Yuusha Yamada-kun Chinkyoku Album ~Side A / Side B / Side C~
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Album Title: Yuusha Yamada-kun Chinkyoku Album ~Side A / Side B / Side C~ |
| Record Label: Sweep Record |
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| Catalog No.: SRIN-1141 |
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| Release Date: September 30, 2016 |
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| Purchase: Buy at CD Japan |
Overview
The Yuusha Yamada-kun Chinkyoku Album ~Side A / Side B / Side C~ contains the music from the mobile RPG featuring Yuusha Yamada-kun. Composed by Keiichi Sugiyama, it features a blend of chiptune as well as more modern synths. How does the music turn out?
Body
The album opens with “Pleased to Meet You, Yamada-kun,” a rustic sounding tune that implements quirky vocals. It isn’t a particularly strong tune but it does set up the character. There are other tunes also centered around the hero. “Carefree Yamada-kun” carries that rustic sound and has a bit of a spaghetti western influence to it. “Yamada-kun’s Hustle” is essentially Mozart’s “Turkish March” but done with similar vocals. “Yamada-kun Leaves for Battle” features a nice melody and a determined sound, reminiscent of something one might here in a Megaman soundtrack. “Depressed Yamada-kun” features a great melody and, despite being a bit on the melancholy side, is still upbeat while “Resolute Yamada” is quite adventurous in tone and reminds me of the main theme to The Legend of Zelda at times.
There are plenty of dungeon themes on the album with varying success in execution. “Adventurous Song of the Tower” features a nice melody and a mysterious sound while “Adventurous Song of the Forest” has a jovial melody and incorporates sound effects. “Adventurous Song of the Underground” is mysterious and haunting and also incorporates sound effects, while “Adventurous Song of the Mansion” certainly has a haunted house feel with its ghostly sound effects and mysterious melody. A bit on the cliche side is “Adventurous Song of the Pyramid” with its exotic vocal samples and Egyptian sounding melody. Perhaps the biggest offender is “Adventurous song of the Imperial Games,” which is, almost note for note, “It’s a Small World,” popular at many Disney parks around the world.
Some of the other tunes also share a very cliche sound, mostly those relating to Egypt, as mentioned above. “Discovering Pharaoh-kun” and “Arrival at Egypt” both have decent melodies but are a bit stereotypical. “Extreme Absurdity! The Raid of the Darkness” features sinister organ melodies and comes off sounding like standard RPG fare. “Welcome to the President’s Office” features a similar tone but does incorporate more elements, such as choir and orchestra for a dramatic, but standard sound. “Aja is Here!” has a Middle Eastern influence and is very reminiscent of Koji Hayama’s signature style due to how the vocal samples are incorporated and also has an atmosphere that a lot of desert tunes in RPGs have as well.
One of the more substantial tunes on the album is “Heroic! Ayanokouji Battle” which blends chiptune and orchestral tones into a dramatic and intense tune with a great melody and progression. “Ruin! The President’s Ominous Bird” is a dramatic and tense affair with its orchestral focus and powerful vocal samples. “Dandy Bronson” gives off a Wild Arms vibe with its whistling, but does blend together acoustic and chiptune elements nicely, even if the end result is a bit pedestrian. Sugiyama also blends chiptune and Japanese instrumentation with “Invitation to Manliness” with a nice melody and progression. “Goodbye, Yasu” featuers a beautiful melody and blends acoustic guitar and chiptune for a rustic sound while “Blip Blop Wedding Ceremony” has a very church-like vibe due to the organ. Lastly, “Life in Reverse Pico Version” is an odd quirky vocal tune with a chiptune backing that gives off a bit of a jazz/bossa nova vibe to it. It certainly isn’t for everyone.
Summary
Yuusha Yamada-kun Chinkyoku Album ~Side A / Side B / Side C~ certainly is an interesting soundtrack. It doesn’t particularly stand out, nor does it break any barriers. It is clear that a lot of the music is inspired by classic game music, but it’s hard to get a sense of the composer’s individuality because of this. The end result is one that is serviceable with some very enjoyable tunes, but one that isn’t necessarily going to win the hearts of everyone.
Do you agree with the review and score? Let us know in the comments below!
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Posted on September 23, 2016 by Don Kotowski. Last modified on September 23, 2016.
About the Author
Don Kotowski Currently residing in Philadelphia. I spend my days working in vaccine characterization and dedicate some of my spare time in the evening to the vast world of video game music, both reviewing soundtracks as well as maintaining relationships with composers overseas in Europe and in Japan.
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