it will likely be quite a wait since she is working on the KIRI series at the moment.

So stay tuned and happy listening~! (^_-)-☆
And heres hoping my new pc arrives soon as I've been wing clipped {霧?} for the past two days and counting.


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No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner. All copyrights of their respective owners. All translations copyrighted and owned by myself.

2009年1月18日日曜日

BL DRAMA CD: Kanraku no Miyako 2

Miki Shin'ichirou is my personal obsession.
And now I am personally mad at him.
Not really, but before I go into details, let us wander through and take a peek at the second installment of the Kanraku no Miyako series.

譚詩曲の流れゆく 歓楽の都 2



[ Summary ]
ロンドンの“歓楽の都”レーンに住む美しき『宝石』の青年ショウは、ダドリーという純朴な大学生を保護する。彼は友人と殺人計画の密談を聞いてしまい、レーンに逃げ込んだのだという。その友人がレーンで死体で発見される。口封じのためか?街に殺し屋が侵入を?自分も殺されるのかと脅えるダドリーを、ショウは“友人”の医者レイと共に、自分の部屋に匿うことにするが—。友情以上恋愛未満なコンビが、危険な陰謀に挑む。

[ Cast ]
三木眞一郎 ~ Miki Shin'ichirou ♡♡♡
櫻井孝宏 ~ Sakurai Takahiro
関俊彦 ~ Seki Toshihiko ♡♡
田中敦子 ~ Tanaka Atsuko
堀内賢雄 ~ Horiuchi Kenyuu
鈴村健一 ~ Suzumura Kenichi

[ Pairing ]
Miki Shin'ichirou x Sakurai Takahiro

[ Author Name ]
駒崎優

[ Release Date ]
2005/10/26

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...
...
OK. I have had it. Even if the third novel was released as a drama cd...
well, ok, I would listen, but fair warning--HAVE NO EXPECTATIONS.
The intrigue/murder part of the story is just as good as the first one, but frankly there is not much to say about Mikishin and Sakurai's relationship. Forget any ideas you had of seeing some development. Quite the opposite, Sakurai ends up sleeping with someone else. {No juicy details here either to compensate for the lack of progress between him and Mikishin.} And for me the ultimate kicker--Mikishin hardly even appears in this one >.>

If you are looking for something safe to listen to in a public place or something that won't make you fall off the treadmill, you can listen to this without fear of exposure. If you are looking for something more involved, your time is better spent elsewhere.


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No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner. All copyrights of their respective owners. All translations copyrighted and owned by myself.

2009年1月17日土曜日

KIRI 「霧」, THE SERIES@backstory

And now we break from our normal CD commentary to bring you the back story. A behind-the-scenes look at IM label's newest release, 霧 -the route of infection KANARIA.



【コウノトリの世界崩壊】

The Black Stork Brings the End of the World

* The first "bird cage", the black stork, brought about the memory loss incident. Part of the world's memory was seized by the black stork upon its invasion as the world had no defenses against it.
→ Even now in the world, there are humans without memory that are living with a portion of memories supplied by Aristophanes.

* After that, Aristophanes took upon the will of the world and hid the world's memories inside the body of a human.
→ Outside of Kiri there were a number of humans in the past who carried the world's memories inside themselves.

* The black stork was rejected by the world and was said to have perished.


【トリカゴ】

The "Bird Cage"

* A global infectious virus developed a few years earlier in order to invade the Earth. In the following research it was discovered that the "bird cage" is not a virus created by someone but is a completely living organism that emerged automatically.
→ It is believed that the "bird cage" has the thinking capabilities equivalent to that of a human.
→ The "bird cage" will not {can not?} directly inflict harm upon a human being.

* Currently on Aristophanes' side, they are furthering their investigations along the lines that the "bird cage's" purpose is the seizure of the world's memories.

* The "bird cage" changed its morphology and three times in the past attempted to invade the world. The different forms were given the following names:
TYPE.01@Black Stork
TYPE.02@Longclaw
TYPE.03@Tufted Puffin
→ The memory loss incident brought about by the initial virus, the black stork, has even to this date left deep claw marks on the world.

* In regards to the fourth "bird cage", Canary, at this point in time due to a lack of information, it has not been located. Investigations are ongoing.
→ Is it already in contact with Kiri?
→ Is it a new virus type having the form of a human?


【カナリア】

Canary

* The fourth of the global infectious viruses born out of the "bird cage". Aristophanes announced its official name as "TYPE.04@KANARIA", commonly called "Canary".
→ At this point in time it is recognized as a new viral form.

* Canary has the appearance, emotions, and language skills no different than that of a human and is now able to inflict direct harm upon them. Contact with Kiri is also possible.
→ Canary kidnaps Kiri to steal the world's memories. Current whereabouts are unknown.


【アリストファネス】

Aristophanes

* Aristophanes refers to that existence which can hear the voice of the world. Without any individualistic emotion, he carries out the world's desires absolutely. Aristophanes words are regarded as the will of the world itself. To protect the world from the "bird cage" infection, he buries the "world's memories" within the human, Kiri.
→ The "bird cage" is an entity that is not able to touch humans.
→ For the fourth "bird cage", Canary, this is possible?

<11.11>
In order to eradicate Canary, he invites those humans who hold a deep connection(?) to Kiri's memories to the fissure of the world.
→ Rockwell Black
→ Balfour J. McRyan(alias)
Honestly can not see them as being a force on the battlefield.


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Again, for general series information, hop on over here. Personally, I can not wait to heat anthem two. Although now it is starting to look like I may actually have to order this one myself. Where that money is supposed to come from, I don't know. >.>

Anyway, stay tuned and happy listening~! (^_-)-☆


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No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner. All copyrights of their respective owners. All translations copyrighted and owned by myself.

2009年1月14日水曜日

KIRI 「霧」, THE SERIES

Previous to publishing the story and character introductions, I thought I would additionally provide background and general series info as available through IM.



[ SERIES STAFF ]
Original story/scenario: 二宮愛 ~ Ninomiya Ai
Illustration/Character design: 田倉トヲル ~ Takura Towaru
Musical director: 榎本覚 ~ Enomoto Satoru {through company WAYUTA}
Production development: 田中美恵子 ~ Tanaka Mieko {through company WAYUTA}
Site design: key
Main Theme song:【世界ノ何処カデ】~ "Someplace in the World"
Special thanks to Frontier Works

[ SERIES CAST ]
三木眞一郎 ~ Miki Shinichirou ♡♡♡
鈴村健一 ~ Suzumura Kenichi
平田広明 ~ Hirata Hiroaki ♡♡
櫻井孝宏 ~ Sakurai Takahiro
かないみか ~ Kanai Mika
青野武 ~ Aono Takeshi
一条和矢 ~ Ichijou Kazuya
釘宮理恵 ~ Kugimiya Rie
皆口裕子 ~ Minakuchi Yuuko

[ RELEASE DATES ]
2008/12/24, KIRI - the route of infection KANARIA. Anthem:02
2007/12/23, KIRI - the route of infection KANARIA. Anthem:01

[ RELATED SITES ]
series site
IM label company site

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As more titles are released or more information becomes available, this page will be updated. Links back to this page can be found within each individual KIRI series posting.

Stay tuned and happy listening~! (^_-)-☆


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No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner. All copyrights of their respective owners. All translations copyrighted and owned by myself.

BL DRAMA CD: 1K Apa-to no Koi

Without further ado, a light drama cd for your entertainment. Once again Mikishin and Sakurai from Alice? are working together.

Love in a 1K sized Apartment



[ Summary ]
Room 202 - Kouno
Room 203 - Kei and Naomichi
クリスマスの日に酔った勢いでSEXしてしまった夏と河野。その後もカラダの関係は続くが、河野の夏を好きな気持ちは置き去りで……。

[ Cast ]
野島健児 ~ Nojima Kenji
櫻井孝宏 ~ Sakurai Takahiro
三木眞一郎 ~ Miki Shin'ichirou ♡♡♡
伊藤健太郎 ~ Itou Kentarou
野島裕史 ~ Nojima Hirofumi
保村真 ~ Yasumura Makoto
飯田佳代 ~ Iida Kayo
川崎恵理子 ~ Kawasaki Eriko

[ Pairing ]
Nojima Kenji x Sakurai Takahiro
Miki Shin'ichirou x Itou Kentarou

[ Author Name ]
富士山ひょうた ~ Fujiyama Hyouta

[ Release Date ]
2002/8/25

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Actaully two separate but related stories about two high school aged couples. However that is merelyly incidental. It tells more of a slice of life story than a gakuen tale. And to say "slice of life" may not be completely accurate either as the whole plot revolves around the relationships between the individual couples and the intertwining relationships between the neighbors.

It is not suprisingly a basic story. Simplistic, easy listening about childhood friends whose relationsihp takes a turn into something else. The first couple that appears in the first track is Nojima Kenji x Sakurai Takahiro. The second couple is Miki Shinichirou x Itou Kentarou. And then the tale switches back and forth between the two couples and even overlaps in places as the story becomes more developed. In Mikishin's case, he admits his feelings for Itou first. Itou then comes around after a misunderstanding which leads him to consult with the couple { Nojima and Sakurai } next door.

Mikishin's voice is his "normal" version.  どうせ普通の人を演じるからバッチリ〜。

Stay tuned and happy listening~! (^_-)-☆


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No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner. All copyrights of their respective owners. All translations copyrighted and owned by myself.

2009年1月11日日曜日

KIRI 「霧」, anthem one

And now onto the newest, highly anticipated series from IM...

霧 -the route of infection KANARIA. ansem:01



[ Summary ]
KIRI - the route of infection KANARIA. Anthem:01

Who should be protected? The girl? The world?
Who should be loved? The world? The girl?

On the condition that she be allowed to live as a normal human, Kiri, in order to protect the world from the global infectious virus "bird cage" hides the "world memories" within her own body.

A world loved by the virus. A world that continues to reject the virus.
Before long, the world, while eating away at the memories of the girl without a free spirit, begins to fall in love.


[ Cast ]
三木眞一郎 ~ Miki Shinichirou ♡♡♡
鈴村健一 ~ Suzumura Kenichi
平田広明 ~ Hirata Hiroaki ♡♡
櫻井孝宏 ~ Sakurai Takahiro
かないみか ~ Kanai Mika
青野武 ~ Aono Takeshi

[ Pairing ]
none

[ Track list ]
KEY
KNIGHT
KIDNAPPER
KILLER
KAGONOTORI
KO

[ Author ・ Scenario Writer ]
二宮愛 ~ Ninomiya Ai

[ Release Date ]
2007/12/23

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Not much to say here. Just don't let this one pass you by! LISTEN!!

Mikishin plays a reticent, anti-social brother {But are we really sure about that?} and Hirata manages to be meltingly smexy in delivering some very creepy lines. The verbal battling between Hirata and Suzumura is great fun too. Not to mention incredibly reminiscent of the same tennis court back and forth play we saw between Hirata and Sakurai in the Alice? series. That should not be so much the surprise as the author for both series is the same. Nothing to fear about that though. There is no sense of cross-over or lack of originality to be found here.

Like most IM works though, you will need to listen at least
twice before you start to put the pieces together. Anthem:02 was finally released in what appears to be their favorite month of the year, December, again after a year long wait. Although I would prefer it did not, now that the Alice? series is winding down, hopefully they will pick up the pace in releasing the KIRI series and we won't be stuck waiting another year for the next one. >.>

As this story is just starting and IM has kindly provided a lot of background information this time, I will be translating those and posting for you in the future weeks. In the meantime, you can find general series information here.

Stay tuned and happy listening~! (^_-)-☆


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No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner. All copyrights of their respective owners. All translations copyrighted and owned by myself.

2009年1月10日土曜日

another buried treasure

Mikishin ensnares us once again with an enthralling retelling of


山月記




[ Summary ]
---see below

[ Cast ]
三木眞一郎 ~ Miki Shin'ichirou
小西克幸 ~ Konishi Katsuyuki

[Pairing]
none

[ Release Date ]
2006/7/19

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I fall asleep to this almost every night.
Not only does it have two of the hottest seiyuu--Mikishin and Konitan--but the intonation throughout the whole tale itself is very calm and soothing. And yet at the same time, it is a very moving story. Moving, but I did not find it sad or depressing if you are trying to avoid themes like that.

There is a palpable "Old China" feeling that runs throughout the basic storyline to the presentation--somewhat reminscient of the written works of Mizukami Shin or even the Tsuki to Matsurika drama series. Minus the smex in both cases naturally. Even the title of "The tale of the Mountain Moon" itself calls back to the old historical volumes of Japanese literature. This is one hundred percent drama. Although the last line, where Mikishin confesses what he really wants to do gives the suggestion that they may be more than friends, that could be merely a fujoshi-leanings reading into the story. ^.^

So whether you are a fan of the traditional, historical setting or of the seiyuu, this is highly recommended listening. Much like the Alice? series, I never get tired of listening to this one and always manage to catch something new when I do.


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No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner. All copyrights of their respective owners. All translations copyrighted and owned by myself.

2009年1月9日金曜日

BL DRAMA CD: Kanraku no Miyako

Miki Shin'ichirou is my personal obsession.

AND he happens to appear in several IM label releases including the newest KIRI series, I decided to present one of the bl drama cds that has appeared in. An older one, and frankly, I have so many I could not even remember who was cast in this beyond Mikishin nor even what the story was about. Yet would you believe of all the cds I have with him, I just happened to pick the one where he plays opposite of Sakurai?? {Alice? from Are you Alice? series}

Does it get any more perfect than that? (^_-)-☆
So let's have a look.

手折られた青い百合~歓楽の都~



[ Summary ]
ロンドンの自治地区レーンは“歓楽の都”。そこの住人ショウは、美しくも誇り高い、トップクラスの『宝石』の少年だ。ある日、レーンに新しい医師レイがやってくる。「あんた、優しいねえ」貴族出身らしい隠やかなその青年と、ショウは徐々に親しくなっていくが、そんな中、レーンにあやしい薬が持ち込まれる事件が相次ぐ。ついには住人のあいだに死者もでて、ショウはレイと共に、危険な薬物密売のルートを暴こうとするが。

[ Cast ]
三木眞一郎 ~ Miki Shinichirou ♡♡♡
櫻井孝宏 ~ Sakurai Takahiro
関俊彦 ~ Seki Toshihiko ♡♡
田中敦子 ~ Tanaka Atsuko
堀内賢雄 ~ Horiuchi Kenyuu
鈴村健一 ~ Suzumura Kenichi

[ Pairing ]
Miki Shinichirou x Sakurai Takahiro

[ Author Name ]
駒崎優

[ Release Date ]
2004/10/27

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There are so far four novels in the original series. The newest having been released last November after a dead period of several years.

How to describe Mikishin's performance... He doesn't use his entrancing Jiei voice {shinayaka series}, nor his lighter, innocent voice like from the Candy Quartz Apartment series. Neither does he use his deep, menacing/somewhat obsessive-crazed voice like from the Kage no Yakata series. Probably the best way from me to give you an idea of what is like is to say it's close to the voice he uses in ON-KAI which was just released last year.

I was quite pleasantly surprised by this. But as I said, I had no idea what it was about so I was not carrying any preconceptions or biases. {Frankly, if I had remembered what the cover looked like, I may have passed this up. Not my preference for style.} The story is relatively simple though it does involve intrigue and murder on the side. I would also call it quite fantastic in that it takes place in "historical" London. More specifically in a place where brothels and prostitution are not just legal, but celebrated.

I will say this as a warning of sorts - there is no smex in this first one in the series.
If you're looking for it, you're only looking to be disappointed.
Maybe we'll see some in the next release.

Stay tuned and happy listening~! (^_-)-☆


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No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner. All copyrights of their respective owners. All translations copyrighted and owned by myself.

2009年1月8日木曜日

First? Eleventh??

Since this was my first introduction to the IM label, it is only fitting that it should be the topic of my first post. (^_-)-☆

Allow me to present...


11 - TWILIGHT SUICIDE


[ Summary ]
The outskirts of London. On top of an abandoned building.
One man goes there to jump off, another one to take off.

Suicide is the ultimate entertainment in life?
The unknown, final ramblings between two suicidal men.

[ Cast ]
関俊彦~Seki Toshihiko
大塚芳忠~Ootsuka Houchuu

[ Track list ]
01.ELEVEN - 11th
02.DARK - 1st

[ Author Name ]
二宮愛~Ninomiya Ai

[ Release Date ]
2005/12/24


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This is such an unbelievable piece of writing. The first time I heard it I listened to it three times that day! The pacing is perfect, the music/BGM matches the mood to a tee and carries you along, and then there's the story itself which is enthralling. I never get tired of hearing it. Which is probably why it is my first choice for translation. {Being a standalone work also helps.}

If you have never heard anything by IM before, be warned, they do not pull any punches. Even now I can remember that intense feeling of shock when I first heard this. o.O Not to give any spoilers. Listen and find out for yourself. You won't be disappointed. (^_-)-☆


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No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner. All copyrights of their respective owners. All translations copyrighted and owned by myself.