Board 8 > Board 8 Ranks Trails/Kiseki [{(-~-RANKINGS-~-)}]

(+) Yeah! (+)

tgs2 posted...

Ooooh. Azure Arbitrator reminds me a tiny bit of Hidra Heteromycin, but that could just be me listening to the latter a lot lately and looking for flimsy connections.

that was very nearly a retirement match in VGMC12 and I would have died

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NFUN posted...

p sure that was az, which we all expected deep down in our hearts

I would happily nuked Azure Arbitrator, too.

The Merciless Savior: 5.2/4.6
Azure Arbitrator: 5.5/5.8

The funny thing is that you can usually count on me to like boss music. Like, if I did a ranking topic, and you had no idea what to send me but wanted to do well, you should just give me five final boss songs and call it a day. Just make sure none of them are from Trails, I guess.

And now I hate myself for wasting 15 minutes listening to both versions of Azure Arbitrator that could have been spent doing literally anything else.

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So many villains trying to strike down epic boss music. But, I, Lea, will save them!

Leatrice posted...

So many villains trying to strike down epic boss music. But, I, Lea, will save them!

i guess peace talks disillusioned you to the point where you had to abandon leanansidhe, huh?.. wait, didn't the next book come out already? i completely forgot about that

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It was like...fine. If it was a song in this it would be in the five-ish range. But peace talks would be a one.

Azure Arbitrator is okay, definitely prefer Merciless Savior. Neither comes close to Masquerade of Lies though!

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Arbitrator > Savior

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#15: Zero no Kiseki - Dawn ~ Denouement
hb: 8.4/7.7
tgs: 7.9/8.2
Total: 8.15/7.95 (8.05)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=XiXqadWUM7M
https://youtube.com/watch?v=gQxcsGqSYs0

A pleasant medley of motifs, this song's peppy pace and energy make it a joy to listen to all around. The Evo version's choir synth is less enjoyable to listen to overall than the original orchestration, but it can't ruin the composition's strength .
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#14: Zero no Kiseki - On The Green Road
hb: 9.1/8.8
deo: 7.4/7.4
Total: 8.25/8.1 (8.175)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=vRqzTGXxoGQ
https://youtube.com/watch?v=pjGOSrvqvFs

This song's flow is really enticing to me, and makes it just a joy to hear- its constructed in way such that it never gets old, and the combination of the drums/bass/synths it uses all coalesce into something awesome. The first minute of the Evo version feels sparce in comparison, but by the time the whistle picks up it nicely recovers, and the added jazzy section is a nice touch.
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gotta appreciate kamikura adding a little bit extra into his arrangements

dont gotta appreciate it enough to give it more points tho

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bruh

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#13: Ao no Kiseki - Concentrate All Firepower!!
Lea: 9/10
deo: 6.7/7
Total: 7.85/8.5 (8.175)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=B9E1eEJGP9o
https://youtube.com/watch?v=YMJusXtpWSY

This song grabbed me immediately and never let go. This is exactly my type of song, with powerful guitar and chiptune (?) synth (??). Really amps me up! I'm giving it a ten unless the evo version is even better, in which case it's a nine. Let's find out!

Oh, violin instead of synth! Now this is a novel flavour for my ear pallette. Shit, I'm a sucker for rock violin. God I don't know music terms at all. I think I actually like the violin version better. I'll assume that this is the song you said was the best because it slaps like an eight armed drunk 50's husband
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Bye Ao!

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NFUN posted...

I'll assume that this is the song you said was the best because it slaps like an eight armed drunk 50's husband

lea I'm concerned

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"One of these days, Ao... Bang! Zoom! Straight to the moon!" - deo, probably

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Deowolf determined to ensure Ao is all Ao-t of songs

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#12: Zero no Kiseki - Arc-en-ciel
pyre: 8.5/9
NFUN: 6.7/8.5
Total: 7.6/8.75 (8.175)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=0To8SJiRUKw
https://youtube.com/watch?v=iFkySE8fd2c

I am a big Arc-en-ciel fan. Both the song and the in-game theater troupe but this is about the song. Despite the fact this was one of the last games in the series I experienced, there's something very nostalgic about the opening piano notes to this song. Always made me love coming back to the Entertainment District. The rest of the song is a pretty nice jazzy groove as well. Evo version is overall better. I don't get quite the same vibe from the opening jingle, but it's more than made up for by the real instruments working much better for the rest of the song. Also it's got some nice solo parts you don't get in the original which really complete the jazz feel.
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It's alright. Got real fucking sick of hearing it

These kind of jazzy songs I feel work best as a direct translation to Evo. They really benefit from live instrumentation, and, at the very least, it's hard to make them worse. This one in particular they nailed

If only I had known about Strepitoso Fight when I wrote that

#11: Zero no Kiseki - Inevitable Struggle
Janus: 8.5/8.5
deo: 8.3/8
Total: 8.4/8.25 (8.325)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=6XUzvISRwUQ
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Gxds6IDKRt8

This is a weird one because I'm so used to the Super Arrange that the original instruments feel off! Still really like the energy in this though.

I... don't know how I feel about that saxophone. The back half (which is mostly new) does a lot of work to bring this back up - loves the solos WAIT that was a weird ending huh ok
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HELL YEAH i appreciate the soprano sax in the evo a LOT, but the added guitar solo is super corny to me so it brings it down quite a bit. but still both bang a lot this song is anime as fuck

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Wow, crossbell getting smashed today

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Poor Inevitable Struggle Evo. Sax/guitar duet too good.

i am going to have to kidnap Deo and teach him to like corny guitars, and Janus to teach him to like soprano saxes.
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#10: Trails in the Sky SC - Flying Battleship Glorious
Haste: 8.7/8.6
NFUN: 7.8/8.3
Total: 8.25/8.45 (8.35)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=VXr3DA_1FnA
https://youtube.com/watch?v=cTwfhG-fu6g

This one's cool! MIlitaristic, cinematic orchestral, dangerous-sounding. Sounds like Fanfare like the Common Man for like the first eight measures. Cool thick chords right after. I like those industrial percussive hits at 0:33. "The horn, the horn, it sounds so forlorn...." But yeah, the melody there really sets the mood. Kind of Phrygian-sounding, which really helps set the mood. The flute material later is cool, too... more minor 2nd harmonic movement gets a similar, but also contrasting, mood. and I love the rseponse by the high brass and xylophone! (more Phrygian-ish stuff) I looooove those chords near the end... major triads transposing by diminshed intervals (and the 5th in the bass makes it sound dissonant, for some reason)...the effect is awesome, and it seems like such a "Trails" thing to do.

EVO version: I like the addition of that static at 0:33. Other the changes aren't really that notable to me. The overall intensity seems to have dropped, though.
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evil villains. I'm strangely partial to this one. I don't think most people would like it. I guess I just dig the mood it's going for and how it accomplishes it

Evo really needs to learn that sometimes less is more. Parts of this falls into the trap of adding too many instruments which can take away from the dramatic simplicity the song is built off of. That being said, I prefer it to the original. It's still intense when it needs to be, with added nuance in the quieter parts; I particularly like the harp at 1:40. I think a song like this is generally the best you can expect from Sky Evo: the original, with small improvements. The songs that are largely rethought tend to be disasters

#9: Trails in the Sky SC - Unleashed Greatest Treasure
pyre: 8/7.5
NFUN: 9.1/9
Total: 8.55/8.25 (8.4)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=maDSLL6uTAU
https://youtube.com/watch?v=2AMCT1t83mk

Man I love this song. Trails does epic menacing themes like this really well in all the games so it's a shame they don't play too often. The combination of choir and the low brass belting out the main theme gives me chills every time. It does peter out a bit towards the end which doesn't matter in context at all but affects things here somewhat. The Evo version is mostly worse but not in a way that's critically damaging. Just slightly less impact on pretty much everything.
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One of my SC favorites, a song, despite its overdone genre, that I'll defend as brilliant until my dying breath... to apparently the choir who also appreciates this song. I didn't think it'd be popular until it was a common BOST recommendation. I'll take it. Kickass cutscene too

Jindo re-arranging his own song. What did you expect?

RIP SC

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#8: Trails in the Sky - Sophisticated Fight
hb: 9.3/7.4
NFUN: 9.7/7.3
Total: 9.5/7.35 (8.425)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Um5EbReY7rA
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Qnm5asQPxWY

Sophisticated Fight manages to succeed with flying colors at being endlessly enoyable and endlessly listenable to. Its jazzy rhythms and bouncy, happy instrumentation help it be simulateously be relaxing and exciting, and in general just plain fun. The Evo version's instrumentation is not nearly as engaging- its drums are weaker, it has some sort of echo, and in a sense its lost its edge. The Evo version simply isn't as relistenable as the original.
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Absolutely legendary. A masterpiece

At least it's not terrible

#7: Zero no Kiseki - Naivete
pyre: 8/7.5
tgs: 8.5/9.7
Total: 8.25/8.6 (8.425)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=fYsLnLW83_w
https://youtube.com/watch?v=dKWTtprrQ1Q

Music is a funny thing sometimes. At first I didn't remember when this song played considering it only plays once, but then when 0:56 hits suddenly I immediately knew what I was listening to and returned to exactly the same mental state as when I was playing through the game myself. Anyways...this is probably the best of the songs that plays during this particular segment of the game. The woodwinds at the beginning are quite pretty, and the dramatic/climactic second half is very emotionally compelling. The Evo version goes for a slightly more melancholic sound, but it also works pretty well. Unfortunately though the back half doesn't leave quite as much impact as in the original
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Now this is what "evolution" should be all about! It cleaned the audio up, didn't get too cute with its additions, and made the climax at around a minute in EVEN BETTER. Everything is firing on all cylinders here. Its all too fucking good and heartwrenching! I cried upon this song's beauty finally clicking with me and I will treasure this song for a long time to come.

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Naivete Evo is extremely dependent on my mood. The better the mood I am in, the higher I go wth it. I feel so high in the clouds right now that I want to 10 it.

Also Sophisticated Fight is wonderful. Think I ever so slightly prefer Feeling Danger Nearby to it however.

Sophisticated Fight is too sophisticated for me, apparently. Though FWIW I've enjoyed it during Falcom's live concerts. Live jazz solos make everything better.

Naivete being this well-liked completely surprises me, but okay.
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#6: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - Recluse Cube
Raetsel: 8.5/7.4
Mycro: 9.6/8.3
Total: 9.05/7.85 (8.45)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=x_xWNmcD1cM
https://youtube.com/watch?v=n9ftvcjCLsM

Both good songs, but the Original version feels more intense and mysterous, giving it a very clear edge over the Evo version. Though Evo is definitely still good.
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instantly among my new favorite falcom tracks now wow. polymeter is a really quick way to make me like something but everything about this is pretty great. i'd like the evo version more if it didn't make the cool polymeter effect so quiet; the harpsichord is even a cool sound for the 7/8 layer, but you can barely hear it with this mixing! otherwise i'd say the evo version's a fine arrangement, but it definitely clouds my favorite aspect of the track. favorite discovery of this ranking topic! thank you nfun!

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dowolf posted...

Sophisticated Fight is too sophisticated for me, apparently.

I am completely unrefined.

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#5: Zero no Kiseki - Ancient Pulsation
player0: 7/8
NFUN: 9.6/9.2
Total: 8.3/8.6 (8.45)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=GY4si22kg_E
https://youtube.com/watch?v=_I4uPeQuqMg

Atmospheric theme of the Big Plot Mystery...the original starts off sounding like "Minecraft - cat" before evolving into a chill electronic track similar to Geofront. The remake steps it up to be much more menacing with dramatic orchestral swells, and adds playful flute flourishes that I really love!
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My second favorite Zero theme. This is incredibly enthralling for some reason, and a unique song in its own right. Listen to it yourself; you'll either get what I'm saying or you won't.

Sorry for not giving the evo version an appropriately higher score dowolf. As you'll read later, the evo version does not compare contextually to the other version, but taken as an original composition like you are supposed to for this project, this song is great. Very beautiful, with a bit of a motivating and surreal taste to it. Delicious

A sidenote irrelevant to the ratings (that may include some spoilers): As you can see, I really like the Evo version as well, but contextually I think it'd be much worse. The original theme is effective in-game because of how *subtly* foreboding and menacing it is, and how it's part of a quiet system of foreshadowing. You know you'll return to the area it plays in at some point because it has a building you don't enter the first time, but you don't know when you will. The area itself isn't too special, with the other "anomalous" regions having stranger gimmicks than the rain, which is nevertheless weirdly creepy and atmospheric. And this song is just special enough to alert you that something's up without being obvious about it, unlike a final area theme or something like A Bell That Cannot Ring which is outwardly creepy. At least in my experience, the area emanates a sublime aura that makes you feel uneasy, like you shouldn't be there, without doing anything overt enough to draw your attention. Sure, something is obviously up, but this theme alone has a connotation of *wrongness* (while still sounding great) that makes the area work so well that the evo version just lacks. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk

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#4: Zero no Kiseki - Arrival Existence
Janus: 7.5/8.5
dowolf: 9/9.5
Total: 8.25/9 (8.625)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=cVSpwMpZ-Aw
https://youtube.com/watch?v=OJfjDZ2LWfw

what the heck is that glitchy sound, I'd never noticed it before. Always found this song a bit disjointed, but the intro definitely screams "epic fight" and the fast parts get me pumped, so it does its job. Also I like when the bell does the Unisuga thing

Think I prefer the Evo instruments here, and it does a better job at maintaining energy throughout the fast part.
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As cool as the glitchy moments in OG are, the live instruments make this track so much better

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The best use of Ancient Pulsation in context isn't even when it plays in the Ancient Battlefield imo. It's the phone call with Dudley in the final chapter. Gives me chills every time.
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NFUN posted...

Sorry for not giving the evo version an appropriately higher score dowolf. As you'll read later, the evo version does not compare contextually to the other version, but taken as an original composition like you are supposed to for this project, this song is great. Very beautiful, with a bit of a motivating and surreal taste to it. Delicious

fuck you nfun.

i seriously don't know what i did to piss you off.

but fuck you.
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what? the first sentence is entirely independent from the second, and i those were written before the series went live

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bullshit.

I am seriously fucking sick of you. I am sick of you interpreting everything I say through a warped lens, sick of you treating me like a hurricane destroying all the songs you like, sick of you taking every chance you have to jab at me.
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so you literally decided i was destroying your precious project before things even started.

wow.

your conceit knows no bounds.
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#3: Trails in the Sky - Hollow Light of the Sealed Land
FL: 9.2/8.7
NFUN: 8.6/8.3
Total: 8.9/8.5 (8.7)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=22qqs9jucn8
https://youtube.com/watch?v=WtQZOALL6GY

BANGER okay so this is actually my favorite FC track (other than maybe the regular battle theme lol). With all of the Trails music that gets into VGMC every year, I'm surprised this was never picked, it's one of my favorites I've heard and would easily get a support from me. Very string heavy, this one kinda gives me Yuki Kajiura vibes lol. As for Evo, I love what it did with the violin at 4:22 (hi madoka soundtrack), but I'm not a fan of how it sorta waters down the piano towards the end, or that electronic/dubstep backing track playing throughout.
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banger final dungeon theme

I like how the scream is *slightly* more distinct, just enough to make it more unnerving. I like it less, but that's mostly just loss in translation. I think it does it justice, and I like the heavier drumbeats it gets and the geometric synth at like 1:30. It trades some of its force for mystery, which is fair

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hey #3

also this arrange is legit 10/10 hot damn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1uO05nKLlI

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#2: Trails in the Sky - Silver Will
Janus: 9/9
NFUN: 9/8.7
Total: 9/8.85 (8.925)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=d-7zjsM5nQA
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Hk3V5j1JoYs

Ah, the OG song that made me realize that Trails music is pretty cool. I've shrunk on this a bit - especially this version, relative to the super arrange - but it's still a total earworm with weirdly trance-like energy.

Huh, the Evo turns it into... a rock song? Honestly, I can get behind this. There's a weird plucky instrument near the end that feels a little off but that's me actively trying to nitpick because this is a remix of Silver Will. Like a lot of these, it has a different feel from the original, but I don't think it's bad here.
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fuck you lorence

it's kind of weird that they made this one sound so much closer to the SAV or SWGW. whatever, to quote a silver-haired swordsman, "Not bad"

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And your winner of Board 8 Ranks Trails/Kiseki...

#1: Zero no Kiseki SAV - A Light Illuminating the Depths
Saki Momiyama: 10/10
Yukihiro Jindo: 10/10
Total: 10/10 (10)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAD6bLsvJVU

i cry everytime i hear this song. why was i not talented enough to create this masterpiece?
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This was a fun experience overall and I found some great stuff not on my set of songs. I ought to check out other stuff by Ishibashi if he worked outside of Falcom as most of his stuff here was cool.

P.S. Sorrynotsorry for being literally hitler by loving Aiming for the Future Evo.

It has come to my attention that this champion was in error (thank you lefty). I apologize for the mistake, and it has been rectified

The REAL #1: Slam no Kiseki - Jam Over the Barrier!
Lloyd Bannings: 10/10
Charles Barkley: 10/11
Total: 10/10.5 (10.25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trx3cauvyIc

This song truly speaks to the core of my being. This song is my raison d'etre. This song is my drive, my passion. This song is everything that made me what I am, every action I take, everything I hope to be. This song is absolutely perfect. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for listening to this
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jam

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I really enjoyed following along with this topic, thanks for doing this y'all