SAINAN NO KEKKA :: THE SOUNDTRACK
THE CHARACTER FILES
THE REVELATION ARC: ACTS I-III
THE RELICS ARC: ACTS IV-VI
THE BETRAYALS ARC: ACTS VII-IX
THE REBIRTH ARC: ACTS X-XIII
>>CHARACTER FILES #1-4
CHARACTER FILES 5-7
You've seen and listened to the soundtracks for each individual act of Sainan no Kekka. However, a good story is nothing without an overall theme to tie it together, and neither is a good musical score without an overarching weave of themes to show how the characters all fit with each other.
The Character Files is a collection of music designed to do just that. In order to bring to life our perception of our characters through music, we've tried to create not just a soundtrack, but a tangible world through sensory experience. There are 7 CDs in total, each of a different location in the world of Sainan no Kekka: The Breaks, Cliffside Heights, The Circus, Arabia, China, The Preventers, and Europe. On each CD are the characters' "image songs," picked out by us, as well as songs and sounds that convey certain statements and feelings about that particular location.
We hope that you will enjoy your journey through the world of SnK and Gundam Wing as it was meant to be...so close your eyes and turn up the music, and let's begin.
Want to make your own SnK Character Files Soundtracks? Click here!
Later I hope to put up lyrics and translations (if applicable) for all the image songs. I haven't had the time to do that yet, so none of them are up.
CHARACTER FILE 1 :: THE BREAKS
Located on L1, originally settled by Japanese colonists, the Breaks may be a hive of scum and villiany and a lot worse besides, but it nevertheless retains many aspects of its heritage. From the Japanese descended drug lords who rule it to the ethnicities of Darkflight and Heero to Atsuki's chosen name, the Breaks may be seen as the forgotten twilight zone of Japanese legend, a place where half-formed monsters and nightmares roam free.
The music for this is a balance between the Japanese and the atmospheric. I wanted to show the colony's heritage while keeping an overall "dark" mood on this first CD. Therefore, dispersed within the sometimes disturbing sound effects and image songs, you'll find some traditional Japanese music, just enough to lift the entire CD out of the murk when it threatens to bury itself too deep in angst.
Track 1. Heero: "Ninmu ryoukai."
"Mission acknowledged." The familiar phrase from the series segues directly into...
Track 2. Just Communication [Two Mix // 4:19]
We can't have a Gundam Wing soundtrack of any sort without putting in a proper tribute to the opening theme of the TV series. The familiar beat should prepare you adequately for the journey into the Gundam Wing universe.
Track 3. de Merveilles [Malice Mizer // 1:07]
of Wonders
Track one from their Merveilles CD, this is a track composed entirely of sound effects, from the distant rumble of thunder to the eerie creaking of a door to the soft chiming of a grandfather clock to the soft footsteps that fade in and out at the end. Perhaps this is Shadowwing inside someone's house, undertaking a mission, or maybe Seki Hikaru pacing back and forth inside his office, thinking while the windows are open and a light rain patters outside.
Track 4. Saraba Matenro no Fairy Tale [Takui // 6:55]
Farewell to the Skyscraper's Fairy Tale
This haunting song laments the sad state of the human race, which places value on technology and material possessions but has no regard for things like human life or morality. A fitting "theme" for the Breaks.
Track 5. Shika no Toune [traditional Japanese melody // 0:51]
The Distant Sound of a Deer
A hypnotizing melody woven by a lone shakuhachi (bamboo flute).
Track 6. Psycho Magnet [London After Midnight // 4:17]
Darkflight image song.
Track 7. 40 Miles from the Sun [Bush // 3:39]
Darkflight image song.
Track 8. Sound: Light drizzling rain
The weather control system in the Breaks is notorious for breaking down, and more often than not, it's raining.
Track 9. Phantom World [Armitage III]
Soft, soothing, yet very sad, the lyrics of this song speak of days gone by, of a world that is so insubstantial it seems almost a dream.
Track 10. Heero: "Omae o korosu." Gunshot.
Heero's catchphrase to Relena, followed by the shot of his pistol. Unlike Relena, some of his victims in the Breaks weren't so lucky.
Track 11. Kryptonite [Three Doors Down // 3:54]
Heero image song
Track 12. Ave Verum Corpus [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart // 3:07]
The accompanying music to the church scene in the Heero sidestory Sin.
Track 13. Streets of Philadelphia [Bruce Springsteen // 3:16]
Heero image song
Track 14. Sound: Creaking door and woman's voice: "Are you still up?"
Atsuki returning home from work late at night to find Heero sitting on the floor of her apartment, waiting for her.
Track 15. #1 Crush [Garbage // 4:45]
Atsuki image song
Track 16. Another Day in Paradise [Phil Collins // 5:21]
Atsuki image song
Track 17. Sakura [traditional Japanese melody // 0:37]
Cherry Blossoms
Another shakuhachi melody. This one is a quite well known, a melancholy song that I think describes Atsuki very well. Though she isn't Japanese by birth, she has adopted L1 and the Breaks as her home, a beautiful yet ephemeral creature who blooms for only a season, yet leaves an unerasable mark on everyone who knew her.
Track 18. Angel of the Morning [Juice Newton]
Atsuki image song
Track 19. Sound: Thunderstorm
The weather control systems have decided to flood the streets of the Breaks tonight with even more rain, so Heero, Darkflight, and Atsuki are holed up somewhere dry and hopefully warm, waiting out the storm.
Track 20. Evening Rose [Dope HEADz]
Heero and Atsuki image song
Track 21. Konstantine [Something Corporate]
Heero and Atsuki image song
Track 22. Heero: "Ninmu kanryo."
"Mission accomplished." A fitting end to the CD, and a reminder that Heero's sojourn in the Breaks is destined to come to an end and that he must someday return to the friends and the war he left behind.
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CHARACTER FILE 2 :: CLIFFSIDE HEIGHTS
The gang of Cliffside Heights are probably the most "normal" of all the Sainan no Kekka characters and the ones that most of our readers can relate to: average American teenages going to class, talking about boys and parties, and being kids. The theme of this CD is "a day in the life of." I wanted to show the Cliffside gang in the normal setting of getting up, going to school, meeting friends, and returning home to the dorm for an evening of relaxation and maybe some homework. For this reason, I have interspersed tracks from the GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka) drama through the CD.
The image songs for most of original characters are chosen to reflect their growth through the story. The first song for Ilene, Helena, and Chris is meant to show the innocent teenage mindset they had before the Gundam crisis; the second song shows them as they are in the later part of SnK. I have also included Hilde on this album, as she didn't fit on any of the other ones and because she is probably the person closest to the Cliffside teenagers besides Duo.
Track 1. Sound: Alarm clock going off. Duo: "Shinigami ga jigoku kara mai modotte kita ze!"
"Shinigami has returned from hell!" I can very well imagine Duo waking up and yelling this at his alarm clock.
Track 2. Hop, Step, Jump, and Run! [GTO // 2:55]
A chipper, "morning" sounding track that could accompany the students as they prepare for school in the morning.
Track 3. Sound: Shower, footsteps leaving room, school bell ringing. Duo: "Kou iu baai, dou mitatte, omae no hou ga warumono darou. Kega wa nai kai, ojousan?"
"In a situation like this, however you look at it, you're the one who's the bad guy. You're not hurt are you, miss?" Duo's comment to Relena when he first meets Heero in the series, but here it serves to introduce us to the Cliffside girls.
Track 4. Irresistable [Jessica Simpson //3:12]
Ilene image song.
Track 5. Dearest [Hamasaki Ayumi // 5:27]
Ilene image song.
Track 6. Sound: Waterfall and windchimes
Helena's introduction, reminiscent of the first time we meet her in SnK talking to Duo on the cliff overlooking the river.
Track 7. Candy [Mandy Moore // 3:58]
Helena image song.
Track 8. Please Remember [LeAnn Rimes // 4:36]
Helena image song.
Track 9. Very Poison [GTO // 2:33]
Introduction to the Cliffside boys. The screeching of tires as a BMW pulls up leads directly into a badass rocking instrumental track with lots of heavy guitars and bass.
Track 10. Larger Than Life [Backstreet Boys // 3:52]
Chris image song.
Track 11. Drops of Jupiter [Train // 4:21]
Chris image song.
Track 12. Sound: Chirping of birds, door slam, footsteps, phone ringing
Shinobu returning home from school, running into the dormitory as a phone rings from somewhere down the hallway.
Track 13. Somewhere in the Middle [Dishwalla // 3:42]
Shinobu image song.
Track 14. Theme from Schindler's List [John Williams // 3:33]
This well-known theme is a tribute to Shinobu's heritage in the Breaks. Though he is far away from his home, he can never escape his past.
Track 15. Seasons of Love [Rent // 2:51]
Shinobu and Helena image song.
Track 16. Duo: "Oretachi baka nan da ze kitto!" Running footsteps and church bells.
"We must be idiots!" The tolling church bells change the scene to Duo.
Track 17. Tonight and the Rest of My Life [Nina Gordon // 4:22]
Duo image song.
Track 18. Theme from GTO (Blues version) [GTO // 3:11]
A thoughtful piece. Perhaps Duo looking over his cliff and watching the sunset.
Track 19. Easy Tonight [Five for Fighting // 4:10]
Duo image song.
Track 20. Ave Maria [Johann Sebastian Bach // 2:48]
A trip back to Duo's Catholic origins.
Track 21. Everywhere [Michelle Branch // 3:40]
Hilde image song.
Track 22. Sound: School bell and the end of the school day, seguing into airport sounds.
The reason Duo is at Cliffside is because Hilde insisted that he go make a life for himself away from her, buying him a shuttle ticket to earth. "If you love something, set it free. If the love is true, it will come back to you."
Track 23. A Thousand Miles [Vanessa Carlton // 3:56]
Hilde image song.
Track 24. Poison (music box version) [GTO // 2:12]
The day has ended and the students are in bed, awaiting the dawn of a new school day. The wind-up of the music box at the beginning of this track sounds like the wind-up of a baby's melody box as its soothing melodies lull the child to sleep.
Track 25. When it Rains in America [Sarah Brightman // 3:43]
Celebrating the American heritage, adopted or native born, of the Cliffside students, as well as summing up the relationships between these different characters. Used as the theme song for the Act 8 version of the SnK weblog.
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CHARACTER FILE 3 :: THE CIRCUS
Everyone loves the circus, and a circus that has performers of Trowa and Catherine's caliber promises to deliver an extra-special performance. The Dance of the Daggers and some of the Bloom family's other performances are strongly based on acts from the famed Cirque du Soleil, so it is only fitting that this character file should be based around the melodies of the Cirque performance Alegria.
Spanish for "joy," Alegria allegedly "harks back to the travelling family circuses that crisscrossed Europe not so long ago," the very description of the Bloom family and their first circus troupe. Yet amidst the joyous sounds, Alegria also holds laments for the children of the world who sleep alone on the streets, homeless and without a family. Trowa is the child without a family, and Catherine is the joy he has found. The French references within some of the Alegria tracks and some other songs on the CD attest to Trowa and Catherine's heritage.
Track 1. Fanfare and Introduction
"You have what it takes," the female announcer declares as trumpets blare and the audience applauds wildly. "Come join the circus!"
Track 2. Irna [Cirque du Soleil // 4:46]
A mysterious and pulsing track to start off the CD and get the crowd riled up while they wait for the performers to appear in the ring.
Track 3. Trowa: "I have no name. But if you must call me something, call me Trowa. Trowa Barton."
Track 4. Higher [Creed // 5:18]
Trowa image song.
Track 5. Sad Clown [Sarah McLachlan // 4:31]
Trowa image song.
Track 6. Taruka [Cirque du Soleil // 5:34]
A slower ambient track filled with echoes of cymbols and lots of low strings. The accompaniment, perhaps, to Catherine and Trowa in Act 2 as they perform their gravity-defying acrobatic stunts.
Track 7. J'te Mentirais [Patrick Bruel // 4:02]
I'd Lie to You
Trowa image song.
Track 8. End of an Act
"Amazing!" the announcer and the people cheer, after Catherine and Trowa finish their acrobatic act to a resounding drumroll.
Track 9. Send in the Clowns [Steven Songheim // 3:56]
Catherine image song.
Track 10. Kalandero [Cirque du Soleil // 5:19]
An ethnic mix of electronics and percussion punctuated by a chorus of chanting voices. An accompaniment for another circus act as the siblings rest.
Track 11. Si tu Rêves [Patricia Kaas // 3:52]
If You Leave
Catherine image song.
Track 12. La Neige au Sahara [Anggun // 4:18]
Catherine image song.
Track 13. Dance of the Daggers
Catherine aims and lets the dagger fly but pulls a stunt that makes the audience laugh, lightening the mood.
Track 14. Jeux d'Enfants [Cirque du Soleil // 4:40]
A fun, upbeat track with a very traditional French folk feel. As title means "Plays of the Children," this is Catherine and Trowa together, relaxing or having fun after the show is over, or maybe backstage after their act is complete.
Track 15. Forever Young [Alphaville // 3:44]
Catherine and Trowa image song.
Track 16. Ballade Pour Adeline [Richard Clayderman // 3:16]
The original rendition, in piano, of the music box tune that Trowa gives to Catherine.
Track 17. I Hope You Dance [Lee Ann Womack // 4:56]
Catherine and Trowa image song.
Track 18. The Last Act
Amid the final fanfare, the announcer shouts: "That was great circus fun!"
Track 19. Alegria [Cirque du Soleil // 5:51]
The theme song of the performance is sung in three languages, a fitting conclusion. An intensely beautiful song speaking of both the sadness and hope that is inherent in all humankind.
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CHARACTER FILE 4 :: ARABIA
Quatre's Arabian origins allowed some experimentation on this CD. As Arabic is not a language I'm familiar with, I chose songs based on more of how they sounded and felt rather than on lyrics, so I'm sorry if the lyrics don't quite...match ^^;; However, the CD itself does have a very Arabian feel to it, something which I feel is not emphasized enough in the Gundam Wing TV series. I believe that Quatre is a person who would be very proud of his heritage; not fanatic about it like Wufei and Sally, but still proud to be of Arabian blood. For this reason, the theme of Quatre's CD is "family."
Track 1. Desert Rose [Sting and Cheb Mami // 4:45]
Made famous by Sting's involvement, this song is a very beautiful work with a strong beat that pulls the listener into the rhythms of Arabia.
Track 2. Quatre: "Beautiful...do they know how beautiful Earth is?"
Track 3. Sorrow [Bad Religion // 3:21]
Quatre image song.
Track 4. The Second Element [Sarah Brightman // 4:14]
Quatre image song.
Track 5. Sound: Sandstorm and windchimes
As the wind whistles, the Winner family and the Magunacs are safe among the sand dunes in their hidden shelter.
Track 6. Homeward Bound [Simon & Garfunkel // 2:26]
Quatre's return to Earth after the war. The theme to his sidestory Homecoming.
Track 7. Quatre: "People who are kind people are shedding tears...but nobody understands them."
What better quote to introduce Fatima bint Narish?
Track 8. Bitch [Meredith Brooks // 4:13]
Fatima image song.
Track 9. Rahupati Rahav Raja Raam [traditional Arabic melody // 4:18]
Something the Winners or the Magunacs and their families would maybe play at a festival.
Track 10. Quatre: "I'm on my own. That's...not a problem, right?"
No, that's what his family is for. The introduction to Quatre's sisters.
Track 11. You Gotta Be [Des'ree // 4:09]
Jaffa image song.
Track 12. Whistle Down the Wind [Andrew Lloyd Weber // 3:53]
Jaffa image song.
Track 13. A Vava Inouva [Idir // 3:31]
"Little Father" is a song sung in the traditional Berber language about the love of a father for his family and the love of the family for each other. Raberba was at times feared by his children, but in the end, they each loved him in their own way.
Track 14. Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again [The Phantom of the Opera // 3:04]
Reeshya image song.
Track 15. Concert No 4 in G Major, Presto (Mvt 4) [Johann Sebastian Bach // 4:23]
Quatre plays the violin, so I thought putting this short piece in here would be a nice reminder of his talent.
Track 16. Sing a Love Song for Me [Yamaguchi Yuko // 4:14]
A song for all the women of the Winner family, including Atsuki. As more of a distantly-related clan than a true family, they are all brought together by a desire to help their brother Quatre.
Track 17. Quatre: "I promise. One day my Gundam will definitely fight again!
Track 18. Some Mother's Son [Carolyn Dawn Johnson // 4:22]
Quatre's involvement in the war was not an isolated effort, but affected his entire family. At heart, Quatre is someone who longs to be close to the people around him. This song is about soldiers, family ties, and how even though boys become men and go off to war, they will always remain their mothers' sons. As Quatre is the only member of his family who had a real mother (though he doesn't know it), this song is a reminder that no matter who he is, he is always loved.
Track 19. Through Heaven's Eyes [The Prince of Egypt // 3:41]
He's the wealthiest man on the colonies, but he knows that doesn't make him more important than the poorest person on Earth. The closing song connects the Winner family with the other pilots and the supporting characters in the Gundam saga. It is their inner heart, not their wealth or possessions, that make them truly rich.
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