ALiCE’S EMOTION – SCARLET EYES

Within the past couple of months, I finally delved into the world that is the Touhou Project. Touhou is a series of danmaku/bullet hell shoot ‘em ups made by Team Shanghai Alice. I’ve actually played Touhou a couple of years back but couldn’t get over constanty dying after playing less than 5 minutes of a level. I finally got back into it over the summer after getting the games from my boyfriend and trying them out for myself. From there, I fell in love with not only the plethora of characters, but with the musical arrangements.

I managed to snag this Touhou arrangement album a couple of days ago and thought, why not share what I think about it? This isn’t meant to be a full-fledged review, but more along the lines of how I’ve reacted to each track. More after the jump:

1. REDALiCE feat. 三澤秋 – Somnia (4:01) – Once the vocals hit at 0:24, you can tell it’s Remilia Scarlet’s Septette for the Dead Princess. The vocals are a nice touch, too. It actually reminds me of The Sweet Innocent Key (better yet known as P.A.D. haha). It’s a very relaxing track.
2. ELEMENTAS – Vanishing Point (6:17) – Sanae Kotiya’s Faith is for the Transient People, recognizable for me at 1:15. This is a bit eerier than the last track. I particularly like 4:06 and up since it changes up a bit. The song is repetitive throughout, especially in the beginning and towards the end.
3. REDALiCE feat. 野宮あゆみ – Face to Faith (3:54) – Aya Shameimaru’s Wind God Girl. This track caught me by surprise because it suddenly became upbeat. Then again, the original is upbeat as well. Not a fan of this song, personally. Maybe it’s because the vocals throw me off.
4. REDALiCE – Volar (5:23) – One of my favorites, Alice Margatroid’s Doll of Bucuresti, or, as my boyfriend likes to call it, the “SHANGHAI SHANGHAI SHANGHAI SHANGHAI HOURAI HOURAI HOURAI HOURAI” song (from Marisa Stole the Precious Thing by IOSYS). No vocals in this song, but more like voice samples strewn throughout the song. Very similar to the original and catchy, too.
5. t+pazolite feat. 鈴木ななこ – ねむれないよ/Nemurenai yo (4:26) – Aya Shameimaru’s Sleepless Night of the Eastern Country. The vocals are sickeningly adorable. The song’s a lot more cuter and happier-sounding than its original counterpart. It almost reminds me of something that could be on Pop N’ Music or something of the sort.
6. REDALiCE – Drill Smasher (4:34) – Iku Nagae’s Crimson in the Black Sea ~ Legendary Fish. Lots of synths in this. The song has an electronic feel to it throughout the whole thing. I’m not as familiar with this theme as with other themes, since I rarely play the Touhou fighting games, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
7. REDALiCE – Thalia (5:01) – Yasaka Kanako’s The Venerable Ancient Battlefield ~Suwa Foughten Field~ (and one of my most favorite boss battle themes). I love it when it goes to 2:16 since it’s my favorite part of the original track. It still holds that epic feel that I sense whenever I hear it. For some reason, this particular boss battle theme reminds me of something out of Pirates of the Caribbean in comparison to the other themes.
8. REDALiCE – Last Dance (4:33) – Kagiyama Hina’s Dark Side of Faith. Much, much slower than the original, but it’s an interesting rendition of the song. I particularly enjoy the vocals and the fact that it’s been slowed down. The instrumetal portion starting at 1:31 is what gets me the most.
9. REDALiCE – Locked Girl (Trancecore Remix) (6:29) – Patchouli Knowledge’s Locked Girl ~The Girl’s Secret Room~. I think it’s safe to say that this is my favorite track of the album. It’s like a much more enhanced and ominous version of the original. The tone switches from time to time, but it’s not distracting. 3:18 is my favorite portion of the song, mostly because I can imagine Patchouli beating the crap out of me with her patterns.
10. Betwixt & Between – the moon from below (5:30) – Reisen Udongein Inaba’s Lunatic Eyes ~The Invisible Full Moon~. This track scares the hell out of me. It sounds like something out of a horror flick. Very suspenseful and fitting for the bullet-toting Lunarian.
11. REDALiCE – Boder of Soul (6:06) – Yuyuko Saigyouji’s Bloom Nobly, Cherry Blossoms of Sumizome ~Border of Life~. I dislike the beginning of the song; it doesn’t flow very well with the rest of the song, even though the aesthetic plays throughout. I only enjoy the song when the melody plays. A very somber piece in comparison to the rest.
12. REDALiCE – taboo tears you up 2008 (3:37) – Flandre Scarlet’s U.N. Owen was Her? and a great remix of the song, at that. Totally chaotic, just like Flandre herself. Then again, I fall in love with any U.N. Owen remixes in a heartbeat, so this is a bit biased. If it were only longer…

All in all, definitely enjoyed the album. Very particular to tracks 8, 9, and 12 but enjoyed it as a whole. I do have to say this: it’s great listening music for those studying for finals (in which mine are coming up next week, ugh).

Tags: alice's emotion, Music, scarlet eyes, touhou