2003 brings back a lot of fond memories since that was the year that my interest in the medium was rekindled after going on a one-year hiatus. By that time, I had completely settled into my new environment, made quite a few friends, and more importantly, I had a sense of direction. That peace of mind helped free up more time and through a friend, I was compelled to give anime another shot since a lot of good shows were airing, some of which would end up on my all-time favorites list. It would be an overstatement to call this period an anime renaissance, but at the time, it sure felt that way to me.

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

Anyone who has known me for any significant length of time will know that if given the opportunity, I can babble on and on about how awesome Gunslinger Girl is. And how could I not? Everything about the show caught my attention straight away, from the crisp, detailed art and animation to the plot, and it effectively brought me back into the fold and held me there but good.

But the music… Gunslinger Girl’s soundtrack was an utterly beautiful piece of work that I would not hesitate in putting in a top 10 soundtracks list if I ever decided to sit down and take the time to cobble one together. Toshihiko Sahashi really outdid himself with the classical-style melodies that conveyed the action and the setting wonderfully. The “TEMA’s” are pretty much the foundation that the soundtrack is crafted behind, and I love “TEMA I’s” melancholy violin melody the best out of them all though “TEMA IV’s” intensity will always be a favorite too since it does a good job of bringing on the action. Concentrating on the themes alone would mean missing out on a lot of other excellent pieces such as “Bucolica” and “Ti Amo” which depict the characters’ day to day life in the European perfectly allowing you to immerse yourself in the setting.

TEMA I
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bucolica
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And lest I forget, the OP, “Light Before We Land,” also had the effect of tuning me into the Delgados, and I really like the music from their Hate album.

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The only other show that could hold a candle to Gunslinger Girl was Full Metal Alchemist, which kept me in rapt attention with its ambitious plot and enjoyable cast of characters. It also served as my introduction to Michiru Ooshima’s works which, as I’ve commented before, tends to be fairly consistent from anime to anime. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a bad soundtrack from her ever. She just captures the drama and action so well.

Whether it’s the novelty factor of hearing Ooshima for the first time or the nostalgia factor surrounding FMA, I don’t know, but I’m still tempted to call this her best soundtrack to date. The action sounds have the required level of intensity so that you can feel the sense of urgency floating about, but the drama inherent in the tragedies that the brothers Elric are forced to endure is conveyed most poignantly through “Brothers.” “Kiro” is also memorable in the way in which the scope of the series is brought to light by giving the listener a taste of the show’s ambition through the militaristic beats and the grand, epic orchestral pieces. That people lament the lack of Ooshima in the latest rendition of the FMA saga just goes to show just how strongly people linked her music to the series. Akira Senju’s compositions are good enough, but without “Brothers,” something still feels missing.

Kiro
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Brothers
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Since we’re on the subject of grand adventures, how about some Last Exile? That show had quite a bit of that, didn’t it? But while the militaristic tracks like “Chivalry Spirits” are fine in my book, the compositions from the show that stand out the most are the ones that evoke the feeling you get as you look upon the the rustic, Irish countryside through the mixture of accordion, guitars, violins, and woodwinds that this soundtrack is filled with. For that matter, it’s the Irish inflections in the sound that helps differentiate this album beyond your typical adventuring anime soundtrack and so, I prefer tracks such as “Morning in Norkia” and “Workin’ on the Cloud.” Also, Hitomi Kuroishi’s singing isn’t my cup of tea, so I’ll give her vocal tracks a pass when I listen to the soundtrack.

Workin’ on the Cloud
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Chivalry Spirits
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That adventuresome theme also means we turn towards Wolf’s Rain, where Kanno’s eclectic mix of Latin rhythms and orchestral works make for an enjoyable listen overall. As you can probably guess, I have a stronger bias in favor of her orchestral compositions, and so, “Shiro Long Tails” will always earn a firm nod for its memorable, melancholy melody. But also, let us not forget Maaya Sakamoto’s performance in “Gravity,” which should get some sort of award for being one of the most poignant ending themes ever. I mean, it’s survived this long and has been a fan favorite since it came out in 2003.

Shiro Long Tails
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Chrono Crusade was also a show worth mentioning because it was my first exposure to Hikaru Nanase’s works. Her dark, gothic melodies earn a thumbs up from me, some of the sillier Rosette-oriented tracks are a bit annoying, only because one is an arrangement of the other and only a careful listen will really allow you to differentiate them. Still, the standouts are the OP, “Tsubasa wa Pleasure Line” sung by Minami Kuribayashi and the ED, “Sayonara Solitaire” composed by Yuki Kajiura and sung by Saeko Chiba.

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Chrono Crusade might be one of Gonzo’s more underrated works. At least, I hardly see ever hear people discussing this show. All suspicions for this lack of discussion seem to center upon a mysterious organization known only as the Cult of the New.

And while we talk about shows that hardly ever get mentioned, I don’t see Scrapped Princess getting much love either. The few words that I can use to describe this is that for all intents and purposes, Scrapped Princess was a JRPG that was turned into an anime (Utawarerumono is a more egregious example of this). Also composed by Hikaru Nanase, I can’t claim to remember a thing from the soundtrack, and so, I must present you with the OP, “Little Wing,” since you can never go wrong with JAM Project.

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To shift gears a bit, maybe someone can update me on what’s going on with Mikuni Shimokawa. I was first aware of her when I watched Full Metal Panic, but it was in the Fumoffu spinoff that I really appreciated her singing a whole lot more. During 2003 and for many years thereafter, “Sore Ga Ai Deshou” was my favorite anime song, and one that I’d foist upon any unsuspecting anime fans who had not heard that piece. The ED, “Kimi ni Fuku Kaze,” isn’t as awesome compared to the OP, but I also enjoyed that one a whole lot, probably because the little marching figures and the rhythm has driven it into my mind forevermore. Soundtrack is more of Toshihiko Sahashi from the first series, so you know what you’re getting into.

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Kino’s Journey also features Shimokawa in the OP “All the Way” which was a really catchy song. It also was totally out of place with the general atmosphere that Kino’s Journey established through its vignettes. My guess is that they were trying to bring forth a sense of discovery since the song does a good job of making me want to pack my bags and explore the world so that I can marvel and experience all that life has to offer. After all, I maintain that traveling broadens ones mind, allowing one to see things from a different cultural perspective.

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Finally, we come to Planetes, the show that I’m still guilty of not having seen to completion. In listening to the music by Kotaro Nakagawa (of Code Geass fame), I can’t help but feel a sense of grandiosity through the first track, “Outside Atmosphere,” which is marvelous as it gets you to think upon the pictures of Earth that we’ve all seen before in our textbooks. It’s an image most of us will probably never experience in person, but it never fails to leave me in awe and wonder as I look at it and realize that the sum total of the human experience is encapsulated on that tiny sphere. The rest of the soundtrack is good too, but I don’t think they deliver on as strong a first impression like “Outside Atmosphere.” Yes, I really do pimp this song a bit too much.

Outside Atmosphere
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Other Notes:

A limit does need to be set on the number of times I mention that I haven’t seen Someday’s Dreamers and my overriding need to listen to Takefumi Haketa’s soundtrack the whole way through since I was so impressed by “Where the Sky and Earth Meet” (found on a MALKeionbu compilation near you!). My advice is to grab the compilation, and if you liked what you hear, give the show a shot or the soundtrack a listen.

The RahXephon movie came out this year, didn’t it? I suppose that I could post the Steve Conte/Maaya Sakamoto duet in “Garden of Everything” that arranges the well-known “Polovtsian Dances” from Borodin’s opera Prince Igor since their voices intertwine beautifully, but I’ve always preferred the original Oh well, for your listening pleasure since I don’t want this section to be totally devoid of music:

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R.O.D. TV gets a lot of mixed opinions and I’m on the side that found the story to be enjoyable. It also gets a lot of flak for using the same themes from the OVA, but I don’t find this to be a major fault since Iwasaki arranges the main theme so that each variation is enjoyable on its own. But then again, I’m big on the whole “theme and variations” bit that composers do (“Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini” comes to mind).

To borrow a joke from NegativeZero, Shingetsutan Tsukihime received not one, but two fan discs composed by Toshiyuki Omori. Surprising, isn’t it? The music uses the violins to create an overwhelming sense of despair that makes for a good listen, but there’s nothing that’s really really memorable here. Except maybe the OP song “Sacred Moon” and the way it hits on the gothic horror fairly decently. OK, there’s a really poignant violin track too, but this is getting to be a bit lengthy and I’m starting to feel lazy. (For those who don’t get the joke, there is no Tsukihime anime.)

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Anything else that I missed other than possibly Tokyo Godfathers? I’ve been meaning to watch that, but I just haven’t found the time. And by that, I mean muscle out a block of time since it’s been hard finding the free time to actually hit my backlog, what with the stuff that’s currently out. It’ll sit on the back burner along with just about everything else.

Voting Thread

Unjustly or no, J-pop does have a tendency to be viewed as a genre that’s rather homogeneous because there’s very little diversity within the set of works out there. Sturgeon’s Law seems to hold a pretty strong grip, but the folks over at the MAL music club did manage to get a hold of some rather enjoyable tracks out of this supposedly inane genre and I was quite pleased with the selections. So let us take a look at what people thought merited a listen after the jump:

Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z Hen – Kanjite Knight
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I have no complaints with starting things off with a rock track as a means of preventing the stale air of J-pop from getting too strong of a hold right off the bat. JAM Project and Lazy work together to unleash a torrent of energy that fits right into the whole old-school giant robot genre as they sing with a great deal of PASSION. Very awesome, though with all the picks that we’ve had this week, there are other tracks that catch my fancy just a bit more, but this one is not bad by any stretch.

White Album – Glass no Hana
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I’m going to say lazy on this one to excuse myself from having to write up something of substance in praise of this track because from the time I wrote this entry until now, my opinions of the song have not changed. (+2)

Macross: Do You Remember Love? – Ai Oboete Imasuka
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Now to get to the real stuff, starting with a piece that has quite a bit of history behind it though I can’t really claim to like it as much since Mari Ijima’s delivery here doesn’t age quite as well as I had hoped. Mind you, I have no issues with the melody or the way the song is executed; rather, my issues stem from Ijima’s voice in that it doesn’t seem powerful enough to project the sort of emotions that this track is capable of delivering through its poignant melody. Compare this performance to Megumi Nakajima’s version on Macross Frontier to note the differences and to see why I prefer the later version much more than this one.

Top wo Nerae! 2 Diebuster – Groovin’ Magic
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Oh god, this track is so campy but oh so sweet. Seriously, the “Ahh ahh ahh ahh ahh ahh ahh ahh Oooooh ooh oooh ooooh” part just gets me every time because of how ridiculously catchy it is that I can’t seem to let that out of my mind. ROUND TABLE feat. Nino has always been outstanding with their music, producing excellent tracks like the Chobits OP as well as several EDs for ARIA. And in this performance, they’ve created an incredibly catchy pop piece that manages to win me over with its pacing as well as it’s ability to put a smile on my face through its cheesiness. Needless to say, I love it! (+1)

Kashimashi ~Girl Meets Girl~ – Michishirube
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I really do like this track because it fits my reserved tendencies. It’s soft and quiet, with an air of subtlety that’s really gentle. I think the piano and acoustic guitar parts in the background along with Yuumao’s rhythmic delivery is what secures this piece as one of my favorites since it allows a feeling of calmness to wash over you while you examine your feelings. Yuumao, in particular, helps in that area by dispensing with the subtle sense of longing well when she sings. A very solid track overall!

Kimikiss ~Pure Rouge~ – Wasurenaide
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I figured someone would nominate this track since it’s definitely Suara’s strongest performance as she pours forth a large amount of emotion backed by the piano which complements the song nicely. Her delivery is just so beautifully done that one can’t help but be swept away by the music as a whole. Of all the tracks selected this week, this one is my favorite because of how the vocals and the instrumentation just combines together to feel just right, making it an enjoyable track from start to finish. (+2)

Ai Yori Aoshi ~Enishi~ – I do!
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Of all the tracks selected, I think this one is closest to pure, unadulterated pop. In light of some of the pieces we have at our disposal, this one also comes off as being closest to generic, as nice as it sounds. The singer’s voice is pretty soothing and the chorus part does work as far as being catchy goes. This track is something that I can see myself listening to once in awhile, but it’s not likely to become a mainstay in my audio player.

Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto ~Natsu no Sora~ – Fly Away
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A victory for diversity in the form of THYME who delivers a track that has an impeccable sort of pacing that makes for a contagious listen because of how you get sucked into the opening chorus section. The electric guitar and THYME’s voice complement each other well throughout the chorus and even if I’m not as thrilled with the main verses, I really do enjoy the way it builds itself back up to the chorus part. In addition to providing variety as far as the week is concerned, this song also has its own internal variety throughout each verse’s execution, which keeps the song engaging and fun. The shift in the key does feel a bit bizarre as you close in towards the end, and I think that’s the tiny dinger that makes this track lose out on points just barely.

Tsukuyomi ~Moon Phase~ – Neko Mimi Mode
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What. OK, my objective side tells me this should not get any points at all, but how can I not? It’s so moeeeee that I’m going to die from the sheer cuteness overload. No, I have not seen Tsukiyomi Moon Phase, so I’ll have to picture this in mind with Chiwa Saito’s other characters: namely Rebecca Miyamoto. Seeing Miyamoto-sensei put on cat ears while indignantly saying those lines in the song just conjures up imagery that’s just far too hilarious that I can’t stop laughing in delight. It becomes even more adorable when she starts making those cat noises which grab at your attention and make you go “dawwwww,” a feeling that gets enhanced when she makes that pouting, whining noise. I gotta give it to this track for being able to keep me entertained… and for getting into my head. I can’t stop putting this song on repeat! I’m in DESPAIR!!! (+1)

Code Geass R2 – Masquerade
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I’m apparently not quite as knowledgeable about this artist, but I can say that this track doesn’t catch my attention at all. There’s a sort of airiness that I really don’t dig and the Gothic feel that this song pushes forth doesn’t really sit well with me unlike Ali Project’s Rozen Maiden fare. I just don’t like Hitomi’s delivery. Sorry.

So there you have it! My point distribution can be found below. Week 6′s theme will be based on traveling, so if you want to get a head start, feel free to start digging into that week’s selections. A voting thread will be created once I compile all the music together, but I look forwards to giving them a listen! And I also hope to see some new faces turn up!

(+2) White Album – Glass no Hana
(+2) Kimikiss ~Pure Rouge~ – Wasurenaide
(+1) Top wo Nerae! 2 Diebuster – Groovin’ Magic
(+1) Tsukuyomi ~Moon Phase~ – Neko Mimi Mode