[Theme Song & BGM] Popular Anime Soundtrack Special

Chic LoveNana Mizuki

Nana Mizuki “Iki Koi” Music Clip (Full Ver.)

A Japanese-style rock ballad included on the best-of album THE MUSEUM III.

Written specifically as the ending theme for the TV anime Basilisk: The Ouka Ninja Scrolls, this song portrays the tragic love of a man and woman buffeted by the fate of the ninja clans of Iga and Koga, expressed through a grand sound that weaves in koto and traditional Japanese percussion.

The lyrics, spun with words like “sakura” and “blade,” convey a resolve to give everything for the one they love, even while knowing it will go unrewarded.

Nana Mizuki’s sustained high notes, released from a restrained tone, brilliantly depict the passion kept hidden within.

It’s a highly recommended track for when you want to linger in the afterglow of the anime.

Ranking of Kings Original Soundtrackmayuko

TV anime 'Ranking of Kings' original soundtrack preview video

Ranking of Kings is an anime whose picture-book-like art style, tense storytelling, and the coming-of-age of its young protagonist move the heart.

Centered on Bojji, who strives to become a king, and his best friend Kage, the story has deeply moved many viewers.

Ranking of Kings often features scenes that express the characters’ inner feelings, and what gives those moments greater depth is the music.

The composer is MAYUKO, who has also worked on drama soundtracks such as Cheer☆Dan and Yamikin Ushijima-kun.

K-ON! ORIGINAL SOUND TRACKHyakuseki Gen

Kendama-kun

From the late 2000s into the early 2010s, the TV anime and films of K-ON! sparked a social movement that even inspired viewers to pick up guitars.

While gently depicting everyday life, Kyoto Animation’s outstanding work was also highly praised for recreating powerful live performance scenes in animation.

As a music-themed series, one of K-ON!’s standout aspects is that many popular songs were created under the conceit that they were produced by the in-story band.

This time, however, we’re not introducing songs by Ho-kago Tea Time, but the soundtrack.

Composed by Hajime Hyakkoku—who has worked on music for idols, voice actors, and various anison-related projects—the score comically captures K-ON!’s loose, fun, fluffy world by weaving in elements of fusion and techno.

Just by listening, you can picture the five members of Ho-kago Tea Time chatting about nothing in particular or getting into a little mischief!

"Macross F" O.S.T. 2 Nyan Tora.Yoko Kanno

Interstellar Flight

Macross Frontier, the third anime installment in the Macross series that began with The Super Dimension Fortress Macross broadcast in 1982, carries on the franchise’s hallmark love triangle.

It portrays the romance and lives of a young male protagonist and two songstresses.

The songs featured in the series are all very popular—especially one of the opening themes, Lion, which has become a karaoke staple.

This second soundtrack includes not only the popular theme songs but also insert songs, making it irresistible for fans.

VIOLET EVERGARDEN : AutomemoriesEvan Call

TRUE “Sincerely” MV Full Size - Violet Evergarden Opening Theme “Sincerely”

Violet Evergarden is an animated film based on a novel by Kana Akatsuki.

The original work is a popular novel that won the Grand Prize at the Kyoto Animation Awards.

The film won the Excellence Award for Animation at the 44th Japan Academy Film Prize and has gained worldwide popularity, being available on Netflix in many countries with English and Portuguese dubs, among others.

The theme song, sung by Minami Karasawa, is a ballad that emphasizes the importance of conveying feelings through words, and her soaring, powerful vocals are inspiring.

The soundtrack as a whole has a touch of melancholy, crafted with a quiet, subdued sadness.

Eureka Seven: Symphonic Poem Original Soundtrack 1Naoki Sato

FLOW 『DAYS』(Music Video Short Ver.)

Eureka Seven is a popular anime whose TV series began airing in 2005, with several theatrical films released thereafter.

It’s a mecha anime that garnered attention for its profound story exploring relationships between humans and non-human entities—prompting reflections on humanity—as well as its stylish battle scenes reminiscent of surfing.

The soundtrack featured here was released the same year.

One of the musical hallmarks of Eureka Seven is its use of existing songs by popular artists—such as Supercar—as insert tracks within the show.

Accordingly, this soundtrack includes a generous selection of those tracks.

Lupin the Third Original SoundtrackYuji Ohno

Lupin the Third Theme ’78 – Yuji Ohno

Released in 1978, Lupin the Third Original Soundtrack is arguably one of the most famous anime soundtracks in Japan.

The irresistibly cool and stylish sound of Lupin the Third, crafted by Yuji Ohno—one of Japan’s foremost jazz pianists and composers—stands as a perfectly realized musical work on its own.

In particular, Theme from Lupin the Third is not only a theme song that belongs in the annals of animation history, but an eternal masterpiece of Japanese jazz.

Another distinctive feature is the inclusion of freshly recorded, lively dialogue exchanges by the main cast so familiar to the Showa generation—Yasuo Yamada, Kiyoshi Kobayashi, Makio Inoue, Eiko Masuyama, and Goro Naya.

However, since some tracks have dialogue inserted midway, those who want to enjoy only the music are advised to pick up a reissue that includes the pre-edit versions as bonus tracks.

As an aside, this album is the soundtrack to the TV series’ second season; the first TV adaptation of Lupin the Third aired in 1971, and the music then was not by Ohno but by Takeo Yamashita—another leading Japanese jazz musician and a composer of international renown.

A bit of trivia to remember: that famous theme was born starting with the second series!