I'm back from my break and starting with Undefined Fantastic Object.
I find that ZUN started with his adventurous-ness with SA stage themes, really got his bearings there and decided to inject this into UFO's boss themes. Of course, they're still unmistakably his style, but many of the boss themes in UFO are just so different from what we're used to hearing, in some way or another. In each analysis I'll try to comment on why I feel that particular track is different, if I don't forget.
Nazrin - A Tiny, Tiny, Clever Commander
For a stage 1 theme, Commander is very extensive. It has two distinct sections, an involved main melody and an unusually pensive introduction/interlude, some new instrumentation that we haven't heard before, instrumental variation of the main theme, and, finally, a very clever connection that leads from the second part back into the first. All this in the space of a minute-and-a-half. This high density of stuff is what makes this theme different for me.
In general, the Nazrin I get from this piece is, well, exactly what the title says. She's thoughtful, introspective, appropriately intense, yet carefully-paced - all good properties for someone in charge of an operation. Of course, I'll explain where I got all this from.
The first section serves as an introduction as well as an interlude that serves as a halfway point for the piece. It's characterised by sequential arpeggioes in a blazing tempo and a really weird rhythm. This part is mostly in major, although the arpeggioes eventually start using diminished notes - usually diminished chords tend to unsettle the listener, but by breaking them up instead the music moves the focus off a comfortable harmony and into a more abstract study, a whitewash of noise that sets the stage for the melody proper. The other aspect of this section is the rhythm, which technically is in 6/8 time, but altered into 3/4 by accents being placed on every second note instead of every third, sounding as if the accents are inappropriately-placed.
At the start of this non-melodic section, the train of thought that I feel it represents does not go anywhere - Nazrin is unsure of where to go from here, does not know how to proceed, so, without losing a beat, she moves out of the box, as it were, hoping to find a non-standard solution. It is this natural movement into abstract thinking that makes me think that Nazrin is used to this sort of thing, making her an experienced quick-thinker.
The second section is the main and only melody in the piece. A new instrumental introduction (I'm pretty sure that it's new, anyway) is the single violin playing the quick, flighty melody at a high pitch. Going back to the time signature, the melody is in 3/4, the time signature that often suggests elegance and careful pacing. The violin's contribution to this is to provide a clear melody with a good amount of force, without the trumpet's intensity - all in all the two aspects combine to elicit the feeling of a carefully-calculated and elegant approach to problems. These can only apply, of course, if the problem-solver in question is experienced in their job, again presenting Nazrin as someone who has been doing what she is for a long time, now able to comfortably add their own unique touch to their problem-solving approach.
The melody itself is unusually long for a stage 1 boss, 2x8 bars, which I probably don't even need to say demonstrates a depth of character to Nazrin. She has a positive outlook on life, considering the entire melody is in major - there is no grimness in her concerning her duty.
Every once in a while she will pause to think, evidenced by the return of the introduction theme. She responds to her own thoughts, willing to try out new approaches, and the melody's instrumentation changes to the softer piano, perhaps as Nazrin decides to give the more subtle approach to her issues a fair chance. Finally, she is capable of quick self-analysis, as demonstrated by the main melody's careful introduction of arpeggioes in the accompaniment towards the second set of 8 bars which then flawlessly proceed into the introduction/interlude part - she examines her actions even as she carries them out, this second nature of hers preventing her from getting carried away, and always remaining in full control of the situation.
I hope this shows why and how I see Nazrin's character as presented. Considering what I've said, she truly seems to be worthy of the militaristic title "Commander".