The Music of Touhou
Each official Touhou game contains a multitude of songs, all composed by ZUN, with different songs serving as background music for each of several stages of the game. The songs he writes for Touhou are very fitting to the happenings in the game: regal when fighting very proper, cultured character Remilia, more chaotic when fighting the insane Flandre, more urgent when fighting the nuclear hellraven Utsuho. Most songs are relatively fast-paced, as befitting a danmaku game. Moreover, ZUN is in fact a quite competent composer, having composed music since he was in junior high school.
So not only are Touhou's songs often quite popular on their own, but there exist several fan circles dedicated to remixing these tunes, in many cases adding their own lyrics. For example, compare the final boss theme in Touhou 12: Undefined Fantastic Object with a remix from an independent music circle with lyrics added, both linked below. (Note that the remix has a long intro sequence, which one may wish to skip.)
So not only are Touhou's songs often quite popular on their own, but there exist several fan circles dedicated to remixing these tunes, in many cases adding their own lyrics. For example, compare the final boss theme in Touhou 12: Undefined Fantastic Object with a remix from an independent music circle with lyrics added, both linked below. (Note that the remix has a long intro sequence, which one may wish to skip.)
|
|
One of the most well-known such remixes is "Bad Apple," by Alstroemeria Records; a YouTube upload is linked below, with a background video comprising that transitions between silhouettes of various Touhou characters. This Nico Nico Douga version alone has nearly 24 million views. Several other versions exist, such as this, in which the background video is fittingly replaced by meticulous apple-carvings, a testament to the extent of the fanbase's dedication to remixing ZUN's music. The several YouTube uploads of the song combine for a few more tens of millions of views. Many other Touhou remixes also follow this pattern of having large numbers of views both on Nico Nico Douga and on YouTube.
In fact, Touhou's music is perhaps the single largest driving force behind the popularity of the franchise, possibly even more influential than the games themselves. In my online survey conducted on the Touhou subsection of Reddit, nearly half of the 112 respondents cited Touhou's music as playing some role in their initial introduction to Touhou. Moreover, the survey results suggest that the unofficial remixes and arranges play an even larger role than the official songs from the original games. Of those respondents who cited music as a factor in initiating their interest in Touhou, fully 38 specifically mentioned unofficial fan-created remixes or arranges. "Bad Apple" in particular is quite popular, being mentioned by several respondents.
A very common pattern is aptly summed up in one respondent's answer to how he/she got into Touhou: "I came across some fan music first and that led to more music and then got me into the games." Someone will stumble upon the music through a YouTube recommendation or the like, decides he/she enjoys the music, and then wants to find out more about the franchise, often leading that person to try playing one of the various different Touhou games available. Those who enjoy songs in the distinctive style of Touhou fan music like "Bad Apple"—generally upbeat and fast-paced with the instrumental music playing a prominent role, and nearly all in Japanese and with female singers—can find a veritable treasure trove of songs in Touhou remixes.
These survey responses, along with the huge numbers of views on Touhou music videos, suggest that Touhou's music--especially the fanmade remixes--are really quite instrumental in attracting new fans to the Touhou franchise.
A very common pattern is aptly summed up in one respondent's answer to how he/she got into Touhou: "I came across some fan music first and that led to more music and then got me into the games." Someone will stumble upon the music through a YouTube recommendation or the like, decides he/she enjoys the music, and then wants to find out more about the franchise, often leading that person to try playing one of the various different Touhou games available. Those who enjoy songs in the distinctive style of Touhou fan music like "Bad Apple"—generally upbeat and fast-paced with the instrumental music playing a prominent role, and nearly all in Japanese and with female singers—can find a veritable treasure trove of songs in Touhou remixes.
These survey responses, along with the huge numbers of views on Touhou music videos, suggest that Touhou's music--especially the fanmade remixes--are really quite instrumental in attracting new fans to the Touhou franchise.