THOSE WHO HUNT ELVES II

THOSE WHO HUNT ELVES

— by Charles McCarter

1. Round 11 (TV Size) 1:30

Vocal: Hamasaki Naoko

2. Kaze no Yukue (The Path of the Wind) 1:39

3. Hi no Ataru Michi (The Road Touched by Sunlight) 1:59

4. Erufu no sasayaki o kiita (Listening to the Whisper of the Elves) 1:41

5. Ippyo Seki no Mirai e (One Second into the Future) 1:40

6. Dakara Fantajii wa Itai da!! (And so Fantasy is Painful!) 1:34

7. Yume no Hate Mademo (Even to the End of the Dream) 2:14

8. Munesawagi (Heartache) 1:52

9. Metamorufouze (Metamorphoze) 1:36

10. Sasuraibito (Wanderer) 2:37

11. Yume Oikakete ~ AIRI (Chasing Her Dream ~ AIRI) 2:13

12. Shiro to Kuro no Reshipi ~ Serushia Panda (White and Black Recipe ~ Circia Panda) 1:15

13. Jinsei kakato otoshi 2:58

14. Defence Force Girl 1:54

15. Fromu Daaksaid (From Darkside) 2:07

16. Pawaa Geimu (Power Game) 2:05

17. Hiito! (Heat!) 2:05

18. Kaunto Zero (Count Zero) 2:04

19. Roiyaru Storeito Furashuu (Royal Straight Flush) 2:01

20. Shiesuta (Siesta) 1:56

21. Erufu o Karumonotachi no Nagai Nengo (The Long Year of Those Who Hunt Elves) 1:57

22. PASSION 1:49

23. Ashita ni Todoku (Reaching Tomorrow) 1:24

24. Erufu ni Shinrou o Tore (Get the Route from the Elves) 1:38

25. Kiseki no Mukou Soba e (TV Size) (To the Area Near the Miracle) 1:29

Vocal: Hamasaki Naoko

26. Round 11 (Full Size) 4:00

Vocal: Hamasaki Naoko

27. Kiseki no Mukou Soba e (Full Size) (To the Area Near the Miracle) 3:43

Vocal: Hamasaki Naoko

ERUFU O KARUMONOTACHI (THOSE WHO HUNT ELVES) was something of a sleeper hit when it ran on Japanese television last year. The twelve-episode series seemed to have just barely begun and then it ended. But the sequel, ERUFU O KARUMONOTACHI II (THOSE WHO HUNT ELVES "SECOND") debuted on television this last fall. And what would a television show be without a soundtrack album?
"Round 11," the opening theme, leads off this disk, albeit in the TV-size version. This song is much like the opening for the first series, "Angel Blue," in that the accompaniment and vocals don't seem an ideal match at first. Hamasaki Naoko, who did the vocals for the first series, delivers a powerful vocal that saves this song from becoming too weird, but the song still takes some getting used to. Fans of the series, however, should have no problem accepting this as the new anthem for the Elf Hunters.
"Kiseki no Mukou no Soba e" ("To the Area Near the Miracle"), the ending theme, is a more subdued song, and it almost seems as if the restrained vocals are a little too subtle for the song. However, at the first chorus, Ms. Hamasaki sings with more energy, and the song suddenly falls into place.
This album is an eclectic mix of differing styles of music for different moods of the show. The overall atmosphere of the music, however, remains the same as it did for the first series since the same composers who did the first soundtrack are back. The music on this album cannot easily be categorized into a specific style or genre. Some tracks, such as "Kaze no Yukue" (Path of the Wind) and "Ippyo Seki no Mirai e" (One Second into the Future), seem reminiscent of a soundtrack to a Western, but with a much lighter, and even humorous flair to them.
But, for the most part, the BGM is just used to emphasize the mood of the scenes in the show. For example, "Heat" is pretty much chase music, and "From Darkside" is the ominous music that plays when either the bad guy shows up or something bad is about to happen. It is not that the BGM is not good, it is just that it does not really stand the test of repeat listening. Even the slower, more expressive pieces, such as "Yume oikakete ~ AIRI" (Chasing Her Dream ~ Airi) and "Siesta" are not complex or engaging enough to warrant repeated listening. The music serves the show as it was intended, but unfortunately, it is not really able to go that extra step needed to become good music that can stand independent of the show.
All of the BGM is done electronically, which, depending upon your point of view, is either a good or bad thing. While I normally prefer the use of more traditional instruments, the way the music feels and sounds in this album fits with the slightly off-kilter fantasy world that is the setting for the series.
This CD is probably best left to die-hard fans of THOSE WHO HUNT ELVES. Listeners interested in the songs should pick up the CD single and save themselves some money, and those who are not that interested in the show should probably just pass entirely.