Anime films and series have occupied a solid place in modern Asian culture. From popular TV shows to very emotional and powerful masterpieces, movies in this genre attract millions of watches every year. The anime culture has become a global phenomenon and now has followers all over the world. Such incredible popularity can be explained by the diversity of the genres, deep psychological ideas hidden in plots, well-though characters, and very beautiful visuals and music.
The soundtracks to many epic cartoons are created by true geniuses of modern music whose work is beloved not only by anime fans but all people. And in this post, we’ll get a closer look at exactly the music of anime, its stunning beauty, and its strength.
#1. Joe Hisaishi
Joe Hisaishi (or Mamoru Fujisawa) is a well-known Japanese composer who has created over 100 movie soundtracks and albums starting from 1981. His cooperation with Miyazaki Hayao on many Studio Ghibli movies brought him particular popularity. The music of this composer is a magical combination of different genres, such as minimalism, experimental electronic, and Western and Japanese classics.
Among his most recognized soundtracks for anime, you should definitely check Princess Mononoke and Laputa: Castle in the Sky. These soundtracks were created in his own recording studio and have become a vocal symbol of early anime. Among his other famous masterpiece, you can find soundtracks to Howl’s Moving Castle and Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea. The composer also created music for popular films, such as the Korean Welcome to Dongmakgol, The Legend, and Departures.
#2. Shirō Sagisu
Shirō Sagisu started his career in the 1970s and still creates great soundtracks for anime and films. Before starting to work independently, he was a member of a jazz band and now prefers music in diverse genres, including symphonic and j-pop. Shirō Sagisu’s works got many awards. In particular, his soundtracks for Neon Genesis Evangelion, Final Fantasy, and Bleach got extremely popular. He likes using exciting and dynamic tunes, horns, strings, and piano to create a special adventurous atmosphere with the help of sound.
#3. Yuki Kajiura
Yuki Kajiura started her musical career in 1992 and since then has created incredible soundtracks to many popular anime series, Netflix anime, films, and shows. In her work, she combines different genres, including electronic, orchestral, trance, jazz, opera, chamber pop, folk, and more. She likes to include piano, drums, and electronic guitars in her music.
Among her famous soundtracks, you can find music for Fate/Zero, Sword Art Online, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Pandora Hearts, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and more. Yuki Kajiura is a master when it comes to conveying a character’s mood and personality through sound and music.
#4. Yoko Kanno
Yoko Kanno is another Japanese composer who is less known than Joe Hisaishi, however, has also created many incredible works. She wrote soundtracks to about 30 anime movies and cartoons. She also composed music for video games and advertisements.
Yoko got well-known for her deeply emotional music for Cowboy Bebop, Wolf’s Rain, Ghost in the Shell, Darker than Black, Macross Plus, Turn A Gundam. Some of these movies became popular not only in Japan but around the globe.
Yoko Kanno also worked in cooperation with many artists, including Maaya Sakamoto and Kyōko Koizumi. She works in many different genres, from classical and jazz to city pop and soul.
#5.Hiroyuki Sawano
Hiroyuki Sawano started working in 2004 and since that time has created many great musical masterpieces for anime, movies, TV series, and video games. He works with different music genres, including electronic, classical, orchestral, rock, and jazz music. His music is very emotional and seems to be able to touch your soul. Among the famous projects he worked for, you can find Attack on Titan, The Seven Deadly Sins, Blue Exorcist, Guilty Crown, Kill la Kill, Seraph of the End, and many others.
Hiroyuki Sawano has great musical talent and that’s why contributed to the worldwide success of many anime series. His compositions are fast-paced, dynamic, and inspiring, and, for this reason, they are often used for battle scenes. For his incredible music, the composer won a bunch of prestigious awards. In addition to anime and films, Hiroyuki Sawano creates his own albums.
We recommend adding the masterpieces of these composers to your playlist for motivation and inspiration. Do you like Asian music? In our previous, post, we gathered the news about the upcoming Asian music festivals. If you haven’t read it yet, check it here. We have picked the most interesting events to visit alone, with your bae or friends.
