RE: Nintendo Switch 2 Direct

 

Well, it's finally here, the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct~! I've been patiently awaiting this for months now, and was quite exciting to see. Although I didn't watch it live, I did wake up right after it finished airing and watched the recording immediately. I don't get many opportunities to talk about it, but I'm an avid gamer, and I love my Switch, so Switch 2 is something that I've been very interested in. That said, I have some mixed feelings on this Direct, it showed what I wanted to see, but not enough of it. I understand they want to compete with other consoles, but Switch 1 game re-issues and games already available on other consoles don't interest me a whole lot, but they did show some stellar looking exclusives and a lot of other interesting details.

First, let's talk about the games themselves. The new Mario Kart, dubbed Mario Kart World, was definitely the main game showcase here, and wow, this game looks absolutely insane. The whole world aspect looks very interesting, and I wonder how driving to and fro between tracks will work, will it be like those classic cartoon grand prix racing specials?

Anyways, lots of bonkers stuff in the preview, like that part where they took control of a big rig, and a lot of other little details. Also that many racers looks like pure chaos, hopefully they're mindful of item drops in it, since getting blue shelled by 20 racers would be torture. This game looks amazing though, I absolutely love Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but it's a tough game to follow considering how perfect that release is, they needed to mix things up and this new game certainly looks like it will do just that. Additionally, awesome it's a day one release, I was hoping it would be a launch title. I liked the graphics too, Peach looks cute as she should, nice costumes too, and interesting free exploration and photos and stuff.

The other big game showcase was the new Donkey Kong. I used to play an old Donkey Kong game as a kid, we got it from our babysitter, haven't really touched the series since childhood but I'm all for more 3D platformers being made, and the whole go wild and destroy everything aspect is a fun looking gimmick. I know the DK redesign is controversial but I honestly couldn't care less about that.

Kirby Air Riders also looks interesting, I used to play the original in Sunday School as a kid, lots of fond memories of that game, so a long-awaited sequel is both very unexpected but also very welcome. Pretty curious about this game and what it will entail, the trailer was incredibly vague but I'm excited for it.

It's also awesome that NSO Expansion is being expanded to include the Gamecube. I played Gamecube a lot in Sunday School, but sadly never actually owned one (and never got around to buying one later in life). The line-up of planned games looks amazing, especially Pokemon XD Gale of Darkness, I always really wanted that game as a kid but never played it, so I'm pretty excited for that to eventually become available to me. Also Soul Calibur II will be a blast from the past, I used to play Soul Calibur a ton on my Uncle's Dreamcast, and I was a fanatic on IV I believe, like was pro-level for a good while, so that will be fun.

Also, as I saw people joke prior to the Direct, seems they really are re-issuing games and doing dual-platform releases. I'm actually excited for Pokemon Legends ZA, I always wanted an urban Pokemon game, and it also being on the Switch 2 is excellent. I'll see about any of the other Switch 2 versions of games as they release, I certainly won't be re-buying any games though.

They teased a lot of games in the Direct, as said prior, re-issues and stuff from other platforms doesn't excite me too much, I already own a billion consoles. I also noticed that a lot of the teased third party games had stuff like "(Text Here) Edition" -- which I'm assuming is code for "not the same as the PS4/PS5 version".

They were some obvious tech demo games too, bizarrely the game that showcases the new features of the consoles is paid, seems like something that should be free (perhaps even pre-installed on the console). There was also that bizarre looking wheelchair basketball game, very unusual.

As for the tech itself, a lot of interesting stuff that I'm curious how it will be utilized in games. The main thing that stands out to me is the camera, and as shown in the Mario Party trailer, it can be utilized in games, so it seems like we're getting a spiritual sequel to when game consoles were randomly doing camera games, like the PS2 camera and all that jazz. Perhaps we'll get a re-issue of that one Cardcaptor Sakura PS2 game for the Switch (I know that would never happen, but would be funny). I do like motion controls though in games, so I'm curious how many games will implement the camera. Also curious if motion controls will be improved, Switch 1's motion controls were far lacking compared to the Wii, so I'm looking for an improvement.

While speaking on improvements, I hope the internet is better, especially with how more demanding this looks. The whole C Button, chat, live streaming, and so on, it will need much better internet to handle all of that without constantly disconnecting. So I'm hoping for better internet.

Going back to new features, the mouse is silly but interesting. As with the camera, I'm excited to see where developers take it and how it will be utilized in various games. It's certainly an interesting idea.

Also, I was weirdly really curious about how Switch 2 games will look physically, and I'm happy they showed they will be red, pretty nice and will be obviously different from Switch 1 cartridges. Now that said, I'm curious how the actual packaging will look, they're still using similar branding but they need to be mindful of consumer confusion, so I'm curious how different the cases and packaging will be (if at all).

I know they plan on showing the games more in the future, but that's my thoughts so far on the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct/current information. Now if I can actually get one is another question, took a long time for me to get Switch 1, so I'm hoping I can pick one up sooner than later. That said, getting game consoles later also means there's more games available (and cheaper used copies), so you win some you lose some.

A Peek Into The Spring 2025 Anime Season

Hey y'all, totally forgot this blog even existed. I won't make any promises of trying to be more active here, I simply don't know if I will be or not, but felt like posting here again so I shall. I mostly just want to talk about anime and stuff, more than I already do with friends, I really love anime a lot and want to talk about it more. Every season I always peruse the new anime coming out and add a boatload of them to my PTW list. I thought of doing a series of posts on this before but always forget about it, but not this season!

This is just my ramblings on some upcoming anime. This post will NOT include new seasons/movies/OVAs-of-franchises/remakes/etc -- though there are a lot of those coming out this next season too (like the Konosuba OVAs and the Maid Dragon movie -- which I do hope makes it to US theaters; I saw the Spy X Family movie in the theater and it was a lot of fun). All in all, I want to focus on new shows in these seasonal posts.

Just going to work through the Spring 2025 season top to bottom (order is meaningless outside of that), these are the shows that piqued my interest and some words about them. Also, I didn't watch any promotional materials, just going off of the MyAnimeList entries. Also, ironically it will probably be awhile til I watch these as I prefer to wait til a season has finished airing to watch it without waiting for new episodes.

As you'll see, this looks like an absolutely stacked season, added a ton of stuff to my PTW.

#1: Apocalypse Hotel
https://myanimelist.net/anime/59675/Apocalypse_Hotel

One of the main ones I'm looking forwards to. Robot girls in a hotel after humanity has died off, really interesting premise. Also hotels are an uncommon setting/theme, so I'm curious how it will play a role in the story. Looks quite interesting, certainly curious about it.

#2: Aru Majo ga Shinu Made
https://myanimelist.net/anime/59169/Aru_Majo_ga_Shinu_Made

I love witch girls, I also love emotional anime, and this new series looks like it combines the two. Witch girl who's slowly dying having to collect tears of joy to save herself, it's an interesting premise and has a lot of potential to be quite good. Also, curious how they'll combine these ideas -- witches and emotional dramas.

#3: Ballpark de Tsukamaete!
https://myanimelist.net/anime/60293/Ballpark_de_Tsukamaete

Ok, call me weird, but this is the anime of the Spring 2025 season that I'm looking forwards to the most. I love anime with odd settings and themes, and an anime focused on a concession girl at a baseball stadium most certainly fits the bill. I actually did little league baseball when I was a kid, I hated it then but now as an adult I have a weird affinity for baseball (I never watch it, but I like media based on it, like anime and video games). But(t) yeah, show looks based, cute baseball girl and interesting premise about baseball fans but not directly about the baseball itself. Reminds me of a Japanese movie I watched that was similar, was about the people in the stands and not the baseball itself, curious if this will be similar.

#4: Chotto dake Ai ga Omoi Dark Elf ga Isekai kara Oikaketekita
https://myanimelist.net/anime/59745/Chotto_dake_Ai_ga_Omoi_Dark_Elf_ga_Isekai_kara_Oikaketekita

Reverse tropes are interesting, and this is a reverse isekai -- cute dark elf girl from a fantasy world coming into ours. These types of reverse isekai anime tend to be fun and silly, and this one looks like it will include a healthy dose of ecchi as well (very welcome). Cute girls and fun premise, curious how it will play out!

#5: Danjo no Yuujou wa Seiritsu suru? (Iya, Shinai!!)
https://myanimelist.net/anime/52709/Danjo_no_Yuujou_wa_Seiritsu_suru_Iya_Shinai

First, something about the character designs in this makes me want to laugh. As for the actual show, looks pretty interesting, love polygon stuff I'm guessing from the synopsis on MAL. I do enjoy romcom anime, and this looks like a fun one with a nice setup.

#6: Haite Kudasai, Takamine-san
https://myanimelist.net/anime/59457/Haite_Kudasai_Takamine-san

Modern ecchi anime with a ridiculous plot involving powers to redo things at the cost of stripping clothes. I like ecchi anime, including the absurd ones, and this looks pretty fun. Curious what situations will arise with the show's main mechanic. Episode duration isn't available on MAL yet, but curious if this will be more diverse full-length episodes or shorts all about the specific gimmick -- really can go either way.

#7: Hibi wa Sugiredo Meshi Umashi
https://myanimelist.net/anime/60658/Hibi_wa_Sugiredo_Meshi_Umashi

Looks like a fusion of gourmet and CGDCT, but with a university setting. Curious if the university setting will play a significant role or not, college anime can be quite interesting when done correctly, and this looks cute. As with the previous entry in this list, I just can't tell if it will be full-length episodes or shorts, but I'm curious about it either way.

#8: Isshun de Chiryou shiteita noni Yakutatazu to Tsuihou sareta Tensai Chiyushi, Yami Healer toshite Tanoshiku Ikiru
URL too long, breaks formatting, just look it up on MAL.

Modern fantasy anime, which I'm actually totally cool with. Looks like a significantly less "edgy" Redo Of Healer, a show which I actually liked (especially since it was basically a modern take on old pink anime, but without the actual hentai). Considering I liked the setup of that anime, this one also looks interesting, and the idea of an underground healer is a nice premise. Some cute girls in it as well.

#9: Kakushite! Makina-san!!
https://myanimelist.net/anime/58833/Kakushite_Makina-san

Not the first show to do something like this, but I ain't complaining. New robot girl ecchi anime, this time is about a sex robot, which I can only imagine will lead to a lot of lewd and humorous hi-jinks. Curious how this show will play out, I can foresee it playing around with trying to keep her functions hidden, her showing her true form (this isn't even my final form!), and various predicaments. Looks cute and silly.

#10: Kanpekisugite Kawaige ga Nai to Konyaku Haki sareta Seijo wa Ringoku ni Urareru
URL too long, breaks formatting, just look it up on MAL.

Really interesting premise of a "too perfect" saint girl being sold off by her fiance to another kingdom. The plot synopsis really piques my interest, curious what the story itself will entail after that initial fiasco. Kind of hard to put my thoughts into words on this one, but I'm definitely looking forwards to it, looks interesting.

#11: Katainaka no Ossan, Kensei ni Naru
https://myanimelist.net/anime/59452/Katainaka_no_Ossan_Kensei_ni_Naru

Every season I seem to add a few of these modern fantasy anime to my PTW, there's just so many of them made that it's hard not to. Something about this one piqued my interest a bit, having a "past their prime" protagonist leading the party, curious how that will effect things and the story.

#12: Kijin Gentoushou
https://myanimelist.net/anime/49778/Kijin_Gentoushou

Something about this one reminds me of older demon-themed anime, so that drew me in right away. Also add bandaged eye loli to the mix and I'm sold. The anime doesn't have the drama tag on MAL, but just from the look of it and the synopsis, I expect some nice drama mixed with the action and adventure stuff. Curious looking show though, wonder how it will feel.

#13: Kowloon Generic Romance
https://myanimelist.net/anime/60083/Kowloon_Generic_Romance

I love anime with unique settings, and Kowloon most certainly fits the bill. I highly suggest doing some research on Kowloon (the walled city), it's fascinating and really bizarre, is really cool seeing an anime themed around it. Really curious how the setting will apply to the characters, and what it will actually look like animated. Show itself looks like a romcom, which I do enjoy, and the idea of a normal story in such a unique setting piques my interest.

#14: Lazarus
https://myanimelist.net/anime/56038/Lazarus

There's like two seemingly COVID-vaccine inspired anime coming out this upcoming season, and Lazarus is one of the two, and is also the anime from the upcoming season that I've seen people talk about the most. Pandemic horror was a cool thing before the actual pandemic, so I'm curious how this will play out, and is certainly interesting we're getting two anime like this next season.

#15: Maebashi Witches
https://myanimelist.net/anime/59744/Maebashi_Witches

Cute and fun looking anime, wonder if it will be a new long shoujo anime, I love those and would definitely be down for more of those being made. Whatever this show may be, I'm quite curious about it, reminds me of other anime I really enjoy so I'm quite curious about this one. Hoping it's one of those anime with tons of episodes, but a normal sized season would be good too.

#16: Mono
https://myanimelist.net/anime/58492/Mono

Haha the audio better be in mono, haha if there's a sequel it better be called stereo, haha. Jokes aside, this one is another standout for me from the upcoming season. I actually quite enjoy photography and obscure cameras, like I own an early digital camera that uses floppy disks and it's stellar af. This looks like a very enjoyable CGDCT anime with a fun theme, curious what will be displayed here. Also, quite like tho logo, branding, and overall look of this anime.

#17: Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de
https://myanimelist.net/anime/60377/Nazotoki_wa_Dinner_no_Ato_de

When handled well, detective anime can be amazing. I love a good mystery and seeing the characters collect clues and deduce things like motives, suspects, and so on. Happy to see a new detective anime being made (and yes, I know there's another detective anime coming out but it's a spin-off so won't be in this list). Happy that we're getting multiple anime of this genre, hoping they're good (one detective anime I dropped was total nonsense, hoping this isn't anything like that one).

#18: Ninja to Koroshiya no Futarigurashi
https://myanimelist.net/anime/58725/Ninja_to_Koroshiya_no_Futarigurashi

First, the idea of ninjas, assassins, and regular people in a comedy anime really makes me think of stuff like Kill Me Baby -- which is a must-watch masterpiece for all comedy anime fans. That said, this show's premise looks unique from that classic, with its own distinct personality and plot. Really fun looking anime, looks quite enjoyable and silly.

#19: Ore wa Seikan Kokka no Akutoku Ryoushu!
https://myanimelist.net/anime/60154/Ore_wa_Seikan_Kokka_no_Akutoku_Ryoushu

SF isekai? That alone makes this interesting, though I am a bit worried about those mechs in the images (always been very picky about mech stuff), curious looking show nonetheless. Protagonist at the lead of a galactic kingdom trying to do evil but having it constantly backfire is a fun premise, curious how this will play out, and again, having a sci-fi isekai is cool.

#20: Princession Orchestra
https://myanimelist.net/anime/59078/Princession_Orchestra

Everything I said about Maebashi Witches also applies here as both anime look incredibly similar. Hoping for an entertaining long shoujo anime, it certainly has that colorful and distinct look to it. Really happy to see more anime like this being produced, excited to watch it~!

#21: Rock wa Lady no Tashinami deshite
https://myanimelist.net/anime/59360/Rock_wa_Lady_no_Tashinami_deshite

One of the upcoming standouts for me personally, really excited about this one. Girls in a prestigious academy playing hard rock music and rebelling -- it's just so cool, really love the theme and really looking forwards to this one. I expect a lot of clashing, great music, and a punk spirit. Looks awesome, and girl band anime are cool (hence my obsession with K-On!). Have high hopes for this one.

#22: Shiunji-ke no Kodomotachi
https://myanimelist.net/anime/58131/Shiunji-ke_no_Kodomotachi

Romcom love polygon possible harem anime? Cute characters, fun plot setup, nice bright aesthetic, looks like an enjoyable watch. Pretty diverse looking cast (from what I can tell). Something about this one just looks very fun, and like a 2020s spin on an early 2010s set of tropes, which is definitely cool.

#23: Summer Pockets
https://myanimelist.net/anime/50694/Summer_Pockets

Another potential banger and one I'm quite looking forwards to, really reminds me of all of those VN adaptations the industry used to produce. Nice looking cast, beautiful artwork, and very cool setting (a small island with only 2000+/- inhabitants). I love stuff like this, and although I do think it should've aired in the Summer considering the title and summer theme, Spring is close enough, a wonderful looking anime for sunny days.

#24: Uchuujin MuuMuu
https://myanimelist.net/anime/60401/Uchuujin_MuuMuu

Comedy anime with a cool art-style and an alien cat? Looks fun, so sign me up. Really curious how it will be with the whole appliance theme, can't even begin to imagine what kind of jokes this show will have trying to fuse together alien cats with random household appliances, but it certainly sounds interesting, so will check it out~!

#25: Witch Watch
https://myanimelist.net/anime/59597/Witch_Watch

First, a witch/mage girl with a human familiar makes me immediately think of Zero no Tsukaima, the show itself looks different though, but interesting to see that same idea repeat so many years later. Anyways, pretty fun looking anime with a nice looking cast. Curious how it will differentiate it from the human familiar anime that came before it.

#26: Your Forma
https://myanimelist.net/anime/55995/Your_Forma

The other seemingly COVID-vaccine inspired anime, and this one, to me at least, looks a bit more interesting than Lazarus (though I do want to watch both of them). Interesting to see recent events seemingly inspire new stories, curious how it will play out, and with both of these, really hoping they're better than Western COVID-inspired media.

#27: Zatsu Tabi: That's Journey
https://myanimelist.net/anime/55514/Zatsu_Tabi__Thats_Journey

Another upcoming anime that I'm really looking forwards to, absolutely love the modern adventure theme of a girl exploring and meeting people and seeing various sights. Ever since I was a kid I loved the idea of just setting off for adventure (mostly Pokemon inspired fantasies), and I have done some "walking missions" before around San Francisco. Anyways, very interesting looking anime, really excited about it~!

#28: Virgin Punk
https://myanimelist.net/anime/59848/Virgin_Punk

Last but not least, one of my most anticipated for the upcoming season. I absolutely loved A Kite and consider it a must watch, so more of that is insanely exciting to see. Although I predict it might not be as brutal (or as pornographic), I'm still really excited to see it, really curious about this and love to see 90s style anime being made in the current era.

[REVIEW] Anime & Video Game OST Listening List 2: PSYCHO-PASS Complete Original Soundtrack

 

Source (Anime): PSYCHO-PASS
Composer: Yugo Kanno
Year (of original media): 2012
Genres (partial): Alternative Rock, Hard Rock, Electronic-Rock-Classical Fusion, Classical, Techno, Psytrance, Breakbeat, Dark Jazz, Dark Ambient, IDM, Illbient
Additional Info: Soundtrack for season one of the anime, the later seasons have their own soundtrack albums. Official release.

PSYCHO-PASS is an anime series that started in the early 2010s, its a very cool take on the police/detective anime genre, placing it in an updated and sleek cyberpunk universe in the near future, where cops basically have guns equipped with a dystopian social credits system. I feel that normally stories like this are told from the perspectives of common folks, revolutionaries, or even criminals, but PSYCHO-PASS flips the script, having it be from the perspective of law enforcement. Its a very cool show, and an anime with such a specific setting and theme, it needs an equally specific OST to really help push its universe and vibe, and this OST certainly nails it.

This is very much my kind of OST, I absolutely love OSTs with this very specific dark and suspenseful sound that fuses electronica, orchestral, and rock; its one of my favorite OST styles out there, and Kanno does it so incredibly well here. Hard electronic dance beats ranging between techno to breakbeats, combined with a bevvy of electronic bass-lines, synth leads, and sounds; it gives the music a really energetic and futuristic backing. These elements are then combined with amazing orchestral compositions, the OST is very string heavy, with strings playing notes from the highest to lowest octaves and everywhere in between; it has a very cinematic approach to melody/harmony/structure/arrangement as well; everything has this awesome tension and action sound, perfect for a suspense anime. The rock elements are amazing too, awesome riffs helping to define which songs are for the action, and which songs are for the suspense. Sometimes other instruments are included as well, such as piano.

The whole blend of everything gives this OST the exact sound it needs. Hard hitting dance beats and techy electronic elements give it the futuristic and urban edge, it conjures up thoughts of futuristic, yet a bit grimey, cities, with the dance grooves being the beat of the city. That combined with all of the cinematic stuff gives it all of the tension and suspense it needs for a soundtrack, especially for a show as tense as PSYCHO-PASS; and the guitar just makes it all the more action packed. This is far from the only thing that this OST offers though, as it has a lot of tricks and styles up its sleeves. For example, some tracks take these same ideas but slows them way down, into cool IDM slow jams, but still fully functioning tension cues, whilst still keeping that urban vibe. Some tracks also include acoustic guitar (with some of it being other instruments I believe, some of it sounds too worldly to be a guitar imo). The track Hanzai Yuugi is an excellent example of this slowed down formula, and such a cool mix of sounds, dark atmospheres, dissonant orchestral stabs, Middle Eastern sounding guitar, but then also stuff like 808 cowbells; its awesome and such a good example of how OSTs often combine many different genres into one song. Something that I really liked in the OST was the use of spoken dialogue in the music, it really reminds me of the soundtracks Taku Iwasaki does (and his OSTs are amazing, so that's certainly a good thing).

The OST isn't just electronic-rock-orchestral bangers, it also has a lot of very nice songs of other styles as well. There's full on orchestral songs here, ranging in intensity and emotion, with some of them sounding quite sad and contemplative. Some of these classical tracks have very full and lush compositions, whilst others are more sparse. At times tracks are harmonious, others more dissonant, and some evolving between the two as they progress. There's some arrangements of regular classical music on here as well which are very well done, and the traditional sound gives a nice contrast to the rest of the soundtrack. There's cool ambient/dark ambient songs on here too, I really love the specific sound tension cue dark ambient has, and its done in such a cool manner here. A mix of strings, deep bass pulses, slow tempos, electronic sound design, and often the inclusion of strings, guitar, heavy cinematics, and other elements (a pipe organ even makes an appearance here).

In addition to these styles discussed, there's some other stuff too, like a bit of dark jazz which is very cool, especially when mixed with the musical concepts established elsewhere in the OST. Some of the jazz tracks were more playful as well, whilst still keeping a serious feeling (if you watch dark/serious anime, then you'll get the vibe that I'm talking about). Some of the jazzy songs include other styles too, such as hip-hop rhythms, and sampling, giving it a really awesome sound. I love it when OSTs include urban elements, so the hip-hop elements were really cool. As commonplace with multi-CD OSTs, the first disk is more hard-hitting stuff, and the second disk is the more cinematic, downtempo, and lowkey stuff (but in this case, a lot of the jazz tunes are on this second disk as well). The second disk covers all of the same ideas as the first disk, just in a more subdued manner, better for quieter moments in the show.

Something that was especially enjoyable for me when giving this OST a deep listen was that I could hear a lot of stuff that I learned in university. A lot of the techniques we learned for how to make tension cues appear here, such as all of the droning, bass pulses, and mix of electronic and classical elements. There's lots of cool stuff as well, such as the various ostinati with the strings, and all of the references to classical minimalism that occur throughout the OST (classical minimalism is very different than electronic minimalism). Even the mix of avant-garde techniques and sounds in traditional music was covered here, with many songs deploying experimental and abstract electronic sounds in their compositions, with one brief moment even bordering into noise at a moment. Overall, the OST has a very distinct sound that really nails the expected atmosphere for the anime. Its incredibly consistent as well, with the whole OST really feeling like one coherent fleshed out sonic universe.

Mini-album art review: I love the cover art of this OST album. All of the clean black makes the cover have a really sharp look to it which matches the show. I especially like that the background has drawings in it and wasn't left plain, the white line-art on the black background looks really nice. Awesome central artwork on the front cover as well showcasing some of the characters. The greenish teal and white borders are nice too, especially that teal, is a good pop of color (and also helps to represent the guns in the anime). I actually like how the cover is devoid of text as well, keeps it really clean looking.

Links:
Album streaming link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ngHC9G8LyW3x1sbTyRH4GqI4UVJMqzl2I

Himeko's favorite tracks playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvB4ha5o455uJDpvnMnSI1TKTWDQzVvYL

VGMdb page: https://vgmdb.net/album/38314

MAL page: https://myanimelist.net/anime/13601/Psycho-Pass

Complete playlist of favorite tracks of OSTs covered in this listening list: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvB4ha5o455szOdif2qihz4henIPBvhtJ

[REVIEW] Anime & Video Game OST Listening List 1: Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji Original Soundtrack

 

Source (Anime): Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji
Composer: Hideki Taniuchi
Year (of original media): 2007
Genres (partial): Alternative Rock, Gothic Rock, Downtempo, IDM, Punk, Post-Rock, Metal, Ambient, Dark Ambient, Classical
Additional Info: Soundtrack for season one of the anime, the second season has its own soundtrack album. Official release.

Ok, so I've been wanting to do this one for awhile now, a listening list of soundtracks. Considering I literally work doing soundtracks, it should come to no surprise that soundtracks are one of my absolute favorite styles of music, specifically those used in anime and Japanese video games. They add so much to the media that they're applied to, yet are often overlooked despite many soundtracks being excellent as standalone music. This is the first post of this listening list, so I will try to lay some groundwork here for my intentions with it and how it will function. If possible, I will want to try to cover actual published collections of works (whether those be digital uploads and/or physical media). This isn't always possible though, so sometimes I will have to use fan-made uploads/playlists; this information will be under "Additional Info" at the top of the posts. If possible, I will also include where the OST can be streamed, as well as a playlist of my favorite tracks from it (all links at the bottom of the post). When I list the composers, I am listing the main composers of the actual OST; not the composers for any anison that are included on the album (and I wont be covering these included anison, I am focusing solely on the BGM here). Additionally, these will be full on reviews, so expect longer posts. Additionally, this isn't like normal listening lists where its to explore a discography, its more just so I can be a nerd about OSTs, as well as an excuse to deep listen a lot of OSTs (I love them, and I also study them to improve my own OSTs). I do not believe in negative music reviews, nor rating music, so you will see none of that here.

Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji is an insanely good anime from the 00s, seriously the best gambling media ever made, and one of the most captivating suspense anime that I've seen. For those who haven't seen it, its about a down and out young man who finds himself in extreme debt, and having to duel it out with gamblers and an enormous crime syndicate to try to gamble his way to financial freedom. The show is absurdly in-depth, and is just awesome. Anyways though, the soundtrack is by one of my favorite anime composers, Hideki Taniuchi. Their work is insanely good, also doing a lot of the music for Death Note (one of my favorite OSTs), as well as the other high-stakes gambling anime, Touhai Densetsu Akagi. Their soundtracks are iconic, with a really unique sound that always stands out, mixing alternative rock, electronic dance music, IDM, punk, ambient, metal, and more; often with a very noticeable gothic overtone to it that gives it such a cool sound. I absolutely love their approach to soundtracks, and the stuff they make is always insanely good.

For me, the tracks that stand out the most are the guitar heavy tracks, whether they be brooding gothic alternative rock, or more upbeat punk-ish tunes, they all absolutely slap. The songs are full of absolutely incredible riffs, Taniuchi has such a knack for really gripping riffs that pull you right in and give the shows they compose for such cool atmospheres. I really love urban sounding OSTs, often urban elements are like, hip-hop or jungle (which I do love), but to give it a rock-based urban sound is really cool. Lots of these tracks have repeated melodic and harmonic motifs, accompanied by both acoustic and electronic drums (that play both rock and dance music rhythms, one song even has a disco/house groove that hits hard with the uplifting rock guitars). Other tracks shift through a variety of ideas, giving it a nice evolving sound. I really love their guitar heavy approach, with many songs having several layers of guitars, both all doing their own thing, but in total harmony as well; and no matter how busy it gets, it never becomes messy/disorientating/anyotherbadthingforanostunlessitsintentionalofcourse.

In addition to the rock tunes, are more electronic focused tracks, these are awesome. Moody chords and melodies played on really nice sounding synths, as well as traditional instruments like piano, strings, and guitar. The melodies and harmonies are often accompanied by drums, often in the IDM territory (something else that I love about their soundtracks, all of the IDM influences). These tracks really remind me of old Autechre stuff at times, it hits that exact same form of melancholy to me, and I love it. One of the tracks too opens with the same chord of Mu-Ziq's Twangle Frent (I wonder if it's intentional, as they have re-purposed IDM motifs in OSTs before). In addition to other music similarities, one of my favorite tracks on the album, Child's mind, begins with an awesome downtempo IDM post-rock thing very akin to B. Fleischmann's album, The Humbucking Coil, before crescendoing into thick and emotional post-rock chords (reminding me of some of Otomo Yoshihide's soundtracks). There's a lot of killer tracks on this, but one I want to point out too is Man racetrack, both the title and the music is so incredibly sinister and foreboding, its such a hopeless sounding track, is so befitting of the anime.

Now, that's the disk one of this album, and it has a whole other disk. The second disk largely consists of the more downtempo, ambient, contemplative, and score type music (some of this is also on disk one, but it seems to be the main focus of disk two). A lot of this second disk is made up of tension cues, full of tense string clusters, and a lot of intentional dissonance, and is for more hardcore OST fans as there's a lot of pure production music here. Often these strings are accompanied by other elements, such as techno or IDM percussion, as well as piano and electronic pads. There's a lot of heavy horror elements here as well, I love the foreboding sound. I love the unique approach to leitmotif as well, instead of using a melodic idea, it often has processed vocals saying sound effects (such as zawa), which is a common element in the anime itself, it fits so nicely. This side of the album does have some rock tunes as well, but typically more experimental and atmospheric than disk one. There's a lot of ambient songs on here too which are really cool. The standouts for me on disk two are the foreboding tension cues that include percussion, these are really well done, and quite cool. The album in general, and especially the second disk, also features some alternate mixes/versions of tracks; is always neat when they include these as not all soundtracks do. There's some sound effects on here interestingly as well (sometimes composers have to step in on SFX work, but its not always included in albums). All in all, this is an amazing soundtrack for an amazing anime.

Mini-album art review: I always think the covers for OSTs are really interesting, and they have a wide range of designs. I quite like the cover art on this OST, the facial expressions are a trademark of the anime, so Kaiji front and center staring down the viewer works really well. I also like graphically dense OST covers (like a larger central image, as we have here), especially with a big logo, just looks nice, and the clean artwork is really good.

Links:
Album streaming link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kk4FDj_1cJlGTOM0XmEwr5NEw0g9LuECM

Himeko's favorite tracks playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvB4ha5o455tLV9TRcZP52cjnh5lWUXbU

VGMdb page: https://vgmdb.net/album/27021

MAL page: https://myanimelist.net/anime/3002/Gyakkyou_Burai_Kaiji__Ultimate_Survivor

Complete playlist of favorite tracks of OSTs covered in this listening list: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvB4ha5o455szOdif2qihz4henIPBvhtJ

Vziel Projet Listening List 33: Это гавнич - Для Нее

 

Artist: Это гавнич
Genre: Minimal Techno
Label: Immoral Basement Records
CAT#: IBR_297
Year: 2017

This is one of the releases that got me interested in Vziel's Это гавнич stuff. A short two track EP of extremely minimal experimental techno. Both tracks use the same simple kick-only techno loop, then are accompanied by an assortment of field recordings and recorded audio. I love this musique concrete approach to dance music.

Listen to it here: https://archive.org/details/IBR_297/

Vziel Projet Listening List 32: Merzlux - Putn Stem

 

Artist: Merzlux
Genre: Experimental
Label: Immoral Basement Records
CAT#: IBR_364
Year: 2018

Two short and very similar tracks (I think the second track is just the first one slightly slowed). Are experimental loops with a heavy focus on loud high pitched frequencies. Normally I'm fine with abrasive sounds, but this managed to actually hurt my ears, very nice.

Listen to it here: https://archive.org/details/IBR_364/

Vziel Projet Listening List 31: Vziel Projet - The Failure Of Will

 

Artist: Vziel Projet
Genre: Minimal
Label: Летпав
CAT#: Л0271
Year: 2019

Four seconds of loud high pitch sine waves. Not much to comment on.

Listen to it here: https://archive.org/download/letnab-discography/letnab_0271.zip