And here we are, the last mainline Touhou soundtrack, at least as of right now. I still have the spinoffs to do, I want to do the CDs at some point, and Touhou 19 is obviously coming soon, but for now, this is the end of the road... and it's... pretty alright, actually? Unconnected Marketeers is one of my favorite games in the series and I'll always be fond of its soundtrack for being the first new one since I had gotten into the series, but even after all this time, I think it's a lot more consistently strong compared to WBaWC, especially in the second half.
A Rainbow-Crossed Gensokyo
This is a pretty chill title screen. The main melody is pretty good, but the real highlight is that piano playing the Theme Of Eastern Story in the background. The piano solo midway through with the key change feels especially nostalgic.
4/5 Stars
Apparitions' Passing Rain Shower
This is a fun first stage theme, especially thanks to its fantastic piano and its downward scales. The main ZUNpet melody is super energetic and catchy, and the percussion is super fast-paced and driving. Nothing super remarable, but a really solid track nonetheless.
4/5 Stars
Fortunate Kitten
Like most first boss themes, Fortunate Kitten is pretty repetitive. The twinkly synth in the background is nice, and the chorus is pretty solid, but the main melody isn't super memorable, the drums still suck, and it overuses glissandos a bit too much.
3/5 Stars
The Cliff Hidden In Deep Green
Once again, we get a pretty atmospheric and swingy second stage theme. While not as good as the ones in 16 and 17, it's still a pretty solid theme with a lovely melody, catchy great ZUNpet chorus, and a really pretty-sounding main synth. Sadly, the drums still sound really bad. Maybe it's just me but they sound even crustier in this game than they did in the last two!
4/5 Stars
Banditry Technology
Yet another pretty unremarkable and repetitive boss theme. It's got the neat synths from the last track and the ZUNpet chorus is pretty good, but the main melody isn't super catchy and the overall song is very glissando-heavy.
3/5 Stars
The Perpetual Snow Of Komakusa Blossoms
Okay, finally we get to something genuinely great. The Perpetual Snow Of Komakusa Blossoms made a lot of waves for being in major key, and it really does help it stand out. This is a very happy and uplifting song, with a cute main melody, lovely ZUNpet usage, and beautiful main piano riff.
5/5 Stars
Smoking Dragon
Smoking Dragon depresses me because it had the potential to be one of the greatest tracks in the series. It's an intense rocking Theme Of Eastern Story reprisal with frantic synths, heavy guitars, and a dramatic ZUNpet chorus. So what's the problem? ELEMENTIC. ZUN spams these goddamn drums like crazy and it's so ear-grating, it overpowers the rest of what is otherwise a fantastic track!
4/5 Stars
The Abandoned Industrial Remains
Wait... is this... a new drumset?! It sounds so crisp! Seriously, the instrumentation in this track elevates an already really catchy theme, from the great-sounding drums to the breezy piano to those godly pan flutes. The Abandoned Industrial Remains just has that fun train station energy, it's very rhythmic and folky.
5/5 Stars
Ore From The Age Of The Gods
Aaaaaannnnnd... the Elementics are back. It was nice while it lasted. Thankfully, they're not Smoking Dragon levels of bad here. Ore From The Age Of The Gods is a great ZUNpet piece, showing how they could simultaneously carry a theme that's both fun and intense. That guitar solo near the end is pretty raw too.
4/5 Stars
The Long-Awaited Omagatoki
ZUN seems to have taken cues from Lullaby Of Demonic Hell for this theme and I couldn't be happier. The Long-Awaited Omagatoki is so elegant, waltzy, and smooth, at least until the banger second half where the pan flute from the last stage theme and goes absolutely nuts. Great theme.
5/5 Stars
Stars Falling On Tenma's Mountain
What an uneven track. The jokey opening riff doesn't sound too great, but the main melody and chorus is actually pretty good, letting the ZUNpet carry the theme not unlike in one of Aya's themes from Shoot The Bullet. It's a very tengu track, fitting Megumu pretty well.
3/5 Stars
Lunar Rainbow
Oh, this one's just godly. The dissonant piano in the intro, the intense synth riff, the eerie flutes, the dramatic main melody, the fast-paced percussion, now this is a final stage theme. Easily one of the best Touhou themes in recent memory, absolutely gorgeous.
5/5 Stars
Where Is That Bustling Marketplace - Immemorial Marketeers
I keep forgetting how good this theme is until I listen to it again. Immemorial Marketeers feels like it takes a lot of cues from True Administrator in how it lacks an obvious chorus, but still feels climactic in its own unique ways. There are so many varied melodies and moving parts here, like the dramatic synth intro, the crazy guitar solos, that one spooky part, the absolutely banging ZUNpet ditty midway through, the chill piano bit that caps off the track, and yet it all meshes together so well.
5/5 Stars
A Fantastic Giant Underground Railway
I think what pushes UM's soundtrack over WBaWC's for me is the fact that ZUN remembered how to make good extra themes this time. This is a really driving theme with a upbeat melody that really gives off a "here we go again" energy perfect for an extra stage theme, though nothing really tops that infectious main riff, complete with distinct synth lead, fun guitars, and a great ZUNpet reprisal near the end.
4/5 Stars
Dragon King Slaying Princess
Now that's an extra boss theme, so fun and unique. Probably the first flat-out weird extra boss theme we got since Hecatia's. Unlike in Megumu's theme, the silly downward scales that kick off the song actually sound fun and energetic and the consistent percussion keeps things moving. And that chorus is an absolute bop.
5/5 Stars
The Sunday After The Storm
ZUN's ending themes have been kinda weak lately, huh? The Sunday After The Storm definitely tries with some pretty piano melodies and choirs in the background, but I just don't find it memorable at all.
2/5 Stars
Rainbow-Colored World
Once again, I'm not too sure if Chimata's theme is too fitting for a staff roll theme. Hearing those wailing guitars at the start is definitely a bit jarring, but once the spooky lead comes and we get that catchy piano chorus, Rainbow-Colored World does get pretty great.
4/5 Stars
As for the characters, I actually really like Unconnected Marketeers' cast, probably my favorite since Double Dealing Character! The characters are all based on colors of the rainbow while still being memorable in their own right, and ZUN also takes the opportunity to expand on the lore in some pretty neat ways.
Mike Goutokuji
Mike being based on a lucky cat is a really cool concept, but her literal patchwork design doesn't quite do it for me. Thankfully, her personality is a ton of fun, resembling that of a slimy, smooth-talking salesperson.
3/5 Stars
Takane Yamashiro
Takane definitely made waves when the trial for UM came out, being the first named kappa since Nitori. However, she is more of a neat character for the lore around her rather than her actual personality. The military-themed design is cool, her rivalry with the other kappa is cool, the fact that she was foreshadowing in WaHH is cool, but otherwise, she's kinda just another shy kappa.
3/5 Stars
Sannyo Komakusa
I like how all the characters in UM run businesses, it lets ZUN give them some pretty unique personalities. Take Sannyo, for example, a casino owner who has exactly the kind of gruff, world-weary persona you'd expect from someone like that, even basically calling Sanae a narc at one point. Her elegant design is pretty great too, I hope to see her show up more often.
5/5 Stars
Misumaru Tamatsukuri
Misumaru falls in the same "neat lore, mid character" camp that Takane does. The fact that she was the one to have crafted Reimu's yin-yang orbs is utterly mind-blowing, world-changing, recontextualizing the franchise as you know it... but her design is a bit bland and her straight-forward personality isn't super interesting.
3/5 Stars
Tsukasa Kudamaki
Tsukasa is a manipulative kitsune who's essentially the main villain of the entire game. She's an absolute sleezeball who shows up as mini-boss three times and pops up before some of the boss fights to manipulate the villains, but she never has the guts to fight you properly. Normally, I'd really like a smug jerk like that, but man, that face is just so punchable.
2/5 Stars
Megumu Iizunamaru
Another tengu! And a chief at that... Megumu is a far more interesting manipulator than Tsukasa is, with more unclear morals and fascinating relationship to final boss Chimata that gets explored even further in Lotus Eaters. And being a tengu, her design is great too, very sleek and very blue.
4/5 Stars
Chimata Tenkyuu
I don't understand how anyone can dislike Chimata's design, it's so pretty and clean! I love her distinct dollar sign pose, as well as that awesome sky cape. Character-wise, Chimata is definitely the least manipulative of the three main antagonists since she joined the deal with Megumu out of necessity (she needs faith since she's a God), and thus kinda got the raw end of it once Megumu started aiming to maximize profits. Seeing the two reunite in Lotus Eaters despite the rift that had formed over the course of UM gives me real Seija and Sukuna vibes in a good way. Maybe more screentime can help these two climb up the rankings.
5/5 Stars
Momoyo Himemushi
Momoyo is easily the most popular UM character and for good reason. Everything about Momoyo is just plain awesome, from her giant pickaxe, to her casual dialogue, to her edgy design, to her theme, to the fact that her ability is "the power to eat dragons". She's not as complex as UM's Big Three, but she doesn't need to be. Momoyo is just a fun character.
4/5 Stars
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