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Posted: |
Sep 8, 2020 - 3:00 PM
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By: |
EricHG30
(Member)
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I forgot a little mentioned film called "Arion". Sort of his "Conan The Barbarian".
As well as "Venus Wars". I think he did that one.
If it hasn't been mentioned, he also did some of the music for Robot Carnival.
I watched Arion some time back. Very nice score. Wish i had it.
Robot Carnival has that fantastic pop-synth track for the amusement park sequence that I'm sure many people who only know Hisaishi's later work would be absolutely horrified by 
Arion is *wonderful* (score wise). The anime, which is on youtube in its entirely thanks to a fan done sub, is nothing special--some mixed up Greek mythology framing a lot of 1980s fighting scenes and a bit of pathos--albeit with very nice animation for its era. However, the score, written right around the time of Nausicaa, is like a sister score to that one. Gorgeous themes. Be forewarned, like Nausicaa, and to an extent the original Laputa, it also has tracks of his early style--very minimalist sequenced synths alternating with the orhcestral. I like this mix (but I discovered Miyazaki as a kid in 1990 so these were some of the first Hisaishi scores I heard) but I know a lot of people can'tget past their dated-ness or find the minimalism--so integral to the creation of Hisaishi's style--hard to take. (It's no surprise that when Disney got him to re-do Laputa, they didn't just get him to add music to the silences, but also to replace the synth tracks with orchestral ones.)
Venus Wars is... OK, but more typical 1980s anime to me.
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I'm not wishing to detract from an artist who obviously has lots of fans (and I haven't seen any of the films that he has scored), but the bits of Hisaishi's music I have heard on the radio don't really do anything for me. I scratch my head and go "what is all the fuss about" but wondering if I am missing something. And please Hisaishi fans, don't roast me (or if you must, do it gently lol).
I was in your shoes, but today he magically clicked for me. I just hadn’t been listening to the right scores for me.
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I much prefer his scores for live action films over Ghibli animation. Most of his live action films (mostly the dramas) have beautiful, great scores. Real symphonic works with orchestras and sometimes with choirs as well - just the way I like it!
I like when he orchestrates his Ghibli scores as symphonic works; much better in my opinion than the originals (Princess Mononoke or Laputa, for example.)
I think this is exactly it for me. For years I had only ever heard the Ghibli scores, and I really didn't like the sound. The live action scores and symphonic suites are amazing. I really missed the boat on those, and have a lot of catching up to do.
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I figure I will add a few that are not mentioned above.
Cloud on a Slope has 3 volumes of soundtracks that are all fantastic (except for the Sarah Brightman tracks).
Tenshi Meisatsu is a fantastic drama score.
NHK Shinkai Project: Deep Sea Creatures also very nice.
A Tale of Ululu's Wonderful Forest is a lovely lush score.
And Departures has a fantastic main theme.
These are some really great recommendations!
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Posted: |
Sep 15, 2020 - 4:24 PM
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By: |
EricHG30
(Member)
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Yes, I meant the symphinic suites of his Miyazaki films. Princess Mononoke is absolutely stunning as a symphonic suite and the US symphonic version of Laputa is much better than the original with all those dated electronic sounds. Nausicaa is also wonderful on the Nausicaa Symphony album.
I love his scores for the Kitano movies as well but scores like Clouds on the Slope, Four Gods, In This Corner of the World, I Want to be a Shellfish, etc. are the ones where he can show us his expertise with a symphony orchestra.
I particularly love, for a variety of reasons, I Want to be a Shellfish. Anyway, thanks for your clarification! While I don't personally feel the same way, I can completely understand why you'd prefer the suites (I happen to like the dated 80s synths he used LOL).
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