 |
| Sato |
Space Battleship Yamato: (Naoki Sato/Hiroshi
Miyagawa) The legacy of the Japanese anime concept "Space Battleship
Yamato" is one of such immense history that summarizing it here would
require thousands words for only the back story leading up to the 2010
live action film on which this review solely focuses. The original
series spawned an incredibly faithful following in Japan at its 1974
inception, eventually yielding several adaptations, sequels, and movies
concentrated mostly in the subsequent ten years. Outside of Japan, the
series was most commonly known as "Star Blazers," dubbed into English in
the aftermath of the space opera popularity of cinema in the late
1970's. Not only was the concept one of the first major introductions to
Japanese anime for Americans (despite being watered down from its source
to meet more conservative broadcasting standards), but it has always
been remembered as one of the few animated children's programs to
successfully deal with frightening and serious adult subjects. A few
centuries into the future, an alien race of technologically superior
beings decides to irradiate the surface of the Earth as part of its plan
to migrate to it out of necessity. Humanity proves no match for the
invaders from Gamilas until a capsule from its supposedly sympathetic
sister planet, Iscandar, contains the blueprints with which humans can
build a ship to fight back. The wreckage of the Japanese World War II
super battleship Yamato is transformed into this vessel, allowing a
ragtag crew to embark on a journey to Iscandar to retrieve the secret to
restoring Earth all the while fighting off the Gamilas forces. The
concept is one of immense national pride for the Japanese, and although
the names and deeper meanings of "Space Battleship Yamato" were stripped
of their significance upon their translation to "Star Blazers," the
combination of space opera grandeur and one of the greatest vessels of
maritime history proved to be a romantic fantasy too alluring to resist.
Despite all the offshoots inspired by the original series, the prospect
of a live-action version of "Space Battleship Yamato" had always
remained elusive. Walt Disney purchased the "Star Blazer" rights in the
mid-1990's but never managed to put a production together.
The Tokyo Broadcasting System finally pushed forward with
the endeavor in the late 2000's, and in 2010,
Space Battleship
Yamato debuted in Japan as the most expensive film (with a budget of
$22 million) ever to be made there. While there had been an animated
film version of the concept just a year prior, the live-action movie
caused "Space Battleship Yamato" to be propelled back into the
mainstream of Japanese culture, yielding a marketing blitz that included
pictures of the famed battleship-turned-spaceship on packages of
everything from curry to potato chips. It only took a few weeks in
December for the studio to recoup its investment, but despite
significant proclaimed interest from distributors, there has been
fruitless discussion about bringing the production to America for a
wider release. Understandably, the positive aspects of the film are
highlighted by the nine months of CGI work put into it, using the
phenomenal and, more importantly, loyal design aspects of the ship
itself (including the very phallic movements of its primary weapon) to
mask the rather wooden acting performances by its ensemble of Japanese
actors (thankfully, the Scottish look of the original anime's
characters, long something of a curiosity for many, was done away with).
Another immensely popular aspect of the concept has always been its
music, and the adaptation of that material for
Space Battleship
Yamato is perhaps the most impressive aspect of the production.
While most television shows of the era that traveled overseas for
dubbing typically lost their original scores, the themes of "Space
Battleship Yamato" were so popular that they made the transition intact.
In Japan, specifically, however, the music of Hiroshi Miyagawa for the
concept has always been a national favorite, a source of patriotic
spirit for fireworks shows and concert band performances. His themes are
so revered that they became the basis for all of the music in the
franchise thereafter, regardless of the composer's level of involvement
with it. His understudy, classical pianist Kentaro Haneda, an accomplished
anime composer himself, helped developed his music's symphonic evolution
in the 1980's, and 40-year-old Naoki Sato, television/anime veteran of the
2000's, has ensured continuity for the 2010 film (as both Miyagawa and
Haneda passed away just a few years prior)
One of the most important aspects of Miyagawa's music for
"Space Battleship Yamato" to remember is its versatility. The title
theme has been translated into a tune performed in nearly every
conceivable genre of music over the past thirty years, including a
painful period of enthusiastic disco treatment. While symphonic
performances of the theme give it the march-like qualities that rouse
the aforementioned patriotic feelings, it was also originally provided
lyrics and performed with the suave, night-club tones of singer Isao
Sasaki, whose career shot through the roof following his initial
recordings of this theme. Decades later, Sasaki still performed the
theme with marginal orchestral accompaniment to the screams of adoring
fans, and his narration graces 2010's
Space Battleship Yamato.
Even from its inception, the tone of Miyagawa's music for the concept
always maintained one foot in the door of the pop genre, rock percussion
and electric guitar inserting a coolness factor into the symphonic
performances that certainly made the music catchy. Even the style of the
orchestral performances, led by flute and string lines, had the
mannerisms of elevator music. Unfortunately, this everlasting
association with mainstream 1970's style has also caused the music to
sound perpetually dated. The idea of using a synthetic soundtrack was
originally proposed by franchise father Yoshinobu Nishizaki, but he
eventually agreed with Miyagawa that an orchestral approach would be
necessary to reflect the depth of humanity's struggles. It's unfortunate
(to only some listeners, of course) that Miyagawa's music has always
tapped its way through countless lighter shades of pop style regardless
of how ambitiously singular parts of it attempt to emulate everything
from high opera to 20th Century classicism. Add to the equation two
resulting historical factors, the countless songs and the cover versions
of them and the score, and you have a truly muddied picture. Each
incarnation of the concept seems to have enjoyed another mainstream
song, another magnet pulling the scores away from strictly symphonic
force. The live-action production of
Space Battleship Yamato is
no different, Steven Tyler lending his distinctive voice to the quite
decent ballad "Love Lives" for the film's trailer and end credits
sequence, released with much anticipation as a single in Japan at the
time of the film's debut.
As for Naoki Sato's score for 2010's
Space Battleship
Yamato, it was clearly modeled as both an adaptation and a
modernization of Miyagawa's work. It faithfully references the most
famous themes by Miyagawa and does so with extreme zeal and careful
attention to orchestration and the application of secondary ideas. At
the same time, it completely drops the pop sensibilities and filters the
themes through the same lens that shapes contemporary Hollywood
blockbuster scores. Some listeners may casually disregard Sato's
interpretation as being the continued influence of Hans Zimmer on the
music of cinema, especially with the incorporation of the current fad of
string ostinatos in the mix. That unfortunately oversimplifies Sato's
work, however, and doesn't do justice to the intelligence with which he
has written this adaptation. Those who have always appreciated the
music's role in the concept but never cared to listened to it apart from
the show directly because of its dated, pop-inspired tone will hear
Miyagawa's music as finally reaching the monumental potential it always
had but never realized. As such, some will consider
Space Battleship
Yamato an incredible and overdue revelation either despite or
because of its "modernization" to meet the standard of orchestral
majesty established in the 2000's by Howard Shore's
The Lord of the
Rings. Additionally, the bulk of the most famous recordings for the
concept came before the luxuries of digital recording and processing, so
many of the albums of Miyagawa's music (and there were many, especially
in concert form) suffer from somewhat archival ambience. The 2010
recording not only modernizes the composition, but also does so in an
absolutely stunning recording. The mix of Sato's adaptation is so well
balanced, with fantastic reverb levels balanced by great emphasis on
each performing section or soloist, you can't help but be absorbed by
how resounding this music now sounds. The ensemble's assembly doesn't
consist of any truly unique instruments, but each traditional sound is
utilized in such richly textured ways that flashy overlays (outside of
the vocals) weren't necessary. The percussion section is extremely well
utilized, the drums and struck metallic objects employed masterfully as
dynamic rhythmic contributors in several cues. An adult vocal ensemble
is also heard in numerous cues of tragic majesty, usually representing
destruction and sacrifice in the story. And, of course, operatic solo
female vocals are always on order for this concept.
The remainder of this review will discuss individual
tracks in the score for
Space Battleship Yamato, and keep in mind
that English equivalents of many of the cue titles tend to differ
slightly depending upon the translator. Sato arranges the most famous
thematic identities immediately in "Space Battleship Yamato Opening
Title," following a grim chime and cymbal introduction with a suite-like
presentation of Miyagawa's main theme with the always beautiful
"Infinitely Expanding Universe" theme serving as an interlude. The
bravado of the fanfare is tempered by the defeat of the Earth fleet in
this opening scene, thus yielding to the choral elements that most
frequently represent the planet's suffering (as well as the intoxicating
effect of Iscandar). One of the concerns some listeners may have about
Sato's arrangements is likely how well he reconciles the bombast of the
main march and the operatic "Infinitely Expanding Universe" theme; in
concerts, these two highly disparate halves of the general score for the
concept have always seemed miles apart in terms of style. Fortunately,
the latter theme of lament is often joined by adult choral passages that
help bridge the two halves, though they still fail to overlap in any
meaningful way. On the other hand, one of the true highlights of Sato's
work is how well he arranges the main theme for different emotional
circumstances, starting in "Raggedy Men" and "Ship of Hope" while the
despair of Earthlings is on display. As in many places in
Space
Battleship Yamato, Sato presents the idea in both intriguing new
guises and poignant fragments, giving it a seemingly more genuine,
three-dimensional character with quietly melodramatic orchestrations. At
1:45 into "Ship of Hope," he launches into one of the highlights of this
new score, an ostinato and snare-driven rhythm and hopeful string hymn
that picks up steam (and both the choral ensemble and featured female
soloist) over the course of several minutes. The recording of this cue
is particularly stunning, with fluttering flute lines and the tapping of
the snare and timpani very well placed in the soundscape. This theme of
hope for Earth receives a somber reprise on low strings in the first
minute of "Earth" while brass perform extracted phrases from the main
theme as counterpoint. Sato's integration of the main theme into his new
battle motifs is heard extensively in "Wave-Motion Gun Firing," allowing
the Yamato its due glory as it ascends from its grave on the surface of
the planet and engages enemy forces with its most powerful weapon for
the first time.
Sato's driving battle rhythms in "Wave-Motion Gun Firing"
and elsewhere are informed heavily by Miyagawa's existing material,
secondary phrases of the main title mixed in between new ideas
liberally. The second half of this cue is particularly notable for its
handling of the woodwind and percussion mixes once again; the trilling
flutes that were often obnoxious in the original Miyagawa compositions
are allowed to develop into more fluid background movements in the third
minute of this cue, and forcefully tapped metallic percussion in the
final passages will remind of James Newton Howard's journey music in
The Last Airbender. Similar action continues in "Gamilas Fleet,"
the orchestra propelled by frenetic string activity with boldly
harmonious statements by brass on the top. Also continuing are prominent
roles for percussion and flute, the latter punctuating the opening
broken crescendo with a ferociously entertaining shriek. The
instrument's role in this cue, along with some of the more generic
fragments of secondary heroic material from Miyagawa, will remind
listeners of Jane Antonia Cornish's
Island of Lost Souls. The
same percussively rhythmic crescendo from the previous cue is joined by
madly banging chimes here before a massively dissonant brass figure
closes out the cue. The ominous "The Return" contains the darkest theme
of
Space Battleship Yamato, using progressions and repeating its
phrases that sound lifted from a 1980's John Barry adventure score. As
in many cues, this theme picks up percussive momentum as it develops
over several minutes, and its reprises later in the score may suggest
some kind of representation of the threat of Gamilas. The most unique
cue in
Space Battleship Yamato comes in the frantic dissonant
eruptions of harrowing but creative symphonic noise in "Gamilasroid,"
similar in many ways (especially in the slurring trombones) to Michael
Giacchino's music for the television series "Lost." In "Orders," Sato
once again adapts the main theme into a quietly resolute form,
completely shedding its fanfare mannerisms and infusing it with a
genuine sense of drama that could be appropriate for any historical film
of tremendous gravity. Rambling rhythms akin to Jerry Goldsmith's career
open "Enemy Fleet Destroyed," a cue that finally presents the full
version of the Gamilas march at 0:50. Moreso than in this theme's return
in "Desslar's Revenge," Sato sprinkles the primary motifs amongst the
orchestral chaos, the balancing of strings and French horns in the final
thirty seconds not to be missed.
The softer, contemplative side of
Space Battleship
Yamato is led by string layers in a motif of reflection and sadness
in "A Moment of Silence." Subsequent statements of this theme, seemingly
sculpted from the same mould as Sato's theme for Earth, are joined by
the full ensemble for glorious harmonic resonance. That demeanor then
transfers to "Comfort," a similarly lovely string cue but this time with
a larger scope of importance and a touch of Ennio Morricone's
The
Mission in its shifts. The ensemble choral lament of the "Earth"
theme returns in "Beautiful Blue Planet," the brief expression of awe
conveyed by nicely layered male and female lines at the end. This
respite from action in the middle of
Space Battleship Yamato is
shattered by the sudden attack in "Crisis," a return to the main
theme-led action heard in "Wave-Motion Gun Firing" and "Annihilation of
the Enemy Fleet." Several points in this cue expose potential influences
from David Arnold's renown action style. As the Yamato recovers and
counterattacks in "Faith," Sato provides the most intact presentation of
Miyagawa's main theme in its exuberant march-like form, only one of two
such moments in this score to emulate that famously fanciful tone of
bravado. The latter half of the cue shifts back to the established depth
of Sato's previous action music, however. The film's inspirational
speech moment comes in "A New History," allowing the main title to be
conveyed first by ultra-slow tempo, stoic choral layers similar to
Richard Harvey's
Animal Farm and then by the full ensemble in
similarly drawn-out heroism. Pounding timpani, crashing cymbals,
outrageously noble French Horn and trombone counterpoint all raise
memories of the great Christ-related epics of Hollywood's Golden Age.
Opening "Cosmo Zero Launch" is a motif from "Gamilas Fleet" that now
clarifies itself as a theme for the Black Tiger fighters of the Yamato.
This, the last lengthy action cue of the score, rotates between all of
the rhythmic devices inspired by secondary Miyagawa motifs before moving
at 2:50 into the score's second and final reference to the upbeat march
version of the main theme. A fascinatingly belching woodwind phrase at
3:25 takes the cue to its necessarily dark conclusion, lead by what
sounds like a muted gong rhythm. For enthusiasts of the operatic
"Infinitely Expanding Universe" theme, your highlight arrives with "The
Truth About the Radioactivity Removal Device," a striking presentation
of the idea's versatility. Sato extends the theme on strings over
extremely slow tempi for several minutes, making it nearly
unrecognizable before allowing the traditional female vocal to carry the
tune over several increasingly powerful statements.
Listeners seeking the unequivocal harmonic beauty of a
refined female voice leading an orchestral and ensemble choral group of
significant size will be mesmerized by "The Truth About the
Radioactivity Removal Device," especially if unfamiliar with this
Miyagawa achievement. Again, without any hints of the pop elements that
often accompanied this theme in the many arrangements by the original
composer through the years, the theme transforms into a purely classical
representation of motherly love not heard with such clarity since John
Williams'
A.I. Artificial Intelligence. As the sacrificial duties
become clear in "Entrusted With the Future," Sato returns to the
melancholy music of the score's middle portion, but this time with the
finality of chimes added to these progressions. As mentioned before,
"Earth" returns to the "Ship of Hope" theme and begins a series of
ultra-heroic renditions of the title theme that will continue through
the end of the score. A crescendo topped off by flourishing harp and
ominous trombone figures (a la Arnold once again) leads to continued
development of Sato's tortured, bass-dwelling material for Gamilas in
"Desslar's Revenge." As the Yamato is evacuated before its final
engagement in "The One I Want to Protect" (this cue title is the most
difficult to translate cleanly to English), Sato initially extends the
motifs of dramatic sadness from prior in the score (most specifically,
the cue "Comfort"), but more prominently staggers it in three-note
phrases that will recall Hans Zimmer's
King Arthur for some
listeners (or
10,000 B.C. by Harald Kloser for others, but let's
not get into that plagiarism debate again). Those phrases merge with the
title theme at the end of the cue. Admittedly, Sato goes perhaps too far
in attempting to jerk tears in "The One I Want to Protect," using
violins with as much emotional saturation as Howard's
Defiance
and other holocaust-related film scores. Similar shades of heightened
drama are expressed in "The Final Salute," though with the once again
slowed performance of the main theme joined by tapping snare. The
"Infinitely Expanding Universe" theme is afforded two final glorious
ensemble statements with the female voice sending the crippled
battleship to its final destiny. One thing to note about this cue is its
intentionally unfinished conclusion. The lack of a satisfying
timpani-pounding, chime-banging crescendo leading to a full ensemble
chord on key is because of how the film vaguely concludes its final
action sequence. On screen, the transition to the end credits is
immediately accompanied by the Steven Tyler song (which itself has
nothing in common with Sato's work at the structural level), so the
score was never meant to resolve itself. This is a minor but inevitable
quibble with the score album's chronological and otherwise engaging
presentation.
Overall, the overarching narrative of the music for
Space Battleship Yamato may not make complete sense for listeners
not familiar with the concept's musical history. As such, you have to
look at Sato's achievement from the perspective of the franchise. This
is a painstakingly faithful adaptation score for essentially a remake,
and the only other time in recent memory that such a scenario has led to
a satisfying revision of existing music was John Ottman's
Superman
Returns. There are purists who will reject the translation of
Miyagawa's work into the Hollywood mould. Indeed, this score's tone
sounds like the Japanese composer's famous themes re-interpreted through
the stylistic mannerisms of half a dozen Western composers. For
Westerners who never could quite love the tone of "Space Battleship
Yamato"'s music during all those years, though, Sato's version is a
stunning turn of events. From that perspective, everything to love about
the Miyagawa music has been retained while the tedious pop-influences
have not, and regardless of the potentially generic sound that some will
hear in the resulting transition to a live-action environment, there is
no question that
Space Battleship Yamato represents the concept's
soundtrack its greatest evolutionary advancement, for better or for
worse. For Sato enthusiasts, it's finally the symphonic explosion for
the big screen long awaited, surpassing his strong but lesser orchestral
scores for
K-20 and
The Silver Season. And then
there will be anime novices who know nothing about any
of this phenomenon and couldn't care less about its history; for these
listeners, especially those in the film music collecting world,
Space
Battleship Yamato will blow you out of your seat without
reservation. Much of that capability in the music owes, as mentioned
before, to the exemplary combination of intelligent orchestration and a
superior mix of the recording. In almost all of his cues, Sato maintains
a level of activity that requires several listens to fully appreciate.
It doesn't hurt, of course, that the reverb allowed in the final
presentation causes the score to sound as ambitiously massive as nearly
anything since
The Lord of the Rings (without, remarkably, the
same depth of ensemble). Only a small fraction of
Space Battleship
Yamato is troubled by dissonant interruptions to the score's
pleasing harmonic stance, a few stringers at the ends of cues and the
entirety of "Gamilasroid" perhaps still interesting enough to retain in
an edited listening experience. The 65-minute score-only album for
Space Battleship Yamato (no Tyler ballad) was released
commercially in Japan but did not make the normal rounds as an import
through international media sellers. This means, at least initially,
that listeners seeking this monumental resurrection of "Space Battleship
Yamato" music needed to order it from Asian distributors directly for
$40, including shipping. Inventories of the CD have not been deep,
however, so don't hesitate if you have any remote interest in this, the
biggest and most pleasing surprise in the realm of film music in 2010.
***** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
The insert includes note about both Sato and Miyagawa, as well as a list
of performers. Almost all of it is in Japanese.
