After hearing great reviews about the music of
Escaflowne (plus the fact that I couldn’t get someone else to do a review of this CD),
I decided to get the soundtrack of the series. Was it a waste? Just as notably
everyone else who has heard the music would tell you, it really is a great musical
score. The second O.S.T. of the series is no exception, especially with Yoko Kanno
and Hajime Mizoguchi contributing to it.
The first track opens with Vision of Escaflowne,
a piece introduced with thunder clasps, foreboding both the encompassing story and
music Escaflowne boasts. It then begins with the chant “Escaflowne”, something which
constantly plagues the score of the series. Amidst the cross genre of fantasy and
science fiction, the first track gives a feel of the great epic it is with the
opera-esque composition.
Fanelia is a steady and melodic tune which
gives me a feeling of happiness. It is also rendered as a vocal music in the third
OST as Aoi Hitomi. Among the seventeen tracks in this CD, this is the most
memorable and enjoyable despite it being simple.
Ask The Owl, Godds Drunk,
Market Place and Country Man are tunes that fit a medieval setting.
They’re happy and celebrative tunes which you’ll most likely have heard were you
living in those times. A Mole Man, on the other hand, has a mischievous feel to it,
as if you were watching a satire.
The rest of the tracks are what gives Escaflowne
it’s darker and true side. Charm gives you a rising feeling of the events to
come in Escaflowne, especially since it’s the music played when Hitomi foresees
something. You can even hear the sound of her pendant as it shifts left and right,
mimicking the sound that of a ticking clock.
Cradle Song is melodic yet is serious
enough that you appreciate it for what it is. Machine Soldier is one of the
rare tracks that tells you Escaflowne is a mecha show as well in addition to it being
a fantasy and romance. Its steady and clockwork-like rhythm says it all.
A track that gives a feel to the tense moments of
the show is Shadow of Doubt. It rises to a crescendo and eventually becomes
steady giving it a name worthy of its title. However, halfway through the track, it
changes mood into that which gives hope and then shifts again into a glimpse of the
sinister machinations that are about. Shadow of Doubt is a fitting title
indeed. It’s a great composition and one of the best tracks in the CD.
A Far Cry is another track fitting of its
title. It’s a tragic piece and at nearly six minutes, it’s one of the longest tracks.
However, it’s worthwhile to listen to.
Medicine Eater is one of the vocals found
in this disc. It’s sensual and enticing and makes me wonder if it belongs to the
theme Escaflowne falls under. Of course there’s also the fact that this was done by
the same singer who did Sharon Apple’s songs in Macross Plus so... Cat’s Delicacy
shows another side of the same singer as it displays a more playful and upbeat vocal.
It also has one of the most appealing openings.
Love is an English lyric song that is
hopeful and inspiring. I really like it and it’s actually better than some of the
English love songs we have out here. If You, on the other hand, is a slower
love song done in English. In my opinion, this song fits the Escaflowne love theme
best.
Hitomi Theme is a tragic-that-turns-hopeful
track fitting as a conclusion to an epic story. It would have been better if it was
placed as the last track in this CD but I guess you’ll have to settle for second to
the last.
Overall, the second O.S.T. of Escaflowne is a great
addition to the CD collection of someone who loves great musical scores and
background music. Those looking for a more upbeat CD will discover that this is not
the album for them although Medicine Eater and Cat’s Delicacy is a
tempting offer. For those hopeless romantics out there, I surely recommend this CD.
Even after hearing this CD multiple times, I continually grant it great praises and
one of my high regards. It’s a perfect example of what a musical score for an anime
should be.
-Charles Tan
