Before getting started, I would like to thank Jessica Stan for providing this CD for review.
Kow Otani's score for Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris serves as a fitting conclusion to Shusuke Kaneko's Heisei Gamera trilogy. Rather than simply repeating the musical approach of the previous two films, Otani alters his style with greater use of chorus, synthesizers and an overall more foreboding themes versus the more action oriented scores for the first two entries. Fans may be surprised by this shift, but the changes ultimately complement the film's more serious tone and result in another outstanding soundtrack.
While I still consider Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995) to be Otani's strongest work in the trilogy, this score is overall much more memorable than the prior soundtrack for Gamera 2: Advent of Legion (1996). From beginning to end, it is an engaging listening experience with remarkably few weak spots, making it difficult to single out only a handful of standout tracks.
The album opens on a high note with the memorable "Prologue," which features haunting choral work to create an unsettling atmosphere. "Main Title" is another highlight, building beautifully as the title appears on screen before transitioning seamlessly into the opening credits.
Although this score contains fewer military marches than its predecessors, a reflection of the film's more somber tone, I particularly enjoy Otani's Self-Defense Forces motif here. It is relatively brief but makes a strong impression whenever it appears, especially in tracks such as "Anomaly" and "Self-Defense Forces Mobilized."
My favorite cue on the album, however, is "Offense and Defense," which underscores Gamera and Iris' aerial confrontation. It is an engaging action piece that perfectly captures the intensity of their battle. "Kyoto in Flames" is another exceptional composition, beginning with a mournful depiction of the city's destruction before triumphantly transitioning into Otani's now-iconic Gamera theme. Moments like these demonstrate just how effective the recurring motif had become by the trilogy's conclusion. In fact, the film's darker tone and correspondingly heavier score make the Gamera theme feel even more uplifting whenever it appears.
Like the previous two films, this movie concludes with a vocal song. This time it is "Tell Me Once Again," performed by Austrian singer Juliana Schano. Although Schano was active during the late 1990s on projects such as the Fire Emblem series before largely fading from the spotlight, her contribution here is excellent. Her vocals are expressive, the melody is memorable and the song possesses an epic quality that perfectly suits the film's ending. Sung primarily in Japanese with occasional English lyrics, Schano transitions effortlessly between the two languages. Of the trilogy's three ending songs, this is easily my favorite and, more importantly, the only one that truly feels like a natural extension of the score itself.
For collectors, this original CD contains the complete soundtrack but offers the least supplemental material of the available releases. Both the Gamera: 1995–1999 Ultimate Sound Tracks box set (TKCA-71801) and Cinema-Kan's Heisei Gamera Trilogy Original Soundtracks box set (CINK-90) include additional bonus content. This release omits the trailer audio, two trailer music tracks and the single version of "Tell Me Once Again." Compared to the Tokuma Japan box set, it also lacks the included sound effects, while the Cinema-Kan release further adds an instrumental version of "Tell Me Once Again." Fortunately, all of these omissions are bonus features rather than score cues, so the complete soundtrack itself is preserved here.
Overall, Otani brings Kaneko's Gamera trilogy to a very satisfying close. The darker tone and expanded use of chorus result in a soundtrack that is stellar while still standing out compared to the entries before it. Whether experienced alongside the film or on its own, this is another exceptional entry in one of the finest Japanese soundtrack trilogies of the 1990s.
|
