# Anime Music



## Kent

::EDIT:: 

This thread was originally called *Late 90s Anime Music*, but since it has been expanded in scope I've retitled the thread to merely *Anime Music* per @EvilDragon's suggestion. Enjoy!

----


I *love* this era of anime scores. Some particular favorite shows/OSTs:

Hunter x Hunter (1999)




Pokémon Indigo League





These have such an atmosphere and vibe that I haven't found in quite a while - for example, HxH (2011) and more modern Pokémon seasons have some truly amazing music, but not nearly as "vibey," you know?

What are some of your favorites?


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## Sarah Mancuso

Nice picks! I've spent more time listening to 2010s-era soundtracks, but here are a couple that have really stuck with me from late-90s anime:

Shiro Sagisu - Expansion of Blockade, from End of Evangelion (1997)



Shinkichi Mitsumune - Shi no Aphrodite, from Revolutionary Girl Utena (1997)



Yoko Kanno - Space Lion, from Cowboy Bebop (1998)


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## EvilDragon

A bunch of Roland Sound Canvas right there.


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## Kent

EvilDragon said:


> A bunch of Roland Sound Canvas right there.


...which is one of the reasons I have an SC-88 Pro!


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## darcvision

(sorry long post)
i like japanese composer, they made really good music such as joe hisaishi, michiru oshima, yoko kanno, yuki kajiura, yuji nomi and many more.

i also found many hidden gem from unknown composer/ underrated like

90s






00s

yoko kanno


unknown


tenmon (makoto shinkai movie)


michiru oshima(full metal alchemist)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwzAEwzUI8k

ko-ko-ya ( orchestra band (?)) (ristorante paradiso)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-JnwhhFv4c

unknown (summer wars)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCZOo4WdygE


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## EvilDragon

Yuki Kajiura ❤


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## S.M Hassani

Now this is a cool thread!

Me and family are huge Anime junkies! We absolutely love HunterXHunter, in fact one of our demos for Arkeon features HXH. (inspired by its calmer moments)

We really love most of the shows and composers mentioned here.

I will suggest a few names and titles to check out:

Kunihiko Ryo: The Twelve Kingdoms (Absolute masterpiece this one, his use of traditional Chinese instruments is brilliant)

Opening Theme:




Piano Memories:





Noriyuki Asakura: Rurouni Kenshin (Some beautiful Gut Guitar parts in here)

I woke up to this one for years:



(I'll post more + videos soon)

What are you guys watching these days? I'd love to discover something cool.

Here's one I saw a few months ago: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (Crazy Title!)


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## darcvision

EvilDragon said:


> Yuki Kajiura ❤



this is my favorite track from yuki kajiura


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## EvilDragon

Her work with Kalafina was also great (especially in Puella Magi Madoka Magica).


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## Sarah Mancuso

Yuki Kajiura is fantastic, the Madoka soundtrack is an all-time favorite of mine. I keep a playlist of a bunch of her soundtracks on shuffle for frequent listening in the car.

Decretum (Puella Magi Madoka Magica, 2011)



Symposium Magarum (Puella Magi Madoka Magica, 2011)



Absolute Configuration (PMMM: Rebellion, 2013)



Espionage Trap (Princess Principal, 2017)


(We are admittedly getting pretty far away from the "90s anime music" premise of the thread, as nice as it is to see some Kajiura love on VI-C.)


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## EvilDragon

You post all that and not the ending theme which is IMHO the best (Magia). Ehehe. 


Also I would like to tune you guys and girls in to a relatively new composer who did an *absolutely freaking spectacular *work for Re:Zero soundtrack: Suehiro Kenichiro. Lots of Morricone influences here, and for once _violas take the spotlight!_




(Also do NOT read YT comments if you plan to watch it, spoilers etc. All I can say is that this 7 minute piece is played _in full_ in the episode it is featured, which is quite a rarity in anime productions. It is THAT impactful, and with the actual scenes it creates probably the best anime moments I've had in a long long while.)


_((And sorry, this is not 90s anime music, but I couldn't contain myself!))_


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## Kent

Honestly, these are all great, so I can't be too choosy. Keep them coming!!!


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## EvilDragon

Might rename the thread to just Anime Music then


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## paularthur

fav film cue - The Legend of Ashitaka


fav show cue - Heeros Theme


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## Crowe

This isn't really what you asked for, but I couldn't help but think about it anyway. Somehow I've never been able to get over the soundtrack to BubbleGum Crisis.


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## Sarah Mancuso

Shiirai said:


> This isn't really what you asked for, but I couldn't help but think about it anyway. Somehow I've never been able to get over the soundtrack to BubbleGum Crisis.


Bubblegum Crisis's music is great!


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## Jorgakis

Not the style you asked for but when talking 90s anime , the obvious one:



maybe not so popular since this wasn’t on the us version, I heard...:





digimon seasons 1-4 had a really nice orchestral, old fashioned , almost 70s -like sounding ost at some point. I have a guilty pleasure for that :D


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## Kent

Jorgakis said:


> Not the style you asked for but when talking 90s anime , the obvious one:
> 
> 
> 
> maybe not so popular since this wasn’t on the us version, I heard...:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> digimon seasons 1-4 had a really nice orchestral, old fashioned , almost 70s -like sounding ost at some point. I have a guilty pleasure for that :D



You know, I loved Digimon as a tween, but it just does not hold up to me now.

However, this music ROCKS. Your comments are spot-on. I wonder if my status as an American has anything to do with the fact that I do NOT remember this... hmm


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## Jorgakis

kmaster said:


> However, this music ROCKS. Your comments are spot-on. I wonder if my status as an American has anything to do with the fact that I do NOT remember this... hmm



As I said, I think the US/ENG versions of Digimon did not include the japanese soundtrack, the same goes for the opening songs. And the same goes for all the other digimon-esque series like yu gi oh and other. 

But it's an interesting topic, it seemed that the original music must have felt too weird for the western publishers, so that they completely replaced it?!...


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## HeliaVox

Sarazanmai - Wikipedia







en.wikipedia.org





Not classic, but destined to become one

Bat Shit crazy beautiful story and the insane music that goes with it.
Really, it's only 11 episodes, go binge watch it, your life will never be the same.

But I love the music in Samurai 7.
And Record of Lodoss War


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## paularthur

Sorry to resurrect this thread but I stumbled across this pretty sweet vid of Princess Mononoke -


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## Ray Toler

With the exception of anime that I didn't realize was anime as a kid (e.g., Speed Racer), the first series that grabbed me and got me into the whole thing was Last Exile. A big part of it was the soundtrack. Part house/techno/pop, part celtic, part military orchestral, I was fascinated by it all and went on a hunt to find the CDs. It's become one of my favorite soundtracks in general.


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## jeremyr

Ray Toler said:


> With the exception of anime that I didn't realize was anime as a kid (e.g., Speed Racer), the first series that grabbed me and got me into the whole thing was Last Exile. A big part of it was the soundtrack. Part house/techno/pop, part celtic, part military orchestral, I was fascinated by it all and went on a hunt to find the CDs. It's become one of my favorite soundtracks in general.



Did you catch the Alan Silvestri reference in OST 2?


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## Ray Toler

jeremyr said:


> Did you catch the Alan Silvestri reference in OST 2?




It didn't consciously register, but I do remember liking that cue quite a bit. I'll have to go back and listen carefully again.


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## EvilDragon

paularthur said:


> Sorry to resurrect this thread



Never be sorry for resurrecting a great thread! 


To pile on some more - everybody should check out the soundtrack from KADO: The Right Answer. The anime is one helluva trainwreck (started freaking brilliantly, ended spectacularly shitty) but the music is consistent gold throughout!


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## Kent

Here's another current favorite:


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## Scamper

Just noticed this thread and it's great to see a bunch of good music, that I didn't know about.

To share a bit:

*Made in Abyss - Kevin Penkin*
...a great recent soundtrack for a great and intense anime (recorded at Synchron Stage)



*Fullmetal Alchemist (Brotherhood)*
...possibly obvious, but I thought it was missing here



*Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone - Shiro Sagisu *
...while the original Neon Genesis Evangelion soundtrack is fantastic, I love the new versions in the movie remakes


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## EvilDragon

Oh Made In Abyss was absolute perfection. One of very rare 10/10 animes in the past... oh I don't know, maybe even 10 years.


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## paularthur

EvilDragon said:


> Oh Made In Abyss was absolute perfection. One of very rare 10/10 animes in the past... oh I don't know, maybe even 10 years.


I was on another thread quite a while ago and I saw this pop up there as weak, I'm going to have to binge it ASAP.


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## EvilDragon

Yeah you just go ahead and do that. If you don't feel like it's a 10/10, I call bullshit!


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## dariusofwest

Awesome thread!

Here's a few of my favorites-

Ash vs. Marcus from Pokemon Movie 13 by Shinji Miyazaki- 

Duel!! from One piece by Kohei Tanaka- 

Moon Cosmic Power from Sailor Moon by Takanori Arisawa -  (This part starting at 33 secs through 2:39)


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## EvilDragon

The whole Sailor Moon franchise had some ridiiiiiculously awesome music. Some of my faves (in no particular order because it's freaking impossible):










The minor-to-major transition for the chorus gets me every time in this one. Done so well:



Pretty great usage of Roland Sound Canvas (the "fretless bass" and even the synthy delayed violin solo):



This song should have been much longer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8qSN-xl6dY



From the musical (the 3-part vocal counterpoint is god-tier of awesomeness):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b6HfwpYihw



It goes on... but I don't wanna clog this space.


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## darcvision

EvilDragon said:


> Yeah you just go ahead and do that. If you don't feel like it's a 10/10, I call bullshit!


i really like the soundtrack of made in abyss because its kind of unique and unusual, especially in eps 1. adding some hip hop stuff really suprised me, and its really good music. if you like penkin music, you should watch tower of god, kind of unique soundtrack because he's adding drum'n bass element in his score


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## jeremyr

EvilDragon said:


> From the musical (the 3-part vocal counterpoint is god-tier of awesomeness):



I wasn't expecting to like this but I ended up liking this.


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## EvilDragon

I told ya it's god-tier! There are some other songs from the musicals that are absolutely kickass.


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## Kent

dariusofwest said:


> Duel!! from One piece by Kohei Tanaka-




Somebody studied their Jerry!


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## jeremyr

To keep things going, here are some selections from one of my favourite anime composers: Kaoru Wada

The thing that stands out the most about his music is the simplicity of his melodic writing. He tends to write in an almost strictly modal and Japanese style perfect for feminine character themes. And then there's the intimate sound he gets from the woodwinds, which is something I often attempt (and fail) to emulate using samples.

Mikumari no Miko - Samurai 7


Luna - Casshern Sins


Kikyo - Inuyasha


Sango - Inuyasha


Osaraki Sadame - Record of Lodoss War


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## Victor N.

🙏 🙏 😊

happy to see anime get some love on vi-control!!

i have tracks and composers to fill threads but this young composer deserves a mention 😅 😅

hopefully he will be noticed. name is Yukata Yamada 😁 😁

he just finished vinland saga (on netflix) and babylon (on amazon) but okay 😺 😺

the piece i am leaving has many names... that's the problem with anime soundtracks. nobody knows what is what... all you get is a CD that comes all the way from japan.

pretty sure the track name is "intertwined" though. based on numerous youtube videos and the tracklist on amazon 😄 😄

the part i like is very powerful and often comes up when a character is in a predicament and thinking of a way out 😤 😤

the tuba or whatever that distorted brass sound is got me the very first time!! and the strings add extra tension. as a beginner, this is such a powerful lesson on simplicity 🧐 🧐

🙏 😊 oh i cut to the interesting part on youtube. feel free to skip


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## Sarah Mancuso

Victor N. said:


> 🙏 🙏 😊
> 
> happy to see anime get some love on vi-control!!
> 
> i have tracks and composers to fill threads but this young composer deserves a mention 😅 😅
> 
> hopefully he will be noticed. name is Yukata Yamada 😁 😁
> 
> he just finished vinland saga (on netflix) and babylon (on amazon) but okay 😺 😺
> 
> the piece i am leaving has many names... that's the problem with anime soundtracks. nobody knows what is what... all you get is a CD that comes all the way from japan.
> 
> pretty sure the track name is "intertwined" though. based on numerous youtube videos and the tracklist on amazon 😄 😄
> 
> the part i like is very powerful and often comes up when a character is in a predicament and thinking of a way out 😤 😤
> 
> the tuba or whatever that distorted brass sound is got me the very first time!! and the strings add extra tension. as a beginner, this is such a powerful lesson on simplicity 🧐 🧐
> 
> 🙏 😊 oh i cut to the interesting part on youtube. feel free to skip



Neat track! The reversed brass part is effectively weird and uncomfortable, and the calm piano part it settles into from there is really cathartic. I wonder what's being used for that piano, btw, the recording sounds super three-dimensional.

I definitely noticed the music in Babylon, before everything else about Babylon made me want to stop watching it...


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## The Singularity

finally joined the forum just so i could post in this thread 

ill try to keep it to a minimum but i could post for days in here


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## Victor N.

😊 😊 no intro for this one


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## Kent

Victor N. said:


> 😊 😊 no intro for this one



lovely piece—not quite anime, though


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## tf-drone

The only Anime I ever watched: Hikaru no Go


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## Victor N.

😅 😅 😅 triple checked this time that the music is from an anime not just a famous anime composer


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## Victor N.

another one (a song but hope you guys like it) 😊

this was the surprise for me this year so far. just can't get this song out of my head. oh, and the anime itself has a very intriguing character (the one in the thumbnail)


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## DimensionsTomorrow

I came to know it through a hip hop sample but I love this music from Space Warrior Baldios. I love the intro and the change up at 1:07 is so good. The soundtrack (double vinyl LP back in the day) got reissued on a double CD here in Japan, but it’s out of print now unfortunately and goes for a lot of money.


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## Kent

Love it. Big fan of Haneda.


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## DimensionsTomorrow

kmaster said:


> Love it. Big fan of Haneda.



I want to check out more of his stuff! Any suggestions?


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## J-M

I've seen Princess Mononoke mentioned a few times here...that soundtrack is awesome. Here's something slightly different. What I've always liked with japanese composers is their ability to blend different styles and make it work. 

The drop at 3:46 is great (well, the whole thing is great)


I just love the jazz in this one!


(Both are composed by Yogo Kanno)

And then we have this groovy piece of awesomeness by Yoko Kanno. The sax at the end is soooo good.


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## Consona

Susumu Hirisawa's Paprika is the most outstanding anime soundtrack I've heard.








This piece is so heavenly.


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## mscp

This is what got me into Anime music:



it's simply beautiful.


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## Vin

Favorite track from favorite anime OST:


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## Fenicks

Vin said:


> Favorite track from favorite anime OST:




I LOVE this one. It's been a favourite of mine for years. It conjures up images of a long and melancholy space journey.

Some of my favourite soundtracks are from anime. Kou Ootani, Yoko Kanno, Urata Keishi and JA Seazer are incredible. Anime seems a kind of musical frontier to me, where composers get to explore strange and gorgeous worlds of sound that only make sense when accompanying the unchartered and mercurial tales of Japanese animation. Video games are similar. Here are some songs that I keep coming back to, years and years after I first heard them.


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## MartinH.

Just stumbled over this and thought someone here might be interested: 




I always thought that show is more like a tongue in cheek meme, never would have guessed it gets a real concert performance.


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## Kent

I love everything about this cue


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## Crowe

kmaster said:


> I love everything about this cue




Oh crap. Now I do too.


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## ummon




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## darcvision

kmaster said:


> I love everything about this cue



i love clannad ost. here's my favorite track


also fyi the author compose music for this anime


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## philamelian

Getting obsessed with the Arrietty soundtrack every now and then it comes to my mind. Such a beautiful tune.


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## MartinH.

Stumbled over this today and had some goosebumps moments when hearing some of the orchestral battle themes again, which is extremely rare for me. 



I have to admit though, it is a very weird mix of styles to listen to as an "album" and the title of the video will have some people scratching their head when they hit play


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## Kent

This one has always freaked me out. What a stellar soundtrack.


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## Fenicks

kmaster said:


> This one has always freaked me out. What a stellar soundtrack.




Oh god yes. Akira's soundtrack is one of the best. Geinoh Yamashirogumi are brilliant.


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## Kent

I've listened to this song probably 100 times in the last few days. I can't get enough of the 90s production value (and harmonies!)


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## doctoremmet

Anime people, and slightly broader: experts on Japanese music. I’m looking for examples of Japanese original choral music, used in games or films. The keyword being _choral_ here. Thanks!


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## doctoremmet

kmaster said:


> I've listened to this song probably 100 times in the last few days. I can't get enough of the 90s production value (and harmonies!)



Those vocal harmonies are very very pleasing indeed. I used to love Sandii and The Sunsetz back in the day, this somehow reminds me of some of their music.


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## Kent

doctoremmet said:


> Anime people, and slightly broader: experts on Japanese music. I’m looking for examples of Japanese original choral music, used in games or films. The keyword being _choral_ here. Thanks!


you should look through this thread 

Again, _Akira_ creeps me out... in the very best of ways. The work Geinoh Yamashirogumi did for it is just out-of-this-world.


(vox in at 2:08... but you gotta earn it with the first 127 seconds!)

or



(vox in at 1:05)


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## doctoremmet

Now playing (the entire thing). Akira is a true classic of course, as a fan of William Gibson‘s dystopian oeuvre I loved this take on cyberpunk.


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## doctoremmet

@DSmolken These examples ^ are indeed excellent


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## DSmolken

Indeed. Though the second one seems like it could be done with a typical Latin choir, I oughta ask a couple of Japanese developers about the idea of sampling a choir.


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## jeremyr

kmaster said:


> I've listened to this song probably 100 times in the last few days. I can't get enough of the 90s production value (and harmonies!)




The piano part bears a similarity to this song, which was probably used as a starting point since they go in uniquely separate directions afterwards:


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## Kent

This piece has always reminded me of 80s fantasy film scores... through a modern Japanese lens


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## Fenicks

doctoremmet said:


> Anime people, and slightly broader: experts on Japanese music. I’m looking for examples of Japanese original choral music, used in games or films. The keyword being _choral_ here. Thanks!







It may not be exactly what you're after but Revolutionary Girl Utena also features dozens of choral arrangements in its rock opera duel songs courtesy of composer JA Seazer.


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## DSmolken

Thanks, I'm gonna try talk a Japanese developer into doing something like that... The Ghost In The Shell example is especially interesting timbrally.


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## doctoremmet

DSmolken said:


> Thanks, I'm gonna try talk a Japanese developer into doing something like that... The Ghost In The Shell example is especially interesting timbrally.


Ghost In The Shell is my favourite anime ever. And the live action version was pretty damn nice too. Piotrek, make it a new series! Like “Vengeful” was derived from DOTA, I would LOVE to have a Ghost In The Shell reference as the title for a new series of Japanese sample libraries. Allow me to suggest Niihama series. I believe that’s the fictional city where most of the action takes place


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## Crowe

doctoremmet said:


> Ghost In The Shell is my favourite anime ever.


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## Mars

kmaster said:


> I've listened to this song probably 100 times in the last few days. I can't get enough of the 90s production value (and harmonies!)




The whole soundtrack is a treat, I watched the anime as a teenager and still cherish the music.
The battle theme is "automatic goosebumps" to me


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## DSmolken

Shiirai said:


>


My favorite anime ever has this music.


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## Crowe

DSmolken said:


> My favorite anime ever has this music.




Everything about this reminds me of the Samurai Pizza Cats.


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## DSmolken

About the same era! Perhaps the worrying thing here is that my favorite anime ever lasted two episodes and was canceled due to poor sales, so I'm terrible at judging what anime people might actually want to see, but, well that ending is compositionally interesting, that's for sure.


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## Crowe

DSmolken said:


> About the same era! Perhaps the worrying thing here is that my favorite anime ever lasted two episodes and was canceled due to poor sales, so I'm terrible at judging what anime people might actually want to see, but, well that ending is compositionally interesting, that's for sure.



Eh, I wouldn't worry about it. Whenever I start thinking like that I remind myself that Firefly got cancelled too.

It _is_ interesting, that's for sure!


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## Kent

this is absolutely haunting and IMO the perfect blend of acoustic instruments, synths, and vocals


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## Fenicks

Speaking of Princess Mononoke, The Tatara Woman Work Song is a lovely choral arrangement from that movie:



And this one is from Haibane Renmei. The composer, Kou Ootani, also brought us the Shadow of the Colossus score.


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## jeremyr

Mars said:


> The whole soundtrack is a treat, I watched the anime as a teenager and still cherish the music.
> The battle theme is "automatic goosebumps" to me




I will never understand how Yoko Kanno was able to achieve this level of orchestral ability when only 6 years prior she was writing 8-bit synth tunes for KOEI. She is truly a genius, and people mostly know her from her non-orchestral works such as Cowboy Bebop.


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## Fenicks

jeremyr said:


> I will never understand how Yoko Kanno was able to achieve this level of orchestral ability when only 6 years prior she was writing 8-bit synth tunes for KOEI. She is truly a genius, and people mostly know her from her non-orchestral works such as Cowboy Bebop.



Yoko Kanno is a long-time inspiration to me. Some of my favourite tracks by her are from her less remembered works like Song to Fly, Earth Girl Arjuna, and Wolf's Rain. Back in the mid 00s she also composed the soundtrack for Ragnarok Online 2, but her music was scrapped when the game changed directions. There's some lovely songs in that abandoned score!


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## darcvision

jeremyr said:


> I will never understand how Yoko Kanno was able to achieve this level of orchestral ability when only 6 years prior she was writing 8-bit synth tunes for KOEI. She is truly a genius, and people mostly know her from her non-orchestral works such as Cowboy Bebop.


She's also re-orchestrated her old work 16bit (Nobunaga Ambition) to real instruments. this is my favorite track from nobunaga ambition


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## Beans

Awesome thread! I know almost nothing about this area of music.

With that said, since it seems relevant, I'll add that quite a few years ago I heard this and got all sad that I couldn't replicate these trumpets with my VIs. I had completely forgotten about it until now.


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## Ruy

I really like the Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) OST. The Grissini Project did a cover of Vogel im Käfig that I find awesome.


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## Kent

Little Witch Academia has some really fine "Japanese Studio Chamber Orchestra" sounds:


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## Trash Panda

I don’t think these two need an introduction. \m/


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## Kent

I _think_ this is just an album (hard to tell...?) and not an actual soundtrack, but it's by Yuji Ohno who was the composer for things like _Lupin III (Pt2)_ and _The Castle of Cagliostro_. It certainly sounds like it could be either a late 70s/early 80s sci-fi anime OST or a proto-City Pop concept album, so I figured it was worth a share here regardless.


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## The Singularity

favourite piece from the 2nd season


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## jeremyr

It's better than any Hollywood score I've heard this year, that's for sure.


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## Kent

Another classic 90s sound. Echoes of _Chrono Trigger_...very evocative!

(and so much Roland...)


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## CT

I am going down my (admittedly limited (to Adult Swim circa 2004-2005)) anime memory lane.



Incredible playing by the musicians at these sessions.













(gorgeous, regardless of the Bill Evans "quotes")



(ditto for the Guilmant quote)


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## CT

This score was so well-done and eclectic... hard to cherry pick.


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## Kent

Mike T said:


>



I love this specific anime brass sound.


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## jeremyr

Mike T said:


> (ditto for the Guilmant quote)


Not familiar with Guilmant. What is the quote?


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## CT

It's less glaring than the Evans one, and COULD be a coincidence, but....


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## jeremyr

Nah, you're absolutely correct. That's really interesting.


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## Kevinside

Macross Frontier by Yoko Kanno...


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## Kevinside

For me there are some anime osts out there, which are outstanding...
but Yoko Kanno is everything, i ever need, cause her compositions are so great...
Macross,Escaflowne,Gits Sac,Aquarion,Turn A Gundam,Cowboy Bebop and so much more...
so domo arigato for this wonderful emotional music...


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## Trash Panda

Cowboy Bepop and Escaflowne OSTs are in a league of their own for sure.


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## darcvision

recently i really enjoy Haibane Reimei OST by Kow Otani (Shadow of the colossus) and also anime is very unique.


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## Kent

stefandy31 said:


> recently i really enjoy Haibane Reimei OST by Kow Otani (Shadow of the colossus) and also anime is very unique.



there's a really nice sense of space & air in these recordings/mixes.


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## jeremyr

stefandy31 said:


>



For the sake of accuracy, Wondering was composed and arranged by Masumi Sakaue. More info here: https://vgmdb.net/album/22026

Here's some Kow Otani nostalgia (for me at least):





And of course:


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## darcvision

Michiru Oshima(Full Metal Alchemist, Little Witch Academia) did a good job on anime Yagate Kimi ni naru which is a story about yuri romance (between girl and girl). Actually it's my first time watching this genre and so far its really good and the soundtrack is amazing. she is using a lot woodwind section and piano in this soundtrack.


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## darcvision

Girl's Last Tour or Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou by Kenichiro Suehiro. i think the soundtrack is pretty good and unique. Well, the story itself is about two girls trying to survive in the post apocalypse world. I really enjoy this anime because the atmosphere is beautiful and imo the atmosphere is similiar like Nier Automata.











Full Playlist


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## rmak

Mike T said:


> I am going down my (admittedly limited (to Adult Swim circa 2004-2005)) anime memory lane.
> 
> 
> 
> Incredible playing by the musicians at these sessions.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (gorgeous, regardless of the Bill Evans "quotes")
> 
> 
> 
> (ditto for the Guilmant quote)



I see wolf's rain album on Spotify, but the song names are different maybe? They are all by Yoko Kanno? I will listen to the album tomorrow on Spotify; hopefully, some of the tracks are just named differently.


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## CT

There may have been more than one album.


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## rmak

Mike T said:


> There may have been more than one album.


yea I think a lot of the Japanese composers don't have songs on Spotify. Do you know if YouTube is the only source of where I can play their music? If for instance, I am listening in the car. I guess making a YouTube playlist is the way to go? thanks.


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## darcvision

Full Metal Alchemist (2003) composed by Michiru Oshima. Actually there are 2 version which is 2003 version are more seinen(adult) and 2007 version are more shounen(teenager), but most of people prefer the new version because its focus more about story. But i personally prefer the 2003 version because its more darker, good filler and very great soundtrack imo.













I hope i'm not spamming too much in this thread.


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## elliebean

Memories is a collection of three short films released under a single title. Each one is wildly different in tone and style and done by different composers. This is the intro to the second one, Stink Bomb which was composed by Jun Miyake as far as I'm aware. I recommend watching the actual short film as it's pretty silly and I don't really want to spoil the premise too much. The second track is off the soundtrack for Berserk, which was composed by Susumu Hirusawa, which I already know someone in this thread said they liked. Particularly the latter half of the song I find very emotionally affecting.


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## thevisi0nary

This is a great short piece from an anime I've never seen, which is apparently pretty bad in contrast to the OST.


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## Kent

I love the tension in this track.


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## Wes Antczak

rmak said:


> yea I think a lot of the Japanese composers don't have songs on Spotify. Do you know if YouTube is the only source of where I can play their music? If for instance, I am listening in the car. I guess making a YouTube playlist is the way to go? thanks.


I've wondered about this as well and I'm thinking that perhaps there is a Japanese alternative to Spotify that Japanese composers use? Are there any Japanese composers on here who might be able to tell us?


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## doctoremmet

Any Gundam experts in here? I feel like watching a classic anime mecha franchise, and Gundam appears to be one of the first and one of the best. Where to begin?


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## Kent

doctoremmet said:


> Any Gundam experts in here? I feel like watching a classic anime mecha franchise, and Gundam appears to be one of the first and one of the best. Where to begin?


I'm not _super_ into mecha, but: https://www.cbr.com/gundam-where-new-fans-should-start/


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## Kent

Oh! and I highly recommend _Gurren Lagann_ as a good way to whet your mecha appetite on a much shorter commitment scale.


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## doctoremmet

kmaster said:


> on a much shorter commitment scale.


Sounds good! Thanks pal. (Pssst, Xsample have a 20% discount on some cool stuff)


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## Sunny Schramm

doctoremmet said:


> Any Gundam experts in here? I feel like watching a classic anime mecha franchise, and Gundam appears to be one of the first and one of the best. Where to begin?


Not Gundam but for some short action-time I liked the "Appleseed" and some other Mech-Action-Movies back then.

*


*


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## doctoremmet

Sunny Schramm said:


> Not Gundam but for some short action-time I liked the "Appleseed" and some other Mech-Action-Movies back then.
> 
> *
> 
> 
> *



Fantastic. Just what I was looking for!


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## Sunny Schramm

doctoremmet said:


> Fantastic. Just what I was looking for!


I assume you know all the other anime classics like Princess Mononoke, Ghost in the Shell, Jin-Roh, Akira, all the Studio Ghibli stuff, Vampire Hunter D, Blood: The Last Vampire, etc. right?

Otherwise: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls054110986/


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## doctoremmet

Sunny Schramm said:


> I assume you know all the other anime classics like Princess Mononoke, Ghost in the Shell, Jin-Roh, Akira, all the Studio Ghibli stuff, Vampire Hunter D, Blood: The Last Vampire, etc. right?
> 
> Otherwise: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls054110986/


Not a true connaisseur, but the classics are all under my belt, so to speak. Thanks again though! The mecha realm is kind of new to me, and I have heard a lot about Gundam - hence my question!


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## Sunny Schramm

doctoremmet said:


> Not a true connaisseur, but the classics are all under my belt, so to speak. Thanks again though! The mecha realm is kind of new to me, and I have heard a lot about Gundam - hence my question!


Havent watched Gundam too. There were so much stuff out there when I had my anime-"movie" addiction :D


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## The Singularity

doctoremmet said:


> Any Gundam experts in here? I feel like watching a classic anime mecha franchise, and Gundam appears to be one of the first and one of the best. Where to begin?


gundam is much loved for its merchandising, 2nd only to dragon ball if i am not mistaken, if you are looking for some mech that is not so much classic, but high quality i would suggest the rebuild of evangelion, ignore the fact that it has taken almost 20 years to release 4 movies lol

oh, and the sound track is absolutely one of the best ever


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## davidnaroth

Some of my favorites of the recent years have been My Hero Acadamia's, SAO, and above all the score for Your Name as well as Weathering With You (both by Radwimps and incredible music). Growing up anything Ghibli / Joe Hisaishi, Cowboy Bebop + Ghost in The Shell / Yoko Kanno, were my jam.


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## MartinH.

@doctoremmet: If you haven't watched Neon Genesis Evangelion yet, then obviously start there, but I assume you know that one already. :D

I didn't watch Gundam, so I can't recommend anything specific there, but I at least can recommend Macross Frontier for the orchestral soundtrack:



I always planned on watching that show, but somehow stopped 4 or 5 episodes in for no specific reason, probably not a glowing recommendation then :D. 
Macross is the franchise that the first BattleTech Mech designs were licensed from by the way.


It's not a classic, but I quite liked Knights of Sidonia Season 1. Unfortunately it looks very 3D since it's not a classically handdrawn anime. If you have netflix, give that one a shot maybe?


I also enjoyed Schwarzesmarken and Muv Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse, but there are probably better shows to watch out there.





Can anyone recommend something like Goblin Slayer (that isn't Bersek)?


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## doctoremmet

MartinH. said:


> @doctoremmet: If you haven't watched Neon Genesis Evangelion yet, then obviously start there, but I assume you know that one already. :D
> 
> I didn't watch Gundam, so I can't recommend anything specific there, but I at least can recommend Macross Frontier for the orchestral soundtrack:
> 
> 
> 
> I always planned on watching that show, but somehow stopped 4 or 5 episodes in for no specific reason, probably not a glowing recommendation then :D.
> Macross is the franchise that the first BattleTech Mech designs were licensed from by the way.
> 
> 
> It's not a classic, but I quite liked Knights of Sidonia Season 1. Unfortunately it looks very 3D since it's not a classically handdrawn anime. If you have netflix, give that one a shot maybe?
> 
> 
> I also enjoyed Schwarzesmarken and Muv Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse, but there are probably better shows to watch out there.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Can anyone recommend something like Goblin Slayer (that isn't Bersek)?



Awesome tips! Thanks a lot. Weirdly I now also have this urge to play some old school 16 bit era shmups. A couple of years ago I started with Nier:Automata (which has a good score as well by the way) and it had this weird gameplay mix of 2d platform, third person 3d and shmup elements that was really cool. I may need to get back to that. 

Anyway, again: thanks y’all! Very educational and inspiring.


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## jeremyr

MartinH. said:


> I didn't watch Gundam, so I can't recommend anything specific there, but I at least can recommend Macross Frontier for the orchestral soundtrack:


Macross Frontier is one of my favourite Kanno scores BUT I remember when it first premiered many of us were confused by parts of the score that seemed to be directly lifted from Arnold's Independence Day and Conti's The Right Stuff. But that's all in the past now.

For Kanno mecha recommendations there's also Turn A Gundam, Macross Plus, Vision of Escaflowne, and Genesis of Aquarion (in the case of Aquarion the series isn't worth watching, just check out the fantastic orchestral score.)


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## Sarah Mancuso

jeremyr said:


> Macross Frontier is one of my favourite Kanno scores BUT I remember when it first premiered many of us were confused by parts of the score that seemed to be directly lifted from Arnold's Independence Day and Conti's The Right Stuff. But that's all in the past now.


There has unfortunately been a lot of that sort of lifting in all of Kanno's scores...


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## Scamper

I still have to catch up on all the recommendations here, but there's lots of great stuff.
Especially Little Witch Academia was surprisingly good, all around solid with much variety and great orchestral tracks in there.

Here's *Yuru Camp (Laid-Back Camp):*

Has a catchy opening...


... and plenty of chill folky tracks.



Such a wholesome anime.


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## Sarah Mancuso

Yuru Camp is wonderful comfort food.


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## Leslie Fuller

I posted this in another thread and thought to post it here also.

I knew this beautiful “emotional” recorder reminded me of some Anime opening music I’d heard before. I found it today after some searching. The piece is “Hidamari Michi To Ren Chon” from the Anime - Non Non Biyori.


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## Sarah Mancuso

Leslie Fuller said:


> I posted this in another thread and thought to post it here also.
> 
> I knew this beautiful “emotional” recorder reminded me of some Anime opening music I’d heard before. I found it today after some searching. The piece is “Hidamari Michi To Ren Chon” from the Anime - Non Non Biyori.



Hah, I know exactly what you're talking about! It reminded me of Non Non Biyori, too. Cute.


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## Kent

Scamper said:


> I still have to catch up on all the recommendations here, but there's lots of great stuff.
> Especially Little Witch Academia was surprisingly good, all around solid with much variety and great orchestral tracks in there.
> 
> Here's *Yuru Camp (Laid-Back Camp):*
> 
> Has a catchy opening...
> 
> 
> ... and plenty of chill folky tracks.
> 
> 
> 
> Such a wholesome anime.



Thanks for the rec, I’d been meaning to watch this and it had completely slipped my mind!


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## davidnaroth

Anyone have any recommendations for their favorite slice of life as well as comedies? I've recently exhausted everything I was watching


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## Sarah Mancuso

davidnaroth said:


> Anyone have any recommendations for their favorite slice of life as well as comedies? I've recently exhausted everything I was watching


_A Place Further Than The Universe_ is one of my favorites. Have you seen it? It's somewhere between slice of life, comedy, and drama.


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## davidnaroth

Sarah Mancuso said:


> _A Place Further Than The Universe_ is one of my favorites. Have you seen it? It's somewhere between slice of life, comedy, and drama.


I havent but will def check it out! Just finished watching HoriMiya which was pretty good, my all-time favorite comedy of the past few years has been Mob Psycho 100, hoping/waiting for the next season.


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## darcvision

Watching slice of life anime like yuru camp and non non biyori is really nice after work. it makes me feel relaxed and calm.


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## darcvision

davidnaroth said:


> Anyone have any recommendations for their favorite slice of life as well as comedies? I've recently exhausted everything I was watching


1. Yuru Camp
it's very fun anime, no drama, cute girls doing cute things, the soundtrack is pretty good
2. Non Non Biyori
very relaxing anime, it's just bunch of kid's having fun in countryside. no plot
3. Aria the Animation / Aria Series
unique settings, unique soundtrack inspired by brazilian music. old anime but it's good. this show is getting better and better especially season 3 (origination).


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## MartinH.

Sarah Mancuso said:


> Yuru Camp is wonderful comfort food.


Never heard of it, but you made me add it to my watchlist. I'll check it out, thanks.



davidnaroth said:


> Anyone have any recommendations for their favorite slice of life as well as comedies? I've recently exhausted everything I was watching


Slice of Life:
"New Game!"
"Polar Bear Cafe"

Comedy: 
"One Punch Man"


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## Leslie Fuller

davidnaroth said:


> Anyone have any recommendations for their favorite slice of life as well as comedies? I've recently exhausted everything I was watching


If you’ve not already seen it, one of my absolute favourites is: *Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon, *which classed as Slice of Life and Comedy!


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## Kent

For Slice of Life with a touch of harem and a streak of the supernatural, _Clannad/Clannad After Story_, but prepare to cry...or so I have been told


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## Leslie Fuller

kmaster said:


> For Slice of Life with a touch of harem and a streak of the supernatural, _Clannad/Clannad After Story_, but prepare to cry...or so I have been told


Yes, I’ve had so many recommendations to watch Clannad/Clannad After Story! Haven’t got round to it yet, but it is on the “must-watch” list!


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## doctoremmet

Tokyo Scoring Strings: Patch 1.0.5 available (fixed sample offsets)


Impact Soundworks is thrilled to present our first flagship orchestral string library, Tokyo Scoring Strings - available now! THE STORY Our goal with Tokyo Scoring Strings is to give you the orchestral string sound that has been heard across innumerable world-famous Japanese productions...




vi-control.net


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## jeremyr

The funniest slice-of-life/comedy I've seen is Hinamatsuri, but it might not be to everyone's tastes. Check out the clips on youtube first if you're interested.


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## Kent

...and now I want to get a scooter and travel around the backroads in the area...


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## darcvision

kmaster said:


> ...and now I want to get a scooter and travel around the backroads in the area...


i love this anime, and it's composed by japanese composer Claude debussy


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## Kent

I know we've talked about _The Vision of Escaflowne_ here in this thread a time or two, but here's a new spin:

Do you know of any modern examples of an anime with a soundtrack of such breadth and scope as this?

*Anthemic, Feelingsy Theme Song*


*Williams/Bennett/Hansen-esque Orchestral*


*Obligatory Carmina Burana ref*


*Herrmann (with a dash of Russian)*


*Gregorian Chant*


continued in post below...


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## Kent

...continued from post above...

*Midcentury British Christmas Special*


*Glassian*


*Bernstein*


*More Hansen/Williams, but this time with Holst & Goldsmith*


... I could go on (I haven't even made it through the first disc!), but the point is clear: this score has a bit of everything.

What is doing that today?


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## Kent

@Sarah Mancuso? I feel like your knowledge is fairly encyclopedic here


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## Sarah Mancuso

kmaster said:


> @Sarah Mancuso? I feel like your knowledge is fairly encyclopedic here


Hah, I'm not sure offhand! I'll let you know if I think of anything.


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## jeremyr

kmaster said:


> Do you know of any modern examples of an anime with a soundtrack of such breadth and scope as this?


In the 90s and early 2000s several Japanese composers went to a post-Soviet Warsaw to record various soundtracks because it was apparently very cost-effective. Yoko Kanno recorded a few soundtracks there such as Escaflowne, Brain Powerd, Turn A Gundam, etc. Masamichi Amano recorded his Giant Robo and Battle Royale scores there. The FFXIII OST was recorded there. Lots of fantastic scores on this list https://vgmdb.net/artist/262 and they often have that big orchestral sound.

More recently Kanno hasn't scored too many anime series. Her most recent large-scale orchestral work was a live action television drama called Onna Joshu Naotora which I consider to be the best orchestral soundtrack written in the last 20 years. I just thought I'd throw that out there.

Rather than taking on composition duties himself, Amano has recently been arranging for Shiro Sagisu, I think starting in 2008 with Evangelion Wind Symphony. If you check out some of the more recent music to Berserk, the live action Attack on Titan, and SSSS Gridman soundtracks you can hear more of this collab.

I can't think of anything on Escaflowne's scale written for an anime within the last 10 years. Some stuff that might come close is Yoshihiro Ike's score to Rage of the Bahamut, Kenichiro Suehiro's score to Re:Zero, and Kenji Inai's score to Familia Myth.

I consider Yoko Kanno to be the "James Horner" of anime, not just because of her great orchestral and melodic sensibilities, but because they both have written soundtracks with clear influence from classical music, especially the music of Sergei Prokofiev. I'd highly recommend anything by Kanno.


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## Scamper

kmaster said:


> I know we've talked about _The Vision of Escaflowne_ here in this thread a time or two, but here's a new spin:


Just recently, I checked out the whole Escaflowne soundtrack and it is fantastic. My favorite track though is this variation on the theme.
Gotta love Yoko Kanno and that divine string writing.


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## EvilDragon

jeremyr said:


> The funniest slice-of-life/comedy I've seen is Hinamatsuri


For me it has to be Asobi Asobase. It's hilarious! Also, dat ending theme!

But first, the opening theme:




Contrast that with the ending theme:


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## lychee

Scamper said:


> Just recently, I checked out the whole Escaflowne soundtrack and it is fantastic. My favorite track though is this variation on the theme.
> Gotta love Yoko Kanno and that divine string writing.



Everything that Yoko Kanno touches inevitably turns to gold.
Aside from the soundtrack of Coboy Beebop, I admit I was impressed by that of Terror In Resonance, especially these two tracks:


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## Leslie Fuller

EvilDragon said:


> For me it has to be Asobi Asobase. It's hilarious! Also, dat ending theme!
> 
> But first, the opening theme:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Contrast that with the ending theme:



Just watched the first episode of Asobi Asobase, and how did I miss this one? Thanks @EvilDragon, what a great anime recommendation! Music is amazing too!


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## Scamper

lychee said:


> Everything that Yoko Kanno touches inevitably turns to gold.
> Aside from the soundtrack of Coboy Beebop, I admit I was impressed by that of Terror In Resonance, especially these two tracks:



The first track is quite a ride and pretty intense. Really cool.
What's the name of the second one? The video is blocked in Germany, so I can't see it.


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## lychee

Scamper said:


> The first track is quite a ride and pretty intense. Really cool.
> What's the name of the second one? The video is blocked in Germany, so I can't see it.


I never understood why there are regional blockages on some videos which in my opinion have nothing special that would justify it.
In any case, I found the song in question on soundcloud, as well as the whole original soundtrack.


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## Pier-V

Am I late to the party? No I'm not, right? 
I've listened to some of what has been posted since the first page, and I've already discovered a lot of interesting scores!
When I'm listening to anime music I'm always searching for a very specific kind of sound (not style, more like artistic approach). The following list is as diverse as possible and tries to avoid famous/obvious tracks:



Sorry for the poor quality for the one below:


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## Pier-V

_(...following from the previous post)_






From the anime Black Lagoon


@EvilDragon After your last post, I have a feeling you may _really really_ like Detroit Metal City...


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## EvilDragon

I didn't watch DMC, just saw some excerpts, it seemed pretty darn great.


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