#kida tasuku

[trashexplorer]

BLCD Review: Smoky Nectar

Title: Smoky Nectar (スモーキーネクター)

Author/Artist: Minazuki Akira

Release Date: 2021/07/14

Cast: 

Satou Takuya x Enoki Junya

Komatsu Shouhei

Muro Genki

Taito Ban

Tsuchida Reo

Hasegawa Ikumi

Sugiyama Riho

Kobayashi Kousuke

Okada Sachiko

Kida Tasuku

Synopsis: Writer Hasegawa Mitsuru has been investigating a case that was rumored to be the work of vampires known as “Biters”. His childhood friend, Annaka Yuusei, a.k.a. Anna, warns him not to stick his head into where it doesn’t belong.

Review Proper

Just something about this is weird. The manga’s pretty fluid on its own, but it’s kinda, uhh, choppy? in the BLCD. Although I’m not sure if Smoky Nectar’s a serious manga with some comedy here and there, 50:50 serious and comedy, or is a comedy with some serious moments... it kinda doesn’t work in the BLCD. I mean, SatoTaku and Junya did well during the serious parts, but they seem to stumble during the comedy or the parts that lead to the comedic moments. Maybe the comedy just doesn’t transition well into the audio adaptation. *shrugs*

Let’s jump straight into the voice work, shall we?

I was quite interested in listening to this ‘cause yo??? Juujin bottoms??? If Daath and Kai were in these tones in Kemonohito, I would ship them 100% lmao, but then, uhh, idk, Junya was kind of a mess here. We’ll get to SatoTaku later, but I feel like they didn’t record this together. I do not like how Junya drags his moans on during their bedroom Redcross donations because he sounds very out of sync with SatoTaku’s ministrations (this is only very obvious in the first, though). I think he also has a hard time expressing the deadpan humor Mitsuru has. Sometimes my mind wanders off and starts having thoughts of either Reio, Ban, or Shouhei potentially being a better option for Mitsuru. That might just be my other issue with Junya. He was a bit too low for Mitsuru. I feel like if he was in a higher register, then he would’ve been able to express Mitsuru’s feelings better.

Now, as for SatoTaku, the man wasn’t free of my suspicions either. SatoTaku was a little too smooth to match Anna’s equally deadpan humor. I’m not saying that SatoTaku can’t comedy ‘cause sis you’ve heard Sonna ni, right??? But as compared to Anna, Shinobu’s more dynamic a character. Niyama and Ginger also gave the cast time to prepare before a big change in moods. Huh, I’m starting to think that this is the same thing that went down in Takasaki Bosco’s Torokeru Kuchibiru. I feel like Makonyan or Ono Yuuki would’ve done this better. But I know, I FUCKING KNOW, why Fifth Avenue got SatoTaku for this.

Thanks to Fifth Avenue, I know have my ringtone set to SatoTaku saying “erro” in the Mini Drama on repeat.

Goddamn I fucking flatlined on that one. I wasn’t really expecting much from the Mini Dramas, so thanks. 👍

Anyway, I also have to say that the sound effects as well as the bgms suck balls lmao. FIFTH AVENUE PLS. The main piano bgm also starts and ends in random places. There was also this part where Anna jumps off from a fucking building to the floor on the ground, making a table flip. Like we all know how a table sounds like flipped, right??? It definitely won’t sound like a chair shaking! 😂 I don’t think Fifth Avenue even cared at that point. 

This was actually a pretty decent adaptation despite the many issues I have with it. It’s pretty faithful to the manga too, although I would recommend reading the manga once before ‘cause you wouldn’t know what they were doing in real time without the visual cues. This is an action bl too, after all. If you’re looking for another vampire (the “biter” thing also threw me off a bit, but the “nectar” concept wouldn’t survive without ig) bl, I raise you Yuri Azuru’s Fujitsu de Fumou na Koi no Kami-kon starring Okitsu and Egu. That one’s a little disappointing on the action front, but it was a good vampire bl nontheless. Okitsu’s Lark was also a good comedic/spontaneous type, so that’s good vampire + comedy!