Xtra Special Music Post!
Ssshhhh!!! It’s here.
I got my shiny Kuroshitsuji Sound Complete Black Box.
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Is very happy and took some shots…
Initial Impressions:
My order was supposed to arrive earlier but the EMS parcel got held up at the Post because of the extra long weekend National holidays. But I have it now. I love the shiny black casing housing the CDs in a folded booklet form. The crest-like design on the case cover is awesome. My favourite though is the Phantomhive Crest design at the back of the case. It’s intricately gorgeous. Gold on black certainly stood out. I want to scan it and incorporate it into my Kuro banner design for tBP. Yay for the BB sticker featuring Yana’s new illustration. Well, the HQ scans of that image is all over the Kuroshitsuji fandom ever since the ost was posted online a couple of days after its official release. The booklet layout and design is a plus too. I can say that the overall packaging is rather classy and hassle free. Alrighty, enough of me gushing over my collectible. Review gab below the image cut.
Album Title: Kuroshitsuji Sound Complete Black Box
Music Direction: Iwasaki Taku
Artists: SID, BECCA, Kalafina, Ono Daisuke
Category: Animation Soundtrack
Date Released: 26-Aug-2009
Ayu comments on the music…
The first thing that came to mind when I first saw the track list was the number of German titles for the scores…heavy on the Germanic influence. I was curious as to which bgm were the ones that have got the German titles. And to think of the series as pro-English but then again, England’s royal family are of German descent, therefore the connection is valid.
At this point in time, I’m still going through the CDs and giving all the tracks a proper listen, obviously recalling the scenes to which they were featured in. So this commentary is kind of manic and all over the place. 😛 But right off the bat, La Gardenia wowed me. It was featured quite a few times in the anime that it became one of the most memorable themes used. The Butler is another prominent theme which stood out and it is one of Sebastian’s ominous theme. So what’s the other one…easy peasy, ‘The Dark Crow Smiles’. Omg, Eugene speaks. Lots of Gregorian chant. Wot…Viennese waltz too…lolz.
Ah, Ciel’s theme is sooo saaaad. I like how he pass-on in the anime but seeing as the 2nd Season is official, he’ll probably be revived and remained alive…so, the tragedy fades a little. Liking the Jazz imbued tracks as well particularly Jazzin’ which reminds me of Charlie Trotter jazzin’ in his kitchen…all I can think of is food and Sebas-chan cooking. Home Again is so nostalgic but tragic as well…as in Madam Red reminiscing and then dying later. But the most moving scene ever in the entire series has got to be Madam Red’s funeral scene. I’ve been eagerly looking forward to hear a clean version of the featured bgm and Omg, the actual score is absolutely beautiful and ironic at the same time…Iwasaki is just brilliant with that piece and its variation which conveys the essence of the scene so well. Another one I fancy is Si deus me relinquit, a theme that’s full of melancholy, solemnity and drama, another brilliant and moving Iwasaki composition for the anime. Ningou no kan is suitably spooky…reminds me of the Chucky-like dolls coming to life.
Oh yes…who can forget the interesting Indian music used for the ‘Curry Arc’ incorporating the Sitar and tabla instrumentation along with the Indian vocal chant. Jyo Agya brings to mind A.R Rahman’s compositions for Slumdog. Liking the bhangra beats on ‘The Right Hand of God’…made me laugh cos that’s like Agni’s theme and I can totally imagined Agni doing the bhangra dance to this theme and Soma trying to get everyone else to dance along.
I saw a small wild flower in the barren field and I thought that it is lonely by itself, like it was somehow misplaced in the world but at the same time, it gave me hope…aaahhh… the oriental *erhu* solo for this piece is so gorgeous, feels like a little butterfly is seeking solace in that little bright spot amidst the hopelessness… I dub it Lau’s theme…Lau ain’t dead. Just don’t let the German title fool you. A gleam in the distance conveys a feeling of resignation, accepting fate…though not as sorrowful as Madam Red’s theme, this piece is another sad and poignant composition especially with that vivid recollection of Ciel’s departing scene. Wah, Stella Mystica sounds very arty, like Marlene Dietrich…I can’t place which episode this was featured in or was it ever featured. I think I need to go and marathon the series again. 😛
Considering the fact that Kuroshitsuji ended a while ago, its music leaves a rather strong imprint on my mind because they are uniquely interesting. I can recall most of the bgm that was used and I have more likes than dislikes. Iwasaki Taku’s compositions were very effective in conveying the scenes and situations in the anime which made them memorable. His incorporation of the delicate mix of musical flavours complements instead of clash. He definitely brought about an interesting and refreshing musical direction for the anime and made Kuroshitsuji’s soundtrack a stunning winner. There were some pretty good soundtracks released this year but thus far, I definitely feel Kuroshitsuji’s OST tops all other Soundtracks releases at this stage.
And I’m still going through the tracks. Funny how I keep coming back to Lau’s theme. ..it’s like the 5th time I’ve played it at the time of making this post. Madam Red’s came in second. The *erhu* has gotten to me even though the viola is lovely too. Sigh…Time for me to dream of butterfly dreams.
Here endeth Ayu’s winding, rambling impression of Kuroshitsuji Sound Complete Black Box. *Gushes* I love my Black Box. (^w^)
Catalog No.: SVWC-7646
Label/Distributor:
Format: CD
Number of discs (or other units): 3
Source: cdjapan, yesasia, play-asia
Tracklist:
Disc 1
01. Nigram Clavem
02. Prologue
03. 坊ちゃんに紅茶とスコーンを Master of Tea and Scones (^o^)
04. Die Hasen!
05. La gardenia
06. 執事たるもの shitsuji taru mono
07. 裏社会の秩序 ura shakai no chitsujo
08. The butler
09. Coffin man
10. The Dark Crow Smiles
11. Ciel
12. Faint smile
13. Jazzin’
14. di’a’vertiment
15. Home Again
16. 英国の闇 eikoku no yami
17. 二度と戻らない大切な… nidoto modora nai taisetsu na
18. 王手を Oute o Checkmate
19. Wie schon!
20. マダム・レッドの思い出に～1レディ・レッド In memory of Madam Red – Lady in Red
21. 2リコリスの色 rikorisu no iro Colour of licorice
22. a diabolic waltz
23. Intermission:Sebastian Michaelis Version
Disc 2
01. Intermission:Ciel Phantomhive Version
02. Si deus me relinquit
03. 人形の館 ningyou no kan Doll House
04. リジー Lizzy
05. The Stranger from India
06. ジョー・アーギャー Jyo Agya
07. “神”に仕えし者 kami ” ni tsukaeshi sha
08. rudra
09. The right hand of God
10. small wild flower
11. Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen
12. Never More
13. 誇り高き女王の狗 hokori takaki joou no inu
14. The Dark Crow Smiles[remix]
15. Call thy name,”Stella Mystica”
16. A Gleam in the distance
Disc 3
01. モノクロのキス – シド
02. I’m ALIVE! – ベッカ
03. Lacrimosa – Kalafina
04. 貴方の声 ~が色褪せようとも、盟約の歌がその胸に届きますように。 セバスチャン(小野大輔)
05. 月の雨 ~セバスチャン(小野大輔)
the Brownie Post II 
HI. Awsome list. But can anyone pleaseeeee tell me what the song is in Kuroshitsuji Season one Episode 3 is? the one where Sebastian plays the violin, and Ceil dances with Elizabeth. And also Greil sings as well. (but he is still pretending to be a butler) PLEASE ANYONE!!! i love that part of that song!!! plsplspls. >.<
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Been a while since I watch KS Season 1. Might need to go and rewatch to find out which bgm/song you’re referring to. 😛
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i may be like 4 years too late XD but what you are referring to is “Diabolic Waltz”. i hope you found out later on and it didnt take this long for you to find the song XD
the funny thing about me is that there is a song that plays in the exact episode you are talking about, but the song i want is the one that plays the instumental of ” Si deus me relinquit” when ciel is about to slap the crap out of lizzie for annoying him so bad. i looked at the season again and yet the song doesnt appear ever again…only the one with the words pop up…i wonder if i will ever be able to find it….
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do you have the scans?
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Finally! The song I was looking for! It’s the “Si deus me relinquit” Who is the singer?
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I wish I knew who the vocalist is but it wasn’t specifically stated in the credits. However, you’ll be surprised to know that it’s an original Iwasaki Taku composition with lyrics composed by Kayo Konishi.
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Congrats. I could hear your drool drip even on this side of the WWW. Yep, definitely beautiful tracks.
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Kuroshitsuji Sound Complete Black Box Disc 3
By: SID, BECCA, Kalafina and Daisuke Ono (Sebastian Michaelis)
1. Monochrome no Kiss
2. I’m ALIVE!
3. Lacrimosa
4. Anata no Koe ga Iroaseyou tomo, Meiyaku no Uta ga sono Mune ni Todokimasu you ni
5. Tsuki no Ame
[just wanted you to know…]
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Yes,thank you. I do know. My Disc 3 Tracklist is in Japanese though, in case anyone miss it. 😀
And if anyone is wondering why I didn’t touch on Disc 3 in my winding review it’s because they’ve been touched on before separately in my OP/EDs Singles Releases for Kuroshitsuji, except for the two Sebastian Michaelis’ Character songs (which I deemed as fan service material). Daisuke Ono did alright singing the songs but they don’t really add anything to the main soundtrack , which is the meat of the set I’m looking at. So there, now you have my opinion on Disc 3. 🙂
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Sounds like you really enjoyed the OST 🙂 Nice packaging as well 🙂
What is the name of the Madam Red’s funeral scene track?
Stella Mystica played during the Queen scenes closer to the end 🙂
Yes, Small Wild Flower is nice track 🙂
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*(^O^)* Indeed, it’s an erstwhile purchase that yields the goods. The more I listen to it, the more interesting a study the album became for me. There are so many strong tracks on it.
Madam Red tribute tracks:
20. マダム・レッドの思い出に～1レディ・レッド In memory of Madam Red – Lady in Red
21. 2リコリスの色 rikorisu no iro Colour of licorice
Oh really?! Stella Mystica is the one bgm theme I can’t recollect.
ah, small wild flower leads to I’m lost in the world which I dubbed ‘Lau’s theme’ because of its Oriental flavour… the beautiful melody of the Chinese violin or 奚琴 is just touching.
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I see. I was wondering if you preferred one Madam track over the other. I liked 21 and included it in my selection in the post.
The other song I liked, but didn’t include in my post because I wanted to limit the number of tracks was “Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen” primarily due to a part that starts at 1:52. It seems that is the track that you were referring to. It was somewhat confusing to read your descriptions because you don’t refer to the tracks by numbers and don’t use quotations to denote the titles of the songs ( my tired and sleepy state didn’t help either 😛 ).
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XDDD… Oops Gomen ne. I’m really cruel cos I steam rolled through the entire post in one sitting, writing my thoughts as the words flowed out from my frazzled brain at the time, without caring about the nitty gritty… completely immersed being my other loony cryptic self, slightly intoxicated by the music. 😛 (^-^)V I would have re-written the post when I got much saner but nay, it won’t reflect my true feelings… I would have love to look back 6 months down the road and read what I wrote and laugh my ass off… (>w<)
Yes, I do prefer 'Colour of Licorice' more because of the specific setting that it was effectively used for although I love the epiloque liked version as well…and yes… the long German titled Chinese-flavoured track 11-Disc 2 was the one I called Lau's theme. It's one of my most listen to tracks from the set.
It seemed that some of the songs you mentioned in your post are the ones that I liked too. It's interesting to note that Ciel's theme and it's vocal version 'si deus me relinquit' each turns out to have their own distinctness in the variation.
Is *hopping* over to your post & comment on your picks there. 😛
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Oh, no problem – you were just very excited about the OST 🙂
Yes, Madam Red, Lau, and variations of Ciel’s theme were very good 🙂
Thank you for a detailed comment 🙂
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Three discs? That’s quite a set.
In any case, I’m interested in giving this one a thorough listen because Taku Iwasaki has his moments when he’s razor sharp but he’s also got his fair share of soundtracks that are forgettable (Black Cat comes to mind) and I want to know where this album tilts exactly.
It does sound like you enjoyed this one immensely though, so I’m hoping for some excellent pieces to come out of this.
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Ha yes, it’s a 3-disc set.
Yup, I definitely enjoy listening to the ost because my interest in the bgm pieces was already pique at the time I followed the series. I thought then that they work rather well in creating/setting the mood and atmosphere of the series. One example is La Gardenia and the whimsical scene (ep 2) it was first featured in just made it hard to forget. That was a brill combination although some say the music was overly dramatic but really, I beg to differ… XD. Well, I personally think Taku Iwasaki did an excellent job with Kuroshitsuji’s musical direction, crossing a few genres. Definitely way better than Black Cat.
Am glad you’re going to give the ost a good listen. I would love to hear what you think of the music for I feel you’ll be much more unbiased in your opinion….unlike me. 😛
Oh ya, thanks for dropping by too. 🙂
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Yeah, when Iwasaki pulls out all the stops, it can be really good. His work on the Kenshin OVA OSTs are still among my favorites.
In any case, I’ll consider this a review request and will probably work through this once after I finish writing my review of Clannad’s OST. If nothing else, your post provides me with a starting point that I can work off of, so thanks for that! 😀
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