Astarotte no Omocha! Original Soundtrack – Review

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Review: If I wanted to look for a well-arranged and emotional instrumental soundtrack, Astarotte no Omocha would probably be the last place I look. I picked up this show on a whim, probably because I’ve been spoiling myself in recent seasons by favoring action and dramatic shows over lolicon fanservice. Thus, you can imagine that, to my surprise, a soundtrack of White Album’s caliber seems to have gotten lost and ended up in this show.

Twinpower is a rather unknown composer — I tried doing research on them but Astarotte no Omocha is apparently the only anime they have ever worked on. Regardless, it’s filled to the brim with nice, sweet-sounding piano and violin melodies. The soundtrack played a huge role in improving the show. I expected ecchi fanservice, but with the writing and soundtrack, I got a show that was surprisingly well developed and entertaining. Again and again, cookie-cutter scenes that would be unbearably cliche and cheesy were rescued by the beautiful soundtrack. Oh, the amazing things that happen when you set your expectations low and when there’s a great soundtrack involved.

It’s going to be the special

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“It’s Going to be The Special” is the signature track of the series. A beautiful and moving violin ballad, this melody made all the difference in several emotional scenes in the show. The sweet sonorous sounds of the violin makes this theme stand out, turning this track from background music into an preeminent part of the anime.

All of you

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The regal and sophisticated tones in Astarotte no Omocha!‘s soundtrack  may seem oddly out of place, but upon closer inspection, the soundtrack works nearly perfectly. After all, Lotte is the princess of the land, and the little bit of magic and playful air in the soundtrack fits many aspects of the show. I like the harpsichord backing in “All of You” because it adds a significant amount of depth to the violin theme.

The Place Can’t be Lost

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“The Place Can’t be Lost” starts as a slow, deliberate, and atmospheric track. It has a mystical feeling that’s associated with sneaking around at night that could be used as a slower track in say, The Polar Express or The Nightmare Before Christmas. The delicate melody then transforms into an elegant and grand instrumental theme.

First love

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I have a soft spot for “First Love”– it’s probably my favorite track on the entire album. The tender and playful violin and piano instrumentals effortlessly reflects the title of the song; both instruments match and accompany each other like lovers following each other around. The piano is played beautifully — you can feel the emotion being put into the keys, making for a delicate yet graceful piece that is perfectly executed.

A Day

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The Astarotte no Omocha! Original Soundtrack is catchy and great for listening yet is elegantly mild. Like any soundtrack, there are some songs that are a bit heavy and meant to establish a specific mood, but there are plenty of lighter fare. Take, for example, “A Day”, a slow, yet tightly composed and rustic theme. It effectively highlights the refrained simplicity of the soundtrack as a whole, with most tracks using only 2 or 3 instruments. However simple it may be, the soundtrack is complete; several leitmotifs and developed themes run though the album, and the tracks are designed to support the anime.

TV versions of the OP and ED are included in the soundtrack as well, and they have good synergy with the soundtrack proper. The OP, titled “Tenshi no Clover” and sung by Aimi is upbeat and relatively brisk. Though it doesn’t have too much going for it, it’s still pretty nice on the ears. Azusa sings the ED, “Manatsu no Photograph”, a song that I really like a lot. It’s cute, emotional, and has a beautiful arrangement to go with Azusa’s beautiful vocals. The lyrics are nice and the song simply sounds great. Also included is an insert song by the two lead seiyuu, Kugimiya Rie and Tamura Yukari, which is bubbly and cute.

Without a doubt, Astarotte no Omocha would be less of a show without its soundtrack. It gives the show that pathos that releases some of the preconceived notions viewers may have of the show. It’s regrettable that I had to skip over featuring some tracks for the sake of space, but I definitely recommend checking the soundtrack (and the anime!) out.

Rating: Very Good