Customer Reviews

Kikujiro (1999 Film)

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The abosolute BEST soundtrack ever made, Kikujiro is the story of a boy trying to find his mother over summer break. Along with his companion/farther-figure (played by Kitano himself) he is met up by a several very interesting characters. But this isn't a review of the movie, is it? No, by far....

The music. When I hear music, I hear the score for this movie. I once saw the ending credits for this movie while flipping around stations one night and was amazed. Lo and behold it was done by Joe Hisaishi, who also did many well known works, Mononoke being the best after his masterpiece. This.

This soundtrack changed the way I look at music. Everytime I pick up my guitar I play the main theme "Summer" and smile as I see the aesthetics of the notes roll through my mind. To fully understand what I'm saying, you must hear this soundtrack. Hell, go ahead and buy it. If you are a fan of any type of classical or soundtracks or even seen the movie, you should know what I mean.

From the first track to the last, this score is made up of basically 2 or 3 themes, but with Joe Hisaishi's AMAZING piano work, it makes you rethink if John Williams is even as good as you thought he was. Joe Hisaishi is the best composer alive today, and this is his masterpiece. A true gift.

The Angel Bells call was answered. This is it.

If the theme means anything to a score/soundtrack, if this is what the composer is trying to get across, then this score has most definitely scored high on the "rector scale". Composer Joe Hisaishi who gave us - Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and for three decades has seventeen solo albums, and composed music for over forty films. Hisaishi's music runs the gamut from uplifting to sad, playful to mournful, but the "main theme", is so inspiring, haunting and lingering, that you want it to go on and on, and never end.

Besides the "main theme", the highlight of this album is a beautiful instrumental with piano and violin - "THE RAIN", flowing in content and serenely classical with heavenly attributes, as the "main theme" is interwoven once again to the final note.

This is a soundtrack to cherish, but I'm not alone, earlier this year, Hisaishi was honored with his fifth Japan Academy Award for this very score - "Kikujiro"!

Total Time: 40:17 on 12 Tracks/ Milan Records - 73138 35911 2 (2000)

Excellent choice for those wishing to relive the Kikujiro movie experience. The CD tracks are variations on two musical themes appearing throughout the movie. At first disappointed with the lack of variety, I changed opinion after a third listen when I found myself enjoying the subtle differences of each track. Short on variety, but very good quality.

Like Takeshi Kitano's 1999 film, the soundtrack to "Kikujiro" takes you from happy to sad and back again. The main theme, "Summer," is by far the standout - it's light and catchy, the type of song that'll play in your head days after hearing it for the first time. It never fails to put me in a good mood.

I first watched Kikujiro in mu Japanese class and I immediately fell in love with the movie, and I also fell in love with the soundtrack. I was worried, however, when I looked to order the soundtrack that I would only be able to find the Japanese copy forsale. Luckily, I was able to find a domestic copy of this soundtrack unlike those for other Hisaishi fims such as A Scene at the Sea and Hanabi. The music is centered around one them mainly with different instrumental arrangements. Don't worry this theme is really good. My favorite CD for when I read.

Certian composers develop a tune, a melody that truly uplifts and heals you. Beethoven did it with his "great" Ninth, Bach and the solo Cello works, Pachebel and his Cannon in G, several others. Hisaishi too has done this. The main theme "Summer," which appears often on the CD is such a piece. Maybe not all people are as affected by music as I am, but through this piece, through Beethoven's Ninth, I am spiritually reborn. Maybe the movie was not as great as the music for it, but the movie is well worth a watch. A great film. Hisaishi's music is used beautifully, and Beat Takeshi directed it well. The soundtrack as a whole is good, every track, every note.

While capturing the innocent start of summer (trks 1-3), through pain and sadness does the music develop and finally, after having known pain and agony, does it return to a more mature version of the main theme, simple happiness after pain has been known.

Good music for those of you in need of some happiness. If you haven't seen the film, don't dispair. The music can stand alone very well.

I saw the movie several years ago and remembered the beautiful soundtrack (I usually never notice those kinds of details) but forgot about it -- till recently a friend just watched the movie and it reminded me to get the soundtrack. I have been listening to it non-stop since - and now my husband is hooked too! Listening to it makes me so happy and lighthearted, changes my outlook even if I'm grumpy. Makes me hopeful and want to dance in the sunshine. If you love beautiful music that stirs something deep within, while keeping things light -- get this CD, I can't rave enough about it.

When I first watched the movie I was deeply moved, not by the story or the acting (although it was also very good), but by the music. This soundtrack is probably Hisaishi's best, and that's really saying a lot! Hisaishi is my favorite living composer, but this is his only sountrack that seriously gives me chills when I listen to it. It's a must-have for any Hisaishi fan, and a very good investment for the classical music appreciator. Be sure to listen to Amazon's thirty second song clips or watch the movie if you're unsure.

I think a major part of my attraction to Takeshi Kitano's affectionately oddball 1999 road movie, "Kikujiro", has to do with composer Joe Hisaishi's soundtrack. The music - which would not be out of place on the more meditative Windham Hill roster - is based on the infectious piano-driven theme, and the forty minutes presented here are mostly variations on that same theme. Reminiscent of Dave Grusin's mid-eighties work (in particular, "Mountain Dance" from 1984's "Falling in Love"), Hisaishi's "Summer" has the same type of syncopated keyboard-led rhythm complemented by strings that are alternately plucked and played.

The best that can be said of the theme is that it perfectly evokes the image of nine-year old Yusuke Sekiguchi as Masao running purposefully on the bridge with the angel wings of his baby-blue knapsack flying in the breeze. Hisaishi even includes a percussive, Asian-flavored version called "Mad Summer". There are other tracks that serve to color the atmosphere of certain scenes in the film such as Masao's nightmare after being nearly molested (the synthesizer-heavy "Nightmare"), the heartbreaking moment he sees his mother in the distance (the delicate "Mother") and the bonding that occurs between Masao and Kikujiro on the beach (the poignant "Angel Bell"). Even though there are several beautiful interludes, the soundtrack will seem repetitive for anyone who hasn't seen the film. However, the music captures the emotional impact of the film for anyone who did enjoy it thanks to Hisaishi's craftsmanship.

This was the first time I even heard of Joe Hisaishi, and I've never seen the movie despite being recommended by my friends. However, just listening to the music, it is full of inspiration, and power. It is very simple, and yet moves a person emotionally. Especially the piano, violin, and other musical arrangement was excellent. I would recommend buying this CD, even if you'd never seen this movie before.