Original Composition: Noboyuki Iwadare
Arrangement: Noboyuki Iwadare
Vocals: Hikaru Midorikawa ("Adventure Road"), Chisa Yokoyama ("Eternal Blue")

Tracks:

1. Lunar: Eternal Blue Main Thema 2. Adventure Road - Atara Naru Funade (Adventure Road - A New Embarkment) [translation by me on-site] 3. Ryu Kisen Barugan (Dragon Steamship Valgan) 4. Zofaa Shutsugen (Advent of Zophar) 5. Mora - Machi (Village - Town) 6. Ruushia no Kourin - Kanashii Omoide (Lucia's Descent - Sorrowful Memories) 7. Megami Arutena (Goddess Althena) 8. Seitou Pentaguria (Holy City Pentagulia) 9. Carnival

10. Kessen no Ashioto (Footsteps to the Decisive Battle) 11. Puromunaado (Promenade) 12. Zofaa Fukkatsu (Resurrection of Zophar) 13. Myounichi e no Fiirudo (Fields to a Bright Tomorrow) 14. Zophar vs. Lucia - The Last Battle 15. Wakare (Parting) 16. Eternal Blue - Eien no Omoi (Eternal Blue: Thoughts of Eternity) [translation by me on-site]

A couple-three years back, EVERYBODY who was into Lunar was gettin' this disc, so it's earned (at least in my mind) a reputation as sort of a My First Lunar CD. And, really, any Lunar fan looking for some sort of Eternal Blue music CD but unversed in the world of game soundtracks can't go wrong with this wide-ranging, widely available CD, and I'd freely recommend it to seasoned game music aficionados as well. Actually, it could well be argued that one can't go wrong with any CD that features Noboyuki Iwadare's fabulous Eternal Blue score, which took full advantage of the then-relatively new capabilities of in-game CD sound with such a diverse, rich mix of instruments at the service of compositions with a degree of nuance and assurance never before heard in a video game - every tune announces its presence, and most deserve all the attention they command. EB boasts one of the best RPG soundtracks out there, and its OSV gives listeners a broad sampling of its range - in-game BGM, anime cut scene BGM, vocal and image songs, arrangements, and in between. "Sampling" is an operative word, though, since the disc is technically not really an OSV, because a) it's not complete (it only encompasses sixteen tracks), and b) it's not always the unaltered original sound - some tracks are extended and expanded upon and some are semi-arranged. It follows, then, that the bulk of my (albeit self-appointed) job in reviewing this CD lies in determining how good of a job the producers did in selecting the tracks to be included on the sampler, and I can say that, for the most part, they did a respectable job - as I've said, it's hard to choose a "bad" track from Iwadare's EB score - though there are some puzzling omissions and inclusions; I can think of other songs I'd include before the fluffy Carnival theme (though, in all fairness, the impressive fiddle solo in the middle partially vindicates its presence, and the track's not the type of fare you hear on every OSV) or the 5:30-long A Chorus Line-esque rendition of the unremarkable Gwyn's house theme (which is pleasant at first but overstays its welcome and becomes repetitive). Moreover, for the bulk of the CD, the producers have gone with a good theme-evil theme-benevolent theme-malevolent theme format - intended, I assume, to impart a sense of symmetry, though it makes things a little too stringent - with the limited space available on only one CD, the last thing the producers needed were more format restrictions, much less self-imposed ones - and squeezes worthier tunes (like the Althena's "Four Heroes" boss battle theme, the Mystic Ruins theme, or the opening harp-and-flute theme, to name a few) out of the running to make way for tracks like the overabundant Zophar themes in order to satisfy the quota system. But, again, these are minor quibbles compared to the fabulous selection of songs already on tap - Eternal Blue's main theme, magnificent as ever, instilling in the listener a sublime sense of the grandeur of the legends of Lunar's yore and of the promise of embarking on something wondrous; the delightful li'l variation on Althena's theme that plays while Hiro explores the Dragon Ruins in the introduction; the sweeping expansion of the delicate theme for Lucia's arrival theme, as well as its complete poignant reprise for her departure. Kudos, too, to whomever had the presence of mind to include the unholy-city Pentagulia organ medley (though I will note here that the absence of the background chorus on the CD track takes a lot of the oppressive menace out of the song) and "Zophar's Domain" BGM, one of the best final-dungeon themes I've heard (second only to that of EB's own Star Dragon Tower, which, I understand, was only heard in the U.S. port of the game and thus would not be included in a Japanese CD). I also applaud the decision to throw a couple vocal songs into the mix, give customers a little extra for their yen, and while the Japanese version of Lucia's end-credits song is no improvement over the English-language version (the melody is still quite lovely, but I'm not a fan of Chisa Yokoyama's childish singing voice), "Adventure Road", an image song for Hiro set to a souped-up version of the overworld theme, is an electrifying embodiment of Lunar's trademark optimism and celebration of adventure. And the two Dragonship themes, the wonderfully intricate "Dragon Steamship Valgan" and "Fields to a Bright Tomorrow", showcase the boldness and attention to detail and intricacy that makes this soundtrack so special. The fact remains that Eternal Blue's is a soundtrack that demands a complete OSV - but any CD where the greatest complaint that can be levied against it is that there isn't enough of it isn't doing badly at all. This Lunar: Eternal Blue soundtrack is a priority purchase for any game music fan.

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