Tsukihime: Lunar Legend

Original Soundtrack CD 1: Moonlit archives

Review by: Dan Womack

Anime Series Soundtrack

Company: Geneon

CD Length: approx 48 min

Rated: G (All Ages)

EXTERNAL EXAM

From Geneon Entertainment comes the dark and melodic tale of Tsukihime, Lunar Legend. Composer Toshiyuki Omori uses a wide assortment of string instruments to help tell the story of Shiki and his love for a vampire.

Combined with the beautiful vocals of Fumiko Orikasa, "Moonlit Archives" is a musical delight, that will bring you rapturous highs, to mournful lows.

FINAL EXAM:

Tsukihime, Lunar Legend: "Moonlit Archives" is the first in an ongoing series of background music CD’s for this anime series. Simply put, I really like this disc because of the feelings it evokes. It gives off a different vibe that I could relate too.

Reviewers note: I have not seen this anime, so my review is based solely upon the pure emotions each particular piece evokes.

Sacred Moon: This opening track is very much like something by 90's techno group Enigma. "Moon" is a great start to this CD, and I look forward to what lies ahead.

Inscrutable: Kind of dark song, with a deliberate, almost metronome, pace to it. You get the impression that time is quickly running out. There is a mysterious undercurrent to the song, making it even more interesting.

Castle: Imagine if you will a scene in which a horrible secret has just been revealed to you. Thanks to the timely use of piano, "Castle" takes on a more frantic and earth shattering element to the piece.

Urgency: Like the title, there is an frenzied aura to this piece. You feel as if you are being chased, and if you get caught, something dreadful might happen. You can almost hear the evil laughter in the background. This track gives me the willies!

Insanity: Like "Sacred Moon", this is a smooth techno track that would fit right in with movies like "The Matrix" or "Blade". There are a couple of places where it sounds like the backing track skips, giving it a very hip-hop feel.

Doubtless: A very nice build up here as Composer Omori adds more instruments to the piece. The start is a little bit like “Flight of the Bumblebee”. A strong drum beat picks up half way through, bringing "Doubtless" to a powerful close.

Betray: There is a concealed presence here. "Betray" begins with an awesome start, thanks to a wailing guitar intro that sounds like someone screaming. The pacing is slow and steady, with no rush to reach the end.

Wounds: This track opens with an beautiful piano solo. Thanks to very minute changes in the key strokes, feelings of sadness start to well up within me. When the violin is added, it's adds a melancholy essence that makes me want to cry. "Wounds" is telling me a very sad story.

Destiny: Each beat is like a step towards the future. More subtle piano work adds a gentle touch the driving cadence of the song.

Captivate: A jazzy piece that will remind some of the work by Yoko Kanno from "Cowboy Bebop". The pulse is strong and steady. This time, Omori uses brass instruments (mostly horns), which makes "Captivate" stand out amongst the other tracks.

Cherish: Quiet piece, done at a slow speed. Sounds like an end of the show theme or something you would hear during a emotional love scene. Very pretty, you feel the wonderful emotion of cherishing someone you love.

Crescent: From start to finish, "Crescent" fills you with an overpowering sadness. When the violin starts to play, my melancholy deepens, like there is no hope in sight.

Haunting: Just like the name, this song has a haunting theme. Omori uses a harp to helps to build tension until the crescendo.

Dusk: It's very much like a slow dance song you might hear on vacation in the tropics. This song has a happy feel to it that makes you smile.

Precious: It's like "Captivate" only slower. You can feel that Omori is channeling Studio Ghibli composer Jo Hisaishi by his use of the flute.

Homage: This one has a very familiar feel to a previous track from this album, Crescent. Like "Precious" the influence of Jo Hisaishi in this track as well.

Beleaguer: A switch from the rather melancholy theme of the last few tracks. Like the earlier songs, there is a real up-tempo beat with lots of raw anger and rage. Clever use of a piano half way through helps to diffuse the intense emotions of the song, but then we go right back to the intensity of the first half. The effects on your emotional state is one of the best parts of the album.

Vain: As Elton John would say “Sad Songs Say So Much!” Once again we have a violin singing a sad song! It's full of suffering with little happiness in sight.

Delusion: Spooky tune, one that makes you think of weird "Dali" dreams with twisted clocks and floating pieces.

Maze: Mystery is the indisputable theme to this selection with it's interesting keyboard work. Random clattering thrown in to the songs adds to creepy and suspenseful tone.

Justice: If you love the power of British Quartet “BOND”, then you will love this "racing to destiny" track. I can see the characters running or flying at a dangerous speed.

Tormenter: DESTROY!!!!!! That's all there is to say about this "end of the world" piece.

Demoniac: The organ plays and the dead will arise. Then the world will be covered in the ashes of doom! The forceful sound of the organ builds up to what you think will be an awesome climax, but it suddenly levels off, and has no real ending.

Prayer: When all hope is lost and you don’t know where things will go, the only thing left to do is pray to God and hope that he will come and save the world!

The End of the Cycle of Reincarnation….[On Air Version]: The only lyrical piece on the CD, it the perfect end for this album full of hope and sadness. Fumiko Orikasa voice is very sweet, with a youthful energy.

Tsukihime, Lunar Legend: "Moonlit Archives" is one of those soundtracks that has a lot of ups and downs. Toshiyuki Omori's does a really fantastic job at building up the tension or dragging you into the depths of darkness. I really want to see the anime, so I can discover what is happening during the more intense musical pieces.

Perfect for Fans of: BOND, Yoko Kanno, Enigma

Return to Top

Back to the CD Review Page