Composers Hideki Taniuchi and Yoshihisa Hirano came together to create this eclectic soundtrack beautifully complimenting the adaptation of the Death Note manga. The original soundtrack features tracks with rock and alternative rock elements. However, what starts as a rock album slowly walks into the orchestral realm to complement the menacing nature of the story.
The music of the anime creates exciting moments and goes hand-in-hand with the larger-than-life persona of the characters from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.
Things change for Naota after the arrival of a red-haired girl named Haruko Haruhara in a yellow Vespa wielding a Rickenbacker bass guitar like a weapon. The anime, which came out in 2000, has achieved a cult following status for being surreal and experimental. Most of its music is composed by an alt-rock band named “The Pillows”. The soundtrack has punk rock elements and goes well with the teenage angsty feel of the characters who are fighting for independence in the small city of Mabase.
Composer Shirō Sagisu created primary themes for the characters that the showrunners used throughout the series. Sagisu’s work in Neon Genesis Evangelion encompasses several genres of music. In the track titled “Misato”, Sagisu composes a beautiful melody played on the flute, while “Rei I” has a delicate piano and cello duet.
Yoko Kanno’s spectacular and vibrant opening theme song titled “Tank!” signaled the arrival of Cowboy Bebop. Falling in the early jazz basket, the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack is fast-paced with elements of blues, bossa nova, and J-pop. Kanno’s honest and impressive work shines throughout the series. The soundtrack, comprising 19 tracks, features classics like “Go Go Naruto!” and “Rocks”, which are both fan favorites. Other memorable songs from the album are “Team 7”, “I Said I’m Naruto”, and “Sadness and Sorrow”. Kawai has cleverly amalgamated ancient percussions and modern synthesized sounds to portray the coming together of old traditions and futuristic ideas. The composer used taiko drums while scoring the battle scenes and created a tense and military-like atmosphere.
Dealing with the afterlife theme, Hayashi’s music is melancholic and poignant. The opening track of the original soundtrack, titled “Death Parade”, sets the mood of the show by pairing the saxophone with a fretless double bass. The fluid bassline duets beautifully with the saxophone, gripping the listener, and the other tracks build on the opening mood. By the time the album reaches the track titled “Vs”, Hayashi starts building tension, perfectly going along with the plot of Death Parade. This is one of the few anime shows that has incorporated the hugely popular chill-hop, lo-fi, and boom-bap genres from the whole instrumental study beat genre. The soundtrack is a reflection of Samurai Champloo’s laidback narrative. The most iconic Samurai Champloo track is “Departure”, where the composer chops old jazz records and samples them with hip-hop beats.
The tracks are grand orchestral arrangements with elements from the rock and metal genres. Sawano strips away all sorts of pretentiousness and presents the most bombastic soundtrack for any anime series. The tracks composed by Sawano feel raw and loud, depicting the ruthlessness of the titans as well as the characters, who evolve as the series progresses. The entire catalog is not just filled with heavy orchestral tracks as there are soothing and beautiful piano pieces too. “YouSeeBIGGIRL/T.T” and “Call of Silence” are the stand-out tracks from Sawano’s Attack on Titan original soundtrack.
