Among all the four soundtracks Escaflowne has, the
Lovers Only CD has gained some renown among fans. Aside from the sleek, black case it
comes with, this CD boasts the most wonderful pieces of the series.
In actuality, this CD is more of a “best collection”
than a regular O.S.T. Half the tracks found in this CD can be found in the previous
soundtracks or is a slightly different rendition. Does this mean that the CD does not
have anything left for the loyal fan who has bought the rest of the soundtracks? As a
matter of fact, they’ll still find plenty to enjoy.
The Lovers Only CD is the perfect entry for someone
who has yet to buy the other Escaflowne soundtracks as it contains some of the best
pieces found in the other albums. Dance of Curse, Flying Dragon,
and Angel are pieces which distinct the series and can be found in the first
O.S.T., Over the Sky. It would also be interesting for fans to hear the
faintly altered The Vision of Escaflowne and Blaze which can be
found in O.S.T. 2 and O.S.T. 3 respectively. The tracks Cradle Song and
Hitomi Theme can be located at O.S.T. 2 and added to its repertoire as a
collection CD are Epistle, Perfect World, and Arcadia from
O.S.T. 3. There is no doubt that these compositions are beautiful and mark
Escaflowne’s excellence in music.
With that over, we now move on to what makes this CD
really shine: songs which were previously unreleased. Starting with the first track,
the TV edit version of Yakusoku wa Iranai is special in the fact that Maaya Sakamoto
sings the chorus solo accompanied only by a piano at the beginning and then descends
into the television length of the famous song.
Memory of Fanelia is really just another
version of Fanelia (from O.S.T. 2) or Aoi Hitomi (from O.S.T. 3).
Despite its similarities, it’s still pleasurable to listen to. Zaibach has
that real “evil” feel to it. Heck, it sounds like the Jaws theme where the music
slowly rises and then finally creeps up on you. If anything else, it’s the perfect
tune for two forces entering into the fray of war. Bird Cage gives a feeling
of peculiarities and tragedy while Chain inhibits a feeling of suspense as
it forebodes what will come with its mysterious chant. It doesn’t surprise me if
these orchestrated pieces might as well have been used in an opera or movie epic.
Tomodachi is a vocal sung in one of the TV
episodes and it really is a good vocal with a steady and positive beat to it.
Neko no Kimochi sounds like it’s being sung by a child but what else would
you expect from a Merle song? The flute playing at the start needs a little getting
used to as at first, I thought there was something wrong with my CD but the sudden
start and stop of the sound is natural. Kaze ga Fuku Hi is another wonderful
song that gives a positive and hopeful feeling.
The Mystic Eyes TV edit version is probably
the sub-par track in the entire CD. While Mystic Eyes by itself is not bad, it pales
in comparison with the rest of the tracks. Also, unlike the TV edit version of
Yakusoku wa Iranai, it offers nothing new so why settle for a shorter length
version when the full length one would have been better?
Finally, at the end of the CD is what loyal fans
have the highest to hope for in the CD. The last track, The Story Of Escaflowne ~
End Title, is a piece that can only be found here and was played during the last
scenes of the final episode. Hence, if you’ve seen the ending, this piece would be
the grand encore for you. However, for those who have yet to explore Escaflowne’s
depths, I suggest you refrain from listening to this track until you’ve watched the
last episode to make you appreciate this track more.
Overall, this is a great CD for any Escaflowne fan
or any person who likes great orchestrated music. It is both a benchmark for newbies
and loyal fans as it offers the best of both worlds. For newbies, this CD gives them
the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the music of Escaflowne as a whole so if you
were only given a chance to buy one Escaflowne CD, this would be my best
recommendation. For loyal fans, the last track in addition to the other songs and new
BGMs are well worth it, completing their collection while at the same time having on
one CD some of the best BGMs in the series.
-Charles Tan
