Aug 2, 2008 8:07 PM
Liking Anime Music...Without Anime?
Maybe it's just me, but sometimes I can't help but feel a bit uneasy when listening to anime music without thinking back to the show it belongs to. I'm not talking about opening and ending themes alone, that can also apply to an entire soundtrack.
If the music's good enough to stand on its own, or has established a certain reputation beforehand, it may not matter and could even be considered a sign of quality. I'm not an expert on the subject, but there's a lot of preexisting classical music in Legend of the Galactic Heroes and it certainly doesn't need to be related to that show at all. The music enhances the series, rather than just the other way around, at least for fans of the genre. No problem there.
But then there's Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann's soundtrack. I really liked the music in that show even early on, when I wasn't actually watching it. Yes, I now realize that was a mistake, you don't need to tell me.
I just couldn't help it...but a certain part of me kept insisting: 'you need to go back and finish TTGL, especially if you really want to enjoy the music.' And after dragging my feet for far too long, I'm doing so, which I do not regret at all.
What was it then, that made me go back? In retrospect, it was probably a mix of guilt and a vague recollection of the music being quite appropriate for the show's visuals. Even outside the opening sequence, TTGL really knows how to mix sound and action in very enjoyable ways. Which, in turn, is indeed another sign of a show's quality.
It's not really that much of an issue, in my case, when I've already completed a certain anime title. At most, listening to the soundtrack then may make me want to re-watch the show, or at least remember some memorable scenes from it. But there's really no sense of...duty or obligation, for lack of a better term, like in the previous example. Why? Because the necessary closure is already there.
TTGL wasn't the first time it happened though, and that sensation may well come back in the future. But for now I can certainly say Bonen no Xamdou, another series whose music has caught my ear, will not suffer from that same problem. I intend to keep watching it, at least as long as I have any say in the matter.
If the music's good enough to stand on its own, or has established a certain reputation beforehand, it may not matter and could even be considered a sign of quality. I'm not an expert on the subject, but there's a lot of preexisting classical music in Legend of the Galactic Heroes and it certainly doesn't need to be related to that show at all. The music enhances the series, rather than just the other way around, at least for fans of the genre. No problem there.
But then there's Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann's soundtrack. I really liked the music in that show even early on, when I wasn't actually watching it. Yes, I now realize that was a mistake, you don't need to tell me.
I just couldn't help it...but a certain part of me kept insisting: 'you need to go back and finish TTGL, especially if you really want to enjoy the music.' And after dragging my feet for far too long, I'm doing so, which I do not regret at all.
What was it then, that made me go back? In retrospect, it was probably a mix of guilt and a vague recollection of the music being quite appropriate for the show's visuals. Even outside the opening sequence, TTGL really knows how to mix sound and action in very enjoyable ways. Which, in turn, is indeed another sign of a show's quality.
It's not really that much of an issue, in my case, when I've already completed a certain anime title. At most, listening to the soundtrack then may make me want to re-watch the show, or at least remember some memorable scenes from it. But there's really no sense of...duty or obligation, for lack of a better term, like in the previous example. Why? Because the necessary closure is already there.
TTGL wasn't the first time it happened though, and that sensation may well come back in the future. But for now I can certainly say Bonen no Xamdou, another series whose music has caught my ear, will not suffer from that same problem. I intend to keep watching it, at least as long as I have any say in the matter.
Posted by
GolbeztheGreat
| Aug 2, 2008 8:07 PM |
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