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NEWS: 2nd Macross Frontier Album Sells 102,000 in 1st Week




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marek1712



Joined: 29 Aug 2007
Posts: 128
Location: Poland
PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 6:17 am Reply with quote
So we're waiting for OST3 now? Wink
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Lowlife187



Joined: 17 Dec 2004
Posts: 156
Location: New Macross City
PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 6:21 am Reply with quote
DECULTURE!
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Senna



Joined: 14 Oct 2003
Posts: 99
Location: Somewhere, USA
PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 7:10 am Reply with quote
Yoko Kanno's work definitely deserves all the attention it can get. If Macross F comes out in the U.S., I'm skipping the show but buying the OSTs Anime smile
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Kimiko_0



Joined: 31 Aug 2008
Posts: 1796
Location: Leiden, NL, EU
PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 8:14 am Reply with quote
I like the songs better than Kanno's instrumental tracks.

*plays "Aimo O.C." again* Deculture indeed Cool
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mulrich



Joined: 15 Dec 2007
Posts: 139
Location: Denmark
PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 8:31 am Reply with quote
Aimo etc. is a nice song, but it's overused in the show, in my opinion.
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Kit-Tsukasa



Joined: 16 Mar 2006
Posts: 930
PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 9:21 am Reply with quote
mulrich wrote:
Aimo etc. is a nice song, but it's overused in the show, in my opinion.


forget Aimo...GO NYAN NYAN SERVICE MEDLEY! + Shinkuu no Diamond Crevasse!

Been waiting for this OST to hit #2, too bad it didn't hit #1 Sad
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Kougeru



Joined: 13 May 2008
Posts: 5521
PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 9:46 am Reply with quote
Senna wrote:
Yoko Kanno's work definitely deserves all the attention it can get. If Macross F comes out in the U.S., I'm skipping the show but buying the OSTs Anime smile
Why not just buy it on cdjapan right now?



anywho, anata no oto =best song lol dokkun dokkun dokkun

great CD.
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Kaioshin_Sama



Joined: 05 Feb 2005
Posts: 1215
PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 12:25 pm Reply with quote
Yet another subpar Yoko Kanno album. I want the pre-popstar version back, but it looks like Japan doesn't care if her work is below her usual standards lately as long as her names on the album cover.
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Raven Shinobi





PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 1:23 pm Reply with quote
Raion and Northern Cross are the two anime songs that I've been humming since the second half of Frontier. The fact that this CD contains them makes me so interested in importing it Anime hyper
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Kimiko_0



Joined: 31 Aug 2008
Posts: 1796
Location: Leiden, NL, EU
PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 1:30 pm Reply with quote
Kaioshin - What do you mean by 'subpar'? What soundtrack(s) by Youko Kanno would you consider par then?
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Murasakisuishou



Joined: 22 Jun 2006
Posts: 1469
Location: NE Ohio
PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 1:55 pm Reply with quote
My problem with the Macross Frontier soundtracks isn't the pop songs - sure, some of them are kind of generic and harsh on the ears (I'm looking at you, Triangular), but you've also got What 'Bout My Star, Lion, Welcome To My FanClub's Night!, Diamond Crevasse, and a whole bunch of other unique, genuinely well-written stuff. No, I'm disappointed in the actual BGM side of the album. It's just bleh and adds absolutely nothing to the animation. What I've loved about Kanno's work on previous soundtracks is that her music adds a whole new dimension to a scene. It stands out without being obnoxiously noticeable - you consider both the actual animation and the backing track at the same time.

For example, take the scene in the very first episode of Arjuna where Juna wakes up in the hospital and runs out to the fire escape to the waiting helicopter - it's a fairly exciting scene, given the dialogue directly preceding it, but instead of something fast-paced and tense, you've got this cool, slow, accoustic guitar piece in the background. It's just such a unique take on the scenario that it's always stood out to me, and that song (2nd Life) is one of my favorites on that OST. Another good example is the Green Bird scene in Cowboy Bebop - pretty much speaks for itself.

For years Kanno has been famous for not only being a talented composer but for the way her music is actually used. Her compositions have put entirely new spins on scenes that could have been very generic and made them stand apart. There isn't any of that in Macross Frontier - most of the action music sounds like it was ripped from Star Wars. When I compare it to some of the absolutely brilliant 'exciting stuff is happening' music that came out of GitS: SAC (to name something more recent) like Replica, Torukia, Cyber Bird, Flying Low, Fish ~ Silent Cruise, and even the awesome of Pet Food during spoiler[the Major's little cat burglar stint], it's very disappointing. I'm willing to forgive a bit more because I wasn't particularly impressed by the actual substance of Macross Frontier, but as stand-alone soundtracks these really aren't very impressive when compared to Kanno's past work.
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Kaioshin_Sama



Joined: 05 Feb 2005
Posts: 1215
PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 2:39 pm Reply with quote
Kimiko_0 wrote:
Kaioshin - What do you mean by 'subpar'? What soundtrack(s) by Youko Kanno would you consider par then?


Par. Well most of the Escaflowne tracks for sure including but not limited to Flying Dragon, Yakusoku Wa Iranai, Dance of The Curse and . Some of the best music I've ever heard in anime. Turn A Gundam as well, specifically Tsuki No Mayu, Memory of Military Boots and Black History. Macross Plus for Dogfigtht and After In The Dark, but not Bad Dog which was horrible. Hemisphere in Rahxephon. Lately though I've found her music almost unlistenably bad. Aquarion's opening is so irritating I had to change it in Super Robot Wars Z and Triangular is just no. The rest of the Macross Frontier soundtrack has been hit or miss with just a few tracks I'd really consider any good. Those were Vital Force, Tally Ho!, Take Off, Target and Zero Hour.

As for this OST, I'm saving it for someplace.

I also echo the sentiment from above that most of the music in Macross Frontier sounds like it was stolen from a John Williams soundtrack.
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W-General



Joined: 17 Jun 2004
Posts: 280
Location: Ithaca, NY, USA / Taichung, Taiwan
PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 3:05 pm Reply with quote
This is good new, but I am a little disappointed.

I was really hoping it would get #1 because that's like a pinnacle for anime soundtracks, considering even something like Evangelion OST III "DEATH" got #1 weekly, I was a little disappointed.

Well alas, I did my part and bought a CD. There's not much I can do beyond that.

I loved both soundtracks, not because I love Yoko Kanno's "work" (I loved her stuff on Turn A Gundam - Tsuki no Mayu = best Gundam song ever), but because of her collaboration with May'n. They make such a good combination that I teared up whenever I listen to Shinkuu no Diamond Crevasse.

Didn't pay much attention to the non-vocal parts.




Also I can't believe anyone doesn't like Sousei no Aquarion. That's such a godly song - clearly you have not been watching Nico Nico Medley enough...when I play SRWZ I'd watch Aquarion's battle scene just to get that music going hehe.

ICHIMAN NEN TO NISENNEN MAE KARA AISHITERUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
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mike_s_6



Joined: 27 Sep 2005
Posts: 64
PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 9:54 pm Reply with quote
Kaioshin_Sama wrote:
Yet another subpar Yoko Kanno album. I want the pre-popstar version back, but it looks like Japan doesn't care if her work is below her usual standards lately as long as her names on the album cover.


There are many many other Kanno CDs with her name on it (literally and figuratively), all in different composition and recording qualities than Macross F music - why didn't they sell like this?

People won't buy solely on her name alone - it depends on other factors too. Macross Frontier is, afterall, the 25th anniversary publication which makes it more special to the many Macross fans, who no doubt spend their money on toys (VF-25 models are also currently sold out), DVDs (also sold well though I don't have the figures), and the soundtrack. Macross F isn't the only Macross CD that did well in the charts - Macross 7 also had 4 top 10 debuts for instance.

It's the combination of Macross nostalgia, the innate characteristic of Macross to be musically-inclined, and of course, popularity by Yoko Kanno, which brought it this far.

Besides, I think Kanno did a good job fitting the music into the animation. They had teenagers singing their hearts out, and that's what the music shows. No matter how grandoise Ghost in the Shell: SAC or Arjuna songs are, they will not fit the "confused teens in love" theme of the animation. That is her strength - she fits the music into the theme, if it needs the kind of mindless pop you hear on the radio then so be it. I'm in no doubt that this is the reason these popular directors love working with her.

What about a change of perspective - There are so many Kanno CDs worth this kind of recognition but they didn't. Why not let her get it through Macross F, underserved as you think it may be?
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kiraxsama



Joined: 17 Oct 2007
Posts: 4
PostPosted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 1:19 am Reply with quote
Kit-Tsukasa wrote:


forget Aimo...GO NYAN NYAN SERVICE MEDLEY! + Shinkuu no Diamond Crevasse!


Amen to that. Aimo is a wonderful song and all that, but it was waaay too overplayed over the course of the series.

As for the Nyan Nyan service medley, there were a few parts in it where I thought they could have done a better job in melding together the songs, but otherwise it was pure A.W.E.S.O.M.E. (especially when Sheryl/May'n was singing the chorus for "Lion" while Ranka/Megumi Nakajima sang "What 'bout my Star?", I got goosebumps listening to that part)

The only thing that could have made this OST even better would have been the inclusion of Diamond Crevasse 50/50.
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