Looking for anime series with great music/OST

Well, the topic title says it all. I'm looking for anime series with GREAT music. Anything goes, throw whatever you got at me.

BTW, if there's someone who can answer what the composer for the D.N. Angel soundtrack is and if he/she has done anything more I'd be grateful for it. Thanks.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I'd suggest anything with Yoko Kanno. You could try Cowboy Bebop for some excellent Jazz/Bebop, or Ghost in the Shell for some more rock/electronic stuff. Both are great.

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I definitely agree with Free.User. GitS, CB, and Escaflowne are my favorite osts by Yoko Kanno, but just about everything she's done is awesome.

Other favorites of mine are Akira, Mushishi, .hack//SIGN, Eureka 7, and X.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Son, you have great taste but you are missing out on other great composers. Follow me :

Taku Iwasaki : Rurouni Kenshin OVA's, Read or Die
Noriyuki Asakura : Rurouni Kenshin TV series
Kou Otani : Pumpkin Scissors, Gundam Wing, Shadows of the Collusus (game), Outlaw Star
Kenji Kawai : Ghost in the Shell Movie 1 and 2 , Fate/Stay Night, Higurashi Naku Koro ni series.
Yusuke Honma : GTO, Yu Yu Hakusho.
Toshihiko Sahashi : The BigO,Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn.


Good shit I tell you.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by nanaman

BTW, if there's someone who can answer what the composer for the D.N. Angel soundtrack is and if he/she has done anything more I'd be grateful for it. Thanks.

There are two composers; one is Tomoki Hasegawa, which I don't think you're looking for since his/her other work isn't very notable (DearS, etc).

The other one is Takahito Eguchi, who composed for Final Fantasy X-2. He has more game music credits to his name than anime, but you could check out Trinity Blood, his other work. He's currently involved in Rental Magica but the soundtrack probably isn't out yet.




As for general recommendations, I had a big post in one of the threads but it's buried now, so I'll repost:

Originally Posted by Bigblah

I have a feeling that your tastes are more towards orchestral music. So here's a big fat list I posted on the previous GFF:

(NOT MENTIONED: Yuki Kajiura, Taku Iwasaki, Toshihiko Sahashi, Hikaru Nanase, Kow Otani, Kenji Kawai)

• Shirou Hamaguchi
  Definitely check his anime work out. You might recognize him from the Final Fantasy Piano Collection series -- he's the one who usually arranges FF themes for performances. He also composes wonderful anime soundtracks - all of them orchestral!
  
  » Ah! My Goddess the Movie (Nobuo Uematsu composed 3 of the songs used in the movie)
  » Ah! My Goddess TV
  » Kiddy Grade
  » One Piece (collaboration with Kouhei Tanaka)
  » Sakura Taisen TV & Movie (again, with Kouhei Tanaka)
  » Final Fantasy Unlimited (with Akifumi Tada and Nobuo Uematsu)
  
  
• Kouhei Tanaka
  He's mostly recognized for his work on the Sakura Taisen series, though there are plenty of other anime soundtracks he's worked on. 'Battle themes' are his specialty.
  
  » Brave Exkaiser (the very first one in the Sunrise Yuusha series)
  » Blazing Transfer Student
  » Angelic Layer
  » Gate Keepers
  » Sakura Taisen (OVA, TV & Movie)
  » Gad Guard (with Kazuhiko Sawaguchi)
  » Gunbuster
  » One Piece
  
  
• Michiru Oshima
  She's had a distinguished career, scoring soundtracks for films from the Godzilla series, as well as games like ICO. Like the aforementioned composers, most of her anime music is great orchestral work.
  
  » Kaze ni Tairiku ~The Weathering Continent~
  » Legend of Crystania
  » Arc the Lad TV
  » Mahou Tsukai Tai
  » Fancy Lala
  » Queen Emeraldas
  » Full Metal Alchemist
  
  
• Haishima Kuniaki
  He's relatively obscure, but his orchestral work is absolutely amazing. He also tends to experiment with different styles, as shown in the Master Keaton soundtrack.
  
  » Macross Zero
  » RUN=DIM
  » Blue Gender
  » Neo Ranga
  » Master Keaton
  » Alien 9
  » Gasaraki
  » Sumeba Miyako no Cosmos Sou Suttoko Taisen Dokkoider
  » Monster
  
  
• Tsuneyoshi Saitou
  He hasn't done much anime work, but his soundtracks have that mystical feel to them. Very beautiful, emotional music.
  
  » Asagiri no Miko
  » Nazca
  » Tenchi Muyo Movie 2 & 3
  » Soukyuu no Fafner
  » Tide-Line Blue
  » xxxHOLiC (Movie)
  
  
• Shinkichi Mitsumune
  An extremely talented composer. His style is pretty recognizable, although the shows he works on are wildly different.
  
  » Revolutionary Girl Utena
  » Love Hina Again
  » FLCL (certain instrumental tracks)
  » Green Green TV
  » Cyber Team in Akihabara
  » Nurse Angel Ririka S.O.S.
  » Rozen Maiden
  » Speed Grapher
  
  
• Masamichi Amano
  Can't forget him! You can always depend on Amano for nostalgic, orchestrated themes. Some of his newer works are synthesized, but the good old orchestra is retained for choice tracks.
  
  » Giant Robo
  » Super Atragon OVA
  » Ninja Resurrection
  » Melty Lancer
  » Princess Nine
  » Stratos 4
  
  
• Yuji Yoshino
  His compositions usually consist of what may be vaguely termed 'world music', a fine example of which would be the opening theme to Brigadoon.
  
  » Brigadoon Marin & Meran
  » .hack//Tasogare no Udewa Densetsu
  
  
• Kunihiko Ryo
  His oriental-flavoured compositions in Juuni Kokki are breathtaking... unfortunately, that's about the entire scope of his involvement in anime music =(
  Edit: Oh, and Victorian Romance Emma too.
  
  
• Mina Kubota
  A relatively unknown composer. She's good at portraying emotions and tension through her character themes. At present, her only anime music works are Kaleido Star and Kannazuki no Miko.
  2007 update: Also, Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora.
  
  
• Hattori Takayuki
  Most of his compositions are for science fiction and fantasy genres. Expect upbeat and grand-sounding themes.
  
  » Martian Successor Nadesico
  » Captain Herlock OVA
  » Slayers (Movies & OVAs)
  
  
• Hattori Katsuhisa
  Another excellent SF composer (and father of Hattori Takayuki), though his strength lies in mellow and romantic themes.
  
  » Crest/Banner of the Stars
  » Argento Soma (with DJ K. Hasegawa)
  » Infinite Ryvius
  
  
• Seikou Nagaoka
  No anime soundtrack enthusiast should miss out on his amazing work on Sol Bianca. You might want to sample his other recent works as well.
  
  » Sol Bianca ~ The Legacy
  » El Hazard
  » Stellvia of the Universe
  » Battle Programmer Shirase
  
  
• Tamiya Terashima
  His general work isn't that notable, but he's produced some gems like the final ending song to Key the Metal Idol, 'Tenohira no Uchuu'. One of the finest anime songs ever written.
  
  » Key the Metal Idol
  » Plastic Little
  » Maid in Hanaukyo
  
  
• Hans Zimmer and Mark Mancina
  Hahahahahahahaha
  
  » Blood+

The following composers do not necessarily produce orchestral music, but some of their works are a joy to listen to nevertheless.

• Toshiro Masuda
  One of my favourite composers. He's great at light/cheery music as well as 'cool' character themes. Some of his more dramatic tracks are really heart-wrenching. Here's a partial list of soundtracks that he's worked on:
  
  » Mahoromatic (both seasons)
  » Jubei-chan (both seasons)
  » Naruto
  » Excel Saga
  » Hand Maid May
  » Di Gi Charat (Summer and Christmas Specials)
  » Ai Yori Aoshi
  » Nanaka 6/17
  » Animation Runner Kuromi-chan
  
  
  
• Yasunori Iwasaki
  Another one of my favourites. Few other composers use the saxophone in their soundtracks, and his music usually has a great retro feel to it. Surprisingly, he's also capable of excellent orchestration, as shown by the Vandread Second Stage soundtrack.
  
  » Brave of the Legend Da-Garn
  » Brave Police J-Decker
  » Captain Tsubasa (with Akifumi Tada)
  » Fortune Quest L
  » Vandread (both seasons)
  » Happy Lesson (OVA, TV and Advance)
  » You're Under Arrest 1st season (this corresponds to TV OSTs 1,2 and 3)
  » Sorcerous Stabber Orphen Revenge
  » Tenjou Tenge
  » Grenadier
  » Amaenaideyo!
  
  
• Choro Club
  This is a new addition to my list -- after listening to their wonderful work on ARIA the Animation, I checked out their soundtracks for Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou as well. Extremely relaxing, laid-back music.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Giant Robo. Easily my favorite anime OST. Most anime soundtracks have a select few tracks that are particularly enjoyable. But with Giant Robo, I basicly love the whole soundtrack.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by chato

Toshihiko Sahashi : The BigO,Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn.

Obligatory mention of Gunslinger Girl because that's still my favorite anime OST of all time as well as a series on my top 10 list for having such a great emotional story that has a good mix of action in it.

I'd also suggest taking a look at Red Garden. While some of the vocals in the series might sound a bit jarring and poorly executed, the rest of the soundtrack is actually really good and it may very well be the best soundtrack (rivaled by Clannad perhaps) from an anime that was shown in 2007. It also helps that the plot and character development are both awesome and that it's the best Gonzo show to have come out since Gankutsuou. Better than Bokurano even.

FELIPE NO

I would definetely recommend Macross Plus in which the music is done by Yoko Kanno and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

Its definetely one of the few anime that I've enjoyed every musical track.

I would also like to give props to Hikaru No Go, Perfect Blue, and Cowboy Bebop for having beautiful music.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Joe Hisaishi. Although his works tend to be fairly simplistic, he is wonderful at producing memorable themes and pieces that really stick with you. For some of his best stuff, check out How's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, and Laputa: Castle in the Sky. He also has some non-anime albums that are pretty nice as well.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Are you only interested in the music? Like, are you going to judge a show by its soundtrack? I'm just asking.

Anyway, here's my list. These are the only soundtracks in which I like more then 50% of the tracks given.
.hack//sign//liminality; AIR; Ghost in the Shell (SAC, 2nd GIG)

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I think Tsuneo Imahori's stuff is absolutely great, he worked on the music for Trigun, Gungrave and Hajime no Ippo. He's also contributed to a lot of Yoko Kanno's works, which you should know by now, is amazing aswell.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Why hasn't anyone mentioned Hirano Yoshihisa? His works, especially the soundtracks for Meine Liebe and Strawberry Panic are nothing less than breathtaking. Personally, I consider the Meine Liebe soundtrack to be one of the greatest musical works ever composed for any anime, ever. It just seems so... professional, so polished, so elegantly composed... it has such a high level of class, a haughty arrogance... it's almost hard to believe it was composed for an anime at all. A true work of art if there ever was one.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Woah, lots of tips here for me to check out, so thanks! Many of the ones you listed I have seen the anime of/heard before but probably just forgotten as I'm an expert at forgetting things so that's good too :P

Originally Posted by jouhou

Are you only interested in the music? Like, are you going to judge a show by its soundtrack? I'm just asking.

Well, no I don't judge shows only by soundtrack, just in this case I was kind of thinking about anime music that really makes you wow and catches your attention while watching the anime. I was really thinking it both ways, like getting myself some great OSTs and maybe watching some great anime I haven't watched yet.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Yea. But nowadays, music is the most important part. Some animes have mediocre music. Sometimes they don't match certain scenes O.o.

Another thing I'd like to add are the Samurai Champloo music group AKA Fat Jon, Tsutchie, Nujabes and Forces of Nature. If you like/d real hip hop, then they are the way to go. For a samurai anime (created by bebop writer), they pulled it off well.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I find that animes only have a few tracks worth listening to and you'll find yourself skipping until you find a specific one that you might have heard in the series. Eureka seven has tons of great tracks but since I'm not into the whole trance techno theme I just skip the cd thats dedicated to that.
I think death note has an awesome soundtrack, it has great themes and I only skipped like 3 songs.
I recently got into one piece and I love some of the more orchestrated tracks, i think one of them is called to the grand line.
Black Cat's OSt and Tengen toppa are also good cause they have some more rockish tracks and also some mellow suttle ones which are nice to listen to.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by nanaman

Woah, lots of tips here for me to check out, so thanks! Many of the ones you listed I have seen the anime of/heard before but probably just forgotten as I'm an expert at forgetting things so that's good too :P



Well, no I don't judge shows only by soundtrack, just in this case I was kind of thinking about anime music that really makes you wow and catches your attention while watching the anime. I was really thinking it both ways, like getting myself some great OSTs and maybe watching some great anime I haven't watched yet.

Not to come off like a know it all prick or anything, but you might be setting yourself up for some disappointment. Then again, I really love it when I do actually like the anime I'm watching and the music kicks ass too (Ghost in the Shell and Cowboy Bebop take the cake on that one). Makes the soundtrack that much more personal and memorable. Either way, sounds fun. ^^

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I recommend the soundtracks to Planetes, Berserk and Noir. There's some great music in all three of those shows; all have unique and original tracks. Oh and .hack//sign had a great soundtrack too, pity the show sucked. Also, as others have listed, anything by Taku Iwasaki: Kenshin OVAs, Now and Then Here and There. Yoko Kanno stuff is great too, so Escaflowne, Cowboy Bebop, GITs etc all have awesome soundtracks. I'm liking the music in Mushishi too so give that a try.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Some great suggestions above. I'd also recommend the Last Exile and Seirei no Moribito OSTs. I enjoy Yoko Kanno's works, she also did Darker than Black.

How ya doing, buddy?

Shin Kyuuseishu Densetsu is AMAZING!

Believe it or not YuGiOh has some good stuff (Japanese, not the English shit)
I have ALL the mp3s from the series, just click on 'Card Closet' on my sig.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Anything, seriously ANYTHING by Yuki Kajiura: Noir, Tsubasa Chronicle, Le Portrait de Petite Cossette, Mai-HiME, Mai-Otome. Lots of female chorus singing and generally epic, melancholic and atmospheric stuff.

Also, Toshiyuki Omori's soundtrack for Shingetsutan Tsukihime is one of my all time favourites for similar reasons (except the female chorus).

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Second vote for Yuki Kajiura: Tsubasa Chronicles is an amazing anime with a damn good soundtrack to back it up.

I was speaking idiomatically.

This thread would be an EPIC FAIL without a mention to Saint Seiya music.

Easily the best goddamn music of its time.

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by Nintendonomicon

This thread would be an EPIC FAIL without a mention to Saint Seiya music.

Easily the best goddamn music of its time.

Hmm, I have the whole Saint Seiya series on my HD (my friend gave me a tip to watch it), but I haven't watched it yet. If what you say is true maybe I'll give it a watch in the near future.

Oh by the way, even though the actual OST isn't out yet, I have to say the music in the still airing series True Tears has one of the most well made music soundtracks I've heard in a long time. And the series is also one of the best ones I've seen in a long time too, so it makes it all more worth to watch Make sure you check it out, or at least get the OST when it comes out.

FELIPE NO

Although they're not series, but you shouldn't miss these master piece.
Tenmon : Byousoku 5 Centimeter, The Place Promised in Our Early Days

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Chibi Neko

Believe it or not YuGiOh has some good stuff (Japanese, not the English shit)
I have ALL the mp3s from the series, just click on 'Card Closet' on my sig.

Oh wow, so it's YOUR site where I got most of the MP3s from! Didn't think you'd be a GFFer. Awesome stuff there.

Everyone here has pretty much mentioned all the animes I was going to mention, but I'll toss in DBGT. Okay so the show itself wasn't awesome, but it did have good music. It's a bummer they never came out with an official OST for it. There's only a handful in the DB Movie 4 OST. Digimon has good music too.

Jam it back in, in the dark.