Ripper 30 wrote:What about Kikuchi's Soundtracks in Z?
One of my issues with Kikuchi's DBZ score which I may not have been able to get across properly is the
drums.
But before I talk about them, I want you to understand that Kikuchi's work on DBZ belongs in a genre known as "classical music." The guy sticks firmly to violins, violas, oboes, saxophones, and a host of other instruments that all belong in an orchestra. Wuxia films aside, those instruments are not different than the ones used in 70's action films like Mad Max or James Bond. Being this deeply rooted in classical music, Kikuchi would naturally shy away from electric guitars, synthesizers, keyboards, and even pianos.
His biggest problem, however, is the drums. It may have been alright if he'd used all those classical music instruments if only he'd used normal/ consistent drum beats that are loud enough to be heard instead of orchestral percussion that tend to take a backseat or blend in with the other instruments
If you listen to this piece of music from 1988's Samurai Troopers/ Ronin Warriors, you'll notice that the lead saxophone solo sounds like many of Kikuchi's work in DBZ. In fact, Kikuchi's saxophone solo that played when Vegeta reflected on Goku's greatness against Kid Boo and when Goku stood up to Broly in Movie 8 asking everyone to lend him their strength completely smokes the Ronin Warriors soundtrack in terms of catchiness. The only thing that completely gives the Ronin Warriors piece an edge is that the classical sax solo is accompanied by
modern keyboards, synths, and most importantly, a drum beat.
If you listen closely to the drums, you'll realize there isn't a single instant in all of DBZ where we heard the drums that clearly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULeTsXtsxW4
It's really insane when you realize that 90% of the hard-hitting and flashy DBZ fights were accompanied by music without a prominent drum beat like the one in this energetic fight song from Patlabor (1989):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppx5VEej7BU
With regards to Kikuchi hardly using synthesizers and keyboards, check out this track from Street Fighter II: the Movie. It's astonishing how this piece was played in a 1994 film where DBZ was still running and still playing bgm with 70's instruments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Pcx4fV ... UvKe16MwRn
This piece was played when Ryu was trying to make Ken snap out of the hypnotism he was under. Imagine if this were played when Goku was convincing Majin Vegeta to stop fighting? The result would've been amazing.
Finally, as testimony to Kikuchi never evolving or keeping up with the times, this piece from his work on Grendizer (1974) hardly sounds older than his work on DBZ nearly 15-20 years later. I'd believe this piece was played during the Saiyan or Freeza arcs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YshmaY-KD4I