 |
VAMPIRE MIYU ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
Copyright © 1997 Hirano Office / Miyu Production Group / TV Tokyo
Victor VICL-60121
21 Feb, 1998
¥ 2,900
—by Charles McCarter
| 1. |
|
Shinma no Koudou (Beat of the Shinma) |
5:07 |
| 2. |
|
SABUTAITORU (Title) |
0:12 |
| 3. |
|
Shukumei no KATARUSHISU (Catharsis of Fate) |
1:55 |
| 4. |
|
Mashu (Evil Influence) |
2:35 |
| 5. |
|
Yamibue (Flute of Darkness) |
0:59 |
| 6. |
|
Touhiyuki (Bound for Flight) |
1:53 |
| 7. |
|
Yasuragi no Naka de (In Great Peace) |
1:26 |
| 8. |
|
Tomodachi (Friends) |
1:18 |
| 9. |
|
Aitai (I Want to See You) |
4:59 |
|
|
Kasahara Hiroko |
| 10. |
|
Mizu no Hohoemi (Smile of the Water) |
1:26 |
| 11. |
|
Yakusoku (The Promise) |
2:27 |
| 12. |
|
Kanashimi no Shirabe (Melody of Sadness) |
2:15 |
| 13. |
|
SEPIA-iro no ROMAN (A Sepia-colored Romance) |
2:13 |
| 14. |
|
Chonouryoku (Super Powers) |
1:29 |
| 15. |
|
Mujin no Furumai (Infinite Demeanor) |
2:41 |
| 16. |
|
Sazanami (Rumbling Waves) |
2:07 |
| 17. |
|
Shisuishou no Ken (Sword of Death Crystal) |
1:24 |
| 18. |
|
Ketsui (Resolution) |
1:49 |
| 19. |
|
Mashou no Kage (Devil Shadow) |
1:34 |
| 20. |
|
Shima no Tatakai (Shinma Fight) |
2:10 |
| 21. |
|
Fuuin (Seal) |
2:08 |
| 22. |
|
Ai Suru Omoi ni (In a Feeling of Love) |
1:43 |
| 23. |
|
Manmaru Temari Uta (The Round Ball Song) |
4:03 |
|
|
Nagasawa Miki |
| 24. |
|
Nakushita Ai wa Kanashikute (A Lost Love is Painful) |
2:13 |
| 25. |
|
Kaen no Sasayaki (Whisper of the Flower Garden) |
1:28 |
| 26. |
|
Onnadoushi (Woman Warrior) |
1:58 |
| 27. |
|
Ningyoshi no WARUTSU (Dollmaker's Waltz) |
1:31 |
| 28. |
|
Sappuka (Desolate Song) |
1:28 |
| 29. |
|
Yasashisa no Toki ni (In the Time of Gentleness) |
1:30 |
| 30. |
|
Kunou (Suffering) |
2:23 |
| 31. |
|
Sora no Ansatsusha (Assassin of the Sky) |
1:17 |
| 32. |
|
Bitoubi (Beauty Versus Beauty) |
2:05 |
| 33. |
|
Sadame (Fate) |
2:29 |
| 34. |
|
Miyu Yachiyo (Miyu's Eternity) |
4:51 |
|
|
Suzuki Saeko |
|
|
The composer is not one of the more glamorous positions in the
anime industry. The glory goes to the character designers,
original creators, and even the directors. But with very few
exceptions, the composers often do not get the recognition
they deserve for essentially creating the soundtrack of an
entire world. But Kawai Kenji is one of those exceptions.
Remembering how quickly I fell in love with the
soundtrack to the VAMPIRE MIYU OVAs, I
hoped that the music for the television series
would deliver the same haunting, melancholy quality that
permeates the earlier music for MIYU.
Since the soundtrack
had been delayed several times, I was quite surprised to see
it sitting on the shelf at the Asahiya in Little Tokyo.
Needless to say, I grabbed it right away.
The opening and ending themes are described in last
issue's review of the CD single,
but there is an incredible thirty-two additional tracks to be
discussed. For example, the third track, "Catharsis of Fate,"
recaptures the eerie, mystical atmosphere that imbues Miyu's
world. Synthesizers create a gossamer, dreamlike atmosphere
over which the strings perform the melody. As always, the
strings sound dispirited and lonely, as if echoing the fate of
the girl with the golden eyes.
Many of the tracks on the disc help to sustain the
dejected mood, but there are others that serve to break up the
sadness and introduce brief respites from the overtones of
loneliness. One such track is "Tomodachi" ("Friends"); with
its bubbly pop synthesizer and cheerful beat, it sounds more
like a track from a PATLABOR
television episode than from MIYU.
"The Dollmaker's Waltz" is another composition that lacks the
pervasive melancholy of the rest of the soundtrack and even
seems to shine with moments of happiness. At times, the waltz
sounds almost Italian.
Of course, there are the dark and heavy tracks that
represent the Shinma. Punctuated by heavy percussion and dark
synthesizer rumblings, these tracks manage to convey a
different feeling than the gloom of the tracks associated with
Miyu. Tracks like "Shinma Fight" and "Evil Influence" display
Kawai's ability to generate a dark and haunting atmosphere
with a minimum of instrumentation and yet create pieces with
distinct identities.
My favorite track on the disc is "Kunou"
("Suffering"). The introduction sounds like a Shinma piece,
dark, brooding, and ominious, but a lone keyboard comes in and
plays over the growing maelstrom of noise, resolute in its
desire to be heard. Although not as melancholy as some of the
other tracks, it is one of the best examples of combining the
perspectives of Miyu's world and the Shinma world into one
piece.
There are three vocals on this disc. The first is
"Aitai" ("I Want to See You"), a vocal performed by
Kasahara Hiroko.
Ms. Kasahara is an accomplished vocalist as well as a voice
actress, and her recent credits include
ARMITAGE III
and the opening song for
ROMEO'S BLUE SKIES.
This song is a sad and lonely song, which is of course to be
expected. It seems an unusual choice for a Miyu song, but the
fit is near perfect, and it is the best executed vocal on the
CD.
The other vocal, "Manmaru Temari Uta" ("The Round
Ball Song"), is a bit more eccentric. Nagasawa Miki delivers
a delicate, almost childlike vocal for this simple song. To
be honest, I find the voices of the children that echo her
words to be more than a little annoying, but the song itself
is not too bad. The third vocal is, of course, the ending
theme.
Kawai Kenji has done another outstanding job in
creating the soundtrack for Miyu and her world of Shinma.
Fans of Miyu will not be disappointed by this CD, and neither
will fans of Mr. Kawai. No doubt it will find a place next
to the original OVA soundtrack on many a fan's shelves.
 |
|
