35-Nen-me no Rabu Retaa
Taro Iwashiro
" Tarô Iwashiro wrote an exquisite score "Written by Joep de Bruijn - Review of the regular release
35-Nen-me no Rabu Retaa (35th Year Love Letter, 2025) tells a traditional, sentimental story of a man who has had his fair share of struggles in life, and wants to show his intense love for his wife by writing her letters. However, as an illiterate, he first needs to learn how to read and write.
The film, directed by Renpei Tsukamoto, is straightforward and unabashed in its concerns for (over)sentimental emotions of love. For the music, composer Tarô Iwashiro wrote an exquisite score that echoes this, using an array of orchestral elements: moving (full and solo) strings, intimate piano and enchanting woodwinds. It is consistent in its melancholic and warm feelings of love, features a memorable theme and is characterized by a slow and gentle musical progression. Both the film and its music share uplifting feelings, as reflected in haikus by poets such as Bashō.
If I must highlight one aspect to this immaculate work, the elegiac, recapitulative and dramatic 'finale' cue 旅立ちの春 (6:26) is particularly noteworthy.
While there are innumerable (Japanese) bodies of work in this specific realm of scoring, 35-Nen-me no Rabu Retaa is one of the finer examples, arguably due to its broader orchestral Morricone-esque sensibilities. The coherent musical focus on feelings of limitless love is also evident in Iwashiro's 2005 score for Haru No Yuki.
35-Nen-me no Rabu Retaa comes highly recommended.
Tracklist:
1. はじまりの日 (1:34)
2. 朝霜枕 (1:02)
3. 初恋心 (2:39)
4. さようならの日 (1:52)
5. 想い出の断片 (1:51)
6. 忘れ形見 (3:46)
7. 結と絆 (4:27)
8. 芽生えよ_春 (1:59)
9. クラスメイト (3:07)
10. 夫婦文 (5:11)
11. キヨシコノヨル (1:20)
12. 旅立ちの春 (6:26)
13. 歩独歩 (2:39)
Total duration: 38:00
(The physical and streaming release exclude the 'theme song' by Motohiro Hata)
(09-04-2025)
The film, directed by Renpei Tsukamoto, is straightforward and unabashed in its concerns for (over)sentimental emotions of love. For the music, composer Tarô Iwashiro wrote an exquisite score that echoes this, using an array of orchestral elements: moving (full and solo) strings, intimate piano and enchanting woodwinds. It is consistent in its melancholic and warm feelings of love, features a memorable theme and is characterized by a slow and gentle musical progression. Both the film and its music share uplifting feelings, as reflected in haikus by poets such as Bashō.
If I must highlight one aspect to this immaculate work, the elegiac, recapitulative and dramatic 'finale' cue 旅立ちの春 (6:26) is particularly noteworthy.
While there are innumerable (Japanese) bodies of work in this specific realm of scoring, 35-Nen-me no Rabu Retaa is one of the finer examples, arguably due to its broader orchestral Morricone-esque sensibilities. The coherent musical focus on feelings of limitless love is also evident in Iwashiro's 2005 score for Haru No Yuki.
35-Nen-me no Rabu Retaa comes highly recommended.
Tracklist:
1. はじまりの日 (1:34)
2. 朝霜枕 (1:02)
3. 初恋心 (2:39)
4. さようならの日 (1:52)
5. 想い出の断片 (1:51)
6. 忘れ形見 (3:46)
7. 結と絆 (4:27)
8. 芽生えよ_春 (1:59)
9. クラスメイト (3:07)
10. 夫婦文 (5:11)
11. キヨシコノヨル (1:20)
12. 旅立ちの春 (6:26)
13. 歩独歩 (2:39)
Total duration: 38:00
(The physical and streaming release exclude the 'theme song' by Motohiro Hata)
(09-04-2025)