(disclaimer: AIM judge review here! these are just my opinions and thoughts, you can take from them whatever you like! music is subjective and all that. <3)

this is so whimsical! although i haven't read the comic in question i am picking up the somewhat comical, cartoonish witchy vibe that i get from these character portraits. in a vacuum, i would say that all the pieces of this whole are a bit disparate, but in the provided context your decisions make enough sense. i like that the various sections of the piece have some of their own focuses too, like on the harp, timpani, orchestral bits, and the main kinda buzzy synth. again i don't know all the references from the description here but it's like a cute little medley!

i think you could stand to dial back the reverb on most everything here, btw, or bring it in stronger for effect in certain places or certain instruments (it does add some nice atmosphere to the synth arpeggios for instance). the reverb tail is kind of long and bleeds into some of the other parts or the following notes. a little variation in the velocities/volumes of some of the notes in the arpeggios would also be welcome to make it flow more nicely. but overall there's a lot of little detail to enjoy in this piece. i know you were going for lots of electronic sounds but i kinda wish i heard more of stuff like the xylophone! really effective at communicating the whimsy imo.

AIM 2023 Judge Review

I like that you went beyond the art inspiration and looked into the story behind the character and the arc she goes through in the comics. The composition has a very cutesy tone to it that works given the style of the art inspiration, but there's also a sense of wonder that feels otherworldly, especially in the pads at the beginning with that opening melody.

If I'm to be honest, I thought this piece sounded a lot like a space theme when I first heard it - the synths give off outer space vibes and those repeating three-note patterns sound like a tune one could march to, which also gives the sense of a looming battle that's about to occur. I wasn't really sure if I would have gotten the sense of a post-apocalyptic, foreboding world if I didn't read the description and look through the comics associated with the art. On the other hand, the idea of a hazmat witch does seem mysterious and a lot of what we perceive in outer space fantasies is very mystical in its own sense, so I can understand the decisions made behind the composition and structure of this entry.

Having a combination of electronic and orchestral sounds works in concept, but the orchestral elements feel underutilized for the most part - I think I only heard the xylophone throughout most of the track and a little harp at the very end. I would have loved to hear more or perhaps some other sections where these instruments are more prominent and mixing with the electronic instruments.

Overall, the entry is super cute and I think it captures that part of the art inspiration well. I do enjoy the arc of the whole piece and those repeating arps and 3-note patterns are quite memorable. I like how the ending feels definitive, like a comic or show closing out on its final frame with a happy conclusion.

This came out so good!