Chris May 10, 2008
It seems like Norihiko Hibino has pulled out all the stops for the Sekaiju no MeiQ II Super Arrange Version. Whereas the predecessor was quite a straightforward album with a few guest arrangements, this one has an all-star line-up and a tonne of diversity. I've discussed the background and arrangers of the album in some detail here but here are the track listings for easy reference:
01) Come On, Start the Adventure! (Norihiko Hibino)
02) Town - Those Who Will Carve their Name in Legends (Yoshitaka Suzuki)
03) Labyrinth I - Woodland Ruins (Norihiko Hibino)
04) Battlefield - The First Campaign (Kenichiro Fukui)
05) Battlefield - A Sudden Gust of Wind that Calls for Death (Takahide Ayuzawa)
06) Town - The Wind Doesn't Draw Heroes (Hiroshi Miyauchi)
07) Battlefield - Scarlet Rain (Takahide Ayuzawa)
08) Labyrinth IV - Cherry Tree Bridge (Takahiro Izutani)
09) Battlefield - Inspecting the Resounding Weapons (Jeff Curry)
10) Labyrinth V - Heavens' Rock Seat (Yoshitaka Suzuki)
11) Battlefield - Last Battle ~ Battlefield - Heavens' Governor (Yuzo Koshiro)
12) The Heroes Return (Hiroshi Miyauchi)
13) Labyrinth VI - Forbidden Forest (Norihiko Hibino)
14) Battlefield - Shiver (Jeff Curry)
15) Battlefield - Scatter About (Motoi Sakuraba)
45 second samples of each arrangement can be heard at CDJapan here. Just click on an F button to launch flash player. Note that their arranger list is incomplete and Yuzo Kodai is a misspelling of Yuzo Koshiro. Otherwise these samples give a very good insight into the album. I think this definitely has the potential to be the best arranged album of 2008.