1 |
Hero
(Main Title, Movie Version) |
2 |
Kuryuunotheme
(Movie Version) |
3 |
Time
To Go (Movie Version) |
4 |
T-shrtsto
Coffee (Movie Version) |
5 |
Houteinofuukei
(Movie Version) |
6 |
KImyounashirase (Movie Version) |
| 7 |
Suiri (Movie Version) |
8 |
Action
(Movie Version) |
9 |
Sasayakanayume (Movie Version) |
10 |
Out
of Synch (Movie Version) |
11 |
Iyashinotoki |
12 |
He
Is the Hero! (Conviction) |
13 |
Torishirabe
(Movie Version) |
14 |
Futarinokyori
(Movie Version) |
15 |
Nukumori |
16 |
Life
Work (Movie Version) |
17 |
Hikaritokage
(Movie Version) |
18 |
Hounomegami |
19 |
Soul
Mate |
20 |
Emotion |
21 |
Emergency
(Movie Version) |
22 |
He
Is the Hero! (Justice) |
SOUNDTRACK REVIEW:
It took this reviewer quite some time to scour the worldwide
web for the individual track names of this soundtrack album
in English alphabets. And other than those which already make
sense in English like “Time To Go” and “Action”,
the other track names make no sense to him. Besides, he has
not been an ardent fan of the original television series starring
Japanese superstar Takuya Kimura back in 2001, but the music
is apparently as popular as the series itself, because the
moment he played the first track “Hero (Main Title,
Movie Version)”, his sister immediately raised her voice:
“You have the Hero soundtrack?”
Yes, such
is the status of the series’ main theme six years after
it debuted on the small screen.
For this
album, composer Takayuki Hattori has specially composed a
substantial amount of cues for the movie. Incorporating synthesizers
and woodwinds, there is never a very grand orchestral moment
like most Hollywood scores. Instead, you get melancholic tunes
like “Sasayakanayume” made lyrical by its English
horn solo, slapstick cues like “Out of Synch”
made comical with its multiple clarinet melodies and heartfelt
moments in “Iyashinotoki” where strings and piano
come together to tug at your heartstrings.
Elsewhere
in this 53-minute album, there is a nice variation of music
styles which will appeal to the soundtrack fan. There’s
the briskly bouncy “Life Work (Movie Version)”,
the pressingly paced “Hikaritokage (Movie Version)”,
the solemnly stringy “Hounomegami” (we are thinking
this track was in the television series as the track name
does not have the words “Movie Version” attached
to it) and the righteously honorable “Soul Mate”.
Two very
interesting tracks which complement each other nicely are
“He Is the Hero! (Conviction)” and “He Is
the Hero! (Justice)”, the same piece of music played
by different instruments. The first one uses calmer strings
and woodwinds to convey, well, conviction. The latter uses
a more magnificent ensemble of strings, percussions and electric
guitars to convey, you’ve guessed it – justice.
Either
way, you’d feel heroic listening to the two tracks.
The track name already tells you that.
ALBUM
RATING:
 
Recommended Track: (1) Hero (Main Title, Movie Version)
Review
by John Li
|
