Sonic Soldier Borgman: The Last Gig Of The World

SONIC SOLDIER BORGMAN: THE LAST GIG OF THE WORLD

— by Charles McCarter

1. Don't Look Back 3:58

EARTHSHAKER

2. FIGHTING TEACHERS 3:24

Matsumoto Yasunori

3. Tomaranaide Happy Rain (Don't Stop Happy Rain) 4:12

Takamori Hoshino

4. BATTLE FLOWER 3:26

Yamadera Kouichi

5. Boogu Getto On (Borg Get On!) 3:02

Yamadera Kouichi

6. Yoru o Buttobase! (Soar Through the Night!) 3:46

HIPS

7. Tender 4:48

HIPS

8. Ittsu Onrii Yuu (It's Only You) 3:47

Matsui Naoko

9. Okori no Ekizoosuto (Exhaust of Anger) 2:59

Inoue Kazuhiko

10. FOREVER 5:26

EARTHSHAKER

Despite the silly title and a cover very similar to the BUBBLEGUM CRISIS Vocal Collection 1, this is a very good CD. Something of a "greatest hits" album, this CD collects the opening and ending themes for the television series SONIC SOLDIER BORGMAN, as well as some of the insert and image songs.
Since the story and feel are somewhat similar to BUBBLEGUM CRISIS, i.e., people in powered suits battling cybernetic monsters, the music is very similar as well, mixing pop and hard-edge rock to create a fast-paced feel that goes well in the cyberpunk future in which the heroes live and work.
The first track, "Don't Look Back," is the first opening, and it showcases a lot of raw musical energy combined with the vocal flair of EARTHSHAKER's lead singer. If one has seen the show, he can imagine the opening credits as he listens to this song—especially the scenes where the Borgmen power up. This is a good start to the CD. "Forever," the first ending, also by EARTHSHAKER, bookends the CD. While "Don't Look Back" is frenetic and full of life and energy, "Forever" is more subdued and melancholy. And they manage to make it sound better than good. The lyrics are strong and evoke strong feelings, and they are amplified by the powerful vocal delivery. And just as "Don't Look Back" is a good opening, this is a more than fitting end.
In the middle are several good songs as well. My personal favorite is the second opening, "Yoru o Futtobase!" (Soar Through the Night!). This song is interesting because it is done by HIPS, a one-time collaboration of the lead singers for two popular groups, EARTHSHAKER and SHOW-YA. This song contains some rather unusual lyrics for a show aimed at twelve-year olds. The opening lyrics are "Let's spend the night together now!" In English, even. The vocalists seem to take this all in stride and deliver an outstanding performance which makes this easily one of the best tracks on the CD. The fast beat and catchy melody also add to this song's repeatability quotient. Listening to this track multiple times in a row is actually enjoyable.
The following song, "Tender," is the other HIPS collaboration, and is slower and much more, well, tender than the opening. The lyrics, too, are very romantic. "On this night of falling stars of ages past/ You're the only one I want to be with." It is tender, romantic, and yet, it has a nice beat to it too. It does not have that bland feeling that some anime ending themes tend to have.
Of course, this CD has a couple of clunkers, too. Witness "Borg Get On!" which tries really hard to be heavy metal and sounds more like a low-budget karaoke version of a B-grade heavy metal band. Sung by Yamadera Kouichi, the voice actor for Dust Gead, the main villain, this song is just too campy for its own good. And it is not intentionally that way. It does get more bearable with repeated listening, but it just does not stack up to some of the other tracks on this disc. "Fighting Teachers," performed by Matsumoto "Ryou" Yasunori is also one of the less stellar tracks. He tries hard, but it is difficult to work with lyrics like "Ore-tachi wa tatakau teachers" (We are fighting teachers). Again, it is not really bad, but it pales in comparison to the better tracks on this album.
The two voice actors who have the best luck with their songs are Takamori Yoshino ("Anice") and Inoue Kazuhiko ("Chuck"). Takamori's "Tomanaide Happy Rain" ("Don't Stop Happy Rain") is, as one would expect, a ballad filled with sadness, but she manages to pull off the vocals and display some emotion in her signing as well. Inoue's song, "Okori no Ekuzoosuto" ("Exhaust of Anger") is similar in tone to "Borg Get On!" with lots of electric guitar riffs and some ragged vocals, but for some reason, it works this time. Perhaps because the singer doesn't try too hard to sound "tough."
Overall, this is a very good album, with some outstanding tracks and some average tracks. But there is nothing that is particularly bad about this CD. For BORGMAN fans, this is the CD to get because it contains all of the vocals used in the television series. Those who enjoy the music of BUBBLEGUM CRISIS should give this CD a shot as well.