Title: dear Drama CD
Original Creator: 藤原ここあ
Release Date: 4/24/04
Catalog No.: ENCA-1901
Rating: 3/4

This drama CD is unique in that the author of the manga did the script and scenario. Usually, it's done by another person. This story takes place right after the last volume of the manga, #4, but isn't really related to the main story (is there a main story?) as it's a lot more wacky than the manga. Unlike the Ichigo 100% drama CD and Mahoraba, the soundtrack here is very uninteresting.

The cast includes some familiar names including Kuwatani Natsuko (Kanako), Yuki Matsuoka (Kuriko), and Fumiko Orikasa (Regen). Carol is also voiced by someone who sounds a lot like the voice for "Tenken" from Kenshin, but they're not the same person.

1. それぞれの朝 (These Mornings): The captain, Kein, gets a call from his mother.

2. 悩める隊長 (The Captain Who Can Worry): Chiruha does narration as she introduces the different characters. The captain tells the gang, but leaves out Prino from the news that his mother wants to come and have a o-miai (choosing out a bride). The captain already has his eyes set on Prino, but he seems like an obedient child who wouldn't disobey his mother.

3. お母さん襲来 (The Mother's Attack): Kein's mother arrives and she's about as eccentric about beauty as his is (like mother like son, I guess). Kein introduces Subaru, Komomo, Kurenai, Carol, Chiruha, and Kisara.

4. キャロルの作戦 (Carol's Plan): Carol tries to interrupt the o-miai by acting and breaking down in tears in front of Kein's mom. She tells her that she's a product of an o-miai where her parents didn't really love each other but were set up. As a result, she has had a troubled life. However, this plan fails.

5. 妃杈決意する (Kisara's Determination): The plan now is just to come clean with her mom and introduce Prino. However, they know that Prino probably isn't up to the task, so they decide to have one of them pretend to Prino. Carol can't do it as she's already had a long interaction with her. Remembering back to the party from vol. 4 of the manga, they have Kisara cross dress as he did a pretty good job back then.

6. 散葉頑張る (Chiruha Does Her Best): As Chiruha and Kisara are about to execute their plan, Chiruha goes ahead and has a talk with the mother. The mom tells her that she just wants Kein to be happy as she doesn't think she has enough time to see her grandchild. This makes her get all emotion and convince the captain to properly introduce Prino.

7. 子の心、視知らず (A Child's Heart, Wisdom Teeth): Kein nervously introduces Prino and to his surprise, she accepts him.

8. おまけ劇場　プリノの憂鬱 (Bonus Drama, Prino's Depression): Carol has prepared a meal for all of them, but Prino doesn't eat any as she's worried about her weight.

Title: 魔法使いさんおしずかに！ (Be Quiet, Magician!) Vol. 2
Artist/Author: 竹本泉 (Izumi Takemoto)
Book Size/Pages: A-5, 200pp., w/furigana
Volume: 2/2
Original Serialization: Nakayoshi 1985
First Printing: 1/3/03
Rating: 3/4

I thought this was going to be a long series when I first saw it, but it turns out that it's only two books long. The story is a continuation from last time, so the pace and the mood is the same. It really seems like this story could have been expanded, but it probably wasn't popular enough at the time. The artwork reminds me a lot of Mahoromatic, especially Sue, except with less pen strokes and ink volume.

The cover inside the dust jackets have a map of the forest and there are a bunch of little letters from the author, most at the end of each chapter.

6. Sue received some presents from her parents in Europe, one of which is a wood carving of some strange creature. Wally sees this and realizes it's a carving of a troll, natives to the forest they live in. If he had the item, he could get the trolls to do the dirty work of stealing money. So, he tries to convince Sue to give him the carving. Sue doesn't know why he wants it, but figures he's up to no good. Meanwhile, someone has been cleaning her house and doing her housework. With Elle's help, she finds out it's the elves and trolls that have been doing work for her since she posses the little statue.

7. Wally continues to try and take that statue away, but fails almost everytime. Finally, he is able to steal it but just as he's about to order the trolls to do the deed, the floor of his underground hideout collapses and he falls into the freezing water below. Elle asks Fred, Sue's guardian to marry her.

8. There's are a few strange new people in town. One girl whom no one has seen before comes and hugs Will. While Sue doesn't admit to liking him, she still feels uneasy. Later on, she finds out that there's a clone of her running around. Turns that it's the mirror at the local shop that's creating all these characters. Sue's parents unexpectedly come pay her a visit.

9. With Fred getting married, her parents think that they new couple should live alone, so they've decided to take Sue back (to her other uncles though). Sue doesn't particularly like this idea, but it's best for the newly weds. As they're about to leave, they encounter some thick fog, at which Sue knows immediately that it's Wally's doing. After getting a little lost, she finds her way to his house with Will's help. As they're trying to figure out what's going on, a large create appears outside.

10. The large creature is a troll that's been playing hide and see for the past 30 years. He started hiding after playing with Sue's dad (the house in the forest where Fred lives belongs to her great-grandfather, so the dad used to live there to). The creature and her dad have a heartful reunion and he decides to not move and live in the forest. Happily ever after...

Title: せんせいのお時間 (Doki Doki School Hours) Vol. 3
Artist/Author: ももせたまみ (Tamami Momose)
Book Size/Pages: A-5, 134pp., w/o furigana
Original Serialization: Manga Life Original 1/00-5/01
First Printing: 12/7/01
Rating: 3/4

More adventures with the pint-sized high school teacher and her eclectic students. There were a few strips in here that I though were hilarious, including Kitagawa's constant teasing because she loves Mika's smile and tears, the class leader explain why "cunning" means to cheat in Japanese, but there's no such verb as "cun," and finally, where Mika gets hit on my an elementary school student.

Like before, the covers on these books have little pop quizzes and it also includes a bonus, tank-only chapter (2 pages though).

From the end of the book where Watabe (the otaku) explains that he still has one more year to graduate, that would place this book from the new year of their first year (?). I dunno. Anyhow, it starts around New Year's, and goes until Golden Week of the following year (~17 months). The usual holidays are covered including situations at Valentine's, White Day, Golden Week, various athletic and cultural festivals, and such. There's a lot more homosexuality humor in this volume and in the past two volume. At times it seems overbearing, but there's enough other humors situations to compensate.

Title: 彼氏彼女の事情 (His and Her Circumstances) Vol. 9
Artist/Author: 津田雅美 (Masami Tsuda)
Book Size/Pages: Small B-6, 215pp., w/furigana
Original Serialization: Monthly LALA 8/99-1/00
First Printing: 3/10/00
Rating: 3/4

Finally we're out of the 14 days. The majority of this volume is devoted to Aya's play which she wrote for Yukino, et. al. to perform at the festival. It's a science fiction story, but has a deeper meaning, especially for Arima. There's also a side story with Takefumi and Tsubaki that seem a little out of place given all the momentum with the play.

There's no bonus chapters here, not even the Tsuda Diary, and only has a few letters from the author.

37. ACT37 14DAYS 文化祭はじまる (Cultural Festival Starts): Takefumi has second thoughts about being a Tsubaki's boyfriend. At the school, everyone starts arrive including the Miyazawas, and Tsubasa's step-brother Kazuma and his band the "Ying-Yang," who do an unscheduled performance on the available stage.

38. ACT 38 文化祭１ (Cultural Festival 1): Preparations for the play "Steel Snow" start, but Maho is missing. Yukino finds her in the bathroom feeling sick from being so nervous. But she overcomes her fear (despite her boyfriend being there) and the play starts. The story beings with Yukino as a scientist who wakes up after 80 years of statsis and revives her child android, Antique.

39. ACT 39 文化祭２ (Cultural Festival 2): The scientist wonders who woke him him and he soon meets Neo-Model, a highly advanced android, at the peak of perfect, that has come to seek some answers from this legendary scientist. At the same time, Neo-Model is able to provide services in return such as saving Antique from a potentially fatal flaw in her body.

40. ACT 40 文化祭３ (Cultural Festival 3): The scientist, Ren and Neo-Model, despite being the epitome of their kinds, all have a deep sense of regret. This strikes close to home for Arima who's in the audience. Ren had a previous love, Rosemary, who ended up breaking his heart. At the end of the first act of the play, Ren tells Neo-Model that he's going to tell her all about his past.

41. ACT 41 文化祭４ (Cultural Festival 4): During the intermission, Arima heads outside for a breather and Takefumi contemplates more about love. The play starts up again. After Rose left Ren, she comes back and hands her a baby who he names May and raises by himself. Despite being the sole parents, he and May have a rocky relationship. May eventually passes away and Ren creates Antique in her image.

42. ACT 42 運命の車 (The Vehicle of Fate): Ren gets flack for starting the creation of these androids. Flash back to present day where Neo-Model finally tells him about what has happened in these past 80 years, that there was a war and cities were wiped out and her plan was to take him back to earth. He agrees. End of play. More scenes with Takefumi and Tsubaki, even though they're already broken up and Arima is yet again haunted by his evil half.