Memorable Musical Anime Themes - Discussion

[doraemon]

Host Club is one of the more obscure animes that I've watched and I loved it!

okay HOLD UP since when was Ouran obscure?

(I would also argue that KISS KISS FALL IN LOVE has taken up more space in my head than the ED, but I digress)

Sharing mine:


So: L's theme. An iconic leitmotif for a genius detective. BUT this version is the particular one I'm enamored with - the one with the bells in the background. It turns the cerebral rhythm from the original theme into something more ominous, more clashing. It adds a feeling of apprehension which fits the part of the anime where it plays (vague because spoilers). But of course, the original variation of the theme is also a banger

[billytiddles]

okay HOLD UP since when was Ouran obscure?

(I would also argue that KISS KISS FALL IN LOVE has taken up more space in my head than the ED, but I digress)

Sharing mine:


So: L's theme. An iconic leitmotif for a genius detective. BUT this version is the particular one I'm enamored with - the one with the bells in the background. It turns the cerebral rhythm from the original theme into something more ominous, more clashing. It adds a feeling of apprehension which fits the part of the anime where it plays (vague because spoilers). But of course, the original variation of the theme is also a banger

That I've watched, mostly because I haven't started far from the mainstream path haha - and I agree the op is just as iconic but didn't want to list both for it

[Synth Salazzle]

I haven't watched in a long time but the OP is one I listen to a LOT

[Lyrichord]

There's so much music here I still want to go through! But today I'm giving a shout out to the song that came back to my mind, almost 15 years after I first heard it. It was an opening theme to Vampire Knight. Didn't like the anime, but the opening's syncopated rhythm is very catchy.



@(you need an account to see links) - you and @(you need an account to see links) both have the Mirai Nikki OP as one of your faves! I had to go back through the thread to find it, because I was sure I'd heard it recently!

@(you need an account to see links) I listened to your Yu-Gi-Oh's Passionate Duelist theme song again, and it sounds so much like the music in Inuyasha, I'm shook! Who's the composer? It looks like they were both produced around the same time, so it could even be the same orchestra. It sounds like it!

[KJiU]

@(you need an account to see links), haha i went to googled them , but the results shown are they were different composers haha xD

Yugioh Atsuki duelist tachi /Passionate Duelist was by Shinkichi Mitsumune
Artist: Arranged by BEMANI Sound Team "Akhuta Works"
Composition: Shinkichi Mitsumune
Arrangement: Akhuta

Inuyasha's composer was : Kaoru WADA

Kaoru Wada (和田 薫, "Wada Kaoru") (born May 5, 1962) is the composer of music for the InuYasha franchise, composing the 3 official soundtracks, the scores to all 4 movies, and InuYasha The Final Act soundtrack.

[Lyrichord]

@(you need an account to see links), haha i went to googled them , but the results shown are they were different composers haha xD

Yugioh Atsuki duelist tachi /Passionate Duelist was by Shinkichi Mitsumune
Artist: Arranged by BEMANI Sound Team "Akhuta Works"
Composition: Shinkichi Mitsumune
Arrangement: Akhuta

Inuyasha's composer was : Kaoru WADA

Kaoru Wada (和田 薫, "Wada Kaoru") (born May 5, 1962) is the composer of music for the InuYasha franchise, composing the 3 official soundtracks, the scores to all 4 movies, and InuYasha The Final Act soundtrack.

I've been binge listening to Kaoru WADA's work on the soundtracks! Must just be a similar style thing then, from 2004. Thank you for finding the info!

[Synth Salazzle]

There's so much music here I still want to go through! But today I'm giving a shout out to the song that came back to my mind, almost 15 years after I first heard it. It was an opening theme to Vampire Knight. Didn't like the anime, but the opening's syncopated rhythm is very catchy.



@(you need an account to see links) - you and @(you need an account to see links) both have the Mirai Nikki OP as one of your faves! I had to go back through the thread to find it, because I was sure I'd heard it recently!

@(you need an account to see links) I listened to your Yu-Gi-Oh's Passionate Duelist theme song again, and it sounds so much like the music in Inuyasha, I'm shook! Who's the composer? It looks like they were both produced around the same time, so it could even be the same orchestra. It sounds like it!

Ooo in that case, try this!

[Evelynn]

I can't believe no one has mentioned Madoka until now!
I rarely care for a show's entire soundtrack, but to this day, I think Madoka's soundtrack holds up as one of the greatest anime/show soundtracks of all time, and in my personal opinion, no other show I've ever watched has even come close to beating it. Yuki Kajiura went so hard with this soundtrack and it pays off in such a beautifully spectacular way. I'd like to highlight two songs in particular that I think best show the change in the musical direction throughout the story.

First, we have Credens Justitiam, which is one of the most recognizable songs from the series.



I would describe the theme of the song as being very hopeful and light, which fits the start of the show and the particular scenes this song features in. The main features of the song are the choir, flute and drums. It has just a very angelic motif to it, and feels very befitting of your typical magical girl anime, in my opinion, in terms of theming.

And as the series goes on, more and more of the tracks get darker and darker as the story devolves into something deeper and more complex than what appears on the surface. A lot of the music tracks follow that same concept, devolving into darker and much more different melodies. I think the track that best shows this, is Surgam identidem, which plays at one of the heights of the story. It also features a choir, heavy percussion and flute, though it's done in a way that is a complete tonal shift!



My own favourite track would have to be Symposium Magarum, which is a bit different to the ones above in that the main instrument in this piece are string instruments, which is very important to the story. It's such a hard hitting, heavy orchestral piece that is so beautiful to listen to.



But I think that you cannot talk about the music of the series without mentioning this specific track - Sis Puella Magica! I would say that it is kind of the main theme of the series. It's kind of the perfect blend of being hopeful but also wistful, which is the perfect note for the series. It features a choir, flute and of course the same kind of percussion.



If you haven't watched Madoka yet, I recommend it. It is by far my favourite anime, beyond any and all others. It's such a beautiful love letter to the magical girl genre - though I get really annoyed by people who don't understand that it isn't as trope breaking as what people say! It fits the pre-established tropes set by the magical girl animes before it perfectly, but unfortunately, people only see other magical animes at surface level! But that's a rant for another day, hahaha. I could rant about this specific subject for days.

[Politoed]

[dramaturgic]

Eden of the East was definitely not my first anime, but for some reason I think about this series from time to time because of how bizarre it started (seeing someone making their first onscreen appearance completely naked with a phone in hand left quite the impact on me as a teenager I guess ), and also the fact that they used Falling Down by Oasis as their opening was somewhat intriguing to me... I guess the song lyrics also kind of suit the uncanny/creepy/mysterious mood of the series:



And this is probably the most memorable anime OST for me:



I'm a huge Gintama fan! I've basically rewatched the series 3-4 times at this point, and this theme in particular stuck with me even though it's been barely used throughout the series, probably less than 10 times across 367 episodes. For those who are unaware, Gintama mostly classifies as a comedy anime, but there are also serious/emotional arcs here and there. Although the song is sometimes played in somewhat comical situations, the lyrics mention how the protagonist (Gintoki) tries his best to live his life in a world after the war and losing everything he cherished. It's a simple blues song, but pretty emotional when you eventually have a good grasp of Gintoki's personality and background coupled with the lyrics:

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Gintama has so many good OPs and EDs, but this OST track in particular is one of my favorites of all time just for the lyrics itself
I'd say this is a pretty niche anime series since it has tons of references to Japanese anime and culture (even obscure ones that Japanese people themselves don't get sometimes ), but that hasn't stopped many people from enjoying it for what it is! If you're looking for something that's light-hearted with a mix of heavy/emotional stuff (and not averse to dirty jokes because the show makes TONS of them), I'd highly recommend checking out this series (: