Tracklist

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Review: To get into the ‘spirit’ of things for Halloween, Anime Instrumentality proudly presents yet another holiday special. In a season iconically represented by ghosts and other supernatural beings delivering a frightful experience, there is nothing like a healthy dose of Mononoke to raise hairs and send chills down the spine. Best of all, you won’t need to feel silly about it afterwards.

Instead of going with the standard convention of listening to tales of witches and goblins, we shall listen to the tales of Mononoke, all weaved together beautifully through what is easily Yasuharu Takanashi’s greatest work thus far. This story begins not with Bulwer-Lytton’s ‘dark and stormy night’, but the taiko and koto situated amidst an uneasy serenity, which are later joined by the harpsichord and the haunting vocals to set up Mononoke’s premise. Although the entry of the shakuhachi brings in the feeling of loss, the track stays true to the anime’s placid approach and avoids dramatic or extensive displays of emotions.

Oboroge

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After the short prelude, we are immediately drawn into the heart of the action, with a fast-paced track which combines Japanese flutes, vocals, violins and low brass, all of which is set to a strong and relentless drumbeat. The ponderous sound that results ratchets the tension by quite a bit as it highlights the dangerous and unforgiving task of exorcisms.

Mononoke

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While the first two tracks perfectly represent Mononoke as a whole, the later tracks delve deeper into the show’s subtleties. “Ononoki” tells of the formation of an ayakashi, starting with a loneliness which transforms into a heart-wrenching sense of anguish once the vocals come in, before the desire for vengeance takes over. The way the track builds up to incorporate the shakuhachi, voice and percussions one by one draws out those many different sentiments, making it the most evocative track on the album. “Samishige”, on the other hand, moves towards more peaceful, if melancholic waters, as this requiem leads a spirit to its salvation. “Isamashige” is a return to action as it embodies the battle against the spirits. Its rapid progression and frenetic melody played by the nohkan masterfully depicts the warped realm of the supernatural.

Isamashige

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Takanashi also brings his musically evocative powers to the fore through “Ayashige”, which conjures an image of spirits frolicking at a festival, showcasing Takanashi’s dexterity with Japanese instruments as he composes a piece consisting solely of taikos and kagura suzu. Also of note is “Abunage”, which illustrates the thick fog of deception the Medicine Seller has to pass through in order to arrive at the truth. The light tapping of the shime-daiko amidst the heavy, punctuated beats symbolises him connecting the dots while still being thwarted by the many obstacles in his way.

Abunage

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Ending off the album, “Utsurigi” closely mirrors the melody and instrumentation of the first track, “Oboroge”, but the note of finality presented through the violin segment marks an end to the tales of Mononoke.

Utsurigi

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The traditional Japanese instruments and composition effectively bring out the unique flavour in these tales, but unlike other soundtracks which serve to accompany the anime, Mononoke’s OST tells its own stories in parallel with those in the anime. The more you listen, the more you unravel them, and despite the air of dignified impassivity it maintains, the emotional weight of these tales will hit you. All these truly puts Mononoke in a class of its own, and a masterpiece in every right.

Rating: Masterpiece

Tracklist

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Review: Of the composers who’ve entered my radar in 2010, none have made a bigger splash than Yasuharu Takanashi. I was first exposed to his excellence in his Fairy Tail soundtrack, which featured a dazzling synthesis of Celtic tonality and rhythm set to rock. As delightful as that combination is, many would say that his forte lies in composing soundtracks to horror anime; my brief forays into Jigoku Shoujo’s score have supported this statement. In Shiki, Takanashi once again demonstrates his ability to weave a compelling horror atmosphere while conveying the scope of the tragedies that arise during the course of the anime.

Through “Day and Night,” the scenes for the tragedy are set. Its introduction, played using the glockenspiel and acoustic guitar, bear a melancholy tone, but it’s the vocalist’s entry that really nails the bleak mood. Normally, such a wispy, halting delivery would be cause for concern, but here, it works well in revealing the depths of the despair that settles upon the village. This atmosphere is further amplified by a grim violin passage that wouldn’t feel out of place at a funeral, reflecting the aura of death that hangs over Shiki’s setting. A calming chorus section comes in the second half and one might easily think it a reprieve from the haunting melody that preceded it if it didn’t feel so much like a benediction for the fallen. Its presence is soothing, carrying with it an air of acquiescence towards one’s fate and lingers there before the violin returns once more, with its mournful dirge.

Day and Night

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If “Day and Night” captures Shiki’s emotional side seeped in despair, it’s “Pendulum” that depicts the horror. Its dissonant chant is downright eerie, carrying an ominous tone fitting of some dark ritual. The piece isn’t content to let just one voice draw out the horror; gradually, more vocal parts enter the picture and the piece, with its heavy rhythm running through the background, crescendos, growing more threatening with each passing note, bringing a murderous atmosphere to the fore. And then there’s the creepy chuckles near the end which add to this chaotic air, until the ponderous melody, complete with an organ playing a haunted house theme, leaves one with no doubt that the village of Sotoba (Shiki’s setting) is doomed.

Pendulum

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Just as you think the end has come, “Crimson’s” heartfelt piano melody hearkens to happier times, granting a reprieve from all the darkness. The track is seeped in contentment, traipsing along without a care in the world, and in the process, conveys that brief, intimate, and charming moment.

Crimson

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Unfortunately, it’s just far too short as “Eau de Vie” returns us to the action with a heavy dramatic track suggestive of covert actions taking place with the goal of bringing about Sotoba’s doom. Here, you’ll notice that Takanashi recycles the general melodic structure from “Day and Night,” setting it to a faster tempo so as to convey the scope of the Shiki’s (the show’s chief protagonists) nocturnal activities. Once again, the chorus serves to heighten the creepy factor that, along with the strings, form a dynamic rich in grim and foreboding tones while maintaining a mournful air in the face of the tragedies which continue to mount with dizzying speed.

Eau de Vie

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The extent of these nightly activities are fully manifested through a tension-filled “Muddy Water,” which seems to draw inspiration from Shoji Meguro’s Persona soundtracks. This track utilizes a heavy dose of synth early on as well as a moaning sound to nail the horror, but that’s nowhere as notable as the beatboxing that follows shortly after. I’m not quite sure why Takanashi went this route aside from it being a popular device to illustrate the chaos and uncertainty that the humans find themselves in as the shiki’s plans roll into action. The electric guitar and bass feature heavily here and there’s even a bit of R&B (hence, the comparison to Persona) to add to the confusing fabric. All this gibbering matches with Shiki’s atmosphere, but it’s a bit too in-your-face for my liking and not something I’d listen to without the context.

Muddy Water

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
The mini album then closes out with the introspective, yet emotional “Mosaic,” which, once again, takes the melody from “Day and Night” and sets it to a piano and glockenspiel duet. This arrangement works out well, bringing out the extent of the despair and the loneliness that afflicts humans and shiki alike. The internal struggle manifested through this piece’s lonely theme is a perfect reflection of Seishin Muroi’s ongoing depression, captured poignantly through its tragic aura that continues to linger. There is a bit of closure, but the conclusion it depicts is rather depressing, which is not a surprise in light of the unfolding tragedies as shiki hunts man and man himself becomes a monster.

Mosaic

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
It’s just a shame then, that we’re not getting a standalone soundtrack that fully encompasses, in music, the events that transpire in Shiki. Takanashi’s efforts in weaving a horror atmosphere and unveiling the tragedies have been solid thus far, and I thirst for more of what he has to offer up.

Rating: Very Good

The responses I got were pretty overwhelming and encompassed over 90 (!!!!!!!) composers (if you can believe that). Speaking as someone who can name maybe half that number, this was a pretty staggering amount and suggests that there may be more anime music fans amongst the fanbase than I’ve seen so far and that most are just kind of dormant. Anyhow, you’ll want to know how things will look over the next 15 months (yes, we do intend to cover 15 anime composers), so check out the list after the jump!

I also plan to run through the methodology and maybe do some comparisons between the sites where I put up the request. That boring quantitative stuff I’ve thrown on page 2, so if you’re really interested how things unfolded, you can look there. As for the general list and the number of points they received from voters in parenthesis:

1. Yuki Kajiura (547 points)
2. Yoko Kanno (499 points)
3. Joe Hisaishi (383 points)
4. Taku Iwasaki (295 points)
5. Kenji Kawai (233 points)
6. Jun Maeda (214 points)
7. Susumu Hirasawa (127 points)
8. Shiro Sagisu (124 points)
9. Tenmon (120 points)
10. Kou Otani (118 points)
11. Toshihiko Sahashi (114 points)
12. Yoshihisa Hirano (111 points)
13. Yasuharu Takanashi (103 points)
14. Michiru Ooshima (101 points)
15. Kotaro Nakagawa (83 points)

Names that barely missed the cut include: Naoki Sato, Kouhei Tanaka, Masumi Itou (Hikaru Nanase), and Mina Kubota.

How This Will Work
Each month, we’ll be highlighting a composer and place a bit more emphasis on reviewing their albums. In fact, we’ll try to toss out somewhere around 3-4 reviews specific to that composer each month. Before we even do that though, we’ll start off with a general profile where we highlight any important biographical tidbits, the sort of stuff you’d find on Wikipedia for instance, but that will make up a small portion of the profile. The bigger portion is in analyzing just how far we feel they’ve progressed as an artist and analyzing the consistency of their works.

So while last year’s big post series revolved around looking at anime soundtracks from 2000-2009, this year’s series looks to be just as ambitious. Maybe even more so. Do look forwards to it and hopefully you can gain some newfound appreciation for the composers you’re familiar with or find a new composer to check out.

For those with a lot of time on their hands, check out page 2 if you want a peek at the methodology as well as a site-by-site breakdown.

A few ground rules: when I say anime composers, any composer who’s written any music for anime (including OPs/EDs/insert songs) qualifies. That was easy, wasn’t it? Basically, the only vocalists that are permissible for this are those who actually compose music. Obviously the extent to which you enjoy their music is important and will probably be the primary criterion by which you assemble your list. You can also consider other things like their quantity of work they’ve done. But when you put together your list, do rank order them from most favorite to tenth favorite. Nothing more needs to be done, but you are welcome to add comments about why you chose X person.

Lastly, do try to come up with ten. I specifically stress the word try, because it’s perfectly OK if you aren’t able to come up with that many. If you’re stuck, it does help to look through some of your favorite shows and see who composed their music, but if all else fails, just list one, or two, or five. That’s totally fine. This is mostly to satisfy my brimming curiosity anyhow. Yes, I will use the results for an upcoming article series that focuses upon composers and not to attempt at an objective measurement of who exactly are the ten best anime composers out there. Do fill this out by December 31, 2010. I’ll be scattering reminders every so often!

For what it’s worth, it’d be terrible of me if I didn’t include my own Top 10 list, so here goes:

1. Joe Hisaishi
2. Yoko Kanno
3. Michiru Ooshima
4. Shiro Sagisu
5. Akira Senju
6. Yasuharu Takanashi
7. Yuki Kajiura
8. Taku Iwasaki
9. Toshihiko Sahashi
10. Masumi Itou (also goes by Hikaru Nanase)

[[Visit blog to check out this spoiler]]

Review: One of my favorite bands is the folk/Celtic metal band Eluveitie. Originating from Switzerland, across three albums, and with a fourth one expected later this year, they have challenged Awesome, slapped it in the face with a hurdy gurdy, and won.

Check them out:

[[Visit blog to check out this spoiler]]

Now imagine how excited I was when I heard this in the first episode of the brand new Fairy Tail anime:

Fairy Tail Main Theme
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

I was then instantly saddened when the next episode featured a lame remix of a tune that had me thinking a can-can line would march across my computer screen at any moment.  And given that this is Fairy Tail we’re talking about, I wouldn’t have been surprised if they had.

As far as music went, I was content with the fact that any time Natsu did something awesome it was accompanied by an equally awesome Celtic rock theme.  Other than that, I didn’t think much of the music.

But then episode twelve came along, and we got this little ditty in “Akuma no Deliora” which absolutely floored me.  From a series that until then seemed to rip all their music (save one) from classical composers, this came across as a shock.  I was amazed at how well the music set the tone for the scene and instantly realized that not only was the quality of the anime going up, the soundtrack was turning out to be worth paying attention to.

Akuma no Deliora
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After listening to the soundtrack, I was in aural ecstasy.  None of the remixes used in earlier episodes were present and I was discovering music besides Natsu’s theme that I hadn’t even noticed.

The OST’s strength lies in its fast-paced, action-oriented themes.  The Celtic rock ballad fits the anime perfectly in the way it single-handedly fleshes out the world.  It adds a new layer to the culture of the world that previously hadn’t been there for me.

On the other hand, I wasn’t entirely impressed by the slower songs.  Though that may have more to do with personal preference.

Yasuharu Takanashi did a great job expanding  Hiro Mashima’s world through the character themes.  The pieces themselves are extensions of the characters’ personalities.  For example, Erza’s theme starts on a graceful note, before shifting into a faster-paced, epic theme, that establishes strength and power, while still retaining an element of her feminine nature.

Erza no Theme
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Gray’s theme is straight up rock, with a hint of punk.  Like Erza’s it starts slightly low key, before revving up into a faster pace.  It stands apart from the rest of the soundtrack to an extent in that it does not have the Celtic theme, but that just helps to express the character further.  It’s not my favorite among the character themes, but it suits him perfectly.

Gray no Theme
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Lucy’s theme is light-hearted and cheerful, exactly like the girl herself.  When I first heard the theme I immediately thought of the French Riviera; the upbeat music does an excellent job in lending a sophisticated air to fit the sometimes-vain Lucy quite well.  As you probe further underneath the surface of the track, you will find the same Celtic theme that comes up in Natsu’s theme.  It’s subtle, but it does hint at a connection between the two characters as the Celtic theme ties them both together, strengthening them so that they can overcome any obstacle in their path.

Lucy No Theme
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So while Lucy’s theme is plucky and upbeat, Natsu’s fast paced and action packed theme paints him as a man of action.  It’s hard to imagine Natsu being greater than he already is, but his theme does exactly this, while still building on his already existing character.  By giving voice to what we already knew and adding many more elements to his character, it effectively renders this track a collage of everything that makes him Natsu.    This was the track that brought
Fairy Tail’s music to my attention, and despite a slight dip in quality at first, it still cemented the soundtrack as something worth looking forward to.

Natsu no Theme
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

The only other character theme is Mirajane’s, which is only one of two among the slower songs that I like.  The music is a perfect match for her character.  It’s peaceful and relaxing, with a motherly quality to it.  But, since there is more to Mirajane than is apparent to the eye, I can’t wait to see the variation of her theme in later episodes, especially during the Laxus arc.

Mirajane no Theme
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Finally, we come to the slow version of the Main Theme.  This is the other slow piece that I enjoyed a lot, and is rated five stars in my iTunes folder, along with Natsu and Erza’s themes.  It’s more than just an arrangement of the main theme with the tempo slowed down; it sounds almost nothing like the main theme, while sounding exactly like it all at once.  It is all encompassing, majestically powerful, and melancholy, all at the same time.  Every time I listen to it I get the chills.  As the last track in the OST, it’s nothing if not perfect.  And after all the emotions I went through listening to this soundtrack, this theme ends it on a decidedly powerful note.

Fairy Tail Main Theme (Slow Ver.)
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

I don’t know why Takanashi chose to go with Celtic rock, but I thank him for doing so.  The music carries with it a promise of excitement and action, while depicting the anime’s epic characters and delivering a fun experience.  The first Fairy Tail OST makes for an enjoyable start, and I can’t wait to see how the music for this series continues to further the plot and the characters.

Rating: Excellent

Burning Lizard, also known as Derek Bown, will be contributing occasionally to Anime Instrumentality. You can read more of Derek’s work at Burning Lizard Studios, where he writes about manga, movies, and anime.