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| « December 07, 2004 | Main | December 09, 2004 » |
AIR Original Soundtrack
This soundtrack, in particular the theme song, will lead to my going deaf. Ever since I got the CD a few days ago, I've been playing it non-stop. During the time I was playing the game, I grew to appreciate the song. By the time I was done, I would have an urge to fire up the Playstation just to listen to the song. As it got progressively worse, I decided to just buy the soundtrack. In the game, it only has the first verse which I had already enjoyed immensely. The CD comes with the full version of the song and the second verse along with the rest of the song is even better! It sounds awesome when piped through DPLII or Neo:6 and in fact, I would say that it's the only way to fully enjoy the rich atmospheric feel and nostalgic mood that the song evokes. It's currently the only song that I keep in lossless format in iTunes/AirTunes so that my receiver has ALL the sound frequencies to perform the surround sound algorithm. I love the song a lot. As I said previously, the song has a very rich atmospheric feel to it driven by a strong bass. The first verse is good, but when the song changes key at the beginning of the second verse...musical heaven. At first, I wondered why the song was about a bird, but the lyrics make a lot more sense once I finished the last chapter "Air" in the game. The rest of the soundtrack is very good. Out of the instrumentals, my favorites are the piano solo that plays during the intro and near the end as well as Minagi's theme. The tune that plays during summer, Kanna's theme (?), is good along with tracks 19/22 and of course, the orgel version of the theme song. I'm not really a fan of the two other vocals. It's not that I don't like them, rather, they're heavily overshadowed by the intro theme. There are a total of two CDs in this album. Since the original game came with the soundtrack, they probably had to put some extra stuff. It comes with a few songs that they didn't use in the game, short versions of the intro/ending as well as the karaoke. The liner notes have the lyrics, musical score for the three vocal songs, and a blurb from the composers for each of the tracks. |
Title: AIR Original Soundtrack |
ドラゴンエイジ (Dragon Age) November '04
Karin has two chapters, one that follows the normal story like and the other is a side-story featuring Ren. Quite a bunch of new stuff this (last) month. There's three new series starting along with two one-shot chapters. The first new title is a continuation from the one-shot manga two months ago, Girl Following. Now, I don't know if that's the correct translation as it's in kana, but I like the sound of it. The second one is "Love Dog." Bad title, but the story is your typical romantic comedy. Third is Devil 17 with the author being Shinji Saijo. He used to have a series in Shonen Magazine, Futatsuki, that I used to read. Seems like he's migrated here. I don't particularly like his artwork and the story is a little on the violent side, so it's something I'll pass. One of the one-shot is similarly violent, and the other one isn't too interesting. The bonus this month is a sample of the Zero-In drama CD that'll come with vol. 3 of the manga early next year. Haven't gotten around to reading the first two volumes yet, will do soon, so I'll have to defer that till later. It also comes with a special pencil board that has a Maburaho illustration on one side and another illustration on the other. I didn't realize it before, but Maburaho manga is over! But wait, from the previews, another Maburaho manga will be starting next month with a different artist. I think the novels have concluded, but I may be wrong on that. Kannagi is over with this last chapter. I had thought it would continue, it seemed like it had potential. Karin: 恥の１９「あわてる家族といじわるばあちゃん〜Confusion〜」 (19, Panicking Family and Grandma Who Teases): After a series of earthquakes, a vampire from the basement of Karin's house awakens. Soon after, there Kenta sees someone who looks like Karin attacking helpless victims. Fortunately, the vampire lets Kenta go. Back at Karin's house, Karin finds out that her grandma as been out on the prowl. Even though Karin hasn't spent time with her in the past, the parents both dislike her and Ren quickly runs away as soon as he sees his grandmother. Karin: 番外集２「煉の卒業と日向の名残り〜Vestiges〜」 (Side Story 2, Ren's Graduation and The Remnants of the Days in the Sun): Recounts the days when Ren finally awakens as a vampire and has to leave behind the girl who has a crush on him as he can no longer stand daylight and has to quit school. Girl Following: 第一話「だいじなもの」 (1, The Important Things): After overhearing Miori's fortune-telling and her advice about taking something dear to a first date, Natsuru decides to take her childhood friend, Eitaro to the marine park. She takes along a keychain that contains a little note that the two of them wrote as a child saying that they'll marry each other. Love Dog: 第一話「犬神娘の贈り物」 (1, The Gift From the Dog-Spirit Girls): Shinichiro lives with four dog spirits who change between canines and beautiful young girls. In the order of their age the girls are, Yura, Sakura, Amane, and Nanana. It all started when he picked up Amane and the sisters soon followed. The four girls want to show their appreciation for their masters, so they try to figure out what a boy of his age would like from a couple of pretty girls. After several failed attempts, he tells him that he's grateful that they're there for him and doesn't need anything else. Taisetsu na Koto: Step 10 龍太郎の告白 (Ryutaro's Confession): Nami's starting a new school semester and has a brief run-in with Ryutaro who helps her carry somethings, but doesn't think anything of it. After school, Nami's little brother who works for Ryutaro, gets hurt and is driven home where his parents find out he's taken a side job. Ryutaro defends him and stays for dinner. Nami comes home, surprised to find the object of her affection at her house. As he's leaving, he tells her about his mother who died a year ago. Nodoka Nobody: 伍の湯「時代」 (5, An Era): Nodoka is suppose to help restore a place that her father had worked on before. She remembers and has fond memories of the place. However, she finds out later that the owners of the building owe money and disappeared to escape their responsibility, so Nodoka isn't allowed to finish the job has to let go of her memories. Kannagi: 最終話 聖戦へ (Last Chapter, To a Holy War): Nanami reveals herself as the Miko of light and Hijiri serves her. They rescue Eri who had became a monster. However, that's only the beginning... |
Title: ドラゴンエイジ (Dragon Age) November '04 |
フルメタル・パニック！ (Full Metal Panic!) Vol. 7
More of the same from last time. The stories are disjoint and I'm starting to wonder where this series is headed. There's hardly any action anymore. However, out the of chapters here, I particularly liked chapter 44. Chapter 42 was unnecessary. Under the dust jacket is Kurz Weber, and this volume includes a bonus chapter, as well as the typical author's comic and colored first pages. This time, she writes about her first year as a wife. 40. 侵入者にチュー意せよ！ (Beware of the Intruder, pun on the word "beware" with "kiss") |
Title: フルメタル・パニック！ (Full Metal Panic!) Vol. 7 |
かみちゃまかりん (Mini-Goddess Karin) Vol. 4
This volume is a little shorter than the previous ones as the side-story is pretty long. Rather than doing plot development, this volume focuses more on the relationship between Karin and Kazune. Pretty good, although a bit slow at times. In addition the clear dustjacket, the first page has a transparent overlay with Karin, and a short omake chapter with Kazune's fan-club at school. There's a very nice bonus side-story chapter where Karin and Kazune are bound by the hand for a day. |
Title: かみちゃまかりん (Mini-Goddess Karin) Vol. 4 |
Crossover Vol. 7
This series, at the very end was a bit of a let-down. It got a little hung-up with the new player, Chris and his relationship with Eiji and Caine. I would have preferred if the author put a little more focus on the relationship between Natsuki and Mitsuki. While I enjoyed the games, there just wasn't any character development. Natsuki's still the same guy he was in the first book. Nothing's changed about it. No bonuses in this book. 51. 天才ガード (Talented Guard) |
Title: Crossover Vol. 7
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