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Title: Anime Trance 01
Performed by: MOETORA
Distributor:
s2s / BS Records
Purchased From: Tower Records, Shibuya, Tokyo
Original Japanese Price: 2,800¥
Suggested Import Price (SRP): £19.99
Reviewer: Tom (Webmaster)
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The best thing about Japan is that no matter how much you
think you know about the culture and about anime, there will always be something
that will surprise you. Be it the fashions, amount of
doujinshi available
or just the fact you are never more then a footstep away from a
vending machine, something will surprise you. Just like this CD did when I
wondered into Tower Records near the end of my time in Tokyo.
At first I paid little attention to the rack where Anime Trance 01
sat and walked straight past in pursuit of Ghibli soundtracks I didn't
already own and to look at the game soundtracks. After purchasing a
Ghibli DVD I was ready to leave when I happened to glance at the listening
post and saw that this CD was in there. I thought I would take a listen
out of curiosity, as I was not expecting to have heard of the tracks on this CD.
After all Anime Trance 01 was a new release and was unlikely to contain
any classics surely?
I soon found out being wrong is not a bad thing when the opening bars to the
main theme to Neon Genesis Evangelion (Cruel Angel Thesis) blasted into
my ears. Not bad I thought, but I already own about three versions of this
song on other CDs - what can be different about this one? Then the club
dance beat kicked in followed by hands in the air chanting. Other patrons
of Tower Records were bewildered by the look of jubilation on my face but
I did not care - proper cheesy Euro style club music brought together with anime
themes - two of my favourite genres of music finally mixed together! The
Ministry Of Sound doesn't even come close.
But that was just one track I had listened to and there was another 16 on offer!
My hands trembling I pressed the button on the listening post and skipped ahead
to a clubbing trance mix of WE GOTTA POWER (the Japanese theme to Dragonball
Z) and then onto CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA (another Dragonball theme).
This was like the perfect drug - it was just getting better and better and it
reached it's peak when I played track 5:
THE MACROSS THEME!
Yes! The original Macross with that guy singing 'Ma-c-ross',
'Ma-c-ross..', 'Ma.....', '...cross!' in a somewhat imperialistic manner.
If ever there were an anime theme which needed a belting dance beat, it was
definitely the Macross theme. Genius I thought, as I stood at the
listening post dancing like I was on a Dance Dance Revolution machine - I
was on holiday after all.
Suffice to say I purchased this CD immediately and was practically pushing the
train to get back to the hotel to listen to it
again on the CD player. Ok, so the singing isn't by the original artists,
the dance beats are a tad amateurish and in places the singing is appalling but
I don't care. Bad singing and bad beats is the hallmark of all Euro disco,
J-pop and many anime themes. Anime Trance 01 is a cheesy anime CD
like no other and that is what makes it an essential purchase. As you
listen to the infectious sounds you will find yourself wishing, wishing,
that somewhere in England there will a club that will have a J-pop night
and that they will play this CD. Hundreds of anime fans clubbing to sounds
of Cruel Angel Thesis on the dancefloor? Come on, you know it would
awesome.
Now if only I get hold of that Disney trance album that was playing in
the Sega arcade in Osaka my life would be complete....
Extras:
The booklet contains all the (Japanese) lyrics to the tracks,
the booklet is also printed on glossy paper.
Ratings
Product: 
Extras:
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