Valor Lakefront – Pokémon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum

This is “Valor Lakefront” from the RPG game “Pokémon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum” released by The Pokémon Company.
The song is composed by Hitomi Sato.
This is the BGM that plays in the area leading to Lake Rishi, where there is a legendary Pokémon called Azelf.
It’s a bit lazy, but it gives you an image of a relaxing landscape.

The beginning is ii7-V7-I-VI7 (B7-E7-A-F#7), which is similar to ii-V-I-VI7 often used in jazz.
The tension b9th used in VI7 (F#7) ,which is b6th from the point of view of B, gives it a spice.
At the end of the repeat, I7 (A7) is used instead of VI, leading smoothly to IV (D) in the next part.

In the middle part of the song, there is IV-IVmM7-iii (Dmaj7-DmM7-C#m7).
Here, the smooth movement of the descending semitone f#-f-e is very satisfying.

The final part repeats the two chords I-IV/I (A-D/A).
The progression from IV to I is a gentle ending.
IV is in inverted form and maintains the bass note A, giving it a more calm feel.

…By the way, the long-awaited new title “Pokemon Shining Pearl/Brilliant Diamond” will be released on November 19, 2021 (And one more title).
In Japan, it’s getting a lot of attention and there’s a lot of discussion about it.
Will you buy it?
Actually, I don’t own a Switch… so I have no plan to buy both of them 😛