Lurker > loweffortmemes

Xak: The Art of Visual Stage (X68000) - Upsky of Fire Land
Alice Gear Aegis - Assault of Hexed Faith
Fire Emblem Awakening - Conquest ~ Conquest (Ablaze)

Close match 1.

Yurucamp Have a nice day! - Loch to Tabibito
Sonic Frontiers: The Final Horizons - Second Wind - Sonic Mvt.
Secret of Mana (2018) - Did You See the Ocean?

Skeleton Boomerang - Disco Necropolis (Graveyard Stage)
Muse Dash - Thirty Million Persona
Stellar Blade - Silent Street (Battle)

[-Aka-] - To the West
CHUNITHM LUMINOUS PLUS - Re-Fiction-O
Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future - Passage from Genesis

Close match 3.

DoDonPachi Blissful Death Re:Incarnation - Taido (Kenichiro Fukui Remix)
Goddess of Victory: NIKKE - Recursion
The Hokkaido Serial Murder Case: The Okhotsk Disappearance ~Memories in Ice, Tearful Figurine~ - Tokyo

Little Busters! - Melancholy of a Noisy Girl
Alice Gear Aegis - Forlorn Last Stand
Mekazoo - Sinful Syncopation

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles - Kaze no Ne
Shinju no Yakata - Loneliness of the Caged Bird
Genshin Impact - Jade Chimes

Surely Hong Kong 1996 has to be better than Hong Kong 1997!

Great Sluggers - Perfect Game
The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak - Resonance of Ray
Solstice: The Quest for the Staff of Demnos - Title

MATCH 1

Journey to the Sky has a really cool Celtic sound to it. I definitely like this kind of stuff overall. I feel like I'd prefer this song to be more energetic in a way? Might be something about this slower, steady rhythm that's less what I was hoping from this song. But it's still good. Oninaki - Battle -Threat (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4IaCnfNw0k) comes to mind as something withI'm trying to remember what instrument this is, hurdy gurdy?whatever it is, that lead instrument, that's more my thing. Or just folk metal stuff like Eluveitie. Or as far as folk music goes as a whole, Dendemille Town from Pokemon X & Y (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgqOu67VR1Q) comes to mind as well. That one has a similar feel to Journey to the Sky, but I just like Dendemille Town more for whatever reason.

That Grovyle's in rough territory with Skarmory and Vulpix and Ninetales around. Plus just a random Groudon roaming the mountainside? Amusingly, max speed Timid Grovyle can actually outspeed and OHKO a Groudon in a 1v1 setting assuming no bulk on Groudon (and no tera).

252 SpA Grovyle Leaf Storm vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Groudon: 348-410 (102 - 120.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Perfect Game has a really cool groovy sound to it. I especially like 0:45-1:04.

MATCH 2

Not a fan of Staff Roll.

I might have said last time that Resonance of Ray is kind of boring to me for a Falcom song, songs I usually like a lot, and that's still true today, but it's definitely enough to take in this match.

Title > Perfect Game > Resonance of Ray > Journey to the Sky > Track 2 > Staff Roll

Now that I'm done with all my favorites brackets, here they are:

Bracket A:
Loneliness of the Caged Bird < Melancholy of a Noisy Girl < Yume to Iro de Dekiteiru > Let's Mikusercise!!

Bracket B:
Did You See the Ocean? < Shi ni Yuku Kisetsu no Kimi e > Kegare Naki Yume > DEAR MY WAKER

Bracket C:
Hikari no Metamorphosis < get the regret over > Blow Me Away > Alice Ragnarok

Bracket D:
Hope is the Thing With Feathers < Misty Er'A ~One Day~ < Oyasumi Monochrome > Juvenile

My retirees aren't looking too good, with only 6/16 surviving round 1. But there's still some great songs left!

KonaSute SOUND VOLTEX III GRAVITY WARS - Electric Injury("Electrocute" Long Ver.)
Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- - Juvenile
DoDonPachi Blissful Death Re:Incarnation - Takmi (Hommarju Extend Remix)

No time for writeups today, whoops!

Juvenile > Takmi (Hommarju Extend Remix) > Electric Injury("Electrocute" Long Ver.) > The Grand Finale > Closure > Legacy

New Roommania - where is smiley?
Gamera 2000 - The End of 1996 H.K.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Meta Knight's Revenge

MATCH 1

I really like the moodiness of Eleventh Hour. There's some great interplay between the guitar and the piano.

where is smiley is a really nice song. Kind of a softer j-pop. Not the best comparison, but Say It by Yorushika (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F64yFFnZfkI) comes to mind when I listen to this, even though they're stylistically different in a few notable ways. I guess it's because they share that soft, bright sound.

MATCH 2

I'm Better Than You is fine but not something I'd actively seek out.

The End of 1996 H.K. has a cool techno sound to it. 1:08-1:44 is a particularly cool and interesting part of the song.

MATCH 3

Poisoned Well is not my kind of song, but it's really interesting atmospherically.

Meta Knight's Revenge is pretty catchy. Maybe that's the nostalgia saying that though since I played a lot of Brawl when I was younger haha. 0:15-0:21 is my favorite part of the song.

where is smiley? > Eleventh Hour > Meta Knight's Revenge > The End of 1996 H.K. > I'm Better Than You > Poisoned Well

GITADORA - Crimson Gate (Long Version)
Karous - you can't fxxk me
Rift of the NecroDancer - Ravevenge

MATCH 1

Okay, maybe I'm not totally tired of Kudonium because Crimson Gate's very cool. I like the parts where it goes all thrash metal the most like at 0:30. 1:20 is really cool too with how the drums alternate between the snare and the ride. I really like metal songs with parts like that where there's a fast rhythmic ride hit. Don't really have time to search for one now as an example, but I'll probably edit one in after. (Edit: I swear there's something specific I'm thinking of that I can't find so meh, I'll just leave it alone)

FUCK ME has an amusing start with that cheesy horror intro before going into the real song. The different parts of this song from the rapping to the singing and to the lone synth instrumental parts all feel very distinct from one another but they flow really well into each other. Unfortunate matchup.

MATCH 2

I like you can't fxxk me the most in the middle-end section when the more melodic synth and keyboard parts kick in. Those parts feel kind of rhythm game-esque in a way I like.

Some of the parts in Eastern Temple are a little too dissonant for me but there's some nice violin stuff going on. Sorta close?

MATCH 3

Florest isn't really all that interesting to me.

Ravevenge has a cool sound to it, but melodically it's a little uninteresting to me. I saw on Steam today when looking at the summer sale deals that this game just recently added a Hololive collaboration in it, which is cool haha.

Crimson Gate (Long Version) > FUCK ME > you can't fxxk me > Ravevenge > Eastern Temple > Florest

Fuck Me vs. you can't fxxk me, the truth is that the only place you can fuck me is in heaven.

Katamari Damacy Rolling LIVE - Katamari on the Dream
Heaven Burns Red - Shiva (Glacier Remix)
Dreamin' Her -Boku wa, Kanojo no Yume o Miru- - Oyasumi Monochrome

MATCH 1

Katamari on the Dream is really nice melodically. I like some of the modulation but also the individual melodies themselves that are in the new key. Like at 0:42-0:47 and 1:11-1:14. Cassie Wei is a great singer as always.

Neural Divergence is pretty neat melodically and with the vocals, especially towards the end like at 3:21. Though, I feel like I enjoy it less today than the other day when I was first listening to the songs for this match.

MATCH 2

Not exactly my favorite kind of chill song but I like it!

Jun Maeda and Hayato Asano are two composers I have a lot of love for, so it's really cool to see the two of them involved in a song together! Although To You in the Dying Season was more emblematic of my tastes, Shiva (Glacier Remix) is really good as well! I certainly can't get enough of Yanagi Nagi vocals. This has a really cool hype feeling to it, especially during the pre-chorus and chorus sections, which are also my favorite parts of the song. There's something about the "gamusha" repetition in the pre-chorus that feels satisfying in a way. That and the fast-paced vocals. Oyasumi Monochrome is my tentative Bracket D winner, but I'd take Shiva to the finals if Monochrome wasn't there, assuming no surprises from D4.

MATCH 3

The Valkyrie has some parts that stand out more than the others like at 2:07, but for the most part, it's not really all that remarkable to me.

I love this singer's voice! It has this light and slightly breathy quality to it that feels really appealing to me. The chorus is I think where her voice shines the most because you can hear this really nice vibrato in her voice during that part too. Melodically, I really like the bright strings in this, and of course, the piano is great as well. This is the second time in this year's contest that I'm bringing this anime up lol, but something that popped in my head as a comparison regarding the strings is the first OP to The Pet Girl of Sakurasou (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcwzDxqzpo0) that also has this really bright violin melody in the intro that I really like. Back to Oyasumi Monochrome, the only other thing to note is that I really like the key change at the end too. It's a common thing to hear in jpop, but I'm typically a big fan of it regardless. This song was something I discovered a decent while ago after the end of last year's contest and I thought that this was really good and something worth considering nominating. But then I just forgot about it for some reason until like the day before this year's contest started when I found it again and realized, "wait, wasn't I thinking of nominating this?" So, it's a good thing I found it again haha! The composers for this song and the singer, Isui, actually went on to officially form a group together named tayori. I haven't had the chance to check out a lot of their music, but it seems pretty good! Some examples here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k_csTdypRQ, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWff60PZytQ. But Oyasumi Monochrome has still been my favorite, so if anyone happens to know these musicians, please send some recommendations my way! I actually just saw the other day that this VN OP that I've listened to before was composed by Islet but with a different singer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5D4X_C22do. Honestly, I should've nominated this at some point because this is very much my thing. Possibly coming to a VGMC20 near you!

Oyasumi Monochrome > Shiva (Glacier Remix) > Katamari on the Dream > Neural Divergence (Saturnian Version) > diamond meditation > The Valkyrie

Honkai: Star Rail - Hope is the Thing With Feathers
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana - Iclucian Dance
Espgaluda - Fort City - Stage4

MATCH 1

Skyway definitely captures the Megaman X rock music style well, to the point that I believed this was an official MMX game until I noticed that this is just a fangame. My only dislike with this song is that the instruments feel too fake, if that makes any sense. Of course, it's an SNES track, there are no live instruments, but comparing this with something like Spark Mandrill, the SNES guitar sounds a lot better there. I think it might be the sample being used for that instrument in Skyway.

Hope is the Thing With Feathers was actually a planned nomination of mine, but I figured other people had plans to nominate it too. I'm glad though that others wanted to, because it's a great song! It's kind of a good kind of sappy music. I really like it melodically. The vocals are great, and I really like what the background instruments like the piano and guitar do as well.

MATCH 2

I honestly think Iclucian Dance feels plain to me for an Ys song. Not that it's bad or anything, but it's not representative of what I really like from these games, at least melodically. The violin and piano are most definitely my thing when the melody's right, but this is unfortunately not one of those cases. This sounds kind of harsh, so I will say that this is probably in the upper 6/low 7 range in a rating out of 10 system, which is decidedly above average.

Ah, I remember Yoda Goes for a Swim. I think it was a Place VGM guessing game where this was unveiled. What a song. I think it's funny that it made it into the contest. Not to knock anyone who does like it, of course. Definitely not my thing musically though nor is it really appealing to my tastes in humor either.

MATCH 3

Tapha Niang has a cool groove to it. I like the vocals too.

I've really grown on Fort City all of a sudden this year. I'm familiar with this song, but I don't know, I'm really into it right now. Really cool beat and good melody too. Kind of feels like something you'd want to play if you were DJing in a nightclub for VGM fans.

Hope is the Thing With Feathers > Fort City - Stage4 > Iclucian Dance > Tapha Niang > Skyway (Hurricane Hoatzin Stage) >>> Yoda Goes For A Swim

War of Brains - EXODUS (Full ver.)
GAKUEN IDOLM@STER - Koukei
Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection - Estrada da Estrela

MATCH 1

I like the somber piano in Abel's Ark. I think with this song, there's a combination of the piano melody not being strong enough for it to be memorable and there not being anything else about it that I'm drawn to which keeps me from really liking it, but I do like it!

Exodus has some really cool synth parts, especially at parts like 0:58-1:36 where it's a lot fuller.

MATCH 2

Koukei is a very cutesy song with nice soft instruments and vocals. The only part I don't really like is 2:34-2:52.

Love So has a decent melody, but Koukei's more my thing.

MATCH 3

Darkazure's decent but doesn't really go anywhere that I'd want it to.

Estrada has some cool samples going on with a nice piano tune.

Koukei > EXODUS (Full ver.) > Love So (Radio Active Mix) > Abel's Ark > Estrada da Estrela > Darkazure

Mirror's Edge - Still Alive
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth - The Turks - Tseng and Elena
Dolls Nest - Call to Multiply

MATCH 1

Not really a fan of Angel Gifts.

Mirror's Edge Still Alive is a very iconic song to me. And probably in general in the video game sphere. But anyway, it's a great song! It has a really good moodiness and sort of a somber tone to it that I like a lot. Great vocals too. And the heavier parts with the drums and piano are definitely my favorite parts and are very appealing to my tastes.

MATCH 2

I want to ride my biiiiiiiiiiicycle, biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiicycle! It's the cycling theme. A nice little tune. Not all that remarkable otherwise though. Black and White's cycling theme is the best cycling theme.

The Turks is very cool rhythmically and melodically. Now this is the kind of proggy jazz fusion-y stuff that I can get behind. I think 0:23-0:35 is the coolest part of the song. The saxophone melody goes hard here and the drums getting even crazier after 0:29 is very neat.

MATCH 3

Artificial Desert has a pretty solid melody. I like parts like 1:17 the most where you have the flute melody added on top of the other melodic stuff underneath.

ZIZZ Studio and Noriko Mitose was not a collaboration I was expecting, but I welcome it! I'm glad a few people have made the EXEC_DESPEDIA comparison because I thought the same thing. This really is a better Despedia to me. I think with Call to Multiply, the dissonance isn't as intense for me and is enough to fit this metal style that often makes use of dissonant sounds without being too much for me.

Still Alive > The Turks - Tseng and Elena > Call to Multiply > Artificial Desert > Cycling > Angel Gifts

Touhou 8: Imperishable Night - Reach for the Moon, Immortal Smoke
Wild Arms 5 - A Muzzle Dancing in Hatred (Fire Tower)
Sonic Frontiers - Undefeatable

MATCH 1

Green Scream has a nice, rich sound to it. Pretty cool melodically, and I think all the different parts work well. I especially like the parts where a lot of the instruments come together like 1:13-1:35 and 3:15-3:43.

A little close, but I think Reach for the Moon is more consistently good. Also, I think this is the furthest I've taken this song in my favorites bracket, making it all the way to round 4 before falling to Misty Era. I had always felt like Reach for the Moon is one of those songs that I like a fair bit but never enough to actually want it to retire. Could this be the year that it happens? We shall see!

MATCH 2

I haven't listened to a lot of Wild Arms music actually. I know I like Terrible Monster Attacking Crew from Wild Arms 5, which I think got nominated this year. As for A Muzzle Dancing in Hatred, I like the energetic parts of the song with the violin the most.

song.mp3 is quite the experience haha. I find the random screaming and breaking of glass kind of amusing, to be honest. But that doesn't translate into musical enjoyment, unfortunately. The song that's playing underneath all that stuff sounds good though! So much so that if this was just that "little bunny" song that it seems song.mp3 is an arrangement of (for reference, I'm using the link that shows up in the content ID thing in dowolf's video), then I'd actually vote for it! But yeah, I can't get behind this song in a serious way though, sorry.

MATCH 3

Howling of the Crows is a fun throwback to my first VGMC, VGMC13, where it made its first appearance. Still a very cool, high-energy FM synth song. Strong melody all around with some great drum sections like 1:48-1:59.

In keeping with the theme of throwbacks, Undefeatable takes me further back, all the way back to middle school where screamo music was a huge favorite of mine. I don't think I had listened to anything from Sleeping With Sirens back then, but I definitely knew about them. Undefeatable has a great combination of vocals, guitar, and drums. I feel like this sort of metalcore music was a great choice to put in a Sonic game because honestly, I just feel like it has this slight edge that fits well, and in a good way. I'm a big metal fan as a whole, so something like hits very well even now. But back in my middle school days, I listened to a lot of this kind of music. I bought posters of Bullet for My Valentine (probably my favorite band back then) and Avenged Sevenfold and put them up in my bedroom, where they stayed up for about 7 or so years, even after I lost interest in them, until my family moved out of that house. I can't remember everything in that genre that I liked back then, but I also really liked All That Remains (particularly, the song "This Calling"). It's funny that I didn't put Undefeatable in my support considerations playlist because I've had this song in my head all day today. I guess it just grew on me since nominations! But this is going to make what I assume will be a round 4 match against Hope is the Thing With Feathers in my favorites bracket much more difficult.

Undefeatable > Reach for the Moon, Immortal Smoke > Howling of the Crows > Green Scream (VAMPIRE SAVIOR) CAP-JAMS Ver. > A Muzzle Dancing in Hatred (Fire Tower) > song.mp3

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero - Neo-Burning Town
jubeat beyond the Ave. - pray nightly
Pokmon Sword/Shield - Stow-on-Side

MATCH 1

Temporal Rift has an interesting chill sound, but I don't really feel hooked by this song.

Neo-Burning Town is pretty decent melodically, though I have a strong preference for We Love Burning Town from Shantae and the Pirate's Curse.

MATCH 2

Panakeian Temple's decent but I also don't feel very strongly about this song.

Pray Nightly has a nice softness to the melody but still brings a beat that energizes the song. Though, I prefer other Nekomata Master songs with a bit of a similar vibe but that have more of a folky melody like Scars of FAUNA, or on the vocal side, songs like Element of SPADA and Chrono diver -fragment-.

MATCH 3

Stow-on-Side has a very cool folk sound to it. Feels like you're entering some kind of ancient, sacred grounds.

I don't exactly dislike Silo's Antimatter Castle, but it's not my thing either.

Stow-on-Side > pray nightly > Neo-Burning Town > Temporal Rift > Panakeian Temple > Silo's Antimatter Castle ~ Complete

Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City - Tumult - Crest of a Violent Wave
DJMAX RESPECT V - Misty Er'A ~One Day~
Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator - a galaxy of children who've only seen red

MATCH 1

I like this song during the harder rock parts. Some pretty cool guitar riffs in those. I don't care as much for the other parts though.

I really like Yuzo Koshiro's Etrian Odyssey music! End of the Raging Waves has always been a fantastic song of his. I've even come to grow more on the original FM synth version of the song, though I still really enjoy the regular instruments of the EO5 version. Really great melody and energy all around.

MATCH 2

Cool detective-like melody. I like the parts with the vocals the most.

I had mentioned before that Kegare Naki Yume was my favorite VGMC discovery, but Misty Er'A ~One Day~ is easily second place for that. Really great melody with a lot of good interplay between the vocals and the other instruments starting from 0:26 where the song really kicks off for me. The chorus at 1:10 is definitely my favorite part, especially 1:24. The guitar at 2:52 along with everything else going on in the song is insanely cool as well.

MATCH 3

Trees in the Depths of the Earth is okay. It's really only noteworthy to me because of the song using microtonality, but that's not really something that interests me musically, just a neat thing compositionally that you don't see every day (I think).

Pretty cool melodically with a solid drum-and-bass-esque beat. I'm a little iffy on some of the sounds like the plucky sounding synth at 0:39 and those harsh synth chords at 0:59, but it's good overall!

Misty Er'A ~One Day~ > Tumult - Crest of a Violent Wave >> 34N, 12E ...for Mad Space > O Mai Padme H, part II > a galaxy of children who've only seen red > Trees in the Depths of the Earth

Goddess of Victory: NIKKE - TuNGSTeN
Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim - Ultramarine Deep
Hive Jump - Fungal Jungle (Mushroom Caverns)

MATCH 1

Golf Central is the kind of FM synth VGM that I can really get behind. Very cool melody and chords. I love this image used for the video, I think video game publishers should make their game covers look like this.

Ultramarine Deep is very cool melodically and harmonically. I feel like it appeals in similar ways to Golf Central, but this song just sounds better overall.

MATCH 2

Fungal Jungle appeals a lot to the kind of retraux stuff that I like. Very cool and rich sounding melody.

Credits is fine but not all that interesting.

TuNGSTeN > Giselle > Ultramarine Deep > Fungal Jungle (Mushroom Caverns) > Golf Central > Credits

pop'n music UniLab - Head Scratcher
Kingdom Hearts II - Sanctuary
Sonic Heroes - Team Chaotix

MATCH 1

The piano part for the first few seconds is nice. 1:03-1:17 is the other part of this song that I like. The rest is fine.

I like 0:31-0:54 and 1:17-1:47 in Head Scratcher, but I'm not super big on the jazzier parts, and even less so the Flight of the Bumblebee sounding parts.

MATCH 2

I've always really liked Simple and Clean, but I've never actually listened to Sanctuary until during nominations haha. Really good melody between the vocals and backing instruments! The chorus is very catchy, though I think I could do without the reversed vocals even if it creates an interesting effect in the song. The brief electric guitar part is also very welcome. I really like that transition into the ending part at 3:30 as well.

Glacier Palace has a very whimsical opening that turns into a more adventurous sound. I like it even if I'm not entirely hooked on this song.

MATCH 3

Self-Defense has some nice piano in it. I like the middle part of the song where the piano is more prominent, but where it isn't, the rest of the song feels a little lackluster.

Team Chaotix is pretty solid Sonic rock.

Sanctuary > Team Chaotix > Self-Defense > Glacier Palace (Great Spire) > Head Scratcher > Outdoors at 7 p.m. (Sunny) - Main Street

Halo 2 - Blow Me Away
ONGEKI bright MEMORY - Synthesis.
Goddess of Victory: NIKKE - TuNGSTeN

MATCH 1

I like the piano parts of At Tokione at the start of the song, particularly at 0:34. The part starting at 1:15 seems like it'd be pretty cool too if it wasn't for the way those chords sound. They feel kind of shrill to me.

Blow Me Away is so good! Stuff like Breaking Benjamin is quite literally what I grew up on. When I was young, I'd end up listening to a lot of music my dad likes that he'd play CDs of in the car or whatever was on the rock radio station, songs like this being in the latter category (the former being a lot of 70s and 80s rock music), so I think that influenced a lot of my music tastes early on. The vocals are very catchy, as is the main guitar riff from the start of the song. The only thing I don't really care for as much is that breakdown at 2:28.

MATCH 2

1995 Story is fine but nothing special.

Synthesis is pretty cool! I like the Impetus and Dimension phases the most. Those lean into the cool frenetic rhythm game sound without going too much into more unconventional sounding melodies like some of the other phases do that I'm not a big fan of here. The visuals in this video are insanely cool.

MATCH 3

Have I listened to enough Sawano to say if I like his music or not? Well, I like Xenoblade X music and certain Kill la Kill songs like Before My Body is Dry and Light Your Heart Up, so...probably? Tungsten does feel similar to the Sawano songs I've listened to and like. Good vocals and melody. The chorus is really cool. The melody for the "'Cause I'm a problem child, don't treat me wrong" part is especially good.

Giselle is one of two Fata Morgana songs I know besides Dammi una Sigaretta, both of which I really like. This game is on my giant backlog of visual novels to read, so hopefully that'll change one day when I read this. I like the soft vocals of Giselle, and the strings really add to that emotional mood. This is an unfortunate matchup because I was excited to see this song in the contest, but its opponent is sadly too good to vote for it. Hopefully this game will be more than 35% off on Steam during the summer sale. I'm assuming it won't be, but I might just get it anyway if I don't see a whole lot else I'm eyeing.

Blow Me Away > TuNGSTeN > Giselle > Synthesis. > At Tokione > A.D. 1995 Story

Touhou 10: Mountain of Faith - Fall of Fall ~ Autumnal Waterfall
Ollie King - The Concept of Love (The Concept of Passion Mix)
Fire Emblem: Three Houses - The Apex of the World (Rain)

MATCH 1

I'm generally a big fan of Touhou songs. Fall of Fall feels very much like the usual style of Touhou songs that ZUN composes, and I really like that style, so it certainly works well here too. Lots of nice harmonies with a good flute melody.

That main melody you hear at around 0:55 is really cool. I get the feeling that I wish the song progressed more than it does, but still, that main melody being a central motif in the song helps keep it enjoyable.

MATCH 2

The Concept of Love is probably my favorite Jet Set Radio song. As for this version of it, I feel like the original's a little bit better, but this one is pretty close in enjoyment. The vocal and guitar samples are my favorite part of this song. https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/444/595/d0b.png

Apotheosis sounds nice overall, but unfortunately, I've never been all that big on these more atmospheric, for lack of a better word, string pieces. I like more melody-driven strings.

MATCH 3

I think my favorite part of Fractured Shrines is that guitar part at 2:01. It has a nice folky feel to it. The rest of the song is fine but nothing incredible.

Apex of the World is still good.

Fall of Fall ~ Autumnal Waterfall > The Apex of the World (Rain) > The Concept of Love (The Concept of Passion Mix) > Obtain An Unused Whale In The Abstract Sea > Fractured Shrines > Apotheosis

Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings - In the Sea of Fire ~Lydie
Limbus Company - In Hell We Live, Lament
Dai Sengoku Rance - Alice Ragnarok (Opening)

MATCH 1

I really like the intro to In the Sea of Fire! It has a very adventurous feel to it. The rest of the song is pretty nice as well, even if it isn't the best Atelier has to offer. Solid melodies for the most part.

The more melodic parts of Extol are pretty nice, but I wish it didn't focus as much on that techno bass sound.

MATCH 2

Lament is still as good as it was the first time around. Great melody, especially in the vocals. When this song first showed up in VGMC, I actually didn't know MYTH & ROID at all, so the "feat. KIHOW from MYTH & ROID" didn't really mean anything to me then, but now that I do know who they are, wow what a crazy collab to have in this game! I still don't know that much of their music, but I love Styx Helix and Paradisus Paradoxum from Re:Zero, and L.L.L from Overlord is SO good (Voracity, not so much). I prefer Mayu Maeshima's vocals (and Cassie Wei's, for that matter) over Kihow's though, sorry :(

Don't really like this song melodically, to be honest.

MATCH 3

I'd consider myself a fan of Asano's music. I loved a lot of Blue Reflection's music. So I listened to a lot of Second Tie's soundtrack on a whim during a long drive because of how much I liked the first game's music, but to be honest, I wasn't nearly as impressed as I was with the first game's music. It's just stylistically different from what I liked about the first game's music, I think. Like with Non-Linear Reliance, I think there's more of an atmospheric focus than the melody-heavy songs of the first game, which I think is a good example of why Second Tie's music didn't resonate with me. Still, the soft piano melody that you hear in this song is something that I enjoy, so there's definitely things to like about it!

I feel like S.S.H music like this is probably one of the best representations of the lem-FL81 overlap that I can think of. Very high-energy melodies on top of these kinds of drums is something S.S.H does very well and is something I'm a big fan of. Not to mention, heavy guitar soloing is also very cool to me.

Alice Ragnarok (Opening) > In Hell We Live, Lament > In the Sea of Fire ~Lydie > Non-Linear Reliance > Extol > TA Level 700-899

Utawarerumono Lost Frag - Kono Hoshi Ni Aru Inochi
Eschatos - SILVER LINING
Katamari Damacy Rolling LIVE - STARRY NIGHT FEVER

MATCH 1

I like the piano melody in Neo Land. The rest of it is good too.

I'm definitely a fan of Suara songs! This one isn't exactly top-tier or anything, but it's still a plenty good song! And who knows, this could get the Koi Yume treatment where I wasn't into it at first but then grew on it a lot over time.

MATCH 2

I remember Silver Lining being one of the better Eschatos songs. It has a fun, energetic melody. I think my top 2 in this game is Extermination followed by Point of No Return. I don't know where Silver Lining falls, but it's probably top 5.

I like the softer vibe of October Mermaid. It feels kind of calming. Especially with that melody at the start.

MATCH 3

Blancmute has some cool stuff going on it! Melodically, it's pretty solid as a whole. Some things that stand out to me in particular are that arpeggio at the start that plays throughout the song and the dramatic sound of 0:39 (including more arpeggios that play during that!).

Starry Night Fever didn't hook me all too much in the start, but wow this singer's great! The vocals kicking in is definitely the part that does hook me in. Even the melody feels like it gets better, but maybe that's just because I like the vocals so much haha. The more serious answer might be that the melody's supporting the vocals after they kick in, so naturally, making something I already really like better is a good thing.

STARRY NIGHT FEVER > SILVER LINING > Kono Hoshi Ni Aru Inochi > Neo Land > Song that Summons the Water Spirit - BLANCMUTE (8th.BGM) > October Mermaid

I like every song up today :)

Nine Sols - Nine Sols
SaGa Emerald Beyond - Auld Lang Syne
Stella Glow - Hikari no Metamorphosis

MATCH 1

Nine Sols has a very cool alt rock sound with an incredible vocalist. I love her high notes and the vibrato in her voice during them like at 2:05.

X&Y Champion is a decent champion theme. I like the part at 0:11 the most. I don't remember if there's any champion themes I'm really into from the Pokemon series. I know for Elite Four themes, I really like Black and White's and Sun and Moon's Elite Four themes.

MATCH 2

Spring to Mind is not my thing. Honestly, I always ignore the Groove Coaster machine when I go to the arcade lol.

Auld Lang Syne was another song I was watching in the last hours of nominations. I really like the vocals and there's some cool electronic stuff going on in the background as well. I like that one higher-pitched melody at 0:14 especially.

MATCH 3

This is a cool Brinstar Depths arrangement. I always liked that melody at 0:32-0:44.

Hikari no Metamorphosis is in the dramatic flavor of anisong, and it sounds great! As is often the case with these songs, the chorus is great and definitely one of the highlights of this song. Funny enough, for a while, I didn't know that several songs I liked in the video game sphere were sung by Konomi Suzuki. Besides this song, it was some of the OPs and EDs from Summer Pockets (specifically, Alkatale from the base game and then Asterlore from Reflection Blue for the OPs, and Lasting Moment for the ED), and those songs were what made me make the connection. Days of Dash from the anime The Pet Girl of Sakurasou is the song that put her on my radar by name as a singer. "This Game" from No Game No Life is also really good.

Hikari no Metamorphosis > Nine Sols > Auld Lang Syne > Battle! (Champion) > Brinstar Depths > Spring to mind

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island - Mount Jingara Descending
Limbus Company - Hero
Choro Q3 - The Summer is Night "7/8"

MATCH 1

Mount Jingara Descending has a really cool sound to it. I think 0:43-0:58-ish is my favorite part of the song.

I think I'd find Silly Billy more interesting melodically if it wasn't for the vocal sounds used for the melody. I think if it was regular instruments, I'd like it a lot more, but those vocal sounds feel annoying to me.

MATCH 2

Not sure what to say about assemble. It's pretty cool at times melodically, particularly with the keyboard parts.

I also don't really have a lot to say about Hero haha. I definitely like this more than assemble. The first part of the song has a really cutesy feel to it that I like. 0:24-0:42 is my favorite part of this song.

MATCH 3

This is definitely the day of not having a lot to say lol. I like Balatro Theme the most during the more melody-heavy synth parts.

Man, I remember this song from my first VGMC. A lot of it isn't all that remarkable, but there's some pretty good parts in here. 1:21-1:43 and 2:26-2:48 are the main ones I'm thinking of.

Hero > Mount Jingara Descending > assemble > The Summer is Night "7/8" > Main Theme > Silly Billy

Middle 4 songs are all pretty close.

Earnest Evans (Sega CD) - Stage 6
Toushin Toshi III - get the regret over
MementoMori: AFKRPG - VI. THE SWORD

MATCH 1

As others have mentioned, the late 90s/early 2000s pop feel of Two of Everything is very apparent haha. I would very much vibe to songs like Genie in a Bottle and Baby One More Time that have been mentioned here (probably largely out of nostalgia lol), but I don't like Two of Everything nearly as much. It just feels kind of corny.

Stage 6 is pretty cool! Really like the sound of the instruments in this. Melodically, it's really cool all around as well. I thought 1:04 was going to surprise me with the piano in that I was half-expecting it to do something like The Extreme does where it moves that piano melody up a few semitones to create this sort of "dark" sound, for lack of a better word. Like I'm picturing the piano part of Stage 6 going up 3 semitones at 1:08 (which is also what The Extreme does lol). But it's still cool what it actually does here!

MATCH 2

I love Shade music. Shade rock songs at their best are just so good, and get the regret over is definitely that! That guitar riff at 0:16 is just awesome. The syncopation in the guitar at 0:33 is really cool as well. The guitar solo at 2:51 is another instance of Shade doing what Shade does best. The last minute of the song is also really great with having both the vocals and the crazy guitar riffs front and center. That bit at 4:09 is a cool change in the song too. Stuff like this and Rance songs and the like are very much my thing. Something cool I found out about the singer, Rekka Katakiri, is that she also sung the vocals for the OP to The Devil on G-String, "Answer", another visual novel opening that I really like (and am still excitedly but patiently waiting to see when it drops in FL81's ranking topic hehe), and literally just now I saw that she also sung the vocals for TSUBASA in Umineko.

The Moving Fortress is easily the second-best song up today. Really cool melody with a nice DnB beat to it. This barely missed the cut for my supports considerations during nominations and it was one of the songs that I was keeping a close eye on during the final hours of the nominations period, as I was ready to support it if it needed it. This is, from what I can tell at a glance, the roughest round 1 match in the contest in that both songs are really good but it's lopsided towards one song in terms of what I'd vote for. Better than it being incredibly close though, I guess haha.

MATCH 3

At Her Doorstep is very cool with how there's a lot going on in the melody. There's a slight wistfulness to it as well that I really like.

The Sword is definitely my preference over The Bud. I guess it appeals to my folk music tastes more? I saw a few pirate comparisons in the Discord server, which I definitely see and it's something I like in this song. The "ah" with the fiddle is definitely the best part of the song.

get the regret over > The Moving Fortress > VI. THE SWORD > At Her Doorstep (Aspera 1) = Stage 6 >> Two of Everything

Great top 5 today!

Grandia II - FIGHT!! Ver.1
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky - Sophisticated Fight
Warframe - We All Lift Together

MATCH 1

Plague is really cool at the start of the song! The intro part is interesting and 0:28 brings you into this metal-like riff. But then 1:11 happens and the song goes into the kind of jazz fusion I don't like for ~6 minutes. Not what I expected based on that first minute haha.

I really like the guitar melody in Fight, and the melodies from the other instruments work well with it. Pretty good battle theme!

MATCH 2

I'm not sure how to best describe the melody of Sophisticated Fight other than...cute? Like, I don't know, it's this light, breezy thing and it feels good and I like it! I love a lot of Falcom rock songs, but this is a great song as well.

alkalic acid rush has this cool grimy sound to it, especially with that bass instrument. Definitely a cool sound that I like, but Sophisticated Fight is an easy pick for me.

MATCH 3

I forget if I've listened through the whole Charge Cycles soundtrack or not, but No One Cares About the Letter L is my favorite song from this game! Seeing this

TunnelScene posted...

the more melody-centered charge cycles tracks like this.

makes perfect sense as to why, since that's precisely what I like about it. In particular, the arpeggio starting at the beginning of the song is probably my favorite thing about the song, and I like how it stays present throughout the song as almost like a central piece of the song that the other parts almost revolve around. Or maybe it's the other way around. Or maybe neither of these are how this song was written and this is just how my own brain interprets it. As an aside, I just want to say that I think it's super cool to have actual VGM composers in this community. I think Cathode's been involved with making music for games as well? And then, more recently, we have ema now and her arrangements/remixes. And R-Man too, can't forget about him. I've always thought it would be so cool to put my own musical ideas onto paper and make something that sounds like my own tastes, but it's one of those things where I just don't feel the drive or what-have-you to actually sit down and do it and I'm content with just thinking about it. But in any event, it's really cool to see what others around me have done.

I like the second half of We All Lift Together the most where that synth part comes in and the second singer joins in. It's a decent song. I played Warframe briefly at one point since it was a free game that looked interesting. I liked it, but I remember not really understanding the game a whole lot and I eventually lost interest. Maybe a little dumb of me, I don't know.

Sophisticated Fight > FIGHT!! Ver.1 > Battle -alkalic acid rush- > We All Lift Together > No One Cares About the Letter L > Plague

What a Mario World - title
Mirrors Edge Catalyst - Warning Call
Antonblast - Outta My Way ...It's Happy Hour!

The Smurfs' Nightmare - Mysterious Planet (Another World)
Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania - Amber Scenery
Metal Gear Solid - The Best Is Yet To Come

Busy weekend again, so no writeups for today and tomorrow. Unless I really like one of the songs up tomorrow, Im not sure what they are off the top of my head lol.

9-nine-:Episode 4 - DEAR MY WAKER
Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star - Ar-ciel Ar-manaf
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising - VERSUSIA

MATCH 1

Spheres is decently interesting of a song. Kind of feel like I want to slap a house beat on top of it though.

Dear My Waker is actually a song I had known for about a year or two now but never really got into it until now. If you told me a year ago that I'd nominate this song, I probably wouldn't believe you haha. Not because I didn't like it back then, just that for a while, I found it good but not great. But I don't know, right now I'm really digging it! Melodically, I think it's pretty interesting and a more jazzier in a sense compared to my other VN OP nominations. I'm usually a little pessimistic about these kind of songs breaking out of round 1, but this is one that I'm actually confident about it having a chance! Haven't checked the official count, but I think it's losing by a decent amount though, whoops. Harutoki ~Spring Moment~, the OP to Episode 2 of the game (this is a 4-part episodic visual novel series), is a song from 9-nine- that I feel similar about to how I felt about Dear My Waker in the beginning, so who knows, maybe next year, I'll really like that song too! With Harutoki, I love the piano at the beginning but feel more lukewarm about the verses and chorus. If you liked Dear My Waker, maybe you'll like that too, so feel free to check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNcP6UdJWH8.

Edit: Oh yeah, and 9-nine- is also getting an anime adaptation slated for July 2025. Like many visual novel adaptations that came before it, it might turn out to be bad. Hopefully not! As an aside, it's really neat that we got anime adaptations of three fairly well-known visual novels (within the VN community, that is) relatively recently. ATRI: My Dear Moments, which started airing in July 2024; Summer Pockets, which started airing in April 2025 and is still ongoing; and now 9-nine- Ruler's Crown for July 2025. Seems like ATRI kinda flopped (I heard they rushed the later parts of the story, which I was hoping could be avoided even with a 1 cour since the VN's only around 20 hours long, but oh well), so hopefully Summer Pockets can be saved! I'll be reading the visual novel for Summer Pockets instead though lol. And ATRI too eventually! Might even pick it up it in the summer sale.

MATCH 2

Research Facility was a little intriguing at the start for the first few seconds, but I find it kind of abrasive after that.

Ar-ciel Ar-manaf was ROBBED in VGMC14! I've come to help it in its redemption. Anyway, this is a nice and heartfelt song. I prefer the more intense parts like 1:21. The vocal harmonizing from the conlang parts certainly helps there. But it's a great song overall! My favorite part is still by far 4:44 to the end. Still love that bit of the vocals at 4:47 where it goes up a little.

MATCH 3

VERUSIA kind of reminds me of New World Order at the start, which might be part of why I like that intro so much. As with Ar-ciel Ar-manaf, I like the more intense parts of VERUSIA like 1:55 the most.

Not a fan of Brain Expander.

DEAR MY WAKER > Ar-ciel Ar-manaf > VERSUSIA >> Spheres >> Stage 5 - Research Facility > Brain Expander (Ruins Stage)

SOUND VOLTEX III GRAVITY WARS - Liminality
Kirby Air Ride - Air Ride - Sky Sands
The Smurfs' Nightmare - Mysterious Planet (Another World)

MATCH 1

I'm a little hit or miss on jazz fusion. Some examples of that from VGMC have been really good (can't really recall a lot off the top of my head, to be honest, but I think Ragna Breakers kind of counts, right? I liked that song), while others have been not so good. Liminality has a mix of both. Parts like 1:40-1:50 and 2:17-2:32 are the more jazzier parts of the song that I like, while parts like 1:19-1:39 and 4:22-4:48 are ones that I don't like as much (I think the way the trumpets sound might be partly to blame there haha). But all of that pales in comparison to that amazing chorus at 2:37. It's a big reason why I'm voting for this song, in that it makes the song much stronger as a whole. The vocals, including the melody, are great there and paired up with the piano and drums, this all makes for a really great section of the song.

Another Winter is a VGMC perennial that I don't really get tired of. The bright melody in the chiptune lead and the electric guitar is really nice. Easily the second-best song up today and it's not too far from Liminality, but that chorus really makes it stand out.

MATCH 2

Now You're a Hero is kind of average musically, but I feel like the cheesiness of the lyrics kind of brings down my enjoyment just a little bit more lol.

Kirby songs are not songs that I've historically liked a whole lot with the exception of some Kirby and the Forgotten Land songs. Sky Sands falls into that general category as well. I just don't really find songs like this all that interesting. Still better than its opponent, I guess.

MATCH 3

Mysterious Planet's a good song! I think I voted for it at least once the last (first?) time it was in. It has something of a feel-good melody like going home at the end of the day or something like that.

Parallel Damacy is decent, but not a whole lot that stands out to me.

Liminality > Another Winter > Mysterious Planet (Another World) > Parallel Damacy > Air Ride - Sky Sands > Now you're a hero

Atelier Resleriana: Forgotten Alchemy & the Liberator of Polar Night - The Whereabouts of Life
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III - Spiral of Erebos
11eyes: Tsumi to Batsu to Aganai no Shoujo - Kegare Naki Yume

MATCH 1

The Whereabouts of Life is pretty cool with its dramatic vocals and melody. I typically go for the more folky flavor of Atelier songs that the series is known for, but songs like this are definitely my thing as well!

Eternity has some cool stuff going on synchronously, but the song as a whole doesn't draw me in all that much. Still a good song though!

MATCH 2

Last year, I took Spiral of Erebos to round 5 in my favorites bracket, and unfortunately, it fell just one round short of getting there. This year, I sadly had to drop it round 2 to Kegare Naki Yume, but I still really like Spiral of Erebos! There's Falcom songs I like more, but this is still an upper-tier Falcom song for me.

I liked the other Payday 2 songs more than On the Road Again. This just has something of a cheesy Spaghetti Western feel to me or something like that.

MATCH 3

I think a lot of the Fire Emblem songs I enjoy have come from the more modern games like Shadows of Valentia and Three Houses. Congregation of Ambition is okay, but there's something about the style of this song that I just find kind of uninteresting.

Kegare Naki Yume was my favorite VGMC discovery this year! Really great melody and vocals. This song is very much appealing to my tastes. It's kind of funny that a lot of these VGMC discoveries that I've come to love over the years have also just so happened to be songs that are apparently popular on osu. (Edit: These writeups were super rushed because I started way too late as usual lol, so I'll elaborate a little more on this song at least now that my votes are in) One thing I really like about this song is this darker symphonic feel to it. The violin melody at 0:18, for example, kind of reminds me of Kuusu Mesorogiwi from Future Diaries, which is a big favorite of mine in terms of anime OPs. I grew up really loving symphonic metal, so that might have at least something to do with my like for Kegare Naki Yume. I like the drumming patterns in this song too. The chorus at 1:03, for example, has a drumming pattern that I really like to hear in songs. It's something I kind of associate with some JRPG games like Trails, these strong 2 and 4 beats in the drums. I also like fast drum rolls mixed into the drums like at 0:54. The drums here only make the already great vocals even better. I'm an expert at drumming on my desk with my fingers, and this song makes it very easy to do just that haha. The guitar solo is also really great. Basically, it's just a very top-tier song for me all around.

Kegare Naki Yume > Spiral of Erebos > The Whereabouts of Life > Eternity (Kasumi) > On the Road > Congregation of Ambition

Shadow the Hedgehog - I Am... All of Me
RABBIT & STEEL - A Mysterious Battle
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk - DA PEOPLE

MATCH 1

Danza zandA is fine. Not really a song that appeals to my tastes at all, but it's not a bad listen at all. I actually got to play maimai recently at an arcade and it was fun!

I don't care if I Am All of Me is edgy or whatever, it's a great song! Crush 40 rock songs are definitely the kind of Sonic songs I've liked regardless.

MATCH 2

I like the somber guitar of A World Against Me 2, but as the song goes on, I feel like it starts to feel largely same-y, even if some new ideas are introduced throughout.

Hagane has some cool stuff out there, Shopkeeper's Theme from One Step From Eden being my favorite of them. A Mysterious Battle isn't the most exciting song from this composer, but it's good.

MATCH 3

Tori is unfortunately another song that's just too ambient for my tastes.

DA PEOPLE is pretty good! Cool vocal sampling and funky melodies and all that Hideki Naganuma's very known for.

I Am... All of Me > DA PEOPLE > A Mysterious Battle > Danza zandA (Long Version) > A World Against Me 2 > Tori

Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse - Battle - f8 One Who Stands Against God
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks - Realm Overworld (Full Steam Ahead!)
Senko no Ronde Rev.X - Last Stand

MATCH 1

Battle uf8 starts off with an interesting foreboding atmosphere. Certainly fitting of the title of "One Who Stands Against God." 1:20 is where it really starts to get good. The lead melody is pretty cool, and I like the choir-like vocals underneath it. The song even starts to add a few extra things at 1:41. b2 is still my preferred battle theme, but this one is very cool too!

Not really feeling the style of Now That's Beastieball. Though, I will say that as someone who started off in the Siivagunner community, I really appreciate how this game's music was inspired by that channel, if I'm remembering correctly.

MATCH 2

Realm Overworld is a classic, and a pretty solid one at that. That opening part of the song is a great start to it. The rest of it is nice as well.

EX-Rooftop is actually kind of interesting! 0:32 is really neat with how it makes this dance loop out of something really unconventional but in a way that doesn't sound all that far afield from a more typical dance song. Realm Overworld is more my song, but I definitely respect EX-Rooftop.

MATCH 3

Not much to say about Last Stand. Nothing over-the-top, but a solid listen all throughout.

Do not like Your Best Nightmare very much. It fits the context of the song for sure, but it's not the kind of song I want to listen to. I'm all for Amen Breaks, but that's not going to be enough for this song unfortunately.

Battle - f8 One Who Stands Against God > Realm Overworld (Full Steam Ahead!) > Last Stand > EX-Rooftop > NOW THAT'S! BEASTIEBALL!!! > Your Best Nightmare

Heaven Burns Red - Shi ni Yuku Kisetsu no Kimi e
The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- - Invasion
Secret of Mana - Meridian Dance

MATCH 1

I've been enjoying a lot of the Heaven Burns Red that people have been nominating for the contest or otherwise sharing in general, but this song is by far my favorite of these discoveries! As someone who's very melody-driven and likes rich harmonies with lots of instruments and all that, this song is perfect for me. As a few examples, the chorus at 1:07 has I think at least two violin parts, a piano, some softer vocal harmonizing underneath the main vocals. Very much a me thing for a song to do haha. Also, towards the end at around 4:20, I think the number of violin parts playing at once jumps to 3 on top of the piano and vocal harmonizing that remains. And there's probably a lot more stuff in there too that I just can't hear. Everything here is just so good and heavily appeals to my taste. There isn't a single thing that I can complain about. As I mentioned yesterday, this is pretty easily my favorite song in the contest! Something kind of amusing to me is that the chorus to this song sounds like an even better version of the chorus to Yukitoki from Oregairu (https://youtu.be/qDE4pm6yiHM?si=nLK7CdquoLuQxOEP&t=57), also sung by Yanagi Nagi (but different composer), and I'm also a big fan of all the opening themes from that show (also a very top-tier romcom anime at that imo).

Adularia is pretty cool as well. The piano parts in particular are my favorite. I really like those rhythm game piano songs that have these fast, sweeping piano parts. There's a decent chance I would've voted for this song in other matchups, but unfortunately, not here.

MATCH 2

Dwarven Ruins is decent. I think 1:52 is the best part. Has a bit of a cool exploration vibe going on there.

I like the harshness of Invasion. Definitely sounds like a song that would play if you're fending off an invasion. There's this sense of urgency to it. I've heard a lot of good things about this game and I'm definitely a fan of Uchikoshi, so I should probably pick it up at some point.

MATCH 3

Silentroom songs are not songs that I've been a big fan of historically. I'd say Nhelv is one of the better ones I've heard though. The part at 1:29 is definitely my favorite. I like hearing that melody without the heavy drum-n-bass part. Now, I do like that style of music, but I think I'm just not a big fan of the drums here.

Meridian Dance is one of the Secret of Mana songs that I've always liked. It's got a pretty solid melody overall. The part at 1:23 with the flute overlapping with the other melody is pretty cool too. 0:43 is another part that I really like.

Shi ni Yuku Kisetsu no Kimi e > Meridian Dance > Adularia (Long Mix) > Invasion > Nhelv > Dwarven Ruins

loweffortmemes posted...

Busy day today, so wont be able to do writeups now. Probably not before matches close today. But I will do them before the end of tomorrows matches. At least enough for me to say my piece about Todokanai Koi since thats my nom haha.

Ok time for actual writeups now.

MATCH 1

So, yes, Todokanai Koi is a song that I'm very fond of. Compared to YumeIro, this song is more in the realm of sentimental. The English name of the song, after all, is Unreachable Love. The guitar especially brings this slightly wistful feel to the song. The vocals are great as well. Sometimes a part of a song hits just right and it's a pretty powerful feeling, and that part for this song is at 1:25 with the "ha" in "hajimeru" in the vocals. Really good song all around. I first heard a slightly different version of this song from the anime adaptation of White Album 2, which I watched probably like a decade ago now. I remember not actually liking it lol, but my guess is that I'd like the visual novel more, which makes sense since it's currently the #3 highest rated visual novel on vndb (and has actually been #1 before) with an average score of 9.0, only 0.1 points away from #2 Steins;Gate and 0.2 points from #1 Rance X. Anyway, I like the visual novel OP a lot more after comparing the two. I didn't even know that this song was in the visual novel until literally right before this year's contest started and I heard it in that best of galge/eroge list I looked at that is the source of several nominations of mine this year haha. So I'm glad that I found out this song was eligible because it's great.

Assault of Hexed Faith has a lot of cool things in it. Pretty much every moment of the song has something good going on in it from that bit in the intro at 0:00, to the vocals, to the electric guitar too.

MATCH 2

I like Transforming even if it's not the best thing from this sort of idol music style. The versus and chorus are decent. I think the part I like the most is actually the part of the song that says "transforming" at 0:42 haha. I don't really listen to idol music, so Hololive's "Shiny Smily Story" is one of the few things I can think of as a comparison to Transforming in terms of idol songs I really like. That and some Love Live and Idolm@ster stuff.

The beginning part of Conquest's Calm and Ablaze versions are definitely my favorite part of the song. That is, 0:00-0:33 and 2:03-2:51. Other parts of the song aren't as strong for me. Though, the part after 2:51 in Ablaze is pretty nice.

MATCH 3

Don't really have a lot to say about Future Express. Pretty solid melody.

Highbrow has some cool stuff, my favorite of it being the part at 2:10. Kind of close, but I think Highbrow is better on average with some of the cool parts of this song.

Todokanai Koi > Assault of Hexed Faith > transforming > Conquest ~ Conquest (Ablaze) > Highbrow > FUTURE EXPRESS

White Album 2 - Todokanai Koi
Umamusume: Pretty Derby - transforming
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time - Highbrow

Busy day today, so wont be able to do writeups now. Probably not before matches close today. But I will do them before the end of tomorrows matches. At least enough for me to say my piece about Todokanai Koi since thats my nom haha.

With the little time that I have now though, I will just say that Todokanai Kois my second-favorite song in Bracket B and I have to kill it round 4 in my favorites bracket to To You in the Dying Season, which is my number 1 song in the contest this year. If only Todokanai Koi was in B1 so I could make both retire!

Wingspan - Now I Go
Pokmon Trading Card Game - Club Master Duel
PAYDAY: The Heist - I Will Give You My All

MATCH 1

Now I Go is another nice, soft, sentimental song with the cello and acoustic guitar. I like it!

Land of Flames, the Sky is pretty decent. The melody at 0:12-0:24 is my favorite part of the song. The rest of it isn't as good but is still fine.

MATCH 2

Club Master Duel feels like if they put a Pokemon gym on the S.S. Anne. It has that feel of a gym theme at parts like 0:14 combined with a sort of nautical feel at 0:58 that feels reminiscent of some Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald songs.

This reminds me that I nominated Gentle Jena from Planetarian a few years ago, which unfortunately didn't get any supports. That kind of song's much more my preference compared to Human Warrior. Though, Human Warrior's fine. It gets better at 2:56 and then peaks at 3:20 with the guitar solo. Another reminder that I really need to read Planetarian haha. And then watch Kaginado.

MATCH 3

There's a really cool harshness to Sabbath that I like a lot. Really fills your ears, which I guess might explain some of why I like it lol. I especially like the drums.

I Will Give You My All has very catchy vocals. Cool EDM parts too. The "best of me" part kind of reminds me of Best of You by Foo Fighters, which means I have to link this classic haha. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vRlJrkxsqo

I Will Give You My All > SABBATH ~ Devil's Banquet > Now I Go > Club Master Duel > Land of Flames, The Sky > Human Warrior

Sonic Frontiers: The Final Horizons - Second Wind - Sonic Mvt.
Zenless Zone Zero - Original Me
Secret of Mana (2018) - Did You See the Ocean?

MATCH 1

I really like the piano and acoustic guitar combo of Second Wind. Definitely an instrument combo that I like in general, not just in this song. The melody is nice and sentimental. Some slightly dissonant chords in the last minute or so that I could do without, but otherwise, this is a really nice song!

Amalgamaniac kind of ebbs and flows some in terms of enjoyability, but the peaks of the song are quite nice! I think the last 30 seconds or so of the song is the best part. Bit of a close match, but I think Second Wind is more consistently good.

MATCH 2

I really like Original Me! The chorus is very infectiously catchy. In general, this song has great vocals and melody.

The Shores of Heaven is pretty decent melodically and I like the harmonizing that goes on in this song, especially in the latter half of it. The only thing I don't really care for is how the MIDI guitar sounds in the lower octave like at 0:43. It sounds better in the higher octave, but I just think the lower octave sounds...too MIDI, I guess?

MATCH 3

Worst Mistake is alright. Not the best melodically, but it's fine.

I really like the original Into the Thick of It and the original Did You See the Ocean is cool too. This remake version of Did You See the Ocean is also really cool! It's been growing on me little by little today the more I listened to it. The start of the original version is something I really like for the acoustic guitar part, so I feel like I'd rather it be a little more prominent at times in the remake version, but where that melody is more prominent, it's really good! The remake version does some cool new things as well, my favorite being 1:55-2:12.

Did You See the Ocean? > Original Me > Second Wind - Sonic Mvt. > Amalgamaniac > The Shores of Heaven (Sanguine Wastes) > Worst Mistake

Yurucamp Have a nice day! - Loch to Tabibito
Epic Loon - Evil nutshells with hay fever vs all people named Renee
Minecraft: Tricky Trials - Precipice

MATCH 1

Loch and the Traveler is really nice! I like the vocals and the soft sound to this. I don't think it's something I'll find super memorable, but there's no doubt it's a nice listen.

I liked 999 the most out of the Zero Escape games' soundtrack. VLR has a few good songs. Clarification and Blue Bird Lamentation (though I prefer Morphogenetic Sorrow) are the ones I'm thinking of. A lot of the other ones like GLTM are just ones I'm not really attached to. Fun fact: GLTM-KM506 stands for Gaulem Type Male - Kansai Model No. 506. That's his name in the Japanese version of the game and he speaks in a Kansai dialect. In the English version, he gets a different name and speaks in a Cockney accent.

MATCH 2

I prefer Carpathians over Renee. Renee is fine though but nothing outstanding. I think I like 2:40-2:50 the most? And what does this composer have against Renee Zellweger?

I like the general style of North, but unfortunately, it's too soft of a song for me.

MATCH 3

Not into Ancient Soundtrack 1 at all.

Precipice is a really interesting song! There's some cool layering going on in the melody that I like.

Loch to Tabibito > Precipice > Evil nutshells with hay fever vs all people named Renee > North > GLTM-KM506 > Ancient Soundtrack 1

Muse Dash - Thirty Million Persona
Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- - Seimeisen
Thunder Force IV - Metal Squad

MATCH 1

Thirty Million Persona is really neat! The chorus is especially really cool. I like the brightness of it that I feel like I haven't heard in an Alice Schach song before. But the song overall is definitely good.

I like the start of Mantis Lords. Some of the middle to end of the song is less my thing, but it's a cool boss theme overall.

MATCH 2

Seimeisen is some pretty good jpop music! I think I like the piano the most. The vocals are good here too.

Silent Street is really cool too! I like this for similar reasons. The piano in this song is nice as well, as are the vocals. This song has some nice strings and a cool trance beat as well. Seimeisen's more my kind of song, but this was a bit of an unfortunate matchup.

MATCH 3

Lord of Fiends is a good song, but it doesn't really appeal to me all that strongly despite doing several things that I like in a general sense like dramatic vocals and a rock feel with the electric guitar and drums. I think it's just that I don't find the melodies all that interesting.

Thunder Force IV has a lot of great songs! So much so that I consider it my favorite Sega Genesis soundtrack. Metal Squad is one of those songs I found early on in my time getting into and discovering video game music and it's definitely stuck! This was a song I actually nominated my very first year participating in VGMC, VGMC13. It's just a very action-packed song with the harsh FM synth guitars creating a pretty banging rock tune.

Metal Squad > Seimeisen > Silent Street (Battle) > Thirty Million Persona > Lord of Fiends > Mantis Lords

Strong day today!

Ano, Subarashii o Mou Ichido / Saisouban HD - Twin Moon
Skeleton Boomerang - Disco Necropolis (Graveyard Stage)
Legaia 2: Duel Saga - Lost Forest

Once again, no time for writeups, sorry! Busy Memorial Day weekend for me haha. Match 1 is close. Disco Necropolis pretty handily wins best song of the day for me.

Fire Emblem Fates - Alight (Storm)
pop'n music 8 - Beyond the Bounds Mitsuto Suzuki 020203 Mix feat.Sana
Yume to Iro de Dekiteiru - Yume to Iro de Dekiteiru

MATCH 1

The main part of Another Soul at 0:02 is pretty cool. I like the layering of different melodic lines in that part. Some cool chords throughout too.

Alight (Storm) starts out very strong with that dramatic and bombastic flair. I really enjoy it! I don't think the rest of the song is quite as good as that opening, but it maintains that same style throughout, which is definitely good. Cool stuff all around!

MATCH 2

Passage From Genesis has a cool atmosphere to it. I like a lot of the very dreamlike sounds going on here.

This is a very cool remix of Beyond the Bounds! I have some issues with how the original sounds, and while I don't think this would be the "ideal" version of the song as far as my tastes go, I definitely like the take on this. Good vocals with a solid house beat.

MATCH 3

So, the funny thing about YumeIro making the bracket is that I put this next to last on my day 3 nominations because I thought it'd be one of the least likely songs to make the bracket. But it's nice that it did. And after my attempt to get the ED, Kore Kurai de, the year prior too. Unsurprisingly, I'm sure, I'm a big fan of this kind of "extremely anime" music. There are a lot of visual novel OP nominations of mine that managed to make it into the bracket this year, but for me personally, I think they can all be distinguished in different ways based on how they sound in the sense that they all feel like different songs and appeal to different parts of my music tastes even when they all share the "anime" vibe. YumeIro, I think, is the song that feels the most like a pure distillation of the word "anime". I guess it's just that bright, upbeat, kind of saccharine sound. But it's one that I really love all the same. Once I finish filling out the bracket, this will almost certainly be my Bracket A winner absent any surprises in A4.

Lysine is neat but just doesn't appeal to me as much as some of the other songs from this game. Mainly Isoleucine when thinking about the battle themes (I assume that's what the chemical names are).

Yume to Iro de Dekiteiru > Alight (Storm) > Beyond the Bounds Mitsuto Suzuki 020203 Mix feat.Sana > Another Soul > Passage from Genesis > -(LYSINE)-

[-Aka-] - To the West
Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) - FLAME CORE ~THE CAVERN~
CHUNITHM LUMINOUS PLUS - Re-Fiction-O

MATCH 1

I liked the vocal songs from Aka better than To the West, but this song is very nice as well. I think tazzy summed it up well. For me, I like the "chorus" part of the song the most. I especially l like how that higher pitched flute interacts with the other instruments.

The only thing that I know about MyHouse.wad is that it got a lot of attention online and that I should apparently read House of Leaves. This song definitely conveys this atmosphere of "something's not right" that the game probably gives off too. But, I've said before that more ambient stuff like this isn't really my thing, and that holds true here as well.

MATCH 2

Blue was cool to listen to in the background, but it's not something that really stands out to me.

Flame Core is also not really anything special, but I like it a little bit more than Blue.

MATCH 3

Re-Fiction-O is very cool compositionally in the same vein as some of the other sasakure.UK representatives in the contest in past years. Cool melodic lines and modulation going on.

Boss Battle Song 2 feels like kind of a mix-and-match of different musical ideas, none of which really stand out to me, but it's a fine song!

To the West > Re-Fiction-O >> Boss Battle Song 2 > FLAME CORE ~THE CAVERN~ > .BLUE -To Live Again on Earth- (C1, D1, D2, E1) > memory=entryrrrr/////

Last Ninja 2: Back with a Vengeance (C64) - Central Park
The Hokkaido Serial Murder Case: The Okhotsk Disappearance ~Memories in Ice, Tearful Figurine~ - Tokyo
Fitness Boxing feat. HATSUNE MIKU - Let's Mikusercise!!

Don't have time for writeups today, sorry! Mikusercise was very good, but I'm biased there as a big Vocaloid fan. Tokyo was also really cool!

Edit: If BambooSword Girl is eligible to be nominated, I'd definitely be willing to nominate it. The description says "This music is produced for BEMANI event of GUMI 5th anniversary" so maybe? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUTDXV0ZuZ0

Let's Mikusercise!! > Tokyo > Central Park > Stage 2 > Catalina > Mission Theme 02

Cities Skylines: Campus - Anywhere (Where Youre Not)
DoDonPachi Blissful Death Re:Incarnation - Taido (Kenichiro Fukui Remix)
Goddess of Victory: NIKKE - Recursion

MATCH 1

Anywhere is pretty cool! I like the pop punk feel to it. There have been a few mentions of the 2000s that feel pretty accurate here. Tazzy mentioned Avril Lavigne. I liked music like that growing up, so it definitely makes sense that I like this song too.

Baladium Drive's neat. I get almost a JRPG vibe to this song.

MATCH 2

Flags of Brave is cool! I like the vocals here. The orchestra in the background is pretty neat too.

Taido's buildup is kind of meh, but I really like the main part of the song that it gets to, starting at 2:07. Last year, I voted against the original, Grieving Womb, round 1. Comparing the two, I honestly like what the remix does with it better than the original. But either way, Grieving Womb got a bad matchup with Late Goodbye, which was an easy pick in that match and a strong song for me. I think this remix focuses more on the stuff that I did like about Grieving Womb. One of it is what one commenter on the original song referred to as "rave stabs" starting at 2:20. Another is the way it works that synth part of 2:07 into the song throughout. The way the song has like 3 or 4 distinct melodic lines playing at once is very much something I like. That harsher bass sound at 2:19 is a great lead-in as well to the next part of the song. Very hype all around! Minus the buildup, it's a strong improvement over the original in my eyes.

MATCH 3

Recursion is a very cool trance song. Super energetic with a good melody. I like it!

Break the Rules is also pretty cool, albeit a little cheesy. Recursion's more my thing though.

Taido (Kenichiro Fukui Remix) > Recursion > Flags of Brave > Break the Rules > Anywhere (Where Youre Not) > Baladiums Drive

Good day today!

League of Legends - Everything Goes On
Mekazoo - Sinful Syncopation
PAC-MAN MUSEUM+ - Ladies and PAC-MAN

MATCH 1

I have a long history with Porter Robinson songs dating back to his Spitfire EP where I first listened to his music after being introduced to it through Knife Party, which I was a fan of back then in the early 2010s. Language was a song of his that I was a fan of around that time too. Easy with Mat Zo was a big favorite of mine for sure back then. Worlds had some good songs as well. That's pretty much all of what I listened from him back then from what I can remember before Shelter came out, which was the last song of his I really got into. Although, I distinctly remember listening to a live set of his where he played a mashup of Flicker with Connect from Madoka Magica as well as playing Irony from Oreimo lmao. Anyway, suffice to say, I've been a fan of Porter Robinson's music for a while now. Everything Goes On has some great vocals, and I really like the guitar and piano parts of the song. I wish those stuck around during the chorus, but I like how the chorus sounds as is. This song has some great production with all the different moving parts of the song, which you can especially hear at the end during the last run of the chorus. I honestly have this idea in my head of how the chorus to this song might sound if I was rearranging this to really match my tastes. Makes me wish I could actually make it haha.

I have a confession to make. I've started to grow a little disinterested in the Kudonium as of late. Mainly the electric guitar-heavy songs of his. I think there were a couple that were nominated, but Forlorn Last Stand largely has a different approach with the orchestra mixed with electronic stuff, which is pretty neat! And I will say, even the electric guitar part of this song was cool. Not that I outright hate that stuff now, mind you, just that I might be less enthused about it now than in the past. This song got an unfortunate matchup because I'd take it over every other song up today besides Everything Goes On. And honestly, I'd take it over most of the left side of Bracket A too.

MATCH 2

Sinful Syncopation, true to its name, has a cool rhythm to it! The guitar parts are nice, as are the synth parts. Neat stuff overall.

Library has a neat atmosphere to it. Kind of feels like I'm exploring the room searching for something, sort of in a Zero Escape way.

MATCH 3

Ladies and PAC-MAN is pretty decent. I don't know if I'd consider myself an electro swing guy, but it's cool here. Could do without those squeaky vocals though.

I've never really been a fan of Kenhull Badlands, to be honest. 1:17-1:39's not bad though.

Everything Goes On > Forlorn Last Stand > Sinful Syncopation > Library > Ladies and PAC-MAN > Kenhull Badlands

BanG Dream! Girls Band Party - Georgette Me, Georgette You
Little Busters! - Melancholy of a Noisy Girl
Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore - Durridin Forest

MATCH 1

Abyss is okay. Most of it is pretty inoffensive, even if not that interesting. 1:13-1:39 is where it gets into territory I don't like.

Georgette Me, Georgette You is a nice song. Definitely gets better once the electric guitar and drums kick in.

MATCH 2

Vast Ice Mountain has that general Pokemon Mystery Dungeon sound that I like. I don't really know how to explain it, but a lot of the songs from this series have a certain vibe to it in how they sound that I enjoy. That said though, it's often not to a degree that I come back to listen to these songs, just that they're cool to listen to in the moment. Vast Ice Mountain is no different here.

Melancholy of a Noisy Girl is my second-favorite character theme in the game behind Ring Ring Ring. And it's also the theme for my favorite character in the game, Haruka Saigusa, whose personality is really reflected by the kind of song this is. Wacky, zany, and all that stuff. It's a really fun song with a lot of character and a lot going on in it, the latter of which is definitely a common theme in songs that I like a lot. I haven't filled out A2 in my favorites bracket yet, but this song will be my A2 retiree once I decide Flags of Brave vs. Taido lol.

Some asides that are only tangentially related to Melancholy of a Noisy Girl: I think the character themes as a whole are really solid, with none that I dislike. I was thinking today that I kind of wish that this piano arrange of Kud's theme, Exotic Toybox was legal (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-B340rEbrsw), but it looks like it only plays in an arrange album and not in Kud Wafter (a spinoff game starring one of the game's heroines). I have no intention of reading through it to find out though lol. Also, I feel obligated to link this 16-year-old Niconico video because I experienced this and so should you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQfJjZs5H6A

MATCH 3

Durridin Forest is decent. Nothing too special, but it's plenty fine. Not much to say.

lem voting against the vocal song?! Well, it's actually not that surprising to me here. I do like the backing instruments in this song and I'd probably take Kiss me Sunlights here if not for the fact that I don't like the singer's vocals in this song.

Melancholy of a Noisy Girl > Georgette Me, Georgette You > Vast Ice Mountain > Durridin Forest > Kiss me Sunlights > Porgy - Abyss