The problem is that Program Music II doesn’t come across as a true successor in terms of intent or quality. Never mind that Program Music I’s very title implied the advent of a sequel, it just seems so unlike him that said sequel has even come to fruition, given his unwaveringly blithe line of action. You can almost hear Daisuke muttering as he brainstorms for material, “you want another Program Music? Here, have it”. Program Music II feels as if it’s born out of an existential crisis, forced into being by the unwarranted comparisons to Kashiwa Daisuke’s 2007 masterpiece that his later material has consistently been hampered by. Review Summary: Though it plucks the heart strings like everything else he's done, Program Music II tragically shows Daisuke at his most phoned-in.
