#sorta. i mean it's analysis in a loose sense of the word. eh whatever i'll just tag it

[stararise]

god i love when the music in cutscenes is synced to the visuals. you know what i'm not even gonna pretend that this isn't about kirby so here's a (non-comprehensive, because i'd just paste the whole list of cutscenes otherwise) list of moments that live in my brain rent-free

under the cut because the post got long

[a visitor from afar] when kirby gets their Call To Adventure Moment and the super ability theme is played on those low strings. it gives me CHILLS for how innocuous a moment it is. also, it gives me the feeling of... fate? like this is the moment that sets everything off, which starts the entire story (which it kinda is, but knowing that isn't the same as how dramatic this feels).

[let me explain everything] the cymbal(? triangle?) hits as the master crown falls off landia and skips on the ground a little. and GOD the minor key title theme on low strings kicking in as magolor descends to signal Hey, He's The Villain! and of course the drums as landia walks up to kirby which is so impactful in the absence of music. it makes me feel that the sound of landia's footsteps really were thunderous, in the shocked state everyone was in.

[final battle ex] that little tune that plays during magolor ex's transformation sequence. it's a minor key variation of the motif you hear right as the lor enters halcandra! it's going full circle - entering halcandra with the cheerful major variation and leaving with the foreboding minor one. i think the foreboding aspect of this works well both as a precursor to the final battle for the player, and for magolor's fate (like he's sealing his fate by tapping into this power).

[each to his own world] i promise this is the last rtdl one. anyways i just wanted to talk about the drum hits as the landias fly across the screen; not a lot of analysis here, it just hits hard i think. oh but i will mention that ending with the first motif in a visitor from afar (aka road to victory) does such a good job at nicely tying the game up music-wise. i'm a sucker for bookending!

[waking to a flowery coup!] taranza's theme aside (which is wonderful) i'm a big fan of the music happening during dedede's abduction. the cymbal crashes at kirby's shocked face and when taranza breaks out through the roof fit perfectly. green greens on low strings does the same job as the super ability theme in a visitor from afar ('fate'/'this is the moment' feeling) and i LOVE the way the cutscene ends - with the same motif every boss battle starts with. it really does feel like the boss battles are logical continuations of this cutscene not only visually but also musically (and the particular bit of green greens they chose here is also the main one used in revenge of the enemy, too!)

[sectonia fight] okay this one isn't in the theater but it'd be a CRIME not to talk about the intro to sectonia's fight. the slow, dramatic organ over the zoom-in on kirby and the unconscious dedede, keeping the destruction already wrought in sight at all times, the shot of the budding dreamstalk in front of the huge moon. the music speeding up in a repeated chromatic pattern that gives the feeling of a buzzing insect while simultaneously accounting for the action picking up as sectonia flies into view. and then holding the note juuust long enough for the healthbar to fill up, so the music (now with added drums!) hits RIGHT as the fight kicks off... perfection. i wish this part was included in the true arena tbh

[she who holds the stars] the piano in this is absolutely menacing, it gives me chills. i LOVE the way lower notes are used like a drumbeat as the music picks up, the cymbal/triangle sound matching the flash of light as sectonia fuses with the dreamstalk (and with the light that is expelled from it). that full orchestra kicking in as she explains her plan is SO cathartic after that section of quiet, light music while still being threatening and fitting for a final boss.

[katrc opening] i love the bit where elline is being chased by the grab hands! the grabs are synced to the music, and the frantic piano run works great for elline spiraling out of control and falling. which, speaking of, idk what exactly makes the noise for when she hits the ground (i think low notes on piano?), but it sounds so impactful and painful. like, it makes me wince when i watch this scene

[first contact] when kirby wakes up and we hear green greens for the first time - it's been changed! we get the first three notes of green greens, and then we get the haltmann works theme in the green greens style (the repeated first note before going up - try listening to that bit, and removing it in your head to see what i mean), before going back to green greens. it's green greens but interrupted and changed by the hwc theme, perfectly describing what's going on in the story. absolutely one of my favorite kirby music moments ever because it's such a subtle change but also such a strong, evocative one.

[a star is born] the opening synth in intermezzo without a leader slowly growing louder as the halberd gets closer and closer and finally dips as it's pulled in by gravity is genuinely so cool. the visuals do such a good job of giving an emphasis on the sheer scale of the battle and the music complements it quite well.

[restored to life] i really like the way the hwc theme fades into the halberd's! when kirby first sees the halberd, they're playing at the same time. then the halberd theme takes over entirely. the hwc theme gets entirely cut off, not getting to resolve, which almost feels like a celebration of meta knight being in full control of himself again. the fact that the halberd theme taking control is in time with a cut to meta knight's face, plus the halberd theme going into the kirby's triumphant return part, only adds to this feeling

[starfall: a rude awakening] the jamba theme as hyness walks up to the jamba heart, it holding that last note as he attempts to break the seal, and finally going almost completely silent for a brief moment as the heart spears fly out. then the cymbal crash into the main theme as the heart pieces go flying everywhere. it's not super deep but it is very satisfying to watch.

[star allies: return from afar] man the soft piano + some sort of vibraphone/glockenspiel or something version of kirby's triumphant return as the warp star takes off gets me every time (fits perfectly too, with what's happening! kirby is indeed having a triumphant return!). and GOD that final quiet chord as kirby waves at the camera makes me emotional

[the king's turn to shine] dedede's theme starting as he makes his decision, followed by the trumpet playing as the waddle dee starts flying (and it only ends after they're caught by kirby). then, the instruments fading out with the soft piano bit as the doors slowly close, as if the metaphorical door to dedede is closing alongside the physical one. the note is held, but fading, as the doors slowly close, which makes that low note as the doors shut feel so loud when it happens. it really feels final

[no night is eternal] i LOVE the rendition of a new wind for tomorrow played after elfilin's sacrifice. at first it's a very light version without much harmony as kirby and bandana dee look over dream land, like a sort of "welcome back, the adventure is over and the world is saved" vibe. then a low string note is played as kirby looks down dejectedly and the harmony becomes melancholy. until the light of the portal appears, which is synchronized with a high note and followed by much happier-sounding chords. it's a lot of very subtle changes but ones which do wonders for how surprisingly emotional this scene is