Forum - View topicMost epic composer(s) and soundtracks of anime music
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Murasakisuishou
 Posts: 1469 Location: NE Ohio |
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I've repeated this over and over again every time one of these threads comes up, but I think that the soundtrack for Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is truly epic. It's such an amazing mix of styles, emotions, and instruments that it's impossible for anyone to say they didn't like at least one song from all five volumes. GitS: SAC is probably my favorite Kanno soundtrack after Arjuna, which is not so much 'epic' as simply stunning.
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AstralSaudade
 Posts: 19 Location: Philippines |
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...I worship the ground Kajiura Yuki walks on.
 A definite epic anime composer, no doubt. When I first watched the Tsubasa anime, I was blown away by the musical score, which ranged from gentle, tinkling tunes to powerful pieces featuring the beautiful vocals of Itou Eri. As I continued to watch the anime, I would sometimes ask myself if I'm watching it for the story or just for the music. Eheh. Many of the tracks in the Future Soundscape series (Tsubasa OSTs) can send chills up your spine when you hear them. That's how awesome they are.
One of the most notable pieces is "A Song of Storm and Fire", with Itou Eri's vocals, and though it has had many variations throughout the Tsubasa soundtracks, I love every rendition of it. But the first anime composer I truly began to admire was Michiru Oshima. The range of the Fullmetal Alchemist soundtracks was just unbelievable. You could find anything there - from haunting marching tunes, to gentle, harmonic strains that almost clash with the overall mood of the anime, to pieces that make you just want to cry or remember specific characters or scenes in FMA. And Bratja. Wow. The story of FMA in just one song performed by the Russian choir. The kids' vocals are not only cute, but they also convey the message the song brings. EPIC. Currently, as I obsess over Gun X Sword, one of my most recent anime fandoms, I tip my (cowboy) hat to Nakagawa Koutarou for the unique blend of Western, futuristic, retro and heart-stopping music that is the Gun X Sword OST. Some tracks are light-hearted and reminiscent of the more comedic scenes, while the others remind you that there is a dark plot underneath all that. The drum-beats and chants of the anime's opening theme (which was nothing like any other opening theme I ever heard before) are merely a sampler of this epic composer's work. |
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d_mythos76
Posts: 2 |
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Hi, I write this message to mention two epic composers more:
- Hikaru Nanase. Her works in "Noein", "Scrapped Princess" and "Tactical Roar" original soundtracks are the most epic that I listened in anime music!. "Shangri-La" and "Kakute, Tatakau" (from Noein OST) for me are two of the best epic themes from this composer!. - Yamashita Kousuke. This is a very young and talented composer: his works in "Xenosaga the Animation" and "Glass Fleet" are really amazing!, music really epic and very well composed. "Shukumei", from the "Xenosaga the Animation OST" it's a very epic theme!. |
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zawa113
 Posts: 7358 |
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Well, the first one that comes to mind is Susumu Hirasawa, who composed the music for Millenium Actress, Paranoia Agent, and Paprika. I enjoy how he uses vocals as an instrument, and not as a convey of message through lyrics (which is usually hit or miss with me, but using vocals as an instrument is usually a hit, like Monster's opening). I especially loved "Run" from Millenium Actress and the opening song for Paprika.
I can think of other animes whose soundtracks I liked, but it seems only Susumu Hirasawa is coming up as a composer for me whose works I've liked in multiple anime that he participated in (and I don't particularly care for Yoko Kanno that much, sorry, I just find her average). |
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kaizen-dono
 Posts: 383 Location: NE England |
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Im also a big fan of Hirasawa (especially Paprika) aside from the soundtracks Zawa mentioned he also composed the music for the Berserk TV series (which is a big incentive for me to finally getting round to buying this show, I've been put off by the word unfinished for some time
 )he also did the ost for Detonator Orgun but Id consider that one of his lesser accomplishments. If your a fan of his work I'd recommend checking out his website (http://noroom.susumuhirasawa.com/?ml_lang=en)
it has some free mp3's to listen to from the paprika and paranoia agent ost's (including some stuff not available anywhere alse  ) as well as other projects he's worked on.
as for Kanno Im not a huge fan either but I do love the Macross Plus OST 
Last edited by kaizen-dono on Fri Oct 31, 2008 1:41 am; edited 1 time in total |
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mawzsr
Posts: 2 |
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Well to continue to pour on the score, I also agree that Susume Hirasawa achieves the top billing as an ultimate composer. Plus all his anime works aside how can you deny the greatness of P-model. Anyway for top songs that have names that weren't warped beyond comprehension by my romanized compuer...sign, forces, virtual rabbit, rotation, parade and baikai are my top series of songs. I says series becuase he makes three or four versions of song sometimes, as is the case with forces.
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zero_chance
Posts: 21 |
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I came into realizing that Taku Iwasaki was a master the moment I watched Read or Die. It was only after that that I found that he composed for Witch Hunter Robin as well, and later, Gurren Lagann. That just sealed the deal.
Although, for singular efforts, I have to give the commendation to Naoki Sato for the Eureka Seven soundtrack. It's purely, unadulterated awesome, with every theme being instantly memorable and invigorating. |
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kekelolbbq
 Posts: 6 |
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I have watched over 70 series, and the only music composer that ever caught my eye(ears?) was Yuki Kajiura. Her signature melancholic orchestra-choir hymns infused with a bit of pop and rock is really unique. She has proven as well, with songs like Sayonara Solitaire, her works as duo See-saw, that she isn't all emo-opera. A truly versatile composer.
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RedHotFunk
 Posts: 67 Location: Ontario |
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Yoko is an epic composer; I don't think there's been a single soundtrack (or track for that matter) that I've hated. Sure, some songs are not amazing, but everything is fitting to whatever show it's been played upon. Her wide range of genres and experimenting are also a plus; gotta love me some Bebop/GitS
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IchigoK90
 Posts: 1634 Location: Scarborough, Ontario |
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Surprised Yoko Kanno hasn't been mentioned as often as I would've thought but her work on Yoshiyuki Tomino's last Gundam Series Turn A Gundam is by far my favourite soundtrack by her. Not only did her music fit well with the devolved society that reverts back to the 1900s but the last song of the tv series Moon was simply astounding. I simply cannot describe it with the appropriate words but as soon as it was played I felt emotions in me stir. By far it is one of my favourite songs of all time.
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TheGotank
Posts: 13 |
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For me, it's Tenmon and Mitsumune Shinkichi hands down. Despite being a trumpet player, there's nothing more I like in a piece than a beautiful/sad violin solo, and no one delivers violin solos like those two. In particular, I really liked the OST of ef - a tale of memories (the OP/EDs were also amazing) and Rozen Maiden.
Other than those two... I find Sahashi Toshihiko pretty good too, especially in some of the more obscure series he wrote for. A really nice symphony in one of them. |
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frentymon
Forums Superstar
 Posts: 2362 Location: San Francisco |
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Mitsumune Shinkichi is amazing. I want to go to a beach somewhere with the Asatte no Houkou soundtrack in hand and just lay there for 2 hours. |
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penguintruth
 Posts: 8502 Location: Penguinopolis |
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There really is no contest. Yoko Kanno is the greatest composer of music for anime. With Cowboy Bebop, Vision of Escaflowne, Macross Plus, Macross Frontier, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Wolf's Rain, Turn A Gundam, and others, she has proven time and time again there's no better. She is truly a prolific and admirable talent, using all sorts of styles to perfection.
A distant second goes to Yuki Kajiura, who, while most of her work sounds exactly the same, and she only seems to score for mediocre or poor anime, has a great sound, nonetheless. Many times her soundtrack is far better than the anime itself: look at how terrible .hack//SIGN is as a show, for instance, but Kajiura's soundtrack is beautiful. Same goes for Noir and Madlax. In fact, I can't think of a single good anime she's composed for. At least her music is well-composed, though. Kenji Kawai is also great at what he does, though he's inconsistant as far as vision. While some of his work stand outs, other compositions sort of remain in the background. He composed for every Patlabor production in existence, with favorable results. His Blue Seed soundtrack was hit-or-miss, though. The Ghost in the Shell soundtrack was great, if a bit too full of itself. Gundam 00's soundtrack is a bit of a mixed bag, too (too much repetition of the same theme), but decent overall. I believe he's done the soundtrack for Sky Crawlers, as well. What would a Mamoru Oshii film be without Kenji Kawai? Likewise, what a Miyazaki film be without Joe Hisaishi? After a while, most of his music tends to blend together, like Kajiura's, but now and then he pulls out a really memorable piece. I really enjoyed the main suite for Spirited Away. He also composed music for another favorite anime movie of mine, an old 80s movie called Venus Wars, that otherwise hasn't really stood the test of time. His pieces helped it along, though. Hiroshi Miyagawa deserves a mention, if for his fantastic work in the Space Battleship Yamato franchise. I've read a lot on how he prepared and composed for the soundtracks for the shows and movies. If the soundtracks for the second and final movies don't stir something in you, I'd reccomend the morgue. His dedication to the experience of Yamato is commendable. There are others, too: Taku Iwasaki (Now and Then, Here and There, Gurren Lagann), Yuji Ohno (Lupin III), Shigeaki Saegusa (Zeta Gundam, Gundam ZZ, Char's Counterattack), and Kouhei Tanaka (G Gundam, Gundam 08th MS Team) come to mind, though I haven't much to say about them individually. |
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RogueJedi86
 Posts: 501 |
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I'm going to echo Zero_Chance's choices. After hearing Taku Iwasaki's vast range, from the depressing ambiance of "Now and Then, Here and There" to the bombastically cheerful rock/rap of Gurren Lagann, I've decided he is one of my favorite anime composers. He has a range that defies description. It's hard to tell it's even him if you listen between his ranges. Ditto on Naoki Sato. His music on Eureka seveN covers the gamut from honky tonk rock to techno and all the ranges of more typical orchestrated music in-between, all evoking a unique and particular mood. I've recently heard some of his stuff from X TV, and I really love his sound there too. His music sinks into your mind without overwhelming it(something Yoko Kanno's great music can sometimes do). I've heard some hate for E7, but never towards the music. I'd love to get inside Sato's head to find out how he did it. |
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eyeresist
 Posts: 995 Location: a 320x240 resolution igloo (Sydney) |
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*bump*
Hattori Katsuhisa wrote the epic opening theme for Crest/Banner of the Stars. I'm amazed that some people hate this theme (one person complained it was "Star Trek music"). As a lover of classical music I was blown away by the theme, especially in combination with the huge space vistas of the opening sequence. I think it was the best part of the series, and if you really want "epic", you won't find more epic than this. Apparently he wrote the music for Argentosoma, so I'll have to check that out again. Masamichi Amano's score for Giant Robo (90s version) was, again, my favourite part of the show. It took me a while to notice, as it was buried under lots of OTT sound-effects and shouting, but it's top quality orchestral music. As has been pointed out, the underrated Warsaw Philharmonic play a big part in the music's success - less noted is the way it was recorded: most classical music is recorded with a lot of microphones near the different sections of the orchestra, but to save time the Giant Robo music was recorded with just a couple of microphones, so you get a really natural sound of the grand old concert hall where they recorded. This really adds to the overall quality. [/classical nerd] (He also did the music for Stratos 4, which I don't remember a thing about, but then he probably didn't have the Warsaw to work with that time.) Last edited by eyeresist on Thu Feb 19, 2009 7:32 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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