There is no instrument that has dominated the soundtrack scene quite like the pianoforte. If you think about it, it’s not really that surprising. Practically thinking, using a piano cuts labor costs – whereas it would normally take around five violinists (or ten piccoloists, but no one wants to listen to that many piccolos anyway) to sound ten different notes at once, one pianist can handle that, no sweat. But that’s beside the point. With a clear and crisp tone that can duplicate the delicate shimmering of bells or summon an impassioned thundering of notes, the piano is truly beautiful in its own right.

Since anime is also awesome and this post is on an anime music blog, I have to connect my obsessing over the instrument to anime somehow. That’s where notable piano solos in anime come in. Below are ten tracks (in no particular order) that I believe represent the best of piano in anime BGM. Before someone asks me “where’s Hisaishi’s ‘One Summer’s Day’, ‘Ashitaka and San’, ‘Sixth Station’, etc. etc..?”, let me clarify. When I said solo, I meant it literally. I know that a solo can still have an accompaniment, but to prevent myself from being overwhelmed by the sheer number of options, tracks with anything other than piano weren’t considered. With that cleared up, let’s get started!

One crucial role the piano has come to serve in anime BGM (well, BGM in general, now that I think about it) is the performance of those melancholy pieces that usually accompany the emotional and/or gloomy parts of a show. It isn’t too much of a surprise that the pianoforte has risen to this task, since even in quiet solitude it never sounds “empty”. Such is the case in “Watashi no Theme”, a piano rendition of Tatami Galaxy’s protagonist’s theme. I love the wistful ache in this track because it speaks of so many things, be it loneliness, unreachable dreams, or nostalgic pasts. It conveys the kind of sadness that’s associated with wandering alone on a busy street pondering what went wrong in life (did I mention it’s raining? Well it is). All of these notions are packed in without the music ever rising above its restrained atmosphere. That’s pretty impressive, considering the standard emotional work establishes mood with dramatic displays of passionate zeal.

Watashi no Theme (Piano ver.) – Tatami Galaxy

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Of course that doesn’t mean a depressing piece has to hold itself back to be impacting.  Case in point: “The Will (Piano ver.)”, from the Rurouni Kenshin ~Tsuiokuhen~ OVA. In all aspects, the piece resembles a requiem, a composition for the dead, and it definitely isn’t taking the celebratory approach to the funeral. The deliberate funerary march chords tread on with heavy steps, until things finally escalate into powerful and impassioned hysterics as all the guests burst into tears. It’s an absolutely dismal piece that is depression incarnate, adept for darkening my spirits further when I’m in a foul mood.

The Will (Piano ver.) – Rurouni Kenshin ~Tsuiokuhen~

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But enough with these dreary tracks, let’s move onto something a little more lively! I’ve always enjoyed Mina Kubota’s melancholy piano compositions, but I like her upbeat tracks just as much. “Sora no Theme (piano ver.)” has a spring in its step that’s ridiculously infectious to the ear. After the bouncy beginning, the vivacity only slacks off in a middle portion that’s symbolic of obstacles and hardship with its downer atmosphere. Nevertheless, the contrast when things pick up again is wonderful, giving the end a soaring finish that’s confidently triumphant. After listening to “The Will” one too many times, this is the perfect, refreshing pick-me-up.

Sora no Theme (Piano ver.) – Kaleido Star

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The buoyantly jazzy “Livremente ~ Chiisana Itazura” will always be on hand, just in case I need backup, though. In this animated piano tune, the notes dance, quick on their feet. The resultant sprightly and frolicsome sound gives the piece a charming spontaneity that I’m terribly fond of. Coupled with the addictive rhythms, this is music that wants you to move right along with it. Indeed, practically all of Ken Muramatsu’s catchy piano jazz deserves some mention here, since I had such a difficult time choosing one out of the many options he’s composed.

Livremente ~ Chiisana Itazura – Kurenai

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

The next piece doesn’t just want you to dance, it is a dance. A waltz to be more precise. “Introduction & Waltz”, once it begins with its showy chords and scales, quite obviously derives its inspiration from classical music. Nevertheless, it doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is what I appreciate the most about it. Adorning a spirited, regal melody with a generous amount of florid flourishes, the solo sounds much too fancy and dramatic to be anything but in good fun. In the end, all I’m able to do is tap my feet and savor the melodramatic music.

Introduction & Waltz – Ouran High School Host Club

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

The next selection is a relaxed piece fittingly titled “Bartender” (guess what anime it’s from. You get one try). This track is the kind of laid back composition that you’d expect to hear playing in perhaps, well, a bar. It doesn’t aim to have you experience an emotional catharsis, an ecstatic high, or anything extreme of the sort. It’s simply a pleasant piece that opts to create an easygoing atmosphere which conveys a contented and unhurried sensation that’s enjoyable, especially as a break. After all, listening to sentimentally weighted stuff all the time can become a little tiring.

Bartender – Bartender

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

“BARTENDER” might have been nonchalant, but compared to the next solo it’s as turbulent as a stormy sea. From the anime franchise Aria, “Soshite Fune wa Iku” is sublimely bucolic in a way nothing else has quite been able to match. The aural experience is so enchanting; the music gains a picturesque beauty, turning silence into calm water and sound waves into shimmering ripples on a crystal surface. It’s so wonderfully soothing that listening to it is akin to an emotional cleansing. Take my word for it: it becomes very hard to entertain any heartfelt ugly thoughts when this is playing within hearing distance.

Soshite Fune wa Iku – Aria the Animation

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From Binchou-Tan, “Ameoto” is also notable in its serenity. However, it possesses a different kind of calm. This little composition has not the serenity of water but the dreaminess of air (it’s air-headed! Get it?). Instead of following a very distinct melody, the notes, like a breeze, seem to wander, meandering from one half-formed reality to the next, only lightly brushing existences and never closely interacting. I think of the music as Impressionist in nature – the concepts are formed, yet they do not have distinctive boundaries. It’s as if they’re not quite there. All of this makes for a very unique ethereal and otherworldly aura that’s incredibly well-crafted.

Ameoto – Binchou Tan

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Of course the top ten would have to include some selections that expound on love, the emotion humans have been obsessed with since forever. What better way to start than with a track from the anime adaptation of the classic love story Romeo and Juliet? “Deai”, or “Encounter”, chooses to depict the innocent side of the sentiment. While the music remains quietly affectionate for the entire duration, it also conveys a sensation of movement. How this quickening influences the flow of the music, thereby capturing the sensations of first love, is truly this piece’s strong point. It creates the perfect portrait of two enamored lovers, hearts stirring as they spend brief, stolen moments of time in each other’s company. Thinking of these images, I get mushy every time hearing the heartwarming sentiments this piece gushes.

Deai – Romeo x Juliet

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

And finally, Tenmon. This guy knows how take a lovely tune and arrange it into an even lovelier sounding piano work. “One more time, One more chance (Piano ver.) is probably my favorite out of them all. The theme itself is quite beautiful already, but that isn’t what I consider the forte of this track, especially since it repeats so many times. Instead, what makes this work unique is the feeling with which it is performed. Every rendition of the theme is different – sometimes it’s played delicately and tenderly, other times it’s performed powerfully and passionately. Consequently, the melody is transformed every time it’s repeated, capturing a different aspect of love every time.

One More Time, One More Chance (Piano ver.) – Byousoku 5 Centimeter

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

So there we are, ten notable piano solos from anime BGM. As I said before, there were many, many tracks that I wanted to include but couldn’t either because of lack of space or inclusions of other instruments (Albergo from Gunslinger Girl, anyone?). I may have also clear-out forgotten some well deserving compositions (which you can feel free to remind me of in the comments).

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