Hello, J-Canuck here. I'd like to welcome Rocket Brown to "Kayo Kyoku Plus" as a new contributor to the blog. For those among the City Pop fandom, Rocket's been known for years for providing his thoughts on the music via his "Come Along Radio" broadcasts, some of which I've been honoured to be invited to over the past number of years. He's been a good friend and fellow City Pop fan, so right after the rocket photo below, he'll take over with his first article.
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| Wikimedia Commons |
Sometime in high school, I became disillusioned with modern movies. They just weren’t capturing my attention in a way that sparked my imagination anymore. One day, after spending my entire Japanese language class discussing Studio Ghibli films, I decided to look into Hayao Miyazaki’s filmography and discovered that he had directed a Lupin III movie called The Castle of Cagliostro.
After sitting down and watching the movie, I was hooked. The comedy, the action, the fun and witty dialogue — always watch the Manga dub if you can — all pulled me in. But what captivated me the most was the music, especially the main theme song, Fire Treasure (炎のたからもの).
It’s no secret that legendary jazz composer Yuji Ohno (大野雄二) practically defined the musical identity of Lupin III. But what makes this particular theme so special is that it isn’t bombastic like the big band sound of “Lupin ’89,” nor does it have the exploitation-style funk of the 1979 theme. Instead, it’s a nostalgic ballad sung by Toshie Kihara (木原敏恵), with lyrics by Jun Hashimoto.
Much like the movie itself, “Fire Treasure” embodies a feeling of longing for adventure and romance. I can’t think of another song in the Lupin III canon that captures the same whimsical sense of mystery this song evokes. Ohno would try to recapture that feeling in the 2019 film Lupin III: The First — Lupin’s first 3D CGI movie — with the song “GIFT ” featuring Lyn Inaizumi (稲泉りん). It’s a beautiful song in its own right, but it just doesn’t hit the same way.
“Fire Treasure” is truly lightning in a bottle and a showcase of Yuji Ohno’s genius. Most people only know him for his Lupin III music, but he did so much more. As J-Cannuck once put it, Ohno was essentially the Japanese Henry Mancini, composing iconic themes and soundtracks for various television and film productions such as Proof of the Man and Dai Gekitō Mad Police ’80.
Yuji Ohno would pass away in his sleep on May 4, 2026, but he left behind an incredible legacy of music for the world to enjoy. And much like Lupin himself, he stole our hearts.
Hi, Rocket and thanks very much for your first article on KKP. I think it was interesting when "Fire Treasure" came out in 1979 since the end of the 70s were known in Japan for a brief appearance of a sub-genre in kayo kyoku known as exotic kayo. Exotic kayo arrangements often included instruments from around the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe and were even set in those areas. Maybe "Fire Treasure" was reflecting some of that.
ReplyDeletehttps://kayokyokuplus.blogspot.com/2012/05/judy-ongg-miserarete.html
https://kayokyokuplus.blogspot.com/2012/11/mayo-shouno-tonde-istanbul.html
"to avoid confusion, categorize Lupin installments based on what color jacket he is wearing. There is the Green Jacket-era, Red Jacket-era, Blue Jacket-era, and Pink Jacket-era. It is generally accepted among fans that Green and Pink Jacket-era installments are more lighthearted while Red and Blue Jacket-era installments are grittier. " "...The Castle of Cagliostro belongs to the Green Jacket-era and has a cheery, almost romantic tone to it. " https://lewislitjournal.wordpress.com/2021/03/05/britts-anime-and-gaming-adventures-lupin-iii-the-castle-of-cagliostro/
ReplyDeleteThe Castle of Cagliostro actually got its first showing in North America back at conventions/festivals in the early 80s, but at the time since Western thought anime/cartoons were for kids, this movie kind of confused people, and it wasn't until the 1990s that this masterpiece finally got taken a little bit more seriously outside of Japan at least with small audiences.
Pretty sure there's a meme about that somewhere:
DeleteGreen Jacket Lupin = "the real treasure was the friends we made along the way"
Red Jacket = "The real treasure was the shit we stole from the people we murdered along the way" lol
I remember Pink Jacket-era being mainly relegated to Lupin III Part 3, which is considered the weakest of the parts.
DeleteInteresting! I wonder if CBS/Sonys Aegean Sea album was made to capitalize on this exotic kayo trend?
ReplyDeleteThe Aegean Sea figured prominently in Ongg's "Miserarete", so I think it was probably no coincidence for the album to be named as such.
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