Floaroma Town – Pokémon Diamond/Pearl

About game/music

This is “Floaroma Town” from the monster-raising RPG “Pokémon Diamond/Pearl”(2006 NDS, 2021 NS) released by The Pokémon Company.
This is composed by Hitomi Sato.

This title is the 4th generation game released for the Nintendo DS, featuring adventures set in the Sinnoh region.
It is characterized by significant evolution in battle and interaction systems, including worldwide battles and trades via Wi-Fi communication, and a reclassification of moves into physical and special categories.
Additionally, different music tracks are used for town areas depending on whether it is daytime or nighttime.

This song is used in the area of the same name as title, a town filled with flower fields.

Analyzing

bar 5, 7

• A semitone movement is used as an neighbor note or passing note in the melody.
• This adds the effects of “ wavering” and “delicacy,” or “smoothness.”

bar 11-13

• The bIIIo chord in between smoothly bridges the gap between I and ii with a semitone.

bar 14, 37

• iv in major key (other Tabs include this)
  • Nostalgic, romantic, or “good old days”-feeling.
  • Typically used following IV.
  • One of the subdominant minor chords, which have b6th of main key.
  • It’s borrowed mostly from parallel minor, but also from Mixolydian b6 or Harmonic Major (in this case, ivM7)
  • examples;
    • Continent (Sakura) – Crystarise
    • Bloom – Outro – ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights
    • The King Lost in Time – Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City
    • Lonely Rolling Star – Katamari Damacy
    • Candy Constellation – Kirby & The Amazing Mirror
    • Big-Bean Vine – Kirby’s Epic Yarn
    • Costumes & Colors – Kirby’s Dream Buffet
    • Super Bell Subway – Mario Kart 8
    • Shopping in Wakeport – Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
    • Badges – Pikmin Bloom
    • Bye Bye There! – Pizza Tower
    • Dewford Town – Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire
    • Rustboro City – Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire
    • Fortree City – Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire
    • Abandoned Ship – Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire
    • Valor Lakefront – Pokémon Diamond/Pearl
    • Hearthome City – Pokémon Diamond/Pearl
    • Canalave City – Pokémon Diamond/Pearl
    • National Park – Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver
    • Cianwood City – Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver
    • Route 26 – Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver
    • Pewter City – Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver
    • Castelia City – Pokémon Black2/White2
    • Marine Tube – Pokémon Black2/White2
    • Iki Town (Day) – Pokémon Sun/Moon
    • Cobalt Coastlands – Pokémon Legends: Arceus
    • Levincia – Pokémon Scarlet/Violet
    • Clear Breeze – Skullgirls
    • Wave Ocean – Sonic the Hedgehog(2006)
    • Magical Snow Day – Sonic Runners
    • Oh! One True Love – Undertale
    • Temmie Village – Undertale

bar 23-26

• “royal road progression”-like (≒ IV-V-iii-vi)

bar 29

• iiiø is used instead of iii.
• This is likely a substitute for the dominant (V7) (equal to Gm6). Lowering the 7th (the leading tone) lead to a more gentle resolution.