Vinphonic
05-31-2018, 09:25 PM
The History of Orchestral Music in Japanese Animation
Hidden Treasures
The Wonderful Music World of Japanese Animation
Promotional Video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdvDZT_nyj4)
After my symphonic overview about Western Games and presenting the history of symphonic music in Japanese Games, there's one massive field of music left and now it's time to take a closer look at it. I present a historical approach to symphonic and orchestral music in Japanese Animation, roughly on the same scale as my game counterpart excluding only the very early years, when Akira Ifukube and friends scored for the very first "Anime". A fully orchestral landscape wasn't truely established until the 80s/90s so that's where I will begin. I will give an overview, not every score ever written during that time, partially because other 80s and 90s anime scores have quite a lot of dedicated threads to them by good people, like Kanyeda's rare treats (Thread 221826)...
What I find most marvelous about the Anime medium, even if you take out all my favorites, all of my dedicated collections of interesting and/or prolific composers I shared so far and even the couple I will share in the future, you are still left with an enormous size of orchestral music, symphonic, classical or Hollywood inspired and absolutely Hidden Gems.
Discover (or rediscover) the wonders of the anime world:
1. The 80s and 90s
Long before my favorites even entered the scene, long before even Tanaka and Sahashi, the world of Japanese animation was home to symphonic works: Exhubertant orchestration, Golden Age quality music and delightful Hollywood TV sound from the 60s and 70s. A time when Kentaro Haneda, Reijiro Koroku, Shigeaki Saegusa, Katsuhisa Hattori, Shiro Sagisu and Kei Wakakusa ruled the scene and Michiru Oshima, Toshihiko Sahashi and Kohei Tanaka were just starting out. It was a much smaller (but I guess more focused) world than today, which right now explodes with new and old composers writing new projects all the time. I adore each period equally for different reasons. The following selections I did construct carefully and consciously.
1.1. The Orchestral Landscape before the 21st Century
The first three albums are about symphonic arrangements of TV scores and absolutely great.
If talking about the orchestral world of Japanese animation, you can't escape the works of Hiroshi Miyagawa and his iconic scores for Space Battleship Yamato. The symphony in particular has many fans and performances throughout the decades and I've chosen it as a representative of Miyagawa's work, reinterpreted by the great Kentaro Haneda. Nearly 40 years later we can hear his legacy in an ongoing OVA series, Space Battleship Yamato 2199 and 2202, with music arranged or newly written by his son, Akira Miyagawa. Great remakes, great music.
Another giant you can't escape is the Goliath Mobile Suit Gundam, a series that started in 1979 and still goes strong to this day. Throughout the decades it was home to numerous symphonic and Hollywood works. I've chosen the 20th Anniversary concert as a representative as it contains symphonic arrangements of pretty much all Gundam series up to 1998. In the 2000s Toshihiko Sahashi should continue the legacy with three Symphonic Gundam albums recorded in London. Gundam AGE, Gundam Reconguista and Gundam The Origin still uphold the symphonic tradition and I hope, despire some ventures in electronica territory, that it will continue its legacy sometime in the future. And its not like there's no quality beyond the symphonic. Gundam Unicorn and Gundam Thunderbolt are very interesting scores to me.
Then there's Ah! My Goddess: Chicchai Megami no Okkina Ensoukai which is an orchestral recording of various suites from the Ah! My Goddess franchise which was very big in the late 90s/early 2000s and even got a superb film score by Shiro Hamaguchi. This orchestral album doesn't need to hide behind it, exhubertant and a thrillride and a very interesting somber and relaxing mood piece. There's even a hilarious variation of a symphonic suite of Space Battleship Yamato, for an in-universe joke.
The next three albums are about a phenomenon that was extinct for almost two decades until 2018, when Tamiya Terashima released an image album for a novel. In the 90s this practice of recording an orchestral symphonic score for a manga gave us some delightfull out-of-time symphonic masterpieces by Reijiro Koroku, Gekkou no Pierce and Symphonic Ballade IZUMO, who also recorded a superb, hauntingly emotional film score with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra for Rennyo no Monogatari, the album was shared by nextday.
Moving on, the next three albums are about symphonic TV scores, and there's no shortage of fine stuff available.
Gundam F91
is a funny musical anectode as its a prime example of the Japanese approach to copying musical ideas from Hollywood. It's Star Wars... no really, it is! Imperial March, Asteroid field, Approaching the Death Star, it's all here. Originality aside, it's a fun quality ride, how could it not be, with ideas by John Williams ;)
Gaia Gear
has an absolutely beautiful theme and is a score in best tradition of Hollywood romanticism that just doesn't exist anymore. The soundtrack even has a little symphonic suite at the end. I should also mention John Williams is present again...
Ryu Knight
is an example of my favorites writing music in the 90s. Whether if its Michiru Oshima, Toshihiko Sahashi or Kohei Tanaka, there's a distinct style in their writing and sound in the recording that makes it very easy to date ther works to the 90s. Recently Oshima has revived her period in the 90s a little with DEEMO and perhaps her upcoming concert work "Augustus" is a journey back to that time.
The last three albums are not symphonic but awesome orchestral TV scores with many synth and rock elements that I really love.
SLAYERS
has quite the wonderful Hollywood TV quality of the 70s to it and is two hours of delightful fantasy score. The opening "Give a reason" is example of a very particular style of anime music that the 80s and 90s offered: Captain Tylor OP (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8W7eF49xv4)
Pokemon (Pocket Monsters)
needs no introduction. In this day and age numerous orchestral concerts are held with music from the franchise but the original TV recordings from 1997 to 2001, by Shinji Miyazaki and Akifumi Tada, will always evoke a special feeling of nostalgia from my side, for good reason. Great synth and orchestra hybrids, heroic marches and thrilling action. To this day this music can be heard on the still-ongoing Pokemon TV series and I long for the next soundtrack box.
Shin Getter Robo
is a baller orchestral TV score with kickasss rock intro and outro by Yasunori Iwasaki.
1.2. The Symphonic Arrangements
Finally there's numerous arrangements I did for all the symphonic and orchestral music that goes unsung despite the exhubertant quality. I put a lot of care into arranging and editing, in particular in removing the disco bits from the orchestral score. If you know my work on the Gravity Rush scores, you know I don't joke around. Every one of these is arranged by myself. I've given original uploader credit if I remembered it.
Heidi: Symphonic Poem of the Alps and Heidi
is a charming pastoral stroll through the alps with earworm theme. All gets even an ethereal choral arrangement, Anime Fantasy. One of the hidden gems this thread introduced me to (by 17Love).
Two absolute masterpieces brought to light by two gentlemen, Tango and Herr Salat. The Kingdom of the Flower Crown Dragon is a symphonic masterpiece by great Kentaro Haneda. I've taken extra care into arranging it all to a 26 minute tone poem that really feels like a 1001 Arabian Nights adventure like Sheherazade at times. Message from space is a grand symphonic work for orchestra and chorus by Kenichiro Morioka, with a memorable majestic and regal theme and exhubertant orchestration. It's also StarWarsy. It recieved the same treatment as Flower Crown.
The Sea Prince and the Fire Child is a symphonic Poem by great Koichi Sugiyama and provided by tangotreats/Herr Salat. The central theme is gorgeous, one of the composer's loveliest melodies. Get it here:
Legend of Syrius - Symphonic Poem (https://mega.nz/#!L24iSaZD!UfeqPWAQNGjDPAjTN1uAyQt3in4NQehMEq4Utwu4J1s)
Toward the Terra and and Orchestral Suite Byston-Well (Garzey's Wing)
are very much "80's" symphonic album with incorporating synth and sound effects into the orchestral recording. Experimental but satisfying, these suites from my side are hidden gems par excellence.
Irresponsible Captain Tylor: From here to eternity
is an example of various orchestral recordings for OVA series in the 90s. A true symphonic SciFi score by Toshiyuki Watanabe. Much to love.
Reijiro Koroku's Dark Angel
is proof, intelligent and evokative symphonic music can be written with electric guitars. Beautiful themes, fascinating orchestration and that specific eastern touch with the Erhu.
Dirty Pair Flash and Outlanders
introduce Kei Wakakusa who is sort of ancestor of the Pokemon sound. From the first note your around his grib and on a fantastic ride.
Of course no 90s orchestral anime selection without Neon Genesis Evangelion. For many, Shiro Sagisu's best work, and for good reason. Damn good catchy themes and moments... and if you love the music of John Barry, Ennio Morricone and Lalo Shifrin, you will be in for an anachronistic joyride that can only happen in Japan. I've arranged it to a 40 minute Fantasia of 60s Hollywood television. Shiro Sagisu should have written more in this style instead of going down the electronic route, at least he gives Amano shelter from American lawyers.
Another franchise with delightful retro elements but with more delicious Hollywood orchestral sound of the 70s and 80s is Takanori Arisawa's Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon. I've arranged two symphonic suites of the best orchestral scores from the franchise. When you're in the right mood the Sailor Moon albums are great fun but these two suites show there's a lot of substance behind it.
LINK IN DESCRIPTION (https://mega.nz/#!KrAWmTyZ!FItOBC2ONUuyLzptNQR-O5aXbZITy3956sCDG-BURro)
2. The 2000s and 2010s
The last decade was truely something special, not only countless marvels but also the establishment of my favorite dozen media composers that give me much joy. It was the era of Sahashi, the rise of Iwasaki, Yamashita, Sato and Hirano and the transformation of Hisaishi into a symphonic film composer, a decade of a plethora of symphonic masterpieces. The 2010s see the rise of Tanaka, Hattori and Mitsuda to stardom, Oshima recording a whole collection of Moscow, Paris and Budapest scores and the venture of media composers like Sahashi, Yugo Kanno, and Oshima into the classical realm. It is also the period of the appearance of numerous new faces, from Souhei Kanno to Taisei Iwasaki. It also sees the big return of old practices: Orchestral anime concerts on the rise, symphonic suites appearing again, and the return of symphonic image albums for novels/manga. It even has a symphonic concert work written for an anime film. Enjoy the numerous marvels of nearly 20 years.
2.1. The Masterpieces
I'm reasonably sure most of the "old guard" of the thread has heard of pretty much all of these gems, but if they somehow evaded your grip, now your chance to hear wonderful music, starting with the Symphonic Works of Yuji Nomi:
I forgot to add Kujiratori from the Ghibli Museum, another symphonic suite by the Czech Philharmonic, so take it HERE (https://mega.nz/#!27pnCZ6b!bPi4TKuL8BLq6uISmyAJQ6Y5idKp5U6yoSH0ApMDLmU).
A criminally underused composer (same as another one I will prepare a special collection some time in the future) who at last got his chance to write six sublime symphonic works, the most popular would be Nichijou, nextday, savior in need, has even a video of the recording session:
Making of Nichijou: Recording Session in Hungary (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NErjOyP928)
It's masterfully crafted music from another era. Timeless and energetic. It's a delightful tour de force. From Pastoral Symphony to superb Silent Movie, exhubertant scores. Anpaman and Cat Kingdom are my own rips, AIR Symphony is nextday/Akashi San, Hinotori is Herr Salat.
LINK IN DESCRIPTION (https://mega.nz/#!ymJ1SSIR!PkTssTqNgI5P7xBG-PbekHEN_7bqAsk_5kgefQRtneU)
Next up is Fafner
Part concert work / part piano concerto / part film score. The Warsaw Philharmonic brings their superb performance and sound to the table. It's in equal parts delightful and bombastic with some sublime moments of beauty. The Fafner project is far from over. A new series and movie are in the works so there is a reasonable chance of more Warsaw score by Seito.
Fractale...
The score is highly classical in nature but with many characteristic you would normally attribute to the likes of Hirano with the use of atonality, choir and soprano. It is a concert score disguised as a television score. Half of it is performed by a chamber ensemble and full of jauntiness and playfulness. A lighthearted dance of strings, piano and woodwinds. But the meat is with the the choral pieces: The centerpiece of the score is the song for Fractale itself, first heard in “The Temple’s Prayers” and in full glory in ”From the Labor and the Hard Work” a beautiful poem/prayer that can also be considered a villain theme in the story. The second piece in particular is one of the greatest musical pieces ever written for media. It rivals Yoko Kanno’s and Yoshihisa Hirano’s best moments. There’s also a heroic fantasy score woven in there, respectively at the beginning and at the end. The violin harmonics in combination with celeste and glockenspiel at the end of “The Sacrificial Maiden” is one of my favorite devices in any film score. The final piece “A Journey to the Future” is a concert piece on its own, rapidly flying between the sections and finishing the score with a rousing climax that few film scores can match. Here his wind orchestra background is the most apparent.
It does EVERYTHING. It is a concert hall musical drama, through and through. It is a score that doesn't try only to provide background mood music, but which weaves its own story - with considerably more skill and clarity than the show itself. It is otherworldly and innately familiar. It is harsh and gentle, dissonant and consonant, textural and lyrical. It's music, of a quality one might hope to attain as a magnum-opus, summing up a long and prestigious career in one final statement of artistic glory - instead, it was written by someone as their scoring debut barely out of their twenties. (And it's orchestrated TO THE HILT.)
From The Labour And The Hard Work - Souhei Kano tells the whole story of Fractale in a completely uncompromising, mini opera - in just under seven minutes he conveys musically what the show can't in five hours - and 5:09 must be one of the most visceral, unsettling, terrifying moments in the history of media scoring. There has never been a score like it. I wonder if there will be again.
The Boy Who Saw the Wind
is one of the rare real orchestral scores by Tamiya Terashima, and the Czech Philharmonic no less, this is everything performed by the orchestra. A symphonic story that gets rarely written and its elegant and dramatic. A symphonic adventure.
Stormy Wolf
is a lyrical and fantastic symphonic poem full of heart and glory. It's absolutely sublime. Especially if you love the vocal elements of Morricone scores. This particular rip was shared by Ponyo.
Candidate for Goddess
needs no introduction. Golden Age music to start a new millenia. Asakawa is THE harpist of Japan, performing for 95% of Anime scores alone yet an orchestral master that lay down his composing duties for this sake.
Jin-Roh
is one of the very few solo works of Hajime Mizoguchi, a beautiful and tragic drama score performed by the Warsaw Philharmonic. Long gone are the days of his brilliant collaborations with Yoko Kanno and since his divorce he hasn't work on anything Anime related again. But who knows what the future may hold.
Bibliotheca Mysticia de Dantalian
is another Japanese marvel. A beautiful symphonic poem for chamber orchestra with absolutely sublime woodwind textures and plays. Woodwinds are wonderful instruments and it is the fall of a cilivilazition that the west largely abandoned these group of instruments for their media scores. Granted, the problem is rather that people are so unskilled as media composers these days they don't even know what woodwinds can do. Listen to this score and you know how intoxicating they can be. Yu Tsuji is another poor soul that had a couple of unsuccesful anime making his career difficult, just like Souhei Kano.
The Life of Guskou Bodori
is the very definition of a hidden gem, a beautiful pastoral score for Accordeon, Guitar and Orchestra by Ryota Komatsu, somewhat reminiscent of Sahashi's Simoun score.
The Piano Forest (the film, not the currently airing series)
by Keisuke Shinohara and performed by the Czech Philharmonic is an absolute delight. A Symphonic Poem in the vain of Toshiyuki Watanabe's Sailor Moon or Akira Senju's symphonic suites.
Suzumiya Haruhi no Genzou
is one of the most unexpecting things to get a fully grown-up symphonic arrangement with guest appearance by Shostakovich. Arranged by orchestral masters, Shiro Hamaguchi and others, this orchestral album is great fun. Even more so if you actually listened to the TV score and marvel how they turned some easy-go-lucky poppy pieces into mature orchestral movements. The Tokyo Philharmonic provides stellar sound.
Banner of the Stars
is one of the last anime scores by old veteran Katsuhisa Hattori, father of Takayuki Hattori. It's a dearly loved score aside from some drum/disco bits I've edited out. It's classic symphonic SciFi. The kind that has almost completely disappeared in the west but does still pop up from time to time in Japanese Anime. It's very reminiscent of anime scores from the 80s and 90s.
Actually Katsuhisa does still write for anime, just not what one would expect: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJX9SxaSe08
LINK IN DESCRIPTION (https://mega.nz/#!2i5REBZR!A5SNz054GH6nQWhPODZ0RI4MgJ-rdOH9C9IJAZq4nag)
2.2 The Orchestral Film and Television Selection
The World of Japanese Anime today is home to various orchestral scores written for Television and Films that are just wonderful. From time to time, real gems or anachronistic joyrides appear. From 60s Hollywood to classical ballet. Recently Hisone to Masotan fills my desire for a delightful orchestral score. Even without the dozens of my favorites taken out of the equation, there's still much to love about this scoring world.
Mina Kubota and Masumi Ito
are two ladies that wrote some baller orchestral television scores. Much sublime moments are in their works. From Golden Age to 90s Hollywood. Masumi Ito (Nanase Hikaru is her alias) is a brass acrobat and Mina Kubota an orchestral lyricist. Their works will surely win you over.
Beast Saga
by underused and talented Koichiro Kameyama is a 90s Hollywood TV score in the vain of Hercules but with a slightly more Japanese touch. It's bombastic and brassy, in particular brass stabs and falls galore. Much goodness here.
Victini...
As if from nowhere, we end up with a truly wonderful adventure score with all those things we miss so much from Hollywood; themes, grandeur, heroism, romanticism, tension, and glory. Actually, we get two. You see, Pokemon's 14th movie did something a little bit weird; it got split into two different films - they both start off roughly the same but branch off in different directions to follow a different protagonist. Each film has received its own individual and self-contained score. The happy side effect is that there is bucketloads of music to be had; no less than ninety minutes of score in total, of which the vast majority is just the sort of thing that makes us old farts weak at the knees. You won't be disappointed.
Kaze no Shoujo Emily ~Symphonic Poem~
originally shared by 17Love, is not a symphonic poem like the title implies. What it is, however, is a sublime orchestral TV score by Akira Miyagawa, full of techniques and writing that you can't listen to anywhere else anymore. It's full of wonderful moments and highly classical.
Kiniro no Corda Blue Sky
is Koichiro Kameyama again, but with a much more symphonic approach this time. Highly classical and performed by a large ensemble, this TV score is an utter delight. I dearly hope Kateyama can give us more Anime scores in the future.
Gundam AGE
is an epic SciFi score they just don't write no more in the west, with a catchy theme, a dramatic core, and much SciFi standards, like the obligatory Holst. Kei Yoshikawa hasn't done anything noteworthy since so maybe this will remain his sole contribution to the symphonic legacy of Gundam.
Magical Girl Lyrical NANOHA 2nd
by newcomer Misa Chujo is one of those unexpected marvels that come out of nowhere and fully satisfy. There's quite a few homages to Naoki Sato and Akira Ifukube in this score so she definitely has her heart in the right place. Last year's Naonha score had the budget illness but this year shows a budget again, so maybe Misa Chujo can show us again what she can do.
Blue Dragon
marks the highpoint of Megumi Hoashi (with Main Theme written by Nobuo Uematsu), a composer who almost completely disappeard in the 2010s despite being a promising disciple of Sahashi. It's a classic orchestral TV score in the vain of Slayers and similar scores. It's unbelievably good for what it is written for. That tradition continues to this very day with Puzzle and Dragon and long may that practice contine.
Allison and Lillia
is one of the most charming orchestral scores written for anime, together with Brave Witches. Shusei Murai has perhaps "the world's smallest TV orchestra" (tangotreats) but the score has heart and soul and I would rather listen to this score ten times than all marvel scores put together. Murai is another composer that could need more projects.
The Third
is another Megumi Ohashi that goes pretty far out there with beautiful Morricone-esque vocal moments. In essence a Sahashi score, the track "Mother" being the best piece she has written.
Zegapain
by Ayako Otsuka is a lyrical and dramatic orchestral TV score with a beautiful theme and really good action. Highly classical with some Golden Age moments. A Hidden Gem.
LINK IN DESCRIPTION (https://mega.nz/#!Km4WjCZb!STzSrglHnRC5fRz8bVCXj6Z2VKsaF06ndkwAWSbjuYs)
2.3 The Orchestral Hybrid and Experimental Selection
The Anime world is also no stranger to expermentation with the orchestra, taking influence from all around the world, from bands to modern Hollywood, from modern concert composers to dubstep. They are not the monotone simple droning percussion and sixty horn assault of modern Hollywood but very interesting to listen to.
The Works of Yoshiaki Fujisawa
are a mix of classic Hollywood, minimalistic concert music and modern Hollywood. He has written some charming music that is only really brought down by a missing brass section. Fortunately, he has a big breakthrough with NGNL Zero which has his most delightful moments yet. A dramatic and beatiful film score at its core, which was even performed by a full symphonic ensemble for the concert hall. I really like his works and hope he can land more big budget projects soon.
Izetta -Die Letzte Hexe-
is a fascinating debut by Michiru Iida (MICHIRU), it's what I always wanted to hear from a Yuki Kajiura score but never really got. There's also delightful film music moments in there with a very catchy theme. Like many anime scores, this is more an artist album than BGM. Iida already set a firm foot in the industry and I hope she can land her hands on something that requires an orcherstral score.
Saga of Tanya
is the kind of modern Hollywood score I always wanted to hear but almost never get, the last time was probably Dark City... wait no At World's End that I really appreciated the Zimmer style. In any case this is only a balls to the walls modern Hollywood score at first glance. It has much Leitmotif writing, and interesection of themes. To me, it's the merging of the two soundworlds, classic and modern Hollywood and I very much look forward to Shuji Katayama's next projects.
Violet Evergarden
is another interesting score, incorporation typewriter and various other writting tools seemlessly into the orchestral score. It also is full of Leitmotif, incredibly catchy pieces and the ethereal vocals and instrumentaion give this score a very unique atmosphere. The songs he wrote/arranged are also keepers, nicely orchestrated and full of emotion. I sure hope for the upcoming Evergarden projects, Evan gets to expand on that little Aria piece he wrote.
DATE A LIVE
is a joyride Sahashi score not written by Sahashi... but by one of his disciples, Go Sakabe. He certainly nails the Sahashi sound to perfection but more interesting are the original parts, the operatic pieces, hybrid pieces like "Rhapsody - Rage" and the use of Leitmotif and dramatic language that are enough to not make this score mere pastiche. It's damn good stuff.
ReZero
is a special score, seldom was an orchestral score used so effictivly in a TV show. It's again an interesting blend of modern Hollywood elements with the scores of Ennio Morricone and B�la Bart�k. The use of a Bulgarian choir adds a unique flavor to the score and it has brilliant Leitmotif writing. A carefully constructed score that is only modern at first glance. Really sublime and wonderful moments in there.
The Boy and The Beast
is an interesting and catchy film score by Masakatsu Takagi. A highly energetic score in parts that gives the orchestra quite a workout.
Chain Chronicle and Knight's and Magic
are two orchestral scores with parts classical and parts modern elements I really like. They are quality scores who use Leitmotif, classic marches ala Holst, strong choral moments and catchy themes. With Knigh'ts and Magic Masato Coda even takes a shot at Yoko Kanno with an Escaflowne impression. The best kind of pastiche.
Linebarrels of Iron
is a baller score by Hiroaki Conisch., full of electronica and drums but all with the voice of a classical composer. I can't unhear Back to the Future but the score is full of moments that made 90s orchestral Hybrids so addicting to listen to and he's a brass acrobat lilke Masumi Ito. It even uses the Ondes Martenot.
Brave Witches (actually a collection of all Strike Witches soundtracks)
is a delightful score. A specific use of electronica, synths and drums make this one feel like an old orchestral videogame score but with a huge chunk of lovely and heartwarming woodwind pieces, military marches and even some little symphonic pieces. I adore it.
Gundam Unicorn...
don't be surprised! I find it very interesting to listen to, since Gigantic Formula and Unicorn, Hiroyuki Sawano has never reached this level of "drum assault bombast yet still orchestral and lyrical in parts" since. I wonder if someone really did the heavy lifting here because I just don't hear this level of quality in his later scores. There's still the same voice and the occasional pieces that work for me but Gundam Unicorn remains his strongest output in the orchestral bombast department.
LINK IN DESCRIPTION (https://mega.nz/#!unIngLbY!7qWiGKNNzlWVkjBf8E6a4u37KmDEUU4JUl1o1RraFRw)
3. 100 Scores, 100 Voices
One thing I marvel at in the Japanese Anime world is how (almost) each and every score sounds totally unique and full of personality. This goes even beyond the orchestral. You know if something is by Yasuharu Takanshi or Hiroyuki Sawano by the very first bar. There's no giant conglomerate sucking away personal style and soul, each of these arrangements I provide here has the voice of an artist that you can't mistake for someone else. Most of these suites I arranged is everything noteworthy in the orchestral department of a score so I imagine in many cases you don't need to return to the OST and skip some tracks to get to the good parts ;)
3.1. The Symphonic arrangements
Pay no attention to the [masterpiece] tag, I just used it to differentiate two different categories of scores. If I talks about favorites, there's much to love in Akira Miyagawa's Kirby, it's catchy as hell. I also enjoy the hell out of Seitokai Yakuindomo, Mori Yuya needs more projects with an orchestra. He is one of the good ones. There's also Digimon Adventure (originally shared by Herr Salat), Katsuhisa Hattori's Argento Soma, Koichiro Kameyama's Buzzer Beater and Rental Magica which are just delightful. Or the symphonic songs for Elfen Lied, Yoyo and Nene, Dragonball Kai and Fantastic Children... or Ruka Kawada's best, Is the Order a Rabbit 2, which is just marvelous from start to finish. Wait, there's also Liz und ein Blauer Vogel, a fullgrown concert work written for an anime film, and there's Hiraoki Conisch's little piano concerto, and of the course Summer Wars Overture by Bernstein, and Yuri on Ice with a fullgrown Aria... and... and.... you get the point :D
What you also can find in the anime world are occasional opening with orchestral underscore which are a treat:
Sample 1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUf-8aXt9Hw)
Sample 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCDOF11p33w)
Sample 3 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZcgxVrbWHA)
In some instances there's even just score music, a classy affair:
Sample 1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB0C5V8OPVI)
Sample 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfgNlVdDnxs)
Sample 3 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdG6dHXw7j0)
3.2. The Orchestral Hybrid and experimental arrangements
Disclaimer: These are mostly pieces and scores I like (in some cases just liking it enough). There's some stuff I adore but mostly I selected it to show the diverse quality and the plethora of styles you can find in the anime world.
From classical waltzes to modern Hollywood bombast, from Baroque and Gregorian Chants to Broadway and Crime Noir, frum cutesy and delightful chamber scores to poppy electronics and 80s synth. There's something for everyone here. Many of these arrangements are, again, containing every noteworthy orchestral piece from a soundtrack (or two). I really enjoy listening through the various different styles.
LINK IN DESCRIPTION (https://mega.nz/#!7qoV3IxR!oKZAXbniHwS3HhYJuvvK7JF3f7B_9ugaOrmrsi0_pJA)
4. Beyond the Orchestral
The Music of Takeshi Senoo and Choro Club
Here I present a collection of guitar, piano and string scores that are very dear to me.
ARIA still is a special case for me. The music, in its best moments, is some of the most relaxing and soothing musical scores you can listen to. The show's still great and charming, even after all these years, and I sometimes return it. A beautiful special, only-in-Japan affair.
Takeshi Senoo has that sixth sense for intoxicating melodies and he even ventures a little into classical territory with Inari Konkon which is a sublime string-heavy score that shows much of his talents. Quiet Country Cafe, on the other hand, shows the delightful sound of Choro Club that predates ARIA, with some beautiul arrangements by Taku Iwasaki. This selection is beauty incarnate. Don't miss it.
LINK IN DESCRIPTION (https://mega.nz/#!nip0SArT!OwxZdCOdVOvbHHD8wu4nxJlMG0ooOhuFpZln5_q9Qmo)
It would also be remiss of me to not touch on Jazz in Anime again. I know I already have a separate collection for that here, but I will nonetheless list some suggestions for some good Anime Jazz:
Cowboy Bebop (the classic) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq-KORMeNBE)
Evangelion Jazz Night (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFNTkQExJ3Q&list=PLwdRDv0EIkvSDS00FS5Glznp7iaveFLSV)
Oh Edo Rocket (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh3ixICGTyw&list=PL21EB1E64A6DCC4CB&index=2)
Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3yK8eOmPb4)
The Works of Jun'ichi Kanezaki (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzZOK02oFzc)
Gundam Thunderbolt (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrLvoyFpLGc&list=PL8DS_G5PRB2Vd8LtP-hzT-B2WNgLe6-JZ)
Lupin The Third (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvaosZlQqrY)
Fujiko Mine (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJk42Y1X3Eg&list=PLhE13B6fSMPuUEeroz1_mYJfrbXX4ZOEp&index=4)
Blood Blockade Battlefront (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLEd3BkMUiw)
Code Geass Akito (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6LEWupGBWA&t=22m37s)
Cloud on the Slope (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRHJntLYMh0)
Stella Women's Academy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_yMXwEXHo4)
Bartender (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCSXuOz9xp0&list=PL664B07DD153F8A9A&index=2)
So that concludes it. I really love this medium for the hidden treasures it gives me, the countless joyrides and the profoundly written scores that affect me and that I hope will affect you as well. I'm looking forward to making another collection of these in twenty years... just kidding :D
Take on a Journey again and enjoy the wonderful music.
Hidden Treasures
The Wonderful Music World of Japanese Animation
Promotional Video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdvDZT_nyj4)
After my symphonic overview about Western Games and presenting the history of symphonic music in Japanese Games, there's one massive field of music left and now it's time to take a closer look at it. I present a historical approach to symphonic and orchestral music in Japanese Animation, roughly on the same scale as my game counterpart excluding only the very early years, when Akira Ifukube and friends scored for the very first "Anime". A fully orchestral landscape wasn't truely established until the 80s/90s so that's where I will begin. I will give an overview, not every score ever written during that time, partially because other 80s and 90s anime scores have quite a lot of dedicated threads to them by good people, like Kanyeda's rare treats (Thread 221826)...
What I find most marvelous about the Anime medium, even if you take out all my favorites, all of my dedicated collections of interesting and/or prolific composers I shared so far and even the couple I will share in the future, you are still left with an enormous size of orchestral music, symphonic, classical or Hollywood inspired and absolutely Hidden Gems.
Discover (or rediscover) the wonders of the anime world:
1. The 80s and 90s
Long before my favorites even entered the scene, long before even Tanaka and Sahashi, the world of Japanese animation was home to symphonic works: Exhubertant orchestration, Golden Age quality music and delightful Hollywood TV sound from the 60s and 70s. A time when Kentaro Haneda, Reijiro Koroku, Shigeaki Saegusa, Katsuhisa Hattori, Shiro Sagisu and Kei Wakakusa ruled the scene and Michiru Oshima, Toshihiko Sahashi and Kohei Tanaka were just starting out. It was a much smaller (but I guess more focused) world than today, which right now explodes with new and old composers writing new projects all the time. I adore each period equally for different reasons. The following selections I did construct carefully and consciously.
1.1. The Orchestral Landscape before the 21st Century
The first three albums are about symphonic arrangements of TV scores and absolutely great.
If talking about the orchestral world of Japanese animation, you can't escape the works of Hiroshi Miyagawa and his iconic scores for Space Battleship Yamato. The symphony in particular has many fans and performances throughout the decades and I've chosen it as a representative of Miyagawa's work, reinterpreted by the great Kentaro Haneda. Nearly 40 years later we can hear his legacy in an ongoing OVA series, Space Battleship Yamato 2199 and 2202, with music arranged or newly written by his son, Akira Miyagawa. Great remakes, great music.
Another giant you can't escape is the Goliath Mobile Suit Gundam, a series that started in 1979 and still goes strong to this day. Throughout the decades it was home to numerous symphonic and Hollywood works. I've chosen the 20th Anniversary concert as a representative as it contains symphonic arrangements of pretty much all Gundam series up to 1998. In the 2000s Toshihiko Sahashi should continue the legacy with three Symphonic Gundam albums recorded in London. Gundam AGE, Gundam Reconguista and Gundam The Origin still uphold the symphonic tradition and I hope, despire some ventures in electronica territory, that it will continue its legacy sometime in the future. And its not like there's no quality beyond the symphonic. Gundam Unicorn and Gundam Thunderbolt are very interesting scores to me.
Then there's Ah! My Goddess: Chicchai Megami no Okkina Ensoukai which is an orchestral recording of various suites from the Ah! My Goddess franchise which was very big in the late 90s/early 2000s and even got a superb film score by Shiro Hamaguchi. This orchestral album doesn't need to hide behind it, exhubertant and a thrillride and a very interesting somber and relaxing mood piece. There's even a hilarious variation of a symphonic suite of Space Battleship Yamato, for an in-universe joke.
The next three albums are about a phenomenon that was extinct for almost two decades until 2018, when Tamiya Terashima released an image album for a novel. In the 90s this practice of recording an orchestral symphonic score for a manga gave us some delightfull out-of-time symphonic masterpieces by Reijiro Koroku, Gekkou no Pierce and Symphonic Ballade IZUMO, who also recorded a superb, hauntingly emotional film score with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra for Rennyo no Monogatari, the album was shared by nextday.
Moving on, the next three albums are about symphonic TV scores, and there's no shortage of fine stuff available.
Gundam F91
is a funny musical anectode as its a prime example of the Japanese approach to copying musical ideas from Hollywood. It's Star Wars... no really, it is! Imperial March, Asteroid field, Approaching the Death Star, it's all here. Originality aside, it's a fun quality ride, how could it not be, with ideas by John Williams ;)
Gaia Gear
has an absolutely beautiful theme and is a score in best tradition of Hollywood romanticism that just doesn't exist anymore. The soundtrack even has a little symphonic suite at the end. I should also mention John Williams is present again...
Ryu Knight
is an example of my favorites writing music in the 90s. Whether if its Michiru Oshima, Toshihiko Sahashi or Kohei Tanaka, there's a distinct style in their writing and sound in the recording that makes it very easy to date ther works to the 90s. Recently Oshima has revived her period in the 90s a little with DEEMO and perhaps her upcoming concert work "Augustus" is a journey back to that time.
The last three albums are not symphonic but awesome orchestral TV scores with many synth and rock elements that I really love.
SLAYERS
has quite the wonderful Hollywood TV quality of the 70s to it and is two hours of delightful fantasy score. The opening "Give a reason" is example of a very particular style of anime music that the 80s and 90s offered: Captain Tylor OP (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8W7eF49xv4)
Pokemon (Pocket Monsters)
needs no introduction. In this day and age numerous orchestral concerts are held with music from the franchise but the original TV recordings from 1997 to 2001, by Shinji Miyazaki and Akifumi Tada, will always evoke a special feeling of nostalgia from my side, for good reason. Great synth and orchestra hybrids, heroic marches and thrilling action. To this day this music can be heard on the still-ongoing Pokemon TV series and I long for the next soundtrack box.
Shin Getter Robo
is a baller orchestral TV score with kickasss rock intro and outro by Yasunori Iwasaki.
1.2. The Symphonic Arrangements
Finally there's numerous arrangements I did for all the symphonic and orchestral music that goes unsung despite the exhubertant quality. I put a lot of care into arranging and editing, in particular in removing the disco bits from the orchestral score. If you know my work on the Gravity Rush scores, you know I don't joke around. Every one of these is arranged by myself. I've given original uploader credit if I remembered it.
Heidi: Symphonic Poem of the Alps and Heidi
is a charming pastoral stroll through the alps with earworm theme. All gets even an ethereal choral arrangement, Anime Fantasy. One of the hidden gems this thread introduced me to (by 17Love).
Two absolute masterpieces brought to light by two gentlemen, Tango and Herr Salat. The Kingdom of the Flower Crown Dragon is a symphonic masterpiece by great Kentaro Haneda. I've taken extra care into arranging it all to a 26 minute tone poem that really feels like a 1001 Arabian Nights adventure like Sheherazade at times. Message from space is a grand symphonic work for orchestra and chorus by Kenichiro Morioka, with a memorable majestic and regal theme and exhubertant orchestration. It's also StarWarsy. It recieved the same treatment as Flower Crown.
The Sea Prince and the Fire Child is a symphonic Poem by great Koichi Sugiyama and provided by tangotreats/Herr Salat. The central theme is gorgeous, one of the composer's loveliest melodies. Get it here:
Legend of Syrius - Symphonic Poem (https://mega.nz/#!L24iSaZD!UfeqPWAQNGjDPAjTN1uAyQt3in4NQehMEq4Utwu4J1s)
Toward the Terra and and Orchestral Suite Byston-Well (Garzey's Wing)
are very much "80's" symphonic album with incorporating synth and sound effects into the orchestral recording. Experimental but satisfying, these suites from my side are hidden gems par excellence.
Irresponsible Captain Tylor: From here to eternity
is an example of various orchestral recordings for OVA series in the 90s. A true symphonic SciFi score by Toshiyuki Watanabe. Much to love.
Reijiro Koroku's Dark Angel
is proof, intelligent and evokative symphonic music can be written with electric guitars. Beautiful themes, fascinating orchestration and that specific eastern touch with the Erhu.
Dirty Pair Flash and Outlanders
introduce Kei Wakakusa who is sort of ancestor of the Pokemon sound. From the first note your around his grib and on a fantastic ride.
Of course no 90s orchestral anime selection without Neon Genesis Evangelion. For many, Shiro Sagisu's best work, and for good reason. Damn good catchy themes and moments... and if you love the music of John Barry, Ennio Morricone and Lalo Shifrin, you will be in for an anachronistic joyride that can only happen in Japan. I've arranged it to a 40 minute Fantasia of 60s Hollywood television. Shiro Sagisu should have written more in this style instead of going down the electronic route, at least he gives Amano shelter from American lawyers.
Another franchise with delightful retro elements but with more delicious Hollywood orchestral sound of the 70s and 80s is Takanori Arisawa's Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon. I've arranged two symphonic suites of the best orchestral scores from the franchise. When you're in the right mood the Sailor Moon albums are great fun but these two suites show there's a lot of substance behind it.
LINK IN DESCRIPTION (https://mega.nz/#!KrAWmTyZ!FItOBC2ONUuyLzptNQR-O5aXbZITy3956sCDG-BURro)
2. The 2000s and 2010s
The last decade was truely something special, not only countless marvels but also the establishment of my favorite dozen media composers that give me much joy. It was the era of Sahashi, the rise of Iwasaki, Yamashita, Sato and Hirano and the transformation of Hisaishi into a symphonic film composer, a decade of a plethora of symphonic masterpieces. The 2010s see the rise of Tanaka, Hattori and Mitsuda to stardom, Oshima recording a whole collection of Moscow, Paris and Budapest scores and the venture of media composers like Sahashi, Yugo Kanno, and Oshima into the classical realm. It is also the period of the appearance of numerous new faces, from Souhei Kanno to Taisei Iwasaki. It also sees the big return of old practices: Orchestral anime concerts on the rise, symphonic suites appearing again, and the return of symphonic image albums for novels/manga. It even has a symphonic concert work written for an anime film. Enjoy the numerous marvels of nearly 20 years.
2.1. The Masterpieces
I'm reasonably sure most of the "old guard" of the thread has heard of pretty much all of these gems, but if they somehow evaded your grip, now your chance to hear wonderful music, starting with the Symphonic Works of Yuji Nomi:
I forgot to add Kujiratori from the Ghibli Museum, another symphonic suite by the Czech Philharmonic, so take it HERE (https://mega.nz/#!27pnCZ6b!bPi4TKuL8BLq6uISmyAJQ6Y5idKp5U6yoSH0ApMDLmU).
A criminally underused composer (same as another one I will prepare a special collection some time in the future) who at last got his chance to write six sublime symphonic works, the most popular would be Nichijou, nextday, savior in need, has even a video of the recording session:
Making of Nichijou: Recording Session in Hungary (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NErjOyP928)
It's masterfully crafted music from another era. Timeless and energetic. It's a delightful tour de force. From Pastoral Symphony to superb Silent Movie, exhubertant scores. Anpaman and Cat Kingdom are my own rips, AIR Symphony is nextday/Akashi San, Hinotori is Herr Salat.
LINK IN DESCRIPTION (https://mega.nz/#!ymJ1SSIR!PkTssTqNgI5P7xBG-PbekHEN_7bqAsk_5kgefQRtneU)
Next up is Fafner
Part concert work / part piano concerto / part film score. The Warsaw Philharmonic brings their superb performance and sound to the table. It's in equal parts delightful and bombastic with some sublime moments of beauty. The Fafner project is far from over. A new series and movie are in the works so there is a reasonable chance of more Warsaw score by Seito.
Fractale...
The score is highly classical in nature but with many characteristic you would normally attribute to the likes of Hirano with the use of atonality, choir and soprano. It is a concert score disguised as a television score. Half of it is performed by a chamber ensemble and full of jauntiness and playfulness. A lighthearted dance of strings, piano and woodwinds. But the meat is with the the choral pieces: The centerpiece of the score is the song for Fractale itself, first heard in “The Temple’s Prayers” and in full glory in ”From the Labor and the Hard Work” a beautiful poem/prayer that can also be considered a villain theme in the story. The second piece in particular is one of the greatest musical pieces ever written for media. It rivals Yoko Kanno’s and Yoshihisa Hirano’s best moments. There’s also a heroic fantasy score woven in there, respectively at the beginning and at the end. The violin harmonics in combination with celeste and glockenspiel at the end of “The Sacrificial Maiden” is one of my favorite devices in any film score. The final piece “A Journey to the Future” is a concert piece on its own, rapidly flying between the sections and finishing the score with a rousing climax that few film scores can match. Here his wind orchestra background is the most apparent.
It does EVERYTHING. It is a concert hall musical drama, through and through. It is a score that doesn't try only to provide background mood music, but which weaves its own story - with considerably more skill and clarity than the show itself. It is otherworldly and innately familiar. It is harsh and gentle, dissonant and consonant, textural and lyrical. It's music, of a quality one might hope to attain as a magnum-opus, summing up a long and prestigious career in one final statement of artistic glory - instead, it was written by someone as their scoring debut barely out of their twenties. (And it's orchestrated TO THE HILT.)
From The Labour And The Hard Work - Souhei Kano tells the whole story of Fractale in a completely uncompromising, mini opera - in just under seven minutes he conveys musically what the show can't in five hours - and 5:09 must be one of the most visceral, unsettling, terrifying moments in the history of media scoring. There has never been a score like it. I wonder if there will be again.
The Boy Who Saw the Wind
is one of the rare real orchestral scores by Tamiya Terashima, and the Czech Philharmonic no less, this is everything performed by the orchestra. A symphonic story that gets rarely written and its elegant and dramatic. A symphonic adventure.
Stormy Wolf
is a lyrical and fantastic symphonic poem full of heart and glory. It's absolutely sublime. Especially if you love the vocal elements of Morricone scores. This particular rip was shared by Ponyo.
Candidate for Goddess
needs no introduction. Golden Age music to start a new millenia. Asakawa is THE harpist of Japan, performing for 95% of Anime scores alone yet an orchestral master that lay down his composing duties for this sake.
Jin-Roh
is one of the very few solo works of Hajime Mizoguchi, a beautiful and tragic drama score performed by the Warsaw Philharmonic. Long gone are the days of his brilliant collaborations with Yoko Kanno and since his divorce he hasn't work on anything Anime related again. But who knows what the future may hold.
Bibliotheca Mysticia de Dantalian
is another Japanese marvel. A beautiful symphonic poem for chamber orchestra with absolutely sublime woodwind textures and plays. Woodwinds are wonderful instruments and it is the fall of a cilivilazition that the west largely abandoned these group of instruments for their media scores. Granted, the problem is rather that people are so unskilled as media composers these days they don't even know what woodwinds can do. Listen to this score and you know how intoxicating they can be. Yu Tsuji is another poor soul that had a couple of unsuccesful anime making his career difficult, just like Souhei Kano.
The Life of Guskou Bodori
is the very definition of a hidden gem, a beautiful pastoral score for Accordeon, Guitar and Orchestra by Ryota Komatsu, somewhat reminiscent of Sahashi's Simoun score.
The Piano Forest (the film, not the currently airing series)
by Keisuke Shinohara and performed by the Czech Philharmonic is an absolute delight. A Symphonic Poem in the vain of Toshiyuki Watanabe's Sailor Moon or Akira Senju's symphonic suites.
Suzumiya Haruhi no Genzou
is one of the most unexpecting things to get a fully grown-up symphonic arrangement with guest appearance by Shostakovich. Arranged by orchestral masters, Shiro Hamaguchi and others, this orchestral album is great fun. Even more so if you actually listened to the TV score and marvel how they turned some easy-go-lucky poppy pieces into mature orchestral movements. The Tokyo Philharmonic provides stellar sound.
Banner of the Stars
is one of the last anime scores by old veteran Katsuhisa Hattori, father of Takayuki Hattori. It's a dearly loved score aside from some drum/disco bits I've edited out. It's classic symphonic SciFi. The kind that has almost completely disappeared in the west but does still pop up from time to time in Japanese Anime. It's very reminiscent of anime scores from the 80s and 90s.
Actually Katsuhisa does still write for anime, just not what one would expect: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJX9SxaSe08
LINK IN DESCRIPTION (https://mega.nz/#!2i5REBZR!A5SNz054GH6nQWhPODZ0RI4MgJ-rdOH9C9IJAZq4nag)
2.2 The Orchestral Film and Television Selection
The World of Japanese Anime today is home to various orchestral scores written for Television and Films that are just wonderful. From time to time, real gems or anachronistic joyrides appear. From 60s Hollywood to classical ballet. Recently Hisone to Masotan fills my desire for a delightful orchestral score. Even without the dozens of my favorites taken out of the equation, there's still much to love about this scoring world.
Mina Kubota and Masumi Ito
are two ladies that wrote some baller orchestral television scores. Much sublime moments are in their works. From Golden Age to 90s Hollywood. Masumi Ito (Nanase Hikaru is her alias) is a brass acrobat and Mina Kubota an orchestral lyricist. Their works will surely win you over.
Beast Saga
by underused and talented Koichiro Kameyama is a 90s Hollywood TV score in the vain of Hercules but with a slightly more Japanese touch. It's bombastic and brassy, in particular brass stabs and falls galore. Much goodness here.
Victini...
As if from nowhere, we end up with a truly wonderful adventure score with all those things we miss so much from Hollywood; themes, grandeur, heroism, romanticism, tension, and glory. Actually, we get two. You see, Pokemon's 14th movie did something a little bit weird; it got split into two different films - they both start off roughly the same but branch off in different directions to follow a different protagonist. Each film has received its own individual and self-contained score. The happy side effect is that there is bucketloads of music to be had; no less than ninety minutes of score in total, of which the vast majority is just the sort of thing that makes us old farts weak at the knees. You won't be disappointed.
Kaze no Shoujo Emily ~Symphonic Poem~
originally shared by 17Love, is not a symphonic poem like the title implies. What it is, however, is a sublime orchestral TV score by Akira Miyagawa, full of techniques and writing that you can't listen to anywhere else anymore. It's full of wonderful moments and highly classical.
Kiniro no Corda Blue Sky
is Koichiro Kameyama again, but with a much more symphonic approach this time. Highly classical and performed by a large ensemble, this TV score is an utter delight. I dearly hope Kateyama can give us more Anime scores in the future.
Gundam AGE
is an epic SciFi score they just don't write no more in the west, with a catchy theme, a dramatic core, and much SciFi standards, like the obligatory Holst. Kei Yoshikawa hasn't done anything noteworthy since so maybe this will remain his sole contribution to the symphonic legacy of Gundam.
Magical Girl Lyrical NANOHA 2nd
by newcomer Misa Chujo is one of those unexpected marvels that come out of nowhere and fully satisfy. There's quite a few homages to Naoki Sato and Akira Ifukube in this score so she definitely has her heart in the right place. Last year's Naonha score had the budget illness but this year shows a budget again, so maybe Misa Chujo can show us again what she can do.
Blue Dragon
marks the highpoint of Megumi Hoashi (with Main Theme written by Nobuo Uematsu), a composer who almost completely disappeard in the 2010s despite being a promising disciple of Sahashi. It's a classic orchestral TV score in the vain of Slayers and similar scores. It's unbelievably good for what it is written for. That tradition continues to this very day with Puzzle and Dragon and long may that practice contine.
Allison and Lillia
is one of the most charming orchestral scores written for anime, together with Brave Witches. Shusei Murai has perhaps "the world's smallest TV orchestra" (tangotreats) but the score has heart and soul and I would rather listen to this score ten times than all marvel scores put together. Murai is another composer that could need more projects.
The Third
is another Megumi Ohashi that goes pretty far out there with beautiful Morricone-esque vocal moments. In essence a Sahashi score, the track "Mother" being the best piece she has written.
Zegapain
by Ayako Otsuka is a lyrical and dramatic orchestral TV score with a beautiful theme and really good action. Highly classical with some Golden Age moments. A Hidden Gem.
LINK IN DESCRIPTION (https://mega.nz/#!Km4WjCZb!STzSrglHnRC5fRz8bVCXj6Z2VKsaF06ndkwAWSbjuYs)
2.3 The Orchestral Hybrid and Experimental Selection
The Anime world is also no stranger to expermentation with the orchestra, taking influence from all around the world, from bands to modern Hollywood, from modern concert composers to dubstep. They are not the monotone simple droning percussion and sixty horn assault of modern Hollywood but very interesting to listen to.
The Works of Yoshiaki Fujisawa
are a mix of classic Hollywood, minimalistic concert music and modern Hollywood. He has written some charming music that is only really brought down by a missing brass section. Fortunately, he has a big breakthrough with NGNL Zero which has his most delightful moments yet. A dramatic and beatiful film score at its core, which was even performed by a full symphonic ensemble for the concert hall. I really like his works and hope he can land more big budget projects soon.
Izetta -Die Letzte Hexe-
is a fascinating debut by Michiru Iida (MICHIRU), it's what I always wanted to hear from a Yuki Kajiura score but never really got. There's also delightful film music moments in there with a very catchy theme. Like many anime scores, this is more an artist album than BGM. Iida already set a firm foot in the industry and I hope she can land her hands on something that requires an orcherstral score.
Saga of Tanya
is the kind of modern Hollywood score I always wanted to hear but almost never get, the last time was probably Dark City... wait no At World's End that I really appreciated the Zimmer style. In any case this is only a balls to the walls modern Hollywood score at first glance. It has much Leitmotif writing, and interesection of themes. To me, it's the merging of the two soundworlds, classic and modern Hollywood and I very much look forward to Shuji Katayama's next projects.
Violet Evergarden
is another interesting score, incorporation typewriter and various other writting tools seemlessly into the orchestral score. It also is full of Leitmotif, incredibly catchy pieces and the ethereal vocals and instrumentaion give this score a very unique atmosphere. The songs he wrote/arranged are also keepers, nicely orchestrated and full of emotion. I sure hope for the upcoming Evergarden projects, Evan gets to expand on that little Aria piece he wrote.
DATE A LIVE
is a joyride Sahashi score not written by Sahashi... but by one of his disciples, Go Sakabe. He certainly nails the Sahashi sound to perfection but more interesting are the original parts, the operatic pieces, hybrid pieces like "Rhapsody - Rage" and the use of Leitmotif and dramatic language that are enough to not make this score mere pastiche. It's damn good stuff.
ReZero
is a special score, seldom was an orchestral score used so effictivly in a TV show. It's again an interesting blend of modern Hollywood elements with the scores of Ennio Morricone and B�la Bart�k. The use of a Bulgarian choir adds a unique flavor to the score and it has brilliant Leitmotif writing. A carefully constructed score that is only modern at first glance. Really sublime and wonderful moments in there.
The Boy and The Beast
is an interesting and catchy film score by Masakatsu Takagi. A highly energetic score in parts that gives the orchestra quite a workout.
Chain Chronicle and Knight's and Magic
are two orchestral scores with parts classical and parts modern elements I really like. They are quality scores who use Leitmotif, classic marches ala Holst, strong choral moments and catchy themes. With Knigh'ts and Magic Masato Coda even takes a shot at Yoko Kanno with an Escaflowne impression. The best kind of pastiche.
Linebarrels of Iron
is a baller score by Hiroaki Conisch., full of electronica and drums but all with the voice of a classical composer. I can't unhear Back to the Future but the score is full of moments that made 90s orchestral Hybrids so addicting to listen to and he's a brass acrobat lilke Masumi Ito. It even uses the Ondes Martenot.
Brave Witches (actually a collection of all Strike Witches soundtracks)
is a delightful score. A specific use of electronica, synths and drums make this one feel like an old orchestral videogame score but with a huge chunk of lovely and heartwarming woodwind pieces, military marches and even some little symphonic pieces. I adore it.
Gundam Unicorn...
don't be surprised! I find it very interesting to listen to, since Gigantic Formula and Unicorn, Hiroyuki Sawano has never reached this level of "drum assault bombast yet still orchestral and lyrical in parts" since. I wonder if someone really did the heavy lifting here because I just don't hear this level of quality in his later scores. There's still the same voice and the occasional pieces that work for me but Gundam Unicorn remains his strongest output in the orchestral bombast department.
LINK IN DESCRIPTION (https://mega.nz/#!unIngLbY!7qWiGKNNzlWVkjBf8E6a4u37KmDEUU4JUl1o1RraFRw)
3. 100 Scores, 100 Voices
One thing I marvel at in the Japanese Anime world is how (almost) each and every score sounds totally unique and full of personality. This goes even beyond the orchestral. You know if something is by Yasuharu Takanshi or Hiroyuki Sawano by the very first bar. There's no giant conglomerate sucking away personal style and soul, each of these arrangements I provide here has the voice of an artist that you can't mistake for someone else. Most of these suites I arranged is everything noteworthy in the orchestral department of a score so I imagine in many cases you don't need to return to the OST and skip some tracks to get to the good parts ;)
3.1. The Symphonic arrangements
Pay no attention to the [masterpiece] tag, I just used it to differentiate two different categories of scores. If I talks about favorites, there's much to love in Akira Miyagawa's Kirby, it's catchy as hell. I also enjoy the hell out of Seitokai Yakuindomo, Mori Yuya needs more projects with an orchestra. He is one of the good ones. There's also Digimon Adventure (originally shared by Herr Salat), Katsuhisa Hattori's Argento Soma, Koichiro Kameyama's Buzzer Beater and Rental Magica which are just delightful. Or the symphonic songs for Elfen Lied, Yoyo and Nene, Dragonball Kai and Fantastic Children... or Ruka Kawada's best, Is the Order a Rabbit 2, which is just marvelous from start to finish. Wait, there's also Liz und ein Blauer Vogel, a fullgrown concert work written for an anime film, and there's Hiraoki Conisch's little piano concerto, and of the course Summer Wars Overture by Bernstein, and Yuri on Ice with a fullgrown Aria... and... and.... you get the point :D
What you also can find in the anime world are occasional opening with orchestral underscore which are a treat:
Sample 1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUf-8aXt9Hw)
Sample 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCDOF11p33w)
Sample 3 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZcgxVrbWHA)
In some instances there's even just score music, a classy affair:
Sample 1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB0C5V8OPVI)
Sample 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfgNlVdDnxs)
Sample 3 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdG6dHXw7j0)
3.2. The Orchestral Hybrid and experimental arrangements
Disclaimer: These are mostly pieces and scores I like (in some cases just liking it enough). There's some stuff I adore but mostly I selected it to show the diverse quality and the plethora of styles you can find in the anime world.
From classical waltzes to modern Hollywood bombast, from Baroque and Gregorian Chants to Broadway and Crime Noir, frum cutesy and delightful chamber scores to poppy electronics and 80s synth. There's something for everyone here. Many of these arrangements are, again, containing every noteworthy orchestral piece from a soundtrack (or two). I really enjoy listening through the various different styles.
LINK IN DESCRIPTION (https://mega.nz/#!7qoV3IxR!oKZAXbniHwS3HhYJuvvK7JF3f7B_9ugaOrmrsi0_pJA)
4. Beyond the Orchestral
The Music of Takeshi Senoo and Choro Club
Here I present a collection of guitar, piano and string scores that are very dear to me.
ARIA still is a special case for me. The music, in its best moments, is some of the most relaxing and soothing musical scores you can listen to. The show's still great and charming, even after all these years, and I sometimes return it. A beautiful special, only-in-Japan affair.
Takeshi Senoo has that sixth sense for intoxicating melodies and he even ventures a little into classical territory with Inari Konkon which is a sublime string-heavy score that shows much of his talents. Quiet Country Cafe, on the other hand, shows the delightful sound of Choro Club that predates ARIA, with some beautiul arrangements by Taku Iwasaki. This selection is beauty incarnate. Don't miss it.
LINK IN DESCRIPTION (https://mega.nz/#!nip0SArT!OwxZdCOdVOvbHHD8wu4nxJlMG0ooOhuFpZln5_q9Qmo)
It would also be remiss of me to not touch on Jazz in Anime again. I know I already have a separate collection for that here, but I will nonetheless list some suggestions for some good Anime Jazz:
Cowboy Bebop (the classic) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq-KORMeNBE)
Evangelion Jazz Night (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFNTkQExJ3Q&list=PLwdRDv0EIkvSDS00FS5Glznp7iaveFLSV)
Oh Edo Rocket (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh3ixICGTyw&list=PL21EB1E64A6DCC4CB&index=2)
Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3yK8eOmPb4)
The Works of Jun'ichi Kanezaki (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzZOK02oFzc)
Gundam Thunderbolt (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrLvoyFpLGc&list=PL8DS_G5PRB2Vd8LtP-hzT-B2WNgLe6-JZ)
Lupin The Third (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvaosZlQqrY)
Fujiko Mine (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJk42Y1X3Eg&list=PLhE13B6fSMPuUEeroz1_mYJfrbXX4ZOEp&index=4)
Blood Blockade Battlefront (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLEd3BkMUiw)
Code Geass Akito (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6LEWupGBWA&t=22m37s)
Cloud on the Slope (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRHJntLYMh0)
Stella Women's Academy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_yMXwEXHo4)
Bartender (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCSXuOz9xp0&list=PL664B07DD153F8A9A&index=2)
So that concludes it. I really love this medium for the hidden treasures it gives me, the countless joyrides and the profoundly written scores that affect me and that I hope will affect you as well. I'm looking forward to making another collection of these in twenty years... just kidding :D
Take on a Journey again and enjoy the wonderful music.