HANAKO OKU: “The Little Great One”
The song “Garnet” by Hanako Oku. End theme song from the anime movie “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time”
Is my heart breaking or is it filled with happiness?
Some background: Almost two years ago, I had stayed up late at night watching the anime film “Girl Who Leapt Through Time”. During the end credits of the film, I heard Hanako Oku for the first time …
I felt like a building had fallen on me. To be fair, I had just been on the emotional roller-coaster that is “TGWLTT”. I became very interested in Oku’s music, even though I speak/understand almost no Japanese. I started researching her on the Internet, although I did not have much luck with lyrical translations. Most of the information about Hanako Oku on the internet was (understandably) in Japanese. I watched a number of videos posted on YouTube, and I sent for most of her CDs from Japan. I enjoy her emotional piano ballads.
When I listen to Oku-san, I cannot understand the words. I can mainly listen to it as “instrumental” I guess. Even though I do not understand her singing in Japanese, when I listen to Hanako Oku it feels like my heart is breaking – and also filled with joy – at the same time. Weird. An outside observer may think this strange. My friends were befuddled – they would ask: “How can you understand her?” I know it sounds strange, but when I listen to this wonderful little Japanese singer it changes my attitude. A butterfly will fly past me while I’m mowing the lawn, and I will have a Zen moment. I began to like and appreciate Japanese art and culture.
Oku-san has become one of my favorite artists. If I could write a biographical book someday, I would call it “The Little Great One”. I plan to blog about her again!
Update: 09-20-2014. Record Industry W … I mean “bean counters” took the original theme from the credits down. However, PonyCanyon has posted “Garnet” on YouTube, so that you can at least have the song. This video is on the “extra features” of the DVD TGWLTT.
Denny Sinnoh 
Comments on: "The Little Great One" (8)
Funny that everyone remembers Garnet / ガーネット as the first song they hear from that movie, but Kawaranai Mono / 変わらないもの actually plays first, when Makoto makes that giant time leap. Consequently, it was Kawaranai Mono that started it all for me, not Garnet.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Kawaranai Mono comes at a pretty important/exciting time in the movie I guess. Kawaranai Mono was the first Hanako Oku song that I shared on Facebook (before I gave up on FB, bleh).
LikeLike
[…] post will be a little different. Instead of a music video from The Little Great One herself, I want to share some of my “Liked” videos from YouTube. Each of these is a cover of […]
LikeLike
Sorry, but RECORD INDUSTRY WEASELS strike again. The end of TGWLTT has been removed by brilliant recording industry geniuses who think that if you cannot see it, or do not know about it, then you will want to buy more. Makes sense? … to a WEASEL.
You can still listen to the song here.
LikeLike
[…] enjoy this outdoor “mini concert” from the Little Great One, posted […]
LikeLike
[…] KNOWS that she is about to play something special. I am thinking that The Little Great One KNOWS that she is about to give another performance that will directly touch my heart. Move, it […]
LikeLike
[…] and music. I had rekindled my interest in anime, and fell in like with the music and singing of Hanako Oku. I also started liking this quirky, all-girl group from Japan – AKB48. I know that these two […]
LikeLike
[…] and another one that had the YouTube clip removed by RIWs was “The Little Great One” linked here. I loved that video of the end-credits of “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time”. I put […]
LikeLike