How To Get A Music Fan Into Music Anime

Recently, I was in the mood for something musical and decided to rewatch the anime series Given, or as I personally call it “the gay rock band anime.” You see, not only am I a queer anime fan, but I’m also a huge music fan. I love rock, jazz, and occasionally listen to hip-hop, R&B, and classical music when I am in the mood.

Over the years, there have been more and more music related anime that have allowed me to appreciate a certain music genre more. Nowadays, there’s a wide range of anime focused on any and all topics, including coming of age in a rock band, hip-hop and breakdancing samurai, and a romance between a pianist and a violinist. For music fans who are new to anime, certain series and films can be the gateway to getting into anime as a wider medium. No matter what type of music you like, there is an anime series for you; I’ll explain further as I break down music anime by genre.

Hip-Hop

Samurai Champloo

Released in 2004 and directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, Samurai Champloo is about three characters: the vagrant outlaw Mugen, a ronin named Jin, and tea waitress Fuu. When Fuu saves Mugen and Jin from execution, they reluctantly agree to help her find a “samurai who smells like sunflowers.”

Despite being set in the Edo period of Japan, this series is also heavily influenced by modern day culture and sounds, particularly hip-hop and lo-fi. Mugen’s eccentric fighting style is inspired by breakdancing and the series’ soundtrack was composed by Shinji “Tsutchie” Tsuchida of Shakkazombie, Fat Jon, Nujabes, and Force of Nature. In my opinion, the anime opening “Battlecry” is one of the best anime openings ever.

Hypnosis Mic

A multimedia project created by King Records, the Hypnosis Mic (often abbreviated to HypMic) anime series was produced by A-1 Productions and aired with two seasons from 2020 to 2023. It takes place in a world where after war, Japanese women have taken over ruling politics in the Chuo ward of Tokyo and have banned, and destroyed, all weapons. Left without weapons, men have turned to fighting via rap battles using a device called a Hypnosis Mic, which can be used to affect people’s sympathetic nerves and influence their thought process.

During this time, the legendary rap group The Dirty Dawg has split up into four subgroups with each representing a division of Tokyo. One group, the Buster Bros!!, is comprised of siblings, while another group, Mad Trigger Crew, is made up of police and military personnel. Rounding out the four groups are Fling Posse, which is focused on the art and entertainment industry, and finally, Matenrō, which represents the office and medical industry. Together, these groups engage in territorial battles using words and the titular Hypnosis Mics, which means that anything from turf disputes to bank robberies are solved using rap battles, which is ridiculous yet fun.

Each group has their own song style and animation style, the latter of which will fill your eyeballs with sound and color. While not the most progressive or introspective series, Hypnosis Mic will give you a good time if you want to watch pretty boys spit rhymes at each other.

Paradox Live: The Animation

Paradox Live: The Animation comes from Avex Pictures and Gcrest. This anime series focuses on a new form of rap battles known as “Phantom Lives,” which uses the Japanese term for a live concert. These battles involve rappers who have special accessories called “phantom metal” that react to their DNA and cause them to produce illusions during their performances. When four rap groups are called to participate in a competition at the legendary Club Paradox, they will fight to prove that their music is the best and win the prize money for their own personal agendas.

Despite only having one season so far, Paradox Live’s premise and characters are intriguing. For one thing, each rap group has a radically different sound. BAE’s songs are upbeat and blend Japanese, Korean, and English lyrics, while The Cat’s Whiskers uses a mix of hip-hop and jazz. The twins known as Cozmez are inspired by trap music and the yakuza-associated Akanyatsura are influenced by dance-floor and international music.

But they’re not just members of a group: each group can be considered a “found family” with their own reasons for wanting to win the prize money. One wants to live a better life, another wants to save their bar. The reasons range across a lot of human experiences. Plus, there’s a psychological element in this show, as phantometal makes them relive traumas such as child abuse, suicide loss, and death.

Rock

Given

Adapted from Natsuki Kitsu’s manga of the same name, Given tells the story of basketball player and guitarist Ritsuka Uenoyama, whose passion for music has waned. One day, he meets Mafuyu Sato and hears him sing for the first time. As they get to know each other, Ritsuka finds his passion returning in more ways than one.

This anime is poignant and memorable for a few reasons. One is how it sensitively handles difficult subjects such as grief and loss from suicide. Another is how it authentically features the confusion, self acceptance, and validation among queer men at different stages of their life.

As for the music side of things, it is also a realistic look at what a budding rock band and guitarist experiences. Each band member has a part-time job to cover the costs of band equipment and renting the studio where they practice. Mafuyu learns to play and take care of his guitar by tuning it properly and changing broken strings. Finally, the emotional rock music is often used to enhance Mafuyu’s character development.

Bocchi The Rock

Inspired by Aki Hamazi’s manga of the same name, this 2022 anime is about an introverted, socially anxious guitarist named Hitori Gotō. Online, she is known as “guitarhero” but offline, Hitori has struggled to make friends since middle school.

During her first year of high school, she meets drummer Nijika Ijichi, the leader of the band Kessoku. Nijika askes Hitori to join the band, and they nickname her “Bocchi” after seeing her skills and personality. From there, Hitori gradually overcomes her social anxiety while fulfilling her dream of playing live.

Including Hitori, this anime’s cast is colorful in so many ways. Nijika’s friendship with Bocchi is heartwarming, especially since Nijika never shames Bocchi for her social anxiety. Kita Ikuyo’s outgoing personality compliments her energetic vocals as the band’s lead singer and rhythm guitarist. Finally, Kessoku Band’s music is dynamic and fun if you are a J-Rock fan.

NANA

Adapted from Ai Yazawa’s eponymous manga, this 00’s classic originally aired in 2007 with 47 episodes. It tells the coming-of-age story of two 20 year old young women who share the same name: the lovesick Nana Komatsu and the aspiring rock singer Nana Osaki. When both of them move to Tokyo by chance, the two end up becoming roommates and help each other navigate the ups and downs of each other’s lives.

NANA is such a rarity in that it tells an authentic adult coming of age story without sugarcoating the ups and downs of friendship and romance. Both Nanas are flawed yet worth rooting for as one tries to live her ideal romance and the other tries to make it big with her band, Black Stones. When it comes to the music, it literally rocks and is done by two different fictional bands, Black Stones and Trapnest. In turn, the vocals for both bands are sung by J-Rock singer Anna Tsuchiya and J-Rock and J-Pop singer Olivia Lufkin to add authenticity.

Jazz

Cowboy Bebop

Directed by Shinichirō Watanabe and released in 1998, Cowboy Bebop is a Space Western about a crew of bounty hunters traveling on their spaceship called The Bebop. Consisting of the characters Jet Black, Spike Spiegel, Faye Valentine, Edward, and cute corgi Ein, each of them has their own personal agenda or mysterious past that is gradually revealed as the series progresses.

Action packed and filled with chase scenes, shootouts, and a dash of sexiness, this series’ intricate storyline and character arcs are enhanced by its jazz and blues soundtrack composed by Yoko Kanno and The Seatbelts. Additionally, its opening theme song “Tank!” oozes style due to the slick animated sequence of the main cast dancing along to it.

Kids On The Slope

Adapted from the eponymous manga series by Yuki Kodama, this 2012 anime series reunites notable director Shinichirō Watanabe and music composer Yoko Kanno. Set in the 1960s, Kids on the Slope follows intelligent introvert Kaoru Nishimi as he develops a love of playing jazz music on the piano after becoming friends with delinquent drummer Sentarō Kawabuchi and record store owner Ritsuko Mukae.

Alongside its coming-of-age themes and realistic depiction of friendship, Kids on the Slope’s depiction of jazz is used to represent Kaoru gradually coming out of his shell as he discovers his inner passion. Additionally, the show features references to many classic jazz music artists such as Art Blakely, Horace Silver, and Duke Ellington.

Sadly, Kids On The Slope isn’t available to stream anywhere, but its influence can be seen in other music related anime, most notably the movie adaptation of the famous jazz manga, Blue Giant, which I’ll be talking about next.

Blue Giant

An anime film adapted from Shinichi Ishizuka’s manga of the same name, Blue Giant tells the story of budding saxophone player Dai Miyamoto. After becoming interested in jazz music, receiving a saxophone as a gift, and being tutored by a music instructor, Dai moves to Tokyo post-high school. From there, he joins forces with two other like-minded jazz music players, Yukinori and Shunji. As they form a band and start performing, they learn to shine in more ways than one.

Through the use of 3D animation, eye-catching cinematography, and a fabulous score by jazz composer and pianist Hiromi, Blue Giant is an earnest and realistic look at the hard work and dedication needed by musicians of any genre to find their place in the industry.

Classical Music

Nodame Cantabile

Adapted from Tomoko Nimomiya’s manga, Nodame Cantabile follows two very different music university students. One student is Shinichi Chiaki, a perfectionist who is talented at piano and violin. The other is Megumi “Nodame” Noda, a messy, eccentric piano student who literally plays everything by ear. When the two of them meet, Nodame instantly falls for Chiaki, but Chikai can’t stand her. As they keep crossing paths and gradually learn from each other, their relationship blossoms into something unexpected.

While Nodame Cantabile isn’t streaming anywhere, its mature take on romance and its nods to classical composers such as Beethoven, Chopin, and Mozart made it worth recommending.

The Forest of Piano

Adapted from the manga series by Makoto Isshiki, The Forest of Piano is the tale of two boys named Kai Ichinose and Sōsuke Ajino. Kai is the son of a prostitute and has the uncanny ability to instantly remember any piano piece and play it back perfectly. On the other hand, Shūhei Amamiya is a budding pianist and transfer student. When the two of them meet and bond over Kai’s piano in the forest, they set in motion events that will spark a friendship—and a rivalry.

Not only is the animation for this show gorgeous, but it does a great job of showing how much work it takes to play piano professionally even if you appear to be a prodigy. There is a lot of practice and literal competitions involved and the latter combined with the main characters’ arcs make for a compelling story.

La Corda d’Oro

Inspired by a video game series from Koei, La Corda d’Oro first aired from 2006 to 2009. It follows the exploits of student Kahoko Hino, who is granted a magical violin by a music fairy named Lilli. Soon after, Kahoko is also placed into a music competition. While she initially refuses, she gradually bonds with her male music competitors and learns to sincerely play, and enjoy, the violin.

While this series uses a lot of reverse harem anime tropes, it is somewhat noteworthy in that Kahoko learns to rely less on the magical advantage she’s been given. It also features a wide variety of classical music instruments and performance styles through its cast of characters. La Corda d’Oro isn’t streaming anywhere, but it is still a notable take on classical music and coming-of-age stories.

Special Mention: Carole and Tuesday

Directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, Carole and Tuesday is an anime series set in the future on the planet Mars. Its story follows two young women, Carole and Tuesday. Carole is a rich girl who has run away from home in order to live her dream of being a musician and performing with her acoustic guitar. By chance, she meets Tuesday, an orphaned Earth refugee who plays the piano. Together, the two of them become a music duo and begin their slow ascent to notoriety.

A major reason that this series deserves an honorable mention is that the soundtrack features a wide variety of music that ranges from indie pop to electronica to R&B and hip-hop. It also features a flawed, yet diverse, cast of characters and compelling commentary on music artist’s authenticity in the face of A.I. technology, family pressure, and a tense sociopolitical climate.

Article Editor: Cy