Yeah, I didn't figure out where he'd been until recently too—shame that he couldn't do at least a few tracks for the new Pokémon soundtrack.
His presence is sorely missed! Kageyama and Sato can only hold their own so long before they begin to repeat themselves—Ichinose's definitely better at avoiding his own excesses, and his style's more interesting to listen to anyway. Adachi really carries X/Y's score, just judging by the style and conspicuous return of actually-developed trainer eyecatches. Hearing Masuda arrange his battle tunes after only composing last gen is interesting, however shaky that turns out. And, despite my tendency to deflate the other Game Freak musicians next to Ichinose, this soundtrack's a surprisingly solid set, no doubt in due part to the upgraded overall sample quality.
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