2D or Not 2D

Lyrics and music by Susumu Hirasawa and Hikaru Kotobuki. A PV for the song was created by Hirasawa in Amiga.

2D or Not 2D opens with baroque-inspired, uptempo fugue synth lines, which are soon complimented by a techno backing beat. The song transitions into its verse, which contains a fast-paced, direct vocal melody and cacophonous industrial-techno sounds powering the backing rhythm. The verses are punctuated with a stripped down melody and a solo vocal line by Hirasawa. The song's chorus has a fast, choir-like group vocal part backed by a beefier version of the post-verse synth beat.

=Lyrics=

Versions
Studio version. According to Hikaru Kotobuki, he had written the arrangement and vocal melodies for the song, but Susumu Hirasawa sang his vocals entirely different from what was prepared, and later, while Kotobuki was away from the recording studio, altered the arrangement drastically as well.
 * P-MODEL, 1992

Live version. Guitar, bass, and percussion parts are emphasized, and vocal parts are delivered more aggressively. The studio version PV is also included in this release.
 * BITMAP ～1979-1992～, 1992


 * PAUSE, 1994


 * Non-Locality LIVE Video, 1997

Trivia

 * The song's title is an obvious pun on "to be, or not to be", the famous opening lines of a soliloquy delivered by the character Prince Hamlet in William Shakespeare's play, Hamlet.


 * The "Ladies and Gentlemen!" audio clip played at the beginning of the PV is sampled from the band Aphrodite's Child's album, 666.

=References=