I liked Jin-Roh the anime. A lot. I was sorely disappointed with the soundtrack. It's not that the music is bad - it isn't. Or that it isn't hauntingly beautiful in its own right - it is. But the score for this exceptional anime is, for lack of a better way I can put it, too quiet. A softly played score was never, in my mind, associated with Jin-Roh - perhaps because the soundtrack never stood out to me while I was watching the film - so I wasn't quite expecting what I heard on this record. Considering the militaristic and often violent imagery in the anime, I was expecting hard-hitting percussion and blaring brass, of which I found neither. I instead found a very sullen and almost apathetic score. The movie is dark - and therefore requires as "dark" a soundtrack as this - but dark does not equate to the void of emotion behind the songs, or this ill-matched (to the film) score.

The soundtrack is almost entirely comprised of very traditional orchestral music, relying heavily on long, drawn-out strings; though there are a few accents to be had here and there. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, and in some ways it is appropriate for a few aspects of the movie, it isn't exactly evocative of the movie as a whole very much. Nor does it make for very... shall we say, memorable listening, let along stirring, since the strings often end up sounding as though they are merely background pieces, that hardly stand on their own. I might blame it slightly on Mizoguchi's background in strings, being an accomplished cellist himself, and in fact the cellist for Jin-Roh, which leads to too heavy of a reliance of them, when something more boisterous would be not only more appropriate, but more emotive. Don't misunderstand - everything is neatly composed and played with precision, but it is so very subdued and brooding, yet it can't even manage to be oppressing; it just... is. I cannot and will not fault the artists for their skill, but I didn't find myself enjoying this album much.

The main theme, simply titled Jin-Roh, and it's reprise, Grace ~ Jin-Roh ~ Omega, were the only two songs on the record that I actively enjoyed. The song has an almost primal rhythm to it, set again to those strings, and a well used free-form electric guitar - a goodly song for the 'wolf'. The light chanted chorus adds to this effect, to add a bit of human intensity to it and give it better pacing (rather than just a repetitive cadence, though the guitar was useful in this respect as well). The reprise, which essentially sticks the same rhythm as the title song and end-caps the song with a few minutes of the strings, which are a bit more moving than the rest of the record. I should note as well that the other-worldly vocals at the beginning of the reprise were sweetly performed by Gabriela Robin, otherwise known as Yoko Kanno (who also plays the piano on the record).

There were a few other tracks that stood out from the rest, though, in which did find some measure of satisfaction. Blue Clouds is an oddly, considering the surrounding music, uplifting piece, graced by a pleasant acoustic guitar lead. Keel went with what seems to be a synth lead, which sets it apart, if nothing else. The Force captured, to a small degree, some of the primeval tinges of the Jin-Roh theme, though displays them a bit more abstractedly than the theme song. Shadows of Rainbow, again uses the electric guitar to appealing effect, with a more active background that isn't quite so heavy on the strings. Aside from these select few, reasonably interesting songs, most of the tracks deviated little from traditional small symphony, so I see no reason to expound on them, as I've made my feelings clear.

I can appreciate the music for its artistry and intentions, but this OST isn't something I feel compelled to revisit, outside of those few pieces that I found at least an ounce of individuality in. I suppose I was either expecting too much or being overly harsh, but I can't recommend the album on its own. It's too neat, too proper, too lacking in any passion, especially considering a subject matter as subtlety harrowing as Jin-Roh, for my taste. It lacks a certain malevolent quality or tension that hung about the entire film, in every scene. Surely, it can serve well as background for simple dramatic moments, but the film deserved more than a soundtrack that merely falls to rather dull background music. When it comes down to it, the film was a greater asset to the music (for what few pieces I associate with parts of Jin-Roh) than the music was the film.