“Every day is like a continuation of a dream
If I can have a bit of fun, that’s all that matters”
Yeeee, welcome back to the review corner!!!
I have to say, when this book was first announced, I wasn’t particularly excited. A Yuyuko-centered story reminded me of Epitaph, an album I really don’t hold in high regard. The statement of a “light-hearted story that can be enjoyed by children” made me imagine a happy-sounding song with Ranko’s cute tones. It also didn’t seem to have the cool inspirations and stuff like Oshira Asobi. I still ordered it and will always be a fan of Ranko’s prose, but… sigh. Do note that I was also dealing with a huge depression at the time, so my pessimism was at maximum levels.
The Story
It’s a short and simple story about Yuyuko wanting to see the cherry blossoms during fall. The art is cute, and I really like the pastel colors. They really fit PCB! Again, I don’t want to talk about the story without spoiling it, so this part will be more about whatever.
Even though Obake no Sakurazome is a more light-hearted story, it should not be understimated. I learned that the dyeing technique of making a soup with branches of cherry blossom tree is actually real! You can watch a video here. I also highly recommend checking out this short video about Sachio Yoshioka, a man who dedicated his life to preserving natural dyeing techiques that were lost to time. While it doesn’t feature the cherry blossom technique, I still think it’s an interesting watch.
I know I’m digressing a bit, but watching this documentary reminded me of a food tale I would like to share with you (I guess this still fits Yuyuko). So, my town is filled with focaccia places, and nearly all of them rely on chemical products to make food in a shorter time, and satisfy as many customers as possible. There is only one place left that still uses traditional methods – while they do require a lot more time and energy, the taste is just different from the modern, “mass-produced” ones.
The Song
(try to not make a song URL that is super easy to guess challenge – IMPOSSIBLE)
It’s finally time to talk about the accompanying song, Kaze ga Fuitara. A proper Sakura Sakura vocal arrangement, wooohooo! When the wind blew, love took flight… and all my expectations were blow away. It’s the entire opposite of a “happy-sounding song with Ranko’s cute tones.” It’s an extremely unique track, both in terms of BUTAOTOME song (it really doesn’t sound like anything they have made) and as a Sakura Sakura arrangement (you know how 99% of Sakura Sakura ~ Japanize Dream arrangements have a reference to the original folk song? Well, this song is in the 1%). Seriously, I’m so amazed… I love it so much…
End notes
Obake no Sakurazome is The Perfect Cherry Blossom work I needed from BUTAOTOME. Now, if I think of PCB, I can think of this book. I highly recommend getting it, especially if you like Yuyuko! It’s still available on BOOTH and Melonbooks.
This book might not be as good as Oshira Asobi was, but it still makes me really happy, and the timing is also quite fitting. Things have happened lately – I’m finally doing all the processes to get a passport, so I’m getting a bit closer to my dream of meeting Buta being fulfilled…
By the way, I hope we will get an album for C103, but I do appreciate this type of work. It’s still a way to make new content, and I take another story+song book over best-ofs and Lost Word songs!