Source: http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=21716562

How cruel fate is, for each character almost seems to be bound and trapped by past memories, which now haunt them in the present. And in last week’s episode, we explore some of Kanba’s troubles, which stem from his past relationships. The first half (or three-quarters) of the episode seem to drag on for quite a bit, but it’s the last part we look at that becomes interesting. Like Himari, Kanba also dives right into the recesses of his psyche, but we’ve covered bits and pieces of psychology already. Instead, we turn to the wonders of Antonin Dvovak’s 9th symphony.

Kanba runs through the forest of bed sheets, as rests are often abundant in sheet music, chasing a girl named Masako. There, he finds a musical box, playing the beginning tune of Dvovak’s 9th symphony, 2nd movement.

A musical box is a relic from the 19th century, given as a gift or souvenir. This one resembles the ones found in a museum, with the revolving cylinder and combs. Some are powered by winding it up, but there are also ones that start playing when you open it. Accompanying the musical box is a relaxing or familiar tune which one can easily recognize and remember. On the box itself is a grass symbol, which I found surprising since items usually have the all too common penguin symbol on them. The grass symbol brings to mind the symbol of budding, youth, or beginning. This implies that Kanba and Masako had a relationship before, which is not surprising since Kanba has dated a lot of girls.

In this case, Dvorak’s movement fits in quite nicely, as it carries a slow and calm tone to it, starting off as pianissimo, in a very soft or quiet tone. The piece is performed with legato, strung smoothly and connected. When one is given a music box, the feelings of nostalgia quickly pour in as it is rediscovered in a closet or attic, bringing back treasured memories. Although for Kanba, nothing rings a bell.

However, the soft tone is quickly shattered, as the musical box gets shattered, and Kanba enters a new world (quite clumsy, though). Dvorak composed this during his visit to the United States in 1893, possibly viewing the U.S. as a very different world from his village in Nelahozeves, in the place now known as the Czech Republic. Kanba now wakes up in a strange new world of his own. The depths of his own mind? Perhaps. Nonetheless, a change in perspective.

Dvorak employs the use of the tuba only in the second movement of the composition, as the piece shifts tones drastically from pianissimo to fortissimo, meaning very loud. As the tuba is loud, it can sometimes sound destructive and not along the flow of the other instruments, blaring its way through a piece of music. Like the musical piece, the song is now blasted inside the new world very loudly, from tubes that somewhat resemble tubas. The ceiling is line with tubes as well, which faintly seem like one of many brass instruments (the trumpet, french horn, tuba, trombone, etc).

“An unstable tone combination is a dissonance; its tension demands an onward motion to a stable chord. Thus dissonant chords are ‘active’; traditionally they have been considered harsh and have expressed pain, grief, and conflict.”
—Roger Kamien (2008)

The loudness of the tune almost sounds dissonant, although dissonance now has a very loose definition to it. In this case, the tune is harsh and causes pain to Kanba, whether to his ears or to his mind. The mysterious woman demands Kanba to remember, implying that they might have had a relation before. Unfortunately, Kanba still does not remember as he travels from floor to deeper floor, from bar line to deeper bar line as the music progresses in a sheet of music.

Now Dvorak’s symphony itself. Instead of soothing, it is now harsh and painful. Wrote when in U.S., Dvorak may have had feelings of homesickness, coping with the different world of U.S., as Kanba copes with his past memories when item after item he hates appears in from of him. A wedding cake, animal shaped food, and a heart shape embedded in a sweater.

If we relate it to the musical box, we could also say that they all have a childish feel to them. Masako might have been Kanba’s first love, or a childhood friend, or at least a friend in the earlier years. Yet, breaking up can be painful for both sides. Masako greets Kanba with a gun to the face, and then a bittersweet kiss. This moment only lasts for a bit until Masako disappears, off to retrive the diary, and the music ends abruptly.

Unfortunately, I am unable to link to the actual piece’s sheet music itself, basing off a sample of the first page. So hard to find sheet music these days.

Extra thoughts:

  • Ah, the red string of fate. Seen hanging off the sweater and in the ED, it again alludes to fate, this time to the fated meeting of soulmates, male and female. So much shades of red in the series. Kanba’s sweater/hair/Masako’s clothing. Destiny!
  • Kanba may have had a sad past like Himari, but we have also seen him do some shady dealings. Not as forgiving. Now all that is left is Shouma’s past…
  • A new survival strategist. I knew that boy had powers of his own. Possibly the soulmate to Himari? Hmm.