| Twelve Kingdoms Soundtrack Survey |
When I decided to pick up some of the Twelve Kingdoms soundtrack albums, I was confused by the different albums available. There was the "standard" soundtrack, there was the "image" soundtrack, as well as two "memory" albums, not to mention the closing theme single and the drama albums. Not knowing exactly what to get, I got four different albums in the hopes that somewhere within would be the great orchestral tracks that I liked when I watched the show.
I realize that most anime fans won't go to the effort of buying everything just to see which are worth it. That is where your friendly neighbourhood soundtracks editor comes in. In the words of Jerry Pournelle, "I do these things so you don’t have to." Below, you will find reviews of the soundtrack album, the image album, and the memories albums, as well as a comparison among them to determine which albums are a better purchase for the anime fan who can’t afford all four.
| Twelve Kingdoms Animation Original Soundtrack | ||||||||
The soundtrack to the television show Twelve Kingdoms covers a wide array of musical grounds, from traditional Chinese and Japanese instrumentation to Celtic and other European sounds. The music is fully-orchestrated, and shows a high level of skill both in the composition and the arrangement of the pieces. The show uses the background music well to expand upon the situations and help bring the viewer into the action. Other shows also use their soundtracks to good effect. The trick with soundtrack albums is to create a new experience for fans of the show. A properly created soundtrack enhances and expands a fan's overall experience with a show, while one that is not properly arranged and put together can lead to disappointment. The Original Soundtrack for Twelve Kingdoms does not disappoint. While the location of tracks on the album could be a little better, and some of the tracks could have used a bit of editing, the overall album is an excellent addition to any anime fan's musical library. As noted above, this album includes a variety of musical styles. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the opening track, (also the show's theme song) Juni Genmukyoku. This track is arranged more along the lines of a classical orchestral suite, with the initial main theme, an interlude focusing on Chinese instruments, including the kokyu (Chinese fiddle), and then returning to the original musical theme. It is an excellent piece of music, no matter your opinion of anime or the specific show.
Other tracks on the album directly relate to specific aspects of the show, such as combat or intrigue. An example of the latter is the fifth track, Kehai-yakudou, which brings to mind the image of someone stealthily stealing across rooftops looking for their prey. The use of traditional percussion on that track actually brings to mind the percussion techniques used in the Akira soundtrack, which was an unexpected surprise. Another unexpected surprise, even though I had seen the show and should have expected it, was the presence of Celtic instruments, such as the Irish harp that makes an appearance in track 8, Fuushun -- a piece of music that I would expect to hear on the Irish music program on my local community radio station, as opposed to an anime soundtrack. This blend of styles helps give the world of Twelve Kingdoms its own feel, distinct from medieval China or Japan. While the fantasy world in which the twelve kingdoms exist has many visual similarities to ancient China, the mix of multiple musical styles and influences gives a subconscious clue that you are dealing with something else. This includes blending multiple styles in the same piece of music, such as track 6, Yasougetsuna, which is a duet by kokyu and piano. Maybe this is quite common in China and other Asian nations, but it had never occurred to me as a logical instrumental pairing. Another neat example is track 10, the acoustic version of the main theme, performed by acoustic guitar and kokyu. The composer seems to really like the kokyu and pairs it up with lots of different instruments. Both instruments are stringed, so they go together quite well, but it isn't something I would have thought would work. My own preconceptions aside, the instrumental pairings work very well. This isn't to say that traditional instrumentation is neglected. The string orchestra used is the Asian Philharmonic Beijing Master Orchestra, after all. Track 11, Kuni-touhoureiin, is a wonderful blend of different traditional Chinese instruments. At times playful, at times thoughtful, the music flows back and forth well and was a nice change of pace from the other orchestral pieces. One more item of particular note is track 13, Shuurai. This marks the only appearance on this album of the electric guitar. Shuurai is a battle theme, showing up when the characters in the show are in direct conflict. The entire track is electric guitar, keyboard, and odd electronic sounds. I must admit that it really doesn't fit with the rest of the album. It is an important track for the show, and I would not suggest that it should have been excluded from the album, but it sticks out due to its stylistic difference from the rest of the album. It's not a bad track; it's just out of place. Still, the Twelve Kingdoms Animation OST is a fine soundtrack album that can be appreciated by many people. Fans of the show will find much to enjoy, and those that have never seen the program will appreciate the excellently composed tracks and solid arrangements of eastern and western instruments. This album is highly recommended.
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| Twelve Kingdoms Image Soundtrack | ||||||||
As opposed to the Animation Original Soundtrack album, the Image album is a hybrid between a traditional soundtrack and a drama CD. While including a number of background tracks from the television show, there are also a handful of tracks that are simply sections of dialogue from select episodes of the show. For the non-Japanese speaker, this most likely reduces the value you will get from the album, but there are still some tracks here that may warrant a purchase for Twelve Kingdoms fans. The main problem that I have with the drama tracks is that they break the flow of the album. The album even starts with a drama track, so that you don’t get confused about what you are dealing with. This isn’t as much of a problem as it could be, as the drama tracks include their own background music, but it still breaks the flow of the album, as some of the drama tracks are fairly long (two of them are around four minutes). On top of that issue, as the second soundtrack album for the show, this album is saddled with the tracks that weren’t deemed appropriate for the first album. It isn’t that the included tracks are bad, but this album includes more tracks that don’t stand as well on their own, or that use a more esoteric musical style. A good example of the latter is track 14, Touhoureisan, which makes heavy use of traditional Chinese instruments, which can be quite obtuse to a Western ear. Once again, it isn’t bad, but it doesn’t fit the traditional musical themes of the show, so it got relegated to the second album.
Another aspect of the fact that we are dealing heavily with "B side" material is the seemingly random placement of the tracks in reference to their own emotional character. A moody song will be back-to-back with a happy song, with little care taken to produce a proper flow between the two. Some of the tracks even switch mood within the track itself, further adding to the confusion. There really isn’t anything to be done about it, but it can get annoying. The upshot of this lack of cohesion and order is that when choosing an album to simply sit down and listen to, this album does not fare well in comparison to other anime soundtrack albums. This is unfortunate, because there really are some excellent tracks on the album. Individual tastes vary, naturally, but tracks of notable musical excellence include track 3, a duo of piano and kokyu (Chinese fiddle) that I find wonderfully compelling; track 15, an orchestral work of melancholy and conflict; and track 22, a wonderful, extended version of the "doll" song that the deposed princess sings in the back half of the show. Other tracks have their own merits as well, and a couple of the tracks here contain significant Irish elements, which is always interesting in an anime soundtrack. In the end, however, I must admit that this album is simply inferior to the Animation Original Soundtrack album as a listening experience, and is only recommended for collectors and major fans of the series.
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| Twelve Kingdoms Piano Memories | ||||||||
Outside of the more traditional soundtrack albums, JVC Victor has also released two additional albums of music for Twelve Kingdoms. Both albums include songs from the traditional soundtrack albums, as well as new arrangements and completely new songs. These albums are themed around specific instruments. The first album, Piano Memories, takes the piano as its central instrument. The strength of this album comes from the high quality of the arrangements involved and the skill of the musicians involved. Even tracks that seem familiar, such as track 2, can include new flourishes and playful embellishments that highlight the piano. Track 3, for example, is a piano arrangement of the "doll” song the princess sings in the back half of the television show. Rather than being a straight arrangement, however, the arranger took a "modern traditional" approach, with the end result that you could swear that you are listening to a George Winston album rather than an anime soundtrack. The appeal of an album like this, therefore, depends heavily on how much you enjoy the highlighted instrument. If you are a big fan of solo piano works, then you will likely enjoy this album immensely. If you are not, then this album will not hold much appeal for you. The anime fan who is indifferent to the highlighted instrument will probably still find enough value to warrant the purchase, however, for two reasons.
First, this album, when it can be found, is noticeably less expensive than other soundtrack albums. At the time this is being written, CDJapan is selling the album for 1,500 yen, or close to $13 in U.S. dollars. Another online retailer is offering the album for $12.75. Compare this to the standard 3,000 yen or $30 U.S. dollars that are often charged for import soundtracks and the value becomes clear. Second, due to its nature as a tribute album, rather than a straight soundtrack, the album plays to the strength of the artist. The music doesn't have to work properly within the context of the show, it just needs to be good music, and it most definitely is. In fact, this album is one that can be easily enjoyed by people who "don't do anime," because it is an album of enjoyable music first, and its origin as an anime soundtrack is relatively unimportant. Someone who is familiar with the show will recognize many of the musical themes from the show and will appreciate how the arranger has varied those themes on this album. Someone unfamiliar with the show can just have a good time with it. In the end, this album is a real winner, which can be enjoyed by pretty much anyone who doesn't dislike the piano. It is highly recommended.
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| Twelve Kingdoms Kokyu Memories | ||||||||
As with the Piano Memories album, Kokyu Memories includes 10 tracks that feature the Kokyu. Consisting of arranged tracks, your enjoyment of the album will rely on how much enjoyment you get from the focus instrument. One distinction between the Piano and Kokyu Memories albums is that the piano arrangements are often rather divergent from the original piece of music, while the kokyu arrangements tend to hew pretty closely to the original interpretation. As befits the nature of the album, the album consists of songs that feature the kokyu from the primary soundtracks. As this instrument was never prominent in the main soundtrack, the album ends up being rather short, clocking in at just over 30 minutes long. It should be noted that these tracks do not always feature the kokyu prominently. For example, track 6, Ruika, uses the kokyu but sometimes features the flute. Therefore, you should not expect an album of nothing but the kokyu. Rather, you will get an album that features the kokyu mixed with an assortment of other instruments.
Another thing to note about the album is that the mix of tracks is somewhat odd, and does not reflect a coherent theme. While the Piano Memories album tended toward playful arrangements that highlighted the artistry of the pianist, the lack of special arrangements means that the included tracks are those that were originally intended to serve a wide variety of emotional purposes during the show. As such, the album meanders and doesn't have a clear focus. That isn't to say that there isn't anything good here, because there is. Track 8, Shihouka, is an arrangement of the "doll" song from the show that features the kokyu as the primary instrument, and redoes the entire song to feature a number of traditional Chinese instruments, which is pretty fun. Track 9, Shuurai Rensa, is a rendition of the battle theme from the first soundtrack album that simply overlays a kokyu line onto the existing music, but it still adds some depth to the track that improves on the original. In the end, your enjoyment of this album will directly relate to your enjoyment of traditional Chinese instruments in general, and the kokyu in particular. The Kokyu Memories album is also generally available for the same low price as the Piano memories album, so its price shouldn’t keep you from owning it. In the end, though, this album is aimed towards fans of Chinese music only, and likely won’t find an audience outside of that group.
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| Compare and Contrast |
Of the albums featured here, the Original Animation Soundtrack album is indispensable, and makes an obvious purchase. It includes many excellent pieces of music and is a solid addition to anyone’s collection. The Image Soundtrack is not an obvious purchase, especially considering that you can probably pick up both of the Memories albums for the same price.
Speaking of the Memories albums, both of them are optional purchases, but if you happen to like the featured instruments, then either of them makes good sense. They are both good values for the money, even though they are shorter than the other albums. The Piano Memories album shows more variety in the arrangements, but a decision between the two will come down to personal tastes.
The only album that doesn't fare well is the Image Soundtrack, which is the easiest album to avoid due to its lack of coherent theme. However, it does contain the full version of Shihouka, which makes it necessary for me. Still, the album falls into a third tier below the Original Animation Soundtrack and the Memories albums.
