The Music of Iron Chef Japan, Part IV

The Music of Iron Chef Japan, Part IV

by William “Blissey” Raymer

In this final installment, I will focus on music cues that have not yet been mentioned in the first three installments of this series, as well as additional usages of cues that have been mentioned in the first three articles and corrections of data presented in those articles.

4TH CONFRONT: THE REST

One of the cues I’ve heard described the most in comments on this series of articles is the music which replaced “Charging Fort Wagner” as the Iron Chefs’ ascension music on 2001-2008 Food Network airings of Iron Chef.

As of this writing, I cannot identify the source of this cue, which has been given the nickname “Yomigaeru” (Japanese for “Come to Life”) here on the Iron Chef Filehouse.

However, due to the so-called “Secret Santa” who made the 1996 “Beijing Decisive Battle” (ICC episode number 441) available to us here on the ICF, we now know that “Yomigaeru” was, in fact, used on the original Japanese version of Iron Chef.

During the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Decisive Battle (see the Part 1 download), “Yomigaeru” can be heard at time code 16 minutes, 19 seconds into the video. “Yomigaeru” plays until time code 16 minutes, 40 seconds into the video (at which time “Charging Fort Wagner” begins as normal).

Here is an example of “Yomigaeru” as used on the post-2001-to-2008 U.S.-dubbed version of Iron Chef (taken from the Fois Gras Battle between Komei Nakamura [in his debut battle as an Iron Chef] and challenger Kiyoshi Suzuki [ICC episode number 410]), followed by its use in the “Beijing Decisive Battle…”

• U.S. “Yomigaeru”
• B.D.B. “Yomigaeru”

Of the cues I have yet to describe so far, the one heard most often is the Chairman’s entrance fanfare, heard on special occasions, such as the entrance of the New Chairman, Masahiro Motoki, in the 2002 Japan Cup special (ICC episode number 1001).

This fanfare is the theme to the Nobunaga’s Ambition series of historical simulation video games. Here is the fanfare, as used on Iron Chef, taken from an album released to commemorate the 20^th anniversary of the Nobunaga’s Ambition series:

• Chairman’s Fanfare

Another of the cues replaced in post-2001-to-2008 English-dubbed episodes of Iron Chef was the music stinger heard after the Chairman’s “Allez Cuisine” start call and the ringing of the Gong of Fate. Originally, this cue was excerpted from the composition “Fanfare for the Common Man,” composed in 1942 by  Aaron Copland (1900-1990). The “Fanfare for the Common Man” excerpt was subsequently replaced by an excerpt from the cue “335” from the Backdraft soundtrack (exact time code unknown). In addition to the uses described in its entry in the First Confront, “Show Me Your Firetruck” (from the Backdraft soundtrack) provided a third cue. At the end of the challenger’s profile at the beginning of each episode (before the opening sequence), the opening of “Show Me Your Firetruck”  (9SMYF time code-0:00 to 0:09) plays as the Chairman implores today’s challenger(s) to do his/her/their best in the Kitchen Stadium. (As an example of this encouragement, say this series of articles is a battle I’m fighting. As a slow-motion shot of me typing at my laptop’s keyboard plays, the Chairman might say… “Now, Raymer! Show us the magic of the music that was used in my Kitchen Stadium!” Just kidding of course, but you get the point.)

• Show Me Your Firetruck Implore Cue 

In addition to its use in the “Iron Chef World Cup 1997” special (see the Second Confront), the “Star Trek Generations Overture” was also used in the afore-mentioned “Beijing Decisive Battle.”

After the verdict in the Preliminary Battle (part 2 download) (1STGO time code-0:35 to 0:47) plays after Shinichiro Ohta’s interview with Iron Chef Chinese/Szechwan Representative Chen Kenichi as he and Peking Representative Son Rihei celebrate their advancement to the Final Battle.

• Star Trek Generations Overture Beijing Advancement Cue

Two additional cues from Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (the source of the original tasting panel introductory music) were used in the “Digest” seen at the beginning of the original U.S. version of Part 2 of the “2000^th Plate Special” (aired in Japan as one special-episode 631b in the Filehouse database). These two cues were “Yip Man’s Kwoon” (2YMK time code 1:08 to 2:27, at which point the track ends) and “Lee Hoi Chuen’s Love” (3LHCL time code 0:00 to 0:32). Both of these cues played as progress on the All-Chinese Team’s dishes was described.

• Yip Man’s Kwoon 2000^th Plate excerpt
• Yip Man’s Kwoon full track
• Lee Hoi Chuen’s Love 2000^th Plate excerpt
• Lee Hoi Chuen’s Love full track

Also, I have recently discovered that the name of the track from the 1998 film Lost in Space used in Dominique Bouchet’s introductory film in the “Millennium Cup 2000” special (“Thru the Planet”-see the Second Confront) is only the name of the track as it appears on the original TVT Records soundtrack album.

A separate score-only album released by Intrada (the TVT Records release mixes selected score tracks with lyrical songs) contains this track, but under the title “Lost In Space.” The time code data remains the same (20LIS-I time code 0:40-1:07).

At this time, I cannot think of any further cues that I have not touched upon. So, at this time, I must close out the Music of Iron Chef Japan series. Take care. Or, in other words….

WILLIAM “BLISSEY” RAYMER

YUMA, ARIZONA USA

25 MAY 2010

The Music of Iron Chef Japan, Part III

The Music of Iron Chef Japan, Part III

by William “Blissey” Raymer

In this installment, I will focus on still more movies who contributed music to the original Japanese and Food Network U.S.-dubbed versions of our obsession.

A word of notation before I begin: I do not own the majority of the soundtracks you’re about to see listed here. Therefore, I may not know which particular cue goes with which usage and the exact length of the track used in each case. If you recognize which cues I reference, e-mail me at Blissey01@yahoo.com.

CONFRONT 3: EVEN MORE MOVIE MUSIC

I’d like to thank Keith Brock (you know him as “tuthead”) for providing me with the music list from the late and lamented ironchef.com website, which I used as research material for this article.

First up is Mulan, the 1998 Disney film (and number 36 on the company’s list of “Official Canon” animated features). Composed and conducted by the late Jerry Goldsmith, the soundtrack contributed various cues for episodes in the latter year-and-a-half of Iron Chef‘s run. (Click Here to purchase this soundtrack.)

Most noted of these is the “Suite from Mulan” (Track 6 on the Walt Disney Records soundtrack album), which was used during the original U.S. version of the 2000^th Plate Special (ICC episode number 631) in a recap of the 1994 Prawn Battle between Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi and challenger Takashi Saito (ICC episode number 238). The recap was shown as part of the “Chairman’s Top 5” dishes countdown, whose Number 1 was Iron Chef Chen’s version of his father Chen Kenmin’s famous Prawns in Chili Sauce.

Three other scores composed by Jerry Goldsmith made their way to Kitchen Stadium as well.

• U.S. Marshals—used during the introduction of the 1999 Spiny Lobster Battle between Iron Chef Chen and Grand Chef Xie Huaxian of Hei Chin Rou (ICC episode number 701); (Click Here to purchase this soundtrack.)
• Air Force One—used in the 21^st Century Battle (ICC episode number 901); (Click Here to purchase this soundtrack.)
• First Knight—used during the 1999 Stingray Battle between Iron Chef French II Hiroyuki Sakai and challenger Yoshihide Koga (ICC episode number 732). (Click Here to purchase this soundtrack.)

A movie whose music was only used in the original English dubbed version of Iron Chef was Akira, the 1988 anime classic. (Click Here to purchase this soundtrack.) Composed by Tsutomu Oohashi (under his pseudonym Shoji Yamashiro) and performed by his ensemble, the Geinoh Yamashirogumi, the Akira soundtrack contributed a cue here described in the list from the late ironchef.com: “Akira” Soundtrack – “Requiem” (track 10) The gong that is heard as we see the chef and challenger are pictured facing each other after the commercial break before the dishes are presented again and before judging is from the anime movie is from seconds 20 to 28 of track 10. This footage is seen in the International Iron Chef seen on the Food Network.

• Gong Excerpt
• Full Track

4TH CONFRONT: OTHER MEDIA, PART 1 Three more anime shows/movies had music used on Iron Chef—specifically, in the New York Battle (ICC episode number 802). These cues, all composed by Yoko Kanno (Yoko Kanno Amazon Store), were used in various places during the New York Battle special.

• “Flying Dragon” (from Escaflowne–Purchase Soundtrack)
• “Break out/Cantabile” (from Macross Plus – Purchase Soundtrack)
• “My Little Pony” (Brain Powerd – Purchase Soundtrack)
• “Home” (Brain Powerd – Purchase Soundtrack)
• “Power of the Light” (from Brain Powerd – Purchase Soundtrack)

The 1986 musical Variations, composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, gives us the original ascension music of Iron Chef Italian Masahiko Kobe. (Click Here to purchase this soundtrack.)

Here’s the description from the ironchef.com list:

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Variations” – Used for Kobe’s introduction music. The Song & Dance musical, written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, features singing in act one and dancing in act two. Since act two is just instrumental, it will sometimes be sold separately from the singing portion of the musical. Such is the case for the recording used on the show. The instrumental music is on a CD entitled “Variations” (Philips label, released 1986). Track 11, approx 2:27 – 2:57, is Kobe’s music.

• Variations 22-23 (Kobe Excerpt)
• Variations 22-23 (Full Track)

When Iron Chef Kobe’s music was replaced for post-2001 airings of the show on Food Network, it was changed to a cue from the anime series The Big O. This cue, entitled “Stoning” (composed by Toshihiko Sahashi) would be used until the music of Iron Chef was totally replaced for post-2008 airings of Iron Chef on the U.S. cable channel Fine Living Network (check out the “Fine Living Version” of the 1998 Mango Battle between Iron Chef Kobe and challenger Yousei Watanabe [ICC episode number 615-B] for an example of the new music).

• Stoning (from The Big O)

Finally on our itinerary this time is the 1996 Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire media initiative. The soundtrack inspired by the novel and later used in the videogame (composed and conducted by Joel McNeely based on original thematic material composed by John Williams) would contribute two cues (“Imperial City” and “The Destruction of Xizor’s Palace”) to the opening sequence of the U.S. version of the 21^st Century Battle (ICC episode number 901).

Both of the Shadows of the Empire cues I just mentioned can be downloaded from Joel McNeely’s official website, which you can find here.

According to some reports, a theme from some incarnation of the Star Trek franchise was used in the original Japanese opening of the 21^st Century Battle (and was subsequently replaced in the U.S. by the Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire music). However, since I have not seen the OJV of the 21^st Century Battle as of the date this article was written, I cannot comment on this myself.

Anyone who has a tape of the OJV (Original Japanese Version) of the 21^st Century Battle, please send me an MP3 or video file of the opening at the e-mail address above. If I can correctly identify the Star Trek theme in question, I will properly credit you in a revision of this article.

In our last episode, we’ll wrap up our look at miscellaneous cues not mentioned up to this point.

William “Blissey” Raymer

Yuma, Arizona USA

15 September 2009