Before starting, I want to thank Jessica Stan for sending this in to be reviewed, and in general a big kudos as she has sent over so many soundtracks for review at this stage across the site.
Anyway, I’m particularly excited for this one due to the impression the score made while watching the film. That said, this is a soundtrack of extremes. Across its generous 70 minute runtime, it swings between genuinely outstanding pieces, enjoyable supporting cues and tracks that simply fail to hold the listener's attention. While the album's inconsistency prevents it from being a truly great soundtrack from beginning to end, its strongest material is memorable enough to make the overall experience worthwhile.
Now this score is also a collaborative effort, with most of the music composed by Goro Yasukawa and eight tracks contributed by Yutaka Fukuoka. That shared workload helps create a surprising amount of musical diversity. Even within each composer's own contributions, there is a welcome variety of styles that keeps the soundtrack from becoming repetitive.
The undisputed highlight of the album is "Lai-la Steps." Built around a lively Latin-inspired rhythm with energetic guitar and vocal work, the track is bursting with personality. In the film it accompanies a montage of battles, and a large reason why I was excited to review this CD as the music makes such an impression during that sequence. Safe to say, one of the more memorable cues out there across anything that would count as a “Toho soundtrack”.
Another excellent piece of music is "Kagemitsu's Death ~ Pain of the Heart…", a deeply sorrowful composition featuring very nice chorus work. "So~ (Commotion)" is another memorable cue, delivering an energetic tempo and a sound that would feel right at home in a fighting game from the same era if not for its supporting vocals. "The Cursed Doctor's Regeneration Factory" also succeeds thanks to its strong rhythm, even if its relatively sparse arrangement leaves it feeling somewhat underdeveloped.
The score is also not afraid to experiment, or in the case of “Hen~ (Phenomenon)” have truly odd themes. While this one is intentionally weird and can’t be called good, it’s at least memorable for how strange it is.
Unfortunately, much of the album's weaker material comes from Goro Yasukawa's contributions. Several of his tracks feel overly minimal, often relying on sparse instrumentation resulting in themes sounding unfinished or like work in progress music that one might find on image albums. "Father, Daigo Kagemitsu" is perhaps the clearest example. Although it begins promisingly, it concludes with synthesizer-heavy passages accompanied by only minor orchestration, giving it the feel of music from a low-budget television production.
Another recurring issue is that several tracks simply overstay their welcome. "Jukai and Hyakkimaru" runs for nearly six minutes despite being rather simplistic, making it feel far longer than it actually is. "Biwa Player" fares somewhat better, delivering exactly what its title suggests, but its straightforward composition also becomes repetitive before it reaches its conclusion.
The album's weakest track is easily the vocal piece "Tuvan Internationale" by the Tuvan group Huun-Hurr-Tu. The performance features traditional throat singing, a technique in which singers produce multiple notes simultaneously by emphasizing vocal overtones. A quick Google search for the group's work suggests this is representative of their usual style. While I can appreciate it as a cultural and musical tradition, it simply was not enjoyable for me and in general is likely a very acquired taste.
Bottom line, this soundtrack is defined by its highs and lows. It is not consistently engaging enough to give a strong recommendation as a complete listening experience, but its standout tracks are exceptional and easily justify revisiting. Given the choice, I would much rather own a soundtrack like this, one containing a handful of phenomenal cues alongside weaker material, than a soundtrack filled with songs that are merely good but never truly memorable. The best moments here are strong enough to earn a permanent place in any soundtrack compilation, even if the album as a whole falls short of greatness. |
