Blue Archive: Ui ASMR — Close Enough for Whispers to Reach

This is a work where you can spend time with Ui, a bookworm library committee member who's basically a total shut-in. Starting with the book restoration work she also does in the game, plus a reading segment, this work has content that feels very "her." Her voice is generally low-key/downer in tone, but her emotions are fairly easy to read, and the way she seems happy spending time with Sensei (the listener) is incredibly endearing. Her voice alone is healing, but ASMR elements like the sound of rain and pages turning are also included, making this a very well put-together audio work. The breathing sounds scattered throughout are wonderful too. ...But there's one thing! Something I absolutely have to mention. It's the fact that this is probably not suited at all for use as a sleep aid. There's this extremely distinctive scream—or maybe cry—of hers that you can also hear in the game while playing (when she gets hit, maybe?). If I'm counting right, you can hear it about 3 times in this work. Lying in bed, eyes closed, in the deep darkness, you'll suddenly hear it—a pathetic scream like a vampire suddenly exposed to sunlight: "Wehhh ah'ah'ah'!?" "Fuweh'ah'ah'!?" "There's no way... I can sleep through this...!!" No, I mean, it's totally fine, honestly. It's incredibly cute, and audio works aren't only meant to be listened to while falling asleep, and strictly speaking I haven't actually tried it yet, so maybe it's not impossible to sleep through that scream. Just going by the sample/preview part alone, you might get tricked... I mean, mistakenly think it's all a relaxed, laid-back atmosphere, so I just wanted to point out that it's not suited for that kind of use. But it's really great! She's so cute! Honestly, I think it's fine to buy this specifically for that scream! Right!?

This was a wonderful ASMR that really conveys the developers' love for Koseki Ui. There are five ASMR tracks split into different situations, such as drying off Sensei who came to the old bookstore/library in the rain, or Sensei helping with the work Ui normally does. However, unlike normal ASMR, a distinctive feature here is that Ui's peculiar strange cries are occasionally mixed in. For an ASMR meant to promote restful sleep and comfort, such strange cries might seem like a taboo, but in terms of bringing out the character's individuality, this is undoubtedly close to the correct approach—even amid the strange cries, you can still clearly hear her breathing sounds and Ui's gentle voice, which only reinforces the sense of comfort. On top of that, the constant sound of the fireplace and the rain outside is fantastic too, and it's nice for the listener that pleasant sounds keep playing even when Ui isn't talking. Of course, Ui's voice itself is wonderful, so this works excellently not just as ASMR but also as background music for working. Personally, I recommend the 15-minute timer bonus track. She comes to wake you up around the 14-minute-30-second mark, and I was curious how Ui—who surely couldn't wake someone forcefully—would do it, but amazingly, she wakes you up with her strange cry. It's an unusual way to wake someone up both as ASMR and as a timer, but you end up waking up remarkably refreshed, and since the character of Koseki Ui is front and center, it's practically a perfect answer. Actually, this was my first time listening to an ASMR, and I was worried my image of my favorite character might get ruined, but far from ruining it, this turned out to be a wonderful ASMR that only accelerated my imagination. It's a fantastic ASMR that I can recommend not only to Blue Archive fans, but also to ASMR beginners. If you're reading this review, please go buy this ASMR right now, and while you're at it, go pull for swimsuit Ui too. By the way, don't worry, Ui doesn't smell bad. Ui is so cute, isn't she.

I couldn't be bothered listening to ASMR of some winged trash-bird student. I thought as long as I had Hina's ASMR, that was enough for me. But I was wrong. The pouring rain, Ui's concern for not wanting you to catch a cold. It was an extremely relaxing ASMR where you could feel the warmth of the fireplace. The sounds of doing old book restoration work together were also very good. Ui's breathing and breaths felt in every little moment gave a sense of immersion, like "ah, she's really working right beside me now." It has a different kind of appeal from the Hina ASMR released at the same time, drawing out Koseki Ui's charm to the fullest, and the constantly playing rain ambience further boosted that appeal. But there was just one thing—when Koseki Ui's signature strange cry, like "Heaah!", suddenly started up, the EX track "Sudden Change in Condition" played in my head, my heart stopped, and my vital functions nearly ceased. I was saved afterward by the Koseki Ui reading track, but I want people to understand that this isn't a "sleep like a log" type of ASMR. It's strictly an ASMR about relaxation, about feeling the happiness of spending the same time together with Koseki Ui. I think the best situation for listening to this is in the evening to nighttime. I recommend it for a breather after work, or in the late afternoon after club activities. If any Sensei reading this review is a Koseki Ui fan and can afford it, I think you should buy this. Even I, who had no interest in Koseki Ui, was made to notice this character's charm. I really wanted to give it 6 stars, but since only 5 stars are available, I reluctantly gave it 5. Ah, so the Eden Treaty was here all along. This is the happy ending, the story of our youth.