Soundtrack Review: Princess Mononoke (1997)

Posted by Jon Blough

October 31, 2009

Welcome back! Have you subscribed to my RSS feed yet? Make sure you don't miss anything by getting all Soundtrack Geek posts by Email. Also check out Soundtrack Fans, a new social network for soundtrack fans. Thanks for visiting!

This is a review of the motion picture score Princess Mononoke by Joe Hisaishi.

“Some of the composer’s most elegant melodic progressions and uniquely otherworldly moments”

While Joe Hisaishi has written a number of fine, even great scores for animation, casual score listeners will likely only know him by his 1997 composition Princess Mononoke. The film and score burst into the US in what was supposed to be the big anime entrance into the US, and while this was not the symbolic flagship entry it was intended to be, the genre of animation has still become more commonplace in the US mainstream than it was a decade ago. As such Princess Mononoke’s score has received a lot of focus from the score community, with many review sites often featuring the score as their sole Hisaishi review. With the score being no masterpiece, its singling out is a bit unfair to the rest of the composer’s strong collection of music, both in and out of animation. That aside, any score lover worth his or her stuff would be a fool to pass this score by, for on a few levels it is a unique entry in the composer’s long list of emotional works.

Dark Work

What is obvious right from the first ominous taiko drum hits and following somber strings that start the album is that Mononoke is a much darker work than anything Hisaishi had composed for animation up to this point. That’s not to say all of his prior works for Miyizaki films were relentlessly upbeat, but the overall tone is a much less optimistic one. Gone are the peppy moments that defined the composer’s last three works. Again, that’s not to say they are fully eliminated, but the few moments of sprightly joy like “Kodamas” are rather restrained, confining the exuberance to chattering percussion. Most of the underscore is understated or, in the case of the climactic battle music, downright somber. At times the score rumbles forth like a jungle animal, with “The Demon God” showing the score’s percussive flavor at its most diverse and powerful. The most powerful explorations here remain the climactic 4-track stretch between the Adagio of Life and Death cues that mix tragic strings in with warped electronics and choir for a distinct otherworldly effect. Noting the electronics here is important, for their mix is much more appropriate and restrained (confined only to this section and a handful of electronic slides) than Hisaishi’s prior scores suggested was possible. Ironically, in spite of the composer’s delicate balance between the two elements there would be no synthetic elements extended in any future Miyazaki scores.

Conclusion

The above paragraph should in no way suggest the score is depressing, in fact its two gorgeous melodies are its most enticing quality. The main theme introduced in “The Legend of Ashitaka” is impressive in its sweeping orchestral grandeur, rivaling many golden age epic themes in sheer score and emotion. The solo performances in “Lady Eboshi” are where the theme’s inherent romantic qualities shine. The five minutes of variations in the album’s closing cue comprise some of the most necessary material in the composer’s canon. The secondary theme introduced in “The Journey to the West” that follows a more Oriental chord progressions is as heartfelt as any theme the composer has produced and is stunning whether unleashed on full ensemble in the aforementioned cue, solo instruments (“The Encounter”), or vocals (the vocal theme song woefully omitted from the US release). The score is not a classic, mostly because, outside of its fine thematic references, its middle is fairly unassuming. Most of the cues from “Lady Eboishi” through “Requiem II” are soothing but also at times too subdued to leave a lasting impression, and the stretch from “The Battle Drums” to “Retreat” features suspense scoring somewhat typical of the composer’s other works. Yet at times Mononoke features some of the composer’s most elegant melodic progressions, and the darker tones feature a few tracks unique to the composer’s resume. If that weren’t enough, “Ashitaka and San” throws in an innocent piano part that will enchant fans of the composer’s lighter, more soaring melodies from previous Miyazaki films. If you have yet to pick up a Hisaishi score, there are few better starting points than this.

Japan Release (63:12)
1. Ashitaka Sekki (The Tale of Ashitaka) (1:39)
2. Tatari Gami (The Curse God) (3:51)
3. Tabidachi, Nishihe (Departure, to the West) (2:33)
4. Norowareta Chikara (Cursed Power) (0:36)
5. Edo (Impure Land) (3:00)
6. Deai (A Meeting) (0:52)
7. Kodamatachi (Kodamas) (2:27)
8. Kami no Mori (The Forest of God) (0:41)
9. Yuugure no Tatara Ba (The Evening at Tatara Place) (0:39)
10. Tatari Gami 2 – Ubawareta Yama (The Curse God 2 – Robbed Mountains) (0:57)
11. Eboshi Gozen (Lady Eboshi) (2:48)
12. Tatara Fumu Onnatachi – Eboshi Tatara Uta (Women Who Push Foot Bellows – Eboshi Tatara Song) (1:29)
13. Shyura (Demons) (1:29)
14. Higashi kara Kita Shounen (The Boy Who Came from the East) (1:25)
15. Requiem (2:21)
16. Ikiro (Live) (0:32)
17. Shishi Gami no Mori no Futari (Two at the Forest of the Shishi God) (1:29)
18. Mononoke Hime – Instrumental Version (2:09)
19. Requiem 2 (2:14)
20. Mononoke Hime – Vocal Version (3:32)
21. Tatakai no Taiko (War Drum) (2:47)
22. Tatara Ba Mae no Tatakai (The Fight in front of the Tatara Place) (1:26)
23. Norowareta Chikara 2 (Cursed Power 2) (2:30)
24. Requiem 3 (0:55)
25. Haisou (A Rout) (1:31)
26. Tatari Gami 3 (1:15)
27. Shi to Sei no Adagio (The Adagio of Death and Life) (2:08)
28. Yomi no Sekai (The Underworld) (1:28)
29. Yomi no Sekai 2 (The Underworld 2) (1:33)
30. Shi to Sei no Adagio 2 (The Adagio of Death and Life 2) (1:07)
31. Ashitaka to San (Ashitaka and San) (3:12)
32. Mononoke Hime – Vocal Ending (1:23)
33. Ashitaka Sekki Ending (The Tale of Ashitaka, Ending) (5:01)

US Release (59:28)
1. The Legend of Ashitaka (1:38)
2. The Demon God (3:51)
3. The Journey to the West (2:32)
4. The Demon Power (0:36)
5. The Land of the Impure (2:59)
6. The Encounter (0:51)
7. Kodamas (2:26)
8. The Forest of the Gods (0:39)
9. Evening at the Ironworks (0:39)
10. The Demon God II – The Lost Mountains (0:56)
11. Lady Eboshi (2:48)
12. The Tatara Women Work Song (1:28)
13. The Furies (1:28)
14. The Young Man from the East (1:25)
15. Requiem (2:21)
16. Will to Live (0:31)
17. San and Adhitaka in the Forest of the Deer God (1:39)
18. Princess Mononoke Theme Song – Instrumental Version (2:08)
19. Requiem II (2:13)
20. The Battle Drums (2:46)
21. The Battle in Front of the Ironworks (1:25)
22. The Demon Power II (2:29)
23. Requiem III (0:55)
24. The Retreat (1:30)
25. The Demon God III (1:13)
26. Adagio of Life and Death (2:08)
27. The World of the Dead (1:27)
28. The World of the Dead II (1:32)
29. Adagio of Life and Death II (1:06)
30. Ashitaka and San (3:11)
31. Princess Mononoke Theme Song – Vocal Version (1:20)
32. The Legend of Ashitaka Theme (5:02)