So, while indulging in a Mexican standoff (or was it Mexican takeout?) to decide who makes the cut here, the geeks who assembled this list may have had to leave out some soundtracks that, while good, could not be agreed upon to be “the best”. Well, fine, I say. The Philistines who don’t want to see those great works glorified can go die in twelve fires. However, they will not go without mention! No, sir, these soundtracks will get their moment in the sun (actually, I can’t recall what the sun looks like… I need to get out more)! read more
Come on, what did you expect for the #1 spot? I’ve never seen an anime that so thoroughly impresses me, that entertains and, at times, even moves me. I guess it’s a little heavy-handed to say that about a cartoon, but I’m sure if you’ve seen it, you wouldn’t say it was a stretch. Likewise, Cowboy Bebop‘s soundtrack is the best I’ve ever heard, of really anything ever. So naturally a space western would have mostly jazz music, right? Uh, well it does, anyway. But if you think you can pin it down so easily, forget it. It runs the gamut from jazz, blues, rock, alternative, country, rock, and pretty much anything you can think of in between. However, it’s never out of place, because the world of Bebop is an eclectic mix of hipsters, dreamers, schemers, criminals, lawmen, geeks, freaks, and whatever the hell that blob thing was (and no, it wasn’t pudding). Accompanying these compositions are vocals from Emily Bindiger, Steve Conte, and Mai Yamane, with lyrics often written by Tim Jensen. Yoko Kanno’s band The Seatbelts is a presence throughout, too. The music is almost a character in itself, and when Cowboy Bebop climaxes, the music goes out with a “Bang.” read more
5. Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad (Various, but mostly Beat Crusaders)
It’s no surprise that a TV series about musicians has some great music. What is a surprise is just how many talents were involved in it all. Sure, the majority of the tracks are done by the Beat Crusaders, with their alternative/indie-punkish sound, like White Stripes by way of Blind Melon. But there are contributions by composer Michiru Oshima (Fullmetal Alchemist), The High-Lows, YeLLOW Generation, and even The Pillows. It’s a great soundtrack to the rise of a smalltime band and the feelings of emerging youth. Favorites of mine include the opening theme, “Hit in the USA” and “Moon on the Water”. Sure, a lot of it is Engrish-y, but if you prefer, the English dub offers straight English versions.read more
Yuki Kajiura, like Yoko Kanno, is a massive talent. Her compositions, as well as her group See-Saw’s work for .hack//SIGN are pretty much the soul highlight of an otherwise boring and fruitless television series. There seems to be a Irish and Celtic influences on much of the soundtrack, as well as use of string instruments. There is a very “new age” feel to the music, but it feels a lot more richly evocative than a lot of new age I’ve heard. Emily Bindiger, who contributed to the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack, also provided vocals here, such as in a favorite track of mine, “Key of the Twilight”. Another favorite is “Fake Wings”. If only the show was as good as the soundtrack.read more
“Music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” – Bob Marley
Music soothes the savage beast. Coincidentally, the average anime fan is a beast, so it works out real well, doesn’t it? One minute you’re sitting there in front of your laptop, its keyboard covered with Cheeto crumbs, raging over “Endless Eight” episodes while listening to a random mix of mp3s on your hard drive or iPod, the next you hear Scott Matthew sing “Be Human” and your frenzy wanes. (I’d cry at sad movies and laughed ’till it hurt, too, Scott… if I could just be more human.)read more
Okay, so it’s first theme song is ripped from Queen’s Flash Gordon theme song and the second season’s theme music is the dark match version of the theme from Gerry Anderson’s UFO. Call those “homages”, damn it. It’s obvious that The Big O borrows from various sources, not the least of which being Batman: The Animated Series (which Sunrise animated some of). But let that be a testament to the variety you’ll find both in the show and its soundtrack. Want sultry, sexy sax? Want suspensful movie serial music invoking shades of Bernard Hermann? What about a track that’s an obvious rearrangement of “La Merseillaise”? And this hodgepodge doesn’t feel anything at all like a hodgepodge, with its judicious use throughout the 26 episode run of the program (which would have been longer if Mike Lazzo didn’t have a hard on for two particularly unfunny “comedians”). The show’s soundtrack might not give you what the title of the show promises, but you’ll be satisfied nonetheless.read more
It took just shy of a month for these two decal sheets from Samuel Decal to finally make it over from Hong Kong. How amazing modern civilization has become that a letter can now safely travel half way around the world only to be folded in half by a representative of the United States Government. Fucking hell. At least the damage isn’t too bad and mostly across decals that are in abundance elsewhere on the sheets.
I’m a little disappointed by the sheets though. Upon closer inspection it’s apparent that there’s maybe four different designs repeated ad nauseum. There was a lot greater variety across Samuel’s Red/Blue frame prints. I also noticed that he used gibberish for some of the text, but didn’t bother to do anything about it when he started printing 1/60 scale sheets. The large caution triangles read “Caution gkhihksdgfk abfjkasf asfhiasf” which loosely translates to “Caution: Plot Armor.”read more
Episode 82, "The Awakening of Super Power! Trunks Has Surpassed his Father Vegeta", or "Put An Asterix By His Number"
*****SPOILERS*****
Synopsis: Trunks continues to power up, unleashing a great amount of energy. He bulks up considerably and attacks Cell. Cell admits that Trunks’ power surpasses his own, but claims that he cannot win. Kuririn lands on an island and revives Vegeta with a senzu. Again, Trunks engages Cell, but can’t manage to land a hit on him despite his massive strength. Back in the Room of Spirit and Time, Goku is impressed with how strong Gohan’s become. Goku transforms into the form Trunks is using. Trunks still can’t land a hit on Cell, frustrated and confused. Cell takes the clear advantage in the fight. Goku explains to Gohan that the form he’s using (and therefore the form Trunks is using) is too bulky and sacrifices speed for strength, and expresses his desire to do better than that. Cell explains as much to Trunks, telling him that that form uses up too much power to maintain itself, even demmonstrating it himself. He claims that even Vegeta knew that, and Trunks realizes that his father must’ve already known. Trunks powers down and tells Cell to kill him. Cell is about to oblige him, but asks if they could further excel if given more time. When Trunks confirms the possibility, and tells him that Goku is training to beat him, Cell backs down, opting instead of hold a tournament where any fighter can fight him, to test his power more. He admits that his only goal is to enjoy himself and flies off, leaving Trunks perplexed. read more
