Category: Song Reviews

Album: 紅の豚 サウンドトラック What happens when a master animator hands a composer six mysterious poems and asks him to create magic? In the case of Studio Ghibli’s ‘Porco Rosso’ and its hauntingly beautiful track ‘At Summer’s End’ (Natsu no Owari ni), the answer reveals one of the most fascinating creative collaborations in film music history.…

Album: 魔女の宅急便 イメージアルバム In the world of film music, few composers possess the ability to capture an entire world’s essence through simple melodic sketches. Joe Hisaishi’s “Lily and Jiji” from the Kiki’s Delivery Service Image Album stands as a fascinating window into this rare creative process—a piece that began as a rough musical sketch and…

Album: 魔女の宅急便 イメージアルバム When Joe Hisaishi sat down to compose the image album for Kiki’s Delivery Service in the late 1980s, he faced an unusual creative challenge. Tasked with capturing the essence of “somewhere European, perhaps around the Mediterranean” without ever having scored a film set in such a location, he would craft one of…

Album: 紅の豚 イメージアルバム In the spring of 1992, Hayao Miyazaki handed Joe Hisaishi six handwritten poems. These weren’t lyrics to be set to music, but something far more intriguing—emotional blueprints for what would become one of Studio Ghibli’s most sophisticated soundtracks. Among the verses titled ‘Flying Boatman’s Tango,’ ‘Ascent,’ ‘Adriatic Sea at Twilight,’ ‘Night Flight,’…

Album: 紅の豚 サウンドトラック In the sprawling soundscape of Joe Hisaishi’s score for Porco Rosso, one track stands out as a perfect microcosm of how thoughtful musical choices can transport listeners across time and geography. “Piccolo no Onna-tachi” (The Women of Piccolo) emerges as more than just background music – it’s a masterclass in period authenticity…

Album: 魔女の宅急便 サントラ音楽集 In the bustling world of Studio Ghibli’s ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service,’ where young witches soar through European skies and magic fills every corner, there exists a quieter moment of pure musical poetry. Joe Hisaishi’s track ‘Jeff’ captures something most film composers overlook: the unhurried dignity of an aging dog. Through the gentle voice…

Album: 魔女の宅急便 サントラ音楽集 In the summer of 1989, composer Joe Hisaishi faced an impossible deadline. Fresh off a plane from New York, he had just two days to prepare for recording sessions that would complete one of Studio Ghibli’s most beloved soundtracks. Among the pieces he crafted during this whirlwind period was ‘Shigoto Hajime’ (Work…

Album: となりのトトロ サウンドトラック集 Sometimes the most powerful musical moments in cinema come from what composers call their ‘hidden themes’ – those secondary melodies that weren’t meant to steal the spotlight but end up defining entire films. Joe Hisaishi’s ‘Kaze no Toorimichi’ (The Path of the Wind) from My Neighbor Totoro represents exactly this phenomenon, a…

Album: 風の谷のナウシカ イメージアルバム 鳥の人… When Joe Hisaishi composed “Path to the Valley” (Tani e no Michi) for the Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind image album “Bird Person,” he was unknowingly setting the foundation for one of cinema’s most revolutionary approaches to film music. This seemingly gentle composition, with its Celtic-inspired melodies and pastoral…

Album: 天空の城ラピュタ イメージアルバム ～空から降ってきた少女～ The year 1986 marked a pivotal moment in Japanese animation history, but perhaps more quietly, it also witnessed one of Joe Hisaishi’s most introspective creative journeys. Working on the image album for Hayao Miyazaki’s “Castle in the Sky” (Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa), Hisaishi found himself grappling with both artistic pressure and…