Overview

Fire Shark, also known as Same! Same! Same! in Japan, was released on arcades in 1989. The release was a vastly improved sequel to Flying Shark, complete with an original score by Masahiro Yuge. The soundtrack was first released by Pony Canyon and later compiled into the Toaplan Shooting Chronicle.

Body

"Fire Shark" is a rocking theme that has some Asian influence, particularly in the introduction, before moving into a darker, but energetic, melody with the occasional heroic flourishes. "Give Me Your Heart" is a short chiptune theme that has both an intense A section and a heroic B section. The B section has a sort of romantic feel to it, despite the tempo, that really personifies the title of the theme quite well.

"Vice in Tokyo" has a dark, Asian inspired melody to it. It doesn't really do much to capture my attention in terms of melody, but some of the rhythms are quite intricate and fun to listen to. "Sadness in Your Eyes" is an invigorating chiptune track, but unfortunately one that doesn't really develop over its short length. The overall tone of the track is quite pleasing though.

"From the Sun to Me" is a fairly successful theme that carries an intense, yet heroic tone. While the A section doesn't really capture any sort of real attention, at least to this listener, the B section, with its more frenetic passages, helps give off a sense of an epic journey coming to an end. There is also a medley of the themes for the latter stages and a collection of sound effects from the title.

Summary

Fire Shark features a decent score. Most of the melodies are memorable, while the Asian influence is a welcome twist. But like most of Toaplan's soundtracks, it's too short and underwhelming to be worthy of an exclusive album release. It's better to go for the Toaplan Shooting Chronicle instead.