The Gentle Sounds of Aharen-San

 

I think the sound design in 'Aharen-san' is phenomenal.

That might be a strange statement to make for a slice-of-life anime. Phenomenal is a powerful word and it's not like there's a Hiroyuki Sawano track dropping when Raidou was at the claw machine. In fact, when we actually consider what sounds actually are in the first episode, you will realize that there's actually very little going on; Raidou and Aharen speaks in a monotonous voice with none of the usual tonal antics of a comedy; Most of the soundtrack consist of sparse piano notes that leaves a lot of "empty space" in between them; And as much as we like to diss Berserk for its horrible *pings and pongs*, you can't really say that nailing the sound design of bento boxes is comparable to how a mega-ton sword should sound on every conceivable metal, rock and bone.

Thus, is there even a conversation to be had about sound design in a show where school kids just bumble about? Well, to consider that question, let us first discuss the different forms that "good" sound designing can take.

Believable Sounds Vs Thematic Sounds

The definition of "good" varies from person to person. After all, the sound of a chalk board may be soothing for some but be irritating to others. Hence, I prefer to classify good sound design into two categories: One of believable sounds, and one of thematic sounds.

Believable sounds embody the philosophy of realism. As per our previous example, it considers what metal clashing against metal should realistically sound like. If the result is that of a sound of two metal pans clashing together, then that serves to bring the audience out of their immersion.

Thematic sounds, however, takes the opposite approach. 

Consider what Karyl from 'Priconne' should sound in this scene; If we adhere to the logic of believable sounds, then Karyl should be gagging, gurgling and regurgitating bestial rumbles befitting of a colossal titan. However, thematic sounds will tell you: "No, no, that would be disgusting for a waifu as cute like Karyl." The right approach would instead be some sparkling twinkles, some hilarious jangles, with a bonus of cute cat noises as the cherry on top. In the end, it would be unrealistic for Karyl to sound cute when barfing (Unless you're a faqing cute wolf) and there isn't an in-universe fairy sprinkling pixie dust over your vomit, but we don't really mind. We find it funny, for this is a comedy show and thus exaggerated and fantastical noises only serve to add to its hilarity -- It is thematically relevant.

It should be noted that these two concepts aren't mutually-exclusive and can instead be used together to heighten the sounds of a show. One of my favorite examples of sound directing is in the plane scene in Vivy. You can watch the video below as a quick summary of what I mean.

If I would to chart out the volumes of all the sounds, we would get a script that is designed around juxtaposition; These volleys of peaks and valleys serve to surprise our eardrums at every turn, and with life-and-death as its accompanying context, what we have is a sound design that serves to maximize tension. Believable sounds can be found in the loud explosions of the engine, but at the same time, thematic sounds can be found in the deafening silence that encroached upon Vivy towards the end. It isn't realistic for the rain to grow exponentially louder in-universe but it remains thematically relevant as it reflects the chaotic emotions she possesses. Hence, with all things consider, this scene in 'Vivy' reverberates tension, extracts fear from realistic explosions and leaves us speechless with poignant confusion -- A masterclass in sound designing.

It should be noted that all this is done without any instrumental pieces at all. As we often accompany scenes of epic with swelling violins, we often forget that emotions can be evoked with sounds as mundane as rain itself. While OSTs often act as the face of sound design, we should remember that it is often the sounds of bento boxes that acts as the cornerstone of our viewing experience. As we move back to our star of the day, let us consider how 'Aharen-san' uses both believable and thematic sounds in even their most "throwaway details".

The Gentle Sounds of Aharen-San

As a comedy show, 'Aharen-san' uses a lot of the same *beeps & boops* similar to 'Priconne' and a lot of their slice-of-life predecessors. While I think those techniques still remain a praise-worthy effort on the sound designers' part, I believe that the commonality of them has lend it to be more of a necessity rather than a bonus. After all, without *beeps & boops*, can you even consider yourself to be a fun anime? Much like how good animation has become the prerequisite of the 'average', sound designers need to do more than these sound gimmicks to be considered phenomenal.

Perhaps a stroke of opportunity comes in our lil' softie named Aharen.

Aharen is unique as she doesn't possess a loud voice much like her other heroine compatriots. She doesn't act boisterous like the tsunderes, and even as a kuudere, her voice is so soft that I'm pretty sure Inori Minase was speaking into an ASMR mic. What characterizes Aharen as a character then, is not her words but more in her actions. To endear us to her, the writers would allow long scenes of her just fumbling around with mundane tasks. We even have a scene where we just stared at her blank lil' face for about a dozen seconds or so. The problem then lies in the fact that between her sparse dialogue, there is often a lot of quiet spaces where we just observe her. That in theory would be horribly awkward, so the monumental task that is given to the writers is one whereby they have to fill these moments with little sounds of joyfulness.

A few obvious methods come to mind: The *beeps and boops*, the monologuing of Raidou and of course the soundtrack all act as veritable fill-ins to Aharen's softness. Perhaps a more interesting consideration then is in the accompanied softness of the soundtracks itself. Much of the OST, regardless of whether they are dorky ones or emotional set pieces, all possess a characteristic of sparseness. Often times they would be introduced with a singular note as point of emphasis, and then proceed to be spaced out between long intervals. For the dorky tracks, the intervals are sporadic to give a sense of silliness. In more emotional accompaniments, the intervals are fixed and the reverb is increased ten-folds to provide a sense of innocence and intimacy. In this sense, the soundtracks reflects the character of Aharen herself; Somewhat silly, and with not too much to say. But when she does, she opens up timidly just like the soft echoes of her every note. The long intervals further give Aharen breathing space as well. With a voice as quiet as hers, a more dense track would often serve to drown out her words. This method of tenderness can similarly be seen in 'A Silent Voice'. If you listen to a lot of tracks in that movie, you will realize that most of them utilize the same "empty" space. This is fitting when their main heroine Nishimiya is deaf, and much of her struggle is trying to make people understand what she is saying. 

In one of my favorite scenes, we have the fight between young Nishimiya and Ishida. A less considerate sound design would entail giving that fight a more intense track, perhaps abandoning the gentleness of the piano. However, sound director Youta Tsuruoka didn't want to drown out Nishimiya's cries. After all, this was her defining moment of rebellion. After months of quietly enduring abuse, this was the only time where she allowed herself to express her frustration. And hence, the soundtrack chosen was the whispering piano, allowing us to hear what she has been waiting to say.

I can even expound on this point from Ishida's point of view. After a bout of karmic retribution, he found himself in the same position he put Nishimiya in -- Bullied and alone. Perhaps an ironic twist then, is that he found her cleaning his desk, quietly scrubbing away the grafitti he once littered on her. "Why?!" Ishida was no doubt confused and he struggled to provoke an answer out of her. This soft piano track then was his own way of trying to read between the "empty spaces". 

In the same vein of "drowning out" then, we can also consider Aharen's social struggle. We have already caught glimpses of how she can't make any friends as her peers often fail to hear her voice. The writers sought to remind us of this then, by constantly filling in the empty spaces with the sounds of daily life. In the classroom we would hear constant chatter, in the arcade we would hear machines and in the streets, the sound of passing traffic would completely overwhelm her tiny voice. With not just an effect of further immersing us into the believable world, they also act as thematic embodiments to Aharen's social anxiousness.

Let me step out of my analyst role to just say that is freaking impressive to me. The show writers didn't need to do this as it is often easier to just slap a track on the scene and be done with it. Instead, to further immerse us into the world and into Aharen's struggles, the mad-lads decided to go out of their way to record and process the believable sounds of every location and setting. A+ for effort.

The last point of interest I want to bring up is that our team of chads aren't afraid to show some flair with their sound design as well. Much like how 'Vivy' builds tension with contrasting loudness and silence, some of the more emotional scenes of 'Aharen-san' employ the same flair to pull our heartstrings.

In the scene whereby Aharen "ignored" Raidou, we are treated to the sounds of echoing footsteps, serving to provoke a sense of isolation. Although this was a short scene and was quickly brushed aside as a misunderstanding, it nonetheless humanizes Raidou. After all, he was just rocking out with Aharen at the Karaoke the day before, it is natural for anyone to feel a tinge of 'betrayal' when ignored by your homie. As kind as Raidou is, he is still a regular dude with human needs.

Similarly, whenever Aharen opens up, we often hear the incessant background noises fade out, as if both Raidou and her have entered into a world of their own. Accompanying this effect is her voice being leveled to be louder yet maintain its whispery quality. Other than serving to give us ASMR-like tingles, this serves to emphasize a sense of intimacy between our lovely couple, and in extension Aharen to us as well. After all, it is the same whispery goodness which made Emilia and Subaru's conversation back in S1EP8 so endearing to us.

It's the little things; Techniques such as having immersive background noises, picking the right soundtracks and voice leveling, are things that aren't revolutionary; Every good anime has them. But perhaps as we take a look at slice-of-life shows, we often forget that those golden techniques are what can elevate a normal 4-koma manga, into an anime that breathes life into its world and characters. And thus as much as these little things may seem mundane, I will never stop praising them. So the next time you look at a slice-of-life and find it more comfy than the others, give it some thought. You might discover that little things like this stack up.