For those of you with a lot of time to spare, the full-length version of the concert report can be found at OSV. This report is for those who want a quick run-down of my thoughts of the event.

But before we get to that, I’m sure you guys will want a set list. Unlike the MELL Concert, I actually knew most of the songs; the only one that I didn’t know was May’n’s performance of “Kimi Shinitamou Koto Nakare” since I never watched Shangri-La. If there are any mistakes, I’ll blame that on my horrendous notetaking skills.  Anyhow, the set list based on my notes is as follows:

Set List »

So the big takeaway from this concert was something that Taka had mentioned in my AX schedule post; namely, that May’n is an outstanding live performer. She did have a bit of a shaky start when a few phrases were out of tune, but once she got her rhythm going, she was completely unstoppable. The way she sang completely exuded passion, confidence, and energy, and in doing so, made her stage presence impossible to ignore. Though I’d criticized her before for her vocals, which feel somewhat lacking in emotion, by actually being there and seeing her movements and facial expressions as she sang went a long way towards bridging the gap.

Most of her songs are characterized by high doses of energy and passion, but she also did a great job bringing out that nostalgic, longing feelings in “Diamond Crevasse,” which demonstrates her ability to shift tones to match the song during the middle of a concert. To draw the crowd in, she also learned some English, and you can probably guess how thick her accent was. Still, I’ll give her points for trying, and the audience appreciated that quite a bit.

Megumi Nakajima brings out the softer, cuter side, which nails Ranka Lee’s personality to a T, and as a result, her songs were much bouncier. That said, she doesn’t have quite the experience, and therefore stamina, to hold out for very long. And since she was performing 15 songs, it was inevitable that her voice would break. I started hearing it around “Jellyfish no Kokuhaku,” but it really became noticeable when she sang “Ao no Ether,” and that stuck out enough to be a bit distracting at times, especially when I wanted to take in the poignancy that the song had to offer. Oh well. I’ll give her a break for hanging in there and seeing the concert through to the very end.

You’ve all heard by now that Yoko Kanno made an appearance, and that proved to be a really awesome surprise. During the course of the concert, she played the piano, put an instrument that mimicked bird noises up to the microphone and played with that for awhile, sang along with May’n and Megumi Nakajima, and tossed a “Kira!” here and there during “Seikan Hikou.” While seeing her was great, having her on the piano really made songs like “Ai Oboete Imasuka” even more heartfelt and engaging. Though I understand the necessity of having singers sing to some background instrumental track, having live instrumentals there to back up the vocals is even better.

Of the two concerts I attended, this one was the most enjoyable mostly because I was familiar with the music. With 23 songs in tow, the singers kept the pace going strong and kept the audience engrossed with the overall presentation. My respect for May’n’s singing has grown since her voice closely matches those of her recordings and Megumi Nakajima did well enough in spite of her relative inexperience. The word I’ll keep using to describe this is phenomenal, and so far, its magic still sticks with me.

I’m not the only one who wrote about this event, so if you’re looking to get some other perspectives, you can always check out Tim Sheehy’s thoughts on Japanator and Yoruko’s report over at C’est la Reve Qui Chante.

EDIT: Looks like the Anime Diet guys have posted their report too!

(Note: Much of my coverage of Anime Expo this year is on behalf of Original Sound Version. So over the next few days, my concert report of the May’n/Megumi Nakajima concert will be written and posted over there to accompany my report of the MELL Concert that has already been posted. The same will go for the information I gleaned out of May’n and Megumi Nakajima’s press conference. I will write shorter versions here though for people who don’t have the time to read through all the text, so you can look forward to that!)

With that out of the way, Anime Expo this year was a blast from start to finish. I started that Friday by bumbling my way into my colleague Kylaran at the Nihon Review and Benu at Anime Genesis and things just took off from there. Most of that day was spent scurrying around from one event to the next without really having much in the way of downtime, but I really wouldn’t have it any other way. Through it all, I experienced two amazing concerts, one that was just phenomenal and the other of which was just amazing, got a chance to hear what May’n and Megumi Nakajima had to say about the work they’re doing, where they’re looking to go and not go with their careers, and what they thought about their experience in coming over to America and performing before a group of Western anime fans. Needless to say, this left me drained by the time the day ended. After all, two concerts in one day? It’s a good kind of tired though and the only thing I really wish I’d done better was make sure the camera I was using had full batteries before I attended the concerts!

Saturday was mostly reserved for “me time” so I could kind of enjoy the convention at a slower pace. Given my bent towards Megumi Nakajima, I did drop by her panel and stayed for about half of it where I got to hear her do things like sing that “Chou Jikuu Hanten Nyan Nyan” jingle from Macross Frontier and say a random line from Kampfer. I also stumbled upon the tail end of a Minami Kuribayashi concert right in the Exhibit Hall hosted by Manga Gamer. There was also a press panel session with Eri Kitamura and Horie Yui, and I managed to ask one lame question about Horie Yui’s involvement with the seiyuu group Aice5, but the response she gave was sort of what I had expected. I guess that means Sphere will be the seiyuu group to beat for now.

Much of the material covered during that session is more relevant to stuff that the Nihon Review covers anyhow, so do look forward to Kylaran’s report of the event.

And meetups! The world was a much smaller place than I realized as I met Auden Sorlie and Chris Ling, both of whom also write for Original Sound Version and the latter of whom knows Akira from the Nihon Review. Really kind of strange to know that the network is that tight to say the least, and I’d have to say that both of them were pretty chill and we had a lot of fun trading stories back and forth about things ranging from the state of OSV to strange occurrences at a MangaGamer dinner. Also hoping a meeting with a developer over at GoldfishProductions will bear fruit, and if nothing else, I’ve never met a bigger AKB48 fan. Finally, the Anime Diet guys, Mike, Ray, and Rome were also very fun to talk to and I’m looking forward to their videos and interviews. The ones that they’ve posted have been really fun and informative.

The highlight of Saturday was, of course, the big meetup where Shinmaru of UNMEI KAIHEN, Mystlord of THAT Anime Blog, Yumeka from Mainichi Anime Yume, and a crossdressing Keine (CCY) from Mega Megane Moe. No Omo until we were on the way back to the convention hall from dinner though, so my hope of meeting him face to face for longer than 2 minutes has yet to happen. That we all know each other to some degree through online interactions helped make it easier to get the conversation going and it’s great that the people there were really chill and awesome. Also learned a lot by just listening to their perspectives ranging from Touhou to various eroge, to even venturing into Sankaku Complex (don’t ask how we segued into that tangent). With all the enjoyment I got out of it, it looks like I have something to look forward to next year when AX rolls around!

Obligatory loot section. Given that this site’s raison d’etre is on anime music, you could almost say that this shopping trip was kind of a failure. Half the CDs I purchased were VGM CDs though I suppose you could count Yoko Kanno’s Napple Tale soundtrack as tangentially related. I also decided to take the plunge and grab Saki’s soundtrack. Though I wasn’t that fond of it, it’s still good enough to warrant a few listens here and there. Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood’s second soundtrack is more of on a whim; I’d already gotten the first one and was disappointed in how that sounded, but I do hear the second one is better. If Akira Senju’s compositions for FMA: Brotherhood represents a lower bound in the quality of his work, I’ll take it. Finally, getting my hands on the Gundam SEED Destiny orchestral disc is a bonus. I loved the heck out of the first Symphony SEED album, and though I have no emotional ties to the Gundam SEED franchise, Toshihiko Sahashi wins me over every time. Moreso if it’s played by the London Symphony Orchestra. Additions to the review queue? You bet!

That’s about it. This experience was really over the top, making it the best Anime Expo experience I’ve had to date. It’d be crazy to expect any future incarnation of this convention to reach the heights it did this year, but we can hope. And even if it doesn’t, the people I can look forward to meeting for years to come will give me a good reason to seriously ponder going even if the guest list is blah.

For the past few months, I’ve heard reports about how people who’ve watch the cam-rip of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya absolutely loved it. I didn’t pay too much attention to the details though since I didn’t want any of it spoiled, at least, that’s the reason I told myself. In reality, I might have been just a bit burnt out from the Endless Eight debacle and was pushing that out of my memory.

When I heard that they’d have a showing in LA, I was lukewarm about it, but what the hell, I gave it a shot and, buoyed by Shadowmage’s review of the movie on the Nihon Review, hoped that it would at least be passable.

Do you remember when you watched the first episode of the second season of Haruhi and all the positive goodwill you had about the franchise just kind of gushed out and gave you that pleasant buzz that made you feel warm and fuzzy? Well, watching the movie gives the same kind of feeling, except it felt even better than that!

Without going too much into a discussion of the movie (feel free to talk about it in the comments section though!) all I’d have to say is that the experience was an amazing one. Watching the ramifications of Haruhi’s disappearance was wonderful because the calm, sober atmosphere contrasted so much with the usual level of energy and excitement that we’ve come to associate with the Haruhi franchise. It just felt wrong, and in doing so, fit the scenario perfectly!

So yes, if you want a take on the movie, just read the review I linked to above. My only disagreement is that I thought it was worthy of a 9/10, but that just might be because the high the movie gave me resulted in a euphoria that’s lasted up until now and is still going strong. It made up for Endless Eight and then some and being able to experience it in the setting of a movie theater along with other anime fans who made the trek was fantastic!

So what else happened there?

Well, it was kind of cool that they gave us a free copy of the first volume of the manga. Beyond that, they had Wendee Lee (who voices Haruhi) and Crispin Freeman (who voices Kyon) show up to give a 1-2 minute blurb on how much voice acting meant to them and in being able to see the popularity of anime grow since they started their careers. Stephanie Sheh (Mikuru) was also there to sign movie posters.

The Haruhi girls (no idea who any of them were) also performed a song and dance routine right before the movie started. It’s not hard to guess at which of the songs came up. They also told some lame jokes that people laughed at out of politeness and only made me more impatient for the film to start.

At the very end, they had a drawing for some Crunchyroll subscriptions, and that concluded the night.

The music

I call these “preludes” because I do want to hit on the music the way it was presented in the film as opposed to listening to the soundtrack on a standalone basis, which can affect my judgment of it depending on how strongly I can conjure images of the anime in question while listening to it.

Well, I did pay attention to the music while watching the movie, and afterward, I can recall about 6-7 tracks that made a good impression on me. Naturally, me knowing that Eminence Symphony Orchestra performed the music for the movie gave me hope that it would be amazing and as far as I can tell, Disappearance’s music is promising both within the context and as a standalone listen. The panicky track that plays as Kyon is trying to get a lay for the altered world carries the urgency that you’d expect. Another was the piece that plays when the SOS-dan is reunified once more since it does the “happy-end” theme really well.

The solo piano stuff was also a joy to listen to. Of course, Erik Satie’s Gymnopedies made its appearance, but there were also a few others that hit upon the minimalist feeling that Kousaki is known for composing (see his work on Bakemonogatari) but those somehow had the depth of emotions that worked with the context of the movie. I do hope it’ll translate over well once I give the soundtrack a closer listen.

Anyways, that was a long way to say that I have high hopes for Disappearance’s score to really jibe with me. I’ll be working on that for the next few days as well as cobble my Anime Expo schedule together so that I can figure out who I can meet when depending on what I happen to be doing. Finally, if you’re even remotely cautious about the Haruhi franchise post-Endless Eight and aren’t sure whether you want to give the movie a go or not, don’t be. It’s very much worth it in every way!

Or, if you want to look at it another way, a list of N things that probably don’t relate to each other.

1. We’ve finally passed the 100-review mark!
That’s certainly a milestone if there ever was one.

Yes, we did just get through our two-year anniversary almost two months ago, but I think the 100-soundtrack review mark is just slightly more important because it gives us that psychological edge and confidence to surge onwards. It’s never easy driving oneself to write in such a narrow niche, but I’m optimistic about how things will turn out since the reception that this site has gotten has been really positive, and I look forward to interacting with readers old and new over this subject that I love so much. Heck, if I can get people to take heed of the BGM which often flies under the radar in anime, that’s all I can really ask for.

A big shoutout goes to Jen, who, despite joining in October of last year, has managed to provide roughly 10% of the reviews as well as an awesome concert report that I really wish I could have attended!

2. I get to look at the past, and what a frightening past it is.
Milestones are fun, looking back is also fun even if it can be totally embarrassing at times. A few weeks ago, Pontifus and I decided to plot out a way to relive the days of yore by having anime bloggers read each other’s posts. Out loud. As a recording.

Omisyth drew my name, and after long last, provided this gem of a reading of the post that announced my addition to the Nihon Review writing staff.

It really is kind of funny to look back upon this because, well, it feels almost… childish in the way I gushed out like that? And I don’t really do that a lot. Also, the way the relationship evolved has been odd too. I did post a blurb of my Ghost Hound review once, but that never happened again. The reason for that was because I felt kind of silly cross-posting; it never sat well with me, and so, I stopped. For that matter, I never posted another anime review here since then. I figured that if I was going to aim for a niche, I might as well go all in. No sense in splitting this blog’s focus to review anime and music when I can submit to whichever place is more suitable for such an item. In the long run, it works better with this arrangement.

Shoutouts in the post title is plural, so this one goes out to the Nihon Review staff for supporting me in this endeavor and with Shadowmage’s contribution in the form of Darker than Black 2’s OST which delivered some really enjoyable techno fare. I can’t say techno is ever at the top of my list of preferred listens, but that soundtrack nailed pretty much what I was hoping for: creative trance/techno, which is, unfortunately, still a rarity.

3. VGMdb is up, and running, and looking strong.
I’ve groused about how disorganized the anime music community seems to be. We can’t seem to get all the facts straight. My point of comparison? The video game music community.

Sure, the two are joined together by the fact that both are nerdy pursuits, both have some crossovers (Disgaea, Devil May Cry, Tales series), and some people engage in both. When you look at the music front, the video game music community is way ahead. When new game albums come out, there always seems to be a decent translation of the track titles, composer info, arrangers, and performers. When new anime albums come out, it’s a bit of a crapshoot. I’ve had to deal with my fair share of incorrect track titles (the Paprika soundtrack is but one notorious example) and composer credits, especially when two composers work on the same anime.

With VGMdb now well-prepared to take on anime albums, I’m hoping to see that gap bridged. Already, the site has seen quite a stream of submissions, from the likes of me tossing in the Angel Beats! music to others making sure that well-known stuff like the soundtracks for Fullmetal Alchemist are well-accounted for.

As someone who has this OCD-ish tendency to make sure that information is correct and organized well, I look forward to seeing the database grow further. MyAnimeList, for all its faults, has been incredibly useful and the same goes to Anime News Network’s database. An anime music equivalent that allows people to search out album information in a language they can read and understand while allowing them to organize their anime/game music collection is something I’ve been hoping to see, so the progress that’s been made on that front has me pretty excited.

They could always use more help though, so if you’ve spare time, do contribute!

4. T.H.A.T. Anime Blog manages to frag us in the Anime Blog Tourney about a week ago.
There was a surprise, but the result of that matchup wasn’t one of them. I did absolutely no campaigning and figured to partake on a passive level. As for T.H.A.T., they certainly deserve the win since Impz has done a great job organizing his team and keep abreast of the new and old anime by providing a comprehensive level of coverage that’s only equaled by the likes of Sea Slugs, Tenka Seiha, Star-Crossed, and Random Curiosity. Their content is also not limited to just episodics, and so, there’s something in it for everyone to read and enjoy. Before I go on about what I thought was a surprise, I just want to wish all remaining competitors well and that I’ll still pull for Baka-Raptor to win it all.

So what was a surprise as far as this blog is concerned? Probably how positive the responses were to the content on here. I guess I had expected more ambivalent responses, so seeing that people were pretty enthusiastic about this particular corner of the anime fandom does give me the motivation and energy to keep this up. Last shoutout, then, goes to all of those who read this site and have given their support. Thanks for making this journey such an enjoyable one!

In case people wanted to read what I’ve written about years past, they’re all filed under the “Decade List” tag.

Anyhow, I’ve been warned about 2007’s list since it’s a disgustingly huge list to pick from, and when you casually look over what the music selections are like, you’ll find a lot of solid names to highlight. 2007 saw the coming of shows such as Gurren Lagaan, Baccano!, ef, and Sketchbook. All of these shine in quality on the content front, but it’s a sure bet that people can pick out a track or two that they really enjoyed from these shows. The problem is that we’re looking at the tip of the iceberg here. As much as I’d like to knock a few shows out of this grouping, it just wouldn’t do. So strap yourself in and prepare to go through this slowly. Music is, after all, best savored rather than chugged.

With that, let’s begin with something VGM fans can appreciate:

Romeo x Juliet
I’ve already heaped enough praises on Romeo x Juliet’s soundtrack, partly because I’ve been a fan of Hitoshi Sakimoto’s music ever since I’ve played Final Fantasy Tactics. Even so, it never hurts to give this OST a few more plaudits. While his music wasn’t able to keep me from dropping the series towards the middle, it does compel me to give the soundtrack repeat listens, especially when he serves exciting, majestic music like “Touch,” which is by far and away my favorite track on that album. Add a few more tracks like “Neo Verona” and “Fate” and you’ve got the trappings for a fantastic score that finishes up as my favorite anime soundtrack from 2007.

Touch

[See post to listen to audio]
Sketchbook ~full color’S~
There are two aspect to Sketchbook ~full color’S~ that warrant a mention here. The first is the OP, titled “Kaze Sagashi,” with Natsumi Kiyoura’s soothing voice moving in like a light wind to lift us up and take us on a journey through time and space as we alight upon the idyllic setting of high school life where our attention falls upon members of the school’s art club, each with their own distinct, quirky personality. At this point, this is where the second part kicks in: Ken Muramatsu’s score. Muramatsu dabbles in a fusion of traditional Japanese music and light jazz and though his style hasn’t really changed much as you listen to his later works, none of those works have quite surpassed his compositions for Sketchbook. When you’ve got lazy, drift-y pieces like “Balloon Mode ~Yume Kara Samete Mo~” and “Yuumagure no Kuni,” you know you’ll be in for a treat, especially if you’re keen on relaxing fare. Unlike the next soundtrack, you don’t actually have to watch the series to appreciate it!

Balloon Mode ~Yume Kara Samete Mo~

[See post to listen to audio]

Yuumagure no Kuni

[See post to listen to audio]
Hidamari Sketch
And while we’re on the same subject as Sketchbook, do check out Tomoki Kikuya’s compositions for Hidamari Sketch since the two are somewhat similar in the way they depict high school life. Initially, I didn’t even pay attention to the background music since the series captivated me through its likable cast, whose camaraderie would guide them past the difficulties of living alone without adult supervision while only attending high school. The interactions make for a heartwarming series even if there isn’t much that happens. Because of that, do prepare yourself for a slow-paced soundtrack that, like Sketchbook, carries that light, jazzy feel. It helps to have knowledge of the context, since the music’s ability to conjure up scenes from the anime is the key to really getting the most mileage out of it.

a sunny place 1

[See post to listen to audio]
And before I forget, I love the OP, “Sketch Switch,” with its energy and it was what had gotten me to try the show to begin with. The ED, “Mebae Drive,” is where my introduction to marble came about, and I’ve really come to enjoy their mellow sound in their subsequent offerings, especially for the HidaSketch franchise.

Hidamari Sketch OP/ED »

Shion no Ou
And if you’re for something completely different, Kousuke Yamashita’s compositions for Shion no Ou should be fairly satisfying. The show’s mood is dark and serious; there is a murderer afoot who is paying particular attention to the eponymous shougi player and at times, you feel that it’s a race against time to expose him before it’s too late. In combining the suspense inherent in the murder mystery with the tension of the shougi matches, Yamashita’s compositions yield a darker, despairing flavor along with the dramatic music that comes in as the shougi players meticulously plan out their moves. It’s a very underrated effort all around, but I really enjoy it, especially for stuff like “Akai Kioku,” which reeks of horror and despair, and “Niten Santen,” where you can feel the intensity hit its stride as the shougi match winds its course to end it all on a note of finality.

Akai Kioku

[See post to listen to audio]

Niten Santen

[See post to listen to audio]
Oh! Edo Rocket
Whether my perceptions are absolutely warped or I have this overwhelming love for the underdog, Baccano’s jazz doesn’t get me as excited as Oh! Edo Rocket. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore “Gun’s and Roses” as much as the next person since the music sets up the show’s tone perfectly, but lately, it’s moved into overplayed fare, which really isn’t its fault. So when people bring up that song, I give it the recognition it deserves, but beyond that, I’m content to let others do the praising.

So when people say they’re looking for a jazz soundtrack, I’ll bypass the low-hanging fruit and toss up Oh! Edo Rocket as a strong recommendation. Even though I’ve no context of the show since I haven’t seen it, the sort of feeling I get from the music is that it’s a brash and bold show. That is, the characters are aiming for some lofty ambitious goal that they’ve come up with out of the blue, and damn it all, they’re going to try it, no matter what anyone else says. There will be hi-jinks to be had as they pursue this dream and the swagger that pieces like “Rocket” and “Swing” bring to the table indicate that there will be no giving up in this neck of the woods. It’s do or die, and the audacity is what I love so much.

Rocket

[See post to listen to audio]

Swing

[See post to listen to audio]
ef – a tale of memories
Rather than mention Tenmon’s score for 5 Centimeters Per Second, which is solid overall, I’ll instead talk about the ef – a tale of memories soundtrack, which still contains his characteristic style that’s packed to the brim with drama borne about through the piano, strings, and synth. The soundtrack is a treasure to pick through, especially through the tracks that depict the meetings and the moments of tension, but nothing seems to be able to eclipse the sheer beauty exhibited by “A Moon Filled Sky’s” violin. It might exhibit a lot of melancholia, but it’s hard to turn away from the yearning emotions it wears on its sleeve.

A Moon Filled Sky

[See post to listen to audio]
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Did someone call for Taku Iwasaki’s rise back to prominence? After a few years of mediocre output, but a slow resurrection in Giniro no Kami no Agito and Kekkaishi (so I’ve been told for the latter), Iwasaki goes back into full form with the epic TTGL soundtrack. I’m not going to claim to know much about the show beyond the memetry that’s come forth from people who have seen it, but when I listen to the soundtrack, everything just feels BIG, and I do mean BIG. How it could it not? When you have perennial favorites like “Libera Me From Hell” and “Pierce the Heavens With Your XXX,” the former with its blend of rap and opera, and the latter, with its opening fanfare that calls in a new chapter in mankind’s destiny. Or something like that. Together, you’ve got music that fits a modern epic. Not that Gurren Lagann needs any help in that department.

Libera Me From Hell

[See post to listen to audio]

Pierce the Heavens With Your XXX

[See post to listen to audio]
Gigantic Formula
Despite never having seen this show, I’m still very much in awe of Hiroyuki Sawano’s score, which instill images of heroism as people rise to the occasion to deliver an effort that will be talked about for years to come. Though if given half a chance, I could babble on and on about the main theme, it wouldn’t be fair to neglect some of the more introspective stuff, like “Ring” which always stood out to me. The interplay between the piano, violin, and the rest of the strings really hit the feeling of nostalgia really well. All in all, I really can’t praise this score enough and even with other works like Gundam Unicorn’s soundtrack to consider, I don’t think any of his other works quite surpass this one.

MAIN THEME (ver. 0)

[See post to listen to audio]

Ring

[See post to listen to audio]
Seirei no Moribito
Remember when I said something in the post for 2006 about Kenji Kawai redeeming himself? Well, his work for Seirei no Moribito would cover that quite well. When I listen to this soundtrack, a lot of my thoughts wander back on the feudal setting and the mystical events that occur during the course of the series and for good reason: aside from maybe 4-5 tracks, that Kawai’s melodies can stand well on their own since a lot of it focuses on capturing the atmosphere rather than give us something beautiful to listen to. So if you can immerse yourself into the setting (and it’s a beautiful setting to be sure), you should be able to enjoy what he has to offer. Otherwise, just home in on stuff like the stately “Omoi Haruka,” which moves at a steady rhythm that conveys the epic scope of the anime series or, if you’re looking more for the fast-paced action, then “Karu!” does a good job of that too.

Omoi Haruka

[See post to listen to audio]

Karu!

[See post to listen to audio]
Strike Witches
Finally, we come to the humble Strike Witches to round out the list. Opinions on that show just might be mixed because of how the fanservice-y elements distract from what is a heartwarming series about friendship and camaraderie, but if there’s one thing I’ve gotten from it (despite not having seen it), it’s Seikou Nagaoka’s music, which delivers on character themes (“Perrine’s” daintiness, for one) and of course, fantastic military fanfares in “Striker no Hishou” which are absolutely grand.

Perrine

[See post to listen to audio]

Striker no Hishou

[See post to listen to audio]
10 soundtracks in all! I did warn you before though, so if you’ve made it this far, congratulations. On to page 2, if you’re not asleep yet!

Remember when I posted about watching TV during my vacation a month or so ago and being surprised about hearing that snippet from Victorian Romance Emma come up? Well, I did get a response awhile ago when I e-mailed the folks at Bloomberg, and here’s what they had to say:

The song during Judy Woodruff is called Ruby Rain.

Source: http://www.audionetworkplc.com/production-music/ruby-rain_5497.aspx

So basically, they’re saying that the song originated from a work composed by Igor Dvorkin and Duncan Pittock!

Now, there’s no date as to when “Ruby Rain” was composed, so it’s going to be difficult to nail down which came first: Kunihiko’s “The Season” or Dvorkin/Pittock’s “Ruby Rain.” Furthermore, the booklet for the Emma soundtrack doesn’t come with any liner notes that could be translated so you really aren’t able to see into Kunihiko’s mind and determine where he derived inspiration from when he composed the piece.

Obviously, when you compare the two tracks, the only similarity is in that short motive so plagiarism is the furthest thing from my mind. But hearing that does emphasize just how often composers quote other pieces of music.

Prominent artists like Yoko Kanno have been known to engage in musically quoting. If you’ve listened to her works on Macross Frontier, you’ll be able to pick out some prominent themes from the soundtrack such as “The Target,” which uses a part of John Williams’s melody from Star Wars and, of course, “Big Boys,” which derives a large part its music from Hans Zimmer’s Gladiator soundtrack (Pirates of the Caribbean would later use the same theme). And those compositions that borrow the same technique from Carl Orff’s “O Fortuna” from Carmina Burana? Those are far too numerous to count.

Big Boys

[See post to listen to audio]

None of this is a cause for alarm – unless it’s frighteningly close like Satoshi Kadokura’s compositions for Gundam F91 – nor should it result in less appreciation for compositions by Kunihiko, Kanno, et al. Rather, it reminds us just how music from new composers continually builds upon the works of those who came before, whether it’s by quoting or writing a variation upon a theme. Through that, it’s really easy to appreciate how the world of music is intertwined between contemporary artists, artists from different cultures, and artists from different eras. After all, Beethoven operated no differently (the well-known theme from his 9th Symphony can be heard in a Mozart work) and so, one shouldn’t expect anime composers to be bucking that trend. It all comes together into the sticky, but wonderful body of music compositions anyhow, and as long as current musicians continue to add their own flourishes and quirks to their own works and not descend into the perilous path of plagiarism, I’ll stay a happy camper.

This post features Ryo Kunihiko’s name rather than Yoko Kanno or some other composer, and for good reason: Kunihiko’s been on my mind as of late. It shouldn’t be too hard for you all to guess why that is. And no, it’s not Aion’s soundtrack either.

It’s been awhile, hasn’t it? I think the last one was about a month ago. Now taking bets as to whether I finish this before the year’s up!

Anyways, 2006 has been hailed by quite a few as a banner year for anime, where many of the shows I watched still managed to stick within my memories surprisingly well. It does help that this year saw the appearance of heavyweights like Haruhi, whose impact on the anime scene can’t be emphasized enough as we’re still living with its repercussions. No fad has managed to supplant it to near-universal appeal like Haruhi did, and like it or not, it’s going to be a major part of what makes up the fabric of 2000s anime fandom.

That said, most of the musical offerings that I really love from 2006 do not come from this franchise. The celebrated Haruhi songs like “Bouken Deshou Deshou,” “Hare Hare Yuukai,” “God Knows,” and “Lost My Music,” have become overplayed to the point that it’s lost that sense of uniqueness even if they are pretty awesome when they first came out on the scene. It’s like how pieces like Final Fantasy X’s “To Zanarkand,” Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” and “Fur Elise,” and, of course, Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” were enjoyable at one point, but I can’t stand to listen to them nowadays. Not trying to knock all of those mentioned above as bad because they aren’t; it’s just been overplayed and since my tendency is to seek out fresh and new stuff that’s underappreciated, I’m not going to bother with Haruhi for this column! There’s more stuff that’s worth one’s time at any rate!

So with that in mind, there’s a lot of good stuff from 2006. I’d be hard-pressed to put my finger on my favorite soundtrack from that year since there are no less than three soundtracks competing for that slot and each of them have something to the that I really like. As usual, clips are in their entirety and youtube videos are spoilered. With that, read on!

Ouran High School Host Club
Squaring off for the number 1 spot will be none other than Ouran High School Host Club. When I remember watching the first few episodes of this series, I was completely dazzled by the music. Yoshihisa Hirano’s compositions are really enjoyable in the way they mix various genres of classical music into a really nice package. Sure, if you were super serious about your classical music, you can gripe about how some of the pieces are just too short and Y. Hirano glosses over opportunities to develop the track further, but I was never bothered by these issues. On the whole, Hirano taps into the whole elegant/pretentiousness vibe associated with the Ouran school and its Host Club through tracks like the “Ouran Concerto” and the “Sinfonietta,” which are among many of my favorites. While Haruhi’s stuff is “been there, done that,” Ouran’s soundtrack still remains fresh and enjoyable to this day.

Ouran Concerto for oboe 2 horns violin and string

[See post to listen to audio]

Sinfonietta C-dur

[See post to listen to audio]
Bartender
Bartender is also going to compete for that top spot. You could classify many of the tunes from this soundtrack as being nothing more than elevator music, but it sure is damn good elevator music! Its jazzy soundtrack takes us into the soothing atmosphere of Eden Hall, run by Ryo Sasakura, where one can relax and rejuvenate oneself through his concoctions. The mood that “NO NAME ~Kami no Glass~” sets through its piano and percussion really work alongside the narration in the anime and I’m also drawn in to the calming aura that “CHRISTMAS CHAMPAGNE ~Kiyoshiko” brings to the table with its arrangement of “Silent Night.” The soundtrack as a whole is wonderful and if this is the kind of music you dig, you’ll be in good company with the rest of the music here. I only wish that its composer, Kaoruko Ohtake, would compose more music for anime.

NO NAME ~Kami no Glass~

[See post to listen to audio]

CHRISTMAS CHAMPAGNE ~Kiyoshiko

[See post to listen to audio]
Red Garden
And of course, the last contender would be Red Garden’s soundtrack. I’ve already labeled this a masterpiece, and it’s not hard to see why through its emotional fare coupled with KOKIA’s vocals towards the end. I really do listen to this too much, but that’s fine since it’s still not gotten old and the melodies that I love from it continue to raise the hairs on my neck because of how beautiful they are. Also, I’m too lazy to switch it out with something else and so, it’s an album that seems to have a permanent spot in my car’s CD player.

Sumire ~ You to Tomoni

[See post to listen to audio]
Paprika
So yes, those would be the big three, but there’s something to be said about the huge diversity of stuff that’s made their appearance beyond just the pretty music that I love so much. Satoshi Kon’s Paprika movie also came out in 2006 and the soundtrack, composed by the old standby of Susumu “I ain’t Yui” Hirasawa, took me awhile to get into. It was bizarre listening to the bevy of sounds assault me for the first time, but once I watched the movie, all that cacophony somehow made sense. No, I’m not even going to try to explain it since it’s an experience you’ll have to encounter for yourself. Now, I’ve come to love its depiction of chaos through standbys like “Parade” and “The Girl in Byakkoya – White Tiger Field.” Its style may be jarring to those used to quieter fare, but give this one a few chances and it’ll grow on you pretty quickly.

Parade

[See post to listen to audio]

The Girl in Byakkoya – White Tiger Field

[See post to listen to audio]
Asatte no Houkou
Asatte no Houkou is one underrated gem, both from the music and the anime front. At its core, it’s a story about how two people’s wishes go awry, but along the way, the characters learn to be a bit more empathetic and understanding, resulting in a sweet story all around. The soundtrack by Shinkichi Mitsumune of Rozen Maiden fame also adds to the languishing feel of summer while sticking in a good dose of soft piano drama music to make things roll. The medley that starts the soundtrack covers most of the show’s musical themes and should prime your expectations as to what the rest of the soundtrack delivers upon. It’s delightful. Maybe not to the degree that some of the others are since it’s mood is rather subtle and I’d hardly classify this as being energetic, but I do listen to it quite a bit, most likely because it starts with the letter A and shows up when I scroll through the list of albums to tune into.

Kumikyoku [Asatte no Houkou]

[See post to listen to audio]
Le Chevalier D’Eon
I don’t know how many people have seen Le Chevalier D’Eon, but it certainly was an engaging anime series with its mystery and intrigues that viewers can unravel. Also, conspiracy theorists may find the cultists angle and their goal of controlling Europe’s major powers to be a fascinating bit, especially when names like Robespierre pop up. Michiru Ooshima’s compositions are often overlooked and even if they’re not quite as good as Fullmetal Alchemist or Sora no Woto’s soundtrack, they still demonstrate Ooshima’s ability to depict a European setting. One of my favorite pieces is “Cafe – Paris no Kensou,” which paints a relaxing scene as you sit in a cafe and looking at people walk by the Seine. The other tracks, like “PSALMS” hits the mood rather nicely with those tension-filled melodies that hint at the impending conflict.

Cafe -Paris no Kensou-

[See post to listen to audio]

PSALMS

[See post to listen to audio]
Renkin 3-kyuu Magical? Pokaan
Renkin 3-kyuu Magical? Pokaan is completely silly. I’ve already remarked about its misleading OP theme elsewhere since this series is all about a bunch of girls from a different environment trying to get used to modern-day Japan. The comedy isn’t exactly top-notch, but it does have its moments. The music, composed by Elements Garden’s Noriyasu Agematsu, matches the silliness for the most part, though his “seasonal” tracks using the Magipoka themes are the highlights along with the easygoing character themes. Well, assuming you like laid-back my-pace type music, which fits in with my tastes. So Magipoka wasn’t a particularly great, but its music was enjoyable and the whimsical tracks make for a great listen.

Magipoka Theme – Spring

[See post to listen to audio]

Magipoka Theme – Summer

[See post to listen to audio]

My-Pace Yuuma

[See post to listen to audio]
Yeah, this is a lot of stuff, but it’s no surprise given all the good shows that came out along with the scores which are downright excellent. The OP/ED section is similarly long, so on to Page 2!

Time has a weird way of sneaking up on you sometimes. It’s always moving at the same steady rate, but when you turn around to really keep tabs on it, it already seems to have skipped ahead a few months, leaving you to wonder what exactly you’ve achieved while time went on its merry jaunt.

You might be surprised or shocked by what you see since you can never really where you’ll end up. At least, that’s the impression I’ve gotten writing about anime music soundtracks for this site. When I started, there was no grand, cosmic imperative telling me that “THOU SHALT WRITE ABOUT ANIME MUSIC”; it was borne out of a desire to simply connect the music to the material so as to enrich the anime experience on a more personal level. Because of its subjective nature, there’s really not much concrete stuff to go off of in writing about why I liked or dislike a given song or album and I figured to make the best of it. Early on, I often wondered what the hell I was doing since this seemed like a trivial diversion at best. After all, shouldn’t I be concerned about securing my future through more concrete endeavors like trying to get a job promotion? Why burn my spare time doing this?

My simple answer is that I enjoy sharing the joys that I’ve gotten from listening to anime scores and either visualizing the fantastic scenes before me or just reminiscing fondly upon the series’ unforgettable moments. Soundtracks, particularly those for video games and anime, have been something that has always been with me. While I was younger, armed with a cassette tape, I’d play through Final Fantasy VI just to record the music. Once I got into anime, I’d also pay attention to the background music. I might not be eccentric enough to try to record it, but I suppose this blog is the present-day incarnation of that particular obsession. And I do hope that all of you have been able to glean something out of this effort.

Needless to say, I’ve gotten a lot more than I bargained for, given this blog’s modest beginnings. The opportunities that have popped up through channels like the Eminence Symphony Orchestra which then got me connected to Jayson Napolitano, Patrick Gann and the others at Original Sound Version are the more visible aspects of where Anime Instrumentality has taken me. No less important is the interaction with the anime fans, whether it’s here, on other people’s blogs, or elsewhere, and I’m constantly learning something new each day. Whether you’ve left a short comment calling my attention to a soundtrack that merits a look or introducing music that would otherwise not have reached my ears via MALKeionbu, it’s been a great experience all around. There were some tough times like when I had to balance working life with writing on this blog, but on the whole, it’s been gratifying. I look forward to seeing new faces and palling around with the familiar folks over this coming year.

Anniversaries give me a reason to add something new. Last year, we had the MALKeionbu set up so that it’s become a place for people to hang out and show to others some anime track that’s caught their ear. This year… well, I’m not completely sure, but the staff and I are working on something and with due time and effort, I do hope to see it materialize soon.

No, I’m not referring to the unboxing video that I made for ARIA the Box, but if you’re curious as to what was in the soundtrack collection holds, look no further:

Until then, I hope to see you around this corner of the anime fandom! Here’s to a wonderful, memorable year 3!

Vacations allow me to get away from a lot of things and I primarily use that time to undergo urban detox by going camping. For the days when I’m not out in the wilderness, I spend that time watching TV in hotel rooms. It seems like the only time I ever touch the TV is when I’m on vacation. That suits me just fine since I make up for that by watching anime the rest of the year anyhow.

Taking a vacation doesn’t get me away from anime music. I’ll blast video game and anime tunes from my iPod when I drive or fly around the country, and that is to be expected. What is unexpected is hearing anime music come out of a 24-hour financial news station. While I was in Portland, I found myself tuning in to Bloomberg TV and more specifically, a show titled “Conversations with Judy Woodruff.” I was somewhat familiar with Judy Woodruff’s work as a journalist, but I was even more familiar with the theme used for her show. Give it a listen, and no, you don’t need to listen to it in its entirety unless you like Paul Volcker; the first 10 seconds will do.

Well, that was a surprise! Maybe some of you recognized it as a work composed by Ryo Kunihiko for the Victorian Romance Emma soundtrack:

The Season
[See post to listen to audio]

Now, I didn’t stick around long enough for the credits to roll (it was late and I was tired). All I know is that Charles Tomaras is the show’s sound mixer, which I guess means that he selects the music and puts it all together. Does this mean that either he, or someone on Woodruff’s staff, listens to anime music and might even be an anime fan? Is that person aware of where the melody comes from or was it chosen for the show because it sounds pretty? I’m sure a quick e-mail could answer all of that if I could find out who to contact and how to contact them (the Bloomberg website is labyrinthine in this regard).

Mundane reason or not, as long as Ryo Kunihiko gets a royalty check from Judy Woodruff’s show, that’s all I can really ask for.

Ahh, terrible anime music. It’s not really an area I get to dive in as often as I’d like. Though I may search far and wide, only a handful of anime soundtracks would qualify as being truly bad. Either I’ve been too lenient with my judging criteria or there just aren’t really many genuinely bad soundtracks around. I guess that when producers or directors bring a composer on board, there’s a minimum level of competency that the composer must have, and that bar prevents the truly horrendous stuff from really surfacing. So maybe I need to be a bit harsher on the uncreative stuff like K-ON!’s soundtrack just so that I can make full use of the review spectrum. It’d probably be difficult to find soundtracks that toddlers with pots and pans could exceed anyhow.

With J-pop, it’s a different story and you don’t have to look far to find some screechfest that’s really difficult to tolerate all around. But those just end up being easy pickings and aren’t really all that fun to listen to. The gems would be the pieces that transcend badness to the point that they become unforgettable.

So in what I hope will become a recurring trend, April 1st will be reserved for the terribad. I sort of did it last year when I featured Kaere’s character song “Buta no Gohan” but that was a lame attempt at some April Fools humor. This year, I’m just going to skip the pranking and go straight on in to highlight three of the worst pieces of anime music I’ve listened to over the past year and ramble a bit. Like with my notice for the relevant MALKeionbu thread though, I’ll try to make it laughably bad.

Akikan – Koisora Recycling

Akikan ED »

Akikan ED8 »

I think I’m doomed towards liking this song in spite of its off-tune vocals and buttloads of engrish. Part of it is because I don’t think that Nomiko is really trying to sing well here and that she knows the show she’s singing for is one big joke anyhow and another part of it is because this reminds me of her work on Renkin 3-kyu Magical? Pokan’s ED, which was also silly, but memorable because of it. If nothing else, the nonsensical lyrics here fit in well with the show’s scatterbrained approach (at least, the portions of it that I did watch) and it’s good for both groans and laughter, especially if you’re like me and use it to troll friends.

Maria†Holic – Fufufu
[See post to listen to audio]
This song is highly context-dependent. That is, you do need to get a feel for Kanako Miyamae’s perversions to really “get it” otherwise it’s just bad and you won’t really get your fill of entertainment value out of this piece. For those who don’t know, Kanako is a lesbian (might even be a fake lesbian; I’ll leave that to you to decide) prone to disturbing (hilarious even) fantasies. Needless to say, this ditty works because of the way Asami Sanada vocalizes Kanako’s lecherous thoughts, delivering in a manner that’s downright creepy. It still is funny though, but I will say this: if music is the window to the soul, I sure as hell don’t want to dig further into Kanako’s.

Lucky Star – Motteke! Sailor Fuku

Lucky Star ED »

Nononono, the original one is actually fine. Not great, but not terrible either. The one that I had in mind was Minoru Shiraishi’s rendition of the song and he takes on the role of the clown good-naturedly and belts out a fun, but abysmal performance. The closest comparison that I can make to Lucky Star ED feat. Shiraishi would be William Hung’s infamous performance of Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs,” except that Shiraishi is nowhere as bad and is smart enough to know that it’s all played up for laughs (whether it’s actually funny is something I’ll leave up to you). As taka points out later in the thread in which I nominated this piece, the Shiraishi medley is objectively worse. That is true, but I do think that this performance is just slightly more fun to listen to. Well, relatively anyhow.

Also, if you hear some infernal screaming, that would be Sorrow-kun. I take him at his word when he reviewed Lucky Star and voiced a strong distaste for this recurring gag :p

Parting Thoughts:
[See post to listen to audio]
The above is my favorite bad track of the now. It’s more fun if you listen to the lyrics and try to comprehend what’s going on. Sort of like the “noodle incident” from Calvin and Hobbes in that it’s funnier when you let your imagination loose. I personally don’t know even 25% of what the singer is saying, but the picture I have in my mind is downright hilarious.

And yes, this post sprang from me being too lazy to finish writing a soundtrack review that’s been on my plate for quite some time now.

Update:
Bitmapchaos throws in his two cents. Provides an even worse version of “Koisora Recycling.” Edited in under Akikan ED8. You have been warned.