Alternative Ranking System ~ Best of Individual Entries

[Ken Hisuag]

That's a potentially confusing header, but I'm rather fond of the grammatically unique style of Touhou titles, and once this one emerged I decided to keep it.

The recent popularity poll rekindled an idea I had about ranking within Touhou. Given the extensive nature of the series, some of the categories suffer from impossibly high quantity of options, specifically regarding characters (as has been discussed) and music. As my investment in the series is focused more on the music, my considerations on this matter were formulated in that direction, but I suspect the idea could be applied in other directions.

To encourage the recognition of underappreciated tracks, I propose the challenge of an alternative ranking system: rather than a list of one's favorite pieces from across the whole series, a compilation of favorites from each individual entry. Instead of a top ten[ish], such a list would be comprised of at least one, at most three, tracks per game or disc release. I call this a "challenge," because the endeavor would require a near complete familiarity with all the music in the series, which most fans do not have. There might also be a question concerning smaller entries like Forbidden Scrollery or Bohemian Archive (a similar question might arise with character rankings), but I believe the exercise would be nonetheless interesting to attempt.

[nightsedge561]

my personal list

touhou hrtp- eternal shrine maiden. im not too fond of the pc98 games, but zun definitly had his magic touch back then as there are still some excellent tracks in these

touhou soew- complete darkness. i dont know of many tracks specifically from this game (asides from theme of eastern story) but mimas theme in this feels intense, and very well made. honorable mention is love colored magic

touhou podd- reincarnation. speaking of mimas theme, another classic pc98 track. im not too familiar with podd ost, but reincarnation is probably the pc98 track i come back to the most.

touhou lls- sleeping terror. honestly a really hard pick, this one has a lot of really good tracks, but i decided on sleeping terror. its the track i think of first when i think of yuuka, and this game as well. feels like a final boss them despite not, zun probably made both this and inanimate dream and wanted to use both.

touhou ms- legendary illusion~infinite being. man, who couldve seen this coming lol. another hard pick, as this ost also has a lot of really good tracks, but i have a bit of a bias towards this one. it was one of the track that introduced me to touhou, and is one of the only other pc98 tracks i keep going back to. it feels almost like some of the later final boss themes in the series, going for a more cinematic and climactic approaches. honorable mention to romantic children.

i will come back tomorrow and tackle the next few games.

[buskerdog]

Since I have recently become a university student, I don't have so much time on my hands now, but I'll still make an effort to be active on here, and hopefully after a while things will get more settled and I'll have a bit more time to spend here. Anyways, I certainly have the familiarity with the game music. I might rank the CD music too sometime, but since I can't remember and compare all the tracks mentally it would be much more time consuming, so I'll leave it for now. As for things like Print Work OSTs, sure there are some nice tracks but it seems a little pointless to rank them unless you do them all together.

Also disclaimer this list doesn't have PC-98; I do listen to the PC-98 music and there are plenty of quality tracks but my opinions on them aren't as strong so I just can't easily pick out favourites from each entry like I can with the windows games. This list also exludes 100th Black Market, Impossible Spellcard and Violet Detector. Alright now with that out of the way let's get started.

Spoiler

• EoSD - Lunar Clock ~ Luna Dial. This is my favourite Touhou song, period.
• PCB - Ghostly Band ~ Phantom Ensemble. It would be criminal not to also mention such songs as Border of Life and Necrofantasia, but this one is my favourite.
• IaMP - Onigashima in the Fairlyland ~ Missing Power. IaMP could be my favourite soundtrack, but it sadly seems to often get overlooked outside of Broken Moon. Normally picking a final boss theme would be an "obvious" choice, but for some reason no one ever talks about this one???
• IN - Flight of the Bamboo Cutter ~ Lunatic Princess. It's hard to pick a favourite in this iconic soundtrack, but I think I like this one the most (partially for nostalgia reasons of a certain remix).
• PoFV - Spring Lane ~ Colourful Path. For me, best Reimu theme.
• StB oh god wait I forgot I had to include all the little spinoff games in this list too Retrospective Kyoto. I think this song's appearance in Neo-Traditionalism of Japan might be helping it a bit. Whatever the reason, this is the song I remember from this game, apart from Wind God Girl, but StB has the same version of that song as PoFV.
• MoF - A God that Misses People ~ Romantic Fall. What? Were you expecting The Gensokyo the Gods Loved? Fall of Fall? Native Faith? Hah, take this! Stage 1 theme!!!
• SWR - The Ground's Colour is Yellow. SWR has several cool battle themes, but this one has always stuck with me as a favourite.
• SA - Last Remote. SA has such an incredible - and unique - soundtrack among Touhou games. I'm very fond of this game's stage 1 theme, The Dark Blowhole, but I just can't in good faith pick it when this exists.
• UFO - Heian Alien. Expecting an interesting comment here? Nah, I just think this is a good song lol.
• Hisoutensoku - Our Hisoutensoku. I considered the other tracks including the arrangements, but this is just too catchy!
• DS - Bell of Avici ~ Infinite Nightmare. Gonna be honest with you, this is just the first one that popped into my head.
• GFW - The Refrain of the Lovely Great War. GFW has a really nice set of stage themes...
• TD - Spirit of Avarice. Touhou has a lot of good title themes and I find that in the more recent games they only seem to be getting better. Anyway, it's time to g r o o v e .
• HM - Performer Select. I threw a curveball at ya with this one, didn't I? The Lost Emotion is still a classic, but I love this game's character select theme.
• DDC - Mysterious Purification Rod. Remember what I said about title themes getting better and better?
• ULiL - Neo Bamboo Forest in Flames. Oh no, it's the moral dilemma of if the tracks from the PS4 version should be counted as part of the original game or not? Well, I want to put this here rather than in AoCF because then it frees up another slot for AoCF, lol.
• LoLK - Pure Furies ~ Whereabouts of the Heart. There are several unique sounding gems in this game, but Pure Furies remains at the top for me.
• AoCF - The Yorimashi Sits Between Dream and Reality ~ Necro-Fantasia. Gosh, that's a long title, but I really love this theme for Yukari. Also shoutouts to the arranged version on the OST that sounds like it came straight out of a Pokemon game.
• HSiFS - Illusionary White Traveller. At last, a stage theme pick that can squarely be considered from the middle of the game.
• WBaWC - Entrusting this World to Idols ~ Idolatrize World. OK, if you want a more niche pick then know that I really like Seraphic Chicken, but come on, how could I not pick this theme?
• Gouyoku Ibun - wait a minute, this game has an awesome arrange of Seraphic Chicken. Seraphic Chicken.
• UM - Ore from the Age of the Gods. My favourite theme from UM may be short and simple, but perhaps that's why it works. I've said it before that there aren't enough arranges of this song. It's been long enough, why aren't there any arranges of this song?

Making this list was actually pretty fun, hope you enjoy reading it too!

 

Edited September 29, 2022 by buskerdog

[Ken Hisuag]

Alright then, we'll see how far I get with this before I run out of time for today.

Touhou 1 ~ Highly Responsive to Prayers
This is my favorite entry of the PC-98 era, musically speaking. It's notably different from proceeding material (particularly if you're listening to the original), but it's still composed of quality motifs and progression structures. Swordsman of a Distant Star (one of a few different titles for the track) is my particular favorite from the album; second place is more difficult to pick out, but I think I'll go with Eternal Shrine Maiden.

Touhou 2 ~ Story of Eastern Wonderland
This is where ZUN's definitive style was established, particularly with the distinction between stage themes and boss themes. Complete Darkness and Himorogi, Burn in Violet are my picks for this one, but with the corollary of ZUN's later SC-88Pro arrangement of the latter being the preferred version, both for instrumentation and slight arrangement distinction. Honorable mention to Hakurei ~ Oriental Wind.

Touhou 3 ~ Phantasmagoria of Dim. Dream
As my second favorite PC-98 entry, this one is more difficult to decide on. Nearly every track has noteworthy merit, and picking one or two immediately brings to mind the ones left behind. Nonetheless, I believe I'll settle on Eastern Mystical Love Consultation and Maple Dream..., with the former favoured toward the Untouched Scores version. Honorable mention to Strawberry Crisis!!, theme of my favorite character.

Touhou 4 ~ Lotus Land Story
While there's plenty of good pieces here, I have far less trouble deciding my favorites for this one. Sleeping Terror and Faint Dream ~ Inanimate Dream are far and away the best tracks in this era as a whole, and the latter remains one of my favorites in the entire series.

Touhou 5 ~ Mystic Square
All of the Alice-associated themes deserve recommendation, with Romantic Children and Grimoire of Alice particularly standing out to me. Additionally, I want to give honorable mention to Wondrous Romance ~ Mystic Square as an underrated menu theme.

Touhou 5 Music Room
A total of twelve bonus tracks were released with the final entry of this era, and I see no reason why not to consider this its own release. Anyway, it gives me an excuse to highlight Magic Shop of Raspberry and Phantasmagoria ~ Hardworking Day After Dark, as well as just generally draw attention to these oft overlooked tracks.

Alight, I'm out of time; be back later.

[Ken Hisuag]

Getting into the classic era, where decisions become generally more difficult, but in a good way!

Touhou 6 ~ Embodiment of Scarlet Devil
Indisputably among the best compilations of ZUN's work in existence, despite its age and arguable over-exposure. Not a single track lacks some level of appreciation in the fandom, and it continues to be a standard by which to measure modern releases (though other titles might better serve the role). Septette to the Dead Princess remains in my top three, and I am officially acknowledging Beloved Tomboyish Girl as among my top ten. Honorable mention to Shanghai Teahouse ~ Chinese Tea.

ZUN's Music Collection Vol. 1: Dolls in Pseudo Paradise
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is the only instance in the commercial releases of the SC-88Pro sound. Concerning said sound: I appreciate it well enough for stage and boss themes, but the unique style ZUN utilizes in his music collection arrangements doesn't seem to be as suited to it. It doesn't help that most of these tracks are remixes of the Seihou soundtracks, both of which were already available in SC-88Pro versions and usually better. Still, I can appreciate the extended versions of some track this album provided; nonetheless, the only tracks I enjoy listening to are the originals (there are three) and Enigmatic Doll. Between the originals, I'm split between Forest of Dolls and The Strange Everyday Life of the Flying Shrine Maiden. Regardless, this is probably my least favorite collection in the franchise.

Touhou 7 ~ Perfect Cherry Blossom
Another classic, with a singular formatting in its progression from one track to another that makes it difficult not to rush to the end. I must recognize the masterpieces of Necrofantasia and Bloom Nobly, Ink Black Cherry Blossoms, but I will also note the vital relationship Border of Life (Revival) has with the latter. The initial piece functions as one of ZUN's best climax compositions in the series, but cannot quite accomplish the "punch" without sacrificing the subtlety that gives it its impact. The additional track is insufficient on its own, lacking proper setup; but with the motifs previously established and the mood set, the "punch" can be delivered, reinforcing one of the most memorable moments in the series! Honorable mention to Capital City of Flowers in the Sky.

ZUN's Music Collection Vol. 2: Ghostly Field Club
For all intents and purposes, the actual first entry in the Music Collection series, establishing their standard of equal parts uniquely styled originals and minutely tweaked remixes from the games. Of course, most fans are aware of them for the characters of Renko and Merry, whether or not they've listened to the music. This is my second favorite album of the music collections, but my specific favorites are easily Girl's Sealing Club and Strange Bird of the Moon, Illusion of the Mysterious Cat. On an unrelated note, this is one of the few times that a game track was introduced in an earlier release (Illusionary Night ~ Ghostly Eyes).

Touhou 8 ~ Imperishable Night
I refer to my earlier suggestion of titles better suited as the standard for the series. 6 is iconic, 7 perfects the build-up, and 10 has overall strength, but 8 manages balance in a way that has yet to be matched imo (again, I am referring specifically to the music). It's worth noting that this was the point at which ZUN settled on his sound style, which has remained consistent ever since. Retribution for the Eternal Night ~ Imperishable Night is easily my favorite from here, but thereafter it becomes difficult to decide. I remember my initial experiences with Touhou that Flight of the Bamboo Cutter ~ Lunatic Princess was an early favorite, so I'll settle on that.

Touhou 7.5 ~ Immaterial and Missing Power
The first fighting game, and thus the first occurrence of someone other than ZUN contributing to the official music catalogue. While I believe it bears the marks of a first attempt, I maintain that it stands up far better than the fandom seems to give it credit for. Akiyama forever established himself as the man to beat in terms of Touhou arrangements, while simultaneously establishing his own composition abilities. I will always argue for the more deserving reputation of Eastern Memory of Forgathering Dream over the similar but shorter motif of Broken Moon; while both have their merits, the former has far more range and versatility. One would think my secondary track would be one of ZUN's contributions, but while I agree Missing Power is underrated (not to mention I appreciate Night Falls and Demystify Feast as much as the next person), it is my opinion that ZUN was still developing his style for the fighting game's music, and it doesn't stand up as well as some of his other work. Alternatively, I'm surprisingly fond of Wanderings by NKZ, whose contributions to this soundtrack are possibly the most overlooked part of the entire series.

ZUN's Music Collection Vol. 3: Changeability of Strange Dream
From this point on, the music collections are mostly remember for a specific track or two and/or some event in the Sealing Club storyline. For this one, the track in question is Kid's Festival ~ Innocent Treasures, officially ZUN's autobiographical music theme, complete with unsung lyrics that I have yet to find a proper performance for. After that, I'm torn between Dream of Arcadia and Boys and Girls of Science Era; I'll settle on the former, and consider the latter an honorable mention for now, but be aware that my opinion keeps inverting. BTW, does anyone have thoughts on the alternative title trend that became inconsistently prevalent in the music collections starting with this one?

Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red
Here is one of the "complications" I mentioned; three tracks that are slightly superior versions of their Touhou 9 counterparts (if you've ever wondered why Aya's theme bears the moniker "short version", it's because the full version is from this release). For consistency's sake, I'll name Flower Viewing Mound ~ after Higan Retour, but overall its hard to judge anyone for completely skipping this entry entirely.

Touhou 9 ~ Phantasmagoria of Flower View
I'd be ecstatic for ZUN to do more phantasmagoria games. As a collection I prefer Touhou 3, but for individual tracks there's something noteworthy in the concept of ZUN returning to old material for little twists, not in a different stylistic context as with the music collections but purely as an exercise. Considering this specific version of Ghostly Band ~ Phantom Ensemble has remained my number one Touhou track, my bias is clearly in favour of the experiment. Not withstanding, the collection overall suffers a bit from the disjointed mixture of remixes, originals and recycled tracks. I'm going to surprise someone and make my second pick Mound where the Flowers Reflect, the atmosphere of which stands out from the typical ending theme (I know it's not the ending theme, but the comparison is there, isn't it?). Fate of Sixty Years gets honorable mention.

Touhou 9.5 ~ Shoot the Bullet
Ever wonder if ZUN was composing stage themes for 9 before deciding to make it a phantasmagoria game and decided to make a new kind of game for the unused music? Anyway, because the spin-off soundtracks are so short, I'll be sticking to one song each for them. For this one, it's unquestionably Sleepless Night of the Eastern Country; the other tracks are fine, but this is the only one I listen to on the regular.

That's where I'm gonna cut it for now; this is taking a lot longer than I though it would.

[buskerdog]

20 hours ago, Ken Hisuag said:

Alternatively, I'm surprisingly fond of Wanderings by NKZ, whose contributions to this soundtrack are possibly the most overlooked part of the entire series.

NKZ's compositions and remixes are a large contributor to why I love IaMP's soundtrack so much. Idk why he only did music for this one game; however I think he stayed on the Tasofro team as a sound effect engineer for future games?

20 hours ago, Ken Hisuag said:

BTW, does anyone have thoughts on the alternative title trend that became inconsistently prevalent in the music collections starting with this one?

Do you mind clarifying what you mean by this?

[Ken Hisuag]

On the wiki (specifically translation pages), there's occasionally an alternative title listed under the translated one. Initially I surmised them to be alternate translations, but there are too many examples where the meaning doesn't compare properly:

Spoiler

Of course, now that I'm giving it more thought, I realize I have no proof these are in any way official, nor any other knowledge of where they came from or what their purpose is.

[buskerdog]

11 hours ago, Ken Hisuag said:

On the wiki (specifically translation pages), there's occasionally an alternative title listed under the translated one. Initially I surmised them to be alternate translations, but there are too many examples where the meaning doesn't compare properly:

  Reveal hidden contents

Of course, now that I'm giving it more thought, I realize I have no proof these are in any way official, nor any other knowledge of where they came from or what their purpose is.

As far as the wiki pages go, the alternative titles don't seem to be present on the Japanese side, so I don't know where they come from. Without a physical copy of an album, I don't have a way to tell if they come from an official source or not.

[SoundOfRayne]

I haven't played every Touhou game, nor heard every track, so I'll only be commenting on entries I've at least gone through enough of to pick a favorite song. But I figured I'd give a little twist to my answer, and give some love to fan games that I also think have some noteworthy music.

Touhou 6: Embodiment of Scarlet Devil: Y'know, I don't pay much attention to Touhou's credits themes. After a really intense final battle with really intense final boss music, the credits music just feels so... "nothing" by comparison. But man, Crimson Belvedere ~ Eastern Dream hits different. It's certainly not an unliked track, but it also doesn't get to sit at the big kids' table alongside U.N. Owen was Her?, Beloved Tomboyish Girl, or Septette for the Dead Princess, and that's a shame. It's such a good song to cap off Touhou's most iconic adventure. Special mention also goes to Shanghai Teahouse ~ Chinese Tea and Voile, the Magic Library for both being top-notch stage themes.

Touhou 7: Perfect Cherry Blossom: I definitely underestimated how hard it'd be to pick out my favorites from PCB. It's easily my favorite official Touhou soundtrack, and I like so many songs equally; it's hard to justifiably put some above others. But I gotta give it to The Capital City of Flowers in the Sky. This stage is something special. I know all stages are built and timed around their themes, but I can't think of an example done more effectively than this. It's a long song, and not terribly complex- most of the song is just repeating and building upon this one section- but there's no song I'm more excited to get to when I'm listening to the songs in order. Special mentions to Charming Domination - I'm glad this has unofficially been recognized as Ran's theme over Necrofantasy; it helps set her apart as a character from Yukari - and The Girl who Played with People's Shapes - Even though IOSYS has made it impossible to not hear Marisa Stole the Precious Thing while listen to it, this song DAWN TO's my UGG to this day, and I love it for it.

Touhou 8: Imperishable Night: Flight of the Bamboo Cutter ~ Lunatic Princess started out as an OG favorite of mine back when I first learned about Touhou, and even now that I've finally gotten around to playing IN and can experience the whole soundtrack, it's still one of my favorites. It's that perfect blend of elegance and intensity that really makes a final boss so memorable. Special mentions to Illusionary Night ~ Ghostly Eyes - I think this is my favorite 1st stage theme in the series - and Retribution for the Eternal Night ~ Imperishable Night - Even though it's not my favorite song, even within the same game, if I was to choose a song to represent the Touhou series as a whole, it would be this one. Those first few seconds are the first thing that come to mind when I think "Touhou Project."

Touhou 12.8 Great Fairy Wars: I found myself not really liking GFW's soundtrack that much compared to other games, which is a shame since I really like the Three Fairies of Light and Sangetsusei has overtaken Wild and Horned Hermit as my favorite Touhou manga. I blame it on Three Fairies Hoppin' Flappin' Great Journey, a 50+ hour Touhou RPG with way too little music, beating a chiptune version of GFW's OST into my head for a lot longer than anyone should have to bear. Still, among the tracks, Year-Round Absorbed Curiosity was always my favorite. It's got an addictive energy to it that I occasionally find myself going back to.

Touhou 14: Double Dealing Character: I always imagined I would feel more attached to DDC's OST; it was my first official Touhou game, after all. But no; I can hardly remember any of the soundtrack off of memory. Maybe I'd spend more time with it if Seija wasn't the WORST GODDAMN BOSS IN ALL OF TOUHOU WHY IS SHE SO DIFFICULT NO ONE ELSE GAVE ME THIS MUCH SHIT but I digress. Kobito of the Shining Needle ~ Little Princess is still my favorite piece of Touhou music, and I can't imagine that changing anytime soon. It's such a badass theme, and I love the fan interpretation that this isn't the theme for you fighting against her, but her theme fighting against you. Dullahan under the Willows took some time to grow on me, but as I gained appreciation for this neckless li'l doofus, so too did I end up appreciating her theme.

Touhou 18: Unconnected Marketeers: Okay, maybe I was too hard on DDC, because I REALLY can't remember UM's soundtrack. I do genuinely like my choices, but I feel like I'm placing them as defaults, since I just can't remember any other songs. Fortunate Kitten is a really fun opening boss theme, and Where is that Bustling Marketplace ~ Immemorial Marketeers has grown on me after learning to not hate Chimata's stupid looking rainbow dress. They both kinda fit in as earworm pieces; they didn't leave any kind of lasting impression on me, but they just sorta pop back into my head every now and then. I won't complain.

And now for something completely different.

So, like, I suck at Touhou. Like a lot. Like a lot a lot. So I don't spend that much time playing the official games. Now fan games, that's a different story. I will ALWAYS appreciate the efforts of people who try and make a property as unforgiving as Touhou more appealing to newcomers. I've spent significantly more time with fan works than I have on official titles, and dammit, their music needs love too.  So I'm gonna give it to them, and you all have to suffer.

Touhou Makuka Sai ~ Fantastic Danmaku Festival: With Patchy joining the protagonists, who's gonna cover her shift as the stage 4 boss? Koakuma, of course, with an original boss theme to boot, The Glamorous Waltz ~ The Little Devil Dance. Being a pretty close retelling of EoSD, I was ready for nothing but remixes of EoSD's soundtracks, but then they bring out a new theme for Koakuma, and it's such an addicting little bop. It doesn't quite "feel" like a proper Touhou song, but it's stuck with me well ever since I first heard it. And a special mention to Cloud Sweeper ~ Kongfu Storm - my favorite remake of Shanghai Alice of Meiji 17.

Touhou Makuka Sai ~ Fantastic Danmaku Festival Part II: I can't give this choice to one single song. The combination of Flowers Blowing within Life and Death into Fly! The Ever-living Sakura is the best 10 minutes of pure musical bliss I've ever experienced. This hard rock original song takes you through a... well, it's a decently tough final fight with Yuyuko. It's definitely not as hard as the official games, but damn if it doesn't look impressive. And then, when you get past her last spellcard, she revives for one last attack, and you get this absolutely GORGEOUS final spellcard, just filled to the brim with colors and all these butterflies and cherry blossom flowers and petals flying around everywhere; it is such a treat for the eyes, and your ears are given this beautifully climactic traditional remix of Border of Life. And it's like: This is it. This is peak Touhou. And like, sure, I'm definitely gushing hard over this, but these songs, and this sequence, is what MADE ME a Touhou fan. Go play this! Right now! I don't care if you've already beaten it. Play it again! It's worth it!

Touhou Kikamu ~ Elegant Impermanence of Sakura: EIoS's OST is truly a force to be reckoned with. This might just be my favorite collection of stage themes in the entire franchise. It's seriously hard to pick a definite favorite, but I'll settle on a three-way tie between Stage 3's theme, Little Tune for a Drizzle in the Forest, Stage 2's theme, Flowing Moon Night Pastorale, and Stage 6's theme, One Moment's Splendour, with Hisoka Uroki's boss theme Mystery is your Mirage as an honourable mention. This game is like the opposite of official Touhou. Normally, the character themes are the ones that get the most praise, and the stage themes are usually the ones trying to play catch-up for attention, but not here. These stage themes are out here, loud 'n proud. I wish the boss themes were a little better, but for a game with an almost completely original score, this soundtrack can go toe-to-toe with even the best Touhou music.

Kubinashi Recollection ~ Forgotten Dullahan Dreams: What a precious little gem this game is, blessing us all with the cutest Banki known to man. Dream Fields SCENE1 is a soft li'l remix of Dullahan Under the Willows, perfect for a soft li'l game like this. On the flip side, Outside World SCENE2 is fast and catchy and works in tandem with one of my favorite platformer gimmicks: Beat blocks. These levels were my favorite to play in, and this rhythm is snugly cemented into my brain.

Touhou: Luna Nights: I don't care if it's low hanging fruit. I'm hungry, and Final Boss 3 - Night of Nights is frickin' rad. C'mon, it's Night of Nights; y'know, the coolest remix to ever grace the Touhou community. And it shows up right as you've got the final boss with Flandre on the ropes. It's totally cheap fanservice in a game that's already gushing with fanservice, but I can't even be mad. What a way to close out Luna Nights' main campaign. I also really liked Extra Stage - Scarlet Beyond a Crimson Dream. Can't entirely explain why this song in particular stuck out over the rest of this really kickass soundtrack, but it was what kept me going when the game started spamming those really obnoxious enemies at me.

Touhou: Double Focus: Even though AquaStyle's remixes weren't my cup of tea as a whole, they sure did get these boss themes right. I'll happily boot up the OST to listen to Vs. Seiga and Vs. Kokoro anytime. Even after hearing the original versions of these songs, I still prefer AquaStyle's remixes, so hey. Good for them.

I need to stop here. This has taken way too much time, and I can feel the life being drained from my body. I haven't even come close to covering all the Touhou games I've played through. It is worth noting there are some other games out there I would've liked to get around to, but I chose not to include any fangames where I can't access its soundtrack. Like how this new little platformer Kedama's Adventure has this really cool mashup of Lunatic Princess and Reach for the Moon, but I can't actually hear the music outside of the level itself, and that sucks. Hero of Ice Fairy and Mystery Reel are in the same boat. I'd really like to spend time listening to their OSTs, but as they're still early access titles, I probably won't get that chance until the games are finished.

~This post has been brought to you by the letter S for SELL YOUR FRICKIN' SOUNDTRACK~

[Ken Hisuag]

Busy weekend caused me to miss my Musical Discoveries post, but instead of posting late I've decided to postpone to next week and prioritize continuing this; I keep putting it off because of how long it takes, but at this point it's getting past the point of acceptability.

On 10/6/2022 at 4:51 PM, SoundOfRayne said:

their music needs love too.

I could probably fill a thread of its own with original Zunish compositions, a good portion of which would be from fangames (but instead I occasionally feature them in the MD thread). I won't do entries like yours just yet, but I may consider doing so later on.

Now, for the first modern era!

Actually, where does this era start for the music collections? Should I have included music collections four and five in the classic era? Well, too late now.

ZUN's Music Collection Vol. 4: Retrospective 53 Minutes
Easy picks, and fitting openers as well. Hiroshige No.36 ~ Neo Super-Express and Blue Sea of 53 Minutes are hard to beat, both for their superior atmosphere and complimentary usage of ambient sound effects. They also do a good job at showcases the distinct sound that music collection originals tend to have; Neo Super-Express would need some tweaking to pass as a stage theme, but Blue Sea would require a complete overhaul (which has been done, but the point stands).

ZUN's Music Collection Vol. 5: Magical Astronomy
By far my favorite music collection volume, featuring a healthily limited quantity of remixes (that are nonetheless noteworthy among their kind) and several originals of legendary arrangement. G-Free is one of those tracks vying for the mysterious #11 spot in my ranking, capturing all the intensity of a boss theme while also carrying the spacey style that characterizes this album. Beyond that, it's almost impossible to pick a track out from the collection. Obviously Greenwich in the Sky gets plenty of love, but Satellite Cafe Terrace and Welcome to the Moon Tour deserve at least as much attention. So for this one I'll cheat and leave it open; if pressed, I'll favour the latter two for second spot and honorable mention, respectively.

Perfect Memento in Strict Sense
This is another tiny three-track EP, but where the previous example was somewhat forgettable, this one is worth giving some time to. It is one of two entries where ZUN experimented with his old PC-98 sounds, unrestrained by the confines of their native hardware. All three are noteworthy arrangements; especially relevant is Child of Are, the official theme of written-work-exclusive character Akyuu (keep in mind that this was released around the same time as the Untouched Scores series was coming out). The collection is characterized by an almost off-key sounding harmonization structure, feeling conflicted but somehow cohesive. I think my personal favorite is Japanese Saga, but hopefully all three will receive proper appreciation.

Technically Eastern and Little Nature Deity would be next, but I'm skipping it for reasons that will be stated shortly.

Touhou 10 ~ Mountain of Faith
Earlier I referred to this soundtrack as having "overall strength" in comparison to other entries. By this I meant that there is a standard of quality motifs and progression structures that persists throughout the soundtrack; as a complete collection, I would consider it my favorite in the series. Everything said about Music Collection 5 applies here; Gensokyo Beloved is easily my favorite track (for reasons given elsewhere), but beyond that becomes a difficult choice. For now, I shall go with Faith is for the Transient People, and add Fall of Fall ~ Autumn Waterfall as honorable mention.

Strange and Bright Nature Deity
The music for this series of written works was spread across three separate releases, all of which could accurately be called EPs. Given that they all follow the same story, and are even named the same with successive numbering, I am considering them as a single collection. Additionally, the tracks from Eastern and Little Nature Deity were re-released as part of this series with little change, so I am grouping that into the collection as well.
I ought to admit to being less familiar with these tracks than usual; in fact, you may consider the Three Faries my "blind-spot" for Touhou music. I can safely say that Sunny Rutile Flection is my favorite of the three character themes (as well as one of the strangest names for a track I know of in a series full of odd titles), and I can easily recommend the rest of the collection based upon my vague memory of them, but it may be unfair of me to pick a secondary favorite. The one other track that stands out to me is the collection's rendition of The Refrain of the Lovely Great War; it predated the game it would later be remixed for, and I personally prefer this older version by a great deal.

That isn't very much ground covered, but it's been an hour and I'm out of time. Have patience; Lord willing, I shall return!

Edited October 26, 2022 by Ken Hisuag

[Ken Hisuag]

Back at it again.

Silent Sinner in Blue
This is the other experimental PC-98 EP, and thus the informal companion to Perfect Memento (even following the same tracklist structure of two originals and one remaster). In comparison, these arrangements are a bit more standard, following familiar progression structures. Youkai Space Travel is my recommendation as possibly the closest we'll ever get to a PC-98 music collection.

Touhou 10.5 ~ Scarlet Weather Rhapsody
This is where Akiyama properly established himself into the legacy of Touhou, although I find he rarely gets the credit he deserves for it. I'll get The Ground's Color is Yellow out of the way now; it is still one of his most infamous compositions, and serves as an excellent example of his style and its strengths. The rest of his collection is something of a study; multiple tracks reuse motifs from each other without any apparent connection otherwise, but other tracks are allowed exclusivity in their arrangements. There's a consistency throughout that may make quickly distinguishing between tracks difficult, but no track is without its unique touches of instrumentation. I pick Drunk as I Like for my secondary, though it's a close call. There's a bit more to the honorable mention this time, too; one might expect attention drawn to ZUN's contributions, but while his style has settled since the last fighting game, I find I prefer Akiyama's arrangements. It might be cheating to consider Crimson in the Black Sea ~ Legendary Fish (Arrange), since it's exclusive to the released OST and not part of the game itself. Nonetheless, I consider it one of the many overlooked contributions of Akiyama, and would thus like to draw attention to it. Alternatively, I'm especially fond of his rendition of Aya's theme.

Touhou 11 ~ Subterranean Animism
Feels like the gaps between main game entries are getting wider. Touhou 11 is where I first started noticing the stylistic uniqueness of each game, independent of ZUN's personal style. This collection is characterized by darker sounding arrangements, both in instrumentation and progression structure (and even motifs, to an extent). You can usually source a track from this game by the sound alone, even if you can't recall it completely. This is technically true of previous titles, but this entry accomplished it in a most noteworthy way nonetheless. Awakening of the Earth Spirits is my favorite menu theme of the series, not so much because it accomplishes anything special with the leitmotif, but more due to the atmosphere captured in the track. Second choice is more difficult (as per usual of late), tied between Green Eyed Jealousy and Satori Maiden ~ 3rd Eye. While the former was an early favorite, the later grew on me over time, so take that as you will.
As a side note, Hartmann's Youkai Girl is overrated; not by any means bad, more my personal U.N. Owen was Her?.

Grimoire of Marisa is an especially egregious example of ZUN's EP practices; it has only two tracks, one original and one remaster. If one is at all a fan of the Seihou soundtracks, there is a good chance the original was perfectly satisfactory, in which Magician's Melancholy is the default pick. I do like this track, but its presence in this list seems somewhat hollow under the circumstances; I would personally have preferred ZUN to have included both tracks in a music collection (they would have been a perfect addition to Volume 5.5, if only its release was closer).

I am again out of time, and I'm still stuck in the first modern era.

[Ken Hisuag]

With the power of bonus hour, courtesy of daylight savings' end, I hope to make it to the end of the first modern era.

Touhou 12 ~ Unidentified Fantastic Object
There are some very iconic tracks early on in this entry, but they tend to be more reliant on simple, repetitive motifs; there's nothing wrong with this, but in this case I prefer some of the more complex pieces. Interdimensional Voyage of a Ghostly Passenger Ship remains one of the most unique stage themes in the series with its hybrid jazz integrated into ZUN's standard style (on that note, Heian Alien gets honorable mention). Alternatively, Emotional Skyscraper ~ Cosmic Mind is essentially a standard final boss theme; however, I consider this to be the successful capturing of the "elevated" tone that ZUN didn't quite manage in Catastrophe in Bhava-Agra. Byakuren is meant to be perceived as a somewhat elevated character, and this theme communicates the ideal mood for this perception.

Touhou 12.3 Hisoutensoku ~ Unthinkable Natural Law
In some estimations, the peak of Tasofro's productions (technically in conjunction with 12.5, which this acts as an optional expansion to). Whether that's true or not, it does have some significant musical contributions. I consider Did You See That Shadow? as the definitive menu track for the fighting games (though not my absolute favorite), properly conveying the spirit of the Touhou Project (complete with the Eastern Story motif) while retaining the style unique to the sub-series. More importantly, however, this release features my favorite Akiyama composition, Our Hisoutensoku (Full ver.). To me, this is peak Akiyama, leaning fully into his own styles and ultimately running away with them. It remains one of my favorite pieces in the series.

Touhou 12.5 ~ Double Spoiler
An easy one; Bell of Avici ~ Infinite Nightmare. Overall, this entry doesn't differ that much compared to its predecessor of 9.5, but somehow I appreciate this soundtrack a little bit more. The arrangements seem darker than usual, and I wonder if this wasn't a way for ZUN to make use of compositions he didn't feel fit well into his mainline titles. That's pure speculation, though.

Oriental Sacred Place will be addressed later.

Touhou 12.8 ~ Great Fairy Wars
I dare say this is one of the most unique games in the series, being a spin-off title that remains individual in its mechanics to this day. Because it's a spin-off entry, I'll stick with a single track for it, but it is technically large enough to warrant better treatment, and I'm sure others would have no problem picking out more tracks once familiar with the full collection. For me, Great Fairy Wars ~ Fairy Wars is the standout piece; considering it's a final boss theme, it's unusually cheerful, but still maintains the necessary intensity for its function, and as such fits the situation perfectly.

ZUN's Music Collection Vol. 5.5: Unknown Flower, Mesmerizing Journey
Another EP with extremely limited option, although this being a short-notice situational release does somewhat justify it. I'm somewhat obligated to pick Unknown Flower, Mesmerizing Journey as the only original composition of the collection, but I'll also mention this version of Tomorrow Will be Special as a noteworthy arrangement.

Touhou 13 ~ Ten Desires
I've mentioned my appreciated for this game's stage themes in the past, and I'll further reinforce here that I'm not very fond of the boss themes. Aside from that, it may be worth mentioning a distinction between the standard versions of these tracks and their "spirit" variations, which are the same but with emphasis on the melody or accompaniment. There's also layered edits (dubbed "complete"), and while I don't believe these are official, they are usually my preferred option for listening. Regardless, my favorite tracks are Desire Drive (of course) and Let's Live in a Lonely Cemetery; the soundtrack as a whole excels in atmospheric melodies, and as far as I'm concerned these are the strongest. Honorable mention to Welcome to Youkai Temple, specifically the standard version as the spirit variant doesn't have the same pluckiness.

Oriental Sacred Place
My frustration with this collection is its heavy reliance on remixes, having only one original track out of eight total. Granted, these are some of the better examples of ZUN's remixing abilities; these tracks tend to differ more from their originals than music collection arrangements normally do (possibly had something to do with the context of composition, but that's too complicated a theory for right now). I still prefer a bit more balance/variety for these releases. While I'm not that fond of the original Magus Night, the subtle differences in this collection's version make it a bit more appealing to me.

ZUN's Music Collection Vol. 6: Trojan Green Astroid
There's quite a few unusual tracks in this album where I figure ZUN was experimenting with expansions of his customary style. The Barrier of Ame-no-torifune Shrine is practically a trip through space in musical form, and somehow scrapes the outer limits of standard Touhou sound while still remaining recognizable. On the other hand, Trojan Asteroid Jungle is a delightfully jumpy, jazzy, yet mysterious piece, and sets the standard for the music collection style going forward.

ZUN's Music Collection Vol. 7: Neo-traditionalism of Japan
For all intents and purposes, the second-half/continuation of volume six, featuring many of the same musical characteristics. I've always found these two especially hard to pick favorites from. Nonetheless, my official selections are Green Sanatorium and Winds of Agartha, both very different in energy yet somehow comparable in tone. Honorable mention to Led On by a Cow to Visit Zenkou Temple, the unrecognized experimental predecessor to fellow percussion-focused piece Primordial Beat.

Touhou 13.5 ~ Hopeless Masquerade
Imo, HM functions as the perfect crossroads between the "first" and "second" modern eras; it features a wide variety of cameos in homage the series' history and serves as a climax to the loosely-connected stories of 10-13, but also introduces a new gameplay system and artstyle for the fighting game series. This happens to be my favorite Akiyama arrangement collection (somewhat fitting, as it was also the last); something about the instrumentation and overall style feels free-er than usual. This Dull World's Unchanging Pessimism ~ Shinkirou Orchestra is my favorite menu theme for these spin-offs, not for any reason connected to its use, but simply because I love its melody and progression. For my second pick, there are several tempting options, but the one track I listen to most from them is the remix of Akutagawa Ryuunosuke's "Kappa" ~ Candid Friend. Honorable mention to Omiwa Legend and its accordion.

WHY DO THESE TAKE SO LONG?! Can y'all tell I was rushing through the last several entries? So much for an extra hour of sleep.

[Ken Hisuag]

About time I get back to this.

Touhou 14 ~ Double Dealing Character
The "Second Modern Era" opened with some experimenting on ZUN's part with new instruments. I don't particularly mind the electric guitar sample itself, nor even its general usage in this soundtrack, but I believe its presence influenced the structure of the compositions in a way which I don't particularly appreciate, specifically in the boss themes of the first half. I don't believe it's the motifs themselves; I've heard great arrangements of them all that establish the better potential they contain. For some reason, I just don't enjoy their original forms. Thankfully, this is only true for these specific tracks. Primordial Beat ~ Pristine Beat may be more a concept piece, but for all that it's one of the more unique themes of ZUN's repertoire. The extra-stage boss has been often been used by ZUN for more unorthodox arrangements; the results don't always manage to distinguish themselves significantly, but when they do, they often become among the more iconic in the series. On the other hand, Inchlings of the Shining Needle ~ Little Princess is as by-the-book as one could ask for, with all the benefits the approach can reward when utilized properly.

Touhou 14.3 ~ Impossible Spell Card
ZUN's spin-offs feature shorter soundtracks as a rule, and this game began a trend of buffing them out with reused tracks from recent games. Since older pieces are often remixed for newer entries in the series, this used to confuse me as I tried to distinguish between the two. Once this distinction has been made, however, it's easy enough to pick out a favorite. For me, that one is Romantic Escape Flight; I know Cheat Against the Impossible Danmaku is the more popular track, and deservedly so, but I've always preferred its equally high-energy but slightly less ominous twin.

Touhou 14.5 ~ Urban Legend in Limbo
This entry included community arrangements in its soundtrack, not as a replacement for Akiyama's contributions but as a supplement to them. In my opinion, this was a brilliant idea, both for encouraging community production and for ensuring musical variety in the series. That being said, I can't say any of these official fan remixes impressed me that much. They're perfectly serviceable and enjoyable to listen to, but I ultimately find I appreciate Akiyama's compositions more, even as he reuses elements from his work (and perhaps even because he does this so well). Bell of the Antipodes is my personal favorite, with Occult a la Carte being a close second. ZUN also contributes an especially noteworthy piece, but I have reason to refrain from relating it to this entry.

Touhou 15 ~ Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom
What do you think I'm gonna pick? To be fair, there's a lot of great tracks in this album from beginning to end, and I can easily understand someone struggling to choose favorites from it. But for me, there's no competitor to Pure Furies ~ Whereabouts of the Heart; I may enjoy listening to other pieces more, but no composition of ZUN has impressed me more on an artistic level than this track. It may seem a bit unfair to name The Sea Where the Home Planet is Reflected as a second, given it uses much the same melody, but I can't help but appreciate its presentation and atmosphere. As great as I consider the rest of this soundtrack, these two are the ones I keep coming back to.

I've got to stop there for now, this still takes too long.

[Ken Hisuag]

ZUN's Music Collection Vol. 8: Dr. Latency's Freak Report
We're getting into the entries that were still relatively recent releases when I first encountered the series, and as such were less propagated on the outer fringes of the fandom. As such I didn't encounter a lot of these tracks until I'd already familiarized myself with the main body of preceding works, resulting in me approaching them a bit differently. It's difficult to quantify the effect this has had even to now on my perception of these pieces, and ultimately I don't believe it worth the effort to do so. The Childlike Duo's Naturalis Historia strikes me as an especially well-designed piece, even for ZUN, and serves to me as potent example of his undiminished skill over time. I choose Schrödinger's Bakeneko as my second, even though I can't shake the feeling I've heard its motif somewhere else in the series.

Strange Creators of Outer World Vol. 2
While an odd and minuscule release relying completely on remixes, I wouldn't advise passing this over. For some reason, I vastly prefer this version of Last Occultism ~ Esotericist of the Present World, despite its alterations being relatively minor. Perhaps it's the more drawn-out intro emphasizing the tension, maybe it's the slightly lowered tempo allowing the piece to develop better, possibly it's just something in the production quality that I can't put a name to; regardless, this is the definitive version of the piece as far as I'm concerned. Also in this collection is Akiyama's Retribution for Eternal Night ~ Pipes and Fiddle., one of his most unique works in the series.

ZUN's Music Collection Vol. 9: Dateless Bar "Old Adam"
Similar to volumes six and seven, eight and nine seem to be connected to each other thematically. Unlike the previous titles, however, I think the musical style is significantly divergent between the two. Where volume eight was more focused on atmosphere, volume nine features more intense arrangements (I might make a comparison to the difference between stage themes and boss themes in the main games). The two major exceptions to this are the first and last tracks in the album, though moreso the latter than the former. Old Adam Bar maintains the energy of the previous album with slightly more casual twist, and it makes sense to me that this would be the more popular track. That being said, I sometimes think I prefer Hangover of Bedfellows Dreaming Differently, which contrasts more strongly with the rest of the album as a more staff-roll-esque epilogue to it.

Touhou 14.8 ~ Urban Legend in Limbo: PS4 Expansion
Yes, I'm cheating. I don't recall seeing anyone else referring to this arguably unprecedented phenomenon of the series as its own unique sub-entry, but as far as I'm concerned it matches all the prerequisites, right down to having its own small soundtrack. And what a soundtrack! None other than beatMario a.k.a. COOL&CREATE of Night of Nights fame provided a remix of Lunatic Eyes ~ Invisible Full Moon in his signature quasi-nightcore style, transforming the serious mood of the original into a crazy roller coaster that still manages to hold onto the sinister tone of its motifs. It suits the melody and theme perfectly, and remains one of the most unique tracks in the franchise. Honorable mention to Unknown X ~ Occultly Madness, ZUN's third take on the motif with just enough stylistic edits to completely transform the piece (seriously, why can't more of ZUN's self-arrangements be more like this or Speed Fox?).

Forbidden Scrollery Vol. 6
Again, entries like this are what throw the viability of this format into question. There are three tracks, two of them are arrangements, and neither of them are significantly altered. Likely Bibliophile with a Deciphering Eye would stand out even among more impressive company, but in this context it hardly seems fair. Nevertheless, it's an underappreciated piece, and I won't pass up the opportunity to highlight it.

[Ken Hisuag]

Touhou 16 ~ Hidden Star in Four Seasons
I tend to think of this as my entry point into the series; while two spinoffs had already followed, this being the most recent mainline game somehow established it in my mind as the "current" state of the franchise. That being said, I didn't actually give it much time initially, since I was still familiarizing myself with its predecessors. I remember briefly listening to a few of its tracks, thinking the boss themes were a bit rough, and failing to properly comprehend any motifs (for honorable mention, I was initially impressed by Into Backdoor simply for its unique tension and atmosphere). Since then I've had the chance properly listen through these pieces, and thankfully found my first impressions to be embarrassingly hasty. My favorite tracks are without a doubt Illusionary White Traveler and Concealed Four Seasons, simply for their strong motifs.

Touhou 15.5 ~ Antinomy of Common Flowers
Funny story to this one; when I first came to this site in search of soundtracks, the download for this one was a gamerip rather than the official OST, and thus included duplicate tracks from 14.5 while missing the bonus arrangements from the CD. In fact, most (if not all) of the Tasofro soundtrack downloads were messed up in some way or other, and being somewhat particular about metadata I ended up doing a lot of digging to determine what the albums were supposed to look like. It was in this way that I learned about Uni Akiyama, ZUN's unofficial musical sidekick. I've consistently praised his contributions to the series thus far, for the unique musical character he has added as a contrast to ZUN's standard style. In many ways, this is the culmination of his work; many of the tracks are rearrangements of his previous compositions from across the series, with enough originals scattered in to make this the largest and most diverse collection of such pieces. The piece that stands out the most to me, however, is a reoccurring theme that is expanded as the game progresses; its final form, The Blooms of Spirit Possession, is not actually in the game itself, which I find somewhat symbolic. As though to match the soundtrack's magnitude, ZUN delivered some of his best fighting game compositions yet, perfecting their unique style with Tonight Stars an Easygoing Egoist (Live ver.) ~ Egoistic Flowers. Honorable mention for the new arrangements of Eternal Spring Dream and Battlefield of the Flower Threshold, both of which bring some much needed character to their motifs.

Touhou 16.5 ~ Violet Detector
I've seen a lot of things said about this game, which is a wonderfully vague statement on my part. My primary (and sometimes sole) focus is still the music. I believe Nightmare Journal is the popular pick, and to be sure its atmosphere is quite good, especially for a menu theme. But my favorite has to be the confusingly like-named Nightmare Diary, which is a more standard sounding track, but if it ain't broke . . . (I sometimes wonder about my own tastes, whether they are consistent or not).

Touhou 17 ~ Wily Beast and Weakest Creature
This was the first entry to be released after I had become familiar with the franchise, and may be my second favorite from the second modern era. Entrusting the World to Idols ~ Idolatrize World is undeniably a masterful composition (if not as good as Pure Furies), but the rest of the soundtrack is by no means lacking. My initial opinions of each piece as compared to its companions varied widely with my initial listenings, and even now I'm not always convinced of my preferences. But when they are sufficiently separated from each other, I believe Unlocated Hell wins out, both for its strong motifs and for the perfected usage of the guitar sample as the lead. Joutounin of the Ceramics and Beast Metropolis would be the next closest contenders, though.

I should not have started this so late, but I have successfully reached what I consider to be another milestone (more on that next time). Shalom!