"Doronuma Renai" review
I just listened to “Doronuma Renai” and loved it. I was surprised to see a lack of reviews/recommendations out there for this CD, so here are my thoughts.
The BlackButterfly CDs I’ve listened to so far were usually just sweet/soothing/sexy, but this was a little different. Aside from the sweet stuff, “Doronuma Renai” was pretty suspenseful and got a little dark, with the bad ending going twisted and yandere. Actually, the good ending also had its bit of dark twists…but at least it all worked out. Fun stuff right? Kinda different for BB, but I’m not complaining.
It had sweet moments, a couple of fights, suspense, surprises… and man, that Ishikawa Kaito. It feels kinda weird fangirling about such a young seiyuu, but he’s pretty fantastic (those kisses…what’s this, only his 2nd time?). He did great on some pretty intense scenes and there were other parts where his chara would go into possessive-boyfriend mode, but I felt like his take on it was…stern but still sweet? As opposed to creepy…? Well, that’s just me. You’d have to listen for yourself. Anyways, that boy is coming up fast on my list.
So basically…this CD keeps you guessing on which guy is being dishonest with you, Yousuke or Tooru. Both are totally sweet to you, but then here and there, each would show a shady side.
On one hand you’ve got your boyfriend Yousuke (CV: Ishikawa Kaito), who starts out as a total sweetheart but keeps getting called back to work, even late at night… Later when you confront him about a girl you saw him with, he tries to lie about it…and even when you call him out on lying, he still won’t tell you anything. When Tooru starts stirring things up a little, Yousuke loses his temper a couple of times and gets a little forceful. Despite all that, he still seems sincere about being super devoted to you, so you’re just kinda like….what’s going on?
Then on the other hand you’ve got Tooru (CV: Saitou Souma), your and Yousuke’s friend since college, who tries cheering you up, listens to your concerns about Yousuke, and becomes your shoulder to cry on. He arranges a drinking night for the three of you to supposedly straighten things out, but he ends up instigating and pissing Yousuke off. When things get bad with Yousuke, Tooru gives you info about the girl in question, shows you proof, and after lots of hints that he likes you as more than a friend, finally confesses to you. So you kinda wonder…what kind of friend goes through this kinda trouble and tries to steal his friend’s girlfriend when things get shaky?
Anyways, so that’s my pitch without giving too much away. With the mixed signals flying everywhere, I felt pretty engaged in the story the whole time, and it doesn’t go too over-the-top sweet or yandere. So yup, I really enjoyed it.
I was actually gonna write more, but I'll save it for another time so I don't totally ruin it for anyone who might wanna give it a listen.