Yugo Kanno is the composer of the music for the animated feature film "The Camphor Keeper" (directed by Tomohiko Ito), based on The Camphor Keeper" evokes delicate emotions deep within the heart that cannot be put into words, quietly touching the heart. We spoke to Kanno about his thoughts on the music for "The Camphor Keeper."
◇Piano pieces that condense people's thoughts
"The Camphor Keeper" tells the story of Naoi Reito, a young man who loses his job due to unjust dismissal and becomes the mysterious "The Camphor Keeper ," where he meets people with all sorts of problems. Reito loses his job and is arrested for a mistake after being cornered. The mystery of the camphor tree entangles Reito's life as well, leading to an unexpected truth. The film was released on January 30th.
The camphor tree standing at Tsukigo Shrine evokes a sense of the mysterious grandeur of nature beyond human understanding. The main theme of the anime expresses the presence of this camphor tree. It also sounds like it expresses the preciousness of everyday life, the feelings that are passed down, and the bonds between people that the camphor tree teaches us.
"The setting has a Japanese feel to it, but there aren't many Japanese elements in it. Reito, the main character of The Camphor Keeper, is a boy in the modern era. I wanted to express his pent-up feelings and youthfulness. I tried to express Reito's pent-up feelings and youthfulness, as well as his growth, through music. The music sounds completely different depending on where you listen to it; it's neutral. It starts with a simple, reverberating piano melody, and there's nothing there. It could be played in a scene where nothing happens, or it could be played in a moving scene. I made the main theme a song that acts as a receptacle that can take in anything. As he grows up, and his emotions begin to overflow, the song plays and memories will flash by like a slideshow. That's how I created it."
"The Camphor Keeper" features a piano performance scene, for which Kanno wrote a new piano piece. While I can't go into details to avoid spoilers, it is one of the key scenes in the film. Director Ito Tomohiko, who is in charge of the anime, asked Kanno to compose the piano piece before starting on the storyboard. In other words, the piano piece was the first thing he created.
"In scenes where an instrument is being played, the finger movements and the music need to be in sync, so they can't be created without music. The same goes for singing scenes. Since these scenes depend on the music, it's standard to create the music first. I created the piano piece for ' The Camphor Keeper' with the image of it concentrating the thoughts of many different people."
Kanno also composed the music for Ito's animated film "The Millionaire Detective Balance: UNLIMITED." When I interviewed Ito, he spoke of his immense trust in Kanno.
"Director Ito did make some requests, such as extending the songs a little to suit the scenes, but the songs were never completely different. As for the songs, the director's image changed during production, so we had to rewrite them, but the director's image was so accurate that I never misread them. The director simply conveyed only the core points, and yet he left room for imagination, so it was very easy to work with him."
◇Original music that is unique to the work
Kanno has worked on music for Higashino's works in the past, but he aimed to create music that could only be expressed in "The Camphor Keeper."
"I've had the opportunity to compose the music for many of Higashino's films, and I have deep feelings for him. I've also been involved in Director Ito's films, but I tried to approach them without any preconceptions. When a director has a strong artistic style in their work, composers can be drawn to their work. That's why even if a different composer composes the film, it can end up sounding similar. I think the director is trying to guide the music in some way. I wanted to create new music that would go along with that, but without being too influenced by it. The Camphor Keeper Tree is based on a novel, but there's also the freshness and originality that only a film can have. I want to take that into consideration when composing the music. Of course, the original is important. I find that I do better if I first enshrine the original and then create the music without being too influenced by it."
Kanno has worked on the music for a variety of live-action films and anime, producing many famous songs. Is there a difference in the way music is composed for live-action and anime?
"Whether it's animated or live-action doesn't really matter; it depends on the concept and the director. If I misread what the director thinks is beautiful, it won't work. I've been in this job for nearly 30 years, so when I get offers they know what kind of music I want to create, and I've gotten to the point where I don't misread it as much. I create music with the belief that there must be original music that is unique to that work."
"The Camphor Keeper" is truly an original piece of music that only Kanno could create.
Mr. Kanno is a prolific composer, and has many masterpieces. I'm curious to know what goes on in his "head." For example, does music ever flow naturally when you read a novel? I asked him this question at the end.
"Yes, I suppose it's an occupational hazard. Right now I'm being interviewed. If I were to add music, would it reflect the interviewer's emotions? Or my own? There's also the emotions of the people present. Music can take many different directions depending on the situation, and even when I'm not asked to, I find myself thinking about what music to add. That's why I generally try not to play background music on a daily basis. One time, I treated myself to a massage at a resort spa in Hawaii, and they told me I could choose from a dozen different types of music, including the sounds of the ocean and the wind. Even the sound of the ocean rippling makes me think of music. It's so unsettling, so I apologized and asked them to do it in silence. I've also developed a habit of canceling music. For example, even if I go to the supermarket and there's music playing, I have ear cancellers that block out the sound (laughs)."
