Reminiscing over the Decade’s Anime Music – 2005
OP/EDs
There’s just too much to cover that we’re jumping into the ridiculous side of the spectrum. There’s a lot of good themes, really too many to count that I think a quick run through doesn’t do it justice. Your patience will be rewarded since there’s a lot of enjoyable themes to be had, ranging from the enjoyable guitar music that evokes the journeys, to Spitz and Suneohair in Honey and Clover. And no, I wasn’t about to forget Honey and Clover either.
But before we go that far, how about pointing to a really awesome OP in “Sousei no Aquarion” from the show of the same name. I remember listening to this song for the first time and being really wowed by its pop flavor. The chorus really grabs your attention just right and stands out as one of the most catchiest pieces that I can think of (as long as you discard cutesy earworms like “Tsukarimasho”).
[spoiler show=”Sousei no Aquarion – OP”]
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Akagi’s opening is far from pop and I wouldn’t have it any other way. For a show that derives a lot of its awesomeness from mahjong brawls between yakuza and all manners of shifty characters, the OP, sung by Furuido, has a slight folksy edge to it that makes for a pretty awesome listen, especially when you stick in that guitar accompaniment.
[spoiler show=”Akagi – OP”]
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And since we’re all on the whole topic of guitars Mushishi’s OP is quite enchanting, creating that relaxing aura of an old man stopping to rest his sore feet while fighting bears. Or something like that. I wrote the fighting bears part in the MALKeionbu thread when that song was up for evaluation and I’m guessing it has something to do with the lyrics.
[spoiler show=”Mushishi – OP”]
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Now as we get to Honey and Clover, there’ll be countless people who’ll say how much that show affected them. I could definitely identify with the characters and their struggles in that long road of life, and the tones of the ED themes put forth really helped out in both allowing us to connect with the show while laying out the obstacles that we must overcome in life. At least, that’s how the tones come off for me. The OP is a bit stranger and I think people will remember it for the crab hand popping out than the singer. Yet, her performance is still pretty catchy after you get used to it. Also, I prefer “Waltz” over “Mistake” just a bit, but that’s mostly because the harder edge to the vocals isn’t my thing so much.
[spoiler show=”Honey and Clover – OP”]
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[spoiler show=”Honey and Clover – ED – Waltz”]
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[spoiler show=”Honey and Clover – ED – Mistake”]
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Mahoroba ~Heartful Days~ is another underrated series that I don’t hear much about and unfortunately, its premise is kinda given away in the opening theme. I do remember really being hooked by the opening theme though and its catchiness meant it’d never get out of my head so now that it’s wormed its way into my head once more, I’ll inflict it on the rest of you. Seriously though, it’s probably one of the more enjoyable harem series I’ve seen because of Kozue’s heartwarming personality and the hilarity that results when she *ahem* transforms.
[spoiler show=”Mahoraba – OP”]
[/spoiler]
One of these days, I will complain about how much Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha’s background music is terrible standalone listening but now is not that day. I didn’t give Nanoha a chance in the 2004 post so here’s where I make amends by saying that Nana Mizuki’s OP for A’s is my favorite of the three series currently out (I’ve yet to touch “Phantom Minds,” sorry).
[spoiler show=”Nanoha A’s – OP”]
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Finally, we close out with the bizarre Pani Poni Dash which was the start of Shinbo’s quirkiness and chalkboard messages. While the BGM isn’t exactly my cup of tea, the OPs and EDs were pretty awesome. Some of them have that summer air (“Kiroi Vacances”), others were just charming and sweet (“Moonlight Love”), and others still were just as catchy as all hell. So once again, good stuff and I’m sure someone will rag on me for leaving out Ichijou’s hilarious song.
[spoiler show=”PPD OP – Kiroi Vacances”]
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[spoiler show=”PPD OP – Roulette Roulette”]
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[spoiler show=”PPD OP – Shoujo Q”]
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[spoiler show=”PPD ED – Girlppi!”]
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[spoiler show=”PPD ED – Moonlight Love”]
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Final Notes:
It struck me that Black Cat was a 2005 anime since it seemed like it was from beyond 2005. Well, it sucked and I’ll forget once more after writing this. Promising beginning followed by a strange turn of events followed by a let our powers combine sequence and you have a boring shounen show with boring music by Taku Iwasaki. I was fooled initially by that opera track that he composes, but thankfully, I realized that it’s the only track even worth mentioning and the rest of it becomes an exercise in forgetting.
My-Otome’s music was good. It’s nothing great like we’ve seen with the like of Mai-HiME or even Tsubasa, but hey, I don’t really mind it too much. Some of the themes like the “Prologue ~the Dream Gate is Opening” hits that stately feel rather well. Same goes for the Windbloom theme with its soft piano bits. Sure, it’s not as grand and epic like Kajiura’s other themes, but I like it all the same.
That’s about it really. The nostalgia trip really was strong this year since stuff like ARIA remains on my top top list and have yet to bore me. I’m sure y’all can come up with tracks that I’m missing or corrections that need to be made because I missed something.
*cough* Eureka 7 *cough*
Air’s soundtrack is indeed great! I really loved it and I’m glad it’s included.
And Nana Mizuki is always nice. I’ve liked almost all her OP/EDs.
Great list.
Now this is strange. There surely are lots of osts on your list but most of them I’m not familiar with.
Blood+ musical score is indeed fantastic though it is still sounds quite generic for me cause I also listen to western movie osts. Plus it often reminds me of Gladiator music in several movements.
For Black Cat, the crossover music with opera vocal is interesting but, like you said, the anime sucked -_-
Tsubasa Chronicle is my favorite
Kajiurasoundtrack. Maybe Mai Hime gets more credit because the show was better.Natsukage (Summer Lights) is one of my favorite tracks of background music ever. It really embodies what Air is all about and made the anime, and excuse the cliche, come to life. I liked Farewell Song better than Tori no Uta and people think I am insane. Aozora was a great vocal track on top of that. The beautiful melody and emotion in Lia’s singing is indescribable.
I remember vaguely hearing that Hans Zimmer did the music in Blood+. I’m a huge Hans Zimmer fan. His work in The Lion King is some of my favorite. I was a huge music soundtrack junkie back in high school so all this talk about scores and background music is right up my aisle. All my friends think its super nerdy, though. Gladiator and Pearl Harbor, in my opinion, are some of Zimmer’s best works. Mark Mancina’s Grand Theme, however, just totally blew my mind and gives me epic goosebumps. The bold energy and rhythm of the track, along with soaring melodies, paints such a amazing picture. I can definitely tell its the work of an experienced Hollywood composer, which Mancina totally is. I definitely have to check out Blood+ now.
Break the Sword of Justice is a classic but I love Guess How Much I Love You. The sweet airiness to the score is really nice. Not gonna comment too much on Aria because I can go on for DAYS about the music. You missed Round Table feat. Nino’s rainbow, though. It’s one of my favorite ending themes of all time. The quaint yet ridiculously catchy melody and serene peace of the lyrics (and awesome acoustic guitar) perfectly emulates the mood of the series.
I’ve listened to the OST of Victorian Romance Emma, never saw the show though. I found the scoring very creative. Emma is one of the best piano tracks in 2005.
Finally, Sousei no Aquarion. I absolutely love First Love, Final Love (favorite track of the whole OST). The magical touch and reserved grandeur of the piece is riveting. When the Aquarion main theme is introduced in the middle of the track, I feel goosebumps all over my back as it develops into a soaring chorus. This is music. This is art. Absolutely sublime from beginning to end.
Eternal Blaze is my favorite Nanoha OP, as well. And I, too have not yet touched Phantom Minds. Isn’t it great how that works? 😛
Finally, Moonlight Love is my favorite PPD vocal song. It’s just so whimsical and cute. Wow that was a long response (which I had to type again because I lost it half way the first time) but I feel strongly about music and these tracks totally rule. 😉
Awesome, lots of good songs that I haven’t heard in a while.
“Break the Sword of Justice” motivates me to get up and do something. Air’s soundtrack is amazing! The songs are so memorable and does imprint the visuals from the anime into my head. I liked “Tori no Uta” so much that I found the sheet music for it and played it on the piano, it would have been way better with the vocals too though. :/
As for songs from 2005, Karasu’s theme from Noein is pretty good. I still need to get around to watching that series though.
Ah i see Air here. I like it a lot, Summer lights, very smoothing the piano. Plus its Jun maede were about about here! to me hes god like in soundtracks him and Key as a whole.
Another sountrack that caught my attention was the Aria one,Mangetsu no Dolche. another smoothing piano song with violin =)
btw im the type that love soundtracks with Piano. makes you feel relaxed.
Nice review!
@Taka
Dammit! I knew I forgot something important and it was bound to happen sooner or later. Sadly, E7 isn’t something I listen to a whole lot and the only tracks that I’m even remotely familiar with are Nirvash Type Zero and Sprinting Spirits. :\
@Yi
Nana Mizuki does have this emphatic tone that’s really easy to enjoy, and she has this presence that I really like. Definitely my favorite singer of the now!
And yeah, Air is pretty good and there’s more to it than just “Natsukage.” Better than Kanon at any rate (IMO).
@Canne
Your thoughts does make me wonder whether anime composers are consistent like their Western counterparts. In my case, I’m just happy whenever anime composers can hit the level that their Western counterparts are capable of serving up. Doesn’t lessen Blood+’s awesomeness though!
@Baka-Raptor
Please tell me you tossed a track up for Yuki Kajiura week. Or at least, go vote on it once the voting thread is posted. Seems like it’d be right up your alley anyhow 😀
@Kevo
Wasn’t Lia singing Aozora without accompaniment at some point? That’s where you really get to see how expressive she is and we do see that she’s capable of putting forth really heartfelt performances.
And yes, Blood+ is really awesome, mixing in creepy/haunting stuff along with a good serving of epic. As for me, I’m really fond of Zimmer’s work on Gladiator and I did pay attention to it to be able to pick out that snippet of Gladiator from Pirates of the Caribbean. So yeah, really nice to be able to meet others who have a good command of film scores. Blood+ is also a really decent series. The characters start to lose their luster close towards the end, but I enjoyed the ride for what it’s worth.
I also think I said this in one of the prior Decades Posts in that you can never go wrong listening to Round Table feat. Nino. And yeah, I do like the calming atmosphere that Rainbow is capable of putting forth. Of course, if I were to delve into ARIA’s soundtrack, I’d be rambling on with no end in sight.
Emma was a solid show the whole way through and the second season stumbles just a bit, but I could live with that. Also, another plus for maids who are actually realistic rather than fanservice fodder. The score is pretty awesome and I’ve yet to be disappointed by a Kunihiko work.
I remember the first time I heard First Love Final Love, my thoughts immediately jumped to John Williams since that early phrase sounds like a Star Wars motive. But it develops well on its own and becomes one of the most memorable finale pieces that I can think of.
Finally, I also second Moonlight Love as being the best theme from PPD.
@Reltair
A lot of people have told me that the composer for Noein is pretty solid and I’m bound to check it out sooner or later. It’s also a series that’s supposedly interesting too. Oh well, time will tell!
@Fabrice
Jun Maeda’s involvement in Angel Beats (for obvious reasons) is one of the reasons why I’m checking out the show next season. I’ve always maintained that he’s the best of Key’s composers and I’m hoping he delivers once more!
Like I mentioned, I could go on for days and days talking about ARIA. Definitely give the show and the music a listen. You’ll like it a lot!
The BGM for E7 is decent. It’s more notable for all it’s techno and rock insert songs. Storywriter, Tiger Track, Niji, Get it by your hands, etc.
What I also think is highly notable (possibly more notable than the BGM or techno) is the OP and ED themes. I loved the crap out of every single one.
Also I haven’t seen any of the anime on the list cept FMP:TSR. I am teh fail
Ah, all the good stuff, finally someone who took notice of Blood+’s music! No surprise on most of the music introduced (for the instrumental) here except Sousei no Aquarion. Didn’t watch it myself but apparently it is pretty bad, but I might give Kanno’s music a go.
Not too much comment on the OP/EDs, I don’t really get catchy tunes >_>
Whoa! I never knew Hans Zimmer worked on the Blood+ soundtrack. He was the reason I first got into OSTs, through Pirates of the Caribbean. I definitely mustn’t miss out in Blood+ OST then. =D
My favourite song from Honey and Clover was actually Hachimitsu. Somehow the singer just drew me into the song and the lyrics fit so well. I usually skip the opening though, cause the crab popping out never fail to make me jump…
This post also brings back a lot of memories for me. Mizuki Nana’s Eternal Blaze is also the first song I ever heard form her, which did spark off my rather short-lived fan period for her, mostly due to her vibrato and voice.
@Taka
I do remember that waaaay way back before I began to relax my tastes somewhat, E7 didn’t really grab at me precisely because of the techno and rock. Now that my tastes have widened (I did enjoy DtB2’s OST after all), I think E7 is due foe a listen soonish.
Also, you should watch Aria. Or Emma at the bare minimum unless you can’t stand the lovey dovey stuff.
@depthcharge101
Yeah, I wouldn’t really recommend watching Aquarion unless you were drunk or something. The entertainment value skyrockets if you do. But Kanno’s score, like I mentioned, is very underrated, but also really good. Definitely give that a listen if nothing else! There’s plenty of variety though, so don’t expect all orchestral/piano stuff.
@Jen
Funny that I ended up listening to the insert song collection to HnC on my drive yesterday and I gotta agree that “Hachimitsu” is a very solid track. I just love that blend of folk and rock that fuses together really nicely.
As far as Zimmer goes, he plays a smaller part (I’d put Mancina as the main composer), but you can definitely feel Zimmer’s contributions throughout many of the pieces. Do give it a go!
And yes, Nana Mizuki… still delivers with good vocals, but a lot of it is starting to feel same-y.
Besides the techno, E7 has many tracks which sound generically beautiful, but not unique, a problem which Naoki Sato seems to combat with often. Sprinting spirits is one of the few which stood out to me.
2005 was a decent year, especially with ARIA’s soundtrack, which definitely contrasts with most other soundtracks I’ve heard. It’s classical and jazzy at the same time. As for Sousei, I usually enjoy Kanno’s scores. She usually offers more complexity than your average anime BGM composer.
I’ve never heard of Victorian Romance Emma before, but your samples sound nice. They seem to like making anime styled after European classics. At least they usually have good music 😛
You’re certainly going to have your hands full with the 2006 soundtracks.
I think I tried to watch Emma at one point but it was airing at the time and I had yet to discover torrenting so I was just watching it on crunchyroll.
Aria is on the list. It has to jockey for position with Monster, Higurashi, and Mai-Hime though.
@Yu
Who doesn’t like Sprinting Spirits? But yeah, I liked the few Sato pieces in Heroic Age though I really should check out that soundtrack in its entirety. I think it was the main theme that really blew me away and I do hope that his other compositions are just as solid. My main worry is if he composes one or two brilliant tracks but the rest are mediocre.
Funny that I listened to a podcast that says if heaven has music, Aria’s would be it. So nice, peaceful, and relaxing all around. Sousei does hit that Western film vibe rather well and Kanno is always going to be a pleasure to listen to.
Emma’s a solid series (I rated it an 8/10. Its sequel might be a touch lower) and one that features maids not as fetish material but fairly realistically. The author of the manga did do a lot of research into Victorian England and tried to make it all authentic.
And don’t remind me about 2006. Thinking of the listening I’ll have to do for that makes me go orz but in a good way =D
@Taka
You do have your hands full with that kind of a star-studded lineup. I’d hit Monster first, but I’m biased like that. The rest are pretty awesome and you can watch it in whatever order you feel like, but if you’re depressed at all, Aria makes for a good picker-upper.
Blood+…brings back so many memories. Silhouette of a Breeze!!!! Oh, it’s STILL in my ipod, time flies… ARIA’s music fits the atmoshpere of it very well, I also especially liked the ending song “Rainbow”.
Very nice choices here!! : D
I’m on episode 15 of Monster and episode 5 of Higurashi…Monster is great but difficult to marathon. The first 4 episodes of monster were seriously amazing. Higurashi is bizarre.
@cj
Rainbow’s definitely a peaceful song that sets the mood just right. As for Emma, it feels like I’ve been listening to it since forever. Hopefully you’ve found others that might be worth looking into!
@taka
I can sympathize since Monster’s not a series that I’d marathon. It’s engaging all the same and has a lot of characters that I can sympathize and empathize with.
As for Higurashi, think of it as a whodunit mystery that you need to solve and that each subsequent chapter/arc reveals more and more until you get a more complete picture that can put to rest some assumptions.
Didn’t I recall that there was a version of Natukage that had lyrics… Well, there is which was released in 2001 sung by Lia and the lyrics by Jun Maeda, the same composer of the same exact song.
@Chikorita157
Yes there was! I do have a copy of it somewhere around that I could pull up if I were to reference the track. Still, I prefer the instrumental-only version just because it’s one of the few pieces that doesn’t need vocals to bring about a memorable experience =)
Wow, a lot of great stuff came out in 2005! 2 of my absolute favourite soundtracks even [ARIA and Aquarion]. I thought Aquarion was kind of strange. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t good either, though I think the soundtrack is some of Kanno’s best work. It even features work by Hisaaki Hogari, of [very small] Kokoro Library fame, another one of my favourite soundtracks. They need to give that guy more work I tell you!
@overcoat
Glad to see you! Yeah, 2005 was quite a banner year for anime music certainly with the two soundtracks that you cited. I think Kanno’s Turn A Gundam would still be my favorite, but Aquarion wins for having a very memorable grand finale theme.
As for Kokoro Library, I gave it a listen awhile back, but it was very solid. If it’s as slice of lifey as the title implies, I’ll have to give it a go. And yes, Hogari does deserve more work after composing a soundtrack like that!
If you’re going to use my artwork as the header, it would be great if you could credit me as the original artist, since I am =). Thanks
On the other hand, some nice soundtracks there. I don’t usually listen to soundtracks of anime, but I did really like the soundtrack of Honey and Clover. I think that was also a 2005 animation?
@Qinni
Done and done. I had that picture for awhile but didn’t know who drew it. Thanks for stepping forward and letting me know since I like that particular picture quite a bit!
You are right about Honey and Clover being a 2005 show, but the soundtrack didn’t jump out at me while I was watching the show. Doesn’t mean it’s bad since a lot of great soundtracks didn’t initially jump out at me. Maybe it’s high time I give it a shot!
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