My inner fangirl goes SQUEE~~
Friday, January 11, 2008
... because the Gundam 00 soundtrack is out~ And lookie who is on the cover~~
I admit, I didn't expect it so quickly... A 50-episode series usually as 3-4 osts. FMA had 3, but SEED and SEED DESTINY each had 4, which was stupid because FMA included the openings and endings, but SEED only included some of them, TV sized; and SEED DESTINY didn't even include theirs. I'm not complaining though. Sahashi Toshihiko is AMAZING. Full Metal Panic was done by him too, so I can't wait to get my hands on that too!
Kawai Kenji did a good job on 00, though, in my most humble opinion, not as good as Sahashi Toshihiko. But you can't have everything, ne?
(forgive me if I sound methodical, going almost track-by-track. I'm giving my first impressions as I listen)
One thing I noticed right off is that just about the entire soundtrack is centered about a main theme melody. This strikes me as unusual for an anime ost, they usually diversify their tracks to cover most aspects of the series as possible.
That said, there still is some diversity. I like the dark choral overtones and the heavy bass. Both come to play heavily in ALARM BELL (track 3), which has the choir singing the main theme painfully slowly, with the drums beating, and the violin lurking somewhere around. Brass fans might like TURN BACK (track 8). I myself don't fancy brass, but a military show has to has some brass tracks.
Speaking of brass, I highly recommend CONTROL (track 13). It sounds like those propaganda tracks they play as the troops march off to war, complete with excellent percussion. I'm such a sucker for percussion. XD This is probably on par with Pirates of the Caribbean, though not as complex in orchestration.
For something heart pumping, you might like to try POWER (track 6) or INNOVATION (track 5). Actually I can't really place track 3, though I'm willing to bet that it's the HRL's theme (for obvious reasons that a very Asian instrument, a shamisen/san sian, probably, comes in 55s into the track, and some very Chinese strains).
Continuing the thought on Chinese strains, COMMUNIST CAMP (track 15) was probably composed for the HRL too. It's a simple rhythmic track with the same beat pattern throughout: two beats of a taiko/da gu (which are the same thing in different languages), and one beat of a hand-held gong (you know the one you see in Chinese period dramas, when this guy goes about the palace announcing the hour). Simple, yet wow. I don't get the title reference though. I'll have to rewatch to find out where this track is heard.
Of all the HRL tracks, LEAGUE (track 17) is my favourite. The melody borrows heavily from Eastern music. String instruments take the lead, with some Matsuri-esque shouting with the big drum every bar. The shamisen/san sian is back too~
Away from the main tune, UNKNOWN (track 2) is a pretty eerie track that probably showed its face during the HRL ambush in episodes 9 and 10.
TENSION (track 10) lives up to it's name, complete with high strings that set your teeth on edge, but ATTACK (track 7) does not, unless it's meant to be a sneak attack or something. Also contrary to the title, ADMINISTRATION (track 20) sounds like a warrior riding out to battle. Very good shakuhachi melody here, underlined with bass. It ends explosively too, as our imaginary warrior vanishes into the sunset.
There are two "character" tracks to cover the character development in Setsuna and Allelujah. SETSUNA (track 11) is a mild Saudi Arabian-ish track that is very inappropriately named. A track named Setsuna should be more explosive, ne? Naming aside, the track is unique and captures the essence of the street scene in Azadistan very well. The flute they used sounds too Japanese/Chinese though. HALLELUJAH (track 21) is moody and dark, with a perpetually present bass and a higher melody weaving in and out, like the ebb and flow of the tide. Very apt.
The only light and happy track is probably DAILY (track 16). I also should add: I don't like it. What's it doing in my Gundam 00 ost? It's as extra as Saji and Louise. Maybe that's because it's their theme...
So there you go, 22 tracks of whee. The total running time is only 43 minutes. Gah, they could have squeezed in an extra 5 tracks or so... Damn moneysuckers.
Even so, I still think I'll get it when it gets into Singapore stores. Why? Because that's the way I contribute to the anime industry. I would get it online, but I don't have a credit card.
In summary:
I liked this ost because
a) it's got Setsuna on the cover~
b) I love the mix of percussion and choral tracks
c) I am amused by the Eastern and Middle Eastern influences (although admittedly, Gundam SEED had some track that borrowed heavily from Middle Eastern culture too)
I am disappointed that
a) this ost didn't have more tracks
b) it didn't even have the TV size versions of the opening and ending themes
c) repeated a single theme melody in many variations. That makes me feel a bit cheated. Just a bit.
Hmm... I think this is the first anime ost review I've ever done. Always wanted to do one for FMA, but this was sort of spontaneous...
I'm going to Music Junction at Jurong Point tomorrow~ No, I don't expect to see this on the shelves. In fact, I'll be rather 0.0 if I see this. But I'm hoping to get Death Note or Gundam SEED/ DESTINY. I need to start my anime ost collection somewhere ya? And Music Junction is about the only place I know that sells anime osts... That's quite sad, if you really think about it. What happened to otaku-ism?!
Ja ne~
EDIT: by the way, does anyone have Nana to lend me? I wasn't going to watch it, until I read somewhere that Hirano Aya voiced a character in that series. Then I went Wikipedia and realised that many seiyuus whom I know and love have a role in Nana. Seriously. Go check out their cast for yourself: here.
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