Akihiko Matsumoto -- Odoru Dai Sosasen N.E.W. Metropolis wo Kakenukero! Soundtrack（踊る大捜査線 N.E.W. メトロポリスを駆け抜けろ!）

 

Ahh, yes...the mid-1990s. I had been in the Tokyo area for a few years already. Odaiba (Rainbow Town) in Tokyo Bay as this new un-Tokyo-like district of work, residence and play was still brand spanking new and Fuji-TV saw fit to use the megalopolis' newest area as the base for a police series. But this series would be something very different: there would be no crazy stunts by the officers, no bullets fired and although the good cops would be fighting crime, they would also be fighting the obstreperous and ass-saving bureaucracy among the higher-ups within their own industry.

Yes, I am talking about "Odoru Dai Sosasen" (Bayside Shakedown) which turned a lot of heads when it came out in 1997. Plus, I have to also add that Akihiko Matsumoto（松本晃彦）was in charge of the original soundtrack that has become an entity all unto its own with a mixture of orchestral grandioseness and techno fun. In the years on KKP since I've posted about his stuff from "Odoru Dai Sosasen", I've learned about some of his pre-1997 material including his work on what has become one of the City Pop classics, "Dress Down", sung by Kaoru Akimoto（秋元薫）.

Last night, as I was winding down, I noticed that a lot of "Odoru Dai Sosasen" videos were popping up on YouTube. Then I realized that a new movie of the franchise "N.E.W. Metropolis wo Kakenukero!" (NEW Race Through the Metropolis!) had just debuted the day before. I had assumed that the 2012 movie was the final entry (it was labeled "The Final" after all) but I guess the producers just had to throw another one in the mix after fourteen years. Hey, if Tom Cruise can finally add the coda to his "Mission: Impossible" franchise after 29 years, Yuji Oda（織田裕二）can do the same for "Odoru Dai Sosasen".

I didn't bother watching "The Final" since by that point, I'd felt that things were getting a little stale for "Odoru Dai Sosasen" and seeing the trailer for the new movie which seems to copy a major plot point from another far more serious Japanese thriller, I'm not sure if I'll see this one either. Plus, aside from an aging Yuji Oda, I think the other members of the original cast who are still alive seem to be showing up as cameos only.

Anyways, I still wanted to give the new soundtrack, which was released yesterday, a try. It starts off with "Rhythm And Police N.E.W. (Metropolis Ver.)"  which is a short-and-sweet version of the original opening theme with more dance beats and lower brass and strings. 

"Tokyo Metropolis" is a thunderous tribute to one of the world's biggest cities which includes bits of "Rhythm and Police" and "CX".  The track finishes with an ominous conclusion.

"Azumin Dance" is another new theme added to this soundtrack by Matsumoto. It adds to my opinion that the composer wanted to bring a little more dance club to the movie for some reason. There is a character named Azumi in the movie although the actor portraying him is apparently in his seventies; he must be one funky dude.

"R.A.P N.E.W. C.X. Jams" is a slightly weird PBJ sandwich of a track which has the orchestral and techno remix versions of the original "C.X". bracketing a very brief reprise of "Rhythm And Police N.E.W. (Metropolis Ver.)". I've seen "C.X." as the secondary theme for "Odoru Dai Sosasen" and as a popular piece of background music for a lot of other news shows if they're covering a relatively more lighthearted segment on the cops.

There is another new addition called "Sashikata the Super Doctor" which is named after a new character in the movie who might be part of the forensics team helping the stalwart Inspector Aoshima. It might even describe the character to a T: funky and cocky techno acid jazz.

Along with "Rhythm & Police" and "C.X.", another old favourite coming back into the soundtrack fold is the ending theme "Love Somebody" via an instrumental version "Love Somebody (Piano N.E.W. Ver.)". It's safe to say that this one won't be used for an action scene. Maybe it's for a death scene or an Aoshima soliloquy.

The stoic and cynical original character of Inspector Shinji Muroi had "G-Groove" as his theme song. Cool as heck, I've always seen it as the show's equivalent of "The Imperial March" from "Star Wars". However, this new track "M36 Muroi Shinji"（M36 室井慎次）is a whole new animal. Perhaps it hints that the former stick-in-the-mud Muroi has finally let go of his stress and has learned to smile a bit more in retirement. It still has a march percussion hiding in there to reflect his old past but overlaying it is a sweeping melody of hope and redemption. Interestingly enough, "M36" wasn't composed by Matsumoto but by veteran Satoshi Takebe（武部聡志）.

The final one I'll do here happens to be the final track for the album. Of course, it is the remastered version of the original "Rhythm And Police". And if anyone reading this from Japan has had a chance to see the new movie, let me know how it is. It might just show up on Jme by 2030.