Title: 君が望む永遠 (Kimi ga Nozomu Eien) Soundtrack Plus
Original Creator: Age
Release Date: 9/5/2001
Catalog No.: LACA-5062
Rating: 4/4

The gripe I have with the music, as I described with the game, is that it starts and ends. I'm used to game music where there's no distinction between start and end, and it just loops without any pauses. But besides that little nit-picky issue, the soundtrack is quite good, good enough to carry me through the game. If I listen to any song, I can probably give a setting where it was played and remember the feeling that accompanied the tune.

My favorite tracks are probably track 3, which is played during the "everyday" situations, and most of the songs played during the climaxes and emotional moments. The CD also includes the intro, Rumbling hearts and the ending, both of which I love.

However, the best part about this CD is the last two tracks on the CD. They're monologue tracks, one for Mitsuki and one for Haruka where each character verbalizes their thoughts during the 15 minutes between when Takayuki leaves Mitsuki after buying her the ring, and when he arrives at where Haruka is supposed to be. It gives some insight to what the characters where thinking about at that point. Mitsuki shows that she already has a little regret for keeping making him late, but is extremely happy about the ring. Haruka, her usual self, is nervous about why Takayuki is late and counts off the minutes. Her monologue ends with an acoustic version of Rumbling hearts (this is also in drama CD #3, so I'll comment about it there).

The CD itself has a very nice picture label with a montage of all the relevant girls to the story. The liner notes includes messages from the script writer for the two dramas, the composer of the BGMs, and from Minami Kuribayashi, the seiyuu for Haruka.

Title: 恋愛出世絵巻えんxむす (En x Musu) Vol. 3
Artist/Author: たかひろ瀬口 (Seguchi Takahiro)
Book Size/Pages: Small B-6, 200pp., w/furigana
First Printing: 4/20/2003
Rating: 2/4

Since when did this comic get so violent? It's been a while since I read vol. 2, and even more so for vol. 1, but I don't remember it ever having so much death and carnage. My impression of it is that this is a slightly dark manga, but for the most part, it circles around a big, dumb, Russian maid and his master, a little 18 year old boy who holds one of the luck charms that is required to inherit a large corporation. Maybe I'm getting old, but that's all I remember. The stories used to be cute and funny, with some parts of it being a little suspenseful, but nothing that involves maiming a person to death with a spear nor placing an "obedience ring" on someone's artery.

There's a summary page, a little essay on why the author chose this title, and a few mini comics at the end of the book.

8. 薬師寺侠介 (Kyosuke Yakushiji): Kyosuke comes and challenges Gisuke to a brawl. With one punch, he causes some serious damage to our plucky hero's internal organs. However, Gisuke manages to survive the attack, much to Kyosuke's surprise. Because of this, he uses his charm, immortality, and revives Gisuke and tells him that he admires his strong will and determination in just wanting to protect Sonya and won't bother him again.

9. ピクニック (Picnic): Sonya, Shizuku, and Gisuke go off to a butterfly viewing tour. They get gassed on the train and pass out. Meanwhile, 円光寺櫻 (Sakura Enkoji), another one of the lucky charm holders, has gathered a few of the potential successors and tells them that they can go out hunting for Gisuke in the woods surround his mansion. Gisuke wakes up to find that he's out in the middle of nowhere, dressed like a forest dweller.

10. 人間狩り (Human Hunting): Hunting starts. Gisuke is alone, separated from Sonya and Shizuku. He gets found, gets shot in the shoulder by members driving a jeep around the woods. Rather than just finishing him off, they let him walk away injured, waiting for him to collapse on his own volition. However, just as he does so, he gets saved by two masked people.

11. ユニオン (Union): One of the masked saviors doesn't get away and dies a painful death. The other takes Gisuke away. There are many of these masked people around in the woods, but from the radio, it seems that the hunters have caught on and are killing them off. At the end, the masked person who saved Gisuke explains that they're against the Dragon members. The two form a union and she reveals herself as Asuka Hyojo.

12. 北条あすか (Asuka Hyojo): The two of them are discovered by the members who killed her comrade. Using some fast thinking, they manage to trick them into driving over a bridge which she later destorys, sending them plunging down the deep ravine.

13. 悪夢 (Bad Dream): Sonya and Shizuku have been neglected for the time being, but now they're caught by two enemy maids. They put the girls to sleep with tranquilizers which causes Sonya to have a dream about good times she's had with Gisuke. When she wakes up, she has extreme chest pains when she has happy thoughts about him. An "obedience ring" has been placed around her artery which constricts blood flow (i.e. so she can't get too happy and have her blood race).

14. 罪と罰 (Crime and Punishment): The maids explain to Sonya that she's a low ranking maid and hence the ring. Gisuke and Asuka arrive and try to save the two girls, but the maids are a bit too much. Kyosuke arrives out of the blue and helps them out.

15. 不死身VS奇跡 (Immorality vs. Miracle): Kyosuke has some trouble with the maids, but with his charm, he is able to finish one of them off. The other escapes.

16. ソーニャのお弁当 (Sonya's Lunch): After all is said an done, they have a picnic out there with the lunch Sonya originally brought for the butterfly tour.