Search - Japanimation (Joe Hisaishi) :: Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind Soundtrack

Good, but not Hisaishi's best

David Schaich | Cambridge, Massachusetts | 02/07/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Joe HISAISHI has composed excellent soundtracks to virtually all of Hayao MIYAZAKI's films. "Nausicaa" was one of the first, and though I don't believe it's Hisaishi's best, it is still a good album that fans of the film and of Hisaishi's other soundtracks will likely enjoy.



Since Amazon's tracklist currently has no information, I'll start off by giving the titles of the tracks, with English translations courtesy of the Hayao Miyazaki Web at nausicaa dot net.



1. Kaze no Tani no Naushika (Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind)

2. Ohmu no Bousou (Ohmu Stampede)

3. Kaze no Tani (The Valley of the Wind)

4. Mushi Mezuru Hime (The Princess Who Loves Insects)

5. Kushana no Shinryaku (Kushana's Invasion)

6. Sentou (Battle)

7. Ohmu to no Kouryuu (Interchange with the Ohmu)

8. Fukai nite (In the Sea of Corruption)

9. Pejite no Zenmetsu (Annihilation of Pejite)

10. Mehve to Korubetto no Tatakai (Battle Between Mehve and Corvette)

11. Yomigaeru Kyoshinhei (The Resurrection of the God Warrior)

12. Naushika Rekuiemu (Nausicaa Requiem)

13. Tori no Hito (Bird Person)



Since you've doubtless seen "Nausicaa", you'll understand that I got the soundtrack mainly due to the soaring theme of the opening sequence and the innocence theme whose singing child dominates the haunting dream/flashback sequence. Those two themes pop up in a few places on the album, making the tracks in which they appear ("Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind", "Interchange with the Ohmu", "Nausicaa Requiem" and "Bird Person") the highlights of the soundtrack. Though they lose a little of their emotional power without Miyazaki's mesmerizing visuals to accompany them, they are still elegant and beautiful. The symphonic opening of "Nausicaa Requiem" is also moving and memorable.



Unfortunately, much of the rest of the album is dominated by early-80s electronics. In the film, the otherworldly electronics do a great deal to help set the scene and give it the proper feel. On their own in the soundtrack recording, however, they feel overexposed and out of place (and more than a little dated). This is especially true of "The Resurrection of the God Warrior" but is also a problem for a couple of the other tracks. The short and exciting "Battle Between Mehve and Corvette" is the song where the electronics work the best without the visuals.



Though this isn't Hisaishi's strongest work, most of the electronics grew on me after a few listenings, and the beautiful main themes mentioned above are reminiscent of his later work in "Princess Mononoke" and "Spirited Away". In all, an album that fans of the film will probably enjoy. As a final note, it may be worthwhile to compare prices with the "Nausicaa Best Album", which includes both this soundtrack and another disc of symphonic arrangements."

I love it

Alyson | Utah | 05/24/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I love this soundtrack. It is (as another reviewer said) sort of a mish-mash of styles, a few symphonic and orchestral, some electronic. The soundtrack as a whole may not be Joe Hisaishi's best (or most cohesive) work, but the main Nausicäa theme is my favorite of all his compositions, hauntingly beautiful. That song alone is worth the price of the disc--at least it was for me!"