There is a curious tradition I’ve observed when lighter anime series are put on the big screen. I first noted this with Tenchi Muyo In Love, which discarded the whimsy of its roots to focus on a larger scale story involving (coincidentally) the disappearance of the main character and the world under threat. To match this jump in production values, Christopher Franke (of Tangerine Dream fame) composed a full orchestral score. Another, perhaps more relevant example, is the impressive Oh My Goddess! Movie, which featured a brilliant score by the one and only Nobou Uematsu and his long-time orchestrator Shiro Hamaguchi. Both are cases of a romantic-comedy with limited musical offering being used as a springboard for a soundtrack that more than eclipsed its small-screen counterpart.
Vanishment breaks that tradition slightly. Satoru Kousaki composed the incidental music for The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and has retained the role of primary composer here, with some contributions by the likes of Ryuichi Takada (Soul Calibur II/III) and Keigo Hoashi, with whom Kousaki collaborated when adding to the Mushihimesama Double Arrange album.
The result of their work surprised me a little, and has made all three names well worth watching in the future. Click the jump to find out why. (more…)
