studio ghibli and joe hisaishi
RANKING THE ANIME MAESTRO’S GREATEST CUES…
1 ‘One Summer’s Day’
Spirited Away (2001)
Ghibli’s crossover Oscar winner contains the Japan-imation studio’s most recognisable melody. With his signature rolling piano, composer Joe Hisaishi evokes heroine Chihiro’s querulous uncertainty with a gentle touch. Duly, The Simpsons paid tribute.
2 ‘The Path Of The Wind’
My Neighbour Totoro (1988)
For his third film with director Hayao Miyazaki, Hisaishi merged magic and melancholy with childlike wonder. ‘Path’ is a miracle of tonal balance: the heart of an intimate score, its synth melody brims with charm, hope and sadness.
3 ‘The Legend Of Ashitaka’
Princess Mononoke (1997)
Hisaishi maxed the grandeur for Miyazaki’s eco-fantasy, splicing Romanticism, Japanese folk music and Hollywood adventure scores with muscular majesty. Between suspended chords, ominous drums, emotive oboe and sumptuous strings, the expansive opener sets the mood.
4 ‘Departure’
Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) Hisaishi brought a Eurowaltzing sensibility to Miyazaki’s fable of teen-witch self-discovery. After the plaintive twirl of ‘On A Clear Day’, the sorrowdappled optimism of the accordion/ piano combination on ‘Departure’ casts a heart-bursting spell.
5 ‘Castle In The Sky’
Laputa: Castle In The Sky (1986) Expanded for its 1999 re-release, Hisaishi and Miyazaki’s first Ghibli team-up proper grew from synth compositions to an orchestral score. Hisaishi’s fluttery synths leaven the regal strings and John Williams-ish march of the title track.
6 ‘Sorrow’/‘Fate’
The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya (2013) Two entries: we’re cheating, but these minimalist pieces are inseparable. While the former’s woodwind warms the soul, the latter’s plucked guitar showcases Hisaishi’s sensitivity to emotional space. ‘The Procession Of Celestial Beings’ offers frisky contrast.
7 ‘Ashitaka And San’
Princess Mononoke (1997)
After the intense demon/battle themes before it, Hisaishi goes for emotional broke on his piano with Mononoke’s love theme. Positioned near the film’s climax, the rolling keys arrive with the emotional force of a tearful reunion.
8 ‘Merry-Go-Round Of Life’
Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
Hisaishi proves both adaptable and unmistakeable on Miyazaki’s Diana Wynne Jones adaptation. The opening theme mixes Victoriana, a playful Euro-waltz melody and a wheezy organ with Hisaishi’s signatures: Mononokeesque drums, poignant piano lines.
9 ‘Bygone Days’
Porco Rosso (1992) Steeped in nostalgia, this tipsy barroom waltz shines in Miyazaki’s piggy-pilot pic. Sequenced alongside ‘A Picture In Sepia’ on the album, Hisaishi’s piano-led reverie for life’s could-havebeens evokes deep emotions lightly. 10 ‘Legend Of The Wind’
Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind (1984) For his debut Miyazaki gig, Hisaishi set the eco-story’s mythical scene with lavish yet tender combinations of strings, piano and call-to-action drums. It’s not a Ghibli film proper, but a beautiful director/composer friendship took wing here. Kevin Harley