Gochuumon wa usagi desu ka?? Original Soundtrack set for release on December 25, 2015

“Where words fail, music speaks.” —Hans Christian Andersen

As the Gochuumon wa usagi desu ka? did last year, the Gochuumon wa usagi desu ka?? OST will be set for a release on Christmas Day of this year. Retailing for 2700 yen (roughly 30.71 CAD at the time of writing), this soundtrack will feature one disk with thirty-nine tracks from the second season. Insofar, GochiUsa‘s second season has been a solid offering, consistently finding new ways to allow the characters to interact with one another, and making use of different combinations to give rise to new experiences for everyone. This has been at the forefront of all GochiUsa discussion, so other aspects (such as the soundtrack) have fallen by the wayside as the series progressed. I’ve remarked here and there that there are some new pieces that can be heard in GochiUsa‘s second season, such as a piano version of “It’s Kilimanjaro” and an upbeat piece that plays during the start of several episodes. Older songs, such as “Aoyama’s circumstances” and “Telling a Story” also make a return, but the new tracks add aural diversity to GochiUsa, allowing the anime to project more emotions to better fit in with some of the new moments that arise as a result of different character interactions.

• The cover art for the second season’s soundtrack looks amazing, taking on the same artistic style as it did for the first season’s soundtrack. This time, a younger Cocoa and Mocha are depicted in front of the Hoto family bakery, a family-owned business that produces some excellent baked goods.

As is usual for posts of this sort, I’ve made an effort to translate all of the track names into English so that the songs are more easy to recall. Some of the translation conventions were chosen such that they sound more natural in English. The choice to leave onee-chan untranslated in track two results from the fact that the song’s title is probably spoken by Cocoa or Mocha in the third person (functionally, “leave it to me”), and while this would sound awkward in English (“leave it to [older] sister!”), it works for Japanese, as younger speakers often refer to themselves in the third person. For track thirteen, “可憐” has two possible meanings; although referring to a wretched or piteous state, in this context, it can mean “sweet”. GochiUsa is a happy-go-lucky sort of anime, so the latter would be more appropriate as a song name. Track twenty-two is given as “challenge” rather than “game” given how its utilised in GochiUsa, typically when Cocoa is challenging with someone whenever the topics of little sisters is mentioned. I’m quite uncertain as to how track twenty-four should be translated: “覚悟” simply is “resolute”, and “しろ” is white. The inclusion of the Sokuon (i.e. small tsu) throws things off, but I imagine that it’s used here as a glottal stop to suddenly terminate articulation, indicating surprise or anger. Thus, the track itself might be referring to Tippy’s determination in storming Ama Usa An, which results in how I ultimately translate it.

Tracklist

1. 木組みの街〜雪解けと春のはじまり (Timber-framed town, the spring thaw begins)
2. おねえちゃんにまかせなさ〜い! (Leave it to onee-chan!)
3. Rabbit’s Time
4. しょうがないですね (It’s not ginger)
5. あんこの夢〜甘兎へようこそ☆☆ (Anko’s Dream – Welcome to the Sweet Rabbit☆☆)
6. ちょっとむずかしいです (It’s a little difficult)
7. 〆切は苦手です〜 (The deadline is difficult)
8. 大好きな笑顔 (Beloved smile)
9. Eyecatch〜hop!〜
10. もふもふとご満悦 (Blissful cuddling)
11. モカの温もり (Mocha’s warmth)
12. お嬢様の昼下がり (The Princesses’ Afternoon)
13. 可憐な乙女心 (The lovely maiden’s feelings)
14. ノーポイッ!〜solo piano ver.〜 (No-Poi! piano version)
15. おやすみ前のラテアート (Latte art before a good night)
16. えーとえーと、、あれれ? (Umm, umm, what?)
17. 困ったなあ (Troubled)
18. 眩しい光 (Dazzling Light)
19. 後ろに気をつけろ!! (Watch your rear!!)
20. ピンチ!! (Pinch!!)
21. 焙煎しすぎてしまった…!! (The roasting was messed up!!)
22. 勝負!! (Challenge!!)
23. 突撃!! (Onslaught!!)
24. 覚悟しろっ (A resolute white)
25. 白鳥のパ・ド・ドゥ (Swan’s Pas de deux)
26. Un, deux, trois (One, two, three!)
27. トゥシューズの夢物語 (Dreaming of the toe-shoes)
28. Eyecatch〜café〜
29. Rabbit House〜BAR TIME
30. ときめきポポロン♪〜solo guitar ver.〜 (Tokimeki poporon ♪ Guitar version)
31. 焼きたての香りに包まれて (Wrapped in a freshly-baked scent)
32. さあはじまるよ! (Now, let’s begin!)
33. 陽だまりの優しさ (The gentle sunlight)
34. 秘めた想い (Hidden feelings)
35. 琥珀色のロマンス (Amber-coloured romance)
36. 懐かしい安らぎ (Peaceful nostalgia)
37. ちょっぴりほろ苦さ (A little bittersweet)
38. またのお越しを〜店主より, long ver. (Another visit – shopkeeper, long version)
39. またのお越しを〜店主より, short ver. (Another visit – shopkeeper, short version)

• I imagine that, with only one disk and thirty-nine tracks, the individual songs will probably average anywhere from 1:30 to 2:00 minutes in length. Despite being on the shorter side, the tracks from the first season’s soundtrack were able to capture the mood of a moment within its short running time. This is reflected in the page quote: the background music enhances the atmosphere in GochiUsa through the gentler pieces on the soundtrack.

I reiterate that these translations are probably only approximations at best, although they should at the minimum, make it easier to quickly identify the songs. There are only two more episodes left in GochiUsa’s second season, and the previous episode concluded with the girls making their way into the mountains for a summer retreat. The final two songs on the soundtrack suggest that there might be a possibility that where they’re headed might be close in proximity to the Hoto Bakery. If so, this will be an excellent way to end the second season, but at present, this remains purely within the realm of speculation. Whether or not this holds true, I’m looking forwards to this soundtrack: the music in GochiUsa, though often passed over in most discussion, contributes substantially to the anime’s atmosphere: in the first season, the presence of gentle piano and flute pieces, in conjunction with French-sounding elements reinforces the notion of an incredibly peaceful, relaxing setting. I imagine that the second season’s soundtrack will appropriately reflect on the new character dynamics that have been possible now that everyone’s role in GochiUsa has been well-established.