Tracklist

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Review: Makoto Shinkai’s works may derive much of their power by stirring the emotions that many can identify with, but the power of his works gets an additional boost from Tenmon’s score, which plays a crucial role in driving home the impact of Shinkai’s scenes. For me, tracks like “Memories from days far away” come to mind just as readily as the beautiful scene that unfolds when Takaki meets with Akari when someone mentions 5 Centimeters Per Second. It’s fitting then that a celebration of ten years of Shinkai include not only a re-viewing of his works but also a chance to listen to some of Tenmon’s impactful compositions. To that end, the Eminence Symphony Orchestra, along with arrangers Shiro Hamaguchi, Akifumi Tada, and Yasunori Iwasaki have gifted us with a solid orchestral compilation of Tenmon’s collaborations with Shinkai through Promise.

And what better way than to look at the recent past than by starting with the moving insert song “One more time, one more chance” from 5 Centimeters. The original’s power comes from the way it conveys the protagonist’s bittersweet feelings and Eminence’s ensemble faithfully captures that pain most poignantly. Its warm introduction makes way for an airy flute solo that expresses a sort of impermanance, like a precious, yet ephemeral fragment of one’s memory that is always close to disappearing, triggering the yearning and the heartaches. The latter factors in heavily, especially during the introspective cello solo, and continues up to the end until the piece fades out gently. What this track does well is express the regrets and heartaches beautifully and sets things rolling, priming us for what’s to come.

One more time, one more chance

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The procession of 5 Centimeter’s tracks continues with “Memories from days far away.” This piece grasps our attention through the melancholy piano melody that conveys the scope of the anguish that befalls the protagonist. The distress and worries, which materialize in the continual delays that plague his visit during the movie’s first segment, are captured through the halting, measured phrases. Yet, hope still shines through when the lighter tones weave in and out of the heavier fare, creating a mix of joy and sadness that “Kanae’s feelings” follows up upon. “Kanae’s feelings’” initially upbeat guitar segues into a melancholy sound that expresses the yearning feelings scattered throughout the movie, and in so doing, encapsulates the movie’s tragic sentiments perfectly.

Memories from days far away

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The next section begins with the “Main Theme” from The Place Promised in Our Early Days, and opens with a mystical aura brought about by the guitar before launching into the slow, graceful melody that uplifts one’s soul. Its airy flute solo does well in evoking images of the early dawn, and with the arrival of the rest of the orchestra, the rich timbre that follows has an upwelling effect that isn’t unlike watching a slow, radiant sunrise. The optimism and excitement it conjures is almost idealistic, especially as it culminates in a wonderful section where ideas and dreams seemingly take flight.

Main Theme from “Beyond the Clouds, the Promised Place”

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Those sentiments toward the end of the “Main Theme” give birth to “Plans by the two, Hope and love” which combines two different tracks seamlessly. The first, “Plans by the two,” is driven by the oboe’s sense of optimism layered atop the string section’s purposeful rhythm that gives it the energy of a grand undertaking. The transition into “Hope and Love’s” theme seizes that energy and melts it away slowly to bring in a burgeoning gladness into my heart. When listening to the graceful air that the strings express, I just can’t help but feel that bubbling sense of joy that is reinforced many times later on in tracks such as “Sayuri” and “Your voice.”

Plans by the two, Hope and love

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Going further, we come to Voices of a Distant Star’s “Through the Years & Far Away.” True to its title, its pensive oboe melody conveys the scope of the distance that separates the lovers that are central to the OVA’s plot. Once the piano part takes over, its calmer air induces contemplation as it draws forth the myriad memories through its nostalgic expression. Though an undercurrent of hope can still be heard as the piece progresses, the wistful, somewhat melancholy air dominates much of the track, holding the listener back by stirring the forlorn feelings that Shinkai wants you to experience in this particular work. These longing feelings that linger is erased somewhat by the warm tones flowing out of “Letter from Mikako” to close out Voices’ segment on this disc. Short, sweet, and dainty, this track wins me over through its loving sentiments that work in bridging the vast distance.

Through the Years & Far Away

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Last but not least, She and Her Cat gets a chance to shine. Though there are only three minutes of music that ever got played during the course of the anime, the arrangers were able to squeeze out the blossoming tones while mixing in the anxiety that crops up in the second half of the short film. The piano version works to end it all since the melody lends itself well to a regal air that lets you empathize with the cat’s owner’s sorrows, yet instilling the hope that things will turn out well for her by the end.

Main Theme from “She and her cat” (String Ensemble)

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
The arranging team of Hamaguchi, Iwasaki, and Tada has done an excellent job in capturing the spirit if Tenmon’s compositions. As I sit and listen, the images of Shinkai’s works enter my thoughts with ease, and with it, the pains, sorrows, but also the triumphs that the characters experience. The sheer emotional power of Tenmon’s tracks cannot be denied. Let’s hope that the music from Tenmon’s and Shinkai’s collaborations will continue to be as sublime as they have been over this past decade as we move deeper into the 2010s.

Rating: Very Good

In looking at a list of shows and movies released in 2004, the one thing that I notice is the huge gulf in the quantity of shows released during 2004 versus 2003. When I look at such lists, it becomes a constant reminder of what great shows I’ve missed out on. For instance, 2004 was a year that saw the airing of titles like BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad, Elfen Lied, and Paranoia Agent and I have yet to see any of those. Perhaps time will be kind enough for me to go back to give these shows a fair shot, but at this stage in my life, that’s not exactly an option.

So what of the shows that I did see? It’s so huge a list that to cover them all requires me to spend days happily rolling a soundtrack and taking in every note and chord that comes my way and describe it in elaborate detail. In short, it’s not practical, so I’ll keep it as short as I can and leave it to you readers to reminisce and explore these soundtracks on your own.

Note: Once again, youtube videos are spoilered, clips contain the entire track, and with that, let’s go!

It’s really hard for me to believe that Mai-HiME came out in 2004 since it’s always seemed like only yesterday that I watched the action and drama unfold. Maybe a part of that is because how often I give Yuki Kajiura’s score a listen and how tracks like “Ensei ~Omou Kokoro~” are always going to impress me in the way it weaves a mix of mystery and beauty while tracks like “Gakuten-Ou Kenzan!” never skimps out on the action. The soundtrack covers its bases pretty well, and it’s not a surprise that of Kajiura’s soundtracks, this gets the most listens from me.

Ensei ~Omou Kokoro~
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In contrast to Mai-HiME, Fafner in the Azure might have had action, but it left me utterly bored. The effect that this had was that I ended up paying a whole lot of attention to the soundtrack because it was that good. I really marveled at Tsuneyoshi Saito’s compositions because his orchestral melodies that bordered on the epic while retaining a sense of the melancholy. While the orchestral bit is usually enough to win me over, he also puts in a piano concerto in “-SHOKO-,” which elevates the soundtrack further. I just love the way “-SHOKO-” brings out the depths of despair as we are constantly reminded of the tragedy. Also, you won’t find any atmospheric pieces as this soundtrack brings a really strong focus on the melody which is something I can definitely appreciate.

-SHOKO-
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We depart from the action-oriented shows and get into the taboo love that characterizes Koi Kaze. Not only were they able to bring out a really mature story given the setup they had, the soundtrack was also a blast with Takumi Masanori and Makoto Yoshimori at the helm. I’m particularly won over by the former’s piano tracks through with stuff like the “Main Theme” catching my attention really well. Maybe that’s just because I’ve really enjoyed it after listening to it on loop in the DVD’s menu. The general atmosphere is emotionally rich, yet restrained which reflects the taboo-laden nature of the relationship between the two siblings.

Main Theme
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Since we’re pretty heavy on the themes of love, Tenmon’s soundtrack for Beyond the Clouds: The Place Promised in our Early Days is always worth a listen. There might be quite a few similarities across Tenmon’s works, but this consistency allows us to compare how he depicts his love themes. “Beyond the Clouds” might start a bit heavily, but as the piece progresses, it sure does an excellent job of bringing those heartfelt loving feelings to the surface.

Beyond the Clouds – The Promised Place
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Finally, we come to Rozen Maiden, which features a good mix of violin, piano, harpsichord, and other instruments scattered about the album which works together to match the show’s setup. In a way, this show requires the mix that you get from a show like Mai-HiME; that is, you need many different kinds of themes to capture both the serious and the whimsical moments that the show serves up. For the most part, Shinkichi Mitsumune succeeds in delivering them unto us.

Bright Red
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It ain’t over yet though. This list is already getting too long and is sorely in need of a page 2 where I’ve cobbled a list of OPs (and an ED) that I found to be worth my while. They might be worth yours too.

On to Page 2