#yumi touma

[ashitomarisu]

(Took me long enough to post something for the new year).

Almost done watching Ah! My Goddess, but not without drawing crossovers. Obviously, Skuld!Keroberos is just everything I need right now in a crossover. Urd!Gomechan, on the other hand, was an afterthought.*

*Urd's seiyuu, Yumi Touma, originally voiced Gomechan in the 1991 anime adaptation of Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibouken.

Believe me, if I went any further with Gomechan, I'd end up with an army of school idol Gomechan variations (I DO NOT HAVE TIME TO DRAW 30+ SCHOOL IDOLS FFS).

[childrenofthesun77]

Tsurugi is talking with touma over the phone here and we only hear tsurugi's side of the conversation. I know yoshimasa was the closest thing touma had to a good father figure so I can see him trying to be nice to his kids, but the image of touma picking up shuhei and his little sister from school is still funny.

[kon-konk]

I wonder if Tsurugi, Jun, and Yumi would have ever spared a subclass. Like just straight up let them go.

Like maybe it's someone from another combat unit that went missing during a hunt (or other C3 member that just up and vanished) and was presumed dead, but they've actually ended up as a subclass.

[ghostingkai]

Not me crying over the Q&A section of the guidebook— the stuff below is absolutely not everything, just the parts I enjoyed the most.

-Oh my god, there is an alignment chart for a bunch of the characters showing “Popular VS Unpopular, Receives lots of valentines VS Doesn’t receive many valentines”. Iori and MIkuni are the two most popular characters (with Lily in close third) but Mikuni is slightly more popular than Iori. Iori, however, receives more valentine gifts than Mikuni (but they are both extremely popular. That’s that trust fund money at work, baby.) Touma is very popular, but doesn’t seem to get many valentines lol

Other alignment charts:

-Housework skills and frequency of chores performed (Mahiru wins at this chart obviously lol. Yumi is second place after Mahiru.) Iori is apparently awful at house work and doesn’t do it often, I’m assuming he has a cleaning person. Touma is amazing at house work, but doesn’t do it much. Tsurugi does tons of house work… but is apparently terrible at it lmao.

-Muscle capability/strength and weight. Hugh and Misono are the lightest and “softest” fighters lol, while Tsurugi is very light but incredibly muscular/strong. Ildio is the heaviest/strongest fighter. Iori is fairly “light” and not very strong, and Touma is stronger/heavier than him by a fair bit. I’ve always wondered about that, so I’m happy to have this chart.

-A chart showing “high energy when drunk” versus “falls asleep” and also alcohol tolerance level lmao. So Nico is the one who gets the most smashed when drunk, but his alcohol tolerance is very high. Touma comes in second place, with Gear and Otogiri in third/fourth. Yumi has the lowest tolerance, but gets incredibly energetic when drunk. Mikuni has high tolerance, but gets really sleepy when he’s drunk. Iori has poor alcohol tolerance levels, but he gets sleepy when he’s drunk instead of wired. And I love that for him… I love that for myself 😭

That’s all for alignment charts!

-Tanaka confirms Iori receives the most valentines gifts, but pretty much all of them are obligatory. That makes me sad ;u;

-Iori plays the violin. Which is not shocking in any way, but it’s nice to have confirmation c:

-Mikuni and Tsurugi apparently have the most horrendous handwriting skills out of everyone by a long shot lol

-Mahiru dreamed of becoming a teacher when he first entered high school ;u;

-Mahiru was 7 years old when his mom died.

-Iori was the one Tooru was talking to on the phone when he and Mahiru met Tsubaki at the sushi restaurant. He was also the one on the phone with Tooru when he was bragging about Mahiru during that one flashback. Which isn’t really relevant to anything except I love how Tooru openly discussed Mahiru with Iori and Iori was just like, ah yes… Touma’s son… I mean, Tooru’s adorable nephew.

-Tanaka confirms Misono continues to grow taller as he becomes an adult lmao

-Misono was 9 when he made his contract with Lily.

-Tanaka talks about how Mikado loves Mikuni, but it doesn’t always seem that way because he was also afraid of how smart Mikuni is

-Mikado knew Mikuni had gone to C3 after running away, and specifically asked them to protect him. Mikuni was in C3 for about three years.

-Tsurugi was affected by “My Fair Lady” because even though he had only killed vampires up to that point, he carried the guilt of having killed someone. Mikuni looked shocked when Tsurugi began to choke because he didn’t think Tsurugi had actually killed anyone until then.

-Mikuni left C3 just before he turned 20, and opened his shop a year later.

-Mikuni and Tsurugi specifically don’t like being addressed by their family names, because… well, you can imagine lol. So they prefer to be called by their first names.

-Mikuni opened a shop because he wanted a place to store all of the magic items he had collected over his travels. He also wanted to put up a false smile in front of C3 to put them at ease about what he was getting up to.

-Mikuni was seven when he proposed to Hokaze 😭

-Mikuni loved Misono a lot and would stop to play with him whenever he wanted 😭 😭 STOP

-Oh my god, Mikuni would force Jeje to perform difficult jobs in order for them to get enough money to travel abroad, where they would then sell magic items to other magicians around the world. He’s such a prick, I love him so much.

-Apparently, Johan showed up one day in Mikuni’s shop and just started doing whatever he wanted and that’s how they met. Lmaooo.

-Jeje receives blood from Mikuni sometimes, but only after Mikuni himself has put it into a container.

-Tetsu’s other sister is a shogi player and her name is Kaoru (Oh, sure, SHE gets a name 😤 )

-Apparently Licht introduced Lawless to his parents as “the demon I purified” and his parents are just happy he’s found a friend ;u;

-Freya feels she gets along best with Lawless. Lawless apparently disagrees.

-Tanaka gives a scale of “mental degradation due to magic abuse” stages.

Stage 1: You can hear people but can’t make out what they’re saying.

Stage 2: You start to hallucinate faceless people.

Stage 3: More hallucinations and memory confusion.

Stage 4: Retirement

She also notes that during stages 1-3, a magician can recover over time if they don’t use their magic. I’m assuming stage 4 this isn’t possible, and I’m pretty sure that’s what stage Iori is at now, since he even mentions retiring in the final chapter. But that’s not explicitly stated.

-Tsurugi’s mom hid the fact she had a child. She left Tsurugi behind after she found another man and ran off with him.

-MIKUNI, APPARENTLY, DOES NOT PROTEST THE SIGHT OF TSURUGI. He is fine with how Tsurugi looks. It’s only when Tsurugi is speaking that Mikuni wants to fling himself into the dark void.

-Someone asked how Akira and Touma got close, but Tanaka only says to leave it up to everyone’s imagination

-Confirmation that Touma had feelings for Akira, and wasn’t the kind of person who would date someone for the sole purpose of hurting someone else (like Tooru.)

-Touma’s scarf is a magic item that makes his invisibility magic stronger apparently

-Touma was angry that Iori saved his life and he owed a debt to someone he deemed the worst type of person. But while he was crashing at Iori’s apartment, he was free to use anything he wanted apparently. Don’t know if that’s info I needed, but I’m happy to have it now.

-When Gear and Touma were staring at each other in that one popularity poll page, Touma was apparently thinking “So this is the werewolf Tsurugi is related to…” While Gear is thinking, “So this is Tsurugi’s brother… that makes him my grandson, too.” PLEASE. GEAR, TRY CALLING TOUMA YOUR GRANDSON. I would die to see that played out lmao.

-Confirmation that when Touma said, “I’ll drag him down!” In that one flashback, he WAS talking about Iori. I knew he was, but it’s nice to have the cold hard proof lol.

-Touma took on Tsurugi’s debts, and Tsurugi pays him back.

-Touma became the vice president at 33. At 33?!?! Holy frick I didn’t realize his promotion from the combat team happened so recently compared to the series timeline. That’s wild. Iori took fifteen years to convince his mother Touma was right for the position (/jk on that last sentence)

-Yumi quit the archery team in high school because he felt he was following the path forced on him by his parents and older brother.

-Miyako and Kei met during a flight. Miyako was really worn down, and Kei’s kindness touched her heart and she quickly fell in love, so from that moment on, she pursued Kei with a lot of passion. I can’t believe we actually got an answer to that question 😭

-Miyako knew about Iori’s real plan the entire time. Which was pretty obvious, but confirmation is still nice.

-All of the Tsukimitsu kids cross dress when they’re drunk 😭 😭 But Iori is careful not to get blackout drunk in front of other people. Bless you for this little nugget of sustainment.

-A C3 agent who moved overseas couldn’t take their hamsters with them, which was how Iori ended up with them, and he just decided to keep them.

-Iori suspected Mikuni could be working alongside Tsubaki when he met him in the control room, but he didn’t know for sure yet.

-Shirayuki met her husband through an arranged marriage and he joined her family. He left C3 early on so he could better support Shirayuki’s schedule. So that pretty much confirms he was a househusband, yes? I think so 😌 (BUT HE WASN’T GIVEN A NAME, AAAAAAAAA—)

-Mikuni didn’t go to college. Shuhei did, and Touma went to college with Iori and Tooru. I love knowing that. I am so happy to know that ;u;

-Iori met Tooru in their third year of elementary school and they became friends after Tooru spoke to him. Tooru would try to talk to Touma in middle school, but Touma ignored him. Iori used to avoid Touma because he knew about Touma’s home life, but after seeing how much Tooru wanted to be friends with him and how hostile Touma was to them, he started becoming interested in him. (Bless Iori for being brave enough to admit his crush started when Touma was the first person to tell him to fuck off.)

-The three of them became friends because Touma was already on the combat team at 15, and when they joined C3 at 17, they wanted to get on the combat team as well. So they all ended up connecting in that manner.

-Working at C3 while a student was easy thanks to flexible scheduling, so the three of them were able to work at C3 and attend university at the same time.

-Iori and Tooru would compete in cross dressing competitions in high school, just like Yumi and Tsurugi 😭 bless

-They don’t typically drink so much that they get drunk. They know the party is over once Iori starts getting sleepy ;u; because he has low tolerance… adorable.

-Tooru likes simple soy sauce ramen, Touma likes tonkotsu, and Iori likes shio ramen.

-Iori, Miyako, and Yumi are all really good at singing ;w; Thank you, that’s good to know.

-In addition to Gear and Yotarou completing odd jobs, Yotarou has an online store where he sells magic clothes and items that he makes.

-Gear rescued a woman (one of Tsurugi’s ancestors) he had become friends with by using his powers to help heal her/bring her back to life. He was afraid what people would do to her/them if they found out about it, so he ran off before the woman woke up and found out what had happened. It sounds possible she had no idea she had been given werewolf genes in order to survive.

[acediathemelancholy]

I've realized that this blog is a disorganized mess. So this is an attempt at a masterpost. I've only gone through my servamp posts so far and put together the interesting ones by topic. Edit: added link to Witch Hat Atelier Masterpost

Witch Hat Atelier

Servamp

The Alicein Family Drama

On Love and Fear

Chapter 130 Cover Analysis: Mikuni as the King

Alicein Mikuni: Sower of Scandal

Mikuni (and Lily): Sowers of Scandal Part 2

Servamp's Pandoras: Kiriko and Akira

Hokaze's Illusion of Control

Lily and Enlightened Despot Theory

Lily's Second Betrayal

Mikuni, Lily and the Alleged Lack of Resentment

Dunking on Mikado's Pathetic Everything

Kiriko's Music Box

Clergy Jeje

Mirror Mikuni and Hokaze

Mikuni Doesn't Respect Anyone's Will

The Shirota Family Drama

Touma and Projection

Tooru as the Stagnant Shounen Protagonist

Imposters and Second Generations

Mikuni and Touma

Where does the Alicein Family Drama Meet the Shirota Family Drama

Tsubaki Accidentally Kickstarting the Shirota Family Drama

Touma and Sakuya

Saint Germain

On Saint Germain

On the Myth of Saint Germain

Theosophy Myths and Saint Germain

Saint Germain and the Jesus References

It Was More Than Eight Times

Who Will be Killed by Vainglory

Vainglory and the Traitor Servamps

The Ritual and the Lunar Eclipse

Sloth Pair

Mahiru: The Rook

Mahiru and Kuro: Saint Alban and Amphibalus

Kuro's Self-Acceptance and the Culmination of his Arc

When the Protagonist Isn't Always the Center of the Universe

Mahiru Reaching Out His Hand Like Tooru

Mahiru and C3

The one I strongly believed in, and the one who strongly believes in me

Team Melancholy

On Tsubaki's Creation

Early C3 and Tsubaki

Tsubaki's View of the Aliceins' Plot

Tsubaki (and Kuro) and Acedia

Tsubaki as The Method

Tsubaki and Mikuni's Fragile Alliance

Tsubaki Didn't Foresee Hugh's Plot

Sakuya Is So Lucky

Mikuni and Sakuya: Who is the liar?

Mikuni Never Understood Sakuya

Misono does understand Sakuya

Sakumahi Angst

Team Melancholy Gets an F in Espionage

Otogiri and Margaret of Cortona

Higan and Tsubaki

Pride Pair

Hugh and Mikuni

Hugh and Mikuni the Prequel

Tetsu as Prometheus

Hugh Becoming What He Sought to Destroy Part 1

Hugh Becoming What He Sought to Destroy Part 2

Let's Talk Names: Hugh The Dark Algernon III

The Servamp Traitor Plotline

C3/Misc.

Servamp Creation Timeline

Mage Society Part 1: C3's Purpose

Mage Society Part 2: Class

Mage Society Part 3: The Origin

Tsurugi and Higan

Yumi's Character Development

Thoughts on Why C3's Ritual Failed

Iori

Subclass Logistics

The Moral of the Story

Wrath Pair

Lily's View of Freya

Freya and the Witch Trials

Greed Pair

Licht's Choice

Lawless and Reaching Out His Hand

Gluttony Pair

Ildio's One-sided Rivalry

Nicco's No Good Very Bad Day

Nicco and Questions Raised by His Shareable Lead

[yarrayora]

for a while i have been worried about how st germaine as the Final Boss will be treated

because the obvious answer is, of course, that he isn't someone to be forgiven, and i agree but if that's all there is to him then it will render touma's entire redemption arc hypocritical

because touma purposefully sabotaged a C3 ritual to kill a lot of mages to be able to create his own servamp

touma abused tsurugi both emotionally and physically

touma wanted to watch the world burn

st germaine did all that and you can argue that he did worse things based on the scale alone but that's like saying there is a hard limit on how many people you can massacre before you deserve redemption, isn't it?

but if st germaine was someone to be forgiven? that will deny tsurugi's character arc. although touma is trying to redeem himself, not even once anyone he has harmed was asked to forgive him. not jun, not yumi, not tsurugi. tsurugi is finally able to get angry and protect himself

but then the chapter "ashes to ashes" drops and the answer becomes obvious

once again, it connects back to how mahiru resolved the conflict with touma

"you probably can't forgive the senselessness of it all" or as translated by @hello-vampire-kitty "you never did accept the unfairness"

hell! this whole thing about how forgiving your past self, forgiving how weak you were, to move on past your hate and grieve, has been a thing since Greed Arc

so just like virtually any other arcs in servamp, the evil will finally be defeated... by acknowledging that he's still hurting

[mahi-does-some-art]

For succubus mahiru au...

Jun: So you have to feed off of sex now?

Mahiru, clutching Kitty Kuro: *Sighs* Yeah, normal human food isn't enough to sustain my body anymore. I ended up getting sick because I didn't know I was transforming.

Yumi: Oh, no wonder you had looked so out of it a while ago.

Mahiru: It was bad...

Touma: Not that I care but the more you grow, the more you'll have to feed. Sucking each other's faces and dicks off won't be able to sustain you on their own soon.

Mahiru: You could at least said it nicely!💢

Touma: No.

Mahiru: Ugh, you're impossible...

Mahiru: I already feel like a leech.

Tsurugi: Haha, it's ok, Mahiru-kun! If you get hungry you can just pay me and I'll–

Touma: Tsurugi, I forbid you to fuck him.

Tsurugi: Wha- HUH?

Touma: I said no.

Tsurugi: But Tai-chan!! When have you ever cared who I have sex with?!

Mahiru: As much as I hate to agree with anything Touma says, I actually agree.

Chuuni3: HUH????

Mahiru: When I feed, I'm sucking the energy out of them and using it instead.

Mahiru: With all the work being done in C3 to help vampires right now, none of you have much time to recover from having your energy stolen like that.

Mahiru: You have too much work to do, Tsurugi, you can't afford it.

Kuro, still being held: Damn, talk about a rejection...

Jun: Rip...

Touma: He'll survive.

Tsurugi: Ouggggg Mahiru-kunnnnn, how could you say that to meee!! Robbing me of a well-deserved day off!

Yumi: You haven't done shit, Tsurugi, you've been slacking off all day!

Jun, nodding: Mhm. Come on, we have too much paperwork to do.

Tsurugi: But I hate paperwoooooork!!!

Touma: Finish that paperwork by tonight or I'm docking your pay.

Tsurugi: EVERYONE'S BEING SO MEAN TO ME TODAYYYYYY!!! MEAN!! ALL OF YOU!!!

-Mahiru and Kuro watch as Tsurugi gets dragged off, touma snuffing out his finished cigarette-

Mahiru:...You think I was too harsh?

Kuro: Nah. He deserved that.

[pinkestlittlebutterfly]

Servamp hospital AU with no plot only vibes but I remembered there's more characters to experience the joys of working in healthcare.

Yumi – Part of the security team under Tsurugi. Once he was destined for a job with more prestige and better pay; and it's no secret that several members of his family are rather disappointed with where he ended up. He, however, seems to love being part of the security team, and takes great joy in playing mouthpiece for the nurses who – unlike him – can’t tell abusive patients to go fuck themselves. 

Jun – Part of the security team under Tsurugi. As its calmest member, he’s deployed whenever a situation could maybe be saved with diplomacy. Lately, however, he’s been trying to keep himself a little safer for the sake of his young son, which the other two use as an excuse to saddle him with all their paperwork. 

Iori – Part of the upper echelon of administration, like many of his family before him. His tasks used to be mostly about logistics, but he has also been handed responsibility over the hospital’s finances upon starting to work in his current position, which multiple people were vying for at the time. He’s well-connected and popular, so no one would accuse him of nepotism to his face. 

Tooru – Part of the upper echelon of administration, and known as an incorrigible workaholic. A lot of his tasks are about managing the staff, and though he’s far removed from the reality of working the wards, he still tries his best to be helpful. He’s not sure what to think of his nephew’s job in the hospital – he’s proud, but there’s been too many burnt-out nurses in his office to not make him worry. 

Touma – Part of the upper echelon of administration, concerned with questions of safety, and firmly in control of the security team. While not everyone is happy with the way he handles his responsibilities, there’s rarely ever any complaints about him. It’s unclear whether this is because of the results he produces or the fact that everyone seems scared of him. 

Mikado – CEO not only of this hospital, which was founded by his family, but also the hospital network it has spawned since. He’s not seen often, neither by the medical staff nor the administration team, and sometimes it seems like he actively avoids the hospital. His confidants among upper management are aware he’s quite unhappy with his younger son’s job there, but have not yet figured out why he’s not doing anything about it. 

Mikage – used to be CEO before his son Mikado. Unlike him, he was not only an administrator but a trained doctor, too. He established the hospital’s paediatric unit, and though he has passed since, a beautifully framed picture of him still smiles upon the patients treated there. The resident paediatrician can be seen tending to it sometimes.

[ofcrossroads]

I guess, more accurately, it was a race between Touma and Mikuni for who would turn Tsurugi. Thinking about it, they both knew he’d have to be sacrificed. I imagine Tsurugi was prepared for that, which is why he always mentions he knows he’s going to die young.

Of course, his position puts him at the forefront of danger… but I always viewed Tsurugi’s comments as more factual. Like, he works himself to the bone because he knows he only has so much time. And Touma’s remarks like, “I haven’t said you could die yet” have a new meaning.

Tsurugi never valued his life, and he lived as a tool. He kept people away and rarely built connections, which is why Jun, Yumi, and Mikuni stand out. I wonder how much of C3’s plan Mikuni figured out vs talked about with Tsurugi.

[yarrayora]

#are we forgetting that Misono has already tried to use Mikuni's love for him against him in gluttony's arc? and it did NOT end well... #Rip tsurugi... it seems you have been forgotten...

i mean... other than the fact mikuni doesn't love tsurugi (especially not the way tsurugi loves touma, or the way the melancholies love tsubaki) (frankly speaking it feels like shuuhe has more chance to save mikuni with the power of love compared to tsurugi) we also know that love alone is never enough

because, again, with the two examples ive mentioned above, tsurugi loves touma! and the melancholies love tsubaki! but that love wasn't enough to stop them from going through the path of self-destruction. there's always a third party interference first, the same way yumi and jun couldnt stop tsurugi from destroying himself because they love tsurugi too much because they're too close to him that they fear of pushing him away, which is also why tsurugi never tried to stop touma

and it takes sakuya separating from the melancholies to realize that tsubaki is destroying himself, and for shamrock no longer being blindly frenzied by his loyalty by reconnecting with people from his past

servamp is also known for building up the momentum, Lawless finally accepted his grief for Ophelia waaaaay back then in Greed Arc, but then as recent as Gluttony Arc we found out that he is still dealing with that grief and guilt

so it feels kind of too hasty to decide "mikuni can't be saved with the power of love because tsurugi couldn't do it" especially when this feels less like "love" and more like "violence"

I knoooooooow that being defeated by the people you love / your love for someone is a recurring theme in servamp.

I just feel like we're forgetting that the last time that was tried on a certain somebody, a certain someone had their head detached from their body.

I just feel like we moved past that too quickly.

[childrenofthesun77]

With tooru awake and touma seemingly fighting on the side of the protagonists now I want iori to reveal that he didn't die but was turned into a subclass. Give me united three old idiots. Plus a vampire as the head of the tokyo branch would be fun.

(Something about the scene of sigurd going to the morgue to do something we didn't get to see seems fishy to me. What did he see when he lifted the cloth that covered iori's eyes?)

[kon-konk]

Knowing Mahiru he would be oblivious to anything think related going on with him Tsurugi and Kuro(boy is a lil oblivious at times), While Jun Yumi and even Touma watch in horror lol

If he doesn't notice, there would be so many hushed* conversations about whether he should be told or not

*they are not hushed, Jun and Yumi have no volume control when "whispering" and we know it

[valkyrieprofilee]

Listening Guide - Valkyrie Profile Voice Mix Arrange

“The concept behind Valkyrie Profile Voice Mix Arrange is uncommon yet simple: mixing in-game voice acting with arranged music. It has given birth to a most controversial game music soundtrack that was "epoch-making at the time", according to its composer, Motoi Sakuraba.” 

TRACK LIST -  (00:59:14)

01.  REQUIEM TO A PREDICAMENT ~ NEGATIVE ROOTS  | 05:08 02.  ANCIENT FANTASIES ~ A HOLLOW HEART  | 03:54 03.  THE CRUMBLING ID  | 01:48 04.  TO THE UNHALLOWED GROUND  | 03:58 05.  OUT OF CHAOS  | 04:36 06.  BOOZE ON A MOONLIGHT NIGHT  | 04:41 07.  THE FIRST UNISON  | 04:30 08.  CONFIDENCE IN THE DOMINATION  | 04:13 09.  HEADS MAGIC, TAILS CURSE  | 04:03 10.  CIRCULATE ON A WINDUP DOLL  | 01:33 11.  THE NONSENSE OF REALITY  | 04:26 12.  EVIL TALES AND OBLIGATIONS  | 04:48 13.  THROUGH A THIN HAZE  | 03:46 14.  BLOODY PANIC  | 4:45 15.  THE ROAD TO GLORY AND PROSPERITY | 3:05

Listen Here 

Note: Although this guide aims to help listeners better enjoy and understand Valkyrie Profile Voice Mix Arrange, it is recommended you have prior knowledge of Valkyrie Profile’s story/ knowledge of the Japanese language to enjoy this album to the fullest extent.

READ MORE FOR GAME-OST.COM’S REVIEW 

01) REQUIEM TO A PREDICAMENT ~ NEGATIVE ROOTS 

      The very start of the album sounds almost Baroque-oriented, with the familiar tune of "Requiem to a Predicament" played on an harpsichord. Quickly, the first voice of the album can be heard. Lenneth Valkyrie calls her companions to battle: "Shi no, saki wo yuku mono-tachi yo! / To my side, my noble Einherjar!". At first, the voice sounds distants and feeble, then, as voices from other characters start to gather around her voice, it becomes more firm and the background instrumentation grows in strength. At one point, all the energies have reached their apogee and the transition to the second part of the track is made as Lenneth commands "Ide yo! / Come forth!", unleashing the introduction to "Negative Roots".

     That rush gives more room to instrumental action at first, with a solid, rockin' arrangement featuring, where a dreamy synth pad replaces the original flute, and gives the melody much more appeal. Lenneth's voice is heard from time to time, still urging the warriors to fight by her side in the middle of action. At 2:48, the "Requiem..." theme comes back to mark a pause in the middle of the fight. This time, the harpsichord is accompanied by a violin and low drums. These elements, as well as the male voices talking about death, add more gravity to the scene while Lenneth continues to summon more warriors. The drums get louder and louder, and another "Ide yo!" switches back to the dungeon theme, this time shorter, and with even more battlecries. Eventually, "Requiem..." is played for the last time but Lenneth's voice disappears, leaving two isolated voices: a man in great pain and a surprised girl.

     I think this track constitutes a good, striking introduction that starts the story where it should. However, it isn't the best representative of the voice/music pairings that can be found on this album.

02) ANCIENT FANTASIES ~ A HOLLOW HEART

      The pace of this arrangement has been slowed down compared to the original "Ancient Fantasies", and the leading instrument has been replaced by synth strings, so that it protrudes better. On the whole, it still sounds very similar. That same little girl's voice (most probably Nanami) is asking for Valkyrie to wait for her. The volume and reverb of her voice changes to simulate it becoming more and more distant. Freya's voice is leading, sounding as self-confident and direct as Lenneth was in the previous track. Their alternating voices coupled with fast synth percussions makes me think about the runs my party did into the game's vast dungeons.       

     The second part of the track starts as the first reaches its maximum level of tension. The brisk beat of "Ancient Fantasies" is maintained while the quiet mood of "A Hollow Heart" gradually sets in with Freya's reassuring voice. As the beat becomes more regular, words are repeated again and again in the background, as if Freya was trying to hypnotize us. This arranged version has a nice soothing effect that is used quite well as a break between two dungeon sessions.

      The track ends with the second reprise of "Ancient Fantasies", using the very same quotes as the first one. At one point, a few words ("Waga na - Jougen no Shinri / My name - The Extend of Truth") are looped in the background while Freya continues talking. It is the beginning of the end: obsessional chaos seems to set in as layered voices endlessly repeat the same words...

03) THE CRUMBLING ID

     The confusion induced at the end of the previous track couldn't have been better to introduce the ominous tone of "The Crumbling Id". A gigantic, very low noise lurks in the background, as dark sweeping pads and hard drums produce a feeling of despair. The prevailing mood here is anguish; I feel like I'm looking down at a bottomless pit, at something impossible to fathom for me as a human being.

     The voices used in this track reflect that state of mind. Sakuraba illustrates "The Crumbling Id" with cries and supplications of a young man ("Ore no negai kanaete kure! / Please grant my wish!") while a girl is bursting into tears in the background. Her sobbing is emphasized by a strong reverb effect, which gives the impression that her voice is overwhelming the soundscape from all directions. The resulting atmosphere is gloomy, intimidating, and almost physically disturbing, as we don't expect the album to take this sinister turn at all after the first two action-based tracks. This is precisely where it really starts to be interesting: it's getting closer to the drama genre, but still has a strong musical dimension behind. 

     Note that this track is rather short and ends abruptly with a few piano notes. Was it all an illusion?

04) TO THE UNHALLOWED GROUND

     By hearing the very first seconds, we know we're back into electronic action. After a few listens, I'm still wondering what the aim of this track might be. We're provided with a hardly recognizable electronic arrangement of the memorable introduction theme of the game. This version has a minimalist harmony, and focuses primarily on the use electronic samples and the building of a danceable rhythm. The impression of being in a nightclub is all the stronger as most of the voices are combat taunts of female characters. Nothing astounding here.

05) OUT OF CHAOS

     "Out of Chaos" starts quietly, on a low and suspenseful tone. As Arngrim's self-confident voice introduces us to the heart of the track, warlike synth drums enter the stage to play a primitive rhythm. The voice gets distorted, and the track takes off after a final and provocative sentence ("Huh... taoreru made kirikizamu dake yo / Huh... Just a matter of carving you up till you die").

     This arrangement relies mostly on sweeping synths and bass used to create a hectic and surreal atmosphere. Arngrim's reassuring male voice fits rather well in that context. After two loops, the track ends abruptly on his "special attack" taunt: "Teme no kao wo miaki ta ze / I've seen enough of your face". 

Simple yet quite good.

06) BOOZE ON A MOONLIGHT NIGHT

     "Booze on a Moonlight Night" is the first track of the album that has been exclusively composed for it. It's also the first track of the album to have such a nonchalant atmosphere: the four same chords are repeated from the beginning to the end, backed by slow drum loops quite similar to what can be heard in rap music. In the meantime, you can hear all the male badasses of the game enjoying themselves. 

     Their inebriation is simulated throughout the track by several elements: the pitch of their voice frequently deepening all of a sudden, the oneiric feel given by the sound of the main synth, the reassuring — almost effeminate — appearance of saxophone solos, the drums sounding heavier and heavier as time passes by. Sakuraba succeeds in building a thorough and realistic picture of your generic tavern, late at night, clouded with smoke and full of tired warriors looking for comfort into alcohol and women.

07) THE FIRST UNISON

    There's something hypnotizing about the buildup that introduces this track. The main percussion loop seems like giant machinery put in motion. The way the motif created by all the instruments alternates between ascending and descending motif creates a sound disturbingly close to something that emulates a giant breathing. This organic aspect is reinforced by a few "fat" synth notes added at key-moments in the main loop. Behind this monstrous sound, a man — most probably Gandar — can be heard. His voice is as confident as the machinery's motion is unstoppable. He's the main character, and his laugh is the trigger to the body of this track.

     The main melody is quite special: if you imagine it without the percussion, and with a slower tempo, it sounds like a very sad melody. However, forcing its rhythm to a dungeon-compliant pace makes it sound tragic and determined at the same time. According to the quotes that have been chosen, I think that's exactly how the character is like. The dramatic bridge of this track introduces a few battlecries, as well as a quote that will be heard until the end of the track: "Ore wa ore no tame ni ikiru / I live for my own sake". The mechanical drums of the beginning appear again, with this sentence looping in the background. As the end approaches, techno drums, a synth flute, and the man's voice participate in the final buildup.

     I must say that "The First Unison" is the first track that left a totally positive impression on me, because it sounds more elaborated and deeper in meaning than the previous others.

08) CONFIDENCE IN THE DOMINATION

    Those who already know the Original Soundtrack will quickly notice that the pace of this famous piece of music has been dramatically slowed down, and doesn't sound like a battle track anymore. It's as if it has been stretched to offer enough room to paste sentences inside. A few voice effects have also been added to the backing percussion, including male gruntings; at least that's fun to listen to! 

     I'm not very convinced about this one, mostly because I can barely stand its nonsensical new pace. Seriously, it's such a sluggish battle theme... *nays*

09) HEADS MAGIC, TAILS CURSE

    "Heads Magic, Tails Curse" starts with a nice piano solo introducing the soothing voice of Lenneth, with chirpings in the background. I'm not sure about what the latter are supposed to represent (Birds? Shooting stars? The world of dead spirits?) but they surely add something to the serene, almost oneiric atmosphere of this introduction. It doesn't last long, however. As Valkyrie invites us — almost intimately — to follow her ("Isshioni ikimasho / Let's go together"), the dream ends... and the second part literally bursts in.

          Now is that a nightmare or harsh reality? The contrast with the introduction is extremely violent, and we're surrounded all of a sudden by dissonant brass, berserk strings, and aggressive percussion. One thing is certain; what we're facing now outclasses human scale. Lenneth's last words resonate again, yet they are deformed. She sounds heartless, almost commanding. The metaphor is now much clearer; this track illustrates what happens to every character of the game, whose soul is taken at the moment of their death to become an Einherjar, a warrior spirit. From that moment on, their existence is dedicated to fighting demons along with Lenneth, hence that frightening and endless second part.

      The conclusion to this track is some kind of flashback to the initial piano and chirping mood, focusing on one of the sentences Lenneth said at the beginning: "Tasuke... tasukeru towa ittai. Dono yo na koto o sase / To save... to save somebody eternally. What kind of thing do you make me do?". 

Brilliant.

10) CIRCULATE ON A WINDUP DOLL

     This track is a short interlude on the CD, summing up the fight with the dreadful Genevieve. The villain's taunts and laughs can be heard all over the arranged version of her own battle theme, featuring a cool organ improvisation in its second part. As expected, the track ends with a "oh no, I'm defeated!" verbose line, as well as a great organ/violin finale. I don't think it would have been better if it were longer.

11) THE NONSENSE OF REALITY

     It all begins with one of these "ultimate showdown" moods: a monster's distorted voice responding to a man's determined voice, the whole being backed my a massive church organ toccata and electric guitar riffs. It all becomes weird when you realize that both voices are saying the same words.

     The toccata ends at the 1:11 mark to make place for the body of the track; the fight between the man and his deformed self, incarnated by an rousing arrangement in the tradition of Sakuraba's epic prog-rock style. Battlecries and imprecations are well-integrated this time, both in terms of timing and volume. "The Nonsense of Reality" is the most energetic and epic track of the album. But while its form is very accessible, its contents don't reach great depths.

12) EVIL TALES AND OBLIGATIONS

    The first thing one should notice is how the oriental flavour of the original version has been enhanced — and its boorishness put aside — to make the track actually enjoyable. The basic percussion use is still the same, but the samples have greatly improved, and the bass line can now be almost labelled as sexy. Last but not least, the Arabian flute that appears here and there adds a twisted touch to this restless atmosphere. The main character's voice is accompanied by an harpsichord, illustrating its refined cruelty. You've guessed it, the guest star of "Evil Tales and Obligations" is no less than everyone's favourite necromancer Lezard Valeth! 

     In this track, his evil laughs and his disgustingly confident voice are resonating through the hallways of his tower, reaching our ears as we struggle to reach the summit. A true tribute to evil!

13) THROUGH A THIN HAZE

     Staying faithful to the game's spirit, the album continues on a tragic note, representing the death of a hero, illustrated by a grand orchestration of "Through a Thin Haze". More than that, if you succeed in getting into the track, the added voices will find their way to your heart, as they are cleverly used along with the intensity of the music.

     A woman's soft voice enters the scene, talking to someone: "Ne, isshou ni iko yo / Come on, let's go together". At one point, her voice becomes tainted with sadness ("Koko ni kure wa anata no ibashio kanjirarerumono / This sunset is something that makes me feel where you are"), and we suddenly understand that the person she's talking to is no more. She continues to supplicate ("Shini takunai! / Don't die!") until she bursts out crying as the orchestra reaches its climax. A beautiful violin and piano interlude follows to back her silent mourning. After that, a strident noise can be heard as pain and fear rush back to her, triggering another burst of tears. Finally, church bells come in after a last orchestral climax, to add a solemn touch to this moving scene.

     I'd place this track at the same level as "Epic Tale of a Holy Death" from the arranged album. However, I'm conscious of its hit-or-miss nature; these sobbings and cryings can be considered as annoying and ridiculous as I find them adequate. All is a question of believing in what is happening.

14) BLOODY PANIC

     "Bloody Panic" is the second exclusive composition of this album. This one sounds like an ancestor of boorish Gothic metal songs, with its apocalyptic synths and its deep intimidating groans ("Osore, uyamae... waga na ha Bloodbane! / Fear me, worship me... I am Bloodbane!"). At one point, a piano pops in to play a few minor notes that sound like they've been directly taken from these awful 4-seconds-long loops used in cheap rap music. 

     A few measures later, the track switches back to distorted guitars and Bloodbane's growlings to finish on his long-awaited death. Nothing really interesting here; even if you happen to like that kind of music, I'm sure there are better incarnations than this one out there.

15) THE ROAD TO GLORY AND PROSPERITY

     What would be better than the victory tune played at the end of each chapter to conclude this album? This orchestral arrangement is very enjoyable, though rather close to the original version. While the fanfare plays, a small girl's voice can be heard, encouraging us to go on with the adventure ("Watashi wa makenai / I'll never give up", "Watashi o mamori kudasai / Please protect me").  The track concludes after the last cymbal hit, with Lenneth's words "Shiawase ni narimasu yo / I wish you happiness". 

     In my opinion, the track is well-placed but the arranging and voicing effort hasn't been taken very far. It constitutes a decent ending nonetheless.

SUMMARY

     I must say that when starting this review, I had a strong prejudice against the album, having read a couple of negative reviews. However, I hadn't gone through a real listen until I decided to review it. Believe it or not, I ended up extremely satisfied by this musical experience.

     What exactly is Valkyrie Profile Voice Mix Arrange, then? First of all, its musical material consists of arranged tracks, plus two new ones that don't belong to the Original Soundtrack. But music shouldn't be the main subject of interest here. What makes this album special are the added voices from all the characters of the game. Valkyrie Profile being extremely rich and deep terms of voice acting, what you'll hear won't be only digitalized battlecries; the chosen quotes cover a broad emotional spectrum.

     I think that people who listen to that album as any other work that can be played as background entertainment are quickly fed up with it because these voices don't stop begging for their attention. Indeed, it is especially difficult to focus on something else, since the voice acting is done well enough for everyone to be able to grasp the emotions of the characters. I'd say the best approach would be to "live" the album as an orchestrated series of plays, rather than a series of musical pieces with voices over them. The spirit of Sakuraba's work will appear by itself when you consider the characters as the centre of interest of each track. Note that it is not the same as a drama album either, because music is way more than background material.

     Should I advise you to get it? It all depends on whether you're a speedy "background listener" or if you are patient enough to actually listen to an album without doing anything else at the same time. One thing is sure, however : the targeted audience is definitely those who are familiar with the game and its story. Having played and enjoyed Valkyrie Profile for at least a dozen hours is highly recommended before you try and listen to the album. Rated 08/10 by Reviewer  ~END OF GAME-OST.COM REVIEW~ _______________________ NOTES

- Tracks 6 and 14 were not included in the original game

- Valkyrie Profile Voice Mix Arrange is the third album released for Valkyrie Profile, four months after Valkyrie Profile Original Soundtrack and three months after Valkyrie Profile Arrange Album

- Valkyrie Profile Voice Mix Arrange is the hardest to find of the three albums and is best obtained through eBay.

Alt. Track Titles: 01 – Heaven’s Requiem 02 – Long Generations of Anger 03 – Punishment Creed 04 – To an Anxious Earth 05 – Into Chaos 06 – Booze on a Moonlit Night 07 – The First Unison 08 – Confidence in the Domination 09 – Evil Mortals, Holy Divinity 10 – Circulate on a Windup Doll 11 – Responsibility 12 – An Evil Mechanism 13 – Sadness 14 – Bloody Panic 15 – To the Road of Light and Darkness

Catalogue Number:  FSCA-10134 Composed By:  Motoi Sakuraba Arranged By:  Motoi Sakuraba Release Date: 06/21/2000 Published By: First Smile Entertainment

Cast: Lenneth: Yumi Touma Lucian: Nozomu Sasaki Mystina: Wakana Yamazaki Arngrim/Aluze: Hiroki Touchi Lezard Valeth: Takehito Koyasu Freya/Frei: Maria Kawamura Loki: Mitsuaki Madono Yumei, Celia: Hiroko Emori Aelia, Genevieve, Millia, Claire: Ai Orikasa Jelanda: Kae Araki Badrach, Surt: Mitsuaki Hoshino Brahms, Bloodbayne: Kenji Nomura Nanami: Natsumi Yanase Fuyuki: Daisuke Sakaguchi

[ghostingkai]

[On Iori and Shirayuki]

Finding out just how physically weak and slow Iori is — especially compared to the rest of his family — is interesting for me.

Shirayuki’s full profile paints a more complete picture of who she is. She was the president of C3’s Tokyo branch, enjoys watching professional wrestling as a hobby, dreams of getting another chance to battle Gear (lol), practices radio workouts daily, and values being seen as “strong.” Her weakest subject in school was home economics. She has a clear affinity for fighting (further proven by Miyako’s quote in the final chapter, referring to Shirayuki as the Tokyo branch’s number one battle-crazed Mom.)

When we first learned that Shirayuki was responsible for trying to keep Iori away from the combat team, it wasn’t exactly a strange concept. She’s his mother, and regardless of his talents with barrier magic, it makes sense that she would be concerned about him getting hurt. She’s also well acquainted with that world, and likely understands first-hand how easy it is to be killed in that job.

But after seeing the Tsukimitsu family’s profiles in the guidebook, I can’t help but wonder if Shirayuki’s concern for Iori wasn’t so much about “a mother’s love for her son,” but rather, being specifically concerned that Iori wasn’t built for fighting.

(Which is not to say she doesn’t love Iori. She does! She even has a high-scoring “family love” parameter on her chart!)

For a clearer picture, here are some stat scores listed on their profiles:

(Physical strength/speed/mental)

Iori: 3/4/7

Miyako: 8/8/8

Yumi: 5/7/6

Shirayuki: 5/3/9

(Iori’s lack of physical strength is double confirmed on one of the alignment graphs included in the Q&A section, where he’s a lot closer to the “physically weak” side of the chart.

Also, to help put things into perspective a bit more — Mikado is noted to be physically ungifted, and his physical strength score is a 2. Iori is almost as physically untalented as Mikado lol.)

Iori is slightly faster than his mother, and has slightly better mental prowess than his younger brother — but that’s pretty much it. His listed top skills involve him being good at cooperative efforts/listening to others’ opinions and taking them into consideration. And, of course, his barrier magic.

When it comes to the other two -- Yumikage is on the combat team, but Shirayuki doesn’t give him a hard time about it (at least, not that we’ve been shown.) Same goes for Miyako. She was in the kendo club in school, has a very high score for physical strength, and has shown her skills in the actual story, like in the battle against Tsubaki by the hospital. In general, it feels like Shirayuki isn’t nearly as strict with them about avoiding combat. (Still strict, for sure — just not as much as with Iori.)

Shirayuki clearly still worries about her younger kids, but if their trait scores are anything to go by, it would stand within reason to consider — maybe she trusts Miyako and Yumikage can defend themselves in battle, but she has doubts about whether Iori can do the same.

The guidebook had a Q&A that explained how even though Iori is powerful, his magic is geared more towards defense, and he needs to be paired with a strong partner in order to be a real threat. When it comes to Iori’s choice in friends/partners, I imagine Shirayuki wasn’t too keen on the idea of his safety being in Touma’s hands, and expecting Tooru to protect Iori by himself would be unreasonable.

The fact that Iori joined the combat team at 17, and then was forced into the president’s role less than a year later, really speaks volumes about how desperate Shirayuki was to keep Iori away from fighting.

I also can’t help feeling Iori’s obsession with joining the combat team was less about the fighting, and more about knowing both Touma and Tooru were going to be on the combat team. He didn’t want to get left behind by his friends…

(FWIW: This analysis is based on the assumption Iori’s skill chart pertains to his pre-injury stats. If the stats listed on his profile are only relevant after he ended up gravely injured… well, then none of this is relevant! Lol)

[cinemgc]

Cowboy Bebop (1ª Temp.)

[yarrayora]

If Tsurugi becomes a Servamp his pet play is only gonna get stronger. Good luck Mahiru lol

"good luck mahiru" as if he would even notice getting prepped into being a pet owner

meanwhile jun yumi and touma watching this unfold