Review by Jean Gervais

When I bought this CD, I hadn't seen the movie, or played the game. I had simply heard 2 of the songs on an internet radio station. After hearing the song I had to immediately buy the album. It's one of the best decisions I've ever made. The music on this album is simply astounding. The traditional orchestral pieces are very beautiful; the numbers with the latin (ancient latin, not latino) chorus are chilling and the heavy metal/hard rock numbers are just plain excellent. Normally, I don't like heavy metal; in fact I hate it. But in this case, I can't get enough of it. Finally, there's the 2 numbers I heard on the radio. "Battle in the Forgotten City" is the reason sub-woofers were invented. "Advent:One-Winged Angel" is truly an awe-inspiring piece of music. There is no other way to describe it; nothing I could write would do it justice. With nearly 90 minutes of music on 2 discs, it's a great bargain. Also, the liner notes are quite good. In addtion to detailed information about each track they contain the lyrics for all the songs. The whole thing comes packaged in a deluxe high-quality jewel case. Buy it, you won't regret it. You don't even have to be a fan of Final Fantasy.

This is another great album by Yoko Kanno and it contains 4 of the Sharon Apple songs from the Macross Plus movie version. The presentation is quite original because it pretends that Sharon Apple is a real person (not an anime character) and that the album is a real one released by Sharon Apple in collaboration with Yoko Kanno. Even on Gracenote's CDDB the artist is listed as Sharon Apple. Since the CD only contains 4 songs, and that 2 of them can be found on the first 2 soundtrack CDs, this album is only really for true hardcore Yoko Kanno fans. Though if you are a fan, it is worth it. This CD is the only place to find the Sharon Apple songs "Information High" and "The Borderline".

You don't have to be a fan of Madlax to enjoy this CD. In fact I've never even seen it. Both of the songs on this CD are excellent. If you've never heard anything from FictionJunction YUUKA, this is a great place to start. Highly recommended.

Yoko Kanno's reputation in the anime industry is well known. This album is another good example of why that reputation is well deserved. All of the music on this album is excellent. There is not a single number that doesn't qualify as excellent. What really showcases Yoko Kanno's talent is the variety of the music on the album. Being a Yoko Kanno album, there are of course excellent formal orchestral numbers; in this case performed by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Some of these pieces rank among the best in her career. Tracks 2 & 9 stand out as some of her best orchestral work. Tracks 4 & 8 are very intimate numbers that are associated with the character of Myung. The convey really well the sadness and regret of her character. Track 8 also contains some excellent vocal work by Akino Arai. The whole thing is topped off by three Sharon Apple songs (tracks 3:After,in the Dark~Torch Song & 11:SANTI-U). Sharon Apple is a pop singer in the Macross Plus world. Although her songs are very different and odd, they're also quite good. Whether you're a fan of Yoko Kanno or have never heard of her doesn't matter. Either way, this is a great CD.

I originally bought "WOLF'S RAIN OST1" without having seen the TV Show because I am big Yoko Kanno Fan. Having adored the first one, I decided to buy this one as well; and I couldn't be happier with the decision. Yoko Kanno has delivered another one of her masterpieces. The instrumental numbers are truly beautiful. Many of them are quite soothing and relaxing. Making this album even better is the inclusion of multiple songs by some of Kanno's longtime collaborators such as Steve Conte, Ilaria Graziano and Maaya Sakamoto. This is an album anyone will enjoy. And it will make an excellent addition to anyone's music collection.