Wow. The GT OST.

Discussion regarding any musical aspect of the franchise, from game soundtracks to BGM to remixes. Upcoming & classic CDs, reviews, where to find them, and more!

Moderators: General Help, Kanzenshuu Staff

jamiljamtheman
Beyond Newbie
Posts: 279
Joined: Wed Apr 01, 2015 2:00 am

Wow. The GT OST.

Post by jamiljamtheman » Fri Aug 07, 2020 8:17 pm

I listened to the Japanese GT OST as standalone music for maybe the first time today. I’ve seen some episodes in Japanese or in the dub-with-sub-music mode, but never took the time to listen to just the music.

First of all, it’s incredible. But that’s a given and it’s why I chose to listen to it in the first place. I knew from what I’d heard.

But it’s also fascinating to me in a different way. The majority of the songs strongly evoke the feeling of a sweeping fantasy epic adventure. Never while listening did I think “this strongly fits with sci fi ki powered battling”. It’s like the whole soundtrack is meant to fit the black star dragon ball arc—the titular Grand Tour. Not that the pieces used in the later arcs don’t work—they definitely do, when watching the show. But when listening to the music by itself, it didn’t feel like it should.

User avatar
GreatSaiyaJeff
Regular
Posts: 569
Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2017 11:28 pm

Re: Wow. The GT OST.

Post by GreatSaiyaJeff » Sat Aug 08, 2020 12:34 am

For all of GT faults, the music isn't one of them. It really does evoke early dragon ball. Which makes sense since that's what they were trying to go for early in GT.
"I just realized something. Honestly... it kinda doesn't matter where I go... whether I'm alive or dead... I'm still pretty dandy." - Space Dandy

Vijay
Advanced Regular
Posts: 1423
Joined: Fri Sep 06, 2013 9:48 am

Re: Wow. The GT OST.

Post by Vijay » Sat Aug 08, 2020 2:18 am

It's the only good thing abt GT.

User avatar
Polyphase Avatron
Born 'n Bred Here
Posts: 6643
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 10:48 am

Re: Wow. The GT OST.

Post by Polyphase Avatron » Sat Aug 08, 2020 5:50 am

Too bad the dub replaced it with... what we got.
Cool stuff that I upload here because Youtube will copyright claim it: https://vimeo.com/user60967147

Dbzfan94
Born 'n Bred Here
Posts: 5673
Joined: Mon Dec 16, 2013 5:16 pm
Location: Mt. Paozu

Re: Wow. The GT OST.

Post by Dbzfan94 » Sat Aug 08, 2020 8:18 am

Vijay wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 2:18 am It's the only good thing abt GT.
Not even close. But yes the GT score is great

User avatar
Robo4900
I Live Here
Posts: 4383
Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2016 2:24 pm
Location: In another time and place...

Re: Wow. The GT OST.

Post by Robo4900 » Sat Aug 08, 2020 9:46 am

It honestly really annoys me that Toei brought in Kenji Yamamoto for Kai instead of getting Akihito Tokunaga (who composed GT).

Tokunaga's work on Dragon Ball is, in my opinion, simply the best music Dragon Ball has ever had.
The point of Dragon Ball is to enjoy it. Never lose sight of that.

Vijay
Advanced Regular
Posts: 1423
Joined: Fri Sep 06, 2013 9:48 am

Re: Wow. The GT OST.

Post by Vijay » Sat Aug 08, 2020 9:59 am

Dbzfan94 wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 8:18 am
Vijay wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 2:18 am It's the only good thing abt GT.
Not even close. But yes the GT score is great
Explain what is good or great abt GT. Would like to hear it out.

Dbzfan94
Born 'n Bred Here
Posts: 5673
Joined: Mon Dec 16, 2013 5:16 pm
Location: Mt. Paozu

Re: Wow. The GT OST.

Post by Dbzfan94 » Sat Aug 08, 2020 10:41 am

Vijay wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 9:59 am
Dbzfan94 wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 8:18 am
Vijay wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 2:18 am It's the only good thing abt GT.
Not even close. But yes the GT score is great
Explain what is good or great abt GT. Would like to hear it out.
I like the story, I enjoy the Baby arc, the characters feel like natural progressions of their Buu selves without needing to rehash past character arcs over and over. Super Saiyan 4. Art is pretty. The locations in space were cool especially M2 and that part of the arc was handled really well imo: The whole concept of over reliance on the Dragon Balls biting them in the ass. The finale and ending.

There’s a lot of people who can explain it much better than I can, but yeah

Banduck
Newbie
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2020 7:29 am

Re: Wow. The GT OST.

Post by Banduck » Sat Aug 08, 2020 11:15 am

I think the soundtrack has too little variety. Half of the tracks are dan dan instrumentals.
But it is definitely better than the DBS soundtrack.

User avatar
The Bastard.
Not-So-Newbie
Posts: 80
Joined: Thu Jul 30, 2020 7:41 am

Re: Wow. The GT OST.

Post by The Bastard. » Sat Aug 08, 2020 11:54 am

:eh:
Banduck wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 11:15 am I think the soundtrack has too little variety. Half of the tracks are dan dan instrumentals.
But it is definitely better than the DBS soundtrack.
Super has incredible themes, the ToP arc theme and Battle song is incredible, GT music while good has low variety and some bad placements, it feels very dated, more than DB and Z which is strange

Banduck
Newbie
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2020 7:29 am

Re: Wow. The GT OST.

Post by Banduck » Sat Aug 08, 2020 12:06 pm

The Bastard. wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 11:54 am Super has incredible themes, the ToP arc theme and Battle song is incredible, GT music while good has low variety and some bad placements, it feels very dated, more than DB and Z which is strange
Well I only watched DBS till episode 46. But I thought the music just didn't feel like Dragon Ball.
Also, I really hated that overused "Under the blue sky" theme:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FyYIU7dqHk

User avatar
MasenkoHA
Born 'n Bred Here
Posts: 6201
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2017 9:38 pm

Re: Wow. The GT OST.

Post by MasenkoHA » Sat Aug 08, 2020 12:22 pm

Vijay wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 9:59 am
Explain what is good or great abt GT. Would like to hear it out.
Not a huge fan of GT but

1. At 64 episodes its the shortest and thus easiest series to digest. Granted, it’s preceding 444 episodes but if you’ve seen Dragon Ball and Z enough times no reason you can’t watch GT in isolation and enjoy it

2. It is just objectively the best animated Dragon Ball series. Even if it’s writing is arguably weaker than the previous series (and depending on you ask weaker than Super) it just has the best animation of the 4

3. The execution of its concepts arguably weren’t great but its ideas were good. The Black Star arc marries the very first arc of Dragon Ball to the Z era’s higher stakes narration. We’re searching for the Dragon Balls but this time across the universe and if we don’t the earth is gonna kaboom, Baby has direct ties to the Saiyans, Super Android 17 gives Android 18 much needed time to shine and remembers Android 17 exist, the evil
Shen Long arcs turns the reliance on the dragon balls on its head. After mainly use the Dragon Balls as a “Get out of death free card” there’s now consequences to those actions.

User avatar
The Bastard.
Not-So-Newbie
Posts: 80
Joined: Thu Jul 30, 2020 7:41 am

Re: Wow. The GT OST.

Post by The Bastard. » Sat Aug 08, 2020 2:38 pm

Banduck wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 12:06 pm
The Bastard. wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 11:54 am Super has incredible themes, the ToP arc theme and Battle song is incredible, GT music while good has low variety and some bad placements, it feels very dated, more than DB and Z which is strange
Well I only watched DBS till episode 46. But I thought the music just didn't feel like Dragon Ball.
Also, I really hated that overused "Under the blue sky" theme:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FyYIU7dqHk
Yeah, this is very overused, and the Pilaf Gang is hit or miss, mostly miss in Super and also OG DB to be fair, so it gets annoying.

But Limit Break x Survivor is top notch music imo, the main themes of super are very good.

User avatar
Magnificent Ponta
OMG CRAZY REGEN
Posts: 899
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2020 2:25 pm
Location: Not on Tumblr, I guess

Re: Wow. The GT OST.

Post by Magnificent Ponta » Sat Aug 08, 2020 3:00 pm

This topic made me go look up the GT OST, and while I agree that it's good, it seems rather more reminiscent of a JRPG than anything - not that this is a criticism; it's just what it reminded me of (sort of in keeping with the OP's mention of a "fantasy epic adventure", I guess).
MasenkoHA wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 12:22 pm2. It is just objectively the best animated Dragon Ball series. Even if it’s writing is arguably weaker than the previous series (and depending on you ask weaker than Super) it just has the best animation of the 4
I'd say that while the art is often quite nice, I'd consider part of the quality of animation to be quality of movement more generally, and this is one aspect of GT that I just don't get on with - all the action in GT is just so slow, which disengages me from its action hugely - for a Dragon Ball series, that's a huge drawback. Whether this is actually a direction issue rather than an animation issue is I guess arguable, but I'd say both Z and Super have a flash and pizazz in their movement and action generally that is completely lacking from GT.

Goten_jr
Not-So-Newbie
Posts: 91
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2018 12:09 am

Re: Wow. The GT OST.

Post by Goten_jr » Sat Aug 08, 2020 4:12 pm

Vijay wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 9:59 am
Dbzfan94 wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 8:18 am
Vijay wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 2:18 am It's the only good thing abt GT.
Not even close. But yes the GT score is great
Explain what is good or great abt GT. Would like to hear it out.
Call me crazy but I would Consider GT my fav DB series if it had a better execution especially as a Sequel to DB/DBZ I like GT as a Concept more than Z

User avatar
Magnificent Ponta
OMG CRAZY REGEN
Posts: 899
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2020 2:25 pm
Location: Not on Tumblr, I guess

Re: Wow. The GT OST.

Post by Magnificent Ponta » Sat Aug 08, 2020 4:21 pm

Goten_jr wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 4:12 pm Call me crazy but I would Consider GT my fav DB series if it had a better execution especially as a Sequel to DB/DBZ I like GT as a Concept more than Z
I'd say it depends on whether you actually mean the concept of GT (which is really just the original Dragon Ball concept, even down to having kid Goku back, but in spaaaace - so it really does depend on the execution as to whether it's really any good or not), or whether you just mean concepts that appear in GT - I think the latter is widely held in the fandom, and ideas from GT appear now and again in various DB media, which suggests that they have wider resonance to them. But even the latter are really uneven - for every 'Shadow Dragons'-type concept, there's a 'Super 17'-type concept...

User avatar
Planetnamek
Banned
Posts: 936
Joined: Sun Feb 09, 2020 3:54 pm

Re: Wow. The GT OST.

Post by Planetnamek » Sat Aug 08, 2020 4:43 pm

Banduck wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 11:15 am I think the soundtrack has too little variety. Half of the tracks are dan dan instrumentals.
But it is definitely better than the DBS soundtrack.
I definitely prefer the Menza soundtrack for all of its faults.
"Why run away from something you're not afraid of?" - Goku

User avatar
SSJGAffleck
Not-So-Newbie
Posts: 71
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2018 6:37 pm
Location: PE, Canada
Contact:

Re: Wow. The GT OST.

Post by SSJGAffleck » Sat Aug 08, 2020 4:52 pm

Planetnamek wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 4:43 pm
Banduck wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 11:15 am I think the soundtrack has too little variety. Half of the tracks are dan dan instrumentals.
But it is definitely better than the DBS soundtrack.
I definitely prefer the Menza soundtrack for all of its faults.
Really? Why's that? (This is not supposed to be antagonistic, but I can see how it could be read that way. I am genuinely curious about your opinion)
"Your father was an average fighter, but a bRiLlIaNt sCiEnTIsT!"- Brian Drummond's pitch-perfect voice

Dbzfan94
Born 'n Bred Here
Posts: 5673
Joined: Mon Dec 16, 2013 5:16 pm
Location: Mt. Paozu

Re: Wow. The GT OST.

Post by Dbzfan94 » Sat Aug 08, 2020 5:07 pm

Planetnamek wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 4:43 pm
Banduck wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 11:15 am I think the soundtrack has too little variety. Half of the tracks are dan dan instrumentals.
But it is definitely better than the DBS soundtrack.
I definitely prefer the Menza soundtrack for all of its faults.
That’s the first time I’ve ever heard this opinion. Can’t say I agree, and that’s coming from someone who loves and prefers the Faulconer score.

User avatar
Planetnamek
Banned
Posts: 936
Joined: Sun Feb 09, 2020 3:54 pm

Re: Wow. The GT OST.

Post by Planetnamek » Sat Aug 08, 2020 5:15 pm

SSJGAffleck wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 4:52 pm
Planetnamek wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 4:43 pm
Banduck wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 11:15 am I think the soundtrack has too little variety. Half of the tracks are dan dan instrumentals.
But it is definitely better than the DBS soundtrack.
I definitely prefer the Menza soundtrack for all of its faults.
Really? Why's that? (This is not supposed to be antagonistic, but I can see how it could be read that way. I am genuinely curious about your opinion)
I quite like the guitar tones Menza uses, I was kind of "eh" on the score at first, it was actually reading Derek Padula's interview with Menza that gave me a new appreciation for it(BTW until I read that interview I had no clue he was related to Megadeth's Nick Menza, that's pretty cool).
"Why run away from something you're not afraid of?" - Goku

Post Reply