City Hunter Special ~ Good-Bye My Sweet Heart

CITY HUNTER SPECIAL ~ GOOD-BYE MY SWEET HEART

Victor Entertainment
VICL-60017
19 tracks, 42:13
¥3,000
Copyright © Hojo Tsukasa/Shueisha, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise

— by Charles McCarter

1. Ride on the Night 4:09

Vocal: Humming Bird

2. Open Your Eyes 0:33

3. Professor Mutoh 2:17

4. Joshiryo 1:38

5. Hurry Up! 2:21

6. Good-Bye My... 2:06

7. Dead or Alive 2:22

8. My Dear 0:37

9. Warlike 1:13

10. Black Roses 4:53

Vocal: Dawn Marie Moore

11. Feel So Blue 0:49

12. Burst Out Diving 1:38

13. The Trap 1:45

14. Chase on the Battlefield 3:08

15. Memory of Black Roses 3:16

16. Force Pollution 1:48

17. Critical Moment 0:40

18. EMI 2:28

19. Get Wild ~ City Hunter Special '97 Version 3:47

Vocal: Naho

The music for CITY HUNTER has, for the most part, consistently been a high point in the realm of anime soundtracks. Combining strong pop vocals with lush jazz-influenced BGM, these soundtracks are usually at the top of my recommended list. But I found last year's soundtrack for THE SECRET SERVICE (last year's CITY HUNTER SPECIAL) to be somewhat lacking, so it is not a part of my CD collection. As I opened the CD, I wondered if this year's would fare any better.
The first track is the opening, "Ride on the Night." Performed by the pop group Humming Bird (no, not the anime one), this song tries hard to have an edge to it without losing its "heart." And, while it is very different from the "classic" CITY HUNTER songs such as "Ai o Kienaide" and "Sara," it is pretty good and suits the opening well. Though it is a bit repetitive, it makes for a song that sticks in the listener's head after the CD is over.
The ED, however, is not quite as successful. Since 1997 marks the ten year anniversary of CITY HUNTER anime, the ending theme is a remix of the popular "Get Wild," originally performed by TM Network. This remix, however, loses itself in the remix technology to the point where the singer, Naho, often is competing to be heard over the synthesizers and drum machines. I expected better from the tenth anniversary version of the show's signature song.
The remaining vocal is "Black Roses." This show has a history of good, comprehensible English vocals (including "Footsteps" and "Just Like Magic"), and this song continues the tradition. Sung by Dawn Marie More, "Black Roses" successfully mixes the sadness of lyrics dealing with being left behind and just enough technology to give this song a unique feel. This is clearly the best vocal on the disc.
The BGM is different than what we have come to expect from CITY HUNTER. Composer Yoshida Masara seems to have written the music to heighten the mood for specific scenes, so much of the music is dark and suspenseful, but perhaps not ideal listening music. There seem to be two types of BGM on this CD: the sinister tracks that underscores the action part of the video, and the slow, introspective tracks that deal with the emotions of the characters.
Notable BGM tracks include, "Good-Bye My..." a very haunting piece that softly underscores the pain of emotions left unsaid. It starts softly and never really seems to get above a whisper before fading away like a breeze. "Chase on the Battlefield" is an interesting piece that combines electric instruments with some jazz piano and saxophone in an interesting way. The listener can almost envision Ryo driving his tiny red car down the street after someone. "Memory of Black Roses" is a slow, almost classical-sounding, piece with strings and piano, and is probably the most emotionally powerful piece on the soundtrack.
This disc is an obligatory purchase for CITY HUNTER fans, but the vocals and BGM are also of sufficient quality to satiate fans of anime soundtracks in general. However, fans with little or no CITY HUNTER music in their collection should look into getting some of the other CDs as well.