Grand Escape
By Gelzone Unsas
As a simple man, whenever I see a Makoto Shinkai directed movie came out with RADWIMPS’s OST, I click. The piece 「グランドエスケープ」(Grand Escape) is a beautiful song featured in the 2019 Japanese animated film 「天気の子」(Weathering with You). With a soaring melody and sweeping orchestration, this song brought me a breath of fresh air.
About the Anime
The plot revolves around a young boy named Hodaka who flees his small town for Tokyo, where he meets Hina, a girl with the ability to control the weather. They start a business that provides people with clear skies in exchange for money. As I was a bit upset about the previous Shinkai’s film, in comparison to “Fireworks,” “Weathering with You” is more emotionally grounded and character-driven.
About the Arrangement
I was pretty satisfied about my arrangement and the post-processing I did on the video this time. I scouted a perfect location near my house, a dock by the serene lake, to shoot the video. The footage turned out amazing as it created an illusion of me standing on the water, which perfectly aligned with the original anime’s aesthetics.
In addition to the visuals, I experimented with using fake finger nails for picking the guitar, which added a distinct and precise sound to the music. To further enhance the emotional impact of the song, I added reverb and chorus effects, resulting in a beautiful and poignant rendition of the original.