Anime Soundtracks

[Avarice-ness]

Okay, Even though I like certain anime's, I hold -alot- of anime soundtracks in contempt due to the fact they sound stereotypically anime-like. I'm the kind of person who would sit down and listen to John Williams at random, to the extent of Schostacovich is awesome!

So when I get an anime soundtrack, I normally end up disappointed. But this time I was not!

The last composer of an anime that I fell in love with was Toshiro Masuda, the composer for the Naruto soundtracks. It may have not been orchestrated like movie soundtracks, but it added in instruments that seem like they shouldn't go together and they did.

And now! Kenji Kawai takes the cake. Yes, the music may get repeditive, but it is mostly all orchestrated, the only thing that is added in is the synth voices and various halo synths and such. This soundtrack is the mix of something that seems like it could be in a video game, but it is composed well enough that I could see it in a movie.

Anyone else get an anime soundtrack expecting to get the whole, not so great but it is an anime soundtrack, and it wasn't that? And if so can you tell me the composer and anime?

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

I love Yuki Kajiura's work, as well as Yasunori Mitsuda (but he's more video game).

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

The Big O is the first thing that comes to mind. It has some absolutely stunning jazz/orchestral stuff courtesy of Toshiko Sahashi.

[Roto13]

Hellsing soundtrack plz k thx bi

[LunarWeaver]

Discovering Yoko Kanno was great. Cowboy Bebop, Escaflowne, and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Along Complex all three in particular are amazing to me. The woman is just all over every genre.

My two favorite songs of hers are Dance of Curse from Escaflowne, very powerful, and Green Bird from Cowboy Bebop, which is slow and kind of simple but I find it strikingly beautiful.

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

Yoko Kanno is very good. I also like Maaya Sakamoto's songs.

[MageLuingil]

You may like Yoko Kanno's work. Like the above poster said, she does an amazing variety of music; I have several of her anime soundtracks and listen to them often.

I'm also a fan of Yuki Kajiura's music. Many people don't seem to like hers as much for some reason, but I love it. I also listen to Yasunori Mitsuda, Kenji Kawai, and my brother really likes the music from Rahxephon (Ichiko Hashimoto).

[Materia Hunter Yuffie]

Yoko Kanno

[Sylvie]

impression, departure, and the others from the Samurai Champloo OSTs. Amazing beats/jazz non-vocals.

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

Oh, this is another game one but Tenpei Sato. He does the music for Disgaea, Phantom Brave, and the like. In some ways it can be rather quirky, but often quite enjoyable.

Good luck finding a CD though.

[The Unknown Guru]

Yoko Kanno. Yoko Kanno. Need I say it again?

Also, whoever did the soundtracks for most of Hayao Miyazaki's movies did a pretty good job, especially on Princess Mononoke.

[Zeromus_X]

Cowboy Bebop, most Studio Ghibli movies, Rurouni Kenshin (the second part of the anime, anyway, had my favorite tunes; <3), and pretty much anything Yoko Kanno.

[StarlightAngel]

Yuki Kajiura, Tenpei Sato, Joe Hisaishi, and Yoko Kanno = <33

Ma-aya Sakamato too, actually.

[JKTrix]

If you liko Yoko Kanno, then definitely check out the soundtrack to Sousei no Aquarion. The show itself is average, but the music: Oh my god.
She teams up with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and the Warsaw Chorus again (she did Escaflowne with them previously) and it makes for some really amazing, apocolyptic music at times. Has a couple of techno-type tracks, the J-popish intro songs (near the end of one of the 2 OSTs, the first intro song is sung in english), and some lighter music.

RahXephon's soundtrack is great too. The opening is done by Kanno and Maaya Sakamoto (who voices one of the main characters), and the rest of the soundtrack is quite good, though I can't remember who did it all.

Koichi Sugiyama (Dragon Quest) makes some darn good music too. DQ8's orchestrated soundtrack has some beautiful stuff.

[Raven Nox]

I'd say Yoko Kanno and Yuki Kajiura have made some of my favorite anime soundtracks. Both are just wonderful composers.

My two favorite songs of hers are Dance of Curse from Escaflowne, very powerful, and Green Bird from Cowboy Bebop, which is slow and kind of simple but I find it strikingly beautiful.

Those are my favorites of hers as well. I used to listein to both of them quite a bit.