Favourite Anime Soundtracks

Sorry if this has been done before, but I couldn't find anything by searching so I assumed it hadn't been done.

One of the reasons I often prefer watching anime to reading manga is soundtracks. I love music. I am a big stupid music nerd. In the last year or so I've gotten pretty big on soundtracks, and I've found a lot of anime have amazing ones.
Sound is a big part of an animated production, so I don't feel it sound be ignored. A lot of anime actually have amazing soundtracks which really do contribute a lot to the final product, whether you're entirely aware of it or not, and some big, talented names are behind a lot of the bigger ones (Joe Hisiashi springs to mind).

Some I can name as fantastic off the top of my head are:
Maho Shojo Madoka Magica
Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt
Death Note
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Sengoku Basara
Spirited Away
Afro Samurai

I'm not just talking about openings and endings here. There's already a thread for that. I'm mostly referring to the original soundtracks produced. In terms of openings and endings, Bleach is really high on my list of good music, but the actual soundtrack I never really liked beyond a few choice songs (personal preference, obviously).

So, please, share with me and others your best (or worst) examples of soundtracks. I'm kind of eager to find out what people enjoy here if nothing else.

(edited 12 years ago)

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Reply 1

Zetsubeau

I guess I can't not post these. They're kind of my best examples anyway.

Reply 2

ibysaiyan

Mine are
DBZ saiyan transformations :tongue:

D.grayman opening

Ergo proxy opening

berserk

Reply 3

melmel

There's some AWFUL music in this film but I love this piece:

Reply 4

vin

The Ghost in the shell Stand alone complex OSTS are some of my favourite :coma:

Spoiler

Also really liked the hajime no ippo soundtracks for both seres, great for firing you up. :cool:

Spoiler

The akagi/kaiji soundtracks for similar reasons

Spoiler

Ill stop with the examples there or I could go on for ages. :redface:

But other soundtracks Ive loved are, Death notes, Last Exile, One piece, Beck, Nana, Gurren Lagann, Macross frontier, MS Gundam for its 70s ness. :redface:

I also reeeally liked the Gundam rock album. :cool:

But I do love a series with a good soundtrack, it can really make it memorable and make it much more pleasant to watch. :h:

Reply 5

ella37

I've only noticed OSTs recently my favourite anime (Gintama) so I'm pretty ignorant with OSTs. :biggrin:

Some of my favourites though:

I'm a sucker for sad/melodramatic piano pieces. :biggrin:

This one makes me laugh everytime. :3

The composer for the soundtracks above is Kamagata Eiichi.

These are from the anime Arakawa Under the Bridge

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 6

Ysondrae

Original post by melmel

There's some AWFUL music in this film but I love this piece:

I love that part of the song! Generally speaking, Studio Ghibli have produced some amazing soundtracks :smile:

Yoko Kanno anyone? (Inner Universe)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIVgSuuUTwQ

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 7

melmel

Original post by Ysondrae

Yoko Kanno anyone?

This is her but performing under the pseudonym Gabriela Robin:

I think she also does piano in the film's soundtrack as well. Also love her work on cowboy bebop

Reply 8

melmel

also:

and

love Joe Hisaishi's music for Studio ghibli!

Quite like this one by Minmi:

Plaid's stuff in Tekkon Kinkreet

also the Brian Eno/U2 collaboration at the end of ghost in the shell is interesting:

oh and there's radiohead at the emd of ergo proxy:

(edited 12 years ago)

I always struggle to select any type of favourite, even if it's a dozen or more, but I suppose I should start by listing what I've gone out of my way to purchase:

Hisaishi's work for Ghibli (Nausicaa, Castle in the Sky and Howl's Moving Castle, in particular).

Saegusa's Zeta Gundam.

Kanno's Escaflowne, Cowboy Bebop, Macross Plus and Frontier.

Kenji's Ghost in the Shell, Gundam 00 and Seirei no Moribito.

Kaijura's Tsubasa Chronicle and Mai Hime.

Kawai's Ranma 1/2 (more for nostalgia), Ghost in the Shell and Gantz.

Iwasaki's Gurren Lagann and Tsuiokuhen.

Sato's Eureka Seven and Heroic Age.

Masuda's Now and Then, Here and There and Daa! Daa! Daa!.

Mahler's work for Gineiden.

Nanase's Noein and Scrapped Princess.

Sahashi's Gundam Seed, Gunslinger Girl and Hunter x Hunter.

The Yamashirogumi's collaborative for Akira.

The Pillow's FLCL.

DJ'S Tsutchie and Force of Nature's Samurai Champloo.

Reply 11

Zetsubeau

If you're just gonna post OP/EDs there is a thread for that. Just saying.

Original post by Mangaka

WTH is anime isn't that for kids, or do you mean that wierd porn stuff.

Yeah the porn. Bible Black's soundtrack is exquisite, you know.

Original post by vin

The akagi/kaiji soundtracks for similar reasons

I need the season 2 OST to appear ASAP. That song when the 45ers make their march is intense.
ZAWA ZAWA, ZAWA ZAWA, ZAWA

Original post by melmel

oh and there's radiohead at the emd of ergo proxy:

There's Radiohead used in an anime?
Well I just came.
Oasis was used in the first Eden of the East opening too, which was what pushed me to check it out.

Original post by Aiko

The Pillow's FLCL.

That's another I should've probably added to the obvious examples.

Original post by Aiko

Mahler's work for Gineiden.

I was surprised to see Mahler so I looked that up, seems there's a lot of classical music used there - can you think of any other animes like that?

Reply 14

Aiko

Original post by scherzi

I was surprised to see Mahler so I looked that up, seems there's a lot of classical music used there - can you think of any other animes like that?

Offhand, the aforementioned Noein and Seikai no Monshou come to mind. Other anime that have a classical/orchestral soundtrack would be Nodame Cantabile, La Corda d'oro (including their sequels) and Princess Tutu. :smile:

Reply 15

scherzi

Original post by Aiko

Thanks, I'll put them on my list

Reply 16

Miruza

Original post by Aiko

The Pillow's FLCL.

I love the Pillows stuff in FLCL :heart:

. Even without lyrics, the sound of it just makes me think back to being in school and thinking about certain people. It's amazing, without even being particularly technical.

Reply 17

Aiko

Original post by scherzi

Thanks, I'll put them on my list

No worries, hope you like them. :smile:

Original post by Miruza

I love the Pillows stuff in FLCL :heart:

. Even without lyrics, the sound of it just makes me think back to being in school and thinking about certain people. It's amazing, without even being particularly technical.

Yup, definitely. I know what you mean regarding the simplicity of the instrumental too. :smile:

Reply 18

Ysondrae

Original post by melmel

This is her but performing under the pseudonym Gabriela Robin:

I think she also does piano in the film's soundtrack as well. Also love her work on cowboy bebop

Not heard that before, but I like :smile:

I only really know Inner Universe and Sora.

Also, the Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children film had some good songs, my favourite being Beyond the Wasteland, really creepy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7WNQPTAdGc

Reply 19

Ysondrae

This isn't strictly an anime, it's a game, but it has that anime style to it.
Blazblue - Blue Beating
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GBl0Cu7bxk

Does anyone know how to attach videos? :confused: