Byakuren Hijiri ? Emotional Skyscraper ∼ Cosmic Mind
There are many aspects to this delightful piece, and the upthread comments caught onto many of them. Of course, I will repeat what many have said, but I hope to add some of my own thoughts, starting with the title itself. A note of warning to readers ? I very much like Byakuren, as she really embodies some real-life issues, as well as storytelling devices that I have an interest in (hatred due to ignorance for the former, kindness for its own sake for the latter), so I might gush somewhat. Please bear with it.
The title is equal parts about a state of emotional being and a state of mind. Both are uplifted, enlightened to an almost superhuman state. The former speaks of a tower of emotion, a person?s point of view that stands objectively above all else and is thus able to see and hear further than anyone else around her, and yet act as a beacon to those that would share in her wisdom. The latter hints at a person who has attained the Buddhist ideal of Nirvana and acquired a cosmic perspective, an almost divine insight, one who is able to perfectly understand what she sees. In just the name, Byakuren is portrayed as someone with perfect clarity of vision, able to judge impartially and fairly. The piece will demonstrate that, along with these qualities, she also possesses kindness and benevolence, and the force of personal power and will to support them.
I will start with the fact that most of the piece is in major. Sure, a few minor chords are thrown in here and there for emphasis and variety, but otherwise the whole piece presents a highly positive feeling. Unlike other themes? tendency to create an air of tension and menace to the listener, Cosmic Mind never even attempts to. The piece?s unashamed blasting of the listener with positive emotion and joyous enthusiasm never fails to put a grin on my face after the conflict and struggle of all the previous themes. To put it in as few words as possible, Cosmic Mind is kind to the listener. It?s a three-and-a-half minute-long bout of release and relaxation.
So yes, what about those two bits that are clearly ominous and menacing? I believe those segments, as well as the inevitable reaction of the listener to them, is an excellent demonstration of the misunderstanding and fear that Byakuren?s power can inspire. After all, she has cosmic power and wisdom, and the only word that one has that she will use them for benevolent goals is Byakuren?s own. These segments, with their deep bass, loud trumpets and strong minor chords, are the uninformed misapprehensions of what Byakuren does. And it really goes beyond her backstory ? the protagonists expect her to be just another dangerously powerful youkai, and even the players themselves expect an enemy boss with the usual motives that have pervaded the population of enemy bosses so far ? destruction, subjugation, oppression, deprivation and other nasty-sounding nouns.
What does everyone get instead? The usual trumpets-and-piano are gone, instead we hear a gentle melody played by pipes, supported by a strumming acoustic guitar. The melodic line starts off calm, never venturing far from the repeating central notes. It slowly develops, never making unexpected leaps or transitions, and the listener is quickly lulled into a serene state, trusting the music to maintain its gentle nature. The melodic line is not simple; it?s full of cadences and chord transitions, yet these, and the resulting changes in key and harmony, are carefully hidden behind the melody, doing their job of supporting the melody without ever attracting attention to themselves. This whole passage reminds me of a quiet discussion, a careful presentation of ideas that build and build on themselves, supported by immaculate reasoning, yet instilled with a heartfelt passion and dedication ? the tempo makes this segment feel somehow breathless, at times - that show that the speaker truly cares about what she is saying, not merely practicing preaching for its own sake. Byakuren, then, is a thinker and a debater, with a force of will and a conviction in her ideals, with the experience and cunning to support them in discussion. She is argumentative and enthusiastic, yet respectful of another?s opinion, and will use reason and logic to assert her position and undermine her opponent?s, not malice and aggression ? the opponent might have trouble keeping up with her pace, however, as Byakuren strikes me as a person who thinks far faster than she can speak, yet feels the need to speak what she thinks, leading to her sometimes foregoing the need to breathe to squeeze in a few more points.
Prejudice dies hard, however ? the apprehension comes back to haunt the listener in full strength ? surely this person cannot be truly what she presents herself as? All evidence suggests otherwise, but second-guessing and doubt start piling on, threatening to consume the listener in their power and fury. However, Byakuren stands firm. Her voice and attitude stand out over these negative feelings; never breaking her demeanour she continues her flow of ideas, and soon the misgivings fall apart, the trumpet voicing them finally joining in to the chorus of Byakuren?s theme. This is a clear demonstration of one of Byakuren?s greatest virtues - patience. Perhaps she believes that the only thing that can change the nature of a man is he himself, and she can only nudge him in the right direction, letting him walk the rest of the path on his own two feet. Having said this, I believe this also reinforces what I said earlier ? Byakuren has great respect for her fellow man (youkai, demon, ghost etc.).
A lull in the conversation follows. The pitch lowers and the melodic line slows down. A strange tension builds up, not an ominous one, but, rather, a pensive one ? the chord progressions that are used never resolve properly, leaving us to wonder what?s going to happen next, or who even caused the pause, Byakuren, or her opponent. Considering what?s been going on previously, I would suggest that it is the opponent deeply considering the new thoughts and ideas bouncing around in their head. It is a tense moment, and the audience wonders as to whether Byakuren?s succeeded in proving her case, or whether her opponent will refuse to accept her arguments.
Thus we are left with a bit of a cliffhanger as the piece pulls away from these current events, and moves into what can only be described as a song. Long, strong yet gentle woodwind sounds carry a passionate melody, an ode to freedom. No longer inhibited by self-imposed rules she is able to let her mind run wild, the melody changing register and harmony as it sees fit, taking full advantage of the emphasis that high registers provide; the melody?s main notes are given the freedom to sound out fully, ornaments adding even more bright colours to an already kaleidoscopic expression of happiness. For all her great wisdom and experience, Byakuren?s melody is not complicated ? we have heard far longer and more elaborate melodies. What it lacks in sophistication or complexity it makes up for in volume and enthusiasm when the motif repeats and repeats, adding more and more power to itself, as if trying to say something but lacking the means to truly do so. Perhaps there are some things that even Byakuren cannot define using words alone, having to rely on passion and emotion to carry the rest of the meaning. It is this aspect that suggests to me that, despite her actual age, she is, mentally, still young and yearning for new ways of self-expression to everyone around her. After all, she has all these great ideas running through her head, and hardly enough time to say them all to a single person, let alone a crowd.
The song stops suddenly to give us a view of the quiet scene between Byakuren and her opponent. She is doing the talking, still in control of herself, respectfully considering, refining her points and arguments and presenting them to her opponent. It is impossible to say whether her opponent has conceded or not, but they still listen, and Byakuren still speaks. With this, the piece ends.
Phew. It?s done. I hope it?s decent. I?ll be taking a bit of a break, then I?ll move on to PC-98.
Yes that's a Planescape: Torment reference.
