Overview

The Mamoru Has Been Cursed! Netherworld Arrange Tracks is a commercial arranged album from SuperSweep. It contains new arrangements, as well as the themes featured on the bonus CD that came with the PlayStation 3 version of the popular arcade and Xbox 360 shmup. Featuring in-game arrangements by members of SuperSweep of some of the original music, it shows the diversity of the source material. Given the broader depth, how does the full release turn out?

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Rather than remix all the music himself again, Yousuke Yasui employed his colleagues at Supersweep to help him enrich the soundscapes of the originals. Takahiro Eguchi's "Blossom Shower" manages to take the sweet soundscapes of the original and transform them into an extremely playful theme that combines woodwinds and synthesizers with some dance influence. His second theme, "Lost Wind," is definitely his stronger remix. It's more electronically focused, helping to capture the ice world in which it is used. It starts off with a beautiful crystalline synth rendition of the melody, before moving into a more synthesizer focused version with some fantastic trance and strings accompaniment. It's truly a wonderful rendition of the theme.

Jun Kadoma, also known as setzer from MintJam, arranged "Superhero" for the PS3 version of the game. It's a nice update on the original, featuring plenty of electric guitar leads, guitar riffs, and some sweet synthesizer sections that give it a bit of an Asian flair as well. It manages to capture the atmosphere of the original, while providing some fantastic solo passages, both in guitar and synthesizer form. There is also a vocaloid version of this theme featured at the end of the soundtrack. Shoichiro Sakamoto contributes two boss theme remixes to the album. Both "The Curse" and "Mantra" retain the atmosphere of the originals, but Sakamoto adds some of his signature synthesizer tones to the mix to give them their own personality. The latter, "Mantra" is definitely more visual kei/J-Rock influenced, featuring guitar riffs and choral tones, whereas "The Curse" definitely has more of a dance vibe going for it with an Asian twist.

"Great Tribulation," by Kazuhiro Kobayashi, is another interesting take on the theme. He manages to capture the essence of the original through his unique interpretation of the melody line, which combines both more classic synthesizer sounds with more dominant Asian influences. It manages to work extremely well with the more electronic focused accompaniment and can be quite haunting at times. "Tropical Pirates," by Teruo Taniguchi, is the first credited theme I've heard from this SuperSweep member. In terms of atmosphere, it definitely manages to remind me a bit of Noriyuki Iwadare's more playful brass themes, of which this remix incorporates plenty. It's a wonderful theme that really captures that island vibe with the big brass and steel drum incorporation.

Lastly, "Karakuri Spirits," by Ayako Saso, definitely showcases her love of classic rave style music. In my opinion, this is a brilliant combination as the Asian soundscapes of the original remain intact and the addition of some rock and electronic elements really make for an enticing listen. It's a powerful theme with a lot of different musical textures. In the end, it manages to culminate into a stunning listening experience.

Of course, Yasui also remixes some themes of his own and composes a new theme for the game. His remix, "YO-KAI Disco," is featured in two forms. The first, "YO-KAI Disco," manages to incorporate a lusher soundscape with more Asian harmonies, wonderful synth work, and some nice rock harmonies. The most notable inclusion, however, is the amazing synthesizer solo he throws into the mix. The vocaloid version, "YO-KAI Disco -Vocaloid Edition-," is a straightforward vocal rendition of this theme. Lastly, "Ultimate Terror," presumably for a new final boss, manages to lay on the synthesizer and rock emphasis pretty heavily. It's an extremely powerful and melodic theme with slick keyboard harmonies, powerful rock riffs, and some screaming electric guitar work.

Summary

Given the plethora of arrangers, each with their own unique styles, the music of Mamoru Has Been Cursed! has definitely become a much richer musical experience based on these remixes. Everyone was able to bring a fitting soundscape to their respective themes and they fit the confines of the game quite well. The new original music is one of Yasui's finest boss themes to date and the vocaloid versions of "Superhero" and "YO-KAI Disco" are a nice bonus for fans of vocaloid programs. This is definitely worth picking up, but if you already picked up the bonus CD, the addition of four extra themes may not be worth it. If you haven't gotten the bonus CD, this is the definitive version to get.

Overview

The Mamoru Has Been Cursed! Netherworld Arrange Version was released as a bonus with the Playstation 3 version of the popular arcade and Xbox 360 shmup Mamoru Has Been Cursed!. Featuring in-game arrangements by members of Supersweep of some of the original music, it shows the diversity of the source material. It was later adapted into a commercial release complete with some bonus tracks.

Body

Rather than remix all the music himself again, Yousuke Yasui employed his colleagues at Supersweep to help him enrich the soundscapes of the originals. Takahiro Eguchi's "Blossom Shower" manages to take the sweet soundscapes of the original and transform them into an extremely playful theme that combines woodwinds and synthesizers with some dance influence. His second theme, "Lost Wind," is definitely his stronger remix. It's more electronically focused, helping to capture the ice world in which it is used. It starts off with a beautiful crystalline synth rendition of the melody, before moving into a more synthesizer focused version with some fantastic trance and strings accompaniment. It's truly a wonderful rendition of the theme.

"Great Tribulation," by Kazuhiro Kobayashi, is another interesting take on the theme. He manages to capture the essence of the original through his unique interpretation of the melody line, which combines both more classic synthesizer sounds with more dominant Asian influences. It manages to work extremely well with the more electronic focused accompaniment and can be quite haunting at times. "Tropical Pirates," by Teruo Taniguchi, is the first credited theme I've heard from this SuperSweep member. In terms of atmosphere, it definitely manages to remind me a bit of Noriyuki Iwadare's more playful brass themes, of which this remix incorporates plenty. It's a wonderful theme that really captures that island vibe with the big brass and steel drum incorporation.

"Karakuri Spirits," by Ayako Saso, definitely showcases her love of classic rave style music. In my opinion, this is a brilliant combination as the Asian soundscapes of the original remain intact and the addition of some rock and electronic elements really make for an enticing listen. It's a powerful theme with a lot of different musical textures. In the end, it manages to culminate into a stunning listening experience.

Of course, Yasui also remixes some themes of his own and composes a new theme for the game. His remix, "YO-KAI Disco," is featured in two forms. The first, "YO-KAI Disco," manages to incorporate a lusher soundscape with more Asian harmonies, wonderful synth work, and some nice rock harmonies. The most notable inclusion, however, is the amazing synthesizer solo he throws into the mix. The vocaloid version, "YO-KAI Disco -Vocaloid Edition-," is a straightforward vocal rendition of this theme. Lastly, "Ultimate Terror," presumably for a new final boss, manages to lay on the synthesizer and rock emphasis pretty heavily. It's an extremely powerful and melodic theme with slick keyboard harmonies, powerful rock riffs, and some screaming electric guitar work.

Summary

Given the plethora of arrangers, each with their own unique styles, the music of Mamoru Has Been Cursed! has definitely become a much richer musical experience based on these remixes. Everyone was able to bring a fitting soundscape to their respective themes and they fit the confines of the game quite well. The new original music is one of Yasui's finest boss themes to date and the vocaloid versions of "Superhero" and "YO-KAI Disco" are a nice bonus for fans of vocaloid programs. That said, it's better to head for the extended commercial release than the promotional album, given it features four additional tracks. A nice bonus regardless.