[Fan-Made ASMR] Off to Dahuang – A Day Off at the Secret Base with Shu

This is a situational ASMR work featuring Sh◯u, a character from the game Ar◯knights. As the title says, this is fan work, but I think the quality is high enough to rival the actual game itself. Fan works always carry the evaluation of "how close it is to the original." Most people probably have an aversion to low-quality ones. Things like the world-building, character portrayal, and — in the case of an audio work — how close the voice actor's vocal quality is to the original are all factors that get evaluated, and clearing all of these hurdles is no easy task. However, as a devoted Sh◯u worshipper, I have to say this work is "wonderful." Not only does it properly incorporate Sh◯u's position and relationships from the main game, but the voice actress's voice and way of speaking are exactly like Sh◯u — I could only think that she herself was right there. I think a character's manner of speech is a crucial factor in what makes that character who they are. Since this was captured so well, it felt, in a sense, like listening to a fully-voiced side story. Why is this so cheap? I think a lot of people feel an aversion or discomfort toward fan works, but I can confidently recommend this one even to them. Of course, I also think it's a great opportunity for people who don't know Ar◯knights to learn "oh, this kind of character exists." You can start with the trial version if you like — please give it a listen.

The main story is about an hour and a half, and with the bonus content included it's nearly three hours of audio. It's an Ar◯knights fan work in which you rest with Sh◯u at a secret base. The voice actress is Yomoyama Mikan. She's active across a wide range of media from audio dramas to games regardless of rating, and her performance here felt natural as well. Even setting aside the fact that this is fan work, the quality held up fine as an audio work on its own, so it was perfectly enjoyable even without deep knowledge of the source material. Considering the total runtime including the bonus tracks, it's also good value for the price. The dialogue script is included as well, and it even lists performance directions, positioning, and sound effects, so listening along while reading it made it even more enjoyable. There was a part where I felt the sound effects during the ear-cleaning scene lacked a bit of sharpness, but overall the sound effects weren't overpowering and were well balanced against the dialogue. Taken as a whole, it was pleasant and consistent to listen to, and I'd call it a solid work.

You're wrapped in Sh◯u's big-sister vibe from start to finish, and especially the later tracks were perfect for falling asleep to! I've been playing the original game, so if you've read the event story, you can naturally picture the peaceful scenery of the Great Wasteland Castle. There's also a strong sense of immersion, as if you're really there, and the atmosphere felt vivid enough that even people who don't know the original could probably picture it somehow — so I'd recommend it to people who haven't played Ar◯knights too! The track structure was good too, and the narration in between really helped add to the sense of presence — I genuinely enjoyed it! There haven't really been many people putting out Ar◯knights ASMR lately, so being soothed by the voice of a character I love felt really nice…! The voice was similar too, and the delivery felt completely natural — it's a work with nothing to complain about!