Overview

Tenpei Sato seems to release a lot of arranged albums and, in that vast assortment, he doesn't actually "arrange" a whole lot. A lot of tracks just have extended versions of the original themes. The same can be said about the La Pucelle arrange album. That doesn't in any way mean that this isn't a worthwhile album as all of the pieces featured here are amazing! I'm assuming you want more details than that, so read on!

Body

The album begins with the vocal introduction theme, "Legend of the Holy Maiden of Light". While this piece isn't arranged much, it has been extended another four minutes. It's actually quite the fresh vocal piece from Sato, having a relaxed feel with a tribal undertone. "Is This Love? Whatever" is another fine vocal piece, but it seems a bit generic for Sato. The REAL gem as far as vocals are concerned is found on the final track, "Miracles Happen". This track was a surprise for me, as I didn't expect this peaceful piano-supported piece to be anywhere near this album or game. This track is also one of the only ones to be almost unaltered in any way. A cheap filler track for an arranged album, but still a wonderful addition to La Pucelle.

The selection of in-game tracks featured here really isn't what I would choose myself. I do have several favorites though, and that's what I'll discuss. We'll start with my favorite piece, "Crazy Pianist". The title says it all. This is a dark piece with the piano taking the lead, having no real melodic direction at all. There is a bit more substance to this arranged version, but it is essentially the same piece that's in game. "Solitare" has been drastically extended, and is a very nice listen. "Grand Paprika" seems to take a different road than the rest of the pieces here, and it was a good choice. The piece doesn't grab you from the beginning, but if you give it a chance, it will turn out to be a favorite, I assure you.

The rest of the pieces on the album aren't worth missing either. One thing that is unique here, as with most other Sato arranged albums, is the in-game arranged tracks do have varying instrumentation to an extent. It isn't worth mentioning the individual tracks that do this, but if you reference tracks here with the originals, you will hear minor differences. The majority of the time the arrange versions are of better quality.

Summary

This arranged album is somewhat of a mixed bag. While some may find the pieces selected here great, others may see this as a wasted purchase as it is essentially the same as the soundtrac''s version. However, with the extended versions of several pieces, the inclusion of the amazing vocal pieces, and a "best of" selection of the in-game pieces, this still stands out as a fine Sato album. My suggestion would be to buy this if you love Sato, but missed a chance to get the Original Soundtrack. If you already own the soundtrack, skip this. There isn't enough new material to warrant a purchase.