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Which is better? Japanese music, Anime music, or...


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Lazuright



Joined: 12 Jan 2005
Posts: 54
Location: Leominster, MA.
PostPosted: Thu Jan 13, 2005 11:53 am Reply with quote
I don't know about anyone else, but for years before i had anime, i listened to music on the radio any channel. And i found it boring and the same in some way. Then anime entered my life. Shortly after anime music, then Japanese music. And i found myself inspired and...well i can't explain it. All i know is that anime music touches somewhere deep within me that no other music ever had.

Who feel's the same?
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Haru to Ashura



Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 617
Location: Termina
PostPosted: Thu Jan 13, 2005 11:35 pm Reply with quote
Music depends on the people who make it, not where they're from. It just differs from band to band, really. A j-rock band like Pierrot sounds better than an American punk band any day. But at the same time, U2 could totally kick their ass in a second. (Albiet U2 started out in the UK...)
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Tony K.
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Joined: 18 Nov 2003
Posts: 11447
Location: Frisco, TX
PostPosted: Thu Jan 13, 2005 11:50 pm Reply with quote
Lazuright, I know how you feel. After getting into anime, I now find myself listening to a lot of anime and Japanese music (both instrumental and vocal) much more so than U.S. music.

But don't get me wrong, I still like American music too, but I just don't feel like keeping up with it. All I really listen to in the car now is usually a CD I made with anime or J-music on it or ESPN Radio.

As for describing how this sort of music actually captures my attention so much, though, I can't really explain. I guess it just feels more diversified since it's a little to a lot more different than what I'm used to hearing.

In any case, I suppose it also just depends on your personal tastes, but I like to think I'm open to a lot of different styles (except for U.S. country music, there's just something about the singing I never really liked..).
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BoygetsfireD



Joined: 03 Dec 2004
Posts: 475
Location: earth
PostPosted: Fri Jan 14, 2005 5:47 pm Reply with quote
Lazuright wrote:
i listened to music on the radio any channel. And i found it boring and the same in some way.
you have to get into the underground stuff. check out some older ska (the toasters, the selecter, the skunks, etc) for some interesting stuff.
and jazz will never get old

but I agree, almost all of what they play on the radio is outright bad
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Hotaru



Joined: 02 Aug 2002
Posts: 481
Location: NY
PostPosted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 7:04 pm Reply with quote
pierrot!


well, anime music is japanese music, no? i listen to TOO much japanese music. too much. :p
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ping



Joined: 21 Aug 2004
Posts: 24
Location: Ireland
PostPosted: Sun Jan 16, 2005 11:30 am Reply with quote
Haru to Ashura wrote:
But at the same time, U2 could totally kick their ass in a second. (Albiet U2 started out in the UK...)

IRELAND!!! They started in ireland, republic of ireland, not the north so they're not british they be irish!!!

Lol sorry, that sorta thing just kind of anbnoys me... Embarassed
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Taruto



Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 37
Location: England
PostPosted: Sun Jan 16, 2005 11:51 am Reply with quote
I like English music and Japanese or Anime music equally I guess Anime smile I can listen to either and be fine with it.

Personally I like the music from Initial D best out of the Japanese music I've got, since a lot of the songs are either a mix of Japanese and English, or are either language. Can't go wrong! Very Happy
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Haru to Ashura



Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 617
Location: Termina
PostPosted: Sun Jan 16, 2005 1:56 pm Reply with quote
ping wrote:
Haru to Ashura wrote:
But at the same time, U2 could totally kick their ass in a second. (Albiet U2 started out in the UK...)

IRELAND!!! They started in ireland, republic of ireland, not the north so they're not british they be irish!!!

Lol sorry, that sorta thing just kind of anbnoys me... :oops:


My bad. But people born in N. Ireland are still Irish, you know.
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IvoryBirch



Joined: 04 Jan 2005
Posts: 137
Location: a distant northern land
PostPosted: Sun Jan 16, 2005 10:38 pm Reply with quote
Now, I've only heard a very sparse amount of Japanese music, so I'm not exactly a well-versed person on this topic, but I just haven't been able to get into music sung in Japanese (anime or otherwise). I have nothing against the musical merits of Japanese artists, but the language barrier prevents me from fully enjoying the lyrics. This applies to all foreign language songs - no matter how wonderful the instrumental elements are, the lyrics just don't have the same effect on me as English lyrics do. Granted, this doesn't apply to purely instrumental pieces.

As for American music, I have no problem with the radio, but then, I'm lucky enough to receive WXPN (http://www.xpn.org/). It's a member-supported FM station located in Philadelphia, and it plays a variety of music, giving air time to artists (both mainstream and relatively unknown) of diverse genres. I first started listening to XPN because it played songs by some of my personal favorite artists and bands (Tori Amos, Radiohead, Aimee Mann, Ani DiFranco, et cetera), and I continue to listen to discover other artists, such as Dar Williams and Kathleen Edwards. I realize that I sound like an advertisement, and for that I apologize, but XPN is such a lovely radio station that I can't help myself. Smile
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JustinSane



Joined: 28 Feb 2004
Posts: 269
Location: The Punk Underground, NJ
PostPosted: Sun Jan 16, 2005 11:05 pm Reply with quote
Haru to Ashura wrote:
Music depends on the people who make it, not where they're from. It just differs from band to band, really. A j-rock band like Pierrot sounds better than an American punk band any day. But at the same time, U2 could totally kick their ass in a second. (Albiet U2 started out in the UK...)


I definately disagree with your opinion on punk (unless you're talking about present day punk rock which is now more like pop punk and emo garbage.) 70s and 80s UK and American punk is by far my favorite... I mean I'll take The Clash, The Sex Pistols, and Dead Kennedys over anime music anyday. Although I do rather like Asian Kung-Fu Generation, Melt-Banana, and The Pillows. I'm sure most of you disagree with me on music but I have to say that anime music varies for me, some of it is good and some just makes my ears bleed.
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Haru to Ashura



Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 617
Location: Termina
PostPosted: Mon Jan 17, 2005 2:20 am Reply with quote
Yes, I'm reffering to the present day punk. If you like AKFG and The pillows, then you'd like Bump of Chicken. (J-rock band.)
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Iron Chef



Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Posts: 487
Location: Seattle, WA
PostPosted: Wed Jan 19, 2005 5:24 am Reply with quote
ping wrote:
Haru to Ashura wrote:
But at the same time, U2 could totally kick their ass in a second. (Albiet U2 started out in the UK...)

IRELAND!!! They started in ireland, republic of ireland, not the north so they're not british they be irish!!!


Go get 'em Ping! County Mayo representin'!

To the point, though, we are talking about separate styles of music. There's no way you can confuse Kajiura Yuki (anime) with Tajima Tadashi (trad. Japanese).

That being said, I don't think I'd have nearly as much instrumental music in my collection if it weren't for the anime OSTs I have, which led to koto, shakuhachi and samisen music. There is a different feel about it than most traditional Western scores that does resonate with me better.

Also, there's no way in freakin' heck that I'd ever listen to Westernized pop music, but for some reason I still listen to Okui Masami, Hayashibara Megumi, et al. I don't know if it's the "Japaneseness" of it or that they arrange their pop music differently than what happens on this side of the pond or what.

What's good is good. 'Nuff said.
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BoygetsfireD



Joined: 03 Dec 2004
Posts: 475
Location: earth
PostPosted: Wed Jan 19, 2005 5:29 pm Reply with quote
JustinSane wrote:
70s and 80s UK and American punk is by far my favorite... I mean I'll take The Clash, The Sex Pistols, and Dead Kennedys
yes! thats real punk. on another forum, every once in a while some pop-punker will come on and be like "Good Charolette is sooooo punk!" and I have to go on a big long rant about it

sorry, that was a bit off topic Anime smallmouth + sweatdrop
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Razorlight6



Joined: 16 Aug 2004
Posts: 37
PostPosted: Thu Feb 03, 2005 9:29 am Reply with quote
Iron Chef wrote:
Also, there's no way in freakin' heck that I'd ever listen to Westernized pop music, but for some reason I still listen to Okui Masami, Hayashibara Megumi, et al. I don't know if it's the "Japaneseness" of it or that they arrange their pop music differently than what happens on this side of the pond or what.

What's good is good. 'Nuff said.


As someone who's been listening to an insane amount of Japanese music, and does not understand the words, I think that one of the major factors is that we hear the foreign voice as another instrument and can focus in on the melodies and inflections moreso than when simply listening to a voice singing lyrics. The voice becomes as enchanting and mysterious as the instruments that accompany it. I think this is also true when listening to anime in Japanese or other types of foreign dubs.

Of course, this is just icing on the cake because a lot of mainstream J-music, certainly the anime-inspired kind, are just written a whole lot better than US mainstream. The arrangements are richer, the melodies instantly catchy yet many time surprising. Any time I try to listen to U.S. radio I immediately notice how "empty" the songs feel, and how predictible their melodies are. It's as if the songwriters/singers took the shortest, easiest route to producing a song that will be at least good enough to sell some records on the short term. Oh wait, that's a marketing and business strategy. And lack of creativity and/or integrity.

But I've got to say that the better J-pop I've heard is from anime or is a style that is either common in anime or would fit a show well. The J-Pop that sounds just plain bad, usually the more contemporary R&Bi-sh/hip-hop-ish type of stuff, are the songs that sound more like contemporary, mainstream American songs. In other words, many Japanese pop-divas are living up to the American standard of all flash for more cash.
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hkrok76



Joined: 09 Jun 2003
Posts: 118
PostPosted: Thu Feb 03, 2005 2:03 pm Reply with quote
most things in general range from "ok" to crap. So yeah...most japanese music in all it's glory (jpop, jrock, anime, jrap) is ok to crap. American music is that way too. So's everything else. anyway....

music is heavily dependent on the area it comes from. There are glaring differences between japanese pop music and american pop music, as there is with french pop music and anything else. The world's just gotten a lot closer together due to technology of recent years. So sounds are getting more and more similar, the influences are becoming larger and larger. There are local influences that other parts of the world doesn't get. So they also influence regional styles and music. Not only that, Japan has a different pop sense then the US. Or atleast the last time I checked. Japanese hip hop, r&b is rather different from the american equivalents, and it's not just from the language differences. Although that does help. I completely agree with the statement about foreign music being appealing because you concentrate on the melody rather than the lyrics. Seriously, I'm sure most of the lyrics are pretty ridiculous in any language, but if i don't understand it, I don't have to feel ridiculous listening to it. I've read translations of japanese songs...some of them are pretty great. The others are mainly meh.

The current pop music of the states tends to be rap/hiphop/r&b or pop punk. I miss new wave and hair metal. I miss blues driven music. I miss....bubblegum pop.

In my opinion, there is a difference between actual Anime music and Japanese pop/rock music. Many animes use jpop and jrock as themes, but the ones that are pretty much noted as Anime music is pretty recognizable. I mean...usually they involve on of the seiyuus, and the songs are usually more...inherantly anime...Itooshi hito no tameni, Sakura Saku, and more recently the first Kaleidostar theme. Those just shout at me...ANIME MUSIC. I love it though ^^
Also, they are all different from traditional japanese music. It's like comparing the didjeridus to TISM.

I also wish more underground Japanese rock and other music would be more readily available over here. Anyone know a site that has some good bands listed? I found one a while ago, but i lost it. There was a little article about a two man band. A drummer and a guitarist/vocalist/foot pianist. That's right, foot pianist ^^

As of now, I am an anime fan, thus I prefer Anime music, but I can't say that it's "better"
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