Like Snorting Pixy Stix: Idol Jyanshi Suchie-Pai IV (Review)

The title gives away everything, doesn’t it? The title, and the cover art. You look at an album like this on a store shelf and you immediately know what you’re getting into.

So why would I be interested in another super-sugary poppy soundtrack for a Mahjong puzzle game? I’ll be perfectly honest with you, it’s the one thing that stood out that got my attention: JALECO.

Yeah, remember them? They made all those semi-cool NES games back in the day. It looks like over the years, the American and Japanese divisions of the same company have gone back and forth on who is and isn’t being called Jaleco. But hey, if they’re making cool games to this day, I want to know about it.

And even though the sugar-pop experience is akin to snorting pixy stix (which, by the way, will end in a terrible bloody nose, plus uncontrollable weeping and gnashing of teeth), there is some good news about the two disc audio collection I’m holding in my hands. Good enough to make it worth a purchase? You can probably guess the answer to that already, but let’s move forward…

…after the jump! It’s the Idol Jyanshi Suchie-Pai IV Audio Collection!! HAAPPI BAASSUDEI!!

A nice mix of sequenced MIDI and real instrument recordings are found throughout. But I must give you a warning: the vocal tracks? Stay away. Those are the most saccharine tracks of all. The opening track, and the last few tracks on disc two, are sure to melt your brain in the worst of ways. I don’t know how anyone enjoys that kind of music. Really, it’s beyond me. Not necessarily beneath me, but definitely beyond me.

Good news part 1: the composer for this collection of music includes Hiroshi Fujioka. Not the actor that did the Sega commercials (unless they’re the same person?). I’m talking about the Hiroshi Fujioka that’s been with TWO-FIVE and done work with Noriyuki Iwadare on franchises such as Lunar, Growlanser, and more. And while you’ve probably never heard of Idol Jyanshi Suchie-Pai (admittedly, I only knew the name in passing myself), that’s no reason to ignore a talented composer. And if you don’t believe Fujioka-san has talent, check out some of the cited past work there.

(Bad news: Fujioka only composed the vocals, which are the biggest pixy-stix offenders. The BGM is written by someone under the moniker TMZ.)

Good news part 2: it’s not *all* sugar-sweet mayhem. Much of it is; I’d estimate about 50% of it will give you a metaphorical tooth-ache (and perhaps a very literal headache). But there’s more than that. You’ll find smooth jazz, lounge jazz, authentic jazz, a variety of other genres plus jazz fusion, and even some straight-up NOT jazz! I found a string quartet piece (that I really enjoyed) on disc 2, an East-Asian ambient piece (also on disc 2), and some intense music that, used in any other game, could only be called a battle theme (disc 1 track 7).

(More bad news: the really good stuff is interspersed among the sugary mayhem.)

Oh, and I can’t forget about good news part 3: the album is printed by 5pb.Records in 2007, so it’s still available at many retail outlets (online or brick-and-mortar in Japan or major cities that have Japanese music stores). Catalog number is VGCD-0122. This is one of the most obscure albums I’ve picked up in awhile, but anyone who wants an “Iwadare and friends” collection can’t ignore this one. If you got the time, money, and interest, do check it out. Just beware the ultra-happy beats. Your capacity for intelligent conversation may suffer dramatically.