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Secret of Mana + :: Review by Chris
In 1993, Hiroki Kikuta produced an arranged album known as Secret of Mana +. This used certain themes from his popular score for Seiken Densetsu 2 (aka Secret of Mana) and a select few themes from his score for Seiken Densetsu 3 (which was still in production at the time of this album's release). This was an arranged album with a difference — instead of going with the long accustomed style of the standard orchestral album, he decided to create something so outrageously experimental and shockingly radical that it is brewing with a huge amount of controversy even today. Kikuta spectacularly transforms a number of themes from both Original Sound Versions beyond imagination with his unusual and distinct arranging styles; yet, instead of splitting the themes brashly into discrete tracks, he chooses to blend them together into one track that amounts to an amazing 49 minutes 22 seconds in total. This continuum is magnificently supported by his trademark effortless transitions. These achieve the astonishing feat of entirely changing the character of a passage of the track without so much as a hint of abruptness. He does this so by gradually introducing huge textural, instrumental and rhythmical contrasts over prolonged passages, but somehow avoids introducing significant levels of monotony. To pull this off well requires nothing more than a genius. Still, despite its musical awe, the fact it is one continuous track may seem very daunting for some fans, particularly considering they cannot easily skip their least favourite passages. As I earlier mentioned, Kikuta's style is highly experimental throughout, something you either love, like me, or something you hate, like a number of other listeners. The track makes up what is intended to be an image album whereby the music portrays a number of scenes. Kikuta achieves this magnificently by fusing a number of styles together. These include Debussian impressionist styles, his own heavy electronic and synth ideas, and even ideas of popular musicians (such as The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and even Queen). This assures the track incorporates huge contrasts in the timbres used throughout ranging from the typical synth instrumentation heard in most of Kikuta's albums to the more unusual, from the sounds of bird songs to keyboard typing, from the noise of waterfalls to that of a phone dialling. This variety makes the whole album a lot more scrumptious and assures great intrigue for the in-depth listener. All in all, this album is well worth purchasing if you are a listener willing to experiment and try new things. This album is certainly not intended for everyone, and it is likely many will feel oppressed by it; however, if you maintain an open mind then the full marvel of this unparalleled achievement will probably hit you. It is probably my favourite work of Kikuta's, since it combines all the good points of his composition together with influences well outside the world of VGM. It is also one of the most valued arranged albums I own, not just because it is so unorthodox, but because the arrangements are so deep that new elements always emerge no matter how many times you listen to it. Percentage Overall Score: 100% |
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