Search - Yuichi Ichikawa, Akio Fujita, Kaoru Hagiwara :: Ai Yori Aoshi: Sakura (Soundtrack 1)

Mostly tender music to a sweet anime series

Daniel J. Hamlow | Narita, Japan | 08/18/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of the things that made Ai Yori Aoshi my favourite anime series was the accompanying musical soundtrack, which helped carry through much of the tender feelings exuded by its lead characters, Aoi Sakuraba and her fiancé, Kaoru Hanabishi. Of the two soundtracks, Sakura has the music from AYA's first season.



Both opening and closing theme songs are presented in their bite-sized on-air versions, Yoko Ishida's lovely ballad "Towa no Hana" or "Eternal Flower" and The Indigo's pleasant mid-paced "Na Mo Shirenu Hana," or "A Flower Without A Name." Both are available in full length versions on the artists' respective albums Sweets and Indigo Suite.



The instrumental material veers from heart-tugging to zany and upbeat. Decidely falling in the former category is "Fate" made all tender with the slow and melancholy violin accompanied by the Hiroyuki Koike strings and piano. "Promise" is the reflective tune playing while Aoi is riding the train to find Kaoru in the very first episode, with a prominent clarinet and piano playing. A sad piccolo introduces "Loving Heart" before the some Narada-style keyboard synths and violin take over. The same melancholy violin starts off "Cherry Blossoms" before giving way to the same Narada-like keys.



There is some more cheerful stuff, such as "Early Evening" which sports some calypso-like keyboards, and "Early Afternoon," whose opening rhythm could fit into Petula Clark-style pop, and which also sports a nice brisk "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head" type rhythm in the middle.



The stark piano number "Parting" and oboe and strings number "Alone" account for the really melancholy material, along with the haunting keyboard synth tune "Distance."



Of the zany stuff, "Clamor," which is used when things go into an uproar, has the feeling of a western tune, featuring a fiddle that wouldn't be out of place in Hee Haw, while "Tina's Theme" is a poppy calypso tune reflecting the rowdiness of this character. "Be In A Mess" fits more into the 40's swing jazz category, also used when things get

chaotic, but there is room for a sax and sizzling guitar solo in the middle. "Wild Joy Wild Dance" mixes "Tequila"-type mambo rhythms with a clarinet solo.



Speaking of themes, both "Miyabi's Themes" are laid back jazzy numbers reflecting the stern Miyabi-san's belief in an quiet atmosphere needed for inner peace.

In the earlier episodes, Kaoru hears Aoi humming a tune and realizes it's the lullaby his mother sung him and that he taught Aoi. The instrumental version of that tune, which has a melody reminiscent of the reflective parts of the second movement of Dvorak's New World Symphony, "Flower of Words," is included in two versions, once in a guitar and flute version, the second a quiet music box version.



Anyone thinking of playing this on their player using random play may want to burn a copy sans Track 36. That's because it's a spoken track, set to "Early Afternoon" and "Cherry Blossoms" recounting Aoi's spoken diary of the gang watching the cherry blossoms in a great spot. She recalls how Kaoru ate a lot, and how Tina, having drunken lots of sake, offered some to the underage Chika and Mayu. Taeko's super spicy omelette caused Mayu to fall over, and how Miyabi-san seemed to be the only one to be properly gazing at the cherry blossoms. It ends with Aoi recounting how she and Kaoru will be able to watch the blossoms year after year from now on.



The first Ai Yori Aoshi soundtrack is thus a nice sweet collection of instrumentals, some romantic, others relaxing, some bleak, others brisk, and others manic."

A great way to spend an evening!

Daniel J. Hamlow | 05/06/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Easily one of the best Anime OST discs I have ever listened to. Very easy flowing songs, right from the start. The opening is incredible, as is the track titled "promise". Many genres can be felt on this disc and each suits the mood just right. This isnt only for fans of the Anime, but fans of music period."

Anime!!!

joan | portland , OR | 12/06/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"i think any anime fan would have this cd. it is very calming and out there i like."