AREA 88 MUSIC COLLECTION
Star Child/King Records
KICA-2113
16 tracks, 54:46
1/9/1993 (second release)
Cover image © DAI-PRO

by Charles McCarter

Total Length: 54:46 (16 tracks)
1. Mission 1
2. How Far To Paradise
3. Mission 2
4. LOVERS' HOLIDAY
5. Mission 3
6. Ago And So Far Away
7. Mission 4
8. Good-bye, Lonely Blue
9. Mission 6
10. Razor's Edge
11. Mission 8
12. Messin' With New Kids
13. Mission 9
14. How Far To Paradise (#2)
15. Mission 10
16. Kanashimi no Destiny (Sad destiny)

Vocals: 2, 4, 12, 14: Derek Johnson
6, 8, 10, 16: MIO


AREA 88 is a story familiar to many anime fans. As an older title, it seems to have been christened a "classic," as are so many titles that find their way into the hearts of anime fans. However, I was surprised to find that while many are familiar with the OVA series, few people seemed to know--or care--about the music.
This is indeed something of a sad situation, because this is a solid CD. The instrumental tracks, all titled unimaginatively "Mission 1" etc. down to ten, do not give even a glimmer of how good the music is. I must admit, when I first got this CD several years ago, I looked at the track listings and thought,"Oh yuk." But after listening to it, I changed my mind. Each track has a distinct and unique flavor. For example,"Mission 1" is a fast-moving, high-energy piece, and is a great start to this CD. "Mission 3" however, is much slower, softer, and somewhat romantic. And "Mission 4" sounds like it came right from a John Williams score, complete with blaring brass, winding winds, and tense strings.
However, when I bought the CD, I really bought it for the vocals; more specifically, the MIO songs. Anime songstress MIO is easily one of the most popular and recognizable vocalists in anime today. She has sung for such shows as AURA BATTLER DUNBINE, HEAVY METAL L-GAIM, and MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM 0083: STARDUST MEMORY. There are four MIO tracks on this CD. My personal favorite is "Long Ago and So Far Away," which is sung entirely in English. MIO is one of a handful of Japanese vocalists who can sing English and not leave the listener puzzled over the lyrics; with this song, however, one almost wishes her diction were not so clear, as the song is incredibly sad.
The only problem with this song, as well as several others on the disc, is that the vocals seem to be overshadowed by the accompaniment, as if something went wrong during the mixing. Sometimes one has to struggle to hear MIO over the instruments. The other MIO songs are an upbeat pop-type song ("Goodbye Lonely Blue"), a hard rock song ("Razor's Edge"), and the ending theme, a sad ballad ("Kanashimi no Destiny"["Sad Destiny"]).
The other vocalist on this CD is Derek Johnson, and he brings a blues/soul quality to his songs, the best of which is "How Far to Paradise," which describes the plight of protagonist Kazama Shin, who wants only to leave Area 88 and be with his lover. While some of his vocals may sound a bit campy and seventies (especially "Messin' With the New Kids"), Derek Johnson brings a bit of soul to AREA 88, which helps make the soundtrack stand out.
Overall, I was very happy with the balance on this CD--fully orchestrated, complex instrumentals, songs by one of the most recognized anime vocalists and a unique touch of soul make the AREA 88 music collection an example of a solid CD. If you like AREA 88 or MIO, I'd suggest picking it up.