Original Soundtrack, Vol. 1

(Cute funny picture of Kenshin jumping on the cover.)

If you want all those essential bg tracks like "Kimi wa Dare wo Mamotte Iru," (also known as the here-I-come-to-save-the-day song), the moody sax Kaoru theme, the cute family music, and the bad guy/fighting music that sounds vaguely reminiscent of early 70s rock, you should get this album. In general it has the overall happy, upbeat tone of the first 25-or-so episodes of the anime. Most of the tracks are quite short, but there's 23 of them, including no less than 4 version of "Kimi wa Dare."

The acoustic mix of "Kimi wa Dare" is probably my favorite track (can't help imagining Kenshin crashing through a nearby door, sakabatou in hand, ready to rescue me from my latest plight--except that most of my plights tend to involve research papers, computer science assignments, and lack of sleep. Not the stuff of heroism, alas.) I also really like "Kenjutsu Komachi" (played during the ribbon scene) and the acoustic version of "Himura Kenshin" (played when Kaoru offers to let the "rurouni-san" stay at her dojo--beautiful, yearning, somewhat melancholy guitar--I guess it's as close as you get to Kenshin's love theme, and it fits him well.) "Ayame to Suzume" cracks me up with its little "alleluia" chord intro, and "Sobakasu" is just funny. Anyway, if you like the cute & fun stuff in the anime, you can't help but like the album.

Original Soundtrack II: Departure

(Pretty picture of Kenshin with a flower in his mouth on the cover.)

The background music for the Kyoto Hen is, of necessity, much less perky than the stuff on the first soundtrack. The songs on Departure capture the darkness and sense of inevitable sorrow that permeate the episodes when Kenshin leaves for Kyoto. Nearly all of the tracks are good, though I believe a few of them were not actually used in the show. For the most part, though, I can't listen to this without scenes from the anime running through my head, which becomes problematic if one is trying to, say, do work at the same time.

Track 1, "Unmei no Hagurama" (Destiny's Wheels), plays in the Kyoto flashback scene at the beginning of episode 28 (Shinsengumi! Saitou! Okita! Battousai! Blood spattering everywhere! Eeeeeegh!) Other favorites of mine are "Run to You," Sano's theme--perfect music to get lost in the woods to--and both versions of the title track. The master mix of "Starless" (number 13) is what plays during Misao's big canyon scene, so I love that one too. "Frozen Flare--Shura no Fuuin" goes with all those suspenseful moments when people are standing poised with hands on swords, and "Battousai Futatabi" is cool even though it's really pirate music. The hard version of "Kimi wa Dare wo Mamotte Iru" is essential of course, but much too short. (2 choruses? Oh, come on. What if there are more bad guys than you can whup in 2 choruses, eh?)

Original Soundtrack III: Kyoto Kessen

(Scary glaring Battousai on cover.)

Of all the soundtracks, I'd rank this one highest. It's less melancholy and more tumultous than Departure, with arguably the best battle music in the series. Nearly all tracks are great, so it's hard to pick favorites. "Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu," Hiko's theme, is naturally cool--I mean, it's Hiko's theme. (Hiko smirks and strikes genius pose.) It gets a lot of play when his baka deshi is training to learn the ougi. Track 4, "Ishin Tenpuku Keikaku," is the best of the Shishio music. I tend to envision a lot of flames when listening to that one. All three versions of "Kaoru to Misao" are beautiful, especially the guitar one (too short!) The Oniwabanshuu theme is good, and "Warriors Blue" almost makes me like Aoshi. ^_-

Best of all, though, is "Warriors Suite," which contains not only my favorite "TORAWARE," the Kenshin-triumphant theme played when he learns the ougi and in virtually every fight after that (Hey! It's the Magnificent Seven!--er, I mean, the Seven Samurai!--er, who's stealing from who, here?) but also "Kako e no Ranbu," otherwise known as the psycho xylophone music. My friend and colleague Laura-dono has claimed this song as her personal theme. She and I both expect it will come in very handy during her future quest for world domination. As her humble minion, I plan to trail her constantly, carrying a portable stereo which will be used to play this song at appropriately dramatic moments, such as when she descends upon some hapless nation to conquer it.

Oh, and the last track is "Heart of Sword," which, as we all know, is a perfectly decent song, but pales in comparison to "The Fourth Avenue Cafe."

Original Vocal Album (Rurouni Kenshin Songs)

(Has the Kenshin-gumi on the cover, with Yahiko looking uncomfortable)

This one is a mixed bag, but the good songs make it worthwhile. I bought it mainly for the sake of being able to play "Summer's Picture" repeatedly at very high volume, but some of the other songs are good, too. A number of them are used in some form or another in the anime, beginning with the Rai-juta story arc. The song played when Yutaro is training, for instance, is an instrumental version of Kaoru's solo song. I don't know all the titles, so here's a rundown in order:

Track 1 ("Overture") starts with a sad and solemn instrumental used frequently in the anime, then ends with a random sort of dance-beat thing. Kenshin's song is second. It's fast-ish and the title is something about protecting loved ones (man, he's so predictable.) It's okay, and has grown on me, though I think Suzukaze-san's talent could have been put to better use. It has some random English phrases in it, too, which really throws me. (Kenshin speaking English? Oro ro? Gosh, he has so many hidden talents.) Third is Kaoru's song, the title of which I have seen translated various ways, but whatever it's called it's nifty--one of my favorites--and has great Kaoru attitude. The Sano song is also very appropriately badass (and used in quite a lot of fight scenes in the anime.) There's nothing wrong with the Yahiko song, but really, who wants to listen to Yahiko?

The second instrumental, "Over the Horizon," is good, and gets a lot of play during the happy soaring moments in the show, like (KYOTO HEN SPOILER!) when Kaoru and Yahiko leave for Kyoto. After that is "Summer's Picture," the K&K duet, which is too happy for words, and further evidence in my mind that they should get married right now if not sooner. I tend to skip the Sano/Megumi duet. The Ayame and Suzume song would be great if only they didn't sing. The last one, "This World's Corner," is the big inspiring one where everybody holds hands and envisions peace and harmony and sukiyaki, and it's pretty good. My cd also has 2 bonus tracks (what a deal!): "Namida wa Shitteiru" and "Sobakasu." (I suppose I would have been thrilled if I didn't already have both.)

Rurouni Kenshin Songs 2

(Cover with Kenshin-gumi, Misao, and Soujirou, all looking perky.)

Woohoo! More vocals, more vocals! I'd have to say that Songs 2 surpasses its predecessor, in overall quality of songs and singing, to say nothing of the spiffy art inside the CD booklet. The downside is that four out of the ten tracks were released first as character singles, so if you went and bought them all beforehand, well, sore wa zannen.

Soujirou fans rejoice--he's all over this album, with "Innocence," the "Innocence" Drum 'n' Bass Mix, and then "Journey." I don't mind "Innocence," which is sort of funky, though the remix is pretty weird. "Journey," however, merits hitting the repeat button and pretending to wander around Meiji Japan with a goofy smile on your face, maybe stopping at a few restaurants while you're at it. "Ice Blue Eyes," as I may have mentioned before, kicks ass, and makes me even more positive that everyone's favorite ninja grrl is too cool for her love interest. (Imagine Misao cutting loose on the dance floor, while Aoshi stands alone in the corner, trenchcoat collar turned up geekily.) "Ippatsu Yarou," the Sano song, is very, um, Sano. If you like Sano, it'll probably appeal.

After those comes the attack of the filler chicks. Magdaria/Sayo, Katsu Itsuko, and Moriya Misanagi each have a song. (Miko says: WHY THEM and NOT SAITOU!?!?!?! *shikushiku!* ^_^;) Magdaria's and Misanagi's are surprisingly good; Misanagi's "The End of the Day" has a vaguely Latin-ish beat, and grooves nicely. Itsuko's "Kono Mama" is tolerable, though her singing is not quite on par with the others'. Then there's "Ashita no Kakera," sung by Gentasu (aka Funky Hair Guy from the movie), which is also tolerable.

Last of all is the real reason to buy the album: "Natsu no E," the '98 Summer Version. The vocals are basically the same as in the previous version, but the backing mix is much more...well, danceable, to say the least. If you have any doubts that Kenshin and Kaoru are going to not only survive to the end of the series, but live happily ever after, just ingest some caffiene and play this sucker a few times, and life will look rosy once again. *hearts!*

Theatrical Animation Original Soundtrack

(Cover is very somber, all white with the logo in red.)

Beautiful and SAD. You can get some idea of the level of sadness here by reading the titles: "Troubled Memories," "Painful Memories," "No Way Out," "Futility," and, my favorite, "Endlessly Dark Sky"--after a certain point you can't help laughing at this, until you actually hear the songs. I think there is one track, "Her Most Beautiful Smile," that's actually set in a major key--I'm wondering if this is a Kaoru song, or does it go with that random chick (Toki) who looks like Kaoru, but wears her hair in a scrunchy instead of a ribbon? and did they really have scrunchies in Meiji Japan? Eh, well, I hope it's a Kaoru song.

But even that one is sad. I like it despite the fact that it sounds like department store music. You know, the kind that they play in the waiting area of a big classy department store, where all the old men sit reading newspapers around the grand piano while their wives shop, and some poor underpaid musician has to slog repeatedly through the Les Miz songbook, or maybe, if you're lucky, Chopin's Greatest Hits.

I do believe I have digressed. My other favorite tracks are "Troubled Memories," "Power of Revolution," "Futility," and "Days to Remember." The mood of the album is quite consistent, so don't worry about being jolted out of your depression by a stray perky song. If it's a rainy day and you have PMS and you're in one of those moods when all you want to do is listen to music and cry, and you've already worn out Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony, this album is perfect.

Having now seen past Episode 68, I have to mention that some of the movie soundtrack music is also used in the Shimabara storyline. The aforementioned "Her Most Beautiful Smile" has lost all resemblance to department store music for me now, due to a really tearjerking scene (with Kaoru! huzzah!) in which it is played. Sniffle.

Classical Pieces in RK

Speaking of songs that cause guaranteed bawling, possibly the most beautiful piece in the anime is the background music for THE SCENE at the end of Episode 31...if you've seen that far, you'll know which one. (They play it again at the end of Episode 62, so thank god, we have some closure.) It has yet to be released on any RK soundtrack, but it's the "Intermezzo sinfonico" from Cavalleria Rusticana, an opera by Pietro Mascagni. An mp3 of it is available at:

http://143.248.250.37/~hjcha/home/
music/classic/caval.mp3

Go listen and cry. Very heartfelt thanks to Owain (rockman@globalserve.net) for posting this info on the SASS mailing list. As for other classical pieces in RK, someone at Sony clearly has a thing for Beethoven sonatas. The background for Yumi's scene in Episode 60 is the second movement of Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 (the Pathetique). In the Shimabara/post-Kyoto storyline, Sayo plays the first movement of No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2 (the Moonlight).

Best Themes Collection

(Funky watercolor-style picture of the Kyoto Hen characters on cover.)

This is the album to get if you're after opening and closing themes (of which the anime series alone has a total of 10), despite its fatal flaw: NO "Fourth Avenue Cafe." *shikushiku* You do get "Sobakasu," "Tactics," "Namida wa Shitteiru," "Heart of Sword," "1/2," "It's Gonna Rain!", and "1/3 no Junjouna Kanjou," plus "Towa no Mirai," the movie ending theme. Then there are the Animetal bonus songs, which I try not to think about, although I've heard that they'll grow on you if you listen to them repeatedly. *sweatdrop* Anyway, my personal take on the songs themselves is as follows:

"Sobakasu" is demented, but catchy. It's a good one to freak out your friends with by singing along and thereby demonstrating that you know all the lyrics, in spite of your inability to speak Japanese otherwise. "1/2" used to irritate the heck out of me. I don't mind it now, although I still think the vocalist sounds like an 8-year-old. "Tactics" is funny in a campy sort of way, and hard not to like. (Hearing it now just makes me nostalgic for those goofy, carefree days at the beginning of the series, when nobody had even heard of Enishi...)

I loooove "Namida wa Shitteiru" the cute happy girly ending theme. One can argue that doesn't really fit the mood of the show, but if you're going to use that as a criterion for judgement, you have to throw out most of these songs. (And it's Suzukaze Mayo! When I found out that the woman singing this song was Kenshin's seiyuu I was like, no way!--but after that it seemed perfectly obvious.)

[Side note: the advantage to getting the CD single of "Namida wa Shitteiru" is that you then get the b-side, "Anata no Kaeru Basho," which is a little-known Kenshin character song. It's a very sappy love ballad, and of course Kenshin singing a very sappy love ballad makes me positively thrash with bliss. This one is tough to find now, but worth the money if you can swing it.]

"Heart of Sword" is okay, and I know lots of people are very attached to it, but it has no special place in my heart. "It's Gonna Rain!" is groovy, groovy, groovy. (It, too, seems to suffer from has-nothing-to-do-with-the-show syndrome, but when it's so groovy, who cares?) My dad thinks Bonnie Pink sounds like Sheryl Crow; I'm not sure whether to argue with him on this point or not. And even if you don't know Japanese, the lyrics are appreciably interesting.

"1/3 no Junjouna Kanjou" ties neck and neck with "Fourth Avenue Cafe" for the Kristin's Favorite Ending Theme award. (A good way to earn my respect and admiration is to start singing "Kowareru hodo aishitemo..." at random moments in public.) It's a powerful song, and the accompanying animation sequence is dark, slightly surreal, and beautiful. *heartache* *yearning* *shikushiku!*

"Towa no Mirai" would be a good song if the vocalist could sing. As is, I can still listen to it, and the strain in the guy's voice is actually sort of amusing.

As I mentioned above, I try not to think about the Animetal songs. The little character interjections from Yumi, Kamatari, and various other Juppongatana come close to redeeming them, but only close. All in all, though, this is an album to get, even if you do wind up in the unfortunate circumstance of owning 3 copies of "Sobakasu."

Thoughts on the other various opening and closing themes:

Everybody: "KISETSU WA ODAYAKA NI OWARI WO TSUGETA NE~!"

The song kicks ass. The animation sequence kicks ass. The band, apparently, was smokin' some funny stuff. ^_^; Alas for us, "The Fourth Avenue Cafe" is now only available on L'Arc-en-Ciel's album "True." *sigh* Well, the best things are always difficult to get.

As for openings, believe it or not, there is life after "1/2." If you make it to Episode 82, you'll be rewarded with the very warm and fuzzy "Kimi ni Fureru Dake De," which is another good one to sing in public on any occasion, and definitely the winner of the Kristin's Favorite Opening award. [Side note number two: Get the single! The b-side is also excellent, and then you can karaoke!]

"Dame" is something of a comedown after "1/3...", though it is catchy, and, in the ending animation, very apropos to all the scenes of the women beating up their men. *sweatdrop*

Miscellaneous Notes:

There were a couple of CD singles released in conjunction with the final story arc of the TV series; I haven't heard these and know very little about them, except that maybe the guy played by Koyasu Takehito is involved. There's also a CD box set called, modestly, the "Brilliant Collection," which seems to be a sort of overpriced "best of" compilation; more info on these is available in Japanese on the Sony site (see Links page.)

More opinionated ramblings to follow as the mood strikes me. (There's still the Director's Collection... ^_^;)