The moment in “Whisper of the Heart” where Shizuku, prodded along by Seji, begins to sing nervously, and is soon joined by Seji’s uncle and his friends to form an ensemble, is my favourite moment in any Ghibli film, and one of my favourite film moments altogether. The reasons for this are half-quality wise and half-personal. It’s a well directed scene, of course. The version of the song itself is a wonderful arrangement, portraying the simplicity of the scene and expressing how beautiful such simplicity can be. This is the sort of scene where Ghibli films have a clear distinction from Disney films. In a Disney film, this moment, a song, would perhaps start with the solo violin and then quickly transform into a full musical number with a professional singer and production. But Ghibli keeps the simplicity……(click title to read more)

In addition to the Totoro sheet music posted below, I have more for you - I’ve arranged sheet music for Fugainaiya , from Honey and Clover, recorded an mp3, and also recorded an mp3 of Waltz. Neither of these appear on the actual OST for some reason. Here they are:

Fugainaiya Sheet music - http://www.omohide.com/Fugainaiya_theowne@gmail.pdf

Fugainaiya Mp3 - http://www.omohide.com/Fugainaiya - theowne@gmail_dot_com.mp3

Waltz Mp3 - http://www.omohide.com/Waltz - theowne@gmail_dot_com.mp3

Someone asked me to write down the arrangement of the Totoro opening theme that I usually play on piano. So, I have done so and I’m sharing it with all of you:

http://www.omohide.com/Totoro_Sampo_Theowne.pdf

In case you don’t play, but would like to hear it, here’s (a somewhat low quality) recording of myself:

http://omohide.com/Sampo_piano_Totoro_theowne.mp3

Feel free to contact me with any comments you may have.

There is a hole in the world that cannot be patched. Goodbye, sir.

It’s funny how people (and things in general) can change in such a relatively short period of time. A few years ago, I was a short 14 year old boy, just starting high school, and a huge fan of Naruto, the (now) immensely popular anime series. It was the first anime I ever watched. Back then, I was moved by the emotional scenes of death and loss, I was intrigued by the plot and unanswered questions. I know that what I’m going to say is really cheesy – but it really was such a simpler time back then. The highlight of my week was downloading the latest Naruto episode, subtitled, off of the subbers website Nowadays, the word “Naruto fan” makes you think of loud, obnoxious, and immature forum users. But back then, Naruto was just starting to become popular in Japan, and the mainstream Canada & US had never heard of it….(continued, click on title)

Jon is now one of my favourite people in the world. What an inspirational speech. My favourite part is when he says “In 1993 I was rejected at the screening for the Van Cliburn piano competition” and then gives his fellow Van Cliburn judges a mockingly angry look.

This was the first Debussy pieces I learned, and is still a favourite of mine. It’s an early Debussy piece, and is very simple and pleasant. It is very accessible and sure to put a smile on any listener’s face, and it’s also a treat for the performer due to the movement and […]

I always enjoy going back in time and revisiting something I loved as a small child, whether it’s the days of watching the Pokemon dub on YTV, or various games that I would play as a kid. Lost Eden used to be one of my favourite games. I found it in a bargain bin one day and brought it home, and immediately loved it. When I was tiny, I had a great fascination with dinosaurs, like many kids. A game about a land where dinosaurs and men co-exist was a very interesting and unique idea to me. I was also very impressed with the music and visuals. I thought it was the greatest thing in the world. Of course, the game had big flaws. It was way too easy and repetitive, for one thing. But I was a kid. I didn’t really care at the time…….(continued, click on title)

So by now, I think everyone’s well acquainted with the fact that we are getting two new films, both a Miyazaki film and (surprise:) a new Takahata film! The thing about Miyazaki is, we all appreciate when we learn of a new film, but we almost expect it. With Takahata, it’s really something to find out he has a new project planned…….(continued, click on title)