Okamiden Original Soundtrack :: Liner Notes Translated by Ben Schweitzer

	Album Title:	Okamiden Original Soundtrack
	Record Label:	Suleputer
	Catalog No.:	CPCA-10222/5
	Release Date:	November 10, 2010
	Purchase:	Buy at CDJapan

Commentary

Rei Kondoh - Composer / Arranger

This is Rei Kondoh; I composed the music for Okamiden: Chisaki Taiyou. It has been over four years since I participated in the composition of Okami, and I am very happy that I am able to remain with this series that I love.

I imagined the form of Chibiterasu and his partner running at full speed, the happenings among the villagers, the landscape of Nakatsukuni, and a melody came to me naturally. It was the main theme "Okamiden." I took these feelings of friendship, of maturing, of bonds, of courage, and composed them into this scroll; the process of composition began from that point. I used this motif in many of the pieces, so please make sure to listen for it.

Luckily, I was able to come up with ideas very readily for this project. The question about which I worried most was how to get the music to play through the Nintendo DS's internal synthesizer. Speaking of both Okami and Okamiden, the music is carried primarily by Japanese instruments like the shakuhachi, the shinobue, the sho, the hichiriki, and the taiko. Their particular qualities and their changes in vibration and tone color give them their strength. Will I be able to reproduce those nuances in the DS's internal synth? That was my first problem.

The number of instuments and the number of parts were also limited. In some of the music in Okami, for example, there were some pieces with massive arrangements having 40-50 tracks (parts) or more. In order to have the same music played through the DS, its arrangement would have to be reduced to 10 tracks throughout. You can't use complex harmonies, and there are tone colors which the DS doesn't reproduce well. It was a constant struggle, and there were many times when I felt "I want to use this instrument more," or "I wanted to add just one more phrase!" Everyone worked until the end, and through various means and adjustments, we were able to express the world of Okamiden in sound.

The pieces on this soundtrack are the demos that preceded the conversion to the DS hardware. They were composed with the aforementioned limitations in mind, but they are closer to what I originally envisioned, and I think it would be interesting to compare them to the versions heard in the game. If this music helps you to return to your adventures with Chibiterasu and the other characters, I will be glad.

Then the world of Okamiden can continue to flourish, more and more.

Motohide Eshiro - Producer

First, I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to you for having purchased the soundtrack to Okamiden: Chisaki Taiyou.

Okamiden is an entirely new work, extending the world of Okami, with its overflowing originality, created by a staff who love the original dearly. Of course, this conception extended to the music as well, and under the watch of director Matsushita, so many wonderful pieces were created for Okamiden, drawing from the style of the original. I believe that you can feel the love of the staff for Okami in the music recorded here. This is particularly true of the main theme, here a bonus track, "Okamiden ~Limited Edition Demo Version~." It is a fantastic piece of music, dramatically expressing the world of Okamiden, both beautiful and powerful.

If you can hear the magnificent world of Okamiden through this album, then I will be glad.

Kuniomi Matsushita - Director

Okamiden: Chisaki Taiyou is an entirely new work that extends the worldview of Okami.

As the director of Okamiden, I was to "mix in new elements while remaining true to the good parts of Okami, creating an entirely new game."

If you asked anyone what the the most important parts of Okami were, you would get these three points:

First, the special graphical style with its touch of Sumi-e.
Second, a moving story.
Third, a special sound emphasizing Japanese instruments.

I hope that all of you agree that this soundtrack fulfills requirement three, "a special sound emphasizing Japanese instruments," inheriting the Okami sound, and also that it contains new elements that make it specifically Okamiden.

Remembering back, production began in the summer of 2008. We began on the trial version for producer Eshiro in February 2009, and after favorable response within Capcom, we began work on the actual game in June. And it reached all of you September 30, 2010. So, it took us over two years to finish Okamiden, including its graphics, story, and sound, to our satisfaction. In this compilation of the game's music, the Okamiden -Chisaki Taiyou- Original Soundtrack, you can rediscover the game's charm.

To whatever extent it is possible, may the bonds between all of you and we of the development team be illuminated through Okamiden.