Chudah's Corner

# A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

	Sakura Relaxation Original Soundtrack
	Composed by: Hiroki Kikuta
	Arranged by: N/A
	Publisher: Puzzlebox
	Catalog Number: N/A
	CD Info: 1 CD - 17 Tracks
	Released: June 17, 2005

Review by: Jormungand

When I heard that Hiroki Kikuta had finally come back to the world of video game music after years of inactivity, the sensation I felt was similar to oh, let's say, Rapture. Sora no Iro, Mizu no Iro (Color of the Sky, Color of the Water) of 2004, a hentai dating game for the PC, was the conduit for Kikuta's return. Come the following year, Kikuta would sign onto another project of the same nature called Sakura Relaxation ― an act which, inferentially, could imply a new avenue in which the Man's efforts have gained favor. That, or he just couldn't get a job elsewhere. Either way, Kikuta is still Kikuta and his is a voice that has been sorely missed during his absence. To put it bluntly, the scores to Seiken Densetsu 2 and 3 and Soukaigi were spearheads into the game music scene, sacrificing not a hair's breadth of integrity to the mire of convention that dominated the world of which Kikuta so effortlessly pierced; his legendary status already secured, and after an unsuccessful venture into the more lucrative realms of game development with Koudelka, he sat quietly aside till this unexpected reawakening. The advantage to freelance composing is choosing your projects and working (for the most part) on your own schedule; the downside is having to do all the production yourself (a time when synth programmers are painfully missed) and, of course, having to acquire all the software you need (music stuff ain't cheap). But those obstacles can be surpassed, especially by someone as gifted as Kikuta; what truly qualifies as a critical factor to this new venue is the game's subject, or perhaps lack thereof ― it's just not easy to write for something that doesn't inspire you.

I inevitably had to come to an internal argument about whether it's fair to compare Kikuta's newer efforts to his Square work (in which he worked with not only a larger budget but also talented development teams). Ultimately I have to settle on this (and Sora no Iro, Mizu no Iro) as a middleground for Kikuta ― somewhere to recuperate before the unveiling of his next masterpiece. Even though I find the music less satisfying artisitically than previous works, there's still so many moments of inflection on the past than there's no way any Kikuta fan could dismiss these quirky hentai scores. In fact, it doesn't take scrupulously analytical listening to recognize how many of his tunes here are saturated with old RPG habits. Take "Following the Wild Rabbit", a cute and bouncy theme which borrows a highly familiar progression right from Secret of Mana (Kikuta doesn't bother to hide it at all). "Afterimage" is no different, a colorful and casual piece that somehow manages to sound neither dark nor light just as any good Kikuta wilderness theme seems to effortlessly achieve. And then there's "12 Directions of the Wind", perhaps the best track on the album with a tireless guitar line ingeniously crossed with itself in delightfully colorful phrases while a dancing flute punctuates the tune's adventurous spirit.

The further the album progresses, the less sense it makes as a score for its game's niche ― just wait for the chilling "Wing at Night" with its dense piano chords and wavering melody suggesting some supernatural mystery; then "The Left Hand of Darkness" which must be a dungeon theme (I'd prefer not to even think of the sort of dungeons this game has) featuring whirling electric bass and reckless piano strikes shaded with spaced flute chords in Kikuta's signature harmonic style; and "All the Lights in Heaven are Stars", where a crystalline lullaby innocently floats over hypnotic sighs of ether.

The game's two vocal themes are little beyond novelties, ranking as the least interesting of Kikuta's compositions here. The vocalist at least is competent, but there's really nothing that makes these tracks stand out other than the brief flickers of Kikuta wit.

We're ultimately reminded of the game's less serious nature through selections like "Lovers", "A Gentle Moon", and "Sleeping Dog" ― though in truth, while these and other tracks admit some moments of convention, the music here is still recognizably the work of the man who brought us Soukaigi, Koudelka, and the two peak Mana scores. Therefore, it's most important to remember that Kikuta hasn't lost his touch and I'm pretty confident in saying he's still got things to say in the world of music. Here's to hoping he finds an environment where imagination has no restraints, as only there can the limitless scope of Hiroki Kikuta take flight.

Bottom Line: A-