Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a highly acclaimed anime. It is adored by the fans and is a prominent fantasy story to be ever presented in anime. The background music of some significant moments from the series has helped to cement its place in the hearts of the viewers. All the 11 soundtrack of Fullmetal Alchemist is available on streaming platforms now. The mind behind composing these spectacular pieces is Akira Senju. Anime News Network interviewed the man regarding his journey in coming up with these tracks for Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
How did Akira Senju compose the soundtrack for Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood?
Anime News Network interviewed the man behind composing such streamlined soundtracks for Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. He was asked how he usually starts composing a track and whether or not he follows a specific flow. To the questions hurled at him, Senju replied to Anime New Network,
“Animated series need a lot of music. The composers need a lot of different outlets. The reason why it takes much longer than live-action is because there is no background noise – all of the sounds have to be created. The role of music becomes more and more important. So I first think of a few core themes that are central to the nature of the story, and then I work around them in a medium that doesn’t get in the way of each theme.”
“Lurking, Nocturne of Amestris-Duet, and Trisha’s Lullaby immediately come to mind as easily created. The hardest part was to come up with more complex compositions for the battle scenes.”
In addition to speaking on the pieces that came to his mind while composing, he also addressed the difficulties he faced with Anime News Network while creating more intense tracks for the combat scenes.
“The Sound Director – songs like Versus Homunculus, Battle Scherzo, Knives and Shadows, Envy Revealed, Next Chapter etc. I was particularly conscious of the history of alchemy and the European musical worldview in this work, and I was conscious of the European spirit in modern and contemporary times for serious situations.”
He further explains to Anime News Network how he kept the relationship between European music and alchemy in mind while searching for different aspects to compose the tracks.
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Who is Akira Senju?
Akira Senju is a classically trained composer and arranger for Japanese media and the concert hall. His prominent works include Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, NHK Taiga Drama Fūrin Kazan, and Tetsujin 28.
He is known for creating music in a rather romantic orchestral style. There are elements of musical Impressionism and Film music that are similar to those of John Barry and Ennio Morricone. He recorded and led a symphonic piece for the Namco game Valkyrie no Densetsu with the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra in 1993.
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Are the soundtracks of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood available on streaming platforms?
On 13 May 2022, Milan Records officially announced the release of the soundtracks of the anime series Fullmetal Alchemist. These included the 2003 original anime series and the 2009 reboot. They also released the original soundtracks (OSTs) of the movie Conqueror of Shambala, which is basically a conclusion to the actual storyline released back in 2003, and The Sacred Star of Milos, which was set within Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood’s continuity.
Along with the 11 original soundtracks, they also released two albums, which consisted of songs performed by the Japanese voice casts of both series. Since these beautiful pieces of work are all available on music streaming platforms Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music, fans can enjoy them freely.
Source: Anime News Network
