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Hanjuku Hero 4 -The 7 Heroes- ~Sound Collection~ :: Review by Dave
OverviewThe Hanjuku Hero series has always been a playful and jolly series in terms of gameplay and its music, too. With Nobuo Uematsu being the man behind the earlier scores, Hanjuku Hero 4 -The 7 Heroes- ~Sound Collection~ was composed and collaborated by ten composers, who are also known as the Hanjuku Mages. The original compositions on this album have been composed by Nobuo Uematsu, Kenji Ito, Tsuyoshi Sekito, Ai Yamashita, Naoshi Mizuta, Hirosato Noda, and Kenichi Mikoshiba, and added to this, there are arrangements from Michio Okamiya and Kenichiro Fukui, too. So, with ten people working on this Sound Collection, one would expect an album that would blow you away. The great thing is that it fits the game perfectly, so each composer has succeeded in their attempts to fulfil this. The album features many arrangements from the Hanjuku Hero VS 3D Original Soundtrack, and some of the tracks have just been copied straight from it. This is perhaps one of the most diverse albums when it comes to composers, so how about variety? Read on and see if this promotional album is a worthy purchase. BodyNobuo Uematsu stays as the most prominent composer for the series, as with a number of original compositions and arranged themes from previous albums his contributions make up about half of the album. The album opens up with "Still More Fighting! Hanjuku Hero," which is an original, but sadly unbearable vocal track based upon the Hanjuku Hero VS 3D Original Soundtrack's "Fight! Hanjuku Hero." Isao Sasaki's pride filled voice presents the melody in this track, and, with a section of child vocalists accompanying him, a great sense of community is produced. Nonetheless, the fact that they are horribly out of tune makes this a nauseating track to listen to. The next theme on the album is "Legend...", and although it is very different to "Still More Fighting! Hanjuku Hero," its main melody is played by some poor, Super Nintendo styled, synth. This is acceptable to a certain degree, especially since it is common knowledge that this was an intended effect, but when the bareness of the theme is considered, it hardly matches up to the likes of Uematsu's works on the Final Fantasy series. "Peaceful Kingdom" has similar synth, and although the melody is quite catchy, it really doesn't go beyond this. After a few listens, this theme just reveals how worn down Uematsu was at the time. Indeed, there is some creativity in the way that the synth is manipulated, but other than that, it becomes tedious to listen to. "Alma's Moon Walk" is slightly better than the two previous tracks, but it still fails due to a half-hearted attempt from Uematsu as far as development was considered. The instrumentation comes as a breath of fresh air though, so it becomes a track that isn't hindered in this department. Nonetheless, Uematsu takes a wrong step once again and creates another Super Nintendo styled theme called "Kingdom Conditions Monthly." Sure, this is an enjoyable theme that will fit right in with the game, but it has no harmony whatsoever, despite a small development later on in the track. So, all so soon, this Sound Collection seems inconsistent, and not a good listen for the non-casual listener. "Barrage Ring Battle" is one of the most upbeat battle themes that I have heard for a battle, and sadly, it is one of the worst, too. Uematsu's compositions seem to run dry, but just when you give up hope, he offers the wonderful "Katori's Raging Blood," originally from the Hanjuku Hero VS 3D Original Soundtrack. This track has great synth, a good melody, and a really effective accompaniment. A trumpet sounds out the melody with a sense of pride and honour, and with timpani hammering away in the background too, this is one of Uematsu's best works on the album so far. The next theme that we hear from him is an arrangement of Final Fantasy II's "Castle Pandemonium." This theme certainly stands out amongst the rest of his creations, but in all honesty, it hardly compliments the original theme at all. The militaristic and image creating "Awakening -Legendary Power Kept Secret-" is another intriguing composition from Uematsu, and there aren't many problems with it all. A unique timbre ensures that the melody receives the best accompaniment possible, and unlike the majority of his earlier tracks, it takes upon a militaristic style, too. "4 Rice Rivers" is yet another great composition from Uematsu, as although it is relatively basic, it certainly makes a change from his SNES-styled ear grating tunes. The theme develops well to become an ambient gem that wisps through the air like a breeze gently blowing in the clear sky. This is a relaxing theme, so the next track comes as a surprise. "Jet Black Hatred" is a subtle arrangement of "Digital Predator" from the Hanjuku Hero VS 3D Original Soundtrack. I consider this to be Uematsu's greatest achievement on the album, as with the majority of his other themes coming straight from the Hanjuku Hero VS 3D Original Soundtrack, this is the only track that he has arranged in an appropriate and totally original style. The other composers have contributed a selection of arranged themes and their own original works to the Sound Collections. First of all, although the arrangements of Nobuo Uematsu's original creations are all fairly excessive, there are some great ones amongst them. Kenichiro Fukui's arrangement of Final Fantasy's "Matoya's Cave" is an impressive listen to say in the least. "Symphonic Matoya" has tension, relief, and then even more tension. It is certainly an improvement upon the original track, which is more than what I can say for his other arrangement, "We Are The World." The vocals in Final Fantasy X Original Soundtrack's "Otherworld" have been replaced with some hilarious synth that doesn't even bare any similarities to the original. The track is original and daring in a sense but it just doesn't work at all, and although I did enjoy it, this was simply due to that crazy synth. Fukui's last arrangement on the album is "Hanjuku 6 x 9 (=54)." The track takes a 12-bar blues style, and along with this, there is a singer that sings to the crowd. Kenji Ito also takes a turn at arranging some of Uematsu's previous works. "Vibraphone Crystal Cave," for instance, is an inventive and surreal arrangement that brings the best out of the melody. Naoshi Mizuta and Ai Yamashita also arrange some of Uematsu's previous works, but in all honesty, their original compositions are much better. Read on. Yamashita's "Praying for the Prophecy" is one of the best themes on the album. First of all, it has an eerie atmosphere that is kept throughout, and, on top of this, there is surplus tension. Unfortunately, his second composition, "Dreaming of the Lost Kingdom" falls short of this mark, and this makes his contributions somewhat clouded. Nonetheless, "Praying for the Prophecy" is something that you would expect from horror games such as the Resident Evil series, so that just shows how effective the track is. Naoshi Mizuta's first composition is very similar in style to this, and it is just as effective, too. "Hidden Research" takes a while to develop, but with the repeated xylophone riff generating tension throughout, the whole track is a good listen. Nonetheless, this isn't his best theme. "Reckless Blood Manipulations" is a rockin' theme that has a lot to offer. It seems a bit out of place on the album at first, but when a mesmeric melody is added, it really seems to blend in. Of course, different styles were always going to be the result of a ten composer project, but Kenichi Mikoshiba took this to the extreme. "A World Where Elephants Bark" is an inventive track that it is built up entirely from sound effects. Knocking sounds, phone sounds, clicks, footsteps, and so much more, link together to help create an idealistic surreal world. This is most certainly the strangest composition on the album, and with it being successful in every way, it is a worthy theme too. Hirosato Noda adds a touch of originality to this album, too. "Cyber Sound Orchestra" is a unique composition that has some interesting synth. He integrates some SNES-styled warps with a keyboard and some pure instruments in this track, so it is pretty much a fusion of technologies, past and present. Although certain areas of this track are basic, the atmosphere created carries the theme through a musically just journey. Tsuyoshi Sekito's compositions are entirely different once more, and based upon his work with The Black Mages, they are quite surprising, too. "Let's Go! Crimson Jacket" consists of a drum kit and a rocking beat, but surprisingly, there is no guitar whatsoever. Sekito manages to create the perfect timbre through this, and because of this, the whole theme just develops without a hitch. "Groar! This Hot Desire" has exactly the same synth, and with the same saxophone line taking the center-stage once again, rest assured that it is another great theme. Last but not least, Kenji Ito's contributions certainly rank amongst the best themes on the album. "A Blooming Rose Which Sings" is an orchestrated gem that evokes so many emotions that it is spectacular. The combination of strings, a harpsichord, flutes, and a sumptuous harmony, gives the melody of this track the greatest compliment. SummaryOn the whole, the album doesn't really have too many flaws, but with the Hanjuku Hero VS 3D Original Soundtrack being much better in comparison, it should hardly become the highlight of each of the composers' careers. Nobuo Uematsu created some good original compositions for the album, but with the majority of the initial themes being composed for SNES-like synth, they never manage to reach their full capacities. Some of his reprises from the series beforehand are great, and it is especially nice to see games like Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II represented here, too. Admittedly, for an album with so many contributors, I was hoping for something much better. Most of the themes just don't catch on, and the only composers that seem to be flawless are Kenji Ito, Ai Yamashita, Kenichi Mikoshiba, and Tsuyoshi Sekito. Bypassing Kenichiro Fukui's ghastly arrangements and Nobuo Uematsu's temperamental themes, this album is fun, steady flowing, and effective. Percentage Overall Score: 68% |
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