Knight of Ren

The Boy and the Heron I got to watch Miyazaki's last (or perhaps latest?) feature in the european premiere in a film festival and I enjoyed every minute of it. I went in blind and I love all the different places the story visits, offering a poignant story with a fantastical touch that makes it very satisfying. I don't want to give away anything about the plot because I think it greatly improves the wonderment and element of surprise of what the movie has to offer. I think if you're a fan of the director, you'll enjoy this one as it feels like a homage to his other works, with some thematic and visual references that offer a perfect closing chapter to his career (even if now it seems he won't be really retiring after all!) Hisaishi's score works brilliantly in the movie, being much more subdued, but with some moments to shine through, especially in the use of the piano. There are a couple of motifs that develop throughout, and even if it's not as thematically complex as some of his other Miyazaki scores, it's still a brilliant effort from the composer that perfectly enhances the emotions of Miyazaki's spellbinding images.

This project got sidelined a bit, and I'm out of home for a couple of weeks, but Ahsoka has made me fall in love again with Kiner's music, and I will probably try to update this breakdown as soon as I can. Thanks for the interest and the patience!

Nice suite. This score has grown quitr a bit on me, and I think what Balfe does with thr main theme deserves some recognition, because he plays around with it a lot, and I think all this different variations on the same idea work quite well within the movie. I would appreciate a bit more of thematic connection between the scores of the saga, but that seems to be mission impossible! I made a shorter playlist for myself, with my favorite tracks trying to balance the action with the softer moments, and trying to have all main thematic ideas represented. It runs for around 30mins so if you do listen to it, tell me if it works well for other people as well: -The Phantom -Collision Alarm -This Is Not a Drill -A Colorful Past -You're Driving -Chasing Grace -I Was Hoping It'd Be You -Ponte dei Conzafelzi -You Stop the Train -Chaos on the Line -This Was the Plan -Curtain Call

Yeah, both scores are great in their own ways, but One Piece is much more approachable, even if a bit too long. The Witcher has some really strong themes and a great use of voices and folk instruments, but the album length and the mess of chronological order makes it a bit harder to enjoy. A shorter playlist is definitwly recommended, but it's also a great score!

Yeah, I don't think Shin has a theme, but Baylan's theme was a nice discovery when listening to the soundtrack, even if I had already picked up on that piano motif for his entrance in ep1. Also there's the Purrgils theme, which gets a lot of development in ep 5, but that is derived from Rebels I think, so it's not entirely original to this show, even if I think it shines here a lot more. BTW, if you do those suites please share them here, as I usually love listening to those kind of fan-made compilations!

Yeah, I hope not. Trapanese is nice, but their style is much more unique and interesting, and I really hope they can expand on the themes and the soundscape they have created in this first season!

Brilliant! James Newton Howard is one of my favorite composers ever, and I absolutely love all of his work with Shyamalan, so this should be a fantastic album by all accounts. That first The Village track is stunning. It really feels like a proper extension from the score, which now makes me wish they would release it in a more complete form soon! Anyway, this looks promising. Cannot wait!

Agree! For me the highlight of the show are the characters, especially the Straw Hats. I love their development and their interactions with each other, and truly shows that both the actors and the creators understand the characters very well. And on top of that, even if the first episode can feel a bit slow or uneven, the show is a lot of fun, with some great action sequences and an overall energetic sense of adventure! It's not without its flaws, but it's definitely worth a try!

Nice! I haven't seen a lot of discussion around here about either the show or the music but I enjoyed it a lot, and I've been listening to the music many times, and it's on its way to become one of my favorite scores of the year. I hope the composer duo will return in S2 and they can develop all the amazing themes for these characters, and bring some new great ones!

Classic Giacchino. The theme is reminscent of some of his Lost themes, but I like the presence of the choir in the middle of the track. I'm more excited for this score than for his work with Waititi in Next Goal Wins.

I checked and it's not the same, even if they're a bit similar. How About a Meal appears when Sanji offers himself to cook for Nami's sister. It plays after More Rare Than Medium, but there's some unreleased music in between.

Okay, I listened to the new album and went through some of the episodes again and I've been able to place all of the new tracks in their respective places. Most of them are from episode 5, one of them seems to be unused for a scene in episode 6 and then another one appears in episode 7: 1x05 Let’s Disappear Smells Like Butter, Soy Sauce and Meat Welcome to Baratie True Bluefin Saute Enjoy Your Meal Something Sweet for Someone Sweet Dracule Mihawk Who the Hell is Monkey D Luffy Party at Baratie They Call it the All Blue Drink I, Roronoa Zoro, Challenge You to a Duel Wounds on the Back are a Swordsman’s Greatest Shame Get Out of my Restaurant Now looks like it was supposed to be placed after Let the Fighting Begin in episode 6, but it's not used. And How About a Meal appears right before Captain Nezumi, in episode 7. Even if quite short, it's quite a fun album, and some cues are essential because they expand on Sanji's material, which I love with that big band sound!

Great episode! Probably my favorite one so far. The lightsaber fights were fantastic, and that ending made me so emotional! It opens up a lot of possibilities and I cannot wait to watch the next one, since I think Rosario Dawson said it's her favorite one from the show. Kiner & co.'s score remains consistently interesting, and I loved the mix of exotic percussions and choir in the fights, with hints of Sabine and Ahsoka's theme. And they quoted the theme from Sabine's Sketch, by Sean Kiner, when they're leaving the ship in search of the map!

Thanks for the info! I updated my Spotify playlist, and I'm working on a shorter playlist of the highlights of the season, so it's not such a long album. That mixtape album sounds fun! I usually like that type of jazz/big band music, and I remember some great pieces playing during those scenes, so I'm sure I will enjoy it. And the show seems to be a huge hit in many countries, so a second seasons is very probable, which I hope it really happens because I enjoyed a lot this first season.

Is it better than his Fear Street Trilogy? That's one of my favorite scores of his in the genre, and I also enjoy parts of his A Quiet Place scores. It's true that Korzeniowski's score was a bit harsh on standalone listening, but also very clever and effective!

Finally watched the whole season! I really liked it overall, and the emotional beats in these last two episodes worked great. Nami's backstory was so sad and I wasn't really sold on the character so far, but these two episodes convinced me that the main five characters are essential to the show, and each has their own distinct personality, perfectly complementing each other. I hope we get a S2 to see how they continue their adventures! The music was a big part of my enjoyment of the show, and I have done a spotify playlist with the album in chronological order. The tracks that are repeated are left in the place where they have the most impact, and the couple of tracks I haven't been able to place yet (Zoro vs Mihawk, Waste of Good Liquor, Goldfish Poop), are placed where I think fits best:

It does belong in that episode, but I checked and it should go after Don't You Ever Threaten My Friends, because it plays in the scene where Shanks rescues Young Luffy from the sea monster. Some thoughts on episodes 5 and 6, with spoilers I love how the music completely changes styles for each location or character, making it an important part of giving each of them a different personality. For example, with the villains you have circus music for Buggy, flamenco vibes for Mihawk and hip-hop beats for Arlong, while the main characters have also different vibes, like Sanji's jazz/lounge music, or Zoro's oriental-flavoured theme! This is what I got as a chrono tracklist for episodes 5 and 6: 1x05 Let’s Disappear Smells Like Butter, Soy Sauce and Meat Dracule Mihawk I, Roronoa Zoro, Challenge You to a Duel Wounds on the Back are a Swordsman’s Greatest Shame 1x06 Captain of the Dreaded Cook Pirates You’ve Got the Same Dream As Me Not Everyone Gets to Follow Their Dreams Who’s Hungry? Then Let the Fighting Begin You Better Not Mess With the Straw Hats I Owe You My Life You beat me to it by a minute! Your list for 1x05 is basically the same as mine, and in 1x06 I have "You've Got the Same Dream as Me" right after "Captain of the Dreaded Cook Pirates". It plays during Sanji's flashback, when he's stranded on the island with Zeff. I will get to watch episodes 7 and 8 this evening and will check out to see if I can place those other cues you mention!

I've also watched the first three episodes and I'm enjoying it a lot so far! The main characters have a lot of charisma and great screen presence. Luffy's energy is contagious but my favorite so far is Zoro, with his edgy attitude. I really like how they tread the line between serious and comedic without feeling heavy-handed or too mickey-mousing. I think the episodes drag a bit too long, especially when it focuses on the marines storyline, which I don't care much for at the moment, but overall, it's quite a lot of fun. The score works really well within it, and I'm starting to pick up on some of the themes for each of the characters, with Luffy's theme being an absolute winner in all its variations (I particularly loved the action variation during the yard fight with the marines near the end of episode 1). I've also been working on a chronological order because the album is a total mess in that regard. I will share what I have for the first three episodes, which I think it's pretty much accurate, but I might have missed one thing or two, so feel free to add or correct anything. 1x01 Wealth Fame Power Captain Alvida Windmill Village [the section from 1:01 to 1:42 is unused] The Stretchy Kind of Monster Roronoa Zoro Bink’s Brew Nami Gotta Feed the Brain Marine with a Bad Haircut vs Though Guy with Three Swords Good Marines and Bad Marines Why Do They Call Him Axe Hand Anyway? [2:38 – End] Why Do They Call Him Axe Hand Anyway? [0:00 – 2:38] Every Idiot Dreams of Finding the One Piece The Imposter, the Pirate Hunter and the Thief Gum Gum Whip Goodbye Vice Admiral Garp Buggy The Clown [0:00 – 1:08] 1x02 The Grand Line Chop Chop Cannon [0:00 – 0:36] Buggy The Clown [2:03 – End] Boogie, I’m Warning You My Name is Cabaji Marines Make the World a Better Place Don’t You Ever Threaten My Friends Chop Chop Cannon [0:36 – End] For Honor, For Justice, For the Marines Be Good, Luffy 1x03 The Pirates Are Coming You Want To Steal a Ship Technically, I’m Not a Salesman VIP Entrance for Special Guests [the section from 0:00 to 1:01 is unused] You All Must Stay For Dinner A Giant Goldfish Monster One Piece Tango May I Present Ms. Kaya Not Sailors, We Are Pirates Midnight [0:00 – 1:37] Kaya & Usopp Kuro & the Black Pirates The Pirates Are Here

It definitely helps to have watched the show. I listened to the scores first and I liked them, but after watching the show (which I love), it all clicks, you start to recognize the themes and motifs for each character and you can appreciate a lot more what Giacchino does with them, and it's truly breathtaking writing. I would say the best album is The Last Episodes one, especially the 2CD which covers the final episode of the show, but the emotional impact that it has doesn't feel as effective as watching the whole thing, hearing the themes develop and then climax in that final episode. There are so many great themes, but two of my favorite ones are definitely the "Home" theme, and also Juliet's theme. God, now I want to revisit the show again!

Haven't listened to the whole thing yet, but I heard the track named "We Are!" that contains a great orchestral arrangement of the classic intro from the anime, so perhaps there are more hidden references in the score. I guess we'll see tomorrow!

Details on the soundtrack album announced! https://www.qobuz.com/nz-en/album/one-piece-soundtrack-from-the-netflix-series-sonya-belousova-giona-ostinelli/s1lfjygrdhsda 79 tracks, more than 4 hours of music!

I was recently re-visiting the score for Ori and the Will of the Wisps and I realized again how a great score it is! It takes everything that made the first one great and improves it with some really memorable secondary themes. Recently, the main theme from Wayfinder caught my ear, and I've also been listening quite a lot to The Mageseeker score, and what all these have in common is that the man behind the scores i Gareth Coker, so I though I might start a thread to discuss his works. What are your favorite scores by him? I would definitely recommend both Ori scores if you want to hear the composer at the top of his game, but I also recommend the score for The Mageseeker from this year. I'll leave below some sample pieces from the mentioned scores as a showcase of his range and versatility! This is a small suite of the main theme from the first Ori game, which also appears in the second game: The most prominent new theme from the second Ori game is Ku's theme, and my favorite statement is in this track: The Mageseeker has some great themes and epic action cues, and my favorite is probably this one with Wisteria and Sylas' themes fighting each other: But I also really like the use of vocals in many places, like with Morgana's ethereal and mystic theme: And I also really liked the main theme from a new videogame called Wayfinder: And this is just a small example of his abilities. I also really like his scores for The Ruined King a lot:

Yeah for sure: 0:08 Ahsoka 0:40 Sabine 1:20 Ahsoka 2:28 Hera 3:12 Ahsoka I meant themes from the Rebels show, not the theme for the Rebels Crew. I didn't pick that up, but I hope it comes up during the show.

Finally got around to watch the first two episodes, and I enjoyed them quite a lot! I'm a huge fan of Rebels so I was expecting to like the show, but I really like how the characters have been translated into live-action, especially Sabine, which so far is my favorite character. Cannot wait to see where the show takes us next! Kiner's music is a bit eclectic, but I love that he brought back many of the Rebels themes, like Hera, Ezra, traces of Thrawn and obviously Ahsoka, plus my favorite one, Sabine's theme. The arrangement of the credits with the themes of the three female leads is fantastic! I do feel the material for the villains is on the weaker side, and it feels more atmospheric than thematic, but I hope they can slowly introduce some more prominent thematic ideas for them. Also, I hope the first volume includes Sabine's introduction song, because I quite liked it, even if it's completely different from the rest of the score. It apparently was co-produced with Ludwig Göransson!

Another single dropped today and this one's a song in collaboration with Aurora. I like it a bit less, but it's also really nice,and the composers said it's supposed to be the theme for the character of Nami. The show is less than one week away, and I'm honestly quite excited for it!