Forum - View topicYuki Kajiura vs. Yoko Kanno: Your Take
|
Goto page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Next |
| Author | Message | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yuri Kawai
 Posts: 31 Location: Lesbos Island, where everyone is Lesbian |
|
|||||||
|
About Yoko Kanno and her american genres, it's the same as Cowboy Bebop (the anime).
It's a smart choice, actually, if you ask me. Cowboy Bebop isn't the best anime, really. Action, style, humour. That's all. But it's among the most popular, especially in America. Why? It seems familiar to american people. Cowboy theme, more action, more jokes, little plot and developments. Yeah, american people dig those things. I'm talking about the majority. Moive/Cartoon -> They like action, sci-fi (Cowboy Bebop fits in perfectly) Oh yeah, Star Wars, what a joke. That's for little kids. Music -> They like Pop, Rap, Hiphop, Rock (about rock, I only like Gothic/Ochestral Rock, that of Nightwish, Therion, Rhapsody of Fire. Hiphop, it's so far beyond my level, I think) Game -> They dig FPS, yeah, running around with guns, shooting monsters, etc; snub TBS or any text-heavy things (Things like Halo, I call them trash. They stole MGS to make the cheesy Splinter Cell. Meh.) Now, back to the topic, Yoko Kanno chose her gimmick well. She made all kinds of popular american music, change the genre in most of her famous works. That made her a vastly talented composer, never became boring. But really, her Jazz isn't the best Jazz I have listened to. Her Classical isn't the best I've heard. If I am to call her, I would say "Mixed Bag". Yuki Kajiura created her own style, and stayed true to herself. If you say she's "just some Christian chants and guitar", then you know nothing. Anyone who say "Mai" (Liminality) is not good is deaf. Again, she made many generic, unmemorable songs, but they are just BGM for the anime shows. 1 minute loop BGM can't sound great. |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Yuri Kawai
Posts: 31 Location: Lesbos Island, where everyone is Lesbian |
|
|||||||
Sorry for the double posts, hehe Yoko Kanno is talented alright, and she works hard polishing her own image, alright.  And Kajiura-sama is more talented than Kanno, alright.
About Steve Conte, I, not by any chances, mean to be offensive, but he sounds, you know, a little bit... "gay". I'm not sure. "Call me Call me" sounds good, for the first part at least. |
||||||||
|
||||||||
Murasakisuishou
 Posts: 1469 Location: NE Ohio |
|
|||||||
But unless I'm severely mistaken, this is the "Yoko Kanno vs. Yuki Kajiura" thread, not the "Steve Conte's sexual orientation and how it affects his voice" thread, so what does that have to do with anything?
Little plot? Did you even watch this series? Cowboy Bebop isn't popular because it hits home with a lot of Americans (which it doesn't, considering the fact that China seems to have taken over the solar system), it's popular because it has fun, likable characters, both humor and some really painful backstory, and it has a certain novelty of being shown as if the audience were actually watching it in the future. No "what happened to Earth" no first episode showing explosions with sad music and then cutting to the hero waking up, just two guys and two gals trying to survive and make their way in the somewhat expanded world. You're supposed to pick up the plot backstory as you go, and while some people might take that as laziness, I think it's part of the charm of the series. It's more episodic and relaxed than a lot of other series, but there's still a central plot which gets advanced. You can't just write it off as "no plot, guys running around with guns, stuff to laugh at." Okay, back on topic now.
I would never generalize all of Kajiura's music as just being "Christian chants and guitar". There's Christian chants and keyboard, Christian chants and strings.... Sorry. In all seriousness, I like a lot of Yuki Kajiura's work. I'm a huge fan of See-Saw. Some of the music from .hack has actually brought me to tears. I don't by any means dislike her or think all of her music is boring, I just like Yoko Kanno more because she actually makes the one minute BGM loops sound good. Especially the soundtrack for Earth Girl Arjuna; wow. The series definately wouldn't be as engaging as it is if not for the dreamy atmosphere created by the music. 2nd Life, Diving, Chikyuu Kyoumei, Aqua, Enka, Didn't It Rain?....Some of the best background music I've ever heard outside the soundtracks for the Miyazaki films. When a composer can make all the background music stand out seperately and yet have it flow with the animation and not be a distraction, well, that's talent. |
||||||||
|
||||||||
Subaru19
 Posts: 118 |
|
|||||||
|
In response to the people who say that there are a lot of female composers out there I know a few of them off the top of my head who work in video games (Yoko Shimomura, Saori Kobayashi), but as far as I know their work doesn't span as large a continum as Kajiura or Kanno.
A sort of anecdote. I was on a plane to Japan watching a movie called "Ashura Jo no Hitomi" and I could have sworn I recognized the music. At first I thought it was Kajiura Yuki. The music had that "gregorian chant with a fake language" feel to it. When I looked at the credits it turned out to be Yoko Kanno. So to me both can have a very similar sound. I really like both, but I'm voting for Yoko Kanno. The reason being I think that she has a great deal of variety in her ability to compose which has always astonished me. Ususally artists and composers find a style that "fits" them and then stays in that style. But, and this is rehashing a lot of what other people have said, she can do basically anything. Any style. And she can write for a variety of instruments. I'm sure she has great people working with her too. I also think that unlike Kajiura Yuki's music, Kanno's music can be listened to and enjoyed without watching (or playing) whatever the music is supposed to be attached to. I've listened to the Wolf's Rain soundtracks countless times, and though it does remind me of the show, I think that her soundtracks stand very well on their own. I also love her solo piano work, and work with artists like Maaya Sakamoto. (the Garden of Everything is one of my favorite songs of all time.) |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Yuri Kawai
Posts: 31 Location: Lesbos Island, where everyone is Lesbian |
|
|||||||
|
Err... Sorry to be offtopic again... Although I don't like Steve Conte, I think he's better than most of the trash singers nowadays like Justin [Whatever] or Eminem (if that's his name). I have heard half a song of him, and decided that he can't sing.
*Throws Wolf's Rain CDs outta the window* Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles is really boring. Yuki Kajiura-sama and Mokona saved the show. I would have dropped it long ago if it wasn't for Kajiura-sama. And you are wrong if you say Yuki Kajiura can't make short BGMs which sound good. Buy the Eremetar Gerad OSTs. *Goes out to take the CDs back* |
||||||||
|
||||||||
SuperOnizuka
 Posts: 421 Location: When I look At the World- New Jersey |
|
|||||||
Not to bash or anything, Eminem doesn't sing. He raps. Some of his lyrics are quite complex. As for Justin Timberlake, he has quite a powerful vocal range. To justify your reasoning by calling those two artists as "trash" is quite immature. [I am not a fan of their genre of music, however, I do acknowledge that they are very talented in what they do.] As well, questioning his sexuality from his voice in this discussion is also really low and immature. I think his voice fits the songs, it isn't too emo nor it isn't too overtly cheery in tone.
Everyone is granted the right to their own opinions, even yourself. But at least be mature and open minded about it. Just because individuals seem to compare one composer to your favorite shouldn't be the reason to dislike that composer. It is like hating something just to hate it. As for the topic. I really prefer Yoko Kanno over Kajiura. I listened to Kajiura's work on Xenosaga and really did not like what I have heard. Although there were some pieces that I did like, but for the majority of the compositions I just didn't dig it. The feeling that I get when playing through the Xeno series from Gears to Saga was a Byzantium feel, or like a Baroque, feel. Adding Kaijura's work kinda killed it for me. I always had creative bursts in my thoughts, photos, writings, etc when i listen to Kanno's work. Any composer, or artist, that can inspire your own creativity and life is great. So it is all down to your own personal perference. |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Murasakisuishou
Posts: 1469 Location: NE Ohio |
|
|||||||
But didn't you say it was okay if the BGMs didn't sound great because they're just background loops? -is confused now- |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Raven Shinobi
|
|
|||||||
Yes! Someone who thinks the same way I do. Just try comparing Mitsuda's version of "KOS-MOS ~here she comes" with Kajiura's version, in that scene where KOS-MOS was seen for the first time fighting gnosis, Mitsuda made KOS-MOS sound like a battle maiden out of a Norse mythology through his music while Kajiura's version in that scene in EpII where KOS-MOS piloted Dinah for the first time made her sound like a heroine from a magical girls anime. It's not that Kajiura's music was bad, her pop/techno style simply didn't fit the philosophical and religous background of Xenosaga as much as Mitsuda's did. I'm sure if Tetsuya Takahashi was still leading the Xeno project in that time that he would continue to hire Mitsuda to compose the music. |
||||||||
|
SuperOnizuka
Posts: 421 Location: When I look At the World- New Jersey |
|
|||||||
|
One of the main reasons why I loved Xenogears and Xenosaga ep. 1 was the music, the other reason was the story. Before I purchased their soundtracks, I would play Gears and Ep.1 over and over again to listen to the music and for nostalgia. But then when Ep.2 came out. I just played it once, hated the music, and quickly finished it. It created a pop/bubble gum feel. Didn't get to Ep. 3 yet since I am entirely occupied with work and school.
I know that different composers try not to mimic another composer, but for Kaijura to utterly change the musical direction and landscape of the Xeno series, to me is a sad take. One that keeps me from liking her over Yoko Kanno. |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Yuri Kawai
Posts: 31 Location: Lesbos Island, where everyone is Lesbian |
|
|||||||
|
I said "you can't expect short BGMs to sound good".
There are many short BGMs in Mai-Otome, for example, which are generic and dull. But in Eremetar Gerad, the BGMs are awesome. That means Kajiura-sama can make good short BGMs too. I don't know the music in Xenosaga I, but I don't really like Kajiura-sama's works in the II and III, except for 4 or 5 songs. My least favourites, I must say. |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Raven Shinobi
|
|
|||||||
You've got to play Ep III in the nearest chance you get, the ending was melancholic yet beautiful and kind of surreal, it drove me to tears and kept me reflecting on it for days. The music in Ep III is an improvement compared to Ep II, but one of my gripes about it is that the end song "Maybe Tomorrow" was generic and not the best choice to end the series with, unlike "Small Two of Pieces" and "Pain", I felt like Kajiura could've done better than that. |
||||||||
|
james_the_composer
Posts: 12 |
|
|||||||
|
I still havn't heard that much Yoko Kanno.
Did she compose for the Card Captor Sakura soundtrack? Because I read on another site she did and on here I read that it was Yoko Ishida! Damn! I must say, though, Sakura Theme II is just one of the best. I'm going with Yuki Kajiura. Everyone seems to know about the .Hack soundtrack and others, but NO one seems to mention often Mai-Hime and Tsubasa Chronicles. In Tsubasa Chronicles I thought that the music was just too good for the series, it needed more generic music since it was a repetitive anime. Also, I don't care much for comparison. You hear a song and it's beautiful and you feel amazing. The feeling has nothing to do with a product, it's a feeling from within. You can't compare beauty to other beauty. Beauty is just Beauty. |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
san-san
Posts: 26 Location: Far Reaches of Space |
|
|||||||
I believe she composed either the opening or ending theme. It was called Platinum or something like that. Which ever one was sung by Maaya Sakamoto.
Obviously you haven't heard everything she's done (or even a solid 10%) if you think she composes for "american audiences." It just happens to be that her most famous work is Cowboy Beebop which I've heard was a big surprise for audiences to associate jazz with it. (and to my knowledge, there wasn't any hiphop in the Beebop osts at least like there was in Samurai Champloo which is like Beebop's brother because it was directed by the same person, [i forgot his first name]Watanabe) And besides just because jazz was an american genre originally it doesn't mean it's supposed to be confined and meant for people of that place. Kajiura composes a lot of classical piece, would you say she composes for a European audience? Classical as well as jazz and rock (and many other genres) have transcended from their original birth places and become world genres. And I don't believe jazz appeals a to youthful generation (Im speculating that most of the people that like Cowboy Beebop are between 15-35) like it did way back when. For something to be as much as a success as Beebop was I doubt senior cittizens where staying up at whatever god-forsaken hour Adult Swim decided to show it at. And so what if Kanno's music ranges from jazz to classical and techno. It's not like she does it badly or mediocre-ly(?). Of course it's not the best stuff you've heard but I'm willing to bet it's far from the worst. As for Kajiura, so far the only song I honestly like by her is Canta per me and is probably the only song I will (seeing as how how the battle song repeated countless times in Tsubasa, A Song of Storm and Fire is such a rip off of Salva Nos) And seeing as how those are the only two series I've seen with Kajiura's music in it and there's already a repetious patern I don't think I'm going to bother with any more. And I don't really think Kajiura has a style. She is what she is, repetitive. Not saying that there's anything wrong with that (seeing as how half that popular music in this country is and people eat it up like there's no tomorrow) but it's not to my liking. Kanno has more of style I believe because there is (if you hear her music enough) a bit of similarity in some of her songs but not like she's repeating herself and if she is it's kind of a shot for saying one piece sounds too similar to the other. |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
james_the_composer
Posts: 12 |
|
|||||||
|
So she DIDN'T do the score for Card Captor and it WAS the same composer that did Ichigo 100%!?
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Yuri Kawai
Posts: 31 Location: Lesbos Island, where everyone is Lesbian |
|
|||||||
Canta Per Me has 4 versions: Canta Per Me, Canta Per Me II, Canta Per Me (Japanese), and Canta Per Me (Fiction). It's a really cool song, but if you say it's the only one you like, then It's obvious that you don't know anything about Yuki Kajiura. Her music best fits the dark animes, like Noir or Le Portrait de Petit Cossette. But she can make cute song like "It's only the fairy tale (Instrumental)" too. As in Tsubasa Chronicle, I think "Ruthless" is the best. Saying Yuki Kajiura = Christian chants + [whatever] is ridiculous. I don't remember all of the names, but I can count a lot of brilliant songs of her without any Christian chants. [.hack//LIMINALITY] Mai LIMINALITY Tasogare no Umi Epitaph Grandpa's violin Sweet Memories Unforgettable [.hack//SIGN] A Bit of Happiness B.T. Fake Wings Fake Wings ~ Make Decision Kiss Where the Sky is High Bear The World Cyber-slum Limits Warp Where You Are Open your heart To Nowhere Obsession Obsession II [Aquarian Age] Fellow Feeling Hard Struggle Kyota Just You Tears Wiz-dom [Elemetar Gerad] Sora no Hokori Kimi to Futari de Kasukanari Aogi no Sai Bouken no Hajimari Sensen Fukoku Redlinks no Kichi Bijo to Yajuu Akaneiro no Sora Keishou Namida no Erementar Gerad [Fiction] Fiction Cynical World Vanity Winter [Le Portrait de Petit Cossette] Fake Jewel Love Pain Houseki Evocation Leave me cold Somewhere I belong Regret Unhallowed Undertow [Madlax] Vanessa Limelda Margaret Your place Friday If I die Street corner Bank on me People are people Hearts Cannabinoids We're gonna groove [Mai-HiME] It's only the fairy tale (Instrumental) It's only the fairy tale Tokiiro no Mai Yoru no Soko ni Shizumu Ensei (Instrumental) Kokuyou no Kimi ~Amai Yuuwaku Asa Tsuka no Aida no Yasuragi Omoi Sore wa Shoujo no Kirameki Shinwa no Hate ni ~HiME to Kokuyou no Kimi~ Mai Nisshutsuzuru Tokoro no Tenshi Unmei no Kodou Shimikom Nibi Zankoku na Mai - Nozomanu Tatakai [Noir] Corsican Corridor Solitude by the Window Canta Per Me II Les Soldats II Secret Game Whispering hills Solitude by the window Le Grand Retour Premonition Colosseum Romance Fake Garden In Memory Of You Family Affection Chloe Lullaby Em more [Tsubasa Chronicles] A tiny sunshine Black Sword Break the sword of justice Ruthless Witch Together for tomorrow I talk to the rain The dreamers Lost Wings Storm and Fire When two powers collide If you are my love Aikoi [Xenosaga] Lamentations Jr. III ~ Presentiment Sakura IV Hepatica III ~ I believe in you She's coming back -------------------- Songs with Christian chants: Salva Nos Salva Nos II Salva Nos III Salva Nos ~ Dialogue Remix Melody ~ Salva Nos version Canta per Me Canta per Me III Les Soldats Church Saints Places of the holy To find your flower Petit Cossette Moonflower Zodiacal Sign Testament Godsibb A song of storm and fire Endlessly Ensei Mezame Duran Shoukan MATERIALISE Sei Otome no Inori Hinageshi no Hana no you ni While most of them are really cool, and this style is the trademark of Yuki Kajiura (as opposed to Kanno, who has no thing unique created by herself), they make up a very small percent in total. Saying that she's repeative is ridiculous too. I can't see how "Mai" in Liminality and "Mai" in Mai-Otome are similar, or "Salva Nos" in Noir and "Saints" in Madlax are similar. If Yuki Kajira is repeative and boring because she sticked with her style, then there's a lot of artists who are boring and repeative: The Pillows's songs sound all the same. T.M. Revolution's songs sound all the same. Choro Club's songs are very similar that I can't tell them apart. JAM Projects's songs sound all the same. ALI Project is made their gothiloli music, and their songs all all gothiloli, ie all the same. Frank Sinatra's songs sound all the same. The Beatles's songs sound all the same. Yanni's music is all the same. Beethoven's music is all the same. Heck, Rhapsody of Fire and Nightwish are my favourite bands, and their songs are all gothic rocks. If they change their style to hiphop, I'll kill them all. If there is a faker who made herself a mixed bag gimmick to make her look vastly talented, then it's Yoko Kanno. I won't deny that she writes good music, but there were many people who worked in the same genres with her, and there were many people who did better. When I heard the latter part of "Ask DNA", I said "ew". It's much worse than the songs in the anime. The soundtrack of CB movie is generic, dull jazz. And that's just her second attempt on jazz. It's like when playing D&D, you can be a a sliced-bread [Lvl5 Fighter + Lvl5 Wizard + Lvl5 Rogue], you seem really cool since you can cast some spells, dance with your long sword, and pickpocket too. You may be able to chase some Bards away, but when you face a fighter who is a Weapon Master or an epic Wizard who learned all the spells available, you'll die. Because Yoko Kanno works in the popular american genres, it's easier for people to accept her music. It's just like anime. Fanboys all swear that Bleach and Naruto are masterpieces, the bests of all time, and Noein is bullshit, even though they never actually watched it. Last edited by Yuri Kawai on Thu Jan 11, 2007 3:43 am; edited 1 time in total |
||||||||
|
||||||||
) but that's sort of beside the point 
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group