Forum - View topicYuki Kajiura vs. Yoko Kanno: Your Take
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jmays
ANN Associate Editor
 Posts: 1390 Location: St. Louis, MO |
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We've been down this road before, but this time it's different. If you choose one side (or both, or neither), you must back up your opinion! And of course all of this is fair game for the feature, so if you don't want to be quoted…well, why are you posting on a forum in the first place!?
Last edited by jmays on Wed Jul 04, 2007 1:34 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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one3rd
 Posts: 1818 Location: アメリカ |
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I'm not overly familiar with the work of either woman, but just looking at their Encyclopedia entries, there really is no competition between Yoko Kanno and Yuki Kajiura. Yoko Kanno has done more, higher profile work for anime. Titles include Arjuna, Cowboy Bebop, Ghost In The Shell: SAC, Macross Plus, 7, and Zero, RahXephon, and Wolf's Rain. Kajiura has done work on .hack//whatever, Chrono Crusade, Mai-HiME, MS Gundam Seed, and Tsubasa Chronicle, but for some of these, she has only done theme songs rather than full scores. Based on the volume, status, and type of work that they've done for anime, Kanno is the clear winner.
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areaseven
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 1486 Location: Makati, Philippines |
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Actually, Yoko Kanno did NOT compose the music for Macross Zero. The soundtrack was done by Kuniaki Haishima.
Also, she really didn't do much for RahXephon, other than the opening theme. |
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Arbalest X
Posts: 5 Location: california |
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sorry i've gotta go with yuki, her music covers a wide range of instruments and styles, everyone up to this point who i have had try her music loves it, i second fav. would probably be taku iwasaki simply for his samurai x tracks.
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v1cious
 Posts: 6226 Location: Houston, TX |
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as i said in the other thread, i prefer Yoko Kanno cause she is always trying new things, and she likes to think outside the box. a lot people say the "Diverse" thing is just a gimmick to make her look more talented than she actually she is, but listen to the "Escaflowne" soundtrack! that's a woman who's mastered her craft
while i like Yuki Kajiura, i think she needs to do something different. i mean this style worked for awhile... but after like her 5th or 6th anime it became predictable. it's to the point where i can watch an anime, and tell immediately the soundtrack was done by her just by hearing one track. what i do like about her though, is her ability to take the most simple song, and turn it into something really big. if she did more out-there stuff like "The Portrait of Petit Cossette" soundtrack, she couid be great. Last edited by v1cious on Fri May 12, 2006 8:30 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Mugen1style
Posts: 281 Location: North of the wall |
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I have to go with Yokko although I like Yuki. Yokko just has alot more depth than Yuki imo. As V1cious pointed out you can tell right away when you hear Yuki where as with Yokko I normally do not realize it is her untill I look at the credits. I also agree that Yuki needs to be more versatile imo. I do have ost's of both and I like them both but Yokko wins this one IMO
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Iron Chef
 Posts: 487 Location: Seattle, WA |
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I'm also going to have to say that I think Yuki Kajiura has pretty well "jumped the shark." There were a couple of bright spots in Mai-HiME ("Duran Shoukan" and "Mezame"), but the vast majority of the other tracks were more of the same ol'. Even the vocal songs she composes for Minami Kuribayashi come off as formulaic. As far as I know, the only musicians that can get away with that are AC/DC, who have put out the same album for about 30 years.
As for Kanno, as pointed out earlier, she's done a huge range of music for a huge range of projects. One of my absolute favourites was "23ji no Ongaku," an OST for a drama that came out in 2002. It's kind of dark and jazzy, and the song "Here" (featuring the ever-awesome Maaya Sakamoto) is hands-down the best thing I think they've done. But for my money, two of the best composers out there are Shinji Orito and Magome Togoshi. Their work on "Air," "Clannad" and "Kanon" (the game version, not the anime version) is absolutely breathtaking. As with most OSTs that contain 20+ tracks per disc, there are some clunkers here and there, but the majority is great stuff. Listen to songs like "Yukinohara," "Natsukage," "Shoujo no Gennu," and "Esoragoto" and you can hear, feel, see and almost touch the scene they're backing. It's absolutely brilliant work. |
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penguintruth
 Posts: 8499 Location: Penguinopolis |
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I'm surprised that there's even a question in the matter. Yuki Kajiura does some fine work, but most of it sounds the same, whereas Yoko Kanno is always trying new and wonderful things, and succeeding beautifully.
Yoko Kanno > Yuki Kajiura, there's no contest. |
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Space_cowboy64
 Posts: 337 Location: Great Britain...not all that great |
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i agree there isnt much contest yoko is one of, if not the best music composer in the Business. my favoutire song of hers would be erm either elm from cowboy bebop, or myung theme in macross plus...no wait i got it the into song to Escaflowne that is my fav
cheers space |
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Mohawk52
 Posts: 8202 Location: England, UK |
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Ms. Kajiura's composition "Sayonara Solitaire" which was the ending of "Chrono Crusade" shows just what she can do when she gets away from her fascination of Gregorian chants, not that I don't like that, indeed Noir OST still fills the interior of my car whilst commuting up and down the M3 for 3 years now. that and Enigma. Remember Enigma? Only if you were concience during the late 80's early 90's probably. But I will agree that Ms. Kanno has a longer curriculum vita, and her ability to sing in both Japanese and English effortlessly is a plus for her internationally. I don't think we have ever heard Ms. Kajiura sing, have we? |
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Southcross
 Posts: 50 Location: Denver |
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Yoko for me
I was only drawn to this thread because I saw the name! Well each and EVERY time I see the name I have to check the reference. Been a long time Anime fan, starting with Macross (even more so with the release of Macross Plus), Bebop, Escaflowne... then through the more "modern" Animes... GitS, Wolf's Rain. The music is energetic and fits the series I'm watching.... I'm drawn to every that says Yoko Kanno... I own something like 10 different OSTs all done by her
While I admit I don't recall any of Yuki's songs, when I look at the list of Anime series she has done music for... Just about every one I recall seeing on the shelves at my local anime store... I look at them, say "ehhh", and put it right back on the shelf. |
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areaseven
Encyclopedia Editor
Posts: 1486 Location: Makati, Philippines |
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My personal opinion is that I'd take Yoko Kanno over Yuki Kajiura every day of the week. The problem is that majority of Kajiura's fans only identify at most two titles (namely Noir and .hack//SIGN), not to mention that majority of her other works tend to sound way too similar to those two titles.
Kanno, on the other hand, is more diverse. She does classical (Escaflowne), techno (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex), new age (Macross Plus) and jazz (Cowboy Bebop) without sounding the same on any of them. |
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Southcross
Posts: 50 Location: Denver |
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Mylene
 Posts: 2792 Location: Indiana |
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I'm not particularly eloquent, which is why I've avoided posting in this thread for so long, but given the lack of support for Kajiura, I suppose I might as well jump in.
I know mine is a very biased opinion, as most opinions are. I've heard much more of Kajiura Yuki's music than Kanno Yoko's, largely due to owning 7 Kajiura-based soundtracks to just 1 of Kanno. Kajiura has a distinctive sound, that is clear. Perhaps there are songs that even sound similar. However, I also find that to be the case for certain Kanno songs, particularly from her work on Cowboy Bebop, so having some songs that sound similar should not really count against anyone. If it did, Matchbox Twenty would have gone out of business a long, long time ago. What is it that I like about Kajiura? I don't entirely know. Perhaps I do simply enjoy the Gregorian-style chants that are common throughout her work on the Noir soundtrack. Maybe it's the European flair of songs like "Romance". I love the (and pardon me for misnaming this, but I'm not a musician nor a music critic) "Celtic" feel of certain songs on the .hack//SIGN soundtrack. And the darkness of Petit Cossette is also very alluring. While overall I can usually pinpoint a Kajiura Yuki song without problem, I don't have an issue with listening to the various OSTs that contain mostly her work. If it all sounded the same, I wouldn't be able to do that, as I get very sick of music that sounds the same (ie I can't listen to a Matchbox Twenty cd straight through, because after awhile I can no longer tell one song from the next). The thing is, I do like most of the songs that Kanno Yoko has composed. But if I have to choose between my Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex OST or my Noir OST 2, I'm going to go with Noir. It's just a personal preference. Perhaps as I hear more, my view will change. But perhaps it will not. Either way, for the time being my preference is Kajiura Yuki. Last edited by Mylene on Thu May 18, 2006 10:18 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Kidder
 Posts: 188 Location: Bat country! >.< |
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I'd definately have to side with Yoko Kanno on this one.
I've seen most of the anime she's been associated with and own several of the OSTs, including Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell:SAC and Wolf's Rain. I have also watched the .hack//SIGN anime from beginning to end and listened to the OST. I think the main reason why I prefer Yoko Kanno's work over Yuki Kajiura's work is because I tend to associate their songs with whichever anime the song was from. I loved Cowboy Bebop and GITS:SAC, but absolutely hated .hack//SIGN... Also from a musician's point of view, I simply find Yoko Kanno's music more enjoyable to listen to. Being a pianist, I find her piano compositions are particularly enjoyable to listen to. She's explored many different styles, mostly with great success and often works with other very talented artists to produce some fantastic songs. |
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