The Rain Shelter Village ~Listen Closely, Her Healing Voice Is Right Beside You~

I listened in because I heard it was a work by Sora Kamishiro-chan from the circle "Amayadori no Sato," and the massage, whispering, and ear cleaning were all very healing. The sound of rain and Otonashi-chan's youthful yet mature acting create a great atmosphere. Rain tends to have a negative image, but on the other hand, I think this is a work where you can relax and be healed by the sound of the rain. The word choice isn't overly complicated either, and the fact that the expressions are kept just enough to create atmosphere shows how carefully the scenario has been constructed. Overall it's a very healing work, but Track 6 gets really sweet and your ears will be in bliss. For fans of Sora Kamishiro-chan who want a work for background listening while working, this won't disappoint. I'd give it about ★4.5. As the circle name "Amayadori no Sato" (Village of Rain Shelter) suggests, I was expecting a really elaborate depiction of the rain's world, but the spread of the ambient noise leaned a bit toward mono without much spatial spread, so the sense of being indoors felt a bit weak — that was a slight minus point for me. The rain sound gave the impression of something like it had just started to pick up. In other words, the persuasiveness of the sound and the environment felt slightly off from my own sense of things. For example, if you're getting a lap pillow and having your left ear whispered/cleaned into, the rain sound in the right ear should logically be slightly attenuated. I also feel that adding the sound of Otonashi-chan's movements and gestures would have added to the sense of presence. This is largely a matter of personal preference, but I'd love it if you could close your eyes and easily pick up on the situation just from the sound. From the title, I felt the ambition to provide healing throughout this work, so I look forward to even more refined sound design in the future. But I do think this is a wonderful circle that makes truly excellent works. I'd love to listen if a new series comes out.

Trying to escape a sudden downpour, I looked around and found an old inn! While taking shelter from the rain under its eaves, a cute girl appeared from inside!! It seems that after the previous innkeeper passed away, she took over the inn, and she invites you in for a wonderful time — with cute voice acting, whispering, and ear cleaning providing healing. It was the best.

So... this is a story where the listener borrows the eaves of a nearby building (the "House of Healing") to shelter from the rain, and ends up being invited in by the proprietor and thoroughly healed in various ways. The House of Healing seems to be a place where you get healed with ear cleaning and other things... it's not something you'd really encounter in real life, but it's a fairly common setting in the ASMR world. When you think of the proprietor of such a place, you might imagine someone older, but in this work, since the previous proprietor has only just passed away, the role is being filled by a girl who's still of school-uniform age (see the illustration). Her healing skills seem to fall far short of the previous proprietor's, both by her own self-evaluation and by those around her... but actually listening to it, including the conversations, I felt it was plenty healing. (Conversely, I suppose that means the previous proprietor was truly amazing.) Given the setting, it wouldn't be strange for this to become a series, so I have high hopes. As for a point of concern, perhaps because this is the circle's first work, the editing of the ambient sounds and sound effects felt a bit rough. So those looking for a work that's meticulous down to the smallest detail might want to be a bit cautious. Of course, this doesn't mean the work falls apart as a piece of work. (At least I personally enjoyed it plenty.) I'd definitely recommend this to fans of this voice actress, or to those wanting to discover a new circle in the healing genre.