Music for Anime: Mothra

(OK, not anime...)

by Jeff Wilson

This time around, we turn from the world of anime to the world of giant monsters. For the fan and collector, there are loads of giant monster, or kaiju eiga to use the Japanese, discs to be had. Today, we look at two newer discs that feature everyone's favorite giant moth (although there really isn't much competition), Mothra.

As a kid, Mothra didn't do much for me; she took form in the larval stage (scary!) or the full moth form (yikes!). A foe that could shoot silk didn't do much for me compared to the sheer destructive force of Godzilla. In the 1992 film Godzilla vs. Mothra, however, that changed as Mothra was given a vivid new color scheme and some new powers, which made her a potent force. This rebirth gave Toho Films the impetus to make a new series with Mothra, debuting in 1996, and it spawned two sequels, the most recent of which, Mothra 3, came out Christmas 1998.

Mothra 3 concerns King Ghidorah, time travel, and the dinosaurs. The story goes that King Ghidorah was responsible for the death of the dinosaurs and will do something equally heinous to us if he can't be stopped and so Mothra to the rescue. I have always felt that Ghidorah was like a highly touted rookie who never panned out; he seemed to have all the tools, but once his weaknesses (slow, no arms) were exposed, it was all over for him. Trashed numerous times in Godzilla films, he now re-surfaces for another go.

Yuji Koseki wrote the score, and overall it is a fine piece of work. For those accustomed to Godzilla music, it does not have the force and dread of Ifukube, but Mothra demands a lighter touch, and Koseki obliges with a score that is alternately light and punchy. The disc starts off somewhat slowly, but picks up with the revamped version of the ubiquitous Mothra song, here given a makeover that re-invents it from the lounge sound of the '60s into a cool swirl of strings and percussion backing the standard sung Mothra theme.

The disc kicks into its best stuff with "Cretaceous Battle 1," which features a galloping string and brass section over rumbling percussion. It is a fantastic piece that can't be used as well in the film as it is in my imgination. The score in general, particularly the battle cues, have a cheerful urgency that embodies Mothra, as opposed to the ominous, brooding form the best Godzilla music takes. The disc also features some multimedia content, but it basically amounts to two trailers. While the trailers are cool, this was a lost opportunity to do something really interesting.

The second Mothra disc is one that has more completist value than anything else; it is titled Mothra Song-The Best, and as you may have surmised, it is a compilation of the Mothra songs from the various films in which Mothra has appeared. The first seven tracks are the traditional Mothra songs you may remember from the Godzilla films: island rhythms and dual female vocals. These pieces are most reminiscent of lounge music from the 60s, the kind of stuff one might find on one of those bachelor's den CDs. It's groovy and laid back, with some cool drum work. Listening to this, one almost expects Mothra to make her entrance holding a martini.

From there, the disc gets strange. Track 8 is a new version of the orignal Mothra song, but this version leaves the lounge behind and goes for the heavy metal sound. Yes, it's Headbanger Mothra, and it's weird to say the least. There are some new verses sung by a male vocalist as well, and the whole thing is kind of catchy after the initial shock wears off. The disc ends up with four instrumental versions of the songs, so you can presumably do your own karaoke versions. Sound quality is excellent; the first few tracks are mono, with the rest in stereo. The packaging is quite nice, as the booklet includes lyrics and reproduced posters of Mothra's film appearances. Finally, they throw in two foil stickers featuring Mothra's name in Japanese script. If you're a diehard giant monster type, you'll like this disc.

A note of thanks to a great website I found while digging for information on these discs. Dedicated to Japanese monster music, it has just about everything you need regarding these scores, including translations of the track titles and catalog numbers. Check it out at http://welcome.to/GodzillaMonsterMusic.

Mothra 3 *** 1/2, TYCY 10002 (Futureland) 25 tracks, 49:53

Mothra Song - The Best *** 1/2, KICS 708 (King Records) 12 tracks, 34:26

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