Well, the truth of this aged re-release lies somewhere in between. It's easily apparent that the quality falls to the wayside because of this style mix: it wanted too much to be both. That’s a real pity because the idea in general would have been a real pleasure to see, if it were well done.
The DVD starts with Opening Movie, an approximately half hour tour document feature. It's very promising, and within the first half hour all the scenes of TRF's tour preparation are laid out nicely. You can peer over the shoulder of DJ KOO and YU-KI at their studio recordings and watch the three dancers - ETSU, CHIHARU and SAM - audition additional dancers in several cities. Then there are scenes from rehearsals and a bit more extensive backstage material from their TOUR’98 Live in Unite! show at Budokan. Soon after, the word “LIVE” flickers over the screen and the actual live recording begins with the opening number Future Shock.
Between the dynamic choreography and euphoric fans, there's plenty to see in the first few minutes; the atmosphere is strong and ratchets up the anticipation. But this first good impression is totally crushed by Overnight Sensation. The song itself get roughly cut and pulled into pieces to work in some making-of footage, and then you don't even get to hear the end: the cut back to the live shows singer YU-KI announcing the exuberant frisky a GO-GO!. Thankfully, this choppy transition is an isolated case, but it just disrupts the entire experience and leaves an unpleasant feeling.
DJ KOO’s energetic turntable and synthesizer solo of darkscape on the darkened stage is surprisingly strong, and it seems that the DVD is going to run its course smoothly. While this is not entirely the case - for example, during in the move to be there were several dance sequences cut in - the transitions are fine, and you get some nice backstage recordings. Before the ballad Meltin’ You starts, YU-KI is seen in another documentary feature at the recording studio. She’s trying to create the correct mood with candles in the recording booth, which is amusing to watch.
After that, some more dynamic songs follow, including EZ DO DANCE. For those who paid attention to the opening movie and wondered about all those additional dancers being auditioned, Unite! the Night! reveals why. All the boys and girls stream out on stage and the whole song has a unique tune because of it. In the end there is only the encore left, and here one happy song follows the next until the last heart-rending ballad is sung.
Though there are elements to the concert that will make you feel old - or really young - some songs, especially Unite! the Night!, are still very touching. The cameras did a great job capturing everything that happened onstage and off. For the most part, the transitional cuts are very dynamic. All in all, TRF couldn’t have chosen a better tour title than Live in Unite!. The additional dancers and support musicians came together to put on a very unique show.
However, that doesn't mean TRF’s Live in Unite! re-release is really worth the money. Interested fans should be aware of the age of the material: the image lacks in sharpness, and the audio isn't always good. But if you can ignore all this and get over the mishap of Overnight Sensation, you will get an entertaining live DVD to watch. The idea of trying to mix a tour document with live show footage was a good idea, even if it wasn't executed all that well.
