Cat's Eye - Original Soundtrack

CAT'S EYE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

— by Charles McCarter

1. Derinjaa (Deringer) 4:02

Vocal: Tone Mariko

2. Special Lady 2:04

3. I'm So Alone 2:19

4. Gloomy Sight 2:34

5. Touch Me One More Time 1:47

6. Shake Me Up 2:40

7. Stay With Me 4:43

Vocal: Tone Mariko

8. Flying in the Twilight 3:37

Vocal: Tone Mariko

9. Cat's Eye Romance 2:46

10. As Time Goes By 3:15

11. Roll All Night Long 1:52

12. Can't Take More Heat 2:25

13. Sweet Daddy 2:41

14. Hot Stuff 4:21

Vocal: Sherri Savage

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this CD in the Yaohon in Little Tokyo here in Los Angeles, and I was even more pleasantly surprised when I saw that it was a rerelease priced at just 1700 yen. Had I even just a passing interest in CAT'S EYE, this CD would have been a temptation difficult to resist.
CAT'S EYE, the first anime based on a manga of Hojo Tsukasa, spotlights three sisters who act as cat burglars to recover the stolen treasures of their father. Since it was animated and ran on television in the 1980s, this soundtrack was heavily influenced by the music of that era, especially the aerobics craze.
The first track, "Deringer," is the second opening theme, and has a very strong "aerobic" dance type of feel, complete with synthesizers and drum machines. But it is an unusually catchy tune, and I've known more than one person to find themselves humming along. Tone Mariko does a good job with the vocals, simultaneously sounding strong and sultry. This is easily the best track on the CD, and can be listened to over and over.
Both the insert songs are done by Ms. Tone as well. "Stay With Me" is a slow ballad in passable English, but it feels somewhat forced and overall is not very memorable. "Flying In the Twilight," however, is more upbeat and in Japanese, the combination of which allows Ms. Tone's talents as a singer to shine, as she has less trouble enunciating the words and can concentrate on projecting a feeling rather than just pronouncing English words.
The ending theme, "Hot Stuff," is everything the opening is not. Although it too has an aerobic feel to it, it does not carry itself as well as "Deringer." Also, the spoken voice-overs, such as "Work that body!" seem to come at rather inopportune times and are somewhat of a distraction. This English song, sung by Sherri Savage, is one of those "It's okay if you don't really pay attention to the lyrics" songs.
The BGM is split between slow and somber and fast and upbeat. The upbeat ones usually have a decidedly 80's pop-synth feel to them, mixed with the strings and brass associated with the music of the 70's and early 80's. It is an interesting combination, but it works, especially in tracks such as "Touch Me One More Time," which after a long opening, becomes an instrumental version of "Hot Stuff." "Roll All Night Long" is a fast brass and percussion piece that implies comedic chase, and doesn't easily fit into a category. Representative of the slow tracks is track 3, "I'm So Alone," which alternates between crescendoing strings and melancholy piano to achieve a mood representative of the off and on blues. The other slow tracks make similar use of either piano or synthesizers set to sound like a piano.
This CD is one probably best enjoyed by fans of CAT'S EYE. Should you just want the opening, pick up ANIME HOT WAVE 2, which has that, and many other good opening/closing songs from various shows. However, since Tokuma has rereleased this CD at a new lower price (1700yen), it may be worth picking up. Although one would have to be an anime veteran to really appreciate CAT'S EYE, the BGM isn't bad, and it will add some diversity to any anime CD collection, especially one that is comprised of mostly more recent releases.