[Verification] Why does the music of "Your Quiz" linger even when you can't recall it? | "Mishima's Thoughts" blending with VFX

After watching the movie "Your Quiz," I have been listening to the soundtrack over and over.

There are songs that make scenes from the movie appear clearly the moment they start playing.

On the other hand, there were pieces of music that certainly left an impression in the theater, but when listening to the soundtrack,

"This is the song that was playing during this scene"

I couldn't identify them.

Where does this difference come from?

This time, I traced my memories of the movie while comparing the soundtrack, and I conducted my own verification.

What I arrived at is a single hypothesis.

The reason I can't recall them isn't because the music's impression is weak.

Rather, isn't it because it became so deeply intertwined with the visuals, to the point where the contours of the music melted away and it became a part of the work itself?

Songs that make scenes appear the moment you hear them

When I listen to "Mishima on the Train," the image of Mishima on the train comes to mind.

From "Mishima and Emma," even the atmosphere that flowed between the two of them is conveyed.

"Something Left Behind," "Before the Tears," and "Our Answer" are the same.

The moment I hear the music, the scenes from the movie and the expressions of the characters rise up.

These songs have melodies and rhythms that are easy for the ear to grasp.

That is why I think I can use the music as an entrance to return into the movie.

There are also songs that allow me to recall the gaze and quiet posture of Mishima, played by Tomoya Nakamura.

Of course, it may also be related to the fact that I am a fan of Tomoya Nakamura and was watching while following Mishima's subtle expressions.

Even so, if the music and the character's emotions were not strongly linked, they would not come to mind this vividly.

By listening to the soundtrack, I can meet Mishima from that scene once again.

There are indeed such songs.

The 'process of thinking' depicted through VFX

In 'Quiz', the associations and deductions happening inside the characters' heads were depicted in a visible form through VFX.

VFX is a technology that uses computer-generated imagery and other methods to represent things on screen that cannot actually be filmed.

From one word to another.

The possibilities that arise branch out, connect, and then disappear again.

The 'process of thinking,' which is usually invisible, appears before your eyes as imagery.

What I was particularly curious about was the music that played during these scenes where thoughts were visible.

In the movie theater, I was certainly receiving the sound along with the visuals.

However, even when I listen to the soundtrack at home,

I cannot reach the correct answer of,

'This is the song from that scene.'

'This is probably it.'

I can narrow it down that far.

But I couldn't say it with confidence.

It is clearly different in how it remains in my memory compared to songs that bring a specific scene to mind the moment I hear them.

After watching the movie, I wanted to trace Mishima's thoughts more deeply, so I reread the original novel as well.

How is the 'process of thinking,' which was expressed through VFX and music in the film, depicted in the text?

When you go back and forth between the movie and the original work, the way you see even the same scene changes a little.

▶ Read Satoshi Ogawa's original novel "Your Quiz"

Was it not music, but the "sound of thought"?

Why is it so hard to grasp the music in scenes that depict thinking?

After listening and comparing many times, one idea came to mind.

Perhaps the music in those scenes wasn't created to make you listen to the melody itself.

The sound accompanied the movement of the VFX,

the sensation of thoughts expanding,

the impatience of searching for an answer,

the moment an inspiration is born,

the speed at which possibilities appear and disappear.

It supported those invisible movements.

Perhaps it is more accurate to say it was used in a way that sits on the boundary between music and sound effects.

Rather than coming to the forefront as a single piece of music, it blended with the movement of the visuals, the actor's performance, and the tension of the scene to create a "state of human thinking."

That is why I think it was difficult to isolate the music and remember it.

In those scenes, I wasn't just using my ears to listen to a song.

While receiving the visuals and sound simultaneously, I was experiencing Mishima's thoughts themselves.

Tomoya Nakamura's performance, the VFX, and the music

Even when Mishima is thinking intensely in his head, he is not a character who expresses all of it through grand gestures or words.

The movement of his gaze.

A momentary pause.

A slight change in expression.

The shift in atmosphere when nearing the answer.

I felt that Tomoya Nakamura was showing Mishima's thoughts by accumulating such small changes.

Into that, VFX and music overlap.

It is not just explaining the inner self through acting alone.

It is not just showing thoughts flashily through VFX alone.

It is not just trying to move emotions through music alone.

By overlapping the three, the inside of one person's mind was brought to life.

What remains in my memory is not just the music, nor just the VFX.

It was "Mishima thinking," which included all of those things.

I think the contours of the music entered into Mishima's expressions and the lines of the VFX, and melted into them.

What became clear through verification

This time, I listened to the soundtrack over and over again while tracing my memories of the film.

As a result, I felt there were two main ways the music remained.

One is music where the scene comes to mind when you hear the sound.

The other is music that blends deeply into the scene and is difficult to grasp with sound alone.

When we talk about film music, we tend to focus on "melodies that stick in the ear" or "impressive theme songs."

However, having the audience remember the song is not the only role of film music.

There is also music that hides within the visuals, supporting the emotions and atmosphere of that scene.

Perhaps the music in the scenes depicting thought in 'Your Quiz' was the latter.

It is not that the music was inconspicuous.

It was so deeply integrated into the visuals that it didn't need to stand out on its own.

The reason you can't recall 'it was this song' is not because the power of the music was weak.

It is because the connection with the visuals was that strong.

This is my own answer, arrived at through this verification.

I want to confirm it at the movie theater once more.

Next time I watch it, I want to pay attention not only to the movement of the VFX but also to the sounds playing in the background.

Where does the music begin?

At what moment does it change?

How does it overlap with the movement of the VFX?

However, the moment I try to listen carefully, I might get drawn back into the visuals and be unable to follow just the music.

I think that is fine, too.

The visuals and sound are so unified that you cannot remember the music alone.

That itself might be one correct answer for the music in this work.

Songs that bring vivid scenes to mind when you hear them.

Songs that blend into the scenes and cannot be grasped by sound alone.

The music of 'Your Quiz' has both.

Both the music you can remember and the music you cannot.

In different ways, they leave the character of Mishima and the labyrinth of his thoughts within me.

For those who want to savor "Your Quiz" a little more deeply

▼ First, tracing the lingering impression of the entire work

Movie "Your Quiz" Impressions & Analysis | "The lingering feeling that begins after watching" seen from over 5,700 reviews

Why do so many people want to talk about this work even after watching it?
I thought about it from the lingering impression of the entire work.

▼ Tracing the work once more through its music

Tracing Tomoya Nakamura's works through music

Theme songs, background music, soundtracks, and composers.
This is a magazine that traces works featuring Tomoya Nakamura through their music.