BLCD: sweet pool Drama CD -Komanami Gakuen Gakuen Sai-

Title: sweet pool Drama CD ～駒波学園 学園祭～ (25/09/2009)
sweet pool Drama CD -Komanami Gakuen Gakuen Sai-

Pairing:
Tetsuo x Youji (Kawahara Yoshihisa x Hatano Wataru 川原慶久 x 羽多野渉)

Cast:
崎山蓉司 Youji: 春野風 Hatano Wataru 羽多野涉
城沼哲雄 Tetsuo： 鳩マン軍曹 Kawahara Yoshihisa 川原慶久
三田 睦 Makoto： 空乃太陽 Kishio Daisuke 岸尾だいすけ
翁長善弥 Zenya： Midorikawa Hikaru 緑川光,
上屋武彦 Kamiya-sensei：浅野要二 Yusa Kouji 遊佐浩二,
姫谷浩平 Kitani: 秋月秀行 Umezu Hideyuki 梅津秀行

Rating: Recommended for fans of the game

Summary:

Today is Komanami High School’s yearly Campus Festival! Transformed into a bazaar, the school is bustling with activity. Youji is looking for Tetsuo but can’t seem to find him anywhere. Makoto comes after Youji and reveals that Tetsuo is busy with the festival as he is elected by all the girls to be a member of the executive committee. Makoto offers to be Youji’s guide to explore the various (food haha) stalls put up by other school mates and search for Tetsuo along the way…

This is the second drama CD that is based on Nitro+Chiral’s BL game Sweet Pool. Unlike the game, it is a lighthearted, slice-of-life account of the boys’ school life. What’s a better setting than the annual campus festival? And why is Youji so anxious about finding Tetsuo?

Comments:

We follow Youji as he goes around the school in search of Tetsuo. Along the way, Youji visits food stalls (how can Makoto resist? ^^) and a haunted house with Makoto, goes to the cosplay cafe with Zenya, takes part in the Gluttons Eating Contest and spends time with his beloved sister.

I’m glad Kamiya-sensei (Yusa Kouji) made his appearance in this CD. He wasn’t in -everblue- drama and I missed him! Well, in this drama CD, I’ll have to say he pretty much has the important role of spoiling all the potential “right” moments with Youji for Makoto and Zenya. The poor boys. I can feel your hatred (Zenya’s contempt was undisguised when it comes to Kamiya-sensei) Lol~ We can also see how Kamiya-sensei creates opportunities for our main couple and coaxes them towards the eventual developments.

Haunted/Ghost House (Obake Yashiki)

I got the most chuckles out of Makoto here. This lively boy tries his very best to hang out with Youji and even manages to get two tickets so that they can visit the haunted house together. Youji accepts and wonders how scary it would be. Makoto tries to act cool and tells Youji he can come to him at any time but being a bit slow on the uptake, Youji is like… “Why do I need to do that?” (Makoto: … … ^^;;; ) Lol~ But guess who is the braver of the two? XD Makoto was screaming like a baby! He was so scared that he didn’t even realised that he had grabbed Youji’s hand when he ran from the ghosts. Too cute! XD Makoto’s “friendly” and embarrassed/clumsy advances towards Youji were also foiled not once but TWICE… ah~ I feel bad for him :P

Cosplay Cafe

Kamiya-sensei sends Makoto off to his shift at their stall. Since Youji is looking for Tetsuo, he suggested that the boy try his luck at the classroom the festival committee is using. Youji stumbles upon Zenya there and the latter starts to harrass Youji in a playful manner. Youji feels uncomfortable and blurts out that he is looking for Tetsuo. Zenya turns out to be one of the executive committee members too. He lets on to Youji that Tetsuo is a waiter at the cosplay cafe and drags him along to it. Looking at how the usually aloof Tetsuo smiling at the customers who are almost entirely made up of squealing girls, Youji feels a tinge of jealousy and unhappiness. Youji decides to leave the cafe as he doesn’t want to bother Tetsuo when he is so busy. Zenya hides behind his playfulness and tries to get Youji to reveal his real feelings.

Zenya sounds really sexy here ^///^) especially when he whispers to Youji. “I won’t ever make you feel this way… and I’ll always smile at you…” (or something along that line… please correct me if I’m wrong.) You can feel the barely restrained animal bubbling under that mask. :P But before Zenya can get any further with his seduction, Kamiya-sensei’s voice broadcasts over the announcement system and requests for Youji…

At the same time, Kitani (Zenya’s guardian) is looking for Zenya at the school. He enters the Cosplay Cafe and is mistaken for a Yakuza cosplayer lol~ it is quite amusing but seriously, why are the girls always portrayed as… typical screaming fan girls ^^;;; I guess I’m one of them but I believe I won’t behave like that in real life? (But then again… hmm… ^^;;;)

Gluttons Eating Contest

Next up, the boys turn up at the Gluttons Eating Contest. Makoto is the reigning champion for the yearly event. This year the contestants are challenging curry! Surprisingly, Kamiya-sensei informs Youji that his name is also on the contestant list and hurries him up on stage. It seems that somebody has signed him up on his behalf.

Makoto is full of confidence and as usual offers to help Youji with his share if he cannot finish it. However, as the contest goes on, one after another, the contestants give up in obvious pain. The curry is incredibly spicy! Even Makoto cannot withstand it. As for Youji, he downs all his curry easily cos he is used to even spicier curry that his sister cooks.

Youji is the contest winner. Feeling happy for Youji, Makoto congratulates him but he vows not to lose to Youji next year. When Youji replied that he won’t be taking part in the contest again the coming year, it felt like a premonition to me… cos we know what fate awaits him in the near future. *emo-ing* ( T-T)

As a side note, Youji’s tolerance for spicy curry was also revealed in “Lost Days“, a mini drama which was only available in the free cd for people who pre-order the game from amazon.co.jp last year.

I’m still looking for the mini drama “Sign“… I’m not sure which tokuten CD it is from, so if you have any clues, please point me to it!

Time with Sister

I like Youji’s sister (^///^) in the game and in the drama CD too. She’s always a source of warmth and emotional support for our boy. *hugs both*

A little Kiss

And then our main couple finally has a little time with each other near the end of the festival… : ) Why was Youji looking for Tetsuo?

Conclusion

A cute, fluffy and enjoyable drama but I think it is meant more for fans of the game cos knowledge of the background story makes us appreciate the happy moments of the boys a lot more.

*RANT*

H is missing from this CD.

I admit it would be kinda disruptive to the flow of this story and degenerate it into typical BL if we added H for H’s sake. That’s why I wished they included a second disk and give us a special track where Youji and Tetsuo goes for their love-love date for two at the onsen that Youji had won from the contest.

(yes, I’m a perv…) Sigh~ I’m a little disappointed I guess… but their relationship feels real and you can see that it builds up with every small interaction they get during the short time spent together. I think it is particularly sweet when Youji begins to realise his feelings towards Tetsuo. He even confesses that he feels a little upset over Tetsuo’s popularity with the girls. AHH~ I really love the way Hatano Wataru voices Youji <333 He gives me this incredible urge to want to protect him. Anyway…

I won this CD from an online auction. It is the version sold during Comiket 76 on 14 August 2009. Couldn’t wait for the general release. I’ve been stalking comi-comi everyday since news that this drama’s release date was announced but there wasn’t any listing there at all… ^^;;; The Comiket 76 version came with a freebie 3R photograph of the boys just like the one on the cover. That was kinda nice. I’m such a sucker for things like these. *shrugs*

Catalog: XFCD-00003 (Team Entertainment, Inc)
Price: 3,150 Yen (w/tax)