Sunset Firefly: Global Edition (Standard)

First, I want to offer my congratulations. To the author and lead actress who won the right to flirt with the one and only Tange-san, to be harshly berated by the one and only Tange-san, and to feel the one and only Tange-san's breath up close. I-it's not like I'm jealous or anything. But seriously, this is such an abuse of power. It's not fair. Gazing into each other's eyes with Tange-san at a distance close enough to feel each other's breath, even engaging in some naughty touching, would already be insane enough on its own, but throwing in a vision of the future too? I'm ascending to heaven. No wait, sorry. Actually, what I really want to shout is "thank you" with all my heart. This work is a rare opportunity to savor that yuri-tinged atmosphere and the awkward tension from a front-row seat. I've mostly talked about Tange-san, but the author's own performance as a genuine yuri lover is also excellent, especially the transformation from tomboy mode to young-lady mode, which was superb — it emphasized the intimacy that only exists when the two are alone, while also giving a sense of superiority in glimpsing the hidden side behind the haughty young lady's facade. Above all, this format—where you get to be present amid the yuri love between troubled adolescent girls without becoming an unwelcome intruding male—was such a perfectly satisfying experience that I wish they'd mass-produce it.

The parts where Hotaru and Yuka each speak to James one at a time are impossible not to get emotionally invested in, precisely because their impatience comes from knowing and caring about each other. Also, in the scene where the two sneak into the school and accidentally get locked in a locker that won't open, Yuka's mischief—born from her anxiety about not knowing how to gauge distance with the other person—and Hotaru's resistance to it create a feeling that's hard to put into words. And then the ending. A scene truly fitting as a conclusion awaits. This is definitely the best part, so I hope you'll listen for yourself and see. Among all the voice dramas I've listened to so far, this one shot straight to the top, and I have nothing but gratitude for this work for introducing me to this story.

It was an overwhelming sense of transgression from start to finish. Is it really okay for me to be here? I kept asking myself that the whole time I was listening. Who will punish me for the sin of peeping in on these two's honeymoon period? The iron vow that "one must not try to wedge oneself between yuri." The concept of "myself"—something that by all rights shouldn't even be allowed to exist there. And yet this work grants permission for exactly that. Tange Sakura's sweet voice, trembling the eardrums. Harada Hitomi's dignified voice. My brain shudders with pleasure, yet my existence never intersects with theirs. Because in this work, I am an inanimate object. That's right—I was James.