Eminence Online

Plenty of great game franchises got their start in the 8-bit era (between 1987 and 1990). As such, we've seen a whole lot of 20th anniversary celebrations, replete with great stuff for fans to buy. In the case of Capcom's Mega Man, its 20th anniversary was marked with a number of products, including repackaged versions of the original six games. But, for me, the most exciting thing to come from the Mega Man 20th anniversary was an oft-overlooked techno CD arranged by Shinji Hosoe.

Now I know all you Japanophiles out there are used to calling Mega Man by its (and his) original Japanese name, Rockman. And in case you were unaware, that is indeed the Blue Bomber's original name. Henceforth, I'll be using that name instead of Mega Man.

Anyway, Rockman 1~6 20th Anniversary Techno Arrange Ver. was published in December 2007 by Team Entertainment (catalog number KDSD-00174). It features 11 dance-floor-friendly techno arrangements from the original six Rockman titles for Famicom (NES). The track selection includes plenty of fan favorites, as well as a few unexpected tracks that turned out working out very well for the style Hosoe-san, founder of SuperSweep, knows best. Fans should also know that a counterpart album, the Rock Arrange Ver., was also published by Team Entertainment (KDSD-00173).

The album opens with a piece that helps the listener transition into Hosoe's rave-tastic vision of Rockman with a "Stage Select" medley. The stage select music from all six games are worked into this four minute track. Being the only track on the album that's working with more than one source composition in the space of the track, I have to say that Hosoe did a great job with the transitions. It's as though we're being prepared to take on all 46 stages/robots from those first six games. If ever there was a fitting opening track for an album, this is it. It's also very enjoyable, and is definitely the least "minimalist" track (in terms of repetition) you'll find.

Only one pick was made from the very first Rockman, but it was an excellent choice. "Elecman" is a very happy piece; the tempo is fast (but not too fast), and the chords are all major, with a touch of Lydian modal scale. Hosoe also mixes in a voice sample that narrates, in English, the origin of Elecman (trivia: it was Dr. Light's first robot).

After this happy track, Hosoe blows the listener away with the piece that we all knew would be on the album: "Dr. Wily Stage 1" from Rockman 2. Easily the most famous, and most often remixed, track from the entire Rockman franchise, Hosoe uses the classic melody as the top line of a powerhouse of techno beats and synth leads. This is a good track to leave on loop. There's no nuance or subtlety; and, in this particular case, that's not a bad thing. It's just in-your-face techno goodness with one of the best VGM melodies of all time.

Rockman 2 gets the most attention of all the games, as we also get the themes for Quick Man, Heat Man, and Air Man. These three arrangements are all solid; in particular, Heat Man shows major improvement over the original track, which (in this reviewer's opinion) was one of the most bland pieces from the Rockman 2 soundtrack.

Two tracks appear from Rockman 3: Snake Man and Magnet Man. The former opens as a fast, four-on-the-floor dance piece and never backs down. The main melody is held up well, and the "B" section of the melody sounds fantastic on the track. Magnet Man has a little more funk influence, as well as a "speak and read" robot voice sample appearing from time to time. Hosoe also puts in a rare sampling of the 8-bit original, something he chose not to do for the other tracks (yes, it's unfortunate, I know...).

Rockman 4, 5, and 6 each only get one track. Another Dr. Wily stage theme is all we get from Rockman 4, but I'll take it over getting nothing at all. This particular arrangement has the subtlety that the other Wily Stage arrangement lacked. It's one of the softer tracks on the album, but that doesn't mean it's boring. The track rewards the careful listener as much as it does the dance-crazy raver, glow sticks and all.

Now, I don't know what Hosoe was thinking when he chose to arrange Star Man from Rockman 5. That song has got to be one of the most annoying pieces from the game, if not the entire series. But what did he do? He salvaged the piece, and indeed, made it work very well as a techno arrangement! The track's melody is a silly one, playing around in the realms of chromatic and whole-note scales, without ever giving away whether it's truly "major" or "minor."

Finally, we have Flame Man from Rockman 6. And despite the similarity in name to "Heat Man" (they were getting desperate on ideas for robots by this point), the song is very different. It starts simple and happy, never changing chords, but instead bouncing around on a simple melodic pattern. Eventually, the song starts, and it goes back and forth between a tonic chord and the major chord a full step below it, back and forth for many measures. And just when you think, "okay, that's too much repetition," the song goes in a completely different direction. The chord progression becomes everyone's favorite (minor vi, V, IV, V), and claps are added to an extremely fresh and catchy melodic pattern. The song sounds more fitting for a "Wind Man" (a desperate attempt at re-doing Air man?) than a Flame Man.

And just when you think the album is over, Team Entertainment throws on a final bonus. Ten of the eleven tracks (all but the stage select medley) are given in their original forms. However, this is just a tease. You don't get the full track. It doesn't loop twice; it doesn't even loop once. As each track enters its B section, the music fades out, and you're left wanting more. It's as if the publisher is saying to us: "oh, you like the original 8-bit chiptunes as much as Hosoe's arrangements do you? Then buy the OST box set!" Fair enough, mighty Japanese publisher. I will have to do just that.

My take on this album? As much as I love hearing the mature, orchestral arrangements that have come to eager fans in many forms over the last twenty years, it's nice to take a break and enjoy a fully electronic form of music. And Hosoe provides in spades. It's not as interesting or eccentric as, say, Mitsuto Suzuki's forms of electronica. But if you want a straight-up dance party with Rockman tunes, this is the album you'll want for said party. And don't be ashamed to have that party by yourself...though having some likeminded friends to enjoy the music with you would certainly help. And don't forget the glow sticks!