Title: まほらば ドラマCD: まほらば 旅だ、事件だ、まほらばだ！！ (Mahoraba Drama CD: Vacation, Trouble, Mahoraba!!)
Original Creator: 小島あきら （Akira Kojima)
Release Date: 7/26/2003
Catalog No.: ENCA-1606
Rating: 4/4
To Purchase

I love drama CDs, especially if it's the first one (hopefully) in anticipation for an anime series. I have the same expectations for Negima Drama CDs as well as the Ichigo 100% coming out soon. Love Hina Image Album still remains my favorite though, but I digress.

The cast to Mahoroba has some familiar names, including 川澄綾子 (Ayako Kawasumi), and 清水愛 (Ai Shimizu), 豊口めぐみ (Megumi Toyoguchi, voice of Paine in FFX-2 among others), and overall, I thought their performances were very accurate given the personalities of the different and very eccentric characters of Mahoraba. Megumi and Tamami's voices were a perfect match. The background music is still stuck in my head too. If they ever make an anime of this, it'll be on my pre-order list immediately.

Update 2/25/04: Anime has been announced!

First pressing of the CD includes a Megumi card. I was fortunate (or unfortunate since they were closing up shop) enough to buy it at Asahiya LA for 50% off.

1. すべてのプロローグ (Prologue to All): Ryuushi explains how he ended up at Narutaki apartments. Basically a rehash of the first few chapters of Mahoraba.

2. 梢とその他１名についての２，３の事柄: (2,3 Matters Concerning Kozue and Another): Just as Ryuushi is about to introduce the CD, Megumi and Tamami interrupt and do their "Synopsis Heaven," the same whimsical intro that was drawn in manga vol. 3. They explain how Kozue really is with her multiple personalities. Afterwards, Ryuushi tries to give more information about himself, but apparently his life is so boring that he has nothing to say.

3. すき焼きパーティーは踊る (Sukiyaki Party Dance): Ryuushi and Kozue win vacation tickets to Hong Kong. They go home and tell everyone and at the news, they celebrate. Unfortunately, there are 7 of them and only 4 tickets. So after much deliberation, Tamami, Megumi, Kozue, and Ryuushi go, with the three others stay home.

4. 香港パラダイス (Hong Kong Paradise): The gang of 4 arrive at Hong Kong and they enjoy the sights, sounds, and food of China (Megumi and Tamami perform some stereotypical Chinese Kung Fu yells). In the hotel, Ryuushi has some nervous moments when Kozue wants to come in and check out his pad. She comments on his bed and his bathroom and his mind starts to go in that direction.

5. 大誘拐 (Great Kidnapping): Kozue gets kidnapped and is going to be sold off to the highest bidder. Ryuushi tries to attack her abductors, but loses (the CD changes into a videogame mode, so it sounds like the fight in a video game). After being abducted,

6. 男たちの挽歌 (The Guy's Funeral Song): Kozue changes into Nanako, the toddler personality and charms her abductor. As the hideout is being attacked, the abductor vows to protect her. But then, Kozue changes in Sakaki, the violent woman and she kicks some Mafia ass.

7. 一幕のエピローグ (Epilogue to an Act): They come back after vacation and pass out gifts. Ryuushi tells Kozue the story about a weak prince saving a princess and returning back to their castle. Then the credit call from each of the seiyuu.

Title: 君が望む永遠 (Kimi ga Nozomu Eien) Anthology Comics Vol. 1
Artist: Various
Book Size/Pages: A-5, 148pp., w furigana
To Purchase

This will be short as I'm not going to do a chapter by chapter wrap up. I should have figured, given that this comic is labled an "Anthology Comic." It is a collection of sort stories, usually between 10-15 pages long involving funny and cute situations with the characters from KimiNozo. Unfortuantely, I haven't played the video game so I have no background information coming into this. I was hoping the comic would give me a little insight, but unfortunately it doesn't. Heck, I'm still not clear on the names of all the characters involved.

The artwork varies a lot since this is a compilation of comics drawn by many different artists. None of them are as sweet as CG graphics, but some are better than others. The short stories are mostly about the trials and tribulations of love among the characters, all of which I don't understand the basis for, but some are entertaining to read just as situation comedies.

So without having proper background, I will hold this book at a neutral. That also means I won't be reading vol. 2, which is on my shelf like every other manga in publication, until after I see the cartoon.

Title: 藍より青し～縁～ (Ai yori Aoshi ~Enishi~)
Original Creator: 文月晃 (Kou Fumizuki)
Volume: 2/6
Catalog #: GNBA-1012
Release Date: 1/23/04
Rating: 2/4
To Purchase

It's been such a long time since I've been able to sit through two anime episodes at once. This might have been the first time this year. Anyway, my general impression of Ai yori second season is that it's really is a cheap production. The artwork isn't all that great, the episodes are self-contained, they recycled a lot of music, the intro uses a lot of images from the series itself, and so on. I don't think it was a large hit in Japan, but I'm speculating that they did it because people overseas like it.

Despite all that negativity, I still find Ai yori light and enjoyable. There seems to be a lot more fan-service this time around, which did become a little distracting, but overall a fun, light, romantic comedy. I remember the first episode on this disc being in the manga, but I can't place the second. Even so, I don't think these stories were in any of the recent releases of the manga, so it's still deriving episodes from the parts of the manga used for the first season.

First edition bonus includes a Taeko postcard. No other bonuses are on the DVD, not even a credit-less ending.

3. 庭球～ていきゅう～ (Tennis): Kaoru has a lushious dream about Aoi and so he doesn't hold himself back. In the real world, he's groping Aoi while he's asleep. Bastard. The Ai yori gang decides to go to play some tennis. While everyone else is a terrible player, Aoi and Miyabi unlease their skills. After a long day at the courts, they come home and Aoi and Kaoru share some quality time together.

4. 怪～もののけ～ (Ghost): Taeko hasn't been with the program recently and has been fumbling around while on duty. Meanwhile at school, Mayu learns that Chika occasionally falls asleep with Kaoru and so she's determined to do the same. Later that night, Tina hears noises from her ceiling and they all investigate. Taeko, being familiar with the occult, leads the pack. After some hilarity with scary, but innocuous items and Miyabi attacking Mayu, who snuck in tonight, thinking she was a ghost, Taeko and Kaoru find old photos of the previous tenents. Taeko sees a girl who looks just like her and empathizes.