muchimuchipork! original sound track
Composed by | Daisuke Matsumoto / Kizakura / MASA-KING / Naohiro Saito / Natsuko Naitou |
Published by | Cave |
Catalog number | CVST-0007 |
Release type | Game Soundtrack - Official Release |
Format | 1 CD - 28 tracks |
Release date | January 21, 2008 |
Duration | 00:45:54 |
Genres |
Overview
Carniverously inspired, coated in peak, and featuring an obese woman as the unlikely protagonist, Cave's latest shooter Muchi Muchi Pork! was going to be a select taste. And certainly not mine, still the austere masculine vegetarian you all know me to be! Yet I eagerly anticipated its soundtrack from Pink Sweets Ibara's team having enjoyed practically all of Cave's previous releases. Given the game's subject matter, I expected a frivolous humorous score that would compensate for its limitations on an intellectual level with a great capacity to be enjoyed. Just two minutes into my attempted consumption of the Muchi Muchi Pork! Original Soundtrack, however, I found myself inclined to vomit. Not quite everything on the score was obnoxious as the first stage theme, but the score remains one of the most disappointing I've encountered in a long time.
Body
Aesthetics prove a problem from the very start of this soundtrack; the first track features a loud group of girls barely comprehensibly calling the title of the game fortunately for just a few seconds. The select screen music comes across as desperate to motivate itself as its title "Yuke Yuke Go Go!" suggests. Unfortunately, the problems don't end there. The first stage's "Doki Doki in the Sky" reminds me of some hyperactive J-Pop that I find intolerable; its whiny introduction reminds me of a little girl shouting 'Look At Me! Look At Me!' over and over again, while its poorly synthesized lead melody insists on revolving on the same notes and grating ideas over and over again against purely functional light rock-based accompaniment. As a trained musician, I consider it to be musicality of the very worst kind, but its theoretical deficiencies are not the principle reason why I hate it. My attempts to mindlessly enjoy it failed after its intrusive core elements repeated so many times over its 3:07 playtime that my ears started to bleed. I found no humour or fun in listening to something so persistently irritating. A complete train wreck.
Most of the remaining stage themes are tolerable, though don't fully redeem the score. "Uki Uki Arcade" will provide an image of a camp person strolling a street doing disco moves with its comical melody and drum beats. "Hamu Hamu Pepper" is somewhat like the youthful light synth-focused jazz pieces Noriyuki Iwadare likes to produce. It's a little better, but are still unimpressive due to the complete lack of variation from the same 'in your face' ideas. Probably the best addition to the score is the fourth stage's "Rabo Rabo Factory". It's written in the same style as the other pieces with a demanding introduction leading into an unimpressive melody. However, the harmonies are a little bit more substantial here, with random beats emulating the sounds of factory noises, and there is also a brief tangent into an industrial section that gives some much-needed contrast. The final stage's "Iza Iza Main Dish!" is a brass- and piano-dominated anthem clearly inspired by The A-Team's TV theme song. This is one of the few fairly humorous additions to the score and easily the most extensive, but still feels like a bit of a cheap parody.
The battle themes lack the obnoxious character of the stage themes but are weak in their own way. The normal boss theme "Un Un Thorium" immediately establishes a good rhythm and percussive timbre, but soon destroys the dynamism of the encounters and the soundtrack by focusing on feeble repetitive two note motifs for almost its entire duration. "Gan Gan Titanium" is based almost entirely on varying the pitch of sounds emulating hitting metal grating; while quite novel at first, there is no instrumental contrast in this attempt to create industrial music and the fast-paced electronic harmonic runs feels almost completely unrelated to the lead. Its counterpart "Ura Ura Uranium" tries to achieve distinction with its disorientating 7/4 metre and reiterations of a foreground motif above descending chord progressions. However, the basal ideas are so weak and the extent of repetition so strong that this isn't even superficially affecting. "Un Un Hexium" is a generic hard techno piece that reminds me of the weaker efforts on Streets of Rage 3; it has none of the drama and variety needed for a final boss theme and is yet another disappointment.
The soundtrack doesn't quite end there. There is a monotonous funk-inspired epilogue and a jubilant credits theme based on some of the ideas featured in the first stage theme. Following the easygoing name entry theme, Natsuko Naitou returns us to the realms of annoying J-Pop... this time with real vocals. "Muchi Pork!" features an upbeat female voice singing fast-paced lyrics in the verse and repeating the phrases "Muchi", "Mu Chi Chi Mu Chi Muchi", and "Muchi Muchi Porko" a disturbing number of times in the chorus. The 3:47 playtime feels more like eight minutes and there isn't even a single instrumental solo (no matter how atrociously derivative it would have been) to break up the vocals. A 10 minute voice collection mostly featuring whiny Japanese voice actresses follows. It is quite amusing to hear some of the composers attempt dramatic voice acting, especially Daisuke Matsumoto's attempt at being deep and serious as the character Major Sirloin. There are also a handful of camp fanfares cluttered around the score, three of which end the soundtrack after a short but perhaps relieving total playtime.
Summary
The Muchi Muchi Pork! Original Soundtrack should come with a health warning. For it to nearly induce brain melting on a durable young chap like myself makes me wonder what affect it might have on the standard consumer. While some stage themes are moderately enjoyable and the boss themes are effective in context, the majority of the album is charmless and irritating. Given it was created by a team of five composers, its low quality and quantity (just 35 minutes of music and, nope, no arrange section) are unforgivable. This album is recommended for those who enjoy superficial camp music, but most audiences will find it intolerable.
Chris Greening
Overview
Cave is known for having a diverse set of shooter scores. For example, there's the more futuristic synth sound of the DoDonPachi series, or the gothic rock nature of Death Smiles, but one of the sound teams, responsible for Pink Sweets Ibara, goes for cutesier, bouncy sounds. In their recent work Muchi Muchi Pork!, they kick things up a notch much to many people's dismay. However, I find the work to be, while not the greatest Cave shooter score, a nice little romp from time to time.
Body
There are two distinct styles on this soundtrack. Those related to boss themes and those related to stage themes. The stage themes go for a much bouncier style. The opening stage theme, "Doki Doki in the Sky," features an extremely happy sound. There are some rock elements infused into this mainly cutesy theme, but I find it to have a pretty entertaining melody, even if it is one of the weaker themes. "Uki Uki Arcade," on the other hand, has a sound comparable to Persona 3. It's another upbeat theme, like the entire soundtrack, but it manages to incorporate some more jazzy and modern elements. It's a shame it's one of the shorter stage themes on the soundtrack. My second favorite stage theme, "Hamu Hamu Pepper" is similar in vein to "Doki Doki in the Sky". It boasts a fantastic melody with some rock elements as well, but I find the overall atmosphere to be better, especially in the B section. There's just something about how it all comes together that makes it a special treat.
There is definitely a pattern when it comes to stage themes, as "Rabo Rabo Factory" shows. Like "Uki Uki Arcade," this one incorporates some jazz elements into the mix, but it also subdues the pace of the theme, making it stand out a bit more. There are some nice industrial bridges and some orchestral synth accents as well. My favorite stage theme, though, has to be "Iza Iza Main Dish!" This is the best theme on the soundtrack, hands down. Featuring a beautiful, upbeat theme that fuses together both orchestral and electronic elements, it manages to offer a varied soundscape. From the simple, yet engaging, piano work to the beautiful brass counter harmonies that really accent the string melody, it gives off a bright atmosphere. I particularly like the addition of the electric guitar at times, and the slower bridge and melody that follows that incorporates choir and harp, giving it an almost angelic nature. If you only listen to one song on the album, this is the one I suggest.
The boss themes go for a more adrenaline packed, if melodically absent, sound. "Un Un Thorium" goes for an industrial techno sound with pulsating rhythm and small melodic fragments. There is little to no variation, but I still find it pretty interesting, but I've grown acquired to this style. "Gan Gan Titanium" is definitely an industrial composition. Featuring a pulsating rhythm, it manages to create an interesting soundscape by including metal clanking and some grunge guitar work. "Ura Ura Uranium" features a tenser, darker atmosphere than the boss themes before hand. The mixture of synth orchestral work and piercing techno beats is an interesting one, and I think it manages to convey a sense of epic desperation. The last boss theme, "Un Un Hexium", goes back to that industrial techno sound heard in "Un Un Thorium". There are some definite improvements in terms of variation. At times, you'll hear some suspenseful sections, while at others, you'll hear more breakbeat-like sounds that help bridge that pulsating rhythm in the melody line. It's definitely more listenable on a stand alone basis, as opposed to some of the true last boss themes from the DoDonPachi series.
Summary
To be honest, the first time I heard this soundtrack, I was disappointed. Not so much as some, but given the impressive works of other Cave shooters, and in particular, this sound team's previous score, it came off as underwhelming. This score isn't for everyone, but if you don't mind happy, bouncy, and somewhat superficial themes interlaced with more industrial and techno themed boss music, it might be worth trying out. Of course, since this album came out a while ago, you may have to resort to Yahoo Japan Auctions, given the rarity of Cave soundtracks once they sell out of their first and only print. It's by no means perfect, but it's still a good addition to the Cave discography.
Don Kotowski
Compose & Remix
Daisuke Matsumoto (track: 3,5,13,14,15)
MASA-KING (track: 8,9,10)
Kizakura (track: 4,6,12)
Naohiro Saitou (track: 2,11,16)
Natsuko Naitou (track: 7,17,26,27,28)
Mastering
Ryoji Uezu
Image Song
Natsuko Naitou (Lyrics - Compose - Vocal)
Ryoji Uezu (Mix)
Daisuke Matsumoto (Salesperson)
Voice
Yuki Sakura (Muchi Muchi Pink)
Yuri Makuta (Muchi Muchi Blue)
Kaori Nakamura (Muchi Muchi Yellow)
MASA-KING (Sergeant Wing)
Daisuke Matsumoto (Major Sirloin)
Natsuko Naitou (Warrant Officer Lumb)
Tsuyoshi Ogasawara (Ensign Sakura)
Junpei Asashina (General Porkfillet)
1 | Title Call <Title Call> | 00:04 | |
2 | Yuke Yuke Go Go! <Player Select> | 00:55 | |
3 | Doki Doki in the Sky <Stage 1> | 03:07 | |
4 | Un Un Thorium <Boss> | 02:16 | |
5 | Hara Hara Next Town <Stage Clear> | 00:07 | |
6 | Uki Uki Arcade <Stage 2> | 01:55 | |
7 | Hamu Hamu Pepper <Stage 3> | 03:16 | |
8 | Rabo Rabo Factory <Stage 4> | 03:58 | |
9 | Gan Gan Titanium <Battle 1> | 02:09 | |
10 | Ura Ura Uranium <Battle 2> | 02:38 | |
11 | Iza Iza Main Dish! <Stage 5> | 03:41 | |
12 | Un Un Hexium <Last Boss> | 02:44 | |
13 | Shiku Shiku Goodbye <Game Over> | 00:08 | |
14 | Nazo Nazo Epilogue <Ending> | 01:40 | |
15 | Hoku Hoku Ultra Thanks <Staff Roll> | 01:44 | |
16 | Run Run Name <Name Entry> | 01:16 | |
17 | Muchi Pork! <"Muchi Muchi Pork!" Image Song> | 03:47 | |
18 | Muchi Muchi Pink <Pink Voice> | 02:18 | |
19 | Muchi Muchi Blue <Blue Voice> | 01:44 | |
20 | Muchi Muchi Yellow <Yellow Voice> | 02:11 | |
21 | Sergeant Wing <Wing Voice> | 00:33 | |
22 | Major Sirloin <Sirloin Voice> | 00:36 | |
23 | Warrant Officer Lumb <Lumb Voice> | 00:31 | |
24 | Ensign Sakura <Sakura Voice> | 00:29 | |
25 | General Porkfillet <Porkfillet Voice> | 01:36 | |
26 | Pumo Pumo Welcome <Title Jingle 1> | 00:07 | |
27 | Mochi Mochi Heroine <Title Jingle 2> | 00:09 | |
28 | Muni Muni Pork <Title Jingle 3> | 00:15 |