If there's one thing I think most people can agree on, it's that Touhou music is great. So great, in fact, that despite having reviewed all of the soundtracks in the series, I felt like I still wasn't able to say everything I want to about the franchise's music. So I'm starting a new series where I go through every game and review each of their songs. I'll start with the mainline games, then do all the spinoffs in one single post, and then if I feel up to it, I'll review the CDs as well. So without further adieu, let's start with Touhou 1: Highly Responsive To Prayers.
Despite being ZUN's first soundtrack, I actually really like the music in Highly Responsive To Prayers. It goes for a uniquely lonely and melancholic tone that not only fits the game it's made for (the one Touhou entry without Marisa), but also helps the music in HRtP really stand out even after all these years.
A Sacred Lot
The PC-98 title screens are well-known for not using the iconic Theme Of Eastern Story, they have entirely original melodies to them. A Sacred Lot is definitely one of the more dramatic title themes in the series, bursting out of the gate with a thrilling main melody. There is a bit of a build-up to it, but if you linger in the menu a bit, you'll get an absolutely phenomenal chorus.
4/5 Stars
Eternal Shrine Maiden
Eternal Shrine Maiden is still pretty spectacular despite being the series' first stage theme. It's a super melancholic and dark tune that feels especially accurate to the name. It's like it captures Reimu's endless struggle as a youkai-fighting shrine maiden, as if the events of HRtP are just another day for her. And yet, as the song continues, it gains a bit more energy and hope.
5/5 Stars
The Positive And Negative
That drop a few seconds in gets me every time. The Positive And Negative isn't super long, but it's an absolute banger from start to finish, so fast and intense! I'm a big fan.
5/5 Stars
The Highly Responsive To Prayers
Similarly to Eternal Shrine Maiden, the song named after the game's title starts off fairly downbeat, before building to a more energetic chorus. It's as melancholic as its predecessor though, more eerie and haunting, and the chorus is a bit more of a head-banger.
5/5 Stars
Strange Oriental Discourse
Easily one of my favorite songs in the game. Strange Oriental Discourse has a super frantic feel to it, with a catchy and energetic melody that can worm its way into your head very easily. It also gets an amazing remix in Dolls In Perilous Paradise but we'll get to that later.
5/5 Stars
Angel's Legend
Angel's Legend is one of the weaker themes, though it's by no means bad. The main hook is pretty catchy and that synth solo near the end is absolutely killer, but it doesn't really have much of an identifiable melody to it.
3/5 Stars
Oriental Magician
Oriental Magician isn't super memorable of a theme, but it is very atmospheric. It's also the rare Touhou song where I can say I like the verse a lot better than the chorus. Those held notes are easily the highlight of this track.
3/5 Stars
Blade Of Banishment
Some PC-98 themes have this uncanny feeling where they sound like other Touhou songs despite coming out before them, and Blade Of Banishment is definitely one of them. The verse reminds me a lot of Tabula Rasa, though with a bit of an edge of it, partially thanks to the organ-sounding instrument used in the Akyuu version. I especially love that somber-sounding chorus, it really completes the song.
5/5 Stars
Magic Mirror
Speaking of uncanny songs, Magic Mirror's intro sounds like Complete Darkness and its (admittedly banging) chorus sounds like Reimu's theme. Aside from that, this is a suitably frantic penultimate boss theme that goes absolutely nuts in parts of the verse. There really is a lot to it.
4/5 Stars
The Legend Of KAGE
Apparently, this was a song ZUN wrote in a game he created all the way back when he was studying C, and yet it's still this good. The Legend Of KAGE is definitely the most calming and atmospheric of the stage themes, with soft arpeggios in the intro and a beautifully relaxed verse and pre-chorus. The chorus resembling that of Magic Mirror also gives the song a nice feeling of finality
5/5 Stars
Now, Until The Moment You Die
How is the first final boss theme in the series still one of the best?! Now, Until The Moment You Die feels like a mix of every final boss theme staple in one. You got a dramatic organ intro, a frantic and intimidating pre-chorus, and a motivating chorus. What's not to love?
5/5 Stars
Civilization Of Magic
That intro gives me chills every single time. It's such a simple but effective melody, with a super climactic and badass feel to it. It's the perfect song for that final bit where you get to really wipe the floor with Sariel.
5/5 Stars
Swordsman Of A Distant Star
Swordsman Of A Distant Star kinda feels like it gets the short end of the stick compared to Sariel's themes, it's a lot more muted and less grand in scale. It's still pretty amazing in terms of composition though, taking a melody and repeating it with faster and faster iterations as the song goes on. It does still suffer from a bit of a slow start, but it gets really good when it starts to pick up.
4/5 Stars
Iris
Iris's melody isn't super memorable, but I think it really works as a sigh of relief after one of the darkest and most exhausting soundtracks in the series. It's not one of my favorite ending themes, but it does its job pretty well.
2/5 Stars
Bonus: Theme Of Eastern Story
This version of Theme Of Eastern Story was a bonus made exclusively for the Akyuu version of this soundtrack, and it's still my favorite. It feels like the ultimate iteration of this iconic piece, both calming and energetic in equal measures. And the chorus where the Imperishable Night motif creeps its way in only solidifies it as being the best Theme Of Eastern Story.
5/5 Stars
And since I don't know where else I'm gonna talk about this, I'll also use these music reviews to give my thoughts on the characters from each respective game:
Reimu Hakurei
I always liked Reimu as a protagonist. Her design is great in its simplicity (it is kinda just the shrine maiden getup), and I like how multi-faceted her personality is, to the point where each manga depicts her differently depending on the focal character. Reimu isn't your standard protagonist, she's not a flawless hero who always immediately jumps towards doing the right thing. She can be a lazy, greedy jerk at times, but when push comes to shove, Reimu always gets the job done.
5/5 Stars
SinGyoku
I don't know anywhere near as much about the PC-98 characters as I do the Windows ones, and HRtP in particular doesn't really have much info on most of its cast, so bear with me with these guys. SinGyoku being a gender-bending character with a male form is so strange knowing that Touhou would become known as the defining cute-em-up. However, I will argue that makes them all the more memorable.
2/5 Stars
YuugenMagan
They're... they're literally just rocks with eyes?! I could make the easy Dark Matter joke, but I'll just stick with saying this game's bosses are weird!
1/5 Stars
Elis
Finally, someone normal (by Touhou standards at least). Elis is one of the cooler PC-98 designs, recognizable for that bright red star on her cheek. The creepy devil concept will always be sick even if a later PC-98 game would execute it better, and her sprite is the most expressive of the game which does so much considering HRtP lacks any dialogue. As far as the HRtP cast goes (barring Reimu), she might be my favorite, definitely slots in the best with the characters from TH2 onwards.
4/5 Stars
Sariel
While her personality is as lacking as any of the other HRtP characters, Sariel makes up for that with a cool-ass design. Befitting their being an angel of death, their design is grand and majestic. I also can't look the past the fact that Asriel from Undertale was pretty blatantly based off of them, that alone wins them a couple points in my book.
4/5 Stars
Mima
Ah, the infamous Mima. Essentially the Waluigi in Smash of the Touhou fandom. Aside from her being a major character in the PC-98 era, I don't know, I think she's just alright. Her past with Marisa is super interesting, her ghostly design is cool, and her status makes her a pretty intimidating boss, but she was never one of my absolute favorites.
4/5 Stars
Kikuri
SHE'S A MOON?! All this time, I thought Kikuri was some weird-looking penny, but on the Touhou wiki, she's described as "HellMoon". Either way, there isn't much I can saw about Kikuri aside from her just being kinda creepy.
2/5 Stars
Konngara
Konngara kinda suffers from sharing similarities to characters I find a lot cooler. The badass samurai concept is really neat, but Meira and Youmu exist. Konngara having a horn impaled through their head implies they might be an oni, but if that's the case, Suika, Yuugi, and Kasen are way more fleshed-out and memorable. Konngara always just kinda exists.
3/Kon5 Stars
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