The first half of this album is such a beautiful, emotive piece. It delivers a story through music so well- not since Tommy has a Rock Opera given me such a clear plotline and description of events. The second half, however, is too dependent on instrumental sections and liner notes to deliver the story it wants to. The gradual style shift from eighties-esque pop to electronic rock-pop also feels incredibly disjointed, despite the obvious thematic purpose.
The voice acting/singing is brilliant- Wily and Light's voices match their personalities and depictions on the cover so well. Shame Emily's sounds too whiny and pompous to match her character.
I loved the plot, dark though it was, but throughout it I simply couldn't get it to sync up with the Megaman mythos in any meaningful way. While not quite In Name Only, it changes so much and offers only passing continuity nods to justify the connection to its source material.
If only they had let it stand on its own instead of trying to shoehorn it into the Megaman mythos, and put the same effort into the music and lyrics of the second half of album that they put into the first, this brilliant album could be a true classic instead of fancy fanfic. A real masterwork instead of just another footnote in Megaman's long history. So much wasted potential... it makes me more than a little sad.
Sub-note: The fanbase may be the most grating I've encountered yet, Chamethrower squadron in particular. If there were pockets of resistance around, the whole plot would cease to work, and chamethrowers are the dumbest weapon ever ever ever. This from someone who enjoyed G Gundam.
Act II; Falls short of greatness
The first half of this album is such a beautiful, emotive piece. It delivers a story through music so well- not since Tommy has a Rock Opera given me such a clear plotline and description of events. The second half, however, is too dependent on instrumental sections and liner notes to deliver the story it wants to. The gradual style shift from eighties-esque pop to electronic rock-pop also feels incredibly disjointed, despite the obvious thematic purpose.
The voice acting/singing is brilliant- Wily and Light's voices match their personalities and depictions on the cover so well. Shame Emily's sounds too whiny and pompous to match her character.
I loved the plot, dark though it was, but throughout it I simply couldn't get it to sync up with the Megaman mythos in any meaningful way. While not quite In Name Only, it changes so much and offers only passing continuity nods to justify the connection to its source material.
If only they had let it stand on its own instead of trying to shoehorn it into the Megaman mythos, and put the same effort into the music and lyrics of the second half of album that they put into the first, this brilliant album could be a true classic instead of fancy fanfic. A real masterwork instead of just another footnote in Megaman's long history. So much wasted potential... it makes me more than a little sad.
Sub-note: The fanbase may be the most grating I've encountered yet, Chamethrower squadron in particular. If there were pockets of resistance around, the whole plot would cease to work, and chamethrowers are the dumbest weapon ever ever ever. This from someone who enjoyed G Gundam.