Mononoke Hime - Soundtrack

MONONOKE HIME — SOUNDTRACK

— by Geir Friestad

1. Ashitaka Kouki

[Ashitaka's Record]

2. Tatarigami

[The God Tatari]

3. Tabidachi - Nishi e

[Journey - To the West]

4. Norowareta Chikara

[The Power of Being Cursed]

5. Eto

[Polluted Earth]

6. Deai

[Meeting]

7. Kodamatachi

[The Kodama]

8. Kami no Mori

[Forest of the Gods]

9. Yuugure no Tatara Jou

[Tatara's Place at Twilight]

10. Tatarigami II - Ubawareta Yama

[The God Tatari II - Stolen Mountain]

11. Eboshi Gozen

[The Lady Eboshi]

12. Tatara Fumu Onnatachi - Eboshi Tatara Uta

[Women Who Trample - Eboshi and Tatara's Song]

13. Shura

[Fighting]

14. Higashi kara kita Shonen

[Boy From the East]

15. Requiem

16. Ikiro

[Live]

17. Shishigami no Mori no Futari

[Two in the Forst of the God Shishi]

18. Mononoke Hime

[Princess Mononoke - Instrumental]

19. Requiem II

20. Mononoke Hime

[Princes Mononoke - Vocal]

21. Tatakai no Taiko

[The Drums of War]

22. Tataraba mae no Tatakai

[The Battle in Front of Tatara's Place]

23.    Norowareta Chikara II

[The Power of Being Curse II]

24. Requiem III

25. Haiso

[Retreat]

26. Tatarigami III

[The God Tatari III]

27.   Shi to Sei no Adagio

[Adagio of Life and Death]

28.   Yomi no Sekai

[World of the Underground Spring]

29. Yomi no Sekai II

[World of the Underground Spring II]

31. Ashitaka to San

[Ashitaka and San]

32.   Mononoke Hime

[Princess Mononoke - Vocal Ending]

33. Ashitaka Kouki

[Ashitaka's Record - ending]

After a long break, everyone's favorite director, Miyazaki Hayao, is back with another of his great yarns, and as usual, long-time musical collaborator Hisaishi Jo has composed the score to go with it. Hisaishi's considerable talent and high percentage of quality works, it is hardly a surprise to find that his MONONOKE HIME soundtrack fits in nicely with his collection of previous efforts for Miyazaki's movies.
Now, before I go on, I would just like to make it clear that I have not actually seen the MONONOKE HIME (The Princess Mononoke) movie yet, and my opinions are entirely based on the quality of the music itself, and not how it works in relation to the pictures it is supposed to underscore.
OK, let us move on!
The first thing that one immediately notices when listening to this soundtrack is that it is obviously much darker and somewhat more sinister in tone than previous Hisaishi scores. Although there are lighter pieces to be found here and there, this is primarily a moody and brooding score. These moody parts are to a degree reminiscent of earlier Hisaishi efforts, such as KAZE NO TANI NO NAUSICAA (Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind) and TENKUU NO SHIRO LAPUTA (Laputa: Castle in the Sky), but also of certain Western composers, most notably James Horner and his "Braveheart" score. Considering the subject matter the movie deals with, this latter similarity is perhaps not all that surprising.
While the moody parts of the soundtrack remind me of early Hisaishi / Miyazaki collaborations, the less moody parts are more reminiscent of the pair's later works, most notably TONARI NO TOTORO (My Neighbor Totoro). Indeed, cues like "Kodama Tatsu" (track 7) and "Yuugure no Tatara Jou" (track 9) sound almost like they were lifted straight from the TOTORO soundtrack, with their bouncy strings, wooden flutes and cheerfully mysterious atmosphere bringing a smile to the listener's face.
"Tatara Fumu — Onnatachi-Eboshi Tatara Uta —" (track 12) also deserves special mention. It is a short song — clocking in at a mere 1:29 — that takes a leaf out of Enya's book and employs overdubbed female vocals to great effect. Personally I feel this is the album's standout track, and I almost wish Hisaishi would produce an entire album full of this kind of music!
How does the album work as a whole, then, given the diversity of the material it contains? Well, I felt that it was hard to get an overview of it — some of the tracks do not stand out as much, while others work very well without the animation they were written for. Is it worth buying? I would say yes, for those who like Hisaishi's early soundtracks, or to a lesser degree, those who like his TOTORO score. Listeners will have to look elsewhere if they are searching for more music along the lines of his pleasant MAJO NO TAKKYUUBIN (Kiki's Delivery Service) and KURENAI NO BUTA (Porco Rosso) scores, however. As for those lucky individuals who have already seen the movie and liked the score — well, you guys probably didn't have to read my review to decide whether or not to buy the soundtrack!