Nobuo Uematsu VS Yasunori Mitsuda

[Lazy Bovine]

While Uematsu has made a ton of timeless music, there are a few tracks where I'm like, "Ehhhh..."

On the other hand, Every song I've heard on the Chrono games, I was like, "Oh, wow."

Gotta go with Mitsuda.

[Crimson]

Gotta be Uematsu, I mean, I loved Chrono Trigger, game and music, but Uematsu.....man, he's just made so many timeless classics.

[Rodarian]

Uematsu-sempai Ai eru.....

[King Edgar]

Mitsuda is more interesting to me, but that's because he has a smaller body of work than Uematsu, who we've grown accustomed to.

[Slothy]

While Uematsu has made a ton of timeless music, there are a few tracks where I'm like, "Ehhhh..."

On the other hand, Every song I've heard on the Chrono games, I was like, "Oh, wow."

Gotta go with Mitsuda.

Go play Xenosaga and you'll hear plenty of Mitsuda tracks that make you go "meh."

[Quindiana Jones]

God, I just saw this thread, and felt (with an embarrassing quantity of haste and excitement ) that I had to cast in my lot with Mitsuda before . . . I don't know -- before any more universal decay took place, or something. :laugh:

Anyway, one humble vote for Yasunori Mitsuda. Mitsuda for President -- for King, perhaps. *Listens dispassionately to cries of "You don't vote for kings!", followed shortly by a gunshot* You know what, Mitsuda for God.

To briefly discuss the choice being made here, these are two composers with extremely disparate styles and resumés who, while they both endeavor to cover the wide range of moods necessitated by a high-end RPG soundtrack, undeniably specialize in certain areas. Uematsu, for example, really shines when it comes to the standard battle themes that are not necessarily the "epic final battle tracks" (an area where, I find, Mitsuda rarely finds the ideal balance between complexity and ferocity, with the odd exception such as "Fuse" from the Xenogears soundtrack, or, at least for a while, "Battle" from Xenosaga I). Oh, Mitsuda is brilliant as far as the godlike battles are concerned ("Battle with Magus", "World Revolution", and "Dragon God" from the mainstream Chrono soundtracks), but his basic battle tracks ("Battle 1" from Chrono Trigger, and "Gale" and "The Brink of Death" -- technically a boss battle track, but fairly common -- from Chrono Cross), which one spends a decent portion of the game listening to looping ad infinitum, tend to lack the fluidity with which Uematsu constructs his battle themes. "Fighting" from the FFVII soundtrack is a damned addictive piece that I do not particularly mind hearing for extended periods of time, whereas Chrono Cross' "Gale" gets rather annoying. *_*

Uematsu and Mitsuda are able to share a similar pedestal of glory in terms of the epic battle themes, methinks, as tracks like "One Winged Angel" (preferably the Advent Children version, but anything fully orchestrated will do) and, to a lesser extent, "Fight With Seymour", are able to hold their own against Mitsuda's counterparts in virtually any comparison.

That being said, Mitsuda's overwhelming advantage is in the eloquent speaking of a language in which Uematsu merely dabbles. Mitsuda is an atmospheric composer, whose ruthless precision and skill positively blazes in immersive environmental pieces and profoundly sentimental tragedy/farewell tracks. Certainly Uematsu can elicit an emotion from the player (I would cite "Wandering" from the FFX soundtrack as among his best despondent tracks that also creates an ambience in the in-game environment), and he has plenty of experience in wielding the piano and individual strings/woodwinds as a minimalist approach to capturing emotional drama. However, nothing in his impressive body of work that I am aware of can do more than flutter beneath the soaring beauty of Mitsuda once the latter decides to mock your composure and manipulate your emotions like the instruments he commands. "Corridors of Time", "Chrono Trigger (part 2)" and "To Far Away Times" from the Chrono Trigger soundtrack, and "Life ~ Faraway Promise", "Time of the Dreamwatch", and "Dream's Creation" from Chrono Cross are some of the most profoundly evocative, influential pieces of music I have heard to date, and no other composer -- from any genre or era, forget Nobuo Uematsu -- has exceeded him on those terms in my eyes.

It is a shame that the Xenosaga I soundtrack fails to really measure up to Mitsuda's earlier work. If he ever gets his hands on the London Symphony Orchestra again, here's hoping that it is on a thoroughly recharged battery of inspiration for the third canon installment of the Chrono series.

Did it again. Just so everyone is aware, I do not begin these posts with the explicit intention of embarking on a prolonged ranting rampage. Just tends to happen. But a Mitsuda rave is needed sometimes.

If I'd read this before voting, I probably would have voted Mitsuda just as a tribute to this literary work of beauty. But alas, FF9 took my heart a long time ago and, though many wonderful pieces have come up, it has yet to let me go.

[Christmas]

I prefer Nobuo. The battle themes in the FF series really got me into music!

[Barraza]

I only skimmed the thread, so I promise to go back and read the "counter-counter arguments" in detail. Mitsuda v. Uematsu is a debate close to my heart.

The bombastic themes of Uematsu versus the quiet sentimentalism of Mitsuda is really a difference in games, and it's hard now to divorce the music of one from the other. That being said, it's hard to really judge who is better; they both make very different musical tracks.

So, as a purely personal opinion: Mitsuda, because I like his celtic leanings and wide repretoire of sounds. Sara's Theme from Chrono Trigger is one of the most unique musical tracks in a game... or at least, was. Uematsu is first-rate, but very much a standard Romantic.

But, in terms of who I'd sleep with more, it's Uematsu. Mitsuda looks like a scary witch.
(SPOILER)

[The Man]

I can't say I prefer one over the other in terms of quality, but I'd have to give the nod to Nobuo just for the sheer volume of his output. Though if I had to rank game soundtracks, Chrono Cross and Chrono Trigger would be at or near the top. (Then again, so would FFVI and FFIX).

[Fynn]

I only skimmed the thread, so I promise to go back and read the "counter-counter arguments" in detail. Mitsuda v. Uematsu is a debate close to my heart.

The bombastic themes of Uematsu versus the quiet sentimentalism of Mitsuda is really a difference in games, and it's hard now to divorce the music of one from the other. That being said, it's hard to really judge who is better; they both make very different musical tracks.

So, as a purely personal opinion: Mitsuda, because I like his celtic leanings and wide repretoire of sounds. Sara's Theme from Chrono Trigger is one of the most unique musical tracks in a game... or at least, was. Uematsu is first-rate, but very much a standard Romantic.

But, in terms of who I'd sleep with more, it's Uematsu. Mitsuda looks like a scary witch.
(SPOILER)

Well, you can't call Nobuo a Prince Charming either.
(SPOILER)

[P4ine]

without peer uematsu

[Zeromus]

I don't know how to vote, I think they are both great and I like them both the same way =/...