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BEST OF BASTARD!!
Copyright © 1992/1993 Hagiwara Kazushi * Shueisha
Copyright © 1992 Pioneer LDCA
PICD-1014A
Available Now
$16.98
—by Keith Rhee
| 1. |
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The Second Movement |
5:34 |
| 2. |
|
The Fourth Movment |
5:34 |
| 3. |
|
Prologue |
0:53 |
| 4. |
|
Title |
0:08 |
| 5. |
|
War Clouds |
3:08 |
| 6. |
|
The Seal II |
1:24 |
| 7. |
|
Resurrection |
0:59 |
| 8. |
|
Blood War |
2:09 |
| 9. |
|
The Evil God |
1:47 |
| 10. |
|
Lovely |
0:22 |
| 11. |
|
Fierce Battle |
2:19 |
| 12. |
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Monochrome Trouble |
4:46 |
| 13. |
|
Dream |
1:00 |
| 14. |
|
Illusion Night |
1:23 |
| 15. |
|
Hard Fight |
2:08 |
| 16. |
|
Destined Friends |
1:30 |
| 17. |
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Evil Beasts I |
2:07 |
| 18. |
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The True Originator II |
1:31 |
| 19. |
|
Distress II |
1:05 |
| 20. |
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Distance |
1:11 |
| 21. |
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Love |
2:41 |
| 22. |
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Sacrifice |
3:17 |
| 23. |
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Lament |
0:55 |
| 24. |
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Thunder Clouds |
1:41 |
| 25. |
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Terror |
1:59 |
| 26. |
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Rebirth |
0:52 |
| 27. |
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The Battle |
3:51 |
| 28. |
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Deep Blue |
1:51 |
| 29. |
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Ancient Lullaby |
3:46 |
| 30. |
|
I'm in Trouble ("Monochrome Trouble" English Version) |
4:46 |
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The BASTARD!! OVA series is probably best remembered for its parody of heavy
metal band names and its humorous yet serious story. The musical score
however, while decent, didn't strike me as particularly noteworthy at the
time. By the time I received the BEST OF BASTARD!! album, I had long
forgotten what the music sounded like. Fortunately, the BASTARD!! CD turned
out to be a pleasant surprise.
The album is predominated by dark, symphonic scores, as befitting of the
post-apocalyptic setting full of conflict and sorcery. The first piece,
titled "The Second Movement," sets the mood for the album and ranges from
the eerie and melancholic to pulse-pounding and rousing. "The Fourth
Movement" follows up the first track with a more modernistic flair in its
faster segments. Tracks such as "The Evil God," "Evil Beasts," and "Thunder
Clouds" all live up to their names, serious and ominous tones underscoring
the conflict at hand.
Changes in mood and tempo within a piece are handled very well, deftly
segueing from the loud, urgent segments into quieter, melodious interludes
and back. The same holds true for the album as a whole; after a while the
soundtrack begins to blend together, without the listener keeping an eye on
the CD player to take note of which particular track is playing at the moment.
There are moments of calm and serenity amidst the melodrama of the album,
though they tend to be far and few in between. Pieces such as "Lovely" and
"Destined friends" offer a brief respite from the sturm and drang that
characterizes most of the tracks. The "Love" starts off with a moody,
haunting prelude before leading into the brighter melodious segment, perhaps
suggesting that love can often alternate between moments of beauty and storm.
The only non-symphonic tracks are the two versions of the ending theme
"Monochrome Trouble," which are performed both in Japanese and English. The
musical style of the ending theme is jazzy pop music. As with ESCAFLOWNE's
"Mystic Eyes," it is much different from the symphonic nature of the rest of
the soundtrack, but good when listened to on its own.
Last, but definitely not least, comes the track "Ancient Lullaby." It is as
if the stormy nature of the album is over, and it is time to rest in peace
and quiet; the soft melody and beautifully sung vocals calm the listener,
and bring closure to the album.
In the end, I can't help but wonder why I didn't take notice of the musical
score while I was watching the show—perhaps I was too busy paying
attention to the main character's erratic behavior and dialog. At any rate,
the music stands very well on its own, and listeners whose tastes lean
towards symphonic background music will most definitely want to pick up this
album.  |
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