Princess Mononoke

Princess Mononoke

Music Composed, Arranged, and Performed by Joe Hisaishi

Produced by Joe Hisaishi and Toshio Suzuki

Release Date: 1999

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     This is the first anime score I have listened to, and my overall impression is very favorable. The Japanese take their animated features more seriously then we do, and the music really demonstrates this. On the Japanese scene, this is probably the closest thing to having John Williams (one of the composers, along with Jerry Goldsmith, that Joe Hisaishi is often compared to) score Disney films. Yes, I know that bringing up the word "Disney" is considered blasphemy to anime fans out there, but bear with me. I’m just using it for an analogy. Throughout the run of the score, Hisaishi runs the full gauntlet of the instruments, giving the music a well-rounded feel similar to Williams. Another plus is the great theme work that is especially well utilized in the first third of the album. And while some people may swear up and down that it is an orchestral score, the linear notes lead me to believe that it is synth. If it is, this is the best synth score ever. Period.

     The themes themselves are memorable and intertwined throughout the run of the score, though their usage does become a bit lacking near the middle to last third of the album. For the most part, the music is mostly Western in style, but there are a small handful of tracks that utilize an Asian ethnic sound. Even those tracks fit in with the entire score well. Kodamas is really the only track that feels wrong. It sounds more like video game music (think Lemmings). Another quirk on this CD is that The Tatara Women Work Song track is sung in the original Japanese, while the Princess Mononoke Theme Song is performed in English. A little more consistency here would have been better. As mentioned above, around the middle of the album, the use of the themes falls off completely until near the very end. It is especially noticeable and slightly irritating since they appear quite often beforehand. Fortunately things return to normal at the end, and are tied together nicely as the music reaches its climax.

     Of course, if you’re a fan of the anime genre, you probably already have your copy. For the non-diehards in the film score community, I do recommend that you give this a spin. It’s always interesting to sample work from films of foreign lands and the familiar Western feel of this music will keep you entertained. ****

Track Listing

1 - The Legend of Ashitaka (1:39)

2 - The Demon God (3:48)

3 - The Journey to the West (2:33)

4 - The Demon Power (0:34)

5 - The Land of the Impure (3:00)

6 - The Encounter (0:50)

7 - Kodamas (2:27)

8 - The Forest of the Gods (0:39)

9 - Evening at the Ironworks (0:39)

10 - The Demon God II - The Lost Mountains (0:57)

11 - Lady Eboshi (2:48)

12 - The Tatara Women Work Song (1:27)

13 - The Furies (1:28)

14 - The Young Man from the East (1:25)

15 - Requiem (2:22)

16 - Will to Live (0:30)

17 - San and Ashitaka in the Forest of the Deer God (1:39)

18 - Princess Mononoke Theme Song (2:08)

19 - Requiem II (2:12)

20 - The Battle Drums (2:45)

21 - The Battle in Front of the Ironworks (1:26)

22 - The Demon Power II (2:30)

23 - Requiem III (0:54)

24 - The Retreat (1:30)

25 - The Demon God III (1:13)

26 - Adagio of Life and Death (2:08)

27 - The World of the Dead (1:28)

28 - The World of the Dead II (1:33)

29 - Adagio of Life and Death II (1:05)

30 - Ashitaka and San (3:10)

31 - Princess Mononoke Theme Song (1:20)

32 - The Legend of Ashitaka Theme (5:03)

Total Running Time: 59:12