What does it mean to hear music? We often find ourselves listening to music every day, whether we like it or not it’s all around us. Through the radio, in the grocery store. Even on the train or the bus. You can find street performers putting on a show. But when was the last time you truly listened to a piece of music and just, existed? I want to take a look at how Bartender: Glass of God and Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night use music to instill emotion and passion into their shows.
Jellyfish is an anime all about music, and yet it follows more of the behind-the-scenes aspect from what I have seen. And the music supports this. Through conversation in anime, there is often a lighthearted musical number that plays when discussions take place. This varies with the topic as well, with slow and gentle piano notes for soft and easy conversations. Quick and rushed electronic for conversations that seem desperate and hurried.
Music as A Support Structure in Jellyfish & Glass of God
It is in these topics of conversation one can hear the music supporting the argument. And music as a support has been everywhere in cinema. Older shows back in the 80s and even the early 90s often had conversations without music. Back then it distracted me from the topic and the words, especially with how simple audio mixing could be. As time grew the film industry realized the absence of sound can often be a hindrance and opted for soft music in the background almost constantly to help the story flow.
And this worked. Some shows used their audio within their world making it Diegetic while some had the music just overlaid in a non-diegetic format. Regardless, it made the experience feel fuller.
Glass of God does something so beautiful with its music. Everything has this beautiful piano behind it when Sasakura speaks. This paints him in an other-worldly light, and he speaks so much from the heart that the Piano becomes more prominent. When he speaks you feel his words before you hear them. And that is because it is encompassed by such a soft and simple melody. It shows his heart is open to listening to his clients.
The Music of Jellyfish
Jellyfish does its music in a similar regard however this time it cuts all diegetic audio from what we are seeing other than highlighting sound effects. We see people talking but we don’t hear their voices. All we hear is the music. The music is brought to the forefront and the words from their mouths are pushed to the back. This makes you focus on watching the visuals and listening to the words. It forces you to be in the moment. Much how Glass of God forces you to look into the soul.
No anticipation of the character’s next line, no strange sound to pull you away from a conversation. Just pure music that makes you want to cry. Because music is more than sound. It carries life itself. It carries our emotions, our pain, our love. Music is a gorgeous addition to anything and everything in life. Because without it the world would be a cold and desperate place.