Overview

On True Love Story 3, Noriyuki Iwadare decided to multi-task by composing both the background music and the vocal tracks for the game. This was a hefty task and unfortunately the background music definitely suffered. Nonetheless, this still provided the opportunity for Iwadare to create a charming vocal album for the first time in the series. He reunites with lyricist Isao Mizoguchi and the cast of female vocalists from True Love Story 2 for this purpose. Though a few vocal tracks were included in the mediocre True Love Story 3 Original Soundtrack, the majority made it to the True Love Story 3 Vocal Collection instead. All the vocal tracks from the game were also featured in the seventh and eighth discs of the True Love Story Complete Song Box too.

Body

The opener "Best Regards, Future" proves refreshing after the often generic vocal themes of past True Love Story entries. Yukana sings a frivolous melody in an endearing manner against bubbly jazz accompaniment and flashy electric guitar solos. It's nothing special, but is handled quite well. "Red Hot Song" takes listeners to the Caribbean with a distinctive vocalist against compelling steel drums and saxophones. The Japanese lyrics are particularly interesting here and almost have a tongue-twisting quality to them. "My Festival" also has a tropical influence and introduces Tijuana brass and mambo chants to the mix. "If There Was an Angel Here" continues the upbeat mood while exploring the heavenly premise of the title. The soaring strings and choral sections inspire vivid if cheesy imagery of angels singing and flying. It's surely a very amusing and effective song in context too.

After so many upbeat tracks, the middle of the album provides a few deeper themes. "Wish" maintains a buoyant quality, but the vocalist sounds more fragile and the melody is definitely more one of hope than elation. "Start Line" is the most classical ballad of the set and features Iwadare's piano and violin interplay once more. "Stand By Me" is very poppy for the most part, but a gorgeous violin solo leads to a reflective interlude. Though brief, this interlude provides one of the most heartrending moments of the album. A well done blend of outgoing and introspective moments, "Stand By Me" is perhaps the most enjoyable entry on the soundtrack. There are a few quirky themes on the disc too, most notably "Older Sister" with its jazzy wah-wah guitars and the bizarre voice of Chiemi Chiba. Oh, and the occasional cow sound effect...?

The album ends with a selection of bonus and karaoke tracks. As previously featured on the True Love Story 3 Original Soundtrack, "My Hometown" is a rocking anthem featuring Takane Aotsuki's voice actor. "School Book" is a decent ballad also featured from the soundtrack release, though the youthful vocalist might prove a select taste. Unfortunately, the notable "Lonely Highway" and "Misora Junior High Song" are not included in the vocal collection, exclusive to the soundtrack release and box set. To round the album off, there are karaoke versions of the clearly popular songs "School Book" and "My Hometown".

Summary

Overall, the True Love Story 3 Vocal Collection is a likeable collection of happy-go-lucky songs by Japanese female vocalists. Iwadare seems to have a lot of fun creating vocal music for the first time in the series and uses his familiarity with the nature of the franchise to his advantage. He was able to meet the quota for satisfying blend of upbeat, reflective, and downright quirky pieces while injecting his unique musicality to the franchise. As a result, the collection feels more like an expression of emotions and inspirations deep within Iwadare rather than a pile of dated and derivative themes lacking an individual identity. If you'd like to explore more of Iwadare's vocal music, this collection is a solid purchase in spite of the deficiencies of the accompanying soundtrack release.