Masayoshi Yamazaki’s single for Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song-, “Minuet”, is one of the most eccentric theme songs I’ve heard in awhile. There’s “humorous” eccentric, which we have found in the Hanjuku Hero Vs. 3D theme song…but this one isn’t meant to be humorous. It’s meant to be strangely beautiful. The good news is that Yamazaki manages to accomplish this feat.
Yamazaki’s vocal tone is one that you seldom come across: making good use of his own soft and soothing vibrato, he records his voice over itself many times to create some very interesting harmonies. The chord progression is varied, and the journey from the verse to the chorus is certainly an enjoyable one. I don’t know whether to call it pop or neo-renaissance.
I found that I enjoyed the “Acoustic” version even more than the original. Be sure to listen to both samples to decide which one you like more.
If you decide to purchase this single, don’t bother to hunt down the limited edition. All it has on it is a screen saver and some wallpapers of the musician to put on your computer. I’d settle for just the single. Of course, the in-game version is only a minute shorter than the full length version, so if you already have the Minstrel Song OST, I wouldn’t even bother getting this single. Only those who are enchanted by this song and Yamazaki’s voice yet dislike Ito’s work should consider getting this single.
