Betterman Original Sountrack 1

38 Tracks; 72:44

01. Utai -uta- 1:11

02. YUME NO KAKERA 4:32

03. Bon -nitijou- 1:06

04. Gen -robofight- 0:52

05. Kou -hinoki- 1:41

06. Mei -zigoku- 1:22

07. Gaku -keita- 1:06

08. Kyou -senritu- 1:30

09. Torisei -kakuseijin- 1:16

10. Chi -lamia- 1:54

11. Shun -yasya- 2:18

12. Chou -kaiseki- 0:52

13. Mei -fusigi- 1:57

14. Tou -kanasibari- 1:42

15. Chou -yuuki- 1:09

16. Yami -yomi- 1:41

17. Geki -taiketu- 1:38

18. Sei -seme- 1:07

19. Kyou -syougeki- 0:42

20. Ka -chemical- 1:27

21. Ku -umeki- 1:57

22. Bou -tyran- 2:34

23. Aya -twilight- 2:40

24. Hi -huuin- 1:42

25. Yuu -maborosi- 2:11

26. Kyou -teki- 1:54

27. Chikara -forte- 2:07

28. Mou -sakura- 2:10

29. Hyou -huan- 1:35

30. Umi -aqua- 1:28

31. Tan -tuiseki- 2:29

32. Retsu -saturiku- 0:50

33. Ma -candi- 2:17

34. Kei -yasuragi- 1:59

35. Mu -nebula- 3:26

36. Hikari -kibou- 3:03

37. Chin -requiem- 4:20

38. Enpou no Tomo 1:21

—by John Yung

As mentioned before in the review of BETTERMAN in EX issue 4.7, the series is full of cliches, but the overall presentation is so well done that what would be conventional elements in other series seems refreshing in this one. As an integral part of the presentation, the musical score by Tanaka Kohei does a subliminal job at enhancing the atmosphere of the series. The common theme that seems to run among most of the tracks on the BETTERMAN ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK 1 CD is an unlying tension that sets the listener at unease.
The obviously creepy tracks are "Chi -lamia-," "Shun -yasya-," "Tou -kanasibari-," "Ku -umeki-," "Yuu -maborosi-," and "Hyou -huan-." Tanaka uses tried-and-true methods of creating tension by clashing low tones with jittery high tones, accentuated by booming percussion. This is definitely not the kind of music for listening in a darkened room.
Some of the pieces would fit right in an Indiana Jones movie. The interplay between the strings and brass instruments over the snare percussion suggests heroic high adventure situations in tracks like "Torisei -kakuseijin-," "Chou -yuuki-," "Geki -taiketu-," "Kyou -syougeki-," and "Chikara -forte-." The music takes a more solemn note in "Gaku -keita-," "Kyou -senitu-," "Restu -saturiku-," and "Kei -yasuragi-." It gets even quieter (though not as omnimous) in "Kou -hinoki-," "Sei -seme-," "Aya -twilight-," and "Mou -sakura-."
The non-orchestral pieces are more distinctive. "Mei -zigoku-" is a theme park type of music. "Bon -nintijou-" sounds like a harpsichord piece with a strong percussion accompanyment and an upbeat, bouncy sort of melody. "Gen -robofight-" is obviously one of the background pieces used for the mecha battle scenes, featuring a rock melody and driving drum beat. "Umi -aqua-" feels like an experimental piece with the way the rythmn substains the music with punctuations by keyboards and string instruments. A personal favorite in this category is "Mu -nebula-," a brass instrumental tune with keyboards, string, and a catchy percussion accompaniment.
There are a few instances where Tanaka uses Eastern influences in his compositions. "Mei -fusigi-," "Hi -huuin-," "Tan -tuiseki-," and "Ma -candi-" are tracks where there's a hint of a sitar playing among the instruments. "Hikari -kibou-" might fall into the New Age category, but the arrangement of the instruments indicate a Tibetan or Mongolian influence. One of the few pieces not composed by Tanaka, "Enpou no Tomo," is the instrumental version of a Mongolian folk song, performed with a flute.
The vocals on the soundtracks are easily the best pieces because they stand out the most. "Utai -uta-" is a short song featuring Iwao Junko, who voices the role of Sakura on the show, chanting the lyrics to a eerie melody. The other two vocals are the full versions of the opening and ending songs. Both songs seem out of place in the series upon cursory listening, but the accompanying animation is fitting that you don't question it. "YUME NO KAKERA" sounds like a lullaby, with lyrics sung by Wuyontana; it's like the calm before a storm. At the other end of the scale, "Chin -requiem-" is a rambunctious rock tune performed by X-Mai-. (Reviewer's note: the "X" in X-Mai- is some musical symbol whose term escapes memory at the moment.)
The BETTERMAN ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK 1 CD contains some fine musical performances, but since there is an underlying theme of tension throughout the album, the recommendation for this CD has been downgraded from "highly recommended" to just "recommended." Most people buy music for relaxation or motivation but not anxiety as a good number of tracks on this CD can cause, hence the demotion. Casual anime fans may want to give the album a listen first before buying. For BETTERMAN fans, this CD is a pretty good collection of some of the music from the show.