Anime Soundtracks

[fgalkin]

Ok, I'll be honest with you. I don't like anime. I have tried watching highly-recommended series again and again and I just couldn't get into them, because they just kept rubbing me the wrong way.

However, one thing I did love about anime series in general is the music. I simply adore some of the soundtracks that I've come across over the years.

So, the purpose of this thread is simple: recommend me your favorite anime soundtracks so I can enjoy the music without actually watching the series. Otherwise, it's just like the thread below it, but for anime only.

Oh, and you can obviously talk about which ones you like the most, and why. Maybe even get into a debate. This is a discussion forum, after all.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[Ford Prefect]

You want a list of good anime OSTs? I can give you a list of good anime OSTs. I'ma big fan of Yoko Kanno, and tend to think her stuff is pretty brilliant. I'm a big fan of Cowboy Bebop, but it has seven different soundtracks, not counting the remix disc and the best of compilation. If for some reason it is difficult for you to get all of them, the albums Cowboy Bebop, Blue and Tank! THE! BEST! are probably most worth your time. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex has excellent music as well, but that was also released across six albums. O.S.T. and O.S.T. 3 have the widest array of tracks which I think are worthwhile. I'm fond of them usic of FLCL, compiled in Addict, King of Pirates and FLCL: Original Sound Track №. 3 but it's almost universally J-rock, as a warning.

Eureka Seven is a personal favourite of mine, and has a lot of good trance, as well as some impressive orchestral stuff and fun J-pop/J-rock. It has three albums, OST 1, OST 2 and Complete Best. Though I like it mostly for atmosphere, I really like the musical work done by Shoji Yamashiro and the Geinō Yamashirogumi musical collective for AKIRA. Because one of the releases of the AKIRA soundtrack was a direct rip from the film, look for Symphonic Suite AKIRA. I also really like the soundtrack for Samurai Champloo, even though it's hip hop and I really don't like hip hop. Despite this I would still buy Fat Jon's vinyl release of the soundtrack in a heartbeat.

Also, you could call Discovery by Daft Punk an anime soundtrack, though really it's more like the animated movie was the visualisation of the album. I'll recommend it anyway.

[Darksider]

I'm kinda partial to the music from Gundam SeeD and SeeD Destiny.

It's pretty much the only good thing about either series.

[Nephtys]

You can't go wrong with Gurren Lagann. It's got a lot of mood in those themes. And burning energy.

[phred]

The soundtracks from Ghost in the Shell and Ghost in the Shell: Innocense by Kenji Kawai were fairly interesting.

A couple of the songs off the Paprika soundtrack by Susumu Hirasawa are pretty kewl.

Also as Ford said, its hard to go wrong with Yoko Kanno

[Ford Prefect]

Also as Ford said, its hard to go wrong with Yoko Kanno

Though I have to say, I've been distinctly unimpressed by her post SAC work. She was the composer for Darker than BLACK and, like everything else in that series, it was rather disappointing.

[That NOS Guy]

You can't go wrong with Gurren Lagann. It's got a lot of mood in those themes. And burning energy.

Yes, yes you can go wrong with Gurren Lagann. After you hear the 80th song based around "row row fight the powah" it becomes slightly reptitive.

Anyways, I highly recommend the soundtrack(s) to RahXephon as it manages to blend a lot of styles into a cohesive blend, bonus points if you like classical. Along those lines the soundtracks to Escaflowne are excellent as well. For my outside pick I'll recommed the soundtrack to Sayanora Zetsubo Sensei, don't let the happy cheery voices confuse you, you're listening to songs about death, despair, and more despair.

[General Zod]

Also as Ford said, its hard to go wrong with Yoko Kanno

Though I have to say, I've been distinctly unimpressed by her post SAC work. She was the composer for Darker than BLACK and, like everything else in that series, it was rather disappointing.

I thought she managed to do a pretty good job with Sousei no Aquarion and Macross Frontier.

I'd also recommend the Black Heaven soundtracks, especially if you're a fan of 80s Van Halen style rock.

[Ford Prefect]

I thought she managed to do a pretty good job with Sousei no Aquarion and Macross Frontier.

Oh yeah, she did Macross F. I had forgotten that. Thinking back, it did have some rather good incidental tracks, and I do have both OPs, one of the EDs and that insert song from episode seven (I think).

After you hear the 80th song based around "row row fight the powah" it becomes slightly reptitive.

It's a pity, because there's so very good BGM in there.

[That NOS Guy]

It's a pity, because there's so very good BGM in there.

The part of the soundtrack that doesn't suck are those, chances are if they don't have that phrase worked in they're solid Gold. TTGL annoys me because I can't just play through the soundtrack, I have to skip every other song. If they just cut most of those songs out it'd be a stellar OST.

[DPDarkPrimus]

Yoko Kanno is my favorite composer, period. I only have albums from a few of the shows she's worked on, but I'm trying to get as complete a discography as possible.

The soundtracks for Macross Plus and Ghost in the Shell: Stand-Alone Complex were released domestically, so if you want to get OSTs without having to pay $25+ per disc, that's the way to start.

[JME2]

Yoko Kanno's pretty well covered, so there's not much more I can add there.

I would definitely recommend Shiro Sagisu, who's scored most of Studio Gainax's work. His recent work on Bleach, though his scores for Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water and Neon Genesis Evangelion are excellent and definitely rival Kanno's work.

Joe Hisaishi, who's scored Miyazaki's films, is also worth looking into; I love his score to Howl's Moving Castle.

[General Zod]

Yoko Kanno's pretty well covered, so there's not much more I can add there.

I would definitely recommend Shiro Sagisu, who's scored most of Studio Gainax's work. His recent work on Bleach, though his scores for Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water and Neon Genesis Evangelion are excellent and definitely rival Kanno's work.

Joe Hisaishi, who's scored Miyazaki's films, is also worth looking into; I love his score to Howl's Moving Castle.

Bleach has a pretty decent score, although I'd say Evangelion's isn't really good without context. As a pure soundtrack I find it rather boring.

[Uraniun235]

Soundtrack to Space Pirate Captain Harlock (the 1979 TV series) is pretty fucking awesome. A big sweeping symphonic score, what's not to love? Truly a masterpiece of space opera.

The other Harlock scores are okay, I guess.

[JME2]

Yoko Kanno's pretty well covered, so there's not much more I can add there.

I would definitely recommend Shiro Sagisu, who's scored most of Studio Gainax's work. His recent work on Bleach, though his scores for Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water and Neon Genesis Evangelion are excellent and definitely rival Kanno's work.

Joe Hisaishi, who's scored Miyazaki's films, is also worth looking into; I love his score to Howl's Moving Castle.

Bleach has a pretty decent score, although I'd say Evangelion's isn't really good without context. As a pure soundtrack I find it rather boring.

I suppose, it's just that Sagisu's score to EVA (and Nadia, too) left a greater impression in my mind; I'm more likely to wlak down the street and hum a tune from either series than from Belach.

[generator_g1]

You can try listening to Detroit Metal City's Makai Yugi and the Tribute to Krauser II albums.

[General Zod]

I suppose, it's just that Sagisu's score to EVA (and Nadia, too) left a greater impression in my mind; I'm more likely to wlak down the street and hum a tune from either series than from Belach.

The problem for me is I can't really remember any music that stood out in Eva, besides the opening theme song and the ninety billion remixes of fly me to the moon. The rest just seemed so. . .bland. Then again Bleach's soundtracks have a lot of rock flavored tracks, which I generally tend to prefer.

[Ford Prefect]

I'm actually quite fond of the moderately bombastic BGM they have, like 'Angel Attack', 'Unit 00' and 'NERV'. The only problem is that they're pretty short, generally.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

I forgot who did the Fullmetal Alchemist tracks, but composer did a pretty decent job of them.

The recently ended D. Gray Man anime had some pretty decent tracks as well.

[JME2]

I forgot who did the Fullmetal Alchemist tracks, but composer did a pretty decent job of them.

Michiru Oshima.

[Darth Yoshi]

I liked the Serial Experiments Lain soundtrack.

[SilverWingedSeraph]

I can't believe that no one has mentioned the .hack//SIGN soundtrack. I mean, the music was pretty much the best thing about that anime.

[Companion Cube]

Here's a question with a relation to the thread topic: Does anyone know if the following (taken from the wiki entry for Ghost In The Shell: Solid State Society) is true?

Yoko Kanno creates an interpretation of John Powell's underlying theme track from The Bourne Identity (2002 film) during the first swap of the Major's puppet bodies.

I hope it's at least partially true, because I'm positive there was a track matching that description in 2nd GIG, in the scene when the Prime Minister is almost assassinated in that temple in the fifth episode, and I've never been able to find that particular track.

[Manus Celer Dei]

Another +1 for Macross Frontier's music; both OSTs that are out (I think there's another one due soon maybe? All the decent songs are already on the first two, though) are absolutely great; I think the only song I wasn't too keen on was the new version of Do You Remember Love which was kinda weird compared to the original.

[Darksider]

Another +1 for Macross Frontier's music; both OSTs that are out (I think there's another one due soon maybe? All the decent songs are already on the first two, though) are absolutely great; I think the only song I wasn't too keen on was the new version of Do You Remember Love which was kinda weird compared to the original.

The "Little queen" version of DYRL is supposed to sound wierd and surreal.

Just remember the context it was used in in the series.

EDIT:

Also, Nyan Nyan service medly fucking rocks.

that is all.....