Bleach "The DiamondDust Rebellion" OST Review
An unexpected late Christmas present awaited me at BleachExile.com, where I found the soundtrack for the second Bleach movie, "The DiamondDust Rebellion". That's a speedy release, considering the movie only came out Dec. 22.
I haven't seen the film yet, so I can't connect tracks to specific plot points, but my overall impression is that this whole film, including this soundtrack, appears more smoothly put together than the first film, "Memories of Nobody," which had a bit of a "last-minute cut-and-paste job" smell to it. This OST is less jarring and more diverse in its themes and instrumentation, with a more laid-back and mature mood, than previous Bleach OSTs. The orchestral themes in particular have improved quite a lot, and are far more soothing than Memories of Nobody's orchestra, stuck in a persistent pounding state of panic.
Things I like about this OST:
- I'm so happy that all of Bleach's OSTs in general have maintained a coherent theme - it's rewarding, as a long-time fan, to be able to hear theme music from even the earliest days of the series in the most recent movies or animation. Popular anime tracks are used in the movies and vice versa. Shiro Sagisu takes liberally from his past portfolio of Bleach work, including a lovely soft acoustic guitar/cello reinterpretation of the old OST I theme "Going Home" in "Spiritual Bond." A yet-unreleased anime theme gets a light remix in "Breakthrough Even."
- Sagisu has finally reintroduced electric guitars. Thank god. I personally thought some of the best work on OST I (which was probably done on a lower budget!) was on the electric-guitar battle pieces, which captured the "mod"/"funky" vibe of early Bleach, and "Guitar III" harkens back to that era. In my opinion, the sweeping orchestral pieces for "Memories of Nobody," while more "cinematic," just didn't fit the feel of the series - like a teenager wearing a business suit for the first time. (Or Ichigo wearing a checkout clerk uniform over his hakama... )
- The difference, though, is that this time Sagisu's guitar is in a more bluesy than rock mood. This is the first Bleach OST not to feature a new version of "Number One," the hard-driving Ichigo-owning-someone theme from OST I. My best guess as to what's replacing it is "The Rest of Your Life," a slower-paced, softer, but still glittery upbeat vocal theme with that snazzy guitar in the background.
- The more laid-back tone and slower tempo of this OST has a "smooth, cool, badass" mentality to it - Sagisu borrows the alternating minor-key bass line of the James Bond theme for the start of "A Jam Blues." For an interesting contrast, "Attack on the Beat" has long loose lines over a passionate Latin percussion background (which has shown up once or twice in the anime recently). A few tracks are unexpectedly lyrical "drama" style music that isn't necessarily "shonen" - the lovely expansive theme "Wanderers" and the series of three "Recollection" themes especially.
- The new "twist" this time around is the addition of traditional Japanese instrumentation. I love it. Sagisu deftly emphasizes the Edo Period feel of Soul Society with flute and percussion, such as in "Kingdom Treasure Stamp" and "Japanesq". It doesn't feel forced or out of place, which is great.
Things that I feel could have been better:
- For some reason, Sagisu has opted for what sounds like a small choir instead of soloists on the vocal pieces. This softens "The Rest of Your Life" considerably, but the tacky lyrics chosen for "Treachery", when sung by the choir ("I can tell that you've never been true to me...") sound a bit corny. My humble opinion is that it might have had more emotional impact if it were an *individual* singing about treachery and betrayal instead of a mass of people (which evokes "1984").
- The soundtrack is languid, sometimes a little too languid. I wonder what they're planning to use for fight scenes if everything is so relaxed.
Now just to sit tight and wait for the film itself... :)
I haven't seen the film yet, so I can't connect tracks to specific plot points, but my overall impression is that this whole film, including this soundtrack, appears more smoothly put together than the first film, "Memories of Nobody," which had a bit of a "last-minute cut-and-paste job" smell to it. This OST is less jarring and more diverse in its themes and instrumentation, with a more laid-back and mature mood, than previous Bleach OSTs. The orchestral themes in particular have improved quite a lot, and are far more soothing than Memories of Nobody's orchestra, stuck in a persistent pounding state of panic.
Things I like about this OST:
- I'm so happy that all of Bleach's OSTs in general have maintained a coherent theme - it's rewarding, as a long-time fan, to be able to hear theme music from even the earliest days of the series in the most recent movies or animation. Popular anime tracks are used in the movies and vice versa. Shiro Sagisu takes liberally from his past portfolio of Bleach work, including a lovely soft acoustic guitar/cello reinterpretation of the old OST I theme "Going Home" in "Spiritual Bond." A yet-unreleased anime theme gets a light remix in "Breakthrough Even."
- Sagisu has finally reintroduced electric guitars. Thank god. I personally thought some of the best work on OST I (which was probably done on a lower budget!) was on the electric-guitar battle pieces, which captured the "mod"/"funky" vibe of early Bleach, and "Guitar III" harkens back to that era. In my opinion, the sweeping orchestral pieces for "Memories of Nobody," while more "cinematic," just didn't fit the feel of the series - like a teenager wearing a business suit for the first time. (Or Ichigo wearing a checkout clerk uniform over his hakama... )
- The difference, though, is that this time Sagisu's guitar is in a more bluesy than rock mood. This is the first Bleach OST not to feature a new version of "Number One," the hard-driving Ichigo-owning-someone theme from OST I. My best guess as to what's replacing it is "The Rest of Your Life," a slower-paced, softer, but still glittery upbeat vocal theme with that snazzy guitar in the background.
- The more laid-back tone and slower tempo of this OST has a "smooth, cool, badass" mentality to it - Sagisu borrows the alternating minor-key bass line of the James Bond theme for the start of "A Jam Blues." For an interesting contrast, "Attack on the Beat" has long loose lines over a passionate Latin percussion background (which has shown up once or twice in the anime recently). A few tracks are unexpectedly lyrical "drama" style music that isn't necessarily "shonen" - the lovely expansive theme "Wanderers" and the series of three "Recollection" themes especially.
- The new "twist" this time around is the addition of traditional Japanese instrumentation. I love it. Sagisu deftly emphasizes the Edo Period feel of Soul Society with flute and percussion, such as in "Kingdom Treasure Stamp" and "Japanesq". It doesn't feel forced or out of place, which is great.
Things that I feel could have been better:
- For some reason, Sagisu has opted for what sounds like a small choir instead of soloists on the vocal pieces. This softens "The Rest of Your Life" considerably, but the tacky lyrics chosen for "Treachery", when sung by the choir ("I can tell that you've never been true to me...") sound a bit corny. My humble opinion is that it might have had more emotional impact if it were an *individual* singing about treachery and betrayal instead of a mass of people (which evokes "1984").
- The soundtrack is languid, sometimes a little too languid. I wonder what they're planning to use for fight scenes if everything is so relaxed.
Now just to sit tight and wait for the film itself... :)