While Final Fantasy may draw the most attention as one of Square Enix's longest lasting RPG series, the Mana franchise isn't one to be left out. Now celebrating the 30th anniversary of its original release, a Mana orchestra concert has been announced.
Arguably, part of what has made the Mana franchise so popular since its debut are its strong soundtracks. Mana series composers include Yoko Shimomura, who went on to work on a number of remarkable games, including Kingdom Hearts.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Seiken Densetsu, the first entry to the series, a grand concert is being held with two separate performances and setlists. On April 3, 2022, both a day and night performance of music from the series will be held. The performance is taking place at Bunkamura Orchard Hall in Tokyo, performed by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. Tickets start at 9,000 yen, or roughly $79 USD based on currency conversions at the time of this writing.
A partial setlist has been revealed for both performances:
Day and Night Performances
“Rising Sun” - Final Fantasy Adventure
“Angel’s Fear” - Secret of Mana
“Meridian Child” - Trials of Mana
“Legend of Mana ~Title Theme~”
Day Performance Exclusive
“Where Angels Fear to Tread” - Trials of Mana
“Swivel” - Trials of Mana
Night Performance Exclusive
“Nostalgic Song” - Legend of Mana
“City of Flickering Destruction” - Legend of Mana
In addition, series composers Kenji Ito, Hiroki Kikuta, and Yoko Shimomura will be making appearances, with series creator Koji Ishii in attendance.
Unfortunately for fans outside of Japan, there have not been any announcements regarding a stream of this performance. Square Enix has held many concerts in the past based off of its games' music, and in some cases, those performances have been recorded and later released as Blu-Rays or in digital format. Fans of the Mana franchise will have to wait and see at this point if it gets the same treatment.
Fans of Mana are likely happy to see Square Enix celebrating the franchise, and it's clear that they're willing to support it. Trials of Mana, the remake of Seiken Densetsu 3, saw major sales, perhaps due in part to the fact that Seiken Densetsu 3 didn't see a release in the west until very recently. While the port is available on the Switch, fans who never got a chance to try the third main series entry likely made the jump to the remade version.
While the Mana series goes quiet from time to time, it's currently pretty active. Fans are expecting to hear more about a new anime, and a brand new Mana game is in the works. With the Mana remakes giving the franchise a graphical overhaul, it's a good time for long-time fans as well as those who are just meeting the Mana series for the first time.
Source: Siliconera
