#i don't think there orchestral pieces of this soundtrack get enough credit for how beautiful they are

[sfsolace]

The soundtrack of the Hakumei & Mikochi anime

Today i will take some time to go over the soundtrack for the Hakumei & Mikochi anime. I'm still in the middle of the rewatch, so I'll share my thoughts on other aspects of the anime later.

The main OST is done by Evan Call, whose other notable works include Violet Evergarden and Frieren: Beyond Journey's End and it's a real standout in this anime!

It has cozy vibes in general, with a surprising amount of variety! We get some bluesy songs, more orchestral flute pieces, even a song that sounds like marching music. The breadth of musical styles this soundtrack takes on is honestly stunning.

If i had to pick something the soundtrack reminds me of, I'd say Pikmin and Yuru Camp. It can be soothing and calm in one scene, then energetic and exciting in the next; but it always retains a "homely" energy.

It has a pastoral quality to it, with a lot of harmonica, gentle guitars and the occasional piano. Come to think of it, I've heard a bunch of different instruments and the composers still maintains a sort of "palette". No single instrument seems out of place, yet there is something new to every song!

I remember being impressed by how fun the music is on my first watch, but now, rewatching it years later, it dawns on me how much of a feat this soundtrack truly is. I'm very glad Evan Call has found more acclaim and work after Hakumei & Mikochi, continuing with his impressive compositions; but it's very sad that this soundtrack continues to be overlooked.

Even though he has a spotify presence, the OST for Hakumei & Mikochi isn't there. Luckily somebody has uploaded it in it's entirety to YouTube. I really encourage you to have a listen!

Now, onto the Opening and Ending!

The opening features a song called "urar" by Chima. It has an almost post-rock soundscape (something about the sound of the guitars) and the vocals are so very beautiful.

Sadly, I can't find a youtube video of the actual opening of the show. It has these very minimalist high-saturation photos of nature with the credits looking a bit like chalk drawings.

It also features the silhouettes of some of the characters in these natural environments. In general, the whole opening has more melancholic vibe compared to the rest of the show and people expecting big sakuga will be disappointed. But it is quite beautiful and serves as a good intro for each episode.

Now for the ending!

The ending of each episode is set to the song "Harvest Moon Night", which is sung by the voice actors for Conju (Aoi Yuuki) and Mikochi (Shino Shimoji). Canonically it is the song they both sing together at the Harvest festival, which is a great touch.

The song is a favorite of mine and i love it's jaunty, upbeat feel. I can't explain why, but parts of the soundtrack and this song have a "country-like" quality to them. They remind me a lot of the endings to Konosuba.

All in all, the soundtrack is an aspect of the anime even the few fans don't talk about enough and I think it is a large part of what gives the anime its feel and quality, making the OST as well as the anime a true hidden gem!

The visuals of the ending are these adorable monochromatic silhouettes of the characters from the episode, with a the original "Walking Underfoot" segments next to them; a great way to show off the art of the anime and add some flavor.