Milan Records release Kensuke Ushio's original score for Netflix's anime series Japan Sinks: 2020. Based on the bestselling science fiction novel by Sakyo Komatsu. it represents the first-ever anime adaptation of the best-selling novel, in which an ordinary family is put to the test as a series of massive earthquakes throw Japan into total mayhem...

One thing Japanese anime series are well renowned for is their impressive soundtracks and Japan Sinks: 2020 is no exception as we are offered a healthy mix of traditional Japanese instruments and pumping electronic themes over the course of the album's 41 tracks (1 hr, 51 min, 17 sec). Oh, and you certainly get value for money as far as quantity is concerned.

Discussing the project, composer Kensuke Ushio says: "In Japan Sinks: 2020, a natural disaster destroys people's ordinary lives; however the story captures the tiny hopes that go through people's minds as their calm and beautiful days are falling apart. And so it is the same with the soundtrack – for example tracks like ‘Rising Sun, Again’ – it almost feels like this project went beyond the show itself and started to reflect the situation surrounding many of us now."

It's an engaging and, at times, sweet score that is certain to find a welcome home in the music library of fans of the show. While it's not quite memorable enough to be classed as an anime classic, there's enough variety and depth here to capture the interest of most soundtrack collectors.

7

Darren Rea