Overall, compared to many of Yuki Kajiura’s works, Pandora Hearts will fail to stand out. It has a perfect balance of the attention-catching segments as well as areas in between where softer bass notes take over. Finally, “Contractor” is notable in the way it puts many of the themes of Pandora Hearts into a fast-paced compilation, making it my favourite track because all the instruments complement each other perfectly. Some tracks are also very well written to evoke emotions in the listener, such as “Parting Song” and “Another Dimension.” “Parting Song” uses a cello-piano duet to bring across a feeling of nostalgia while “Another Dimension” is very eerie, with a contrast of the light tinkling of a music box against a very heavy atmosphere. The violins’ entry and the increase in volume all helps to build up tension. In the case of “Foretaste,” though it is hardly audible at first, it develops a very consistent beat. A few of the longer tracks such as “Foretaste” and “Crush” may drag on at first, but they’re well worth the wait because the music later evolves to be very dynamic. There are definitely some noteworthy tracks. Wakana usually sings the tense and epic pieces, such as “Bloody Rabbit” while Eri Itou’s delivery sounds more peaceful and surreal, such as in “Alone.” In the case of Pandora Hearts, the vocals give it a mystic and ethereal feel, which fits the anime’s fantasy theme and the vocals are very powerful and suitable for their individual tracks. This gives a very unique feel, which, depending on the track, can range from tension to serenity to even surreal moments.
Yuki Kajiura’s soundtracks also include a lot of vocals which makes them stand out from other composers’ works. There is an apt combination of both light and simple tracks, such as “Skip” and “Garden” and also the darker and more mystic tracks, like “Crush” and “Foretaste,” that offer some variety so one feels compelled to continue listening. “Preparation” is relatively slow paced but it provides serenity together with foreboding and sadness. Some tracks such as “Contractor” and “Preparation” are really compelling and beautiful. One trademark of Yuki Kajiura is that her music will never be unpleasant. However, it is impossible to hate this soundtrack because the melody flows really well in almost every track.
Finally, there is some ambiguity in what the track is trying to depict because a few tracks lack build-up or depth and function as a kind of ‘excitement’ track, like the first track “Pandora Hearts,” which is nice to listen to but is not really impressive in terms of composition. For example, “Garden” is very similar in terms of style, instrument and even beat to “A Little Sunshine” in the Tsubasa Chronicles OST I. There also seem to be little emphasis on instrumental quality, as some of the instruments sound suspiciously synthesized, such as the clarinet in “Tea Saloon” and the flute in “Alone.”įurthermore, a few tracks from this soundtrack are almost exact copies of the tracks from Kajiura’s other works. A fast-paced track can be immediately followed by a very light and jumpy tune, and then followed by a very heavy track, which made the listening experience a bit schizophrenic at times.
However, Pandora Hearts OST proves to be another case where, though the music sounds brilliant, one can hear many similarities between this and many of Kajiura’s other works.Īs I went through this soundtrack, one major complaint that I had was the seeming lack of attention in its presentation, particularly to the order of the tracks. Some soundtracks are such that when you listen to them, the anime and only that anime will come to mind. That said, many of her soundtracks consistently lack their own distinct identity. Review: Of all anime composers, Yuki Kajiura is one of the more established in the minds of viewers and that she has become an iconic figure in the anime soundtrack scene. Yuki Kajiura, FictionJunction, Savage Genius, Wakana, Eri Itou
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