The soundtrack for Inuyasha: Fire on the Mystic Island contains thirty-eight tracks. Most of these pieces are instrumental background music. However, “Song of Parting” is a song with vocals that is heard prominently during the film. In Japan, this soundtrack was issued individually. However, in the United States, the soundtrack can only be acquired if you buy the complete box set of the Inuyasha movies, which includes both the DVDs of the four films and the CDs of their accompanying soundtrack albums.

The pieces on the disc were composed and conducted by Kaoru Wada, and these pieces are in the same league as the pieces he composed for Affections Touching Across Time, The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass, and Swords of an Honorable Ruler. When listening to the music, you can hear that Wada’s compositions are in the same league as film scores done by such film composers as John Williams. According to the booklet, the following instruments are used to help bring Inuyasha: Fire on the Mystic Island to life: flute, oboe, clarinet, fagotto, horns, trumpets, trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, strings, quena, oud, bouzouki, ethnic percussion, niko, shinobue, nokan, shakuhachi, biwa, nijugen so, Japanese drum, tsugaru shamisen, and a synthesizer. This combination of instruments helps to create the unique sound that has become so associated with the Inuyasha franchise.

When I listened to this CD, I had it running in the background as I worked on other things. The score Kaoru Wada composed for Fire on the Mystic Island is very effective as background music, because as I focused on what I was working on, the music would disappear into the background. However, this isn’t a bad thing, since this music was originally composed with the intent of being in the background; it wasn’t composed to grab the listener’s attention to the point that it distracts the viewer from the film.

If you’re a fan of the music in Inuyasha: Fire on the Mystic Island, then this soundtrack is worth tracking down. If you enjoy the films but don’t already own them on DVD, then I would recommend purchasing the complete box set of the Inuyasha movies. At retail, this set seems to sell for anywhere between $30 and $80. If you’re interested in purchasing the set, then it would be worth your time to shop around and find the best deal. However, if you want the soundtrack but already own the DVD of the film, then your best bet would be to track down a Japanese import CD of the soundtrack.