First, one has to question the format of this CD. For the most part, it's all synthesized with a few real instruments. Does it work? Yes! The most important aspect of arranged music is to make it sound different, yet try to retain the melodies at the same time. Dear Friends does an excellent job here. In fact, some of the songs sound *exactly* like their video game counterparts, such as "Ahead On Our Way", "Lenna's Theme", "Dear Friends" and "My Home, Sweet Home". It all sounds great, especially with the better synthesizer and those few real instruments (i.e. acoustic guitar, piano, and harp). Yet the songs are reproduced with the same familiar Nobuo power we all know and love.

There are those who have mixed feelings about this soundtrack, either because they think it's "cheap", meaning it's not fully instrumental, or because they never liked the music in the first place. I couldn't disagree more. I believe that Final Fantasy V was Nobuo Uematsu's best work yet, and this soundtrack sounds totally cool.

Some of the songs on this CD are like night and day, and are not the usual Nobuo style. Most people say that the Final Fantasy V OSV is one of Nobuo's low points. This CD greatly improves on that "low point" idea, but there are still some very... I guess... meager songs. However there are also some very good ones. "Musica Machina" is a fast-paced hard rock song (I can't identify the instrument) that is highlighted in the middle by a powerful piano solo. "Intention of the Earth" is not very easy to describe but is great nonetheless. It has a somewhat urgent feel to it, and a bit of a marchy sound thanks to a drum pulsating in the backround. Lastly I'll mention "Critter Tripper Fritter", a great rendition of the moogle theme. It is much more comical than the Final Fantasy VI version, including a cat and dog duo barking and meowing a line of the song. The other songs on the CD are good, but not great. About half end up pleasing enough, while the rest have potential but don't quite make it.