BONNIE PINK – And the Bell Rings

Amidst hundreds of JRPG opening themes, there are perhaps half a dozen that could be considered something other than generic gutter material. Surprisingly, Tales of Vesperia‘s opening vocal track sung by Bonnie Pink is among the better, despite a game that is little more than mediocre. The music is not entirely inspired, but the vocals are melodic and sincere. The same, however, cannot be said for the other four tracks packaged with the single. “Pump it Up” and “A Perfect Sky” are overproduced messes, more synthetic than a plastic fruit centerpiece. The final two tracks are simple instrumentals of the first two songs on the CD; identical, sans vocals. Don’t spend money on the single in CD form. Instead, toss Tales of Vesperia in your Xbox 360, watch the opening anime introduction, and press restart as desired.