Giant Robo II

Like I said before, I love this series and I love this music. I say with great honesty that Episode 2 of Giant Robo is the weakest of the OAV series. It's padded with about 7 minutes of material from Part One. Not that the episode is bad, but one wonders why it wasn't dovetailed into another episode or just simply expanded to a proper length. Because of that, this album musically is equal in brilliance to Vol. 1, only there's less new material.

A lot of tracks are repeated themes. "Giant Robo in a Severe Fight" is basically "Charge! His Name Is Giant Robo!" from Vol. One. "Secret of Shizuma Drive" is reprise of "Tragedy Occurs Again..." The "Bashtarlle" theme (from "Elixir of Love L'Elisir d'Amore: Una Furtiva Lagrima") returns in "Day the Earth Stood Still" and "Bashtarlle's Recollection." All of these variations are great and fit with the dramatic flow of the series.
The new pieces are fantastic. "Rush! Issei & Youshi" utilizes a thrilling western style theme worthy of Elmer Bernstein. "Giant Robo Through an Accident" and "Dr. Shizuma's Compensation" reach appropriately operatic levels for the bold gestures and grand sacrifices that occur within the episode.

The Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra again delivers a powerhouse performance, and fans of the first album will definitely want to pick this one up as well. I'm thrilled that these albums are all being released and I'm looking forward to the next five. Bring them on!