Joe Hisaishi and Isaku Fujita splitting scoring duties across one of the wildest anime anthologies ever made, and somehow it all coheres. Robot Carnival's 1987 soundtrack bounces between orchestral grandeur and delicate electronic textures because each short film demanded its own sonic world.
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The "Presence" suite carries this achingly beautiful melancholy that Hisaishi does better than anyone, while "Deprive" shifts into urgent action mode with driving percussion and synth stabs. "Merry-Go-Round" is haunting in a way that creeps up slowly.
The opening theme "Coming Soon" sets the tone perfectly: playful menace wrapped in carnival whimsy. Late-80s production that still sounds rich today. If you know Hisaishi from Ghibli and want to hear him in a completely different context, start here.