Minna Daisuki Katamari Damacy
When it hit the U.S. in 2004, Namco’s offbeat Playstation 2 sleeper hit Katamari Damacy had barely undergone the rigorous “localization” that most games from Japan are put through before hitting the English-speaking market. Numerous objects in the game were covered with Japanese lettering (nothing essential to the game play, mind you), and the game’s distinctive soundtrack was sung in Japanese as often as it was sung in English. And somehow it worked. So the question is: how do you top that?
The sequel game, Minna Daisuki Katamari Damacy, deftly sidesteps a lot of sequel expectations by being a self-referential tribute to the original game – and to some extent that includes the music as well. Several of the new tracks are tributes as well, putting a new twist on the signature tune of Katamari Damacy, ranging from a hilarious a capella rendition to a medley of all of the original Katamari songs as “sung” by sampled animal sounds – dogs, cats, ducks, elephants, etc. It’s a nice acknowledgement of the original, and at the same time, it’s having some fun and not overdoing it. Other songs like “Katamari On The Swing” split the difference, dropping references to the Katamari theme in during the chorus of an otherwise original number.
That isn’t to say that there aren’t some cracking good original songs though. In particular, I have to single out “Everlasting Love”, a punchy, upbeat number by Alisa (of Sailor Moon fame) with occasional bits of English peppered in throughout its Japanese lyrics, and featuring some fantastic guitar and vocal work. English or not, video game music or not, “Everlasting Love” is, hands-down, one of the catchiest songs I’ve heard this year, and it’s hard not to have a smile on one’s face while listening to it, and perhaps even harder to resist the urge to go back and listen again. “Disco Prince” throws a solid dance beat into the works, and other tunes repeat Katamari‘s effective use of styles that just don’t get a lot of airtime these days.
As good as the music is, now that I’ve heard it, I can’t help but wonder how much fun the game is. The good news is that, while the soundtrack isn’t likely to see domestic release in North America, the game itself is slated for a fall release. Even if you don’t feel like having the CD shipped from Japan (even though, if you liked the original Katamari soundtrack, it’s worth it), you’ll soon have a shot at hearing the music in the game itself.
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- Introduction (0:24)
- Dokaka – Katamari On The Rocks (6:37)
- Asuka Sakai & Yu Miyake – Overture II (1:16)
- Shigeru Matsuzaki – Katamari On The Swing (4:40)
- Illreme- Kuru Kuru Rock (5:10)
- Alisa – Everlasting Love (4:45)
- Kirinji – Courageous Soul (5:32)
- Beautiful Star (3:08)
- You – Angel’s Rain (7:11)
- Katamari Robo – Houston (4:16)
- Kahimi Karie – Blue Orb (5:00)
- Yuusama – Katamari Holiday (5:37)
- Nomiya Maki – Baby Universe (5:06)
- Kenji Ninuma – Disco*Prince (7:01)
- Scorching Savanna (5:32)
(featuring John the Dog, Bigmouth the
Duck, Yuuhi the Cow, Pe the Goat, Booby the Pig, Sexy the Cat and Nyuu the
Cow)- Katsuro Tajima – The Royal Academy of Katamari (3:36)
- Kitomu Miyaza – King of King’s Song (4:41)
- Hidden Track (0:15)
Released by: Columbia Records Japan
Release date: 2005
Total running time: 79:47
This soundtrack is an odd bird. There’s a smattering of clips from R.E.M.’s film score, a few songs from the band, a couple of performances by Jim Carrey as Andy Kaufman/Tony Clifton, a handful of pieces of source music from significant Kaufman appearances, and one song that doesn’t fit any of these categories but does show up briefly in the movie. I’m sure there’s an audience for each category, but I have to think their intersection is a very small group.
The problem is that the album is both schizophrenic and short. There’s not enough orchestral music for this to appeal to fans of film scores, there’s not enough comedy for humor fans, and there’s not enough original Kaufman material to appeal to his fans. Once upon a time, the presence of “The Great Beyond” might have made this somewhat worthwhile for R.E.M. fans, but now you can get that song without the film dialogue on the band’s Warner Bros. best-of, and “Man On The Moon” is there as well. But if you’re looking for eclectic eccentricity, this might work for you.
Hmmmmm.
A nice package, though I might have been just as happy buying a single CD of the score and leaving the songtrack half of this collection to those who were more inclined toward that style of music – though it’s hard to complain at the single-CD price, and it has convinced me to check out Rob Dougan’s Furious Angels album. Ahhh…the power of cross-marketing.
After some less-than-exceptional animation releases such as 1995’s Pocahontas (which I was turned off by the commercials alone) and 1996’s The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (which I found depressing), Disney managed to recover some of its lost magic with 1998’s hit Mulan. This movie is based upon an ancient Chinese poem about girl named Fa Mulan who, when her father is called into service to defend the China against the Huns, steals her father’s armor and goes into her father’s place by pretending to be a man, and ends up becoming a legend.
If you were as disappointed by Men In Black: The Album as I was, then maybe, this CD should be renamed Men In Black: The Apology. As it is, you will probably have a hard time finding it at the store. Here is a helpful hunt: The Album CD has a picture of Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith on the cover and “VARIOUS ARTISTS” on the CD seal, while The Score has MIB prominently on the cover with J and K standing in the I. Even the store clerk at Tower Records was confused, and handed me the album instead of the score.
Avoid this CD at all costs. Especially if you hate rap music.
The CD insert is a long strip, with photos on one side of the strip, and credits for each song on the other side.