Mononoke Hime Orchestra is Joe Hisaishi's original vision for the music to Mononoke Hime. When writing scores to movies (or games, for that matter), many restrictions are placed on the composer, such as time constraints and seemingly impossible deadlines. This makes composition much harder than it would normally be. Joe Hisaishi created this CD in order to expand his original musical visions and themes for Mononoke Hime without the constraints of writing for a movie. In short, this is how Joe Hisaishi wanted his music to be heard.

This CD is much better than the original film soundtrack in many respects. The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra sounds more mature and refined than the OST. Overall, the tone of the CD is more mellow, and there aren't any sharp, harsh spots in the overall sound. The expansion of the themes are well worth it. The flow isn't cut short anywhere, and it's a great pleasure to hear your favorite themes expanded to their full capacity. The shortest track is 4:27, while the longest is 7:21. I would, however, recommend that you listen to the original film soundtrack first in order to hear the improvement made in this CD.

"The Tale of Ashitaka" is similar to the "Tale of Ashitaka End Theme" on the OST. One of the coolest tracks is Track 2, "Ta-Ta-Ri-Gami." The drum beat is remixed, and the theme is much more suspenseful. The offbeat accent in the beat is done particularly well. "Departure to the West" is a great track in its melodic complexity along with variations on the main theme. "Mononoke Hime" is a well rounded piece with nice piano interludes and orchestral accompaniment. Talk about a great Concerto piece! "The Forest of the Shishi God" is very suspenseful and builds it slowly and nicely. "Requiem" is another nice piece that got its just expansion. "The Underworld" is a great march-type piece. It changes mood a couple times throughout the piece. Finally, "Ashitaka and San" is a superb ending to the CD with a great piano part. This is another great concerto piece. There are a lot of nuances present in both the Piano and orchestra. I felt the repetition of the main theme with the reed instrument was a little forced, causing a small break in the overall flow of the piece, but otherwise, this was my favorite track.

My biggest complaint about this CD is the fact that it is still way too short. There's still 20 minutes or so of room left for an expansion of several more themes. The Kodama theme and Evening at the Ironworks come to mind. I also felt that, although this CD avoids sharp edges in sound, it was a little too mellow. However, the selection of music was excellent and the expansions were both tasteful and musical. If you loved the Mononoke Hime OST, and wanted more after listening to it, then this CD is for you.

This CD can be purchased at Anime Nation for $29.95.

Freddie's Overall Grade: A- (93%)