Drama CDs

MINI DISC MONOLOGUES

Although not a part of the same drama CD movement, per se, the single releases for each of the M characters also featured monologue tracks by the relevant seiyuu. I only have Nakamoto's of the solo songs, but if his is anything to go by, the monologues are on the same kind of subject as the song on the CD.


"Last Dance" release - ミニドラマー「M」
In the case of the "Last Dance" mini CD release, the drama included features all of them - and is hilariously funny. Arai manages to fall off his bike while trying to keep Nakamoto's cats from getting hurt, and he injures his leg. So he calls Takagi's phone with the intention of asking Nakamoto to bring him lunch. Of course, he doesn't want Takagi to know HOW he got hurt, so there are a lot of misunderstandings. When Mikimaro hears, he's convinced that Arai's dying, and runs off to find out what's going on. Takagi follows...meanwhile Nakamoto is getting food from the dining hall when Yuusuke puts into his head the idea that maybe it's not Arai but the cats that are hurt. This panics him and he runs off in the direction of the dorm. Mikimaro sees him and interprets this as further reason for panic. So they all end up in Arai's room - without food, and with a lot of noise. By which time it's the end of lunch break and they have to go back to class. All except the injured Arai...and Mikimaro, who is hysterically clinging to him and crying...

There is also
"Call from M".

This is another extension of M's publicity marketing skills. Each of these disks contains a one-sided phone conversation between the character and the listener, who is apparently an object of the character's affection (very neo-roma). Though it's advertised as a mini-story, it's not really a story as such.
They were each released at separate times, mostly through 1997 although Nakamoto's was put out in February of 2008 (and his was the last of the set). They are as follows:

Volume One: Arai Tougo
Volume Two: Katou Yuusuke
Volume Three: Shimura Mikimaro
Volume Four: Takagi Shimon
Volume Five: Nakamoto Shou

The above pictures are therefore in order of release.
Nakamoto's is the only CD I actually own, although I have been fortunate enough to hear Arai's so know the kind of format they follow. Nakamoto's is all one track, although Kanna-san does have an opportunity to comment on the whole thing at the end as himself.

So far as I've seen, Takagi's is the most difficult to find and Mikimaro's and Arai's the most easy, with Nakamoto's and Yuusuke's somewhere in the middle.

Note that Nakamoto and Mikimaro's instruments are reversed from what they are in the manga etc - this is due to Hayashi/Kanna Nobutoshi's band position in E.M.U (and the consequent fact that whenever he is involved, Nakamoto plays guitar...) This also tallies with the canon of the original novels, although not the canon of the early or later manga or plus novels. Yeesh, confusion. (Call me biased but I actually like better the idea of Nakamoto being the pianist. It seems to fit better with the characters).

Ah, what people will do for marketing purposes, huh??