Girlfriend Ear Cleaning Collection 2

When the previous work was announced and released, its huge and lavish cast and variety of situations gave a striking, positive shock to the doujin voice work scene. This installment is the second volume of the "girlfriend ear-cleaning voice-focused omnibus," and it's even more polished, with a colorful array of situations and characters, and casting that's not just lavish but genuinely surprising. As with the previous work, there are 17 performers total, but only 5 of them are returning from the first work, and even they're playing different characters this time. 12 are newly cast, and I'm delighted by the meticulous care Otonadeya put into ensuring the freshness never fades—you can really feel the creators' attention to detail. Each of the 17 tracks has its own distinct flavor of sweetness, so it's endlessly soothing and never gets boring. Every track has its charm, but... the ones that stuck with me most were: Yui Asami's quintessential "older girlfriend" ear-cleaning voice; Shiho Bubaigawara's older-but-polite distance that's so comfortable; Yumoe's idol-but-properly-your-girlfriend sense of closeness; Ainomori's book-lover who's supposed to be reserved but ends up bursting with emotion and repeating "I love you, I love you"; and Natsuki Nogami's overflowing sense of special, sacred happiness on the eve of her wedding. Also, as someone who listens to doujin voice works but has never touched a bishoujo game, getting to hear the serious ear-cleaning voices of Aji Sanma, Mao Tachibana, and Usa Fujisaki felt like a door opening to something new—a real joy. And if I may add something very personal: ever since ear-cleaning voice videos started popping up here and there on a certain video site, I've been a supporter of both Kanoko and ear-cleaning voices in general, so this genre is special to me. Like the previous work, this one felt like the primal landscape of voice works—somehow both fresh and nostalgic, like a hometown. To borrow someone else's words, this work is the "A*engers" of the doujin voice work world. I'd love for both casual fans and hardcore fans to pick this one up.

My girlfriend always cleans my ears for me, but there's something a little mysterious about her. How do I put this... when she dozes off in the middle of cleaning my ears, her personality changes! One moment she's being sweet and indulgent, the next she's turned mischievous. One moment she's a gal, the next she's an idol. And then she'll seem like we just started dating, only to suddenly be talking about getting married tomorrow. Given how thoroughly she commits to this "game," even her voice changes completely each time—she must have 17 personalities! I know I'm gushing, but every single one of these girls (personalities) is adorable and wonderfully skilled at soothing ear-cleaning. It's like getting two treats in one, except it's actually seventeen. Thanks to my incredibly generous girlfriend, I'm living a happy, soothed life every single day.

I jumped at the unexpected news that this had become a series. It's already been nearly two and a half years since the first work. I still listen to the first one regularly, so it's hard to believe that much time has passed. What makes this series wonderful is how specialized it is in healing and practicality. About the characters: Each one is clearly differentiated in personality, yet none of them feel quirky or exaggerated—they all have that "ordinary girlfriend" feel. Still, their affection for the listener and the sense that they're genuinely enjoying their time together come through clearly, which makes them feel very lovable and endearing. The situation is the end of a day for a couple (presumably living together or staying over). They head to bed while comforting each other, and before that... a gentle, unhurried time begins. It has a warm, cozy atmosphere—the modest, everyday happiness of a stable, settled couple. During the ear-cleaning, the exchanges stay relaxed and gentle throughout. There's no particularly unusual conversation and no sense that anything dramatic is about to happen, so nothing disturbs your peace of mind. In voice works meant for healing, things like difficult topics, unexpected developments, unnatural phrasing, settings that narrow down who the listener is supposed to be, or grating sound effects can sometimes become noise. This work has thoroughly eliminated all of that. Also, since I'm a woman, I listen to female voice works purely for healing purposes. Because of that, overly saccharine voices or overly calculated "cute" topics can sometimes feel tedious to me. This work lets me directly feel a natural girl-like cuteness, warmth, and vocal quality, which is purely soothing. I'd recommend it to women too. About the ear-cleaning sound effects: The Otonadeya quality is intact, but the volume has been increased. In the previous work, I felt the sound effects were a bit quiet compared to the voices, so this is a very welcome change. The cast is 17 people again, same as before, but the length per character has grown overall—from 10–20 minutes in the previous work to 13–23 minutes in this one. Either way, it's a nice length for listening a bit before bed. If you want a quick, relaxed dose of healing from these adorable girlfriends, this one's highly recommended.