As with the Piano Memories album, Kokyu Memories includes 10 tracks that feature the Kokyu. Consisting of arranged tracks, your enjoyment of the album will rely on how much enjoyment you get from the focus instrument. One distinction between the Piano and Kokyu Memories albums is that the piano arrangements are often rather divergent from the original piece of music, while the kokyu arrangements tend to hew pretty closely to the original interpretation.

As befits the nature of the album, the album consists of songs that feature the kokyu from the primary soundtracks. As this instrument was never prominent in the main soundtrack, the album ends up being rather short, clocking in at just over 30 minutes long. It should be noted that these tracks do not always feature the kokyu prominently. For example, track 6, Ruika, uses the kokyu but sometimes features the flute. Therefore, you should not expect an album of nothing but the kokyu. Rather, you will get an album that features the kokyu mixed with an assortment of other instruments.

It may sound like ancient China, but it isn't ancient China.

Another thing to note about the album is that the mix of tracks is somewhat odd, and does not reflect a coherent theme. While the Piano Memories album tended toward playful arrangements that highlighted the artistry of the pianist, the lack of special arrangements means that the included tracks are those that were originally intended to serve a wide variety of emotional purposes during the show. As such, the album meanders and doesn't have a clear focus.

That isn't to say that there isn't anything good here, because there is. Track 8, Shihouka, is an arrangement of the "doll" song from the show that features the kokyu as the primary instrument, and redoes the entire song to feature a number of traditional Chinese instruments, which is pretty fun. Track 9, Shuurai Rensa, is a rendition of the battle theme from the first soundtrack album that simply overlays a kokyu line onto the existing music, but it still adds some depth to the track that improves on the original.

In the end, your enjoyment of this album will directly relate to your enjoyment of traditional Chinese instruments in general, and the kokyu in particular. The Kokyu Memories album is also generally available for the same low price as the Piano memories album, so its price shouldn't keep you from owning it. In the end, though, this album is aimed towards fans of Chinese music only, and likely won't find an audience outside of that group.