The Rainbow Goblins

A Japanese jazz fusion adaptation of a 1978 Italian children’s book, The Rainbow Goblins rides the line between “cheesy” and “awesome” real hard. Masayoshi Takanaka incorporates elements of smooth jazz, prog rock, and city pop (along with spoken word narration presumably taken from the book) to tell this low-key psychedelic story. For the most part, the music provides a delightfully chill backdrop — until you reach “Thunder Storm,” an intensely groovy electric guitar exercise that chases the title characters around their valley with thrilling lightning strikes. The song is so badass that it even served as the entrance music for legendary wrestler Genichiro Tenryu! Although that’s the highlight, the rest sparks a lot of joy. It’s hard not to follow these mischievous goblins on their colorful adventure.