Explanation:

The biggest challenge for music was always going to be taking a musical journey through 5 different eras of Japanese history while tying it all together to create a seamless score. We started by coming up with a theme for our main character Aika. You can hear this Aika’s theme, with variations of the theme, throughout the film which helps enhance who Aika is musically whilst bringing together the different eras. Once we had the theme, we started incorporating it into arrangements for each era. This came with its own challenges as defining an era is hard enough especially when some of the eras don’t have audio recordings to base things off! Through research and visual inspiration from the film, we were able to define the eras with the use of instrumentation and arrangement styles culminating in a musical climax from the middle till end of the film.

Synopsis:

This film portrays the surreal vision quest of Aika, as she looks to escape the mounting pressures of her life through sport. Along the way, she travels through different eras of Japanese history where she finds other women experiencing similar struggles, teaching her that she is not alone. The film captures Aika’s journey, with moments of magic, humor, history and sport all mixing together.