That elusive CD has finally arrived in the mail. It is a terrific score from one of your favorite films, yet you received only a blank stare when you asked for it at your local music store. After a great deal of hunting, you found that it was only available on a small, import label. Ultimately, it is worth all the trouble, as you put the disc in and hear the first strains of music float from your speakers. As much as it is intertwined with the images it originally accompanied, the music stands on its' own as a singular work. Sound familiar? In this case, however, the music is not Goldsmith or Barry or Poledouris. It is the music of Kenji Kawai.

Japanese anime has grown in world wide popularity over the last two decades. While it is still something of a cult phenomenon here in the United States, it threatens to break though to the mainstream with the success of children's fare such as Pokemon and theatrical releases such as Princess Mononoke. Most Americans, if they are aware of it at all, know of anime only through early television programs such as Astro Boy and Speed Racer. In reality, much of the animated programs and movies that are produced in Japan are aimed at a much older audience and would be considered unsuitable for children in the US. One thing that Japanese anime has in common with similar American films is the importance of music. In Japan, a successful anime feature may spawn several different soundtracks. Some with the orchestral score, others incorporating dialog from the film or reworkings of the music. A basic understanding of how anime is released is helpful in sorting out all the different offerings.

Basically, anime is produced for three different formats. Television programs, or Terebi, are the most common and include Tetsuwan Atom (known in the US as Astro Boy), Dragonball Z and Speed Racer. Another format is the OVA (Original Video Animation), which is produced directly for software sales. These are most often sequential series, such as the popular Bubblegum Crisis and the more recent Neon Genesis Evangelion. The third format is the theatrically released film, and includes the bulk of what will be discussed here.

Unlike America, where the animated film is almost invariably designed to target the children's market, Japanese animated films are produced with a mainstream market, or even an exclusively adult market in mind. The 1987 film Wings Of Honneamise was produced at a cost of over 800 million yen (approximately $8,000,000) and utilized the work of 3000 animators. It launched the innovative Gainax Studio, which went on to produce such anime classics as Neon Genesis Evangelion and Gunbuster. It's score was provided by Ryuichi Sakamoto, who is familiar to most film buffs as the composer for Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence and The Last Emperor. As the film concerns a fictional worlds first attempt at spaceflight, Sakamoto's score is appropriately propulsive and occasionally chaotic. The main title is a rhythmic driven series of variations on a simple six note theme. He fashions a separate theme for the Royal Space Force that employs an ascending vocal line. The suite of music accompanying the first trip into space is a quiet, somber piece, reflecting a sense of awe and grandeur before sequing back into the main title theme. The score is difficult to locate, but any music fan who sees the film will want to make the effort.

The film that introduced many Americans to anime was the ambitious 1988 film Akira. Based on the long running manga (Japanese for comics) by Katsuhiro Otomo, Akira is the story of a motorcycle gang that accidentally finds themselves involved with a classified military experiment in post apocalyptic Tokyo. It is kinetic and extremely violent, and like most anime, beautifully animated. For the score, composer Shoji Yamashiro worked with the progressive group of musicians known as Geinoh Yamashirogumi. Much of the score was written simultaneously with the production of the film, with several of the scenes actually formed to suit the music. Combining such diverse elements as metallic percussion, traditional instruments native to Indonesia, and a chorus of human voices, Yamashirogumi created a work which fused traditional Japanese music with Asian, African and European sounds. The music relies heavily on polyrythms and the pentatonic scale. The result is a challenging and haunting soundtrack, completely unlike anything else offered from western composers. The music was released in America on the JVC label in 1990 but has been unavailable for several years although an import from Demon Records is still available. Pioneer has recently refurbished Akira for a new release. Perhaps a new soundtrack release could follow.

Just as many American film directors develop preferences for certain composers, many anime directors develop similar working relationships. One of the most respected directors producing animated films in Japan is Mamoru Oshii. Among his many films are Patlabor 2 and the immensely popular Ghost In The Shell. Both films feature a score by the talented Kenji Kawai. Patlabor 2 is a film based on a popular television and OVA series that features a futuristic police force that utilizes "mechs", powerful suits of armor and mobile transport. The second feature film is a highly political story concerning the heightened tension that results when a threatened military coup brings Japan to the brink of war with the West. Although the score employs a theme that is superficially similar to Sakamoto's work on Honneamise, the bulk of the score is sedate and reflective, underscoring the tension of the movie. Despite the occasionally ambient quality to it, an insistent bass ostinato ties the music together and adds to the sense of quiet dread that permeates the film.

Ghost In The Shell (Koukaku Kidoutai) is based on the manga by Japanese superstar artist Masamune Shirow about a virtual intelligence computer program that becomes sentient. The result is a film that poses questions about the definition of human existence and the intrusion of technology into society. It was an instant sensation when it was simultaneously released in Japan and the US in 1995. Again, Mamoru Oshii uses Kenji Kawai, who composes a score completely different from Patlabor 2. Using eastern tonalities and vocal chants, the score is otherworldly and mezmerisingly sedate, belying the violence in the film (The American release of the film incorporated a pop song by the band U2 to great effect in one long scene. This track is not on the Japanese soundtrack CD but can be found on the Passengers: Original Soundtracks disc). The movie combined state of the art cell animation with computer graphics to provide a visually stunning tale of political intrigue. As stunning as the visuals are, they are impossible to separate from the musical soundscape that accompany them. Part of Mamoru Oshii's directorial style is the use of long exposition scenes to establish mood, a characteristic found in a large amount of eastern art. This makes the music even more important, as it can be the sole narrative accompaniment to the visuals. Both soundtracks are available as imports on the SM Records Lmt. label and are easily found.

One of the most influential animators in either hemisphere is Hayao Miyazaki. His most familiar films to western audiences include Kiki's Delivery Service (Majo no Takyubin) from 1989, My Neighbor Totoro (Tonari No Totoro) from 1991 and most recently Princess Mononoke (1997). for all three films Miyazaki turned to composer Joe Hisaishi. Hisaishi composes much of the music for Studio Ghibli, for which has produced such popular anime as Porco Rosso (Crimson Pig), Kiki's Delivery Service and Luputa. Princess Mononoke (Mononoke Hime) quickly became the highest grossing film in Japan (it was eventually overtaken by Titanic, although just barely). It is a powerful fable of a girl who becomes adopted by a wolf tribe and attempts to protect the forest from mans destructive encroachment. A boy who is seeking to rid himself of a curse befriends the girl and is caught in the middle of a struggle between the ancient primeval gods of the forest and the arrogant humans who seek to tame it. The American release of the film used the voices of Clair Danes, Minnie Driver and Billy Bob Thornton, attesting to its' universal appeal. The music by Hisaishi is pastoral and epic, often recalling Goldsmith at his most evocative (particularly Medicine Man). It is a score that fits easily with western composers works. There are several soundtracks for Princess Mononoke, some with the music reworked into suites. Both an original soundtrack and a Symphonic Suite were released domestically by Milan Records. In addition there are a number of imported disc featuring music from the film. Any of them are worth seeking out.

Director Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue (1998) has achieved something of a cult status on the midnight cinema circuit. Based on a novel by Yoshikazu Takeuchi, Perfect Blue is a psychological thriller which recalls Hitchcock more than it does Disney. Graphically violent and absolutely not for children, Perfect Blue's plot twist around and shifts constantly to keep the viewer guessing, even as the violence and mystery intertwine. The music for the movie includes several Japanese pop songs, a staple in anime fare. The remainder of the background music is driving and relentless, mirroring the frenzied plot. Mixing pounding techno sounds with work that would fit in any American thriller, the score by Masahiro Ikumi is easily available on Ever Anime International Records. Driving techno based music is popular in many anime features, as the stories are often technology driven or futuristic science fiction.

Although theatrical releases usually represent the most lavish scores (with the larger budgets), some OVA's have featured music worthy of any soundtrack collection. The most popular composer in this format is likely Yoko Kanno. She has worked in most every composing field in Japan, contributing music for television dramas and commercials such as Japanese Coca-Cola. Her work on Escaflowne (Tenkuu no Escaflowne) and Cowboy Bebop represent the most recent showcases, but American audiences are more familiar with the large scale music for Macross Plus. Macross Plus is an OVA series based on a long running Japanese television series that was refashioned in America and known as Robotech. Working with members of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Yoko Kanno crafted a score that incorporated jazz, orchestral, experimental and pop music into a seamless whole. The score was available domestically on two volumes from the JVC label in the mid 90's.

There are literally hundreds and hundreds of anime music CD's. Often the OVA's are produced by companies that manufacture software, such as Pioneer. Properties are exploited and merchandised as fully as possible. Popular series such as Bubblegum Crisis may have a dozen or more CD's devoted to music from and inspired by the series (usually called Image Albums). Often these feature lightweight pop songs that can veer toward the nauseatingly cute, but some have music that compares well with more well known western composers. One of the most popular current series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, utilizes music from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and Handel's Messiah to great effect. Some, such as Kaoru Wada's music for Kishin Heidan, have been reworked into symphonies for concert presentation (with yet another CD recording, in this case Kishin: The Symphony released by Pioneer in 1995). Although the majority of these CD's will appeal only to the die hard anime fan, many have music that transcend any genre and belong in any serious music collection.