DRAMAtical Murder is perhaps one of the most well known video games of this decade. Originally released in March 2012, this BL (abbreviation for boys' love) R-18 (not for the kiddos) visual novel catapulted to the tops of Tumblr blogs and wedged a way into the hearts of fangirls everywhere. Following a young man named Aoba Seragaki, players were put into his shoes as he tried to take down a utopian society. However, that wasn't what was on everyone's minds while they were playing it or watching walkthroughs on YouTube.
The choices that the player makes as Aoba in the game also influences which of four guys could be his lover for life. You have the token best friend character who's very protective, the seemingly cold and aloof guy, the adorable and upbeat guy who calls Aoba by a nickname, or the tough and actually cold older man who doesn't seem to care about anything. Besides trying to figure out the best way to take our villain down, Aoba will also kiss and have sex with all of the guys at some point during the routes while dreamy music plays in the background and pixelated penises appear on screen (because Japan censors genitalia due to a complicated reason I don't know). Depending on additional choices you make, you can also have a happy ending or a bad ending for each character, and then there's a hidden route where you can become lovers with Aoba's dog AllMate who's actually something more but I can't reveal spoilers, and then there's the sequel game where there's extended good endings, and then there's the drama CD's....
Yeah, it would be an understatement to say that DRAMAtical Murder took off. It shot up to the moon and back exponentially, so it came as absolutely no surprise when an anime adaptation was announced in the spring of 2014. I didn't watch it while it was airing, but I did get the series for Christmas after Sentai Filmworks licensed it (with a dub, much to my brother and friend's frustration) and released it on DVD. I've been wanting to see this for a while, and I was expecting something good.
What did I find in DRAMAtical Murder? Was it an entertaining and exciting show? Or did it end up running on empty?
Here's the thing: if someone was looking for a complete adaptation of the visual novel, this is not it. DRAMAtical Murder itself is a game with so much packed into it that it would be hard to put everything into the show. Hence, only the most important scenes and plot points can be used. I wasn't expecting a fantastic show knowing about the original visual novel (but not having played it, because downloading things illegally is not my thing; I have, however, watched several scenes of the game on YouTube), but I was hoping that the team behind this show would give the game the love necessary to produce a great series.
And it worked...for the most part. DRAMAtical Murder has a diverse cast of characters and an interesting if weak at points story, but the development of these people is blurry and unfocused. I feel like we got to know more of some of them over others, and whenever we did learn more about them, it was crammed into a time frame rather than having it be over the course of a few episodes. This is sad, particularly if you liked some of the characters as much as I did, but when a show's given 12 episodes, there's only so much time for wiggle room.
However, DRAMAtical Murder does leave a trail of intrigue wherever it goes, and the world and art is visually unique enough to keep the viewers interested. Plus, with great voice acting and a phenomenal music score, there are reasons to stick around. This anime series isn't exactly the adaptation that was dreamed of happening, but it serves as a perfect introduction for people who are not quite ready to jump into the sex-filled adventures that populate the DMMd community.
Let's jump right into our story by introducing our main character Aoba Seragaki. He lives a peaceful life in the Old Residential District of Midorijima with his grandmother and works at Junk Shop Mediocrity, a store that sells random gadgets and gizmos. However, most of Midorijima is ruled by Toue Konzern, who has taken over the area with his own resort called Platinum Jail (doesn't that sound like fun?) in order for people to find true happiness. However, Toue's true intentions are far more sinister, and Aoba realizes this and tries his best to stay away. Despite this, something happens that immediately shakes up Aoba's life: he gets sent a package that leads him into a game of Rhyme, a popular fighting simulator that makes use of pet-like robots known as Allmates (which Aoba has in the form of a black dog named Ren). The person who instituted the battle knows Aoba's name and tells him that he's played Rhyme before. Aoba has no idea what the person is talking about, and his emotions escalate and cause a hidden personality to pop up, one focused on destroying everything in its path. When the battle is over, Aoba has no idea what happened after he became the other guy, and soon, his life will never be the same again.
Sounds interesting, right? Unfortunately, the story is the weakest part about DRAMAtical Murder. It was probably inevitable considering it's adapted from the game, but the reason why it's weak is because most of it just feels slow or incredibly rushed. Episodes can either be dragged out with Aoba just going through his everyday life, or when the story does decides to pick up, so much exposition about Toue or Aoba's past life is crammed into one episode that it makes your head spin. Most of the things that really matter are saved until the halfway point or right until the end of the series, and while having that episode where the characters literally sit down and discuss things is nice, it almost seemed like a case of 'too little too late'.
The same thing is true when our main characters enter Platinum Jail. Since this is the part in DRAMAtical Murder where the routes begin, each of Aoba's love interests gets their own episode to shine. Here we get some needed character development, which is nice, but here the story strangely stalls and randomly kick-starts in jagged pieces during the last two episodes. It's jarring and doesn't really help the story progress naturally, but it also creates weaker character interactions that feel like a shell of the game.
If I had to describe this story in any way, that last half of the last sentence in the paragraph is it: a shell of the visual novel, We never really get the chance to dive into the story, our characters, or this world that our story takes place in, and what we do get is only a fleeting glimpse, which is disappointing. I wanted to learn more about why Toue is the way he is. I wanted to see more of Aoba as the self that was hiding in his head. I wanted to get more out of our characters and truly understand them rather than only sympathize with them, as their connection with Aoba was toned down. Maybe if I watched more of the game, I could appreciate the series for what it is.
Also, don't get me started on the OVA. While it does give light to the love interests through the bad endings of their routes, the entire thing is incredibly creepy and since it's at the end of the series, it will leave a stale taste in your mouth.
Speaking of our love interests, why don't we go over our main characters and talk about change/what they're like? Okay, here we go.
The choices that the player makes as Aoba in the game also influences which of four guys could be his lover for life. You have the token best friend character who's very protective, the seemingly cold and aloof guy, the adorable and upbeat guy who calls Aoba by a nickname, or the tough and actually cold older man who doesn't seem to care about anything. Besides trying to figure out the best way to take our villain down, Aoba will also kiss and have sex with all of the guys at some point during the routes while dreamy music plays in the background and pixelated penises appear on screen (because Japan censors genitalia due to a complicated reason I don't know). Depending on additional choices you make, you can also have a happy ending or a bad ending for each character, and then there's a hidden route where you can become lovers with Aoba's dog AllMate who's actually something more but I can't reveal spoilers, and then there's the sequel game where there's extended good endings, and then there's the drama CD's....
Yeah, it would be an understatement to say that DRAMAtical Murder took off. It shot up to the moon and back exponentially, so it came as absolutely no surprise when an anime adaptation was announced in the spring of 2014. I didn't watch it while it was airing, but I did get the series for Christmas after Sentai Filmworks licensed it (with a dub, much to my brother and friend's frustration) and released it on DVD. I've been wanting to see this for a while, and I was expecting something good.
What did I find in DRAMAtical Murder? Was it an entertaining and exciting show? Or did it end up running on empty?
Here's the thing: if someone was looking for a complete adaptation of the visual novel, this is not it. DRAMAtical Murder itself is a game with so much packed into it that it would be hard to put everything into the show. Hence, only the most important scenes and plot points can be used. I wasn't expecting a fantastic show knowing about the original visual novel (but not having played it, because downloading things illegally is not my thing; I have, however, watched several scenes of the game on YouTube), but I was hoping that the team behind this show would give the game the love necessary to produce a great series.
And it worked...for the most part. DRAMAtical Murder has a diverse cast of characters and an interesting if weak at points story, but the development of these people is blurry and unfocused. I feel like we got to know more of some of them over others, and whenever we did learn more about them, it was crammed into a time frame rather than having it be over the course of a few episodes. This is sad, particularly if you liked some of the characters as much as I did, but when a show's given 12 episodes, there's only so much time for wiggle room.
However, DRAMAtical Murder does leave a trail of intrigue wherever it goes, and the world and art is visually unique enough to keep the viewers interested. Plus, with great voice acting and a phenomenal music score, there are reasons to stick around. This anime series isn't exactly the adaptation that was dreamed of happening, but it serves as a perfect introduction for people who are not quite ready to jump into the sex-filled adventures that populate the DMMd community.
Let's jump right into our story by introducing our main character Aoba Seragaki. He lives a peaceful life in the Old Residential District of Midorijima with his grandmother and works at Junk Shop Mediocrity, a store that sells random gadgets and gizmos. However, most of Midorijima is ruled by Toue Konzern, who has taken over the area with his own resort called Platinum Jail (doesn't that sound like fun?) in order for people to find true happiness. However, Toue's true intentions are far more sinister, and Aoba realizes this and tries his best to stay away. Despite this, something happens that immediately shakes up Aoba's life: he gets sent a package that leads him into a game of Rhyme, a popular fighting simulator that makes use of pet-like robots known as Allmates (which Aoba has in the form of a black dog named Ren). The person who instituted the battle knows Aoba's name and tells him that he's played Rhyme before. Aoba has no idea what the person is talking about, and his emotions escalate and cause a hidden personality to pop up, one focused on destroying everything in its path. When the battle is over, Aoba has no idea what happened after he became the other guy, and soon, his life will never be the same again.
Sounds interesting, right? Unfortunately, the story is the weakest part about DRAMAtical Murder. It was probably inevitable considering it's adapted from the game, but the reason why it's weak is because most of it just feels slow or incredibly rushed. Episodes can either be dragged out with Aoba just going through his everyday life, or when the story does decides to pick up, so much exposition about Toue or Aoba's past life is crammed into one episode that it makes your head spin. Most of the things that really matter are saved until the halfway point or right until the end of the series, and while having that episode where the characters literally sit down and discuss things is nice, it almost seemed like a case of 'too little too late'.
The same thing is true when our main characters enter Platinum Jail. Since this is the part in DRAMAtical Murder where the routes begin, each of Aoba's love interests gets their own episode to shine. Here we get some needed character development, which is nice, but here the story strangely stalls and randomly kick-starts in jagged pieces during the last two episodes. It's jarring and doesn't really help the story progress naturally, but it also creates weaker character interactions that feel like a shell of the game.
If I had to describe this story in any way, that last half of the last sentence in the paragraph is it: a shell of the visual novel, We never really get the chance to dive into the story, our characters, or this world that our story takes place in, and what we do get is only a fleeting glimpse, which is disappointing. I wanted to learn more about why Toue is the way he is. I wanted to see more of Aoba as the self that was hiding in his head. I wanted to get more out of our characters and truly understand them rather than only sympathize with them, as their connection with Aoba was toned down. Maybe if I watched more of the game, I could appreciate the series for what it is.
Also, don't get me started on the OVA. While it does give light to the love interests through the bad endings of their routes, the entire thing is incredibly creepy and since it's at the end of the series, it will leave a stale taste in your mouth.
Speaking of our love interests, why don't we go over our main characters and talk about change/what they're like? Okay, here we go.
Aoba Seragaki is our main protagonist who may seem normal on the outside, but after a while, you realize he has a lot going on in his life. Besides working at a junk store, he looks over his grandmother even though she insists she can take care of herself. He has to take medicine after an accident landed him in the hospital (what kind of accident it is, you'll have to guess based on the information in this review), and nerves exist in his hair that causes it to hurt if pulled on or cut. His life is pretty normal until he's forced into Rhyme, and then things start to get crazy.
For some reason, Aoba's voice attracts people like a magnet, causing others to pay attention to him and even do what he commands. Also, whenever he becomes emotionally distressed, his head starts to throb and he immediately becomes the personality lying dormant in his brain. Aoba loses his memories of those incidents right after having them, and he's unsure of why they're happening in the first place.
Aoba is also shown to have a very obvious disinterest in Toue and Platinum Jail, not believing that people should give up everything in order to find ultimate happiness. He finds it more important for others to express themselves freely and not lose themselves in what another person wants for them. I personally really like that sentiment, and Aoba expresses that throughout the series.
I personally really do like Aoba as a main character, as I feel like he gets the most development out of our cast. He's both protective and can get feisty when angered, but I appreciate how much he cares for everyone, even though some of them don't deserve it (*cough*Mink*cough*). The other side of him is also interesting and showcased that there was more to him than face value, and despite the crazy nature of that personality, his genuine goal was surprising.
I personally really do like Aoba as a main character, as I feel like he gets the most development out of our cast. He's both protective and can get feisty when angered, but I appreciate how much he cares for everyone, even though some of them don't deserve it (*cough*Mink*cough*). The other side of him is also interesting and showcased that there was more to him than face value, and despite the crazy nature of that personality, his genuine goal was surprising.
Ren is Aoba's trusted right hand man. He's part of the new technology that has been added to our future: a device that takes the appearance of a pet but serves as more of a mobile device/source for all things requiring a phone. These are known as Allmates, and not only do they serve the purpose of being objects of love and care, but they also help out in Rhyme, where Ren takes the form of a tall adult male covered in a black cloak with some metallic silver accessories much like his collar.
Ren is definitely our voice of reason out of our cast, He constantly remains levelheaded in any situation whether dire or just something that pops up in everyday life, and he cherishes the relationship he has with Aoba because he treats him like family. Ren is an older Allmate, and due to the rising popularity of newer models, Ren is afraid that one day Aoba will discard him (there's more of a reason behind this actually). Aoba swears that he would never do that due to the bond that the two of them share, and Ren gets a little less worried.
I really enjoy Ren as a character, but I absolutely love the relationship he and Aoba share. The scenes with them together are some of the most heartwarming out of the show, and I really see why the two of them are close: Aoba wants to treat Ren as an equal, and because of this, Ren will protect Aoba no matter what.
Koujaku is Aoba's childhood friend and a hairstylist known to attract the ladies (I'm curious to find out if the creator's intention was to make him bisexual, because if so, I think that would be pretty cool). He's older than Aoba by a couple years, so at points he almost acts like a father figure who comes rushing to the scene if he believes Aoba is in danger. That's why he immediately doesn't trust people who have caused Aoba harm right away (translation: Noiz).
Aside from being a hairdresser, Koujaku is also the leader of a Ribstiez group called Benishigure. Ribsteiz groups don't do much except fight over territory and what not, so their main involvement in the story is pretty much nonexistent. Koujaku's involvement, though, may have something to do with his past, but that's never touched on.
Personally, Koujaku is one of my least favorite characters in DRAMAtical Murder. He just came across as very bland and generic to me, always in the picture but never fully invested. Also, even though we did get an establishment of the friendship, I never fangirled or felt anything between Aoba and Koujaku to keep my interest.
Noiz is tied (or in 2nd place now, it depends on the day) with the guy I'll talk about after him as my favorite love interest in DRAMAtical Murder. Not only does Noiz have the most interesting character design and clothing of the entire show (he's even got a bunch of piercings, for crying out loud), but his detached personality exudes both aloofness and a know-it-all attitude. He's very cold towards people and doesn't seem to understand when others are in pain. This could be because he's the youngest at 19 and possesses both maturity and immaturity, but it could also be something else (which I won't say because SPOILERS!).
Noiz is our resident Rhyme player out of the group, actually leading his own crew and possessing a lot of information about who plays it (he's the person that led Aoba into the trap game in Episode 1). He's very proficient with technology and actually has some cool hacking scenes later on that are super cute (his rabbit sidekicks put on boxing gloves and beat down walls ^_^). This comes in handy when tracking down maps and getting through annoying security, plus the mission of finding out more about Toue can continue.
I really like how there's much more to Noiz than first meets the eye, and although most of his interactions come across as unsympathetic, there's a lot more underneath the surface that really shows how young he actually is. His growth is definitely one of my favorite parts of the show, and his scenes with Aoba in the original game and drama CD show that he is an incredibly big tease (which I personally enjoy a lot more than I should).
Clear is probably my current favorite out of the love interests in DRAMAtical Murder, and it really has to do with how freaking adorable and cute he is. He's definitely a strange and eccentric character when he first shows up, literally falling out of the sky and immediately calling Aoba "Master", much to Aoba's confusion and bewilderment. He also wears a gas mask and refuses to take it off for some reason, and he always carries around an umbrella and has a fascination with jellyfish (he even sings a beautiful song about them, which I don't want to link below because I want you guys to hear it for yourselves).
Due to his upbeat nature, Clear isn't taken very seriously by the others. This may have to do with the fact that he's basically like a kid who acts like a magical pixie throwing around glitter, but despite his looks, Clear has some insight and is actually quite skilled at fighting. He also shows complete devotion to Aoba (which is unsettling at first, but gradually grows more natural as the series goes on) and is actually able to protect him, which makes things a lot easier when it comes to battles.
I personally find Clear absolutely adorable, and I know many of DRAMAtical Murder's fans would agree with me. His nature adds a breath of fresh air to a very serious show, and he's both whimsical and hilariously entertaining. I also feel like Aoba is the most relaxed with Clear even though he's known Koujaku since childhood and his relationship with Ren is so strong, but I think that's because Clear's positive energy has an effect on him. It's honestly really endearing.
*sighs* Well, it looks like it's time to start talking about my least favorite character in this show. Mink is the leader of a Ribstiez group known as Scratch that's entirely made up of ex-convicts and the like. He's trying to find a way to take down Toue after something that occurred in his past, so joining up with Aoba seems like a good plan. However, that doesn't mean he'll get along with everyone, as Mink really only wants to succeed for his own goals.
Mink is not above using violence to achieve success, and he is incredibly ruthless and cruel pretty much all of the time. This may be an exterior, but it came about as the result of his past and has hardened him. Due to the circumstances, Aoba has no choice but to trust him, something that made me incredibly uncomfortable but is a result of the rushed plot and not getting enough time to figure out why Mink is the way he is until the last half of the series.
Mink is not only a bad character in my mind because he hurts Aoba constantly before actually listening to him, but it's because the anime series has made him completely dull and just boring. It's understandable why: the DMMd game actually does contain scenes of Mink raping Aoba in his route (at least I assume that's the case, several CG's I've seen don't look like it's consensual, you know?), and this was appropriately deemed too inappropriate to adapt. But as a result, we never get to see the extent of Mink's violence and the reason why he goes to such extremes. This results in him being violent only for the sake of it, and when he does get some kind of redemption at the end, the reasons why are foggy and unclear.
The other characters of DRAMAtical Murder are as incredibly colorful as this bunch. With Aoba's loud but caring grandmother, men that look like twins that are interested in Aoba for some reason, a friend of Aoba's that is part of his own Ribstiez group, the three kids that pester Aoba at his job, and of course our lead villain, there are a lot of people populating Midorijima. Not all of them are important to the plot, but those that are either get development or are left as just caricatures. You might be surprised at what results everyone gets....
Let's move on to animation, which is a much more disappointing category to talk about overall. Although it retains the color of the original work done by HonyaLala and makes Midorijima/Platinum Jail look incredibly vibrant and appealing, it lacks the detail and the fluidity to be a standout (also, let's not talk about the TV version for this show, because that's a completely different can of worms). Shots were characters are farther away aren't that impressive, and whenever people talk, they're usually standing in place or sitting, not being very expressive. I would've liked to see characters make gestures or have a bit more life to them, but since this was adapted from a visual novel, what some people see is probably what they're going to get. Also, fight scenes were incredibly lazy, and although they were choreographed well, I don't think people float in the air when they jump -_-.
However, I thought the character designs actually retained most of their interesting little details from the game, and I do think there are some beautiful close-up shots on faces and the like. But the overall product is very lackluster and not always visually stunning. Hopefully NAZ, the studio behind this show, will improve over time, but considering that this is the only show they've done full production on outside of Hamatora: The Animation's first season, we'll have to wait and see.
It's time to talk about the sound for DRAMAtical Murder, both the soundtrack and the voice acting. The score was composed by Yuki Hayashi, who also worked on the show I first did an anime review of (go check it out here). If the rest of the show is remembered for mediocrity, the score will stand perfectly well on its own because it's absolutely fantastic. Hayashi uses electronic music and orchestral elements as his muse to create a diverse collection of pieces that either crackle and pop, slither, or just make their own groove. It's a fun and rewarding score that ties up the moods of scenes perfectly, and you could also get away with playing some of the songs at a night club if you really wanted to.
Unlike the Soul Eater NOT! review, there is a track from DRAMAtical Murder that I would like to share with you because I love it so much. "Jiken" is a track that's the most wicked kind of dubstep (think a la very early Skrillex), and it's sadly only featured in one scene of the show (preceding a very short fight between Koujaku and Noiz). However, I found myself listening to it outside of the series quite frequently, so without further ado, let's link it. Have fun!
Sentai Filmworks actually gave DRAMAtical Murder a dub on their set, which I didn't find that surprising. After all, the game and the show are incredibly popular in Japan (although the anime may be popular more because of bad infamy), so it would make sense why an English dubbed version would seem appropriate. However, the visual novel hasn't been licensed here, meaning the voice actors hired had no experience with the game and would have had to search it up to find out more information. I could see this definitely angering people, particularly when the BL roots show in the OVA (I kind of feel bad for the English voice actors actually, because all that implied graphic sex may have surprised them).
I haven't really been a fan of Sentai dubs in the past, so I ended up watching the original Japanese for this show primarily due to the fact that the voice actors there have been recording for these characters for more than two years now and because it seemed more natural. I did watch a bit of the dub for Episode 5 and was surprised that it didn't sound horrible, but I still have hesitance. From what I've heard, Gabriel Regojo's voice for Aoba is very generic and lacks the unique quality that the original Japanese voice actor had (I'll talk about him in a bit), but David Matranga (Koujaku), Corey Hartzog (Noiz), Greg Ayres (he was the perfect choice for Clear, TBH), and Andrew Love (Mink) sound fine (I haven't heard David Wald's take on Ren yet (I'm looking forward to it), but the Allmate's voices are strangely muffled in the dub). Also, the ADR script is NOT a direct translation from the subtitles (Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere's dub was an absolute catastrophe because of the opposite), so thank you, George Manley!
Since I watched DRAMAtical Murder in Japanese, I've grown incredibly attached to the voice actors because the acting in the show is also fantastic. Everyone sounds comfortable (most definitely because they've done these characters before), there's no awkward line delivery to be found, and there's a sense of uniformity about it that makes it really fun to watch.
Without further ado, let's talk about my favorite people from the show, which are Atsushi Kisachi, Satoshi Hino, and Masatomo Nakazawa.
The thing that I immediately noticed about Atsushi Kisachi's voice as Aoba is that it both sounds young and mature at the same time. It's a very strange combination, but it's done extremely well here and it deserves the mention of praise. This performance gives Aoba a seasoned voice that doesn't hide the bits of youthfulness bubbling under the surface, and I honestly can't explain how much I like this unique voice because I haven't really heard it before. It also helps that Kisachi has complete control over his emotions to make Aoba sound believably worked up but also authentic. This was the first time I've heard him act, and I was thoroughly impressed! Great job!
Side note: people on MyAnimeList have filled Kisachi's page with comments about how he moans like a beast in the original game of DRAMAtical Murder. And from the stuff I've watched...yeah, I would agree with that. They're louder and even higher in pitch than I was expecting O_O.
I'm not a big fan of this screenshot, but whatever, I have to roll with it -_-. I believe I've heard Satoshi Hino a bit in various shows over the years, but his voice has always been higher and he's played characters that aren't exactly the type Noiz is (think the kind of wimpy but goodhearted protagonists like the guys from Familiar of Zero or Shakugan no Shana, which Hino voiced). However, I was thoroughly impressed with how well Hino played Noiz. His deeper voice adds to Noiz's calculating and cold manner, and it provided a nice contrast to the rest of the cast, who tend to be more emotional than this guy is. There's a lot of swagger and this level of coolness Noiz possess that makes you entirely focused on him in all the scenes he's in, and his interactions with Koujaku, while overdone, are incredibly hilarious (I think there's something refreshing about calling a person almost 10 years younger than you a 'bean sprout').
With the game and the anime, I like how we gradually get to see Noiz's emotions over time as he develops. It's really evident in the later scenes with Aoba (although that BDSM one in the sequel game makes him lose brownie points), and it actually makes him so much more adorable (when he gets flustered for the first time, you have to watch it to believe it <3).
Please excuse me while I geek out at this adorableness for a moment ^_^.
Masatomo Nakazawa hasn't been in a lot of stuff outside of video games (primarily of the adult variety). I find that to be a shame because he does an exceptional job with playing Clear. Nakazawa's higher voice and enthusiasm adds to Clear's childlike nature and naivete, and whenever he pops up on screen, you can't help but go "Aw!" a little bit every time. A lot of the actions that Clear performs wouldn't be uncommon in a young child, but there's a pep about them and something so adorable seeing Clear eat or hearing him do the sound effect for a pen while he's drawing. Plus, Nakazawa's singing is very different than what I was expecting, going for a more subdued tone that makes Clear even more elegant and refined while still keeping that bright tone.
It's really obvious throughout the series just how much Clear loves Aoba even though it's at first based on Aoba's power, but over time, the feeling still stays, and I really like how this is evident in the scenes with them together in the show and their game things (the one from the first game had me about to cry, but I also wrote a song about it!). It's enough to make a heart hurt.
At the end of the day, DRAMAtical Murder's adaptation isn't remarkable. The background of our story and our characters isn't explored as much as I'd like, the animation is passable at best, and the romance is translated into a harem rather than Aoba getting together with a specific partner. However, it's still an interesting introduction to the franchise and will definitely appeal to people who aren't up for the heavy shonen ai elements. Sentai Filmworks has the series available in either DVD or Blu-Ray format with both Japanese and English audio tracks in the US. The original game, like I mentioned before, is currently unavailable stateside, but go ahead and watch it on YouTube. Just make sure to bring earbuds/headphones...and water...and tissues. You'll need them >//<.
Until next time!
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