Music for Anime
By Jeff Wilson
First, an introduction: This is the first in what I hope to be a regular
column to appear every so often. I'd like this to be a space to look at
the wealth of music made for Japanese anime and monster films, music which,
if you haven't heard it, is some of the coolest stuff out there. Unfortunately,
a lot of this music is not readily available in the United States, although
that is changing, thanks to the Internet.
The anime soundtrack situation can be confusing, so it bears explaining.
To cater to the fan and collector, Japanese companies produce quite a bit
of stuff. Sorting through it can be difficult if you're unsure of what
you're looking for, so if you do try to latch onto anything mentioned here,
go by the catalog numbers. Some web sites will have album covers, so these
can be a handy reference as well if you have a shop near you that stocks
this material. But if the shopkeeper or clerk doesn't read Japanese, their
word is not necessarily to be trusted. I have at least one friend who got
the wrong disc from a dealer who didn't know what he was talking about
(or worse, didn't care).
Japanese companies take advantage of a popular property, so there can
be several variations and editions of a given score. They include vocal
discs, symphonic discs, high-tech discs, image discs and other permutations.
We will explain these as we come upon them.
There are many specialty anime dealers on the net that carry these discs.
A good site to locate these is the Anime Web Turnpike, at www.anipike.com.
Shop around, as prices can vary widely. Some might be found on more mainstream
Web sites, but these may not have a wide selection. Having said all that,
let's get to the good stuff. We start with the score to a film released
on video last fall by Disney, Kiki's Delivery Service. This 1989
film was made by acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki, and it is the first
of his films to be released under a distribution deal with Disney. The
story of a 13-year-old witch who must leave home in order to continue her
training, it is as far from the mainstream perception of anime in the U.S.
(i.e. sex and ultraviolence) as possible. Simply put, Kiki is one of the
most charming films you'll ever see and is the rare film that is suitable
for just about anyone without being insipid or saccharine.
The score was composed by Miyazaki's regular composer, Joe Hisaishi,
who also composes music for cult fave Takeshi Kitano. Hisaishi's score
to Kiki is like the film itself, charming and rhapsodic. The film opens
with "On a Clear Day," which is Kiki's theme, a lovely Gallic-sounding
waltz. The melody is carried at first by oboe, with strings picking it
up thereafter and accordion after that. It provides the perfect introduction
to Kiki and her world. As Kiki lies on a hill listening to a radio, all
is swaying grass, blue skies and no worries. This theme, one of Hisaishi's
loveliest pieces, reappears often. The score largely follows in the pattern
of this easygoing, breezy piece. There are other highlights to mention:
when Kiki reaches her new home, in the cue "A Town Where You Can See
the Ocean," a rollicking piece with Spanish flourishes; in "Mysterious
Painting," Kiki visits a painter friend and sees the work of art that
she has inadvertantly inspired. The cue relies on synthesizers to carry
it, and the effect is interesting. The melody line is carried by a sound
that seems halfway toward bagpipes, but without the harshness of that instrument.
Finally, in "Rough Flying Airship Adventure," Kiki learns of
a friend in danger and goes to the rescue. Starting with oboe sailing atop
pulsing strings, the piece swirls into strings and horns as Kiki and the
town see the airship crisis for themselves.
Interestingly, the CD contains two further cues for this portion of
the film that were not used in the finished product. Both are action cues
and work well, yet Miyazaki chose to use no music. The scenes still play
beautifully, as the action onscreen easily carries the tension and excitement.
Finally, the CD contains the opening and closing credits songs, both
by singer Yumi Arai. Neither was originally written for the film, but both
songs ("Lipstick Message," a 1950s pop pastiche, and "If
Enveloped in Tenderness") provide a nice complement to the mood of
the film. They are subtle in their relation, which contrasts with Disney's
handling of the dubbed version. The new songs, by singer Sydney Forest,
are OK, but both hammer into the viewer their relation to the film, titled
"I'm Gonna Fly" and "Soaring." So much for subtlety.
The film has many moments without music; the score CD runs about 42
minutes for a 102-minute film. Disney evidently thinks its viewers are
too antsy to deal with anything that does not overload their senses, so
they hired composer Paul Chihara to write fill-in music for the dubbed
version. It is largely synth-based and unnecessary. To its credit, Disney
has also released a subtitled, letterboxed edition of the film with the
original Hisaishi score intact and unaccompanied. If at all possible, see
this version of the film rather than the dubbed version. In closing, Hisaishi's
score does exactly what is asked of it. It adds to the film without being
intrusive, and the music has its own simple yet delightful rewards.
Kiki's Delivery Service **** TKCA 71031 (Tokuma Japan Communications)
21 tracks (19 score, 2 song), 41:33
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