Flower of Memory, Dream-Weaving: At the End of a Fading World -Episode 1-

Re:sound's latest work has even more dramatic depth than before. In a flower field reminiscent of heaven, an angel-like girl narrates the story of a boy and girl who struggle with their own existence. And there's also the story of the amnesiac girl who listens to and records that tale. I'll leave the details for you to listen to yourself, but as a story, it's admittedly somewhat familiar and predictable in places. That said, the performance of the voice actor playing Anima, the boy who serves as the main narrator, crying and screaming, is absolutely goosebump-inducing. Also, Aino Mimori, who plays Erin, has played "girls lacking self-confidence" in previous works as well, and her performance here shows the same reliable stability. Setting-wise, it feels close to the "White Grim Reaper" series. A girl without confidence, anguish over being unable to reconcile with others, encounters and salvation, the feelings of the dead — all elements found in past works are packed in here, and moreover, it comes in a hefty volume spanning four whole chapters. I don't know when the continuation will come, but I'll be waiting eagerly.

This is a work I'd recommend even to people who listen to voice works but avoid multi-cast voice dramas with back-and-forth dialogue. Also, since this is precious all-ages content, I'd love for people of every age group, not just adults, to pick it up. Everyone has the right to enjoy this story. That's a truly wonderful thing. It's fleeting and bittersweet, but it's a truly beautiful story. This work is built on a very delicate balance, so I'll refrain from describing the good points of each scene or character, since cutting them out and explaining them wouldn't convey what the story is trying to say, and it would only dull the emotional impact. However, I will say that even though this is just the first story out of four chapters, it's satisfying enough to stand on its own, and by no means relies on the sequels to work. The music, sound effects, and the voice actors' performances are all wonderful. For those who are curious, please watch the teaser movie or similar first to judge whether it suits your taste before purchasing. The physical package version has been well received at event sales, so you surely won't regret it.

I liked the cast and wanted to listen to a voice drama, so I bought this. I thought Erika Moriha and Renge Todo were the main cast, but their roles are actually Shikura, the narrator throughout the series, and Tadori, the listener — the actual main cast is Anima (voiced by Izuka) and Erin (voiced by Aino Mimori). Since the memories narrated by Shikura are from Anima's perspective, Tadori the listener barely appears except at the beginning. This differs (differed) somewhat from the impression given by the teaser movie. Anima is tormented by an obsessive fixation, and thanks to Izuka's intensely realistic performance, even the scenes that are essentially monologues carry real power. Because Shikura's narration has a kind of ungrounded, detached quality, it emphasizes Anima's emotional turmoil, giving the sense that you're listening to the character's emotions rather than just following a story. This also shows in how Anima and Erin relate to each other — precisely because Anima's emotions feel so raw and vivid, Erin's fleeting, ephemeral quality is emphasized all the more. The listener is positioned as Tadori, receiving their memories (emotions), which gives this work a different quality from both voice dramas and situation voice works. As the biggest caveat: the theme in this work of Anima feeling "guilt over eating" could be quite tough for people who are sensitive to that topic. Since this is central to the core of the story, I hope this helps as a reference for those about to listen.