Astarotte no Omocha! Original Soundtrack – Review

Album Title: Astarotte no Omocha Original Soundtrack
Anime Title: Astarotte no Omocha
Artist: TWINPOWER, Aimi, azusa, Rie Kugimiya, Yukari Tamura
Catalog Number: PCCG-1168
Release Type: Soundtrack
Release Date: August 24, 2011
Purchase at: CDJapan, Play-Asia


Tracklist
[spoiler]

Track Title Artist Time
01. Tenshi no CLOVER ~TV Version~ Aimi 1:36
02. It’s Going to be The Special TWINPOWER 1:35
03. All of You TWINPOWER 1:36
04. The Light of Day TWINPOWER 1:42
05. Kyuushutsu Daisakusen TWINPOWER 1:37
06. The Dance for… TWINPOWER 1:47
07. The Place Can’t be Lost TWINPOWER 1:37
08. Ningen no Otoko TWINPOWER 1:36
09. Oshigoto TWINPOWER 1:49
10. Trauma TWINPOWER 1:47
11. Story of The Night TWINPOWER 1:57
12. First Love TWINPOWER 1:35
13. Brillante TWINPOWER 1:42
14. Konwaku no Capriccio TWINPOWER 1:38
15. March TWINPOWER 1:32
16. My Friends TWINPOWER 1:31
17. Surechigai TWINPOWER 1:53
18. Wondergirl! TWINPOWER 1:43
19. A Day TWINPOWER 1:31
20. From the Past to Present TWINPOWER 2:06
21. Run! Run! Run! TWINPOWER 1:52
22. Shinnyuusha TWINPOWER 1:44
23. Kikiippatsu! TWINPOWER 1:36
24. It’s Going to be The Special ~Piano ver.~ TWINPOWER 1:52
25. Kodoku no Yasoukyoku TWINPOWER 1:39
26. Shimapanman no Theme azusa 0:38
27. Prom TWINPOWER 1:43
28. Sotto Voce TWINPOWER 1:36
29. Kokuhaku ~His Determination to Love~ TWINPOWER 1:44
30. All of You ~Piano ver.~ TWINPOWER 1:31
31. Flower Garden TWINPOWER 1:33
32. Fuwatoro W Strawberry Kugimiya Rie & Tamura Yukari 3:21
33. Omoi TWINPOWER 1:47
34. Dark World TWINPOWER 1:49
35. Me ga Samete… TWINPOWER 1:50
36. Manatsu no Photograph ~TV Version~ azusa 1:34

[/spoiler]

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

[audio:02 – AstarottenoOmocha.mp3]
“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

[audio:03 – AstarottenoOmocha.mp3]
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

[audio:07 – AstarottenoOmocha.mp3]
“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

[audio:12 – AstarottenoOmocha.mp3]
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

[audio:19 – AstarottenoOmocha.mp3]
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

kevo

kevo' is a contributor for the Anime Instrumentality Blog. I usually post when I am randomly compelled to review an anime album or soundtrack, or some other special topics. Besides anime music, I like classical, pop, and electronica. kevo's blog

11 thoughts on “Astarotte no Omocha! Original Soundtrack – Review

  • December 15, 2011 at 1:37 am
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    Oh wow, that first track really is quite something isn’t it? I didn’t give this show the time of day purely because of its premise, but this soundtrack does sound quite lovely.

    Reminds me of the situation with Yosuga no Sora. I’m not terribly keen on the show despite having watched it, but the soundtrack for it is still in heavy rotation in my mp3 player.

    Reply
  • December 15, 2011 at 2:47 am
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    The music was definitely the highlight of this anime.

    I, too, remember looking up the composer after hearing “It’s going to be the special” in the anime only to find that TWINPOWER is not only one composer, but many. I wonder if there are individual track credits included with the soundtrack along with the other musician credits.

    Reply
  • December 15, 2011 at 2:49 am
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    Ah yes I remember “It’s going to be special” and quite enjoying it during the show. Oddly enough a lot of these songs remind me of other songs but I can only put my finger on one.

    Is it just me or does “All of you” sound a little like “Concerning Hobbits” main violin riff.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pGaz_qN0cw
    They both have that underlying staccato cello overlain with violin.
    It also reminds me of “Perrine” from the Strike Witches OST
    http://youtu.be/GZW4WV8m8nc

    I wonder what staccato cello + violin is musical shorthand for? In Lotte and Perrine’s case it’s definitely about their high-bred upbringing. In LoTR it’s more quaint and rustic. Very interesting.

    Reply
    • December 15, 2011 at 8:22 pm
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      @Taka
      You’re not the only one whose mind drifted to the Lord of the Rings OST when “All of You” came on. I had that exact same thought as well.

      Reply
  • December 17, 2011 at 1:36 am
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    The staccato effect using cello and violin is quite common: simple but lovely!

    All respect to Twinpower and this soundtrack, I did just review it after all, but Howard Shore’s LotR score blows this entire album out of the water. 😉

    Reply
  • December 17, 2011 at 5:36 pm
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    Astarotte is just an anime that deceives you with its premise and surprises you in several ways. Great review.

    Reply
  • May 11, 2020 at 12:20 pm
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    i have a brand new anime or manga featuring a normal fourteen year old boy named Adam lee he lives in Okinawa japan he meets a girl named Alyssa she has tanned skin very long black hair and brown eyes she is statuesque and athletic she is muscular she has gigantic or large or huge or big breasts and she has a big ass she came from a island in the pacific ocean the island is a independent nation ruled by a long line of nobility and royalty along with priests and priestess they worship a ancient alien civilization that came to earth before the extinction of dinosaurs and these aliens would help the earth or destroy it throughout the millennia.

    Reply
  • May 11, 2020 at 1:05 pm
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    the island nation is called azure sky island this island mainly supports itself by hunting fishing farming foraging arts and crafts warfare making pottery and selling pottery making basketry and selling basketry doing weaving and sell their weaving painting making and sell books making and selling music performing dances and celebrate elaborate ceremonies along with trading with other nations this island nation also is full of skilled warriors and later they work on to moving forward to new stone age tech standards than to copper age and bronze age standards they later advance to the iron age than to other ancient civilization standards later they move forward to medieval times and even further to renaissance then towards reformation to age of reason to the industrial revolution and all the way to before and after world war one and before and after world war two and before and after the cold war the island nation of azure sky island now has a constitutional monarchy of sorts a parliament and other modern things associated with modernity while keeping their old traditions alive til the present day.

    Reply
  • May 11, 2020 at 5:07 pm
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    we see that Alyssa is a princess of azure sky island she dresses in a Japanese schoolgirl uniform she tailor makes to reveal her midriff and the underside of her breasts it has a dangerously short skirt her uniform is sleeveless and backless she does not wear undergarments or footwear due to her islands tropical climate and her island nations culture that worships ancient aliens that lived millennia ago all over the earth and those aliens helped humanity with love and goodness or bring destruction death war evil chaos pain cruelty plus other bad things to judge and test humanity. we see that Alyssa prefers to wear a white bandage cloth chest binder and a white thong loincloth underneath her uniform as her underwear she also owns a french maid outfit with the breasts completely exposed she would use rabbit themed pins and her white thong loincloth she wears a white slingshot one piece swimsuit with red heart shaped pasties on her nipples and her pussy her pasties on both the nipples and her pussy are see through her swimsuit also has small red ribbons on it she would wear this when at the beach or pool. we see Alyssa is sixteen years old she also lactates milk even if she is not pregnant due to a rare gene in her bloodline. we also see that Alyssa has superhuman speed, senses, reflexes, toughness, strength and intelligence she is very good with academics and athletics at school. we also see Alyssa wears a white blouse or shirt along with a black miniskirt when not in school she also wears her islands traditional attire which is a brownish dress or tunic.

    Reply

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