As a followup to the list of my 5 Favorite OP/EDs for Fall 2008, here’s my list of the favorite soundtracks that I’ve had an opportunity to listen to last year. Granted, all of the albums listed are based on when the soundtrack was released, which is why a certain album makes the cut this year despite the fact that the series ended last year. Naturally, this also means that there are some series that have been released this year, but because we’ve yet to see a soundtrack release, I won’t be including it (I’m looking at you, Xam’d).

Before we begin, the commentaries over at the Nihon Review’s 2008: A Year in Review article indicated that 2008 wasn’t a stellar year as far as anime goes and I agree with this sentiment. Furthermore, the number of enjoyable soundtracks weren’t exactly that high either, which essentially leaves us with the list below along with the few honorable mentions that I was able to scrounge up. Like with the OP/ED article, this list doesn’t take into consideration every soundtrack released in 2008 because of my tendency to only listen to soundtracks from series that I’ve seen. So despite all the good things I’ve heard about the Code Geass R2 OST, it’s not on this list. Furthermore, this list it doesn’t completely cover every single series I’ve seen either. For example, I haven’t listened to the Hidamari Sketch x365 OST which means I’m not yet able to judge whether it’s any good or not though I’ve heard a favorable opinion of it. Now that the usual disclaimers are now out of the way, the ranking is as follows:

#1. Romeo x Juliet Original Soundtrack
This soundtrack is the very first soundtrack review that I’ve written on this blog and it also happens to be my favorite one from 2008. Its composer, Hitoshi Sakimoto, demonstrates his brilliance in bringing forth the medieval setting of the anime series through his music in such a way as to make the world feel vibrant. I especially enjoyed the way he captures the many facets of Neo Verona through “Red Storm” as well as the eponymous track “Neo Verona” in addition to bringing the intensity of the action scenes to life through tracks like “Recovery.” Overall, this soundtrack is filled to the brim with breathtakingly beautiful pieces and even when you consider his body of work in the world of video game music, Romeo x Juliet stands out as one of his best works to date.

#2. ARIA the ORIGINATION Original Soundtrack tre
You’d think that after two installments of ARIA, that the music for the third would be pretty boring because there is only so much you can do with ARIA’s music while preserving the series’s unique atmosphere. Thankfully, this album manages to dash those expectations by delivering a memorable listening experience. Somehow, the music manages to remain fresh with new piano and guitar pieces that complement the mellow mood of the series and the credit for that goes to the Choro Club and Takeshi Senoo for their compositions. And of course, a special mention goes to Alice’s song on the soundtrack which brings a sense of warmth and joy that completely matches the wonderfulness of the scene that I consider to be the most endearing moment in anime in 2008.

#3. Macross Frontier Original Soundtrack – Nyan Furo
Here’s the crowd favorite, and after listening to this soundtrack, it’s not particularly hard to see why. Yoko Kanno draws a lot of inspiration for her themes from Western film music and blends them into a masterful work that brings out the intensity of the combat scenes through tracks like “The Target” which has the feel of an epic space battle (probably because the music reminds me so much of John Williams’s Star Wars music). The instrumental pieces on here are really top notch and and give off a majestic feel that is fitting of Macross Frontier’s epic story. Unfortunately, the downside to this album is May’n, whose performances lack the emotional impact necessary to hold my interest and her inclusion brings down the quality of this album.

#4. Natsume Yuujinchou Original Soundtrack
Natsume Yuujinchou’s album is a strange one in that it’s got more in the realm of atmospheric tracks than tracks that can really stand up well in the absence of context. Furthermore, some of the tracks take the atmospheric vibes a bit far by using actual environmental sounds like animalistic moaning noises and even the sound of mosquitoes buzzing around. Nevertheless, the weirder tracks do pack a certain degree of charm and overall, this soundtrack succeeds in capturing the easygoing nature of the series as Natsume bounces from one supernatural encounter to another while meeting new friends in the process. It might not be the most conventional soundtrack out there, but it’s enjoyable all the same.

#5. Spice and Wolf Original Soundtrack – Ookami to Tabi no Ongaku
The music from Spice and Wolf didn’t exactly jump out as me as I watched the series, which is why when this album came out, I was expecting a lackluster album. Much to my delight, this soundtrack caught me off guard with a bevy of melodies that took me straight into Spice and Wolf’s medieval setting. The pieces use a variety of old-world instruments that, when put to music, brings the image of a medieval marketplace to mind. The melodies themselves are different from what I’m used to such that I can find something interesting to enjoy in each track. Spice and Wolf’s music might be subtle, but it’s hardly boring and its choice of genre fits the series perfectly while making it feel like a breath of fresh air and creating a novel listening experience.

Honorable Mentions:

Kurenai Original Soundtrack
This soundtrack suffered from being a tad bit on the repetitive side, especially on the lackluster ‘emotional side’ disc. But the ’swingin’ side’ made up for that by delivering upbeat melodies that were enjoyable. Though I still don’t like this album as much as Muramatsu’s efforts on Sketchbook ~full color’S~, it’s still a competent one nonetheless.

Shion no Ou
If there’s one thing about this soundtrack that shines, it’s the sheer amount of variety that composer Kousuke Yamashita managed to put into the series, ranging from the softer, more reflective melodies to the fast-paced tracks that play during the intense shougi matches. Moreover, it’s consistent from beginning to end, which, when combined with all the variety, keeps it from being dull.

true tears TV anime Original Soundtrack
I have an affinity for piano pieces and Hajime Kikuchi manages to deliver some very beautiful ones in this soundtrack, especially with the arrangement of the already excellent OP song “Reflectier.” A lot of the tracks will tend towards the drama-y side, which makes sense given the way the show is, but there’s still plenty of variety (such as the festival music) to break things up and keep the soundtrack interesting.

Conclusion:

Though 2008 was hardly a banner year in the realm of soundtracks, I am looking forwards to what 2009 will bring. We’ve yet to hear from Michiru Ooshima’s work on Xam’d: Lost Memories and it wouldn’t surprise me if she was going to be on board for Full Metal Alchemist 2. Tytania’s soundtrack, full of bombast and orchestral fare will definitely be something to look forwards to and some of the early pieces that have flowed in from Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou have been promising. Because of this, I have great hopes that more enjoyable soundtracks will be released in 2009. As for the anime soundtrack community, well, that’s another story, but the amount of discussion in that arena has given me hope, so I eagerly look forwards to see where that will go this year.

Title: Kurenai
Episodes: 12
Company: Brains Base
Genre(s): Drama, Slice of life, Action
Air Dates: 3 April 2008 – 19 June 2008

Synopsis: Shinkurou Kurenai is a high school student by day, but at night, he works as a dispute mediator, a job that can oftentimes turn very violent. After performing well at his job, his employer Benika finally hands him a new, dangerous assignment: the task of serving as Murasaki Kuhouin’s bodyguard. Murasaki Kuhouin is the seven-year old daughter of a rich and influential family and who was taken from her home at her dying mother’s request so that she can escape the prisonlike conditions within. This task will test Shinkurou’s mettle and ability to fend off the full force of the Kuhouins as well as his ability to open Murasaki’s eyes to how everyone else lives as he shows her how life is outside the Inner Sanctuary.

Pros:

• Well-developed characters, from the main leads to even the side characters
• Gripping storyline which is among the best of the more recent shows
• Action is very intense and very well-choreographed
• The episode in which they practice for that musical should not be missed

Cons:

• The second half’s execution is just a touch below the first half’s

Review: It isn’t often that a series comes along and delivers a solid effort that’s extremely close to perfection, but Kurenai has done just that. For the lack of a better phrase, Kurenai is a complete package from start to finish. Its characters and character interactions are deep and meaningful, the action isn’t there for its own sake but advances the plot, and the plot itself is paced really well with a storyline that catches your attention and never lets go until the end.

To talk about how excellent this series sculpts its characters and how deep one could go in analyzing them would take forever, which serves as a testament to this show’s masterful ability with character crafting. Murasaki is a very animated character and watching her interact with her duty-bound and resolute bodyguard Shinkurou is a large part of what makes Kurenai so enjoyable. Furthermore, they even made sure that the side characters got plenty of screen time and development, thus, bringing them to life. By the end of the series, you will have a very good grasp of all the characters, their personalities, and motivations, ranging from Tamaki’s carefree spirit, to Yuno, who is forced to show her serious side around everyone else while acting girly around Shinkurou, to Yayoi’s continued attempts to impress her mentor, Benika who is both an empowering and nurturing figure towards her subordinates.

The villains are also well-presented in that they have a despicable air of upper-class snobbishness about them, making them really easy to hate. It doesn’t help that Ryuuji Kuhouin comes across as a first class creep who is fanatically devoted to the Kuhouin traditions and his bodyguard Lin is a hateful woman with a love for senseless violence. The only sympathetic character from the villain’s side is Renjou Kuhouin who seems to be battling his doubts with his role as the family head while trying to uphold traditions. This internal conflict helps keep Renjou’s human touch intact, offering him a chance at redemption.

The plot is extremely engaging and the manner in which they interweave two different genres together is truly amazing, especially considering how smoothly the series transitions from a slice of life series into a solid action thriller with a spectacular musical bit thrown in for good measure (viewers will definitely have to see this for themselves). Admittedly, not everything is perfect because the segment dealing with socializing Murasaki into the real world was just a few notches better than when the Kuhouin’s entered the picture. In spite of that, both segments stand strong on their own, but together, they make the series a complete whole.

Finally, the visuals are very detailed and I particularly loved the art because it did an excellent job of showing the slummy nature of Shinkurou’s neighborhood with its darker tones. The animation was also fairly fluid, which was definitely apparent during the action sequences which had the bonus of being well-choreographed. Ken Muramatsu’s work on the soundtrack also meshed well with what took place on screen, filling the series with many catchy piano melodies which had a good mix of solemn and light-hearted pieces.

Kurenai’s ability to weave two distinct genres seamlessly together is already exceptional, but the way it deftly handles the plot and the characters makes this series a real winner. From start to finish, this series has taken an intelligent approach to anime that few other series can ever match. To not watch this series at all is to miss out on what may end up being the best series of the year.

Score: Excellent