Customer Reviews

Princess Mononoke: Music From The Miramax Motion Picture

5 star:		(67)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For those who have seen and simply loved the film "Princess Mononoke", this soundtrack is the perfect companion. For those who haven't seen the movie, it doesn't matter; this soundtrack is still the perfect thing to pick up.

The sountrack consists of 32 songs, but don't let the number of songs fool you. The vast majority of the tracks found in "Princess Mononoke" are BGMs (BackGround Music), so most of the songs drift around a 1:00-3:00 length. But Joe Hisaishi manages to create a tapestry of classical sounds that seem to accompany each other perfectly.

This is where the catch comes into play. To fully enjoy this music, you have to listen to it from beginning to end. This isn't a soundtrack that you can listen to with "Random" set on your player. A few songs can be listened to independently, but these are few. But trust me, listening to the entire CD is a rewarding experience you'll not regret.

Another minor catch might be the somewhat repetitiveness of the music. Several of the smaller pieces found on this soundtrack are actually variations of a familiar part of one of the main songs. But luckily, Hisaishi manages to make each variation unique and enjoyable, so the listener won't be prompted to push the "Skip" button on his player.

While most of the music is classical, there are two vocal pieces on this soundtrack. The first, Track 12 (The Tatara Women Work Song), is in Japanese and the second, Track 31 (Princess Mononoke Theme Song), is in English. This is where I had one small gripe about the sountrack. Instead of the longer, Japanese version of the "Princess Mononoke Theme Song", a shorter English version was used for the American release. Even so, the English version is still good and the Japanese version isn't enough to force you to purchase the import version of this soundtrack.

Overall, the soundtrack to "Princess Mononoke" is a must-have in anyone's movie music collection...or anyone's music collection in general. Whether or not you've seen the outstanding movie that spawned this beautiful soundtrack, it doesn't matter. While you'll have to listen to the entire thing to truly appreciate it, the satisfaction in doing so is immeasureable.

Ever since I was introduced to Miyazaki a few years back, I have greedily inhaled every snippet of his celuloid available to the american public (which saddly isn't enough!), and when the soundtrack to Mononoke appeared at local vendors I was quick to pick it up, knowing how fantastic Hisaishi's work was in Totoro and Kiki's. Yet never having seen the film, the music was not immediately compelling, albeit still quite good. But just last week Mononoke was given 'wider' release affording me the opportunity to see this amazing film, and since then I've probably listened to the soundtrack a few dozen times. For those who have fallen in love with this film (and you should!) you will need this soundtrack; perhaps the only thing to ease the anxious waiting for Mononoke to come out on video (hopefully DVD!).

There is really no seperating these two works--the film would be empty without Hisaishi's beautiful score, yet without first understanding how these pieces connect with images and emotions, the soundtrack at first might seem too repetitive. Somehow this differs from soundtracks which work only within the context of the movie, instead we have a very strong and elegant score which uses several subtle themes which do not seem to take form until given an image by which to solidify in the listeners mind. Perhaps it is also a somewhat difficult score, often dark and not seemingly melodic, yet moments too beautiful for words shine through, such as the mononoke theme, the music (I believe it is track 3) which is used during the evening scene where Ashataka and Yakkle leave the villiage and Ashataka says goodbye to his sister (formerly his fiance in the original version), as well as the already mentioned Taratara work song. But this is not a soundtrack you will be skipping through to get to the tracks you enjoy the most; it is instead one which you will find yourself absorbed in and find over far too soon. One of the absolutely-must-have accessories for this film or any fan of quality orchestral music.

This cd is sublime. i grew up in Japan + this music reminds me of home. :) But WHY did they dub over the main theme?!? They kept the Tatara work song in the original Japanese! So unfortunately i have to give this cd four stars. If you get a chance, listen to the original Japanese theme song. It blows this version way out of the water.

Not being a fan of movie scores, I usually don't buy them. Especially since Titanic's soundtrack came out. But this one, this one is special. There's just something about it. It's even more special if you've seen the movie. It brings to mind every great scene, character, and feeling portrayed in the film, and is well worth the money (Which by the way, isn't much). For me, this is my favorite CD out of my whole collection, and I'll listen to it on the bus every morning to school. In fact, I listen to it so much, that whenever I'm in a car without music playing, the score immediately starts playing in my head. Personally, this soundtrack will pick me up on bad days, even during the scary songs (that play during the scary parts of the movie). ^_^ It's one those CDs that just make you feel really good. "The Tatara Women's Work Song" particularly is one of my favorites, even if it is in Japanese. But the voices are so beautiful and full of life that you want to listen to it constantly. I definately, and enthusiastically, recommend this one. You may love it so much, you'll want to lovingly share it with your friends and family. (Translated for some people: You'll want to physically force them to listen to it until they like it. Which probably won't be the best method. ^_^)

It must be said that this soundtrack is one of the finest I have ever heard... it truly has soul. The film is marvelous, the book is insightful, and the Soundtrack (aka OST) is simply stunning.

I enjoyed the soundtrack as much, if not more, than the other reviewers, but I was disappointed that this release did not include the original Japanese version of the Princess Mononoke theme performed by Yoshikazu Mera. Hardcore fans may want to seek an import instead.

What people say that this soundtrack isn't the best of Hisaishi's is true. He has done better than this. On the other hand, that just shows how incredible he is, because this is a wonderful soundtrack. It's a slightly dark, dramatic soundtrack with several recurring themes. The themes are dark and mysterious, and almost haunting. They are mostly in the lower register, played by cellos and basses, beautiful and dark.

The disc starts off with "The Legend of Ashitaka". This is mostly the recurring theme in the movie and soundtrack. It's played by low, dark strings and then rises slightly and then the brass comes in. It's a dramatic opening piece that is fitting to what it happening in the movie. "The Demon God" is another recurring theme. It's even lower than Ashitaka's parts, dark and dangerous. Starting out with a long, low note it moves on to a steady heavy beat with some high, kind of creepy strings and then percussion, and then underneath all of that the low notes come back with the low strings and low brass. A creepy piece that fits the creepy part of the movie well.

"The Journey to the West" is a quieter piece. It takes advantage of woodwinds and slightly higher strings than the previous songs. With the use of flutes, it gives off a more delicate touch. "The Demon Power" is a fast, frightening sort of song. "The Land of the Impure" is less dramatic than the others. It's kind of quieter and less dark, though not without it's dark moments. It too has the themes. "The Encounter" brings to us the theme that will be recognized as a more gentle, recurring theme, with flutes and more gentle instruments. "Kodamas" is a cute little piece that fits what is happening in the movie wonderfully.

"The Forest of the Gods" is a very short little piece that is meant to display a more magic touch. It's very short and more for transition. "Evening at the Ironworks" is also very short, with a kind of cool sound. "The Demon God II - The Lost Mountains" is mostly the same pulsing, creepy demon theme again, set for the movie. "Lady Eboshi" is an interesting piece that's kind of creepy and kind of fascinating at once. "The Tatara Women Work Song" is sung and breaks the orchestration of the movie, but it quite nice.

"The Furies" is a dramatic little piece, strong and bold. "The Young Man from the East" includes the Ashitaka music again, but slightly more dramatic than the beginning. "Requiem" is another theme built on low strings and played by high notes. It's slightly less dramatic than other pieces as well. "Will to Live" is extremely short and more of a transition piece that has Mononoke's theme embedded in it.

"San and Ashitaka in the Forest of the Deer God" starts out creepy but ends with a high notes theme. "Princess Mononoke Theme Song" is a woodwind song, played gently and beautifully, but very sadly. "Requiem II" has the low theme again. "Princess Mononoke Theme Song II" is another sung song, and is rather pretty.

"Battle Drums" brings the score back to the rhythmic aspect. Several percussion instruments are played here throughout the entire piece. "Battle in front of the Ironworks" is a pulsing, creepy song. "The Demon Power III" is a bit different, though still with the same demon theme. This time it's slightly creepier. "Requiem III" is sad and heavy. "Retreat" is a low, dramatic piece. "The Demon God III" picks up where the previous track left off. It's a creepy and low song which later has several themes thrown together. "Adagio of Life and Death" is a slow, gentle piece until the slightly dramatic ending.

"The World of the Dead" is very creepy and low. "The World of the Dead II", on the other hand, has very different music at its start, and more of the flutes. Later on in the song the creepy aspects of the previous come, but slightly less creepy than they had been, as they are underneath the strings now. "Adagio of Life and Death II" is another slow piece with a dramatic ending.

"Ashitaka and San" is a piano and strings piece. It is very lovely and very pretty. "Princess Mononoke Theme Song III" is again a singing song, rather like the previous one. "The Legend of Ashitaka Theme" is a beautiful piece, dark and dramatic, but then rising up in a huge swell to the lovely recurring theme that is Ashitaka. The difference between this and the other pieces is that this one is significantly longer than other Ashitaka songs and has much more to his theme.

So yes, much of this soundtrack is dark and low. On the other hand, it's not all dark and low. There are some lovely higher parts too, and even some singing, if you want it. The soundtrack matches the movie very well. Dark, with some light parts? Yes, that about sums up both. I highly recommend this soundtrack, even if you haven't seen the movie (I hadn't when I first heard it, and I loved it) for some wonderful stuff. If you had heard the "Spirited Away" soundtrack (highly recommended) before this and have turned to more Hisaishi because you liked him, be warned. This is not as good as the spectacular "Spirited Away", but it's second best of all of his soundtracks and I urge you to listen to it anyways.

Words cannot describe how cool this soundtrack is, but that won't stop me from trying. The blends of the instuments of the orchestra that did this soundtrack are at perfect equilibrium. This soundtrack can only be surpassed by the 4 Macross Plus soundtracks, which I also highly recommend.

I saw the US version of PRINCESS MONONOKE just last week. The movie and its music were so awesome that the next day I went out and purchased the CD. This music is marvelous to listen to, in whatever mood you're in. It includes every emotion, every fight, every thrill that the movie has. I highly recommend this soundtrack to everyone, but you'll like it more after you see the film.

WOW. That's the first thing I said after watching the movie and being utterly captivated for two hours. There are not many movies or soundtracks these days that take your breath away. This is one of the few. As a percussionist, the drums and other percussion instruments are superior to many I have heard, and every track is masterfully orchestrated. I plan on buying the import as well, to compare th two. Anime fans, and newcomers to the genre alike will fall in love with 'Princess Mononoke'