Haunted Junction Original Soundtrack

HAUNTED JUNCTION ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

— by Charles McCarter

1. Kokoro ni Watashi ga Futari Iru (Two of Me In My Heart) 4:52

Nakama Yukie

2. Iwayuru Seitokai (The So-Called Holy Exorcist Club) 7:10

3. Kachou "Spade * Club * Heart * Diamond"-san 4:05

4. Ka-su-mi-i 4:12

5. Asahina Spesharu (Asahina Special) 4:40

6. Rijicho (Chairman) 3:18

7. Hanako-san 3:33

8. Kyoko 4:47

9. Suzuki Jinkotsu & Sato Haruo 2:04

10. Kyoujin-kun 1:19

11. Kya! Nino-kun (Yipe! It's Nino-kun!) 3:59

12. Aka Manto Kamen Toujou (Red Caped Kamen Toujou) 1:47

13. Doushite? Seitokai (What's wrong? Holy Exorcist Club) 2:33

14. Gesutokyara tte (Guest Characters...) 3:44

15. Myouna -Kowai (1) (Mysterious - Scary (1)) 3:37

16. Kyaa - Kowai (2) (Yiipes! Scary (2)) 3:36

17. Akurei Taisan (Exorcising Evil Spirits) 4:22

18. Toremoro (Tremolo) 4:32

Nakama Yukie

HAUNTED JUNCTION ran on Japanese television this season. One of the things that is most striking about the series is its music. It is not easily pigeon-holed into one category. Indeed, many musical styles are represented on this soundtrack.
The opening, "Kokoro ni Watashi ga Futari iru" ("Two of Me in My Heart") is reminiscent of some of the better openings from RANMA or URUSEI YATSURA; it has a strong, fast beat and a bright, cheerful melody. The vocalist is Nakama Yukie, who also does the voice of Mutsuki, the Shinto priestess. She conveys a playful quality in her singing, just as in the character she voices for the show.
While the vocals are well worth having, the BGM on this CD is a real surprise, as the tracks range from what sound like synthesized video game soundtracks to fully orchestrated pieces. "Mutsuki" introduces each of the BGM tracks with a short (five to ten seconds) speech. While this is cute the first couple of times, it can get old should one just want to hear the BGM. And unfortunately, they placed the dialog on the same track as the music so there is no easy way to skip it. Another interesting note about these tracks is that they each contain two parts. That is, there seem to be two different compositions on each track, separated by a pause of a few seconds.
"Iwayuru Seitokai" ("The So-Called Holy Exorcist Club"), which at nearly five minutes long, has very classical overtones and a very complex, evolving melody. Track twelve, "Aka Manto Kamen Toujou" ("Red-Caped Kamen Toujou") is very dramatic and fast, filled with a lot of brass and flash, which suits the character of Kamen Toujou. The other character pieces are good as well, but this one really stands out as the most memorable.
From its title, "Guest Kyarakutaa tte..." ("Guest Characters...") would not appear to be anything particularly noteworthy, but it is a very light piece that begins with an acoustic guitar playing softly. Later, strings and woodwinds creep in and add more energy to the song. The following two tracks, "Myouna - Kowai (1)" and "Kyaa! Kowai (2)" are tense pieces designed to convey a scary, supernatural mood. This is done with the use of tense violins trilling over a rolling cloud of low, deep tones. Muted brass cut through the msuical fog, and a gong adds to the suspense.
The ending vocal, "Toremoro" ("Tremolo") is one of those sappy sweet sad ending songs that seem to persist in anime shows. It reminds me of some of the more upbeat RANMA ending songs; those who like songs like "Present" but wish it had a faster beat would like this song. And once again, Ms. Nakawa sings competently and capably.
This soundtrack was a real surprise due to the wide variety of musical styles represented in the BGM. And the fact that they are represented well is even better. Pick up this CD if you like good BGM that doesn't all sound the same. This CD is proof that there is still anime music being made that doesn't sound like everything else.