2008-08-01, 15:03 | Link #1 |
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Anime Songs of importance in Anime history
This is not the discussion about which song is best. Rather it is about songs that left a mark on Animated Film music history, for good or ill. Some songs that isn't good may need to be mentioned for its positive or negative effects. However, music is about impression; if people didn't like it, it will be forgotten. Do feel free to discuss your feeling for the song, for how you felt about the song was likely part of the reason why some song writers remember it and use it.
I am going to run a class of importance rank in this thread. Feel free to do what you like as well. Here is some of my songs. 1970s: Mazinger Z's theme song - S class. For most Koreans, it is the epitome of the anime songs. Enough Japanese remember this song to follow along if a Korean sings it near by. If Tens of millions of people still can sing this song even after 30 years, you just cannot ignore its impact. 1983: Ai, Oboete imasuka? ( Macross the Movie ) - SSS level. This is the song formally launched anime music industry. To tell the truth, an apt comparison to Western European Music History might be Josquin Dez Prez. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josquin_de_Pr%C3%A8s 1990s : Tori no Uta ( AIR ) - SS level. One of the most well composed and performed song in the history. This is the song that hailed the rise of Key, Kyoto Animation, and Eroge anime adaptation. Not only that, this is a song that is immensely popular to people who never watches Anime. I remember Lia filling up large concert halls in Korea as recently as 3 years ago, and it was a personal concert, not an Anime concert, so most of songs were of no relation to Anime, thus most of the audience were fans of Lia, not Anime watchers. Yet, the song that received most enthusiastic welcome still was Tori no Uta. If there is one song that should be used in text books for popular music composing students, this is it. In fact, I believe it already is used as such. 2000s : Hare Hare Yukai - SSS level. Music theory speaking, this is not something profoundly new nor innovative. It was the dance, but its world wide impact may have been the greatest in Anime history. You just can't ignore this. 2000s: Lucky Star Opening - S+ level . First thing that I said after seeing this was 'Kyoani sure knows marketing.' This song raised fast performance and rapidly changing videos to a new level. More to come later.
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Last edited by wontaek; 2008-08-02 at 06:29. |
2008-08-01, 17:05 | Link #2 |
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Well, I don't have a lot of knowledge on the history of anime music... or any music for that matter... but I'll throw one into the mix that I think has at least some significance.
The OP to the 1987 OVA of Bubblegum Crisis, Konya wa Hurricane. Performed by seiyuu, Kinuko Oomori here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSggDCal5lA Anime OP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6cJops7cqE Influenced by the movies Blade Runner and Streets of Fire, this series has some significance because, in 1991, it was one of few to be released in North America (where it was more popular than in Japan) unedited with original soundtrack and subtitles. I can't find the reference, but I thought I had read somewhere that this is the first OVA (or one of them) that the seiyuu of the main characters did promotional live performances. Sample here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZC7-moerUBk Kawaii ne?
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2008-08-01, 17:23 | Link #3 | |
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2008-08-01, 17:31 | Link #4 |
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Can't forget the Macross classic "Watashi no kare wa pilot (My Boyfriend is a Pilot)" which predates Ai, Oboete imasuka?, while I think the latter is the far superior song Watashi no kare wa pilot launched Iijama's career and helped make Minmei such a popular character in Japan.
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2008-08-01, 17:49 | Link #5 |
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5cm/s theme song: Good use of male vocal. Good song, but we have lot of this. While the quality of the song is probably upper A level, its historical value is limited. Historically, may be C level. This is definitely a case where I have to assign a low level to otherwise a very good song, for it wasn't ground breaking as far as I know it.
Clannad's Opening : C+ level. Good song. Nothing really new there. Clannad Ending: Dango Daikazoku: A- level. Very simple song with child-like drawing that endeared itself to millions of people. This song is a proof you don't need anything fancy to capture people's attention if you do things right. Rozen Maiden songs : D- to B- depending on the songs or the music. Some were good. Some were rather shocking in a way. Many felt the song just didn't fit the overall mood of the whole anime series. Its main source of attraction might be this discord as well as jarring visuals. I do remember some good pieces, and do notice people remembering them, thus I would said up to B- level. Hard to go up any higher than that for historical value. Some of them are rather difficult to perform, so I do commend the execution of the music, taken by itself. Kanon Opening : It has its moments. This is the first Key music. Still, when I heard the full version, it lacked the development I later heard in AIR. Good use of piano, but that isn't that new. Final verdict is B+ Kanon Closing : This really is more mature piece of music as the development in full version was smooth and natural, leading up to the Rap section. The trouble is people doesn't remember this as much as the opening. So while my analysis says this is a better written and organized music, I can't give higher rating than the opening. Still better than expected B rating. True Tears Opening : I really wish I can give high grades for this as this is a very well written song, one of few songs that goes through key changes that makes sense, classically speaking. It also had nice dance scene for the visual. Sadly, there are other good songs out there and the number of viewers of this series were not as numerous compared to many other series that aired around the same time. This is an A level song in terms of quality, but historical impact was more of B level at best. True Tears Closing : C- level historically, although it warrants better grade if we talk about quality of the song. I have heard better songs and seen better visual in Urusei Yatsura, which this ending clearly mimics. Urusei Yatsura: There were many songs, ranging all the way from C- to A+ level historically. Urusei Yatsura was the front runner for so many things, it need separate thread to discuss them.
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Last edited by wontaek; 2008-08-02 at 06:32. |
2008-08-01, 17:52 | Link #6 | |
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Fantasia : We are getting into classical music history here, which is probably two levels above anime music in terms of world wide impact. This just is in a different league. I can't rate them here. 1970-80s : Space Battleship Yamato theme song - Heck! This song is still used as cheerleading song in Japan. It also features one of best use of male chorus among anime song. S+ level.
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2008-08-01, 18:03 | Link #8 | |
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Suzumiya Haruhi 'Day of Sagittarius' BGM - This is actually part of Shostakovich's 7th Symphony 'Leningrad.' It was first performed amid falling bombs in Leningrad during the German siege of the city. It is of different league in its role in world history.
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2008-08-01, 18:41 | Link #9 |
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How about the choral song from the GitS movie, Making of Cyborg? It's certainly an unusual piece. It has a subtle progression that makes me feel like it's pulling me deeper and deeper into something foreboding.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtUU9WCH8zE Oh, and wontaek, sorry if I'm missing something, but could you explain your ratings please? A, B, C I can understand, but the S ratings?
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2008-08-01, 20:21 | Link #10 |
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I understand that you're coming from a impact/popularity perspective, but you seem to stray into the musical quality of the song on more than one occasion.
And often, the popularity of the song is directly influenced by the quality of the series it accompanies. Actually, it's rather difficult for a primarily western community to judge the impact of these songs; can we expand this discussion to include the quality of the songs too?
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2008-08-01, 20:35 | Link #11 | |
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SSS > SS > S > A > B > C > D > E > F > G ... Consider S as special, while ABC is more about general quality, recognition, and innovativeness. Now about the Choral Song. I vaguely remember this song. Here are my comment it is composed in modern classical choral style. There are interesting use of some native( don't know where, though ) singing technique. I like their restrained use of drum and instruments but overall melody and structure lacks impact in my opinion. It is nice piece, but I heard something similar in movie Akira and some other animated series in 1980s. Due to the fact that I can find some precedence, I give historical rating of B . It could have been lower, but this was a well made choral piece in an important animated film, so I can't go below C+, thus believe B to be the most suitable rating. Please remember that I am commenting mostly on historical value, not the general quality of the music itself, which should be higher than B+.
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2008-08-02, 06:26 | Link #13 | |
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The most telling sign of a impact of the song is if the songs that come after it mimics it in a way. There also is commercial and/or cultural ground breakers. Only difficult thing for western community to judge would be the cultural aspects, but the proliferation of internet has made it much less difficult to research this.
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2008-08-02, 08:13 | Link #14 |
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Commercialing thinking you may what to add the theme song of Touch which I believe was one of the first for a main stream singer(Iwasaki Yoshimi) to do a anime song.
Anime songs wherenever revered as main stream until Touch(Iwasaki Yoshimi), Massion Ikkoku(Saito Yuki) and Cat's Eye(Anri) came into the scene. There are also alot of songs that grips many peoples heart like Takarajima, Devilman, Kyojin no Hoshi, Ace wo Nerae, and so on that alot of people in their 40's can still sing by heart in Japan. Lupin the 3rd and Yokai Ningen Bem are another interesting cases where they brought in various genre into the mix which I believe ultimately led to Cowboy bebop. |
2008-08-02, 13:29 | Link #15 | |
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Maisson Ikoku and Cat's Eye were seen only as manga, not anime series for me so I lack data on the song. I have no doubt they would get high marks as these were historically important anime series, and music was tauted as a strong point. Takarajima, Devilman, Kyojin no Hoshi, Ace wo Nerae are old important anime series, so I have no doubt their impact was high. Again I have seen them mostly through manga, not anime so lacks sufficient data to discuss them in detail. Lupin the 3rd had many musical pieces of varying degree of importance. Some were very good. The problem of mixing of the various genre was that such things were happening even in the 60s, but Lupin was old enough and popular enought to be noted in anime music history. I would say S level importance. Yokai Ningen Bem is something I enjoyed as manga, but I only saw the Korean dubbed version for the anime. The music I heard in Korean dubbed version was not really memorable, but Japanese original may have had one or two songs of importance. I really don't have data for this. Cowboy Bebop: This had interesting and poignant moments with music. Considering its popularity and timeline, I would give high marks as many musical ideas from this was mimiced in other series. Still, I could trace the lineage of the musical ideas up to some lesser known anime films of 80s, so A+ is probably more fitting verdict for this series. I must admit that my knowledge gets weaker once you go into 70s, as most of anime I saw at that time was Korean dubbed. Feel free to point out my short comings. I would be grateful if you could produce some examples of what you are talking about, so I may analyze them.
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2008-08-06, 05:25 | Link #17 |
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Totoro song and music are very good. It is one of my favorite songs. If you consider its place in history, however, its form and style was well established by this time, with lineage tracing to early work involving Miyazaki Hayao, Anne of Green Gables (1979). In addition this came out 2 years after Laputa where many of the musical ideas were popularized. Although overall quality deserves higher rating, its historical rating is somewhere close to B+, in my opinion.
Laputa ending song: This was huge. It was so popular, some popular songs in Korea and China plagarized parts of it. You sometimes identified yourself as anime fan by humming this tune in late 1980s and early 1990s. There is a very good reason why ringtone made from this song was featured in ending sponsor announcement of the first Genshiken episode. This song deserves SS rating in multiple ways.
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2008-08-06, 08:09 | Link #18 |
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I am going to have to go with "Cruel Angels Thesis" from Neon Genesis Evangelion. I found that to be one of the most classic and catchy themes ever.
Then their is also Blood+ "Aozora no Namida". Very popular song by Hitomi Takahashi. I also personally adored it. Another popular one for me seems to be "Be Your Girl" from Elfen Lied. That was a very huge and popular hit song in Japan after Elfen Lied was shown. Then ofcourse their is "Hare Hare Yukai" from Suzumiya Harui no Yuutsu and "Motteke Sailor Fuku" from Lucky Star. Two catchy songs with famous dances. |
2008-08-06, 16:44 | Link #19 |
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I don't know much about anime music history but would Yakusoku wa Iranai from Escaflowne qualify as important? I think it's the first time Yoko Kanno and Maaya sakamoto collaborated and I believe the show itself was Sakamoto's debut as a seiyuu and a singer.
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2008-08-06, 19:57 | Link #20 | |||
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Be Your Girl: I will take your word for the popularity, but again, it was not a serious groundbreaker, and by this time, many anime song has had success with main stream audiences. I say B Elfen Lied Opening: This is in fact an original composition based loosely in Gregorian Chant. It is a fine, haunting song, but its impact may have come more from mistaken notion that this was composed by Hugo Wolf. Still, it can still be considered as a rare case of pseudo-classical composition used as an OP so I would go as high as A+. details: http://suburbanbanshee.blogspot.com/...6_archive.html Quote:
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