Comments on: TV Cuts VS Full Versions

By: Kiriska

Kiriska — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 05:26:00 +0000

I agree that “trust you” really should have been shorter. The bridge and final chorus really didn’t sit too well with me. You’re right though, as disappointed as I am with the full song, I can’t stop listening to both it and the TV cut, hahaha…

It’s been a while since I’ve heard the TV cut of “Friends,” so it’s obvious that I like the full version better. :D

By: RP

RP — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 05:03:00 +0000

I think it really does depend on the song. In this case, I think the Gundam folks actually picked a primo cut of the song. The piano sets the mood of the song, but it really is the beat that drives the song and keeps it from feeling like the same old, same old ballad.

Unfortunately, I think this song falls into the trap that I noticed a lot of j-pop and ani-songs do, in that it lasts too long. It's not like they're creating a rock opus here, they're following a pretty basic verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus format, but I've noticed that songs either add an extra, unnecessary verse in there somewhere, or extend the bridge or final chorus too long. In this case, Trust You extends both the bridge and final chorus too long. It would've been a better, more powerful song had they kept it to 4 minutes or so. But I'm nitpicking as it's not gonna keep me from listening to it non-stop when it comes out. =)

But back to my original point, an example of a song that I thought was just as good if not better extended was the ED from last year's Gundam, Friends. I thought they wrote that song almost perfectly, and the bridge to final chorus transition, with the sound cut and guitar scrape was perfect.

Animation definitely has an impact too though. OP/ED scenes always bring in more emotion than the typically lame music videos =)

By: Kiriska

Kiriska — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 18:41:00 +0000

Hm, it’s definitely true that most songs sound better after a few listens; I guess I’ll see what happens after a few more weeks of listening to the full “trust you,” but “resonance” still sounds pretty awkward to me and it’s been a few months.

I generally find that animation only really affects me in a positive manner — if it really fits with the song, awesome. If it doesn’t and the song’s still all right, it doesn’t bother me so much. I think I’d be hard-pressed to find a really terrible animation sequence though; usually, they’re just boring at worst.

By: Omisyth

Omisyth — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 17:05:00 +0000

I tend to like the ful versions of any song (just because it's longer) and even if I don't at first, the more re-listens I have, the more the song appeals to me.

There are other things to consider, though, since animation for an OP can really affect your opinion of a song. If the two don't work well together, you may find yourself disliking a song that you would normally like.

But it's all just speculation on my part and music's too hard to analyse in any case.

By: Kiriska

Kiriska — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 02:54:00 +0000

Yeah, for songs that I don’t mind both versions of, I usually stick with the full versions. Lucky Star’s theme is an interesting example though because I actually don’t mind listening to the full song, especially if I’m working and not really paying attention, but if I’m singing, god forbid it’s the full four minutes (though actually, I can’t sing that song anyway, so maybe it’s not such a good example).

But Yuki Kaijura would be. I like listening to the full versions of most of her songs, but they’re very tiring to sing, so I guess sometimes my preference just depends on what I’m doing or why I’m listening to that song. “Cruel Angel Thesis” is another song that’s pretty tiring to sing…

By: L.B.

L.B. — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 00:46:00 +0000

I can actually find examples of both but I usually prefer to the full versions. Good example: ‘Love Destiny’ by Yui Horie… love the full version so much that the TV sized version just isn’t enough for me. Any theme by Yuki Kaijura also tends to fall into this category but that’s just because I adore her music.

On the other hand, the opening theme to ‘Lucky Star’ is so much better as just the 90 second version. It gets tiresome after four minutes.