Anime Soundtracks That Are Worth Listening To On Repeat
Not all anime are renown for their scores, but these 15 series knocked it out of the park when it came to their soundtracks.
Soundtracks are the soul behind an anime. Take One Piece and ‘Thriller Bark’ arc, for example once the anime gets comfortably knee-deep into the plot, “Bings Sake” cheers the audience on with intense passion. An anime wouldn’t work without its soundtrack, which can unlock elements behind the action and visuals that were previously never even considered. Sometimes even the characters in an anime series feel incomplete without the proper music to accompany their actions.
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All in all, it’s undeniable that the audiovisual aesthetic in an anime is just as important as the illustrations, plot, direction, and any other creative element. The soundtrack in any given anime is as varied as the depth of the plot and range of its characters, but it can frequently come across as more surprising.
Sometimes an anime truly doesnt come alive until music is added to the package. Its such a significant element that its not uncommon for an animes soundtrack to be viewed as its own character. Music can often go under-appreciated in anime series, but when it properly connects with the right material then its an absolutely transcendent experience. Accordingly, here’s a solid selection of anime soundtracks that are far too easy to leave on repeat.
The Epic Journey In One Piece Is Not The Same Without Its Iconic Soundtrack
Plenty of anime have satisfying soundtracks, but it’s hard to compare with the masterpiece of music that’s been put together for shonen anime staple, One Piece. One Piece’s soundtrack has received acclaim from critics and fans alike and its theme, “We Are,” won anime theme song of the year back in 2000.
One Piece’s musical accomplishments have only grown more intense. As with any long-running shonen series, OnePiece has put out a long list of theme songs, which currently tops two-dozen. This music often functions as fitting odes to pirates, the sea, and treasure. One Piece has even ambitiously included Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” and Dvorak’s “New World Symphony” in its soundtrack, too.
Nujabes Feat Shing02 Battlecry
Story
Ukiyo-e painters, American baseball players declaring war and the samurai who smells of sunflowers, all in the context of the Edo-period. Champloo meaning stirred or mixed in the Okinawa dialect is an accurate description of this chaotic anime which follows a traveling trio who encounter famous historical events in Japan, with a twist.
Song and Artist
Another champloo-ed aspect of Samurai Champloo is the mixing of hip-hop music in the backdrop of a traditional Japanese scenery. Enter Nujabes, producer, lo-fi hip hop pioneer and sample God to mix the best beat in anime history. The opening song, Battlecry, featuring Nujabes partner-in-crime rapper, Shing02, made it big outside of Japan and was popularized in the hip-hop community in the U.S. Who would have thought that samurai and hip-hop would make such a power couple? This is a tribute to you Nujabes, Rest in Peace.
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Music Anime Involving Bands
K-On – One of the most popular and famous anime of the genre. It tells the story of a light music club with five adorable, cute and talented girls. The anime is light, funny and quite popular. SUPER RECOMMEND!
Nana – An anime focused on drama and adult people. It tells the story of 2 girls named Nana who start sharing an apartment. One is a punk rocker the other is a dreamer looking for a romance. The anime has a great soundtrack and captures viewers with a deep story. MANDATORY!
Beck – It tells the story of a band that bears the same name, with 5 young musicians who have to deal with the growing fame and daily struggles. The anime songs are made by the voice actors themselves, which will take you on a journey of wild rock. SUPER RECOMMEND!
Detroit Metal City – This hilarious anime follows the story of a shy boy who always dreamed of being a pop idol, but to pay the bills he ends up joining a death metal band. SUPER RECOMMEND!
White Album 2 – Despite being written 2, they are different stories. It shows the story of a vocalist, pianist and an undecided boy, a very heavy drama with a surprising ending. Anime seems to start out focusing on music, but the romance of the story goes much further. MANDATORY!
So Ra No Wo To – Tells the story of Kanata who joins the military just to play the horn. The anime shows the motivation and inspiration in the music, in addition to the hard training of the army. VERY GOOD!
Naruto In Catch Me Outside By Ski Mask The Slump God
Florida rapper, Ski Mask The Slump God, released his first album You Will Regret with the song, “Catch Me Outside” in February of 2018. The song used a beat produced by Timbaland for a 1999 Missy Elliot song, and quickly after its release, followed by a music video produced by Cole Bennett, the artist rose to fame.
On the track he uses the lyrics, “Naruto nine-tailed fox coat fur,” to reference the nine-tailed beast in the series, Naruto. Ski Mask does this often as a lot of his music is inspired by animation.
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Naoki Sat: Sword Of The Stranger
Leading Japanese composer Naoki Sat composed a ravishing orchestral score for the 2007 anime film Sword of the Stranger. The open, soaring strings heard in the Ihojin No Yaiba battle theme are a real highlight, and the films main theme features a beautiful, evocative flute melody answered by full orchestral strings. Enchanting.
Hiroyuki Sawano: Attack On Titan
Another anime inspired by manga, the Attack on Titan series features music by Hiroyuki Sawano. The post-apocalyptic plot centres the small remains of humanity as they forge a life behind walls that protect them from giant humanoid Titans. Sawanos soundtrack is packed with tension, drama and a bold mix of instrumental and vocal genres.
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Top 10 Instruments Anime Has Inspired Fans To Play
Some of the best loved anime series have revolved around musical performance, but have any of them ever made you want to learn to play an instrument yourself? In honor of musical instrument day, Anime Anime held a survey to find out which instruments fans most wished they could play after seeing anime heroes and heroines having so much fun.
10. Ocarina5. Drums4. Violin
Popular orchestral and band instruments have dominated the poll so far, aside from the relatively eccentric choice of ocarina in 10th place! What kind of instruments lie ahead, though?
3. Euphonium
In third place is the comparatively cumbersome euphonium, whose sweet sound lies at the center of popular school music club anime Hibike! Euphonium. At first the heavy instrument may seem like a bit of a burden on our favorite heroines, but seeing them grow and improve in their performances, we wouldnt have it any other way!
2. Piano
No musical list would be complete without the amazingly versatile piano! The instrument experienced a boom in Japan along with classical music thanks to iconic anime Nodame Cantabile, with its protagonist Nodame, a free-spirited piano prodigy. Emotional anime Your Lie in April also had fans shedding tears aplenty with its touching scenes between violinist Kaori and pianist Arima, who learns to love the instrument again despite his traumatic past.
1. Guitar
Adapted with permission from Anime!Anime!
Zutto Mae Kara Suki Deshita: Kokuhaku Jikkou Iinkai
That looks like an intimidating title. But in reality, it is just translated to Ive always liked you.
Take that sentence, throw it into multiple dialogues and you have this movie.
And that is not a diss, but rather just a warning that everyone likes everyone in this movie. And they all suck at explaining themselves.
But theyre all so well-written and likable that even the tenth confession gets me all hyped up. And I truly cannot understand why.
Its as pure as a high school romance can get. And even if that sounds like a turn-off, trust me, somehow it will end up being not quite what you expect.
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One Piece We Are Hiroshi Kitadani
The creators of One Piece loved their opening theme so much theyve reworked it numerous times throughout the shows history for various special episodesincluding with the whole cast singing. And we cant really blame them. Its a great introduction to the buoyant spirit of Japans most popular anime, and the singalong-ready chorus is almost anthemic.
Best For Apple Device Integration
Pros
- Streams more than 75 million tracks
- Cool video playlists
- 24/7 Apple Music radio stations
- 24/7 Apple Music TV video channel
- Family plan
- Rich Hi-Res Audio and Dolby Atmos sound
- Lyrics
- Besides comedy, no other non-music content
- Lossless audio not available on all platforms
Pros
- Excellently curated stations and fun playlists.
- Intuitive design.
Pros
- Massive content well encompassing live and curated channels.
- Large buffer lets you pause and rewind live radio.
- High-profile exclusive content.
- Useful TuneStart and alert systems.
Cons
- Lacks a true family plan.
- No lyrics or artist/album information.
Pros
- Cool, collaborative playlists and Group Session options
- Optional desktop app that lets you play locally stored audio files
- Premium accounts let you hear select albums before they’re released
- Robust Student plan features Hulu and Showtime
- Podcasts
Pros
- Excellent sound quality, with optional Hi-Res Audio
- Long-form editorial pieces
- Exclusive backstage content, live streams, and concerts
- Early access to select concert and sports tickets
Cons
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Best For Amazon Device Integration
Pros
- Tight integration with Amazon device family
- HD and Ultra HD audio tiers
- Podcasts
Pros
- Truly free version on mobile.
- Good crop of original content.
- Video.
- Lets you upload MP3 files on the desktop.
Cons
- Free version on non-mobile devices only offers 30-second song snippets.
- Mobile apps lack MP3-upload compatibility.
- Can’t rewind live radio streams.
- Lacks Hi-Res Audio.
Pros
- High-quality lossless and studio-quality audio streaming
- Huge catalog with new releases and old
- Both streaming and purchasing available
- Includes liner notes in PDF form
- Good choice of audio outputs
- Well-designed apps for all platforms
Cons
Ging Nang Boyz Shonen Shojo
Story
36 students go on a psychedelic trip when they find themselves in a void of nothingness apart from their school and their fellow peers. Now think, Lord of the Flies but replace privileged white kids with depressed Japanese highschoolers with family problems and super powers they cannot control.
Song and Artist
Manga artist, Hisashi Eguchi, designed the characters from the anime and also happened to have designed the album jacket for GING NANG BOYZ acclaimed second album Kimi to Boku no Dai-san-ji Sekai Taisen-teki Renai Kakumei. Coincidence? I think not. GING NANG BOYZ rocked up the toon Shonen Shojo meaning boys and girls for an anime about you guessed it, boys and girls. While the punk-rock band were given the spotlight for the animes theme song, an array of up-and-coming artists have also been featured in the soundtrack .
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Your Lie In April Again
In the famous anime whose reputation is growing day by day, Your Lie in April, or Shigatsu wa kimi no uso in its original title, piano songs are very frequent, and among them is the magnificent song Again which serves as a masterpiece. The anime was a huge success in Japan but also in the rest of the wolrd. The song of Your Lie in April has simplified versions that are easily playable on piano by beginner pianists .
If you want to access the piano sheet music and the midi file of the song Again frome the anime Your Lie in April Shigatsu wa kimi no uso, .
Anime piano songs : learn to play Again from Your Lie in April - Shigatsu wa kimi no uso on piano on La Touche Musicale app.
Binks No Sake One Piece
Binks No Sake is a very well known piano song of the anime One Piece. Its a song that was very frequently sung by the old pirates.
This song from one of the best anime of all time can be played by various types of instruments. Played on piano, it delivers a certain energy and makes you want to have fun collectively with your friends! The dynamism that emanates from this song is similar to some jazz songs for piano.
Binks no Sake is one of the best anime songs. You have to play it on piano!
If you want to access the easy anime piano sheet music and the midi file of the song Binks No Sake from the anime One Piece, .
Anime piano songs for beginners : learn to play Binks No Sake from One Piece on piano on La Touche Musicale app.
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Takeshi Abo’s Work On Steins gate Brings The Action To Life
The soundtrack to Steins Gate displays a great level of variety. Like a standard anime, it consists of openings, endings, and themes. Takeshi Abo is the main music contributor to the anime. The opening “Hacking to the Gate” performed by Kanako It and composed by Chiyimaru Shikura is an all-time favorite.
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However, the standout track in Steins Gate is a symphony called “Gate of Steiner” composed by Takeshi Abo. Other phenomenal tracks by Takeshi Abo are “Cycle,” “Explanation,” and “Assailant.” There are really no misses in the mix and it features some of the best music from the larger Steins Gate universe.
Joe Hisaishi: Howls Moving Castle
The soundtrack to Howls Moving Castle is by Hisaishi as well. We love the main theme, especially when it transitions into a lilting waltz. The magical score sets us up for a tale where we meet Sophie working away in the hat shop owned by her late father and encounter the development of her unlikely friendship with the Wizard, Howl. What ensures is a wonderous adventure featuring a castles, curses, demons and dimensions.
Listen on Global Player: Classic FM Video Game Music playlist
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Neon Genesis Evangelions Music Helps The Animes Crippling Subject Matter Resonate
Neon Genesis Evangelion should be mandatory viewing for every person that’s a fan of psychological and mentally draining narratives. On its surface level, Evangelion is a mecha series, but it’s so much deeper and it examines the human condition and depression with startling clarity.
Shir Sagisu is responsible for Evangelion’s haunting music, which emphasizes the moody, melancholy, and spiritual nature of the series. On top of everything else, Evangelion’s iconic opening theme, “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” performed by Yoko Takahashi, is still widely considered as one of the best anime opening songs of all time.
Yuri On Ice History Maker Dean Fujioka
Yuri on Ice immediately won over anime fans when it debuted in October 2016, and its music is no small part of the magic. In the show, 23-year-old Japanese ice skater Yuri Katsuki finds new confidence and motivation when champion Russian skater Victor Nikiforov quits to become Yuris coach. The show oozes with charm, romantic tension, and the heat of competitionall things evoked in the shows opening theme History Maker by Dean Fujioka. If his intent was to make us all feel like were soaring on ice into the arms of new love, well, it worked.
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Kimi Ni Todoke: From Me To You
The two main actors in this show are Sawako and 2000s horror.
Okay, that is a bit misleading. But in short, the main female protagonist Sawako cant seem to find any friends because everyone thinks she looks like the girl from the Ring.
How they could look at that adorable face and think that is beyond me.
But theres one feller who has a functioning pair of eyes, Shouta, and hes her golden ticket to friendship.
Or maybe even more than friendship. Kidding. Unless
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron
Gundam OPs can be a little all over the place in terms of genre of music and the tone of the music. Thats largely due to the different themes and styles that each of the different series. This goes for Iron-Blooded Orphans, which is a much more intense series, so it must get a really intense OP. All of the series OPs are good but the first one, Raise Your Flag by MAN WITH A MISSION is an absolute banger that is amazing. Seriously just try to sit down while listening to this song, its basically audio coffee without the crash.
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The Best 10 Anime Songs To Play On Piano
Do you also want to learn easy anime songs on piano? You are passionate about anime and, during the most emotional scenes of your favorite manga, you hear beautiful songs that you would like to learn on piano? Rest assured, you are not alone!
In this post, we present to you the top 10 anime piano songs for beginners that you can learn in few days. For your information, these manga songs are all available on our app dedicated to piano learning. So you can sign up for free to learn them easily!
Learn to play the best anime piano songs
La Touche Musicale app features over 150 songs especially dedicated to the Anime & Manga category. Connect your piano to your device and learn to play them at your own pace while having fun.