Anime: Read or Die
Album: R.O.D Original Soundtrack
Musicians: Taku Iwasaki (Piano Synthesizer), Jun Takeuchi Group (Strings), Kouji Nishimura (Trumpet), Hiroaki Yamamoto (Flute Saxophone), Hitoshi Hamada (Vibraphone), Junjiro Seki (Guitar).
Composer/Lyricist: Taku Iwasaki
Release Date: 2001

R.O.D Original Soundtrack Tracklisting 1. In the beginning, roars the electric genius 2. Theme of R.O.D ~ opening version ~ 3. Those who insanely love books say, “Paper is always with us” 4. At a bookstore – run silent, run deep 5. Shudder! Shudder! More shudder! 6. Gentleman-like, all too gentlemanly 7. Theme of Stardust hidden in the interval of time 8. The evil wing of gale, that no one can catch 9. Unequaled boisterous dance, the sky is too small 10. A man playing in the west raises a pole at will 11. Suite for an I-Jin part I Talent beyond ogre, Gennai part II That man is witty part III Adogio for geniuses without glory 12. Bring all the wisdom to Great Britain! 13. Theme of R.O.D ~ long version ~ 14. Souls of the women rest for a moment, and thereafter… *Bold titles - recommended listening.

OVERVIEW

In the world of original anime soundtracks, there is usually only a distinction of good and bad with few resting in the grey area. In this grey area (resting on the white edge) lies the Read or Die Original Soundtrack. With music composed by Taku Iwasaki, the R.O.D Original Soundtrack is packed with a balance of Jazz beats, classical scores with not so classical sounds, and ballads worthy of a James Bond movie. Although Iwasaki is a gifted composer, repetition occasionally rears its ugly head with a beat found in track 1 appearing in track 8 and yet again in track 9. Nonetheless, R.O.D’s is one of the better original soundtracks to be released to date.

THE GOOD

Gentleman-like, all too gentlemanly
Subtlety is the name of the game for this well composed track. Iwasaki himself leads this simplistic song on the piano synthesizer (which explains some of the peculiar piano-like notes in the beginning of this song). Accompanying Iwasaki is himself with an overlapping pulsing synthesizer that melds nicely with his own classical piano playing. “Gentleman-like, all too gentlemanly” stands out as one of the easiest songs from this soundtrack to listen to, giving off a feeling of relaxation.

A man playing in the west raises a pole at will
At first listen, “A man playing in the west raises a pile at will” seems like an error riddled piece of music. The beginning starts off with the same creepy feeling given off by track 5 (“Shudder! Shudder! More Shudder”) joined by piano errors. Don’t be fooled, this is only a ploy by Iwasaki. After this awkward opening, he picks up the pace with a fast synthesized drum beat which continues until another round of piano errors… except this time the piano work is slightly improved. Once again, the drum beat picks back up and rounds out the song. Chanting can be heard in the background of the song, which adds to its “eerie” atmosphere, making it the creepiest and one of the fastest songs on the entire soundtrack.

Bring all the wisdom to Great Britain
“Bring all the wisdom to Great Britain” has a victorious tune that doesn’t sound like track 1 (“In the beginning, roars the electric genius”); this in itself is a good sign. Trumpets (Kouji Mishimura) blare, strings (Jun Takeuchi Group) play triumphantly, and Iwasaki accompanies on the piano synthesizer (set to a drum like tone again). The mesh of classical instruments with a not-so-classical instrument is a success, much to my surprise. The resulting melody is uplifting and easy to remember. An example of great composing and the musicians’ outstanding talent.

Theme of R.O.D ~long version~
This song is jazzy, fast, and perfect for the theme of an action packed anime title like Read or Die. Iwasaki’s ability to cover the full spectrum of musical styles shines through in this piece as he puts together a fast paced theme worthy of James Bond. The “Theme of R.O.D” gives off a very “secret agent” feeling, perfect for the British Library’s Agent Paper. The shorter version (the opening version) is also on this soundtrack, and is highly recommended, however since this is the longer version, it is the better. The longer length of track 13 (“~long version~”) gives the listener more time to savor its majesty.

Souls of the women rest for a moment, and thereafter…
Beginning with a violin ballad, “Souls of the women rest for a moment, and thereafter…” sets a mood full of sorrow right off the bat. It definitely bumps out of the groove carved by previous tracks on this soundtrack; this song is completely instrumental and the presence of Iwasaki on the piano is respectfully absent. The simplicity and emotional impact of this heart-felt song makes it the black sheep of the soundtrack.

THE BAD

The evil wing of gale, that no one can catch
&
Unequaled boisterous dance, the sky is too small
I am going to pair these two songs; they both fall from grace because of a common problem between them. At some point in both songs, after a few seconds of uniqueness, they carry the same “victory” tune as track 1 (“In the beginning, roars the electric genius”). In the case of “The evil wing of gale, that no one can catch” I was very hopeful for the beginning, until its 12 seconds of originality ended. For “Unequaled boisterous dance, the sky is too small” the first 11 seconds, though falling short of its “partner in crime” are unique… but it all goes awry when track 1’s melody takes over like a parasitic worm. Another interesting note about both songs, they both end in a similar violin solo. I expect less repetition from a composer like Taku Iwasaki.

The Rating: 7