After the critical acclaim Yasunori Mitsuda received for Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, and Chrono Cross, Mitsuda began to put his time and effort into lesser known works. One of them was a Chinese (Taiwanese) RPG from developer SoftWork entitled “The Seventh Seal: Lost Reminiscence.” No one can say for sure if Mitsuda composed the entire soundtrack, or just some parts, but there are ten songs in particular that we know he wrote for the game.
These ten songs are the ones that were fully arranaged and put on an album called “Sailing to the World,” released under Mitsuda’s own publishing division.
The musical style is similar to what we heard on the Xenogears arranged album CREID; in fact, a few of the same people that worked on CREID are also present on this album. The resemblance, thus, is quite strong from that album to this one.
The instrumental opening, “The Door,” has an ethereal sound to it, and a lot of the instruments used here will remind people of Mitsuda’s slower pieces in Chrono Cross.
The title track is a vocal piece (Chinese, of course, to fit with the game) performed by Koko Komine. Komine’s voice is firm, filled with purpose, and an excellent counterpart to Mitsuda’s style. Ethnic/Celtic/World music? Check!
“Melody of Aqua” is a personal favorite, again mimicking some of Mitsuda’s best songs in Xenogears and Chrono Cross. The violin reminds me of “October Mermaid” from CREID; the plucked strings, bass, piano, and marimba are all sounds we’re used to hearing from Chrono Cross.
Each song continues to build on Mitsuda’s favorite styles, with an occasional bit of something new and interesting. “Rhythm of Red,” for example, has a blend of Latin and European sounds, what with the castanets and the hypnotic 6/8 rhythm.
“Melody-Go-Round” was another one where Mitsuda seemed to be branching out. The child-like nature of the composition was like something of a prophecy that more songs like this would come (in “Hako no Niwa”).
Komine also sings on the last track, “Reincarnation.” This song has a slower pace, but still pulls out the usual 6/8 time signature. While not as impressive as other vocal tracks that Mitsuda has helped with, there are some lovely harmonies on this song; it’s a great piece for relaxation.
Personally, I wish this album had more length to it, because the quality of the songs are top notch. I recommend the album to all the Mitsuda fans; if, for some reason, you don’t know who Mitsuda is, you can start here with this album.
