Joe Hisaishi writing for a Miyazaki film about the beauty and tragedy of creation, and it sounds exactly as devastating as that implies. The Wind Rises soundtrack floats on these delicate piano and string arrangements that feel like watching paper airplanes caught in sunlight.
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"A Journey (A Dream of Flight)" opens with this buoyant, waltz-like wonder that carries Jiro's obsession perfectly. "Nahoko (The Encounter)" shifts into something warmer and more fragile, the romance theme breaking your heart before you even know the story.
Then "Castorp (The Magic Mountain)" goes somewhere unexpected with its European textures. More restrained than most Ghibli scores. If you love Hisaishi's work but haven't explored his quieter side, this one will stop you cold.