1 |
Shinkai Bokujyou
[Deep Sea Ranch] |
2 |
Umi no Okasan
[Mother of the Sea] |
3 |
Deai
[Encounter] |
4 |
Ura no Machi
[Ura Town] |
5 |
Kumiko-chan
[Kumiko] |
6 |
Ponyo to Sosuke
[Ponyo and Sosuke] |
7 |
Karappo no Baketsu
[Empty Bucket] |
8 |
Hakkou Shingou
[Flash Signal] |
9 |
Ningen ni naru!
[I Become Human!] |
10 |
Fujimoto |
11 |
Imouto-tachi
[Little Sisters] |
12 |
Ponyo no Hikou
[Flight of Ponyo] |
13 |
Arashi no Himawari no Ie
[The Sunflower House in the Storm] |
14 |
Nami no Sakana no Ponyo
[Ponyo of the Fish of the Wave] |
15 |
Ponyo to Sosuke 2
[Ponyo and Sosuke 2] |
16 |
Lisa no Ie
[Lisa's House] |
17 |
Atarashii Kazoku
[New Family] |
18 |
Ponyo no Komori-uta
[Ponyo's Lullaby] |
19 |
Risa no Ketsui
[Lisa's Determination] |
20 |
Granmanmale
|
21 |
Nagareboshi no Yoru
[Night of the Meteor]
|
22 |
Pompom-sen
[Hot-bulb Engine Ship]
|
23 |
Dipnorhynchus no Umi e
[To the sea of Dipnorhynchus]
|
24 |
Sendan March
[Fleet March]
|
25 |
Aka-chan to Ponyo
[Baby and Ponyo]
|
26 |
Sendan March 2
[Fleet March 2]
|
27 |
Sosuke no Koukai
[Voyage of Sosuke]
|
28 |
Sosuke no Namida
[Tears of Sosuke]
|
29 |
Suicyuu no Machi
[Underwater Town]
|
30 |
Haha no Ai
[Mother's Love]
|
31 |
Tunnel
|
32 |
Toki-san
[Toki]
|
33 |
Imouto-tachi no Katsuyaku
[Little Sisters' Activities]
|
34 |
Haha to Umi no Sanka
[Song of Praise for Mother and the Sea]
|
35 |
Finale
|
36 |
Gake no ue no Ponyo (film version)
[Ponyo by the Cliff by the Sea (film version)]
|
SOUNDTRACK REVIEW:
If you have been watching TV (and not run away from the goggle box during commercial breaks), you’d be familiar with that cutesy song which goes “Ponyo, Ponyo, Ponyo…” It has this old school charm (doesn’t it remind you of those cartoon theme songs you last heard during the 1980s?), it makes you want to run out there and grab a copy of this enchanting soundtrack album. And yes, that was what we did.
Composer Joe Hisaishi is a regular name you’d see on Japanese animation guru Hayao Miyazaki’s credit list. If you have been an avid follower of his films, you’d not be a stranger to the hauntingly beautiful theme from Princess Mononoke (1997), the imaginatively lyrical theme from Spirited Away (2001) and the European influenced themes from Howl’s Moving Castle (2004). Also, check out Hisaishi’s works for other Asian films like Jeffrey Lau’s A Chinese Tall Story (2005) and Jiang Wen’s The Sun Also Rises (2007) – they are equally delightful to listen to. And we are glad that the brilliance is present in this album too.
The generous soundtrack contains 67 minutes of score material from the 2D (eat your heart out, 3D animator wannabes!) feature length movie. “Deep Sea Ranch” kicks off the album with some mysteriously enthralling orchestration that provides a mental image of a grand underwater world. The upbeat “Ura Town” brings you on a merry road trip with its lively melody. Quietly, the lush strings in “Empty Bucket” and “Flash Signal” give the album a peaceful ambience which soothes the mind.
Then there are the adventurous “Ponyo of the Fish of the Wave” and the endearingly militaristic “Fleet March 2” which adds variation to an already colorful album. The tender chorus in “Mother’s Love” and the proud brasses in the triumphant “Little Sisters’ Activities” are two very different compositions, yet the fascination is equally immense. Of course, the catchy “Ponyo of the Cliff by the Sea (film version)” would round up the album to satisfy your ear buds.
We could go on describing the different tracks in the album, but there are 36 of them, and we’d really recommend that you discover the magic yourself.
ALBUM RATING:
Recommended Track: : (4) Ura Town
Review
by John Li |
