No. 295 Universal feelings in history ~T.P Bon~

“T.P Bon (Time Patrol Bon)” is an anime series distributed on Netflix from May 2024. Based on the original manga by Fujiko F. Fujio, the anime was directed by Masahiro Ando and produced by Bones. The show is divided into two parts, Season 1 and Season 2, with 12 episodes each, for a total of 24 episodes.
Namihira Bon, an ordinary middle school student, is appointed as an apprentice member of the Time Patrol after a certain incident. The mission that Bon takes on with his senior female member Reem and the hyperspace creature Buyoyon is to save people who have died unfortunate deaths in history (but only those who have no influence on history). Bon, who has gained experience as a time patrol member, is promoted to regular member after being a quasi-member and takes on more missions.
In the field of science fiction, time patrol stories are mostly about the confrontation between time criminals who are trying to change history and time patrols who are trying to stop them. However, this work has a setting that could be called “breaking the rules” for science fiction, as it involves rescuing people who are destined to die in a past world. However, this created a suspense that was different from that of time crime stories, and there were many episodes that were worth watching as human dramas.
The anime version takes advantage of the original work’s characteristics and incorporates modern historical and scientific research to create a work that can be enjoyed by a wide range of generations. The title is also suitable for overseas distribution as it is set in various parts of the world.

The music is by Michiru Oshima, who has worked on works such as “Fullmetal Alchemist” and “Yojohan Mythology”. Michiru Oshima, who travels all over the world performing and recording, is the perfect composer for this work’s music.
The music of “T.P Bon” is created using large-scale sounds using a large orchestra. Michiru Oshima has posted several comments about the music of this work on the X account, and in one of them she says, “I was wondering if this work would have an orchestral sound, but there are a lot of heavy scenes. So…” he said. Since the work depicts historical wars and catastrophes, the majestic sound of an orchestra was probably necessary for the music that colors the story.
The performance will be performed by Hungary’s Budapest Symphony Orchestra and America’s Nashville Music Scoring Orchestra. Also participating from Japan are guitarist Masayoshi Furukawa and shakuhachi player Dozan Fujiwara. As befits the work, the performance is also international.
According to Michiru Oshima’s comments, more than 110 songs were recorded for this work over four episodes. There are some recorded songs that are used regularly, but there are also many songs that were written to go with the videos. Combined with the orchestral sound, the music had a rich impression, similar to film music.
The soundtrack album for this work was titled “T.P Bon (Soundtrack from the Netflix Series)” and was released on Netflix Music on August 30, 2024. There is no CD release at this time. See the link below for included songs.
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0DFD4VHDM

The soundtrack includes 55 songs carefully selected from over 110 songs. Some distribution sites display track numbers as 01-55, but Amazon Prime Music etc. display them as two discs, DISC1:01-35 and DISC2:01-20. . Looking at the track list, you can see that DISC 1 is based on Season 1, and DISC 2 is based on Season 2. In this article, I would like to introduce each disc separately.

Disc 1 starts with the opening theme “BON BON BON” written and composed by Michiru Oshima. It is a light rock-style song that rhythmically sings the main character’s name “Bon.” In fact, if you change the language to Spanish on Netflix, you can listen to the Spanish version. Apparently, only the Spanish version was added at Netflix’s request.
BGM collection from track 2. The composition follows the order in which they are used in the play, with one to several songs selected from each episode. This composition is quite wonderful.
Since this is a one-episode work, I think they could have structured it like an image album without worrying about the order in which they were used. However, the order of the songs closely reflects the flow of the main story. So you can look back on the main story in episode order while listening. It has a good structure that allows you to naturally enter the world of “T.P Bon”.
From here, we will introduce the highlights while clarifying which episode each song was selected from.
Track 2 “Very Ordinary” to Track 7 “I Won’t Be Erased!” are selected songs from the first episode. “Very Ordinary”, played leisurely by the strings, is a song that depicts the ordinary character of Tarubon, and is often selected for Bon’s scenes. Track 6 “Time Patrol” is the theme of Time Patrol. It is a song full of exhilaration that begins with the entrance fanfare.
Track 8 “There’s Two of Me?” to Track 15 “Parent and Child Reunion” are selected songs from the second episode, which depicts Bon’s first mission. “Ream and Buyoyon Appear”, which plays during the scene where Ream and Buyoyon appear, gives it a humorous feel. The song “The First Dispatch” (Track 11), which is the scene of Bon’s first dispatch, expresses Bon’s emotional state changing from anxiety to determination. I like track 14, “I Want to Help!,” which plays during the scene where Bon saves an old woman from a flood. It is a song that symbolizes the work’s theme of saving lives, which mixes a sense of urgency and a sense of mission. This song was used more frequently in season 2 than in season 1.
15 songs so far. Disc 1 is characterized by the generous inclusion of songs from episodes 1 and 2, which depict the birth of Time Patrol Bon.
Track 16 “The Royal City” is a folk music-like song that plays during the ancient Egyptian scene in the third episode. This album has many songs inspired by these foreign countries, and they serve as a kind of spice that changes the impression of the music within the album.
Track 17 “I Became a Time Patrol Agent!” ~ Track 20 “The Weight of People’s Mistakes” are selected songs from episode 4. Track 18, “Sailing Across the Ocean,” which plays during the scene in which ancient people cross the Pacific Ocean in a dugout canoe, is a song full of sadness, with the up-and-down movement of the strings reminiscent of an endless ocean.
Track 21 “Witch Hunt” and track 22 “Where Love Leads” are from episode 5, which has the theme of witch hunts in medieval Europe. The contrast between the exotic and melancholy “Witch Hunt” and the beautiful “Where Love Leads,” which plays during the scene where the lovers are talking, is amazing.
The next track 23, “Thoughts on India,” is an oriental-style song that was played during the scene in episode 6 when Hyunjog and his friends were talking as they were about to cross the Tien Shan Mountains.
Track 24 “The Tradition of Sacrifice” ~ Track 26 “The Terror of the Minotaur” are from episode 7. There are disturbing and exotic songs that color the episodes of the Cretan sacrifice and the Minotaur.
Track 27 “Mainland Showdown” and track 28 “Ensign Sakuragi” are song selections from episode 8, which is set in Okinawa at the end of World War II. “Mainland Showdown” depicts the devastation of a city destroyed by air raids, and “Ensign Sakuragi” expresses the sadness of a surviving suicide bomber, Ensign Sakuragi. Both convey heartbreaking feelings. This is a song typical of Michiru Oshima, who also composed the music for Sayuri Yoshinaga’s recitation of “Atomic Bomb Poetry.”
Track 29 “Agents Riding Dinosaurs”, which was played in episode 9, is a song about the scene in which Bon and Reem ride on the back of a dinosaur while on vacation in the Jurassic period. It feels great to start with a laid-back atmosphere, gradually build up, and end with a grand tune.
The following tracks 30 “Gun Man” and 31 “Tactics” are songs played in the 10th episode, which is set in America during the Wild West era. It’s a Western movie-style song featuring Masayoshi Furukawa’s guitar.
Track 32 “The Athenian and Persian Army Time-trippers” is from episode 11, which is set in ancient Greece. It’s a magnificent piece of music reminiscent of a Hollywood historical movie, played during the scene where the Athenian and Persian forces confront each other.
Track 33 “Time-trippers” and track 34 “Ruin & Parting” are selected from episode 12, the final episode of season 1. The song “Ruin ​​& Parting” that plays during Bon and Reem’s farewell scene is heartbreaking. The strings and woodwind melody express Bon’s feelings of being shaken by the sudden breakup. Maintaining that atmosphere, the arrangement of closing disc 1 with the TV size ending theme “Tears in the Sky (TV Version)” is also good.
Next, from disc 2.
Track 1 “A Growing Sense of Responsibility” and track 2 “A Cute New Recruit” are selected from episode 13, the first episode of season 2. “A Growing Sense of Responsibility” is a song that expresses Bon’s determination to finally become a full-time member. Rhythm is added to the gentle melody of the strings, and you can feel Bon’s growth as the melody gradually changes in strength. “A Cute New Recruit” is the theme of Yumiko Yasukawa, a girl in the same grade at the same junior high school as Yumiko, who has become a new time patrol apprentice. It’s a cute song that expresses a different type of charm from the heroine Reem in season 1. This song is also selected for the scene in episode 20 when Yumiko is promoted to a full-time member.
Track 3 “New Team, New Uniforms” to Track 6 “Chaac Descends” are from episode 14, which is set in the ancient Maya. “New Team, New Uniforms”, the scene in which Bon and Yumiko wear the new Time Patrol uniforms, quotes the motif of the Time Patrol theme “Time Patrol” recorded on Disc 1.
Track 7 “The Gempei War” and the next track “The Sound of Kamomaru’s Flute” were used in episode 15, which depicts the Battle of Dannoura in the Heian period. “The Sound of Kamomaru’s Flute” is the sound of a flute played by Kamomaru, a boy with Heike blood. It was performed by Dozan Fujiwara.
Track 9 “The Beginning of Writing” is used in episode 16, and track 10 “Tracing Roots” and track 11 “Dire Wolves” are used in episode 17. Both “The Beginning of Writing” and “Tracing Roots” are heartwarming songs that play during scenes in which Bon thinks about the long history of humanity. It’s a song typical of “T.P Bon,” which sheds light on the activities of ordinary people throughout history.
The next song is from episode 18…it seems like it’s going to be, but it’s actually from episode 1. No songs were selected from episodes 8 and 19. Track 12 “The Fate of the City of Troy” is a song used in episode 20, which depicts the Trojan War. The sombre melody expresses the ruthlessness of war.
Track 13 “Strategy” is from episode 21, track 14 “Those Who Know No Fear” and track 15 “The Great Eruption” are from episode 22. The album builds up towards its climax, with a succession of ominous and tense songs. “The Great Eruption” is music that depicts the tragedy of the city of Bonpei, which was destroyed by a large volcanic eruption. This is also a heavy historical movie style song.
Ethnic music-style track 16 “The Bazaar of Mohenjo-daro” is a song that was played during the Mohenjo-daro scene in episode 23. In the main story, it is used in a loop for a long time. The following track 17 “Following Clues” is also from episode 23. This tense song plays during the scene where Bon searches for clues about the missing Reem, and this scene serves as a stepping stone for the final episode.
Track 18 “Chase After the Dimension Ball!” and Track 19 “Tears in the Sky (Time Patrol Version)” are selected from the 24th episode, the final episode of season 2. “Chase After the Dimension Ball!” is a nearly 3-minute song written using film scoring. The thrilling melody that changes according to the video is truly cinematic. “Tears in the Sky (Time Patrol Version)” is an orchestral arrangement and performance of the ending theme, which is played over Bon’s monologue before the end. This is the only scene where the arrangement of the ending theme is played. That’s what made the scene so memorable. It’s delicious.
“Tears in the Sky”, recorded at the end of the album, is the full-length ending theme. According to Michiru Oshima’s comment, “T.P. Bon” is a story about saving lives, so he wrote it with the theme of “feelings for loved ones who have passed away.” Oshima himself lost someone close to him while writing this song, and it is said that he put his feelings at that time into the song. The feelings towards people who disappear into history, and the desire to move forward without forgetting them, touch my heart. It’s a masterpiece that conveys universal feelings in a pop-like melody.

Finally, let me summarize my impressions of this album as a whole.
This is a large-scale soundtrack with an orchestral sound that makes you feel the eternal history and vastness of the world. The warm sound unique to live orchestra is in line with the theme of this work, which is to save people’s lives. There is a wide variety of music that depicts different eras and places, and while listening to it, it feels like you are experiencing time travel together. It’s an ideal album that allows you to listen to the songs in the same order as they are used in the main story while recalling famous scenes.
If I had to complain, I would like to see more songs included since this is a distributed album with no restrictions on recording time. There are still many songs that I wish I had heard on the soundtrack, such as the humorous songs that play in everyday scenes and the song at the end of episode 8 where Ensign Sakuragi and his girlfriend Akiko connect in their feelings. I think they chose the songs with balance in mind, but I wish they had included about 10 more songs.
No, there are still more than 10 episodes left in the original story of “T.P. Bon,” so producing a season 3 anime version is not a dream. If Season 3 does happen, wouldn’t it be a good idea to release a second soundtrack that includes new songs and unrecorded BGM? I really hope that happens.

T.P Bon (Soundtrack from the Netflix Series)
Amazon