シルフ 2010年 09月号 [雑誌]
Price: JPY 680

4 used & new available from JPY 200

New DGS Hibiki goods to be sold at CharaHobby were announced in the latest issue of SYLPH. These goods include:

• DGS Hibiki Special Goods Set 2010 (3000 yen)
  Includes float pouch, mini hand towel, A3 clear poster, nail file set w/ pouch, and Teraike scrunchie, all inside a Hibiki shopping bag
• B3 Big Tapestry (1500 yen)
• Umi no Ie “HiBiKi” Tokusei Nyaa san Osenbei (1000 yen)
  Includes 5 senbei (rice crackers) and 2 packs of green tea
• Stacking Mug Cup HiroC Ver. & OnoD Ver. (1000 yen each)
• Radio Show-Produced Tshirts
  Kamiya Hiroshi produce “Drink Girl Smoke and Violence”
  Ono Daisuke produce “I ♥ DG”
  Do S Kousei Sakka produce “Kokatsu S-O-S!”

More information on the radio show-produced goods will be announced on the radio show. As usual, the ASCII Media Works booth will have a display of DGS good set up.

This issue’s bonus is a little mirror strap of Kuro Nyaa san. Not the best mirror in the world, but you can’t expect too much. Also included in this issue is the form to apply for the public recording at CharaHobby.

The latest chapter of DGS Hibiki has HiroC and OnoD at the beach. They finally get a vacation!? …Not exactly. They are forced by Teraikemen Shireikan to work a food stall to make some small change. Black Hibiki shows up and when HiroC asks Nozomu why they quit Hibiki, Nozomu tells him that as Hibiki, there are some rules that must be followed, and that there will come a time when HiroC and OnoD, too, have to make a decision. We’ll have to find out later what Nozomu means by this.

As discussed on DGS #133, there were many leftover CCP goods from DenFes so they’re all up on A&G’s web shop. The only item not available is the Nyaa san no Shippo Strap as that was the only one that sold out. They didn’t say aloud how much they’ve fallen into debt but it sounds like they’re pretty deep in the red. Hibiki goods will be sold at Animate stores starting November 5.

And now for a review of the latest chapter of DGS Hibiki from SYLPH vol.9. Sorry, it’s been a while since I’ve written a chapter review. In the previous chapter, Black Hibiki appeared and threatened to take over Hibiki. They challenged HiroC and OnoD to see who can help the most otomes within a week.

SYLPH Vol.9

Bookmarks

The cover of this issue features Kuranoa. Furoku included a Kuranoa drama CD (OnoD voices Ichi) and bookmarks from the DGS Hibiki game.

In this latest chapter, HiroC and OnoD are given an assignment to help Tsukasa practice soccer. Tsukasa has no confidence and doesn’t want to hold her team back in their big match next week so she asks for HiroC and OnoD to be her practice partner. Tsukasa improves but still feels she’s not good enough and wants to continue practicing, but HiroC is in a hurry to help as many girls as he can to win the challenge against Black Hibiki. He turns down her further request for help and when she

Level-headed OnoD

insists, he gets mad, saying that they have a challenge they can’t afford to lose either. OnoD, on the other hand, is much more level-headed about the entire situation and even tells HiroC that it doesn’t really matter if they lose against Black Hibiki. He says that HiroC’s behavior is the worst right now and that he has no right to wear the tsunagi (jumpsuit). This sets HiroC off and the chapter ends with HiroC grabbing the neck of OnoD’s shirt.

I thought the end of this chapter was very well-written. HiroC is usually the calmer of the two but this time it’s HiroC who loses his cool and OnoD shows his more mature side. To put it bluntly, HiroC was a jerk. It’s nice to see OnoD take the spotlight once in a while and I’m excited for the next chapter! Vol.10 will have DGS Hibiki on the cover and include a report on DenFes. It will be released November 21.

Daily Single 9/9

OnoD’s Kinmokusei single moved up on Oricon’s daily single ranking. For September 9, 2009, it is ranked #5. At this rate, it just might show up in the top 10 of the weekly single chart!

My copy of Kinmokusei just arrived today so here is a short review.

I got the first press, which comes with a 12-page special booklet. The lyrics are written on a separate sheet not attached to the booklet. The booklet is nice but personally I don’t think these are the best photos of OnoD. He’s a little hit or miss sometimes when it comes to photos and I think the photos here are somewhere in between. I absolutely laughed when I saw the photo on page 9. It’s just… yeah… If you’ve seen it, I think you know what I mean. It’s rather CK, haha. I can’t help but chuckle when I look at it. The back of the obi has a photo of a crosswalk scene with OnoD at the other end. I thought that was pretty nice touch since most of the time the back of obis are blank.

As for the songs, I LOVE THEM!! Kinmokusei has a really catchy melody and as usual, OnoD’s singing is great. I reeeeeeeally like the second song, Tori no Yume. It’s very otona ppoi

Kinmokusei

(adult-like), similar to Real no Nai Sekai on Kazahana.

There is a PV for Kinmokusei and you can watch part of it at the beginning of AniSon Plus #60 (2009/09/07). The PV is pretty cool so I hope it will be released on DVD sometime. Perhaps when OnoD’s second album comes out? (The PV for Manatsu no Spica, which was originally only streamed via mobile, was included on the DVD for Kazahana.)

キンモクセイ
Price: JPY 1,166

10 used & new available from JPY 592

Here is an interview with OnoD regarding the upcoming Lantis Matsuri.

In other news, guess who got lucky and scored tickets via lottery for Kiramune Music Festival! Now I just need to somehow get to Japan in November…

Daily Album 8/25

HiroC’s debut mini album Hare no Hi has finally been released. As one would expect, it hit the top ten of Oricon chart. For daily albums, it is #8 for August 25, 2009. Congratulations, HiroC!

I’ve already listened to the CD and watched the DVD. HiroC’s singing has improved significantly and while it can still use some work, I think he did a very good job. I especially enjoyed Yasashii Kaze and my diary. The DVD includes a PV for my diary, a making of video of the album, and a couple commercials.

Hare no Hi goukaban

The PV is cute but it’s rather obvious that he’s just lip syncing, hehe. I really liked the making of video. It’s narrated by HiroC and he talks about the hardships of producing the album, etc. You can tell that a lot of work was put into making Hare no Hi, and that’s something to be appreciated. You have to remember that HiroC doesn’t particularly enjoy singing and he admits that it’s not his strong point. In fact, the very first thing he says at the beginning of the making of video is that he is a voice actor, not  a singer. The CM portion was just a couple 15-second commercials. I wonder if any of them were shown on the big screen at the UDX building in Akihabara. I’ve seen SuzuKen’s, Hirakawa’s, and Irino’s PVs on there.

Anyway, more Kamiya this weekend at CharaHobby! OnoD too!

PS You can see what the Black Hibiki cellphone strap that will be sold at CharaHobby looks like at the SYLPH editor’s blog.

The recording will take place on Saturday, August 29 at 13:30. There are three ways to get seats at the stage area:

• Postcard
  Send a postcard with your name, address, age, and phone number to Bunka Housou
• SYLPH
  Buy SYLPH Vol.8 (7/22 out) and send in the application form
• Animelo
  Apply via the Animelo mobile website

You can apply using all three of these methods, but it’s limited to one entry per person per method.

Aside from the tshirt CCP, there will also be goods for HiroC, OnoD, and Kousei Suwa. They drew a lottery to see who would do what and HiroC drew “Kamiya Hiroshi no hatsukai no aji candy” (Kamiya Hiroshi’s first love-flavored candy), OnoD drew a keitai (cell phone) strap, and Kousei Suwa drew nabeshiki. Once again, HiroC’s bad luck at drawings comes through again, haha. The tshirts will be sold via mail order so those who can’t make it to CharaHobby won’t have to worry.

And now, time for some reviews! I will review the new OP/ED single, My Dear Girl!, the latest chapter of DGS from SYLPH vol.7, and a little late but I will also review the first DGS CD, Dear Girl ~Stories~.

My Dear Girl!
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My Dear Girl!

The new OP/ED single includes 7 tracks including two songs and two karaoke tracks. The two songs are, of course, the new opening and ending theme for the radio show, My Dear Girl! and Tsuki no Mane. It took a while for me to get used to My Dear Girl! and I have to admit that I probably like Say Your Name! ~Dear Girl~Tsuki no Mane better. , however, I absolutely love. The lyrics, the melody, everything about it is great.

The other tracks are Tyurya Tyurya Birthday, an off voice version of Tyurya Tyurya Birthday, and if Dear Girl ~Stories~ Hontou wa Konna Bangumi ni Shitakatta. Tyurya Tyurya Birthday was a remix of HiroC’s birthday. Lots of Ono Soutou, hehe. The off voice version just didn’t have the dialog from the show and only had HiroC and OnoD singing “tyurya tyurya.” if Dear Gear ~Stories~ was a non-crazy version of the show. You know, sort of like how the show was before the chaos that would become Duriangelion. Though it was nice hearing some of the old corners, it was rather… boring. Haha. They were doing weird stuff like ranking OnoD’s tshirt colors, etc. DGS really wouldn’t be the same if this is how the show was, and frankly, I don’t think they would reach 100 shows had it been like this, LoL.

Overall, for a mere 1575 yen, this single is a really good deal.

comic SYLPH (コミックシルフ) 2009年 07月号[雑誌]
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1 used & new available from JPY 2,240

SYLPH Vol.7

Vol.7 of SYLPH continues the story of SeiG trying to take over OnoD’s personality spot on the DGS radio show. It comes with a “Nice*Shita Jiishiki” (shitajiki/pencil board) and VitaminZ drama CD, and if you bought it at Animate, it also comes with DGS Hibiki and Kuranoa postcards. The shitajiki has a little game on the back.

Nice*Jiishiki game

In this chapter of DGS Hibiki, we find out why SeiG is so determined to be on the DGS radio show. I laughed at some of the radio jokes that were included. There was one part where HiroC and OnoD were going out so they had to change and OnoD wore the Ono Soutou outfit and held in his hand a Gachapin costume saying, “This one’s yours.” For that he got hit on the arm, haha. I love how they incorporate stuff that happens on the radio show into the manga.

Anyway, it turns out SeiG wanted to be on DGS to make his friend Misaki, who is in the hospital, happy. She is a big fan of DGS and SeiG had promised that he would get on DGS if Misaki’s letter were read on the show. While there was comedy in the chapter, I think this one appealed a little more to the emotions. Good chapter nonetheless and the magazine is worth buying if only for the shitajiki. It was explained that Iwasaki Saya sensei one day just decided to draw a color illustration of DGS Hibiki, so she asked the SYLPH editors to use it for something. Haha, Nice*Jiishiki!

Dear Girl ‾Stories‾
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7 used & new available from JPY 1,850

This review’s a bit late. It’s the first CD released by DGS, simply titled Dear Girl ~Stories~. It includes the first OP and ED themes, Say Your Name ~Dear Girl~ and Kienai Omoi ~Dear Letter~. I’m a big fan of the original themes. Another song, DIRTY AGENT, is also on this CD. It’s a fun song that was recorded for a purpose that’s now been forgotten, haha. Other tracks include a remix of Duriangelion, OnoD’s mottekite (bring the SYLPH) songs, HiroC vs. Mecha OnoD and OnoD vs. Mecha HiroC, a couple Dear Letter tracks, and a freetalk at the end.

Dear Girl ~Stories~

Durian Trans Mix is funny and helps you relive Duriangelion. There’s a lot of HiroC screaming/whining, LoL. OnoD’s mottekite songs were re-recorded and the Vol.5 song was new. You can hear HiroC trying not to laugh. HiroC vs. Mecha OnoD and OnoD vs. Mecha HiroC are hilarious!  HiroC and OnoD talk to their partner’s chaku voice (voice recordings for cell phones). They’re really funny. For the Dear Letter tracks, HiroC and OnoD wrote Dear Letters to each other. HiroC wanted to leave his at “I don’t have anything to say,” but the producer got mad at him and made him do a longer letter, haha. In the ending track, they talked about the CD and stuff. We learn that OnoD had to record the Vol.5 mottekite song twice because he gave up halfway through the first take, haha.

This is an enjoyable CD, especially for fans of DGS. I highly recommend it.

And thus concludes this round of reviews.

Dear Girl~Stories~響 1 (シルフコミックス)
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6 used & new available from JPY 210

Hibiki vol.1

The DGS Hibiki comic was so popular that they had to reiprint it! Ukkari juuban! (Careless second printing) OnoD says it wasn’t ukkari (careless), though, and that they’re reprinting it because it sold well.

The reprint contains a different obi that will only be available until the end of May. Rare obi! Obis usually don’t change because it costs more money to print a different one, but we all know how DGS tends to use its budget, hehe. On the first obi, HiroC wrote, “Ono kun said something good!” and OnoD wrote, “Already a best seller!” On the new obi, HiroC wrote, “Ono kun said something good again!” and OnoD’s response (even though he wrote his comment before HiroC) was, “Already a second printing!”

…Yes, the only difference between these two are the obis.

Original Entertainment Paradise “おれパラ”ライブDVD
Price: JPY 5,392

6 used & new available from JPY 4,040

Mosu! This is the live DVD for the Original Entertainment Paradise (aka OrePara) concert held on December 28, 2008, presented by Lantis. It featured Morikubo Shoutarou, Ono Daisuke, Suzumura Kenichi, and Iwata Mitsuo. Since this is a DGS fansite, I’ll just cover OnoD’s portion.

Ono’s set list comprised of Prism, Sora, Amaoto, Diamond Dust, and Manatsu no Spica. At the time of this live, Diamond Dust was a new song since Kazahana hadn’t been released yet.

The set was excellent. Personally, these are some of my favorite songs by Ono so I really enjoyed seeing them sung live. He opened with two songs and then had a little introduction segment. I like when he sings Amaoto live because he gets so into it that it looks like he’s going to cry. During the short break between Amaoto and Diamond Dust, he had to take a drink of water and the audience yelled out “kawaii,” to which Ono replied with HiroC’s line, “Kawaii tte iu na yo (Don’t call me cute),” and then continued to drink his water with a straight face, haha. Of course this made the audience say it even more and then he admitted, “But now that I’ve reached 30 [years old], I’m kind of happy when people say I’m cute.” Haha! OnoD, kawaii~!

OnoD sings very well live, and he knows how to get the crowd into it. At the end there was an encore with all four artists singing Nemuru Monotachi he, which is a song on Iwata’s mini-album CORE. They got the audience into it and had them sing the lines “bokura umaretekita yo” and “itsuka waraiau tame ni.” When they were calling everyone out, Ono was about to get started without SuzuKen who was still offstage. SuzuKen came out with an “Ono hidoi yo~ (Ono, how mean!)” Oops! .^^; They then compared each other’s tshirts and totally ignored Ono’s “もす。(Mosu.)” shirt, haha.

The making movie on the second disc was fun. OnoD was really nervous. It’s amazing that these guys can stand in front of hundreds, or even thousands, of people and sing and talk. It certainly takes a lot of guts. At they end, they showed a bunch of fans yelling out “OrePara saikou!” and stuff, and there was even a group of guys! Haha. One of them had a Mosu. shirt on and another even had a DGS shirt (OnoD white)! A Dear Boy!!! Actually at the beginning of the live after they had gone through introductions, Iwata called out to all the guys in the crowd and noticed the guy with the Mosu. shirt and yelled at him, “‘The hell you wearin’ a Mosu. tshirt for!? Wear mine!!” Ono laughed and bowed and thanked, hehe.

Overall, an entertaining DVD though perhaps a little pricey if you just want it for OnoD.

Dear Girl~Stories~響 1 (シルフコミックス)
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6 used & new available from JPY 210

Hibiki vol.1

Dear Girl ~Stories~ Hibiki vol.1. The first volume of Dear Girl ~Stories~ Hibiki includes the first two chapters of the comic, a bunch of 4koma comics, a novel written by Suwa sensei, as well as Hato sensei’s DGS report manga, a photo comic, and goods catalog.

The first chapter was first published in the DGS Fanbook. HiroC and OnoD are given a mission to make-over a yankee girl so she can have the courage to confess to Narazuka senpai, the student body president. In the second chapter, a girl named Yuki loves playing guitar and wants to become a music artist but her mother doesn’t consent to it. HiroC and OnoD help her take steps to realize her dream.

The 4koma shorts are based on material from the radio show, and I have yet to read the novel or Hato sensei’s report manga.

The photo comic has photos from DGS recordings related to how the comic and novel projects came about with dialogue bubbles. Lastly, the goods catalog is just that, a showcase of the DGS goods produced.

Overall, this is a must-have for all DGS fans. The manga is really funny and Iwasaki sensei’s illustrations are adorable! Since the 4koma comics are based on material from the radio show, anyone who doesn’t listen to DGS probably wouldn’t get it but if you do, it’s quite hilarious. The obi is pretty cute with messages from Kamiya and Ono. Kamiya: “Ono kun said something good!” Ono: “Already a best seller!” What’s funny about it is that Kamiya wrote his message before Ono, haha.

シルフ 2009年 05月号 [雑誌]
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1 used & new available from JPY 3,933

SYLPH vol.6 + DGS Digest Book. SYLPH vol.6 includes the third chapter of the Hibiki comic, a couple 4komas, and a DGS Digest Book.

SYLPH vol.6

In the third installment of the manga, a Dear Boy appears! Enter SeiG (Seiji), an elementary schooler determined to replace OnoD on DGS!! Why? Because he believes he’s more interesting and can do a better job. SeiG starts coming on weekends to Hibiki, which drives OnoD crazy. But why did Tera Ikemen Shireikan send SeiG to Hibiki when their organization only helps dear girls? To find out, HiroC and OnoD follow the GPS tracking device they planted on SeiG (the DGS wristband). HiroC learns SeiG’s secret from the lady who runs the flower shop SeiG often visits. We’ll have to wait to find out what the secret is in the next chapter.

SYLPH vol.6 comes with a bonus Dear Girl ~Stories~ Digest Book booklet. It includes summaries of the first 100 shows, some Q&A with the staff members, and a photo gallery

Digest Book

at the end. The booklet is mostly black and white and only the photo gallery is in color. The book helps you relive some of the memorable DGS moments and it’s a lot of fun reading it. The summaries are quite thorough, including some dialogue from the show as well as the contents of all the corners of the particular show.

The photo gallery has photos from most of the DGS recordings as well as event photos. This was the first time I saw what Suwa san looked like and WHOA! They weren’t kidding when they said he’s ikemen (good-looking)! Chanko Chanko chan is cute in his own way too.

If want the digest book, I’d suggest buying SYLPH vol.6 ASAP since once it’s sold out, you’ll only be able to get it second-hand and you know people will jack up the price like crazy.