The music of an Anime can make or break a title. Sometimes, the score is the most memorable
aspect of a show or film. In the world
of Anime, there are many great composers, some of whom are giants in the genre
like Kenji Kawaii, Joe Hisashi and, of course, Yoko Kanno. There is one additional name id throw into
that upper echelon of brilliant music minds.
And that is Yuki Kaijura. She’s
been doing a lot of great classical scores with her own unique spin for the
last couple of decades now, breathing larger than life feels into already epic
pieces. Also, she and her two groups
(See Saw and Kalafina) can produce some beautiful and inspiring theme songs for
shows like Gundam Seed and a couple of titles you’ll see in a sec. And since she’s the one behind the score of
the Anime im reviewing right now, I figured this weeks Top 5 Wednesday could go
to her. So take a look at my Top 5 Yuki
Kaijura Soundtracks and see why this is one lady whose OSTs belong on your
shelf right next to Cowboy Bebop and FLCL.
#5-Sword Art
Online
This isn’t the first time Yuki Kaijura has done a musical
score for an Anime about a kid stuck in his fantasy video game. That Anime is also on this list but I will
say that Sword Art Online is a further spiritual successor to the .hack saga
thanks to bringing her onto this project as well. SAO is a far more fast paced digital journey
than .hack and Kaijura is happy to run with it, especially during the battle
sequences, which she can match blow for blow with the strikes on screen like
Kirito can. Her work on this title is so
renowned that Kaijura has also returned to do the OSTs for SAO II and the SAO
movie, Ordinal Scale. Here’s hoping they
bring her talents back for the upcoming third season this fall.
#4-.hack//Sign
This was the music that brought Ms. Kaijura to my
attention and its easy to see why. While
.hack, as previously mention, is a bit slower paced than Sword Art Online, the
music compliments this vast world that is both paradise and prison for main
character Tsukasa. Everything feels so
elegant, yet haunting; inviting but dangerous.
And she even throws in some techno beats for some of the more action
packed moments, showing us that, like Yoko Kanno, Yuki Kaijura is willing to
play with different genres of music and create her own subgenre all her own.
#3-Fate/Zero
Ive said in my ongoing reviews that Fate/Zero feels like
the Game of Thrones of Anime. There
aren’t many composers you could trust to come up with a musical score to
compliment that statement. But Kaijura
knocks it out of the park. The Fate/Zero
OST is full of magic both exciting and dramatic. Choirs and orchestras clash like Saber and
the other servants, making music feel beyond epic. But Kaijura also knows how to dial it back
and let the music highlight some of the more tragic scenes in one of the most
awesome but heartbreaking Anime prequels of all time. Speaking of awesome but heartbreaking…
#2-Puella Magi
Madoka Magica
Like the whole of Madoka Magica’s Anime presentation,
Yuki Kaijura’s score is both magical and whimsical but also incredibly sad and
full of tragedy. After all, you’re
taking a popular genre and turning it on its head, showcasing the actual
tragedies that come with the territory of becoming a superheroine. It may look fun and glamorous but can turn
deadly and have lasting reprucutions.
Special recognition goes to the score of the entire last episode in
which Kaijura brings everything I just talked about under one perfect umbrella
of musical achievement. Also there’s the
epic main battle theme/end theme “Magia” which Yuki Kaijura did with her vocal
group Kalafina (who will pop up again in a moment too), which is the best
magical girl theme song since Sailor Moon.
#1-Kara no Kyoukai
(The Garden of Sinners)
While I haven’t seen this one all the way through, the
score of the first couple of episodes/films was enough for me to give The
Garden of Sinners the top spot. Once
again, Yuki Kaijura combines feelings of mysticism, curiosity, fear and danger
all in a score that is hypnotic and grabbing and perfectly compliments all of
the images unfolding on screen. Also
again, Kalafina plays a pretty big role as well, giving each film an amazing
end theme. “Oblivious” and “Sprinter”
are two of my all time favorite tracks from any anime ever and are worth
checking out if you can find them. If
there’s one person who can make the impossible look both haunting and exciting
at the same time, it’s Yuki Kaijura.
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