Pix’s Anime Jukebox!

Hello dear readers and welcome to a new series here on Shoot the Rookie. I hope you’ve got your headphones ready as today I am combining two of my greatest passions – anime and music – and taking a look at a selection of my favourite songs used in anime, so why not join me on this musical journey of discovery!

I’ve wanted to write about the music in anime for ages but have struggled coming up with a good format for it. There are just so many awesome songs that I wanted to be able to feature them all, so what this means is that instead of trying to cram them all into one post, I’ve decided to make this an ongoing series of posts where I pick five tracks each time and chat about them.

Depending on your experience of anime you may or may not know just how varied the music can be. I myself was guilty of thinking most anime music would sound like the Dia Witch song from Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE (sorry Kiria), but thankfully that couldn’t be further from the truth. Even if you don’t like anime itself, the world of anime music is a cool one to explore as you may just find your next favourite band.

Today I have picked five tracks for you which show just how diverse anime music can be, including some metal, some jazz, some soaring vocals and loads of other cool stuff. So let’s jump right in, and don’t forget to give these tracks a listen – I’ve included links to them on YouTube so you can do just that!

Chase the Light by Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Featured in Kaiji

This is an absolute banger and one of my very favourite songs to feature in anime. I said there’d be metal right? Well this is it! I think Electro-core is probably the best term you could use to describe this as it combines Metal-core with lots of electro dance elements. It is proper jump around your living room stuff, and if you you only listen to one thing off this list I’d recommend the first 30 seconds or so of this, it is just so exciting and will really get you pumped! If you enjoy this track I would also recommend the band’s song Shake Your Body which is equally fun and ridiculous!

Innocence by Eir Aoi

Featured in Sword Art Online

If metal isn’t your thing then how about some awesome vocals alongside a super catchy tune? This will definitely appeal to you if that’s more your thing. Eir Aoi has a great voice for sure, but another thing I really love in this track are the string sections. It is really driving and soaring and can definitely lift the spirits on a grey day and make you dream of being in the world of Sword Art Online (although I’m unsure whether or not that is a good thing).

Tank! by Seatbelts

Featured in Cowboy Bebop

This is a stone cold classic when it comes to music from anime, as is pretty much everything on the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack. It’s a real jazz funk number and really sets the tone for the series. It is largely instrumental but is punctuated by the very coolest spoken word bits, with the phrase “Three. Two. One. Let’s jam!” being recognised and loved by anime fans all over the planet! I should note that the version I’ve linked to doesn’t actually contain the spoken bit but I wanted to include it as it was recorded during lockdown via Zoom (or something) and I thought that was really cool!

Seijaku no Apostle by JAM Project

Featured in One Punch Man

JAM Project are an interesting one as they were, according to Wikipedia, set up specifically to make music for anime, and if their contributions to One Punch Man are anything to go by they certainly know what they’re doing! This song just gets the tone absolutely spot on for one of the silliest and most self-aware shows I’ve ever seen. It is another quite heavy one, but very listenable and catchy despite being ridiculously over the top and has a bit of a groove to it too!

Mind Game by Maica_n

Featured in Digimon Adventure: 2020

I’m not sure why, but the new adaptation of Digimon seems to feature great songs in the closing credits (as opposed to the opening song which is the same as all other shonen opening songs). This is a fun, indie-esque number with a hint of jazz for good measure. I particularly love watching the closing credits which use this song as they feature lots of Mimi and Palmon dancing. It isn’t necessarily the sort of music I usually like but it is a really feel good tune and sometimes that is what you need!

---

So there are my first five anime jukebox picks for you. I hope you enjoyed these tracks and have maybe found something you will listen to again. But what about you? Do you have any favourite songs from anime? Let me know below in comments and join me again soon to hear the next five tracks I pick.

Thanks for reading,

Pix1001 x