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Yoko Kanno.
Shop: Escaflowne Item Shop
Track Listing:
Enjoy even without the visual experienceIf I had to choose just one anime OST from my collection, it would definitely be this album. Escaflowne Original Soundtrack 3 packs many of the most unforgettable and most poignant tunes heard throughout the entire tv series. Not particularly surprising, since these are the songs that colored the closing of a timeless story. As a fan who listened to the tracks, I could hear the endearing beat of memories flooding in once again — as if bidding me a last feel of the fictuous world that is Gaia before the curtains drop for the final time. Take for example, the songs Farewell and Arcadia. Their quiet and subdued tones remind us of the tearful and somber moods that took place in the later parts of the story. In the fast-paced beats of Epistle we are reminded of the final battles that Escaflowne fought against its enemies. And in Fatal we hear nothing but the whistling of Folken. The impact of this track comes in its utter simplicity — the mysterious calmness in the rise and fall of the whistled melody and the dying of its echo. Beautiful.
Anime OSTs usually need to be experienced before one can fully appreciate it, but such is not the case with this album. You don’t have to be a fan of Vision of Escaflowne to love this. Not at all. You don’t even have to watch the series itself (although I’d recommend it to any anime fan looking for a good watch). Hell, you could care less about anime and still know that this is good music. I know for sure because I’ve played it several times not only in the privacy of my own home, but also in public — and it actually made people stop and remark in praises. This includes my own mother, who is eternally opposed to my “weird, Japanese hobby”. The look of surprise on her face, when I smugly told her that the album is from an anime, was priceless.
Then again, this is no ordinary anime soundtrack. This album is a collection of songs arranged and composed by Yoko Kanno, a true genius and master of her craft. Also, there is Maaya Sakamoto (then only 16 years old) who dished out the cream of the crop — Aoi Hitomi and Hikari no Naka E . Her voice, though young and mostly devoid of vocal acrobatics, is genuine talent. Along with a simple string accompaniment (for the main melody), she effectively captures the lighthearted wistfulness of Aoi Hitomi, singing of a cherished yet short-lived relationship. In Hikari no Naka E, she sings of farewell, her young voice once again bringing to mind the pain of ending an equally young love. Both songs embody the emotions of lead character Hitomi Kanzaki, when she experienced the thrills and the utter confusion in falling deeply for someone.
This album takes you for a ride through the final moments of the story that unfolded in the tv series. It draws you deep into the fictional world of its characters and lets you relive the romance of Gaia. It would be such a shame to miss it, so try not to.
Yoko Kanno.
Shop: Escaflowne Item Shop
Track Listing:
Choruses + Maaya SakamotoTenkuu no Escaflowne’s Lovers Only OST starts with a TV edit of the opening theme Yakusoku wa Iranai. What you will remarkably hear here is the soft intro where Maaya Sakamoto sings the chorus slowly, softly, dramatically with only the soft piano doing the background. Escaflowne OST 1 - Over the Sky has the full version. However, given this more memorable rendition of the opening theme including the TV edit of Mystic Eyes ending theme, the instrumentals and vocals here are much more enjoyable than the first. (That is NOT to say Escaflowne OST 1 is not good because it is!)
There are a lot of Latin choruses here somewhat inspired by the somber renditions of Gregorian chants as in the second track The Vision of Escaflowne which was done by Members of the Theatro Dell ‘Opera Di Roma. Add to that the symphonies done by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra with music composed by musical genius Yoko Kanno herself makes each Escaflowne soundtrack a must-buy. Of course Dance of the Curse, the phenomenal battle music is here also which will make you listen to the heart pounding chorus that defines drama like no other. Another favorite is Arcadia, where hearing it first sounds like a Latin or German rendition of a melancholy song but later I find out it is really in Japanese. The melancholy melody with an opera style soprano is actually a song of reflection and sad wonder. There is a part where she sings, “Naze, chi wo konomi, arasoi wo konomu no darou ” (Why… I wonder is it that they like blood, they like conflict?) The styles of such things is actually reminiscent of Wagner’s operas. Normally, I sleep through hearing those things, but this one being used as background for the scenes in Escaflowne heighten the intensity in them that makes them unforgettable.
The vocals are pretty impressive as well! Maaya Sakamoto sings a feel-good ballad called Tomodachi. The melody is wholesome and the lyrics where she talks of longing and friendship does sound rather mushy but trust me, nothing seems to go wrong where Maaya Sakamoto is concerned. But my favorite is Kaze ga Fuku Hi which is sung by Maaya Sakamoto as well. The melody is like the wind — soft, breezy, soothing, and it feels good. More and more so as you listen Maaya Sakamoto sing, “Doushitara jibun no koto wo daisuki ni nareru n darou nante. Motto motto jibun no koto wo daisuki ni nareru nara” (”How could you fall in love with me? More and more, doing something as falling inlove with me?”) Nah… that didn’t sound mushy at all! You will like this kind of sentimentality because the vocals along with the intrumentals make it totally romantic!
All in all, let me just sum it up: Yoko Kanno + Theatro Dell ‘Opera Di Roma + Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra + Maaya Sakamoto = sugoi! Nothing else but the best to put all of these in just one CD?
Yoko Kanno.
Shop: Escaflowne Item Shop
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Track Listing:
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Why you won’t buy the Yubiwa single (No! No!)Escaflowne: Girl in Gaea is a wonderful movie. Let nobody tell you otherwise that characters only have 5 minute dialogues in there because every good actor knows that there are no small roles, only small actors and that a great character in anime is not measured by screen time. The setting of this movie is in an ALTERNATE UNIVERSE than the Escaflowne TV Series so naturally roles have to be changed.
Now is this CD as phenomenal? A big resounding YES! If you love Escaflowne very very very much, I will give you a great advice: DO NOT BUY THE YUBIWA SINGLE. Why? There are 26 reasons why. I could say for the simple reason alone that this is Yoko Kanno and anything Yoko Kanno deserves a place in your CD collection. Should you want another reason, it’s simply because the tracks here are all good. Too good in fact that you will think that buying the Yubiwa Single too stingy… not too much value for something of just four tracks with only two songs and two alternate versions of those same songs. I mean… why would you do that to yourself???
You want Yubiwa, I don’t blame you. I love it. 3 years after the Escaflowne series, Maaya Sakamoto proves she’s a great a find as Yoko Kanno. Her vocal rendition here is not like the other Escaflowne OSTs because her voice here is deeper, more soulful, more mature. Her vocal talents have been honed after 3 years and 3 OSTs. YES, you deserve Yubiwa. BUT you also deserve Sora whose vocals sung by Shanti Snyder accompanied with astonishing soft instrumentals like the tinge of the music box and gentle strings make it sound so extremely magical, you can’t get enough of it. (You remember this in a scene where Falken is in his castle preparing for Van’s attack. Sora sings this song and she later tells him his doomed prophecy.) The best word to describe the track Sora is enchanting.
You also deserve Sora’s Folktale. You deserve You’re Not Alone, the English version of Yubiwa. This is a piece sung by Maaya Sakamoto and Shanti Snyder. The vocals alone sound heavenly. The instrumentals complete with a mix of Latin choruses, Gregorian chant inspired pieces, soft acoustics and keyboard renditions plus elegant symphonic instrumentals and even some distortion! You deserve all 26 tracks of this CD which is as wonderfully produced as the Escaflowne movie. You deserve all this not a measly 4 track single which could only do nothing but just make you want for more. The Escaflowne Movie soundtrack is nothing but great value. Nothing but a masterpiece!
King Records.
Shop: Evangelion Item Shop
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Track Listing:
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Do you need a lot of Fly me to the Moon?I know I don’t. Let me get back to you on that a little later.
To me, the sounds here sound like a big load of classical cheese. Maybe after listening to all things Yoko Kanno, all instrumentals sound a bit… mediocre to me. The first track Yokan has violins that only make it sound melodramatic. It’s nice to hear Takahashi to be versatile but in the end, it only sounds so common.
I prefer her in the second track Zankoku no Tenshi no Theses (Cruel Angel’s Thesis) which is also the opening theme of Shin Seiki Evangelion. It’s memorable to a lot of people and for a good reason too. The melody captures the magnitutde of the drama and the lyrics very well describe the intensity of the story.
Angel Attack III sounds like Zorro’s overture. BACKGROUND MUSIC is a generic background pop number reminiscent of most 1980’s television series opening themes. (Not anime television shows.) Sure, it’s retro but it’s not as sweet! Only REI III is perfect to describe the character Rei Ayanami since the symphony sounds so intimidating and haunting.
And now for the specialty of this track… 4 versions of Fly Me to the Moon. I guess all 4 renditions are the main attraction but 4 versions of one song just doesn’t appeal to me. The first one sung by Claire sounds like classical jazz in all its glory while Megumi Hayashibara, famous seiyuu and all still has the same classical jazz style melody as Claire ’s but her vocals sound more seductive. Personally, I’m not really much into seiyuus. I mean… do you buy your anime just because Megumi Hayashibara or Takehito Koyasu is there? I buy them for the stories or characters that’s why I don’t mention them at all in my anime reviews. Ahh… but for soundtrack, that’s when they matter. I value Megumi Hayashibara ’s talents as she sings Fly Me to the Moon… twice! The second one though, #6, only sounds like a louder version. It’s like the same track with increased treble. Fans can’t get enough of her I suppose.
Aya Bossa Techno Version does not sound techno to me. I actually think this is what Bjork would sound like if she tries to be seductive. There’s that element of sax in the refrain and a few musings of “I love you!” here and there trying to sound kawaii. The last one is a pop version. So now you have 4.
Hnn… it doesn’t sound bad. But it’s not very good either. Buy it for Megumi Hayashibara.
CREDITS unavailable
Shop: Fushigi Yuugi Music
Track Listing:
When good seiyuus sing bad. -_-;;;And when all things about Tamahome start to disillusion you, what best to add to that agony than this one! The tracks here is a collection of songs that like the Rurouni Kenshin Songs Collection, tell something about the characters.
But this one is hardly a treat. The tracks of Tamahome and Miaka have melodramatic melodies with their voices drowned in synthesizers and guitar that I am even thankful for that. Kae Araki, Miaka’s seiyuu (voice actor) has the opening track. While she tries to sound cute and seductive, the mood of the song does not suit her as she tries to sound kawaii. And you know seductive and kawaii when not blended well result in a totally ugly picture.
On the fourth track, I cannot exactly place Hikaru Midorikawa, Tamahome’s seiyuu, as a tenor or a bass because his voice is only on one tone all throughout. He tries to croon but sadly fails. Especially when he tries to reach the high notes. And although they tried to insert a few keyboard distortions into this one, I would not want to hear it. Surely, the lyrics sound endearing. But I have not concentrated on them very well since the voice sorely distracts me. He tried to go, “Ooooooooh…..” but alas, Tarzan sounded better.
The good ones here are that of Yui where her seiyuu Yumi Touma has a gentle and deep voice. The melody is peaceful and sounds like a ’70s classic ballad used in the old movies. Nuriko’s song is a cute cute one! The seiyuu Chika Sakamoto’s voice ranges from being feminely demure to sounding a young otoko Nuriko that we know. The music is fun and upbeat. This is one song you’ll surely enjoy on this album. It actually sounds typical Japanese fun fun beats you’ll hear even from Cibo Matto plus the lyrics are definitely Nuriko!
If you’re a fan Fushigi Yugi, you might wonder where all this went wrong. Aside from those two good tracks, there isn’t any good reason for me to buy this CD. In fact, I had my cousins listen to Tamahome’s track and they only dubbed the experience as pure torture. If you want the sounds of Fushigi Yugi, try to get one where you are sure that Akemi Satou sings a track or two, and then you know you’re safe.
