Macross Frontier OST 2 Nyan Tora

RELEASED: 10.08.2008
LABEL: flying DOG, Victor Entertainment
TRACKLIST:
1. Prologue F
2. Northern Cross
3. Triangler
4. High School Life
5. Transformation
6. Anata no Oto
7. Test Flight Delight
8. Seikan Hikou
9. Inu Mimi Ranka
10. Yousei
11. Tsuioku no Trumpet
12. Shinkuu no Diamond Crevasse
13. Ai Oboete Imasuka ~ bless the little queen
14. Ao no Ether
15. is this LOVE?
16. shadow of Michael
17. Aimo O.C.
18. Battle Frontier
19. Nyan Nyan Service Medley~Lion~Infinity~Watashi no Kare wa Pirate~Diamond Cravesse~Seikan Hikou~What 'bout my star?~Lion~Ai Oboete Imasuka~
20. Protoculture

I was a bit disappointed with the ending of Macross Frontier but I can totally understand why the writers felt like they had to end it that way. Some people took exception to the love triangle. In my case, it was the thing that finally got me hooked. Ironically enough, it's not the best thing about this series.

Macross Frontier has so much going for it -- production values, cgi, animated action sequences, character designs, art direction, and of course, the music. Who can forget the one thing that puts Macross Frontier a level above all other mecha animes out there?

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Macross Frontier OST 2 delivers with new songs from fictional singers, Ranka Lee (Megumi Nakajima) and Sheryl Nome (May'n), plus great new tracks from the master herself, Yoko Kanno.

I strongly recommend High School Life, a jazzy guitar number that's reminiscent of Cowboy Bebop. This track is used as background music during episode previews. is this LOVE? is also an interesting track with Kanno weaving her electronica-slash-acoustic magic through a gorgeous string composition. Of course, there are the usual space opera music, beginning with Prologue F, picked up three tracks later by the marching band Transformation, sustained by Tsuioko no Trumpet, and culminating with the ominous largo, Battle Frontier.

But as with the first OST, the highlights are the vocal tracks. My current favorite is Anata no Oto by Ranka Lee=Megumi Nakajima. This song is featured as an insert song in Episode 20, also known as the episode that spoiled me for the rest of the series as it was so good, everything else PHAILed in comparison. Another insert song from the same episode is Shinkuu no Diamond Crevasse (Empty Diamond Crevasse), heartwrenchingly performed by Sheryl Nome starring May'n.

Triangler is a duet cover of the OP theme song (originally by Sakamoto Maaya) by Megumi Nakajima and May'n. Again, I don't like the vocal combination of these two. They simply do not harmonize well. Listening to this song is like listening to someone dragging a fork and a knife against a porcelain plate over and over and over and over....

Yousei is a new song performed by broken Sheryl when she emo-es about the fact that she is about to die from her V-type infection. It feels very treated and too aware of itself. In contrast, Ao no Ether, the new song from Ranka feels too...floaty. It's one of the saddest compositions I have ever heard in this series and one of the most beautiful lyrics, too, but Megumi Nakajima doesn't quite hit the right emotion to give this song soul.

Oh well. It can't be helped, I guess. But all in all, this OST is good. It has two of my favorite tracks from the series, so that's gotta count for something. And anyway, opinions may differ. You may like what I consider less than extraordinary.

MORE INFO:

OFFICIAL (JPN)
Series Info (Wikipedia)
List of Macross Frontier Albums/Singles (Wikipedia)
WATCH Macross Frontier Music Videos