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Anime Musicals?




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Jean Of mArc



Joined: 21 Jun 2005
Posts: 3
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 10:31 am Reply with quote
I put this in the anime fourms, but I think it would be appropriate to put here as well, for the musical audience:

Does anyone know of any Anime Musicals or Rock Operas in existance? I don't mean anime about bands that play music, but you know, shows in which the characters break out into a song about the situation or context?

I was very disappointed by the Parappa The Rapper show, because it didn't even have any songs within the show! (Though the intro is pretty good none-the-less).

Any suggestions?
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abunai
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Joined: 05 Mar 2004
Posts: 5463
Location: 露命
PostPosted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 2:49 pm Reply with quote
You ask an intersting question. I've always been very fond of the musical/operetta as a theatrical and filmic form, but it never occurred to me that it was (so far as I can tell) completely absent from anime.

We all know that Disney seems incapable of making an animated film that isn't in the musical form - but it seems equally narrow-minded that the form isn't used at all by anime filmmakers.

I certainly can't think of any examples.

BTW, don't post your remarks to all the boards in the forums. This question belongs either in the anime forum, or in the music forum - not in both.

- abunai
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Flipnofunk



Joined: 14 Aug 2004
Posts: 67
PostPosted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 9:18 pm Reply with quote
how about interstella 5555 i remeber that being a musical by the legendary Leiji Matsumoto and music by the old techno artist daft punk. i would have said beck ( not the singer the anime) but you said no anime about bands. i know of a few musicals that use anime characters (ie prince of tennis, bleach, sailor moon) but thats all i could of think of

Last edited by Flipnofunk on Wed Jun 29, 2005 2:15 am; edited 1 time in total
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Michi
Encyclopedia Editor


Joined: 22 Feb 2004
Posts: 741
Location: Los Angeles, CA
PostPosted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 9:25 pm Reply with quote
Can't think of any anime with characters that break out in song...

But there are actual stage musicals with actors as characters from anime in Japan. Razz They've existed for Sailormoon, Utena, Prince of Tennis, Sakura Taisen, and more. :X
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xuebaochai



Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Posts: 85
Location: An unstable world
PostPosted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 9:34 pm Reply with quote
Wow. This is one of those extremely obvious things that you don't notice unless someone points it out. I cannot for the life of me think of a SINGLE one! Given the importance of anime music to the business, this hole is truly a mystery. It has probably spared us from seeing a chorus line of giant mecha singing J-pop ditties (*shudder*), but am I the only one who salivates at the idea of Kanno Yoko scoring a GITS: SAC musical episode? Imagine the Tachikoma dance number… Very Happy
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Godaistudios



Joined: 12 Jun 2003
Posts: 2075
Location: Albuquerque, NM (the land of entrapment)
PostPosted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 10:12 pm Reply with quote
Having been a lover of musical theatre and film myself, I too am surprised I never even considered this. Leave it to another to ask the question to get me to notice.

The only thing that comes to mind is situations involving songs in anime. Macross 7 anybody? (though I've not seen it.) Perhaps it would be too awkward and certainly those involved in production wouldn't expect it to have a mass appeal. Sadly, at least when it comes to film, the musical is dead. While it does come up occasionally, its an era that ended long ago.
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Cloe
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Joined: 18 Feb 2004
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Location: Los Angeles, CA
PostPosted: Wed Jun 29, 2005 11:31 pm Reply with quote
I've seen the live-action Revolutionary Girl Utena musical; does that count? Also, the animated Chinese Ghost Story (I know this isn't an anime but it sort of counts) has many musical numbers in it. And this is a loooong stretch, but there's a pretty long Sharon Apple concert in Macross Plus, and it places heavy emphasis on music in general.
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jfrog



Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 925
Location: Seattle
PostPosted: Fri Jul 01, 2005 12:02 am Reply with quote
Jack and the Beanstalk is one, it's supposedly for children but by the guy who directed Night on the Galactic Railroad, so I'm fairly interested in seeing it. Being released stateside sometime this summer I believe. I'm also interested in seeing this thing, though sadly I doubt I'll ever get the chance.

I also remember hearing that Adventures of Horus, Prince of the Sun (Takahata's first movie) had some musical numbers about the joys of working or something like that...maybe the closest we'll get to an anime version of one of the musicals featured here? Wink I think a couple of the other old 60's Toei movies are musicals too, but I haven't seen any of 'em.

And if you count the claymation sequences from Happiness of the Katakuris as anime, then you've got another one. Sure, it's all crappy casio garbage (and mind, I've proudly played casio with this guy), but Miike is still enough of a genius to make it work...somehow.
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Jean Of mArc



Joined: 21 Jun 2005
Posts: 3
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Sat Jul 02, 2005 9:42 pm Reply with quote
Thanks for all the responces; I forgot I posted that here until tonight.

It is rather surprising at the lack of them, considering that I think the Japanese culture would love it. Even serious anime can be musical... I mean look at Les Miserables: it's very serious and saddening, but still a musical/opera. It's all about the style of music and singing.

I've read that Bleach is currently working on a rock opera, but it probabley is another live show. I think it would be great to see a series (or at least a movie) of anime in which being a musical is one of the main features of it. Could be fun and crazy, or serious, but I think if the story and music were good, it would be a hit.
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Ghost_22



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 2
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Sat Jul 02, 2005 11:20 pm Reply with quote
I agree...i think it would be great as long as it had a good sotry and it was done well... I havnt seen much anime butt im a fan...may go out and borrow al lteh NeonGenesis Evangelion episodes on my holidays...music I've seen in a nanime is in BGC KS when Priss is in her band Razz
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jfrog



Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 925
Location: Seattle
PostPosted: Sun Jul 10, 2005 12:21 pm Reply with quote
Just watched the old Toei movie Puss in Boots, and it's a musical too. Songs aren't particularly memorable, they don't add anything to the picture, but they don't take anything away either. And it's a rather fun movie regardless, as well as one with lots of historical value - it's considered to be one of the very best 60's anime movies (I haven't seen enough to compare), and Miyazaki did a lot of his early key animation work here.
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