[Theme Song & BGM] Popular Anime Soundtrack Special

“Macross F” O.S.T. 2 Nyan Tora.Kanno Yōko

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.

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sasashina

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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.

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Kanako

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Mushishi Original Soundtrack: Mushioto – CompleteMasuda Toshirou

Ally Kerr – The Sore Feet Song / Mushishi Opening Theme Song (audio)

Mushishi is a captivating manga with a nostalgic, distinctive worldview that evokes the idyllic scenery of old Japan.

It tells the story of a protagonist who calls himself a “Mushi Master,” traveling from place to place to confront the various phenomena caused by “mushi.” It aired as a TV anime from 2005 to 2006 and, nine years later in 2014, returned as a sequel series titled “Zoku-shō,” cementing its popularity.

The music that colors the series is also highly acclaimed: restrained, serene, and minimal arrangements with wistful, Japanese-style melodies—perfect even as background music for work.

The soundtrack introduced here, “Mushishi Original Soundtrack: Mushin Zen,” is the soundtrack for the first season of the TV anime.

Originally released separately as “Front” and “Back,” it has been compiled into a two-disc set—the definitive edition, so to speak.

Composed by Toshiro Masuda, who has worked on the music for many popular animated works, this album lets you fully immerse yourself in the world of Mushishi as expressed through music.

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KOH-1

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TV anime “Love Live!” Original Soundtrack ‘Notes of School Idol Days’Fujisawa Yoshimasa

We are in the present

The original soundtrack “Notes of School idol days” from the popular anime Love Live!, which portrays the youth of an idol group.

It’s a must-have for fans, featuring not only the main theme songs sung by the protagonist group μ’s and the in-anime background music, but also tracks by the idol group A-RISE that appears in the series! Immerse yourself in the world of Love Live! while listening to this soundtrack packed with sparkle and excitement!

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Kado(guchi) Shichigatsu

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samurai champloo music record departureNujabes、Fat Jon

Samur‎ai Cham‎ploo – Dep‎art‎ure (Nuja‎bes/fat jo‎ (2004) Original Soundtrack

With his innovative beat-making sensibility, Nujabes influenced track makers around the world and is often called the de facto pioneer of the internet-born genre “lo-fi hip hop.” Although he sadly passed away in February 2010 at the young age of 36, the many remarkable beats he released continue to be loved by creators not only in Japan but across the globe.

The only anime he contributed music to during his lifetime was Samurai Champloo, a TV animation directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, also known for Cowboy Bebop.

A passionate music fan himself, Watanabe approached Nujabes directly, and together they succeeded in creating a work that daringly fused period drama with hip hop—an idea that would be difficult to execute even if one thought of it.

The release covered here is the first soundtrack, Samurai Champloo Music Record “departure,” featuring Nujabes and American music producer Fat Jon.

Now regarded as an early milestone of lo-fi hip hop and popular even in Japan, at the time there were few anime fans in Japan who understood the combination of hip hop and anime, and it was actually more popular overseas—a telling and fascinating anecdote that reflects the subcultural climate of that era.

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KOH-1

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Kiki’s Delivery Service: Original Soundtrack Music CollectionHisaishi Joe

Yumi Matsutoya – Rouge no Dengon (Yumi Matsutoya Concert Tour The Universe Library 2016-2017)

Speaking of Ghibli films, Joe Hisaishi’s music is inseparable from them.

Whenever we recall Ghibli masterpieces that continue to be loved across generations, many of us can’t help but hum the melodies of Hisaishi’s wonderful scores.

Every Ghibli soundtrack he composed is a classic, making it extremely difficult to pick just one, but in this article I’d like to introduce the soundtrack to Kiki’s Delivery Service, released in 1989.

While Yumi Matsutoya’s opening theme “Rouge no Dengon” and ending theme “Yasashisa ni Tsutsumareta Nara” are well known, the soundtrack itself is also truly outstanding.

Reflecting the film’s richly European atmosphere, it employs European instruments such as the dulcimer—a folk instrument that is a forerunner of the piano—along with guitar and accordion, and features many dance-like pieces in waltz rhythm.

Simply listening conjures up vivid images of unfamiliar, foreign European landscapes.

Of course, it’s delightful as a film soundtrack, but it also seems perfect as background music for an afternoon tea time!

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KOH-1

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Lupin the Third Original SoundtrackŌno Yūji

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!

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KOH-1

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