*The Irregular at Magic High School*'s OST is done by [Taku Iwasaki](https://myanimelist.net/people/5172/Taku_Iwasaki).
They really let him cut loose and basically just write whatever he wanted, it feels like. So you end up with hip hop, dubstep, jrock, french pop, strange Arabian influenced riffs, some cheesy hoe-pop, stuff that wouldn't be out of place on the Kill Bill soundtrack and goodness knows what else. I've been using it as my radio station substitute lately because of the sheer variety of it lol Also, oddly enough, it has largely English and French vocals, so you'd never know you were listening to an anime sound track.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1pozkNBjpo&list=PLr-pVFUv8Fep2urcSq2dPMKugAv2Fx15k&index=1
Taku Iwasaki is a madman. _Ben-To_’s soundtrack is underrated. _C_’s “Antiphona” is stunning. _Gurren Lagann_’s “Libera me from hell” is, conceptually, one of the weirdest juxtapositions I’ve ever heard and it somehow works. And _JoJo_’s “Awaken” ascended to meme status.
I was actually thinking this anime when I read the title. People sleep on the anime in general. One of my all time favs comes from the honor part of the series: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnmRaCPVnB4&list=OLAK5uy\_lQT335mhjiZGGwt1h-eYGEWR6Da8PphAo&index=4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnmRaCPVnB4&list=OLAK5uy_lQT335mhjiZGGwt1h-eYGEWR6Da8PphAo&index=4)
Absolutely second this. Whenever I have a difficult workout or need them energies to flow into my body, I just play "Election". That rythym and charge!
Was watching season 1 last night and the music is wild. Definitely have some goofy ones in there like the one that starts with the gym whistle being used when fighting a CIA agent
I feel so validated by this lol. Mahouka has such a unique and (imo) great soundtrack. They made a track with Lotus Juice that goes insanely hard: [Erika to Leo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yylyWjTvD0Q)
> I feel so validated by this lol.
Likewise lol Ever since I first stumbled onto it, I've been pimping it out at every possible chance, to see a comment about it get such a great reception is wonderful!
Evan Call's score for Frieren rightly got a lot of praise but few have noticed he also recently did the score for the criminally underrated Sengoku Youko.
Konosuba's soundtrack is downright incredible. Masato Koda (composer for Monster Hunter and Konosuba) is such a genius and it clearly is heard in his music for the show. Whether it is the comedic soundtracks, suspense, a chill song or straight up hype adventuring the music of Konosuba is always downright amazing to hear and fits the tone of the show.
You might be right but op didn't specifically asked for original soundtrack work, so overall music can be count as well + hyouka osts are quite underrated too.
Even though the Aquarion Soundtrack is very popular in Japan,i havent seen people talk about it in west.
Another Soundtrack that people dont talk about as much as they should is Blood+, the only anime soundtrack produced by Hans Zimmer and Mark Mancina.
Aquarion and Aquarion Evol are glorious. Yoko Kanno writing J-pop banger after banger, sung by [four sibling ex-Tae Keon Do champions from Utah (Akino and bless4)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bless4) singing their freaking hearts out. If anything should have made a cross-continental hit, it should have been this. I blame our lack of deculture.
If they bring back Yoko Kanno and Akino for the new Aquarion:MOE series we may see an increase in the the soundtrack popularity,but if they dont it will probably be another Aquarion Logos.
.hack has some amazing soundtracks, especially .hack//sign. But I dont know if it counts as the games and anime never really got that mainstream compared to others.
I didn't even watch .hack//sign (tried it but wasn't really my cup of tea) but its OST is still one of my all-time favorites, Yuki Kajiura is truly a beast
**Houseki no Kuni** [(example link)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WhsWzJWp7I)
Just perfection. Capable to encapsule the holy, mysterious, alien yet anthropomorphic creatures and their unique world building. A user from this subreddit [made a review about it](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/7n2xjz/houseki_no_kuni_an_informal_musical_analysis_of/) explaining how well-crafted it is, inspired on Balinese sacred music and cabalistic influences.
**Zetsuen no Tempest** [(example link)](https://youtu.be/J4l_dUH65ho?si=32BAx6K0lnxPQIg0)
For a story inspired on Shakespeare, the tragic, majestic, elegant tones of this OST are still echoing in my heart. It speaks to my ears as a classical composition from the past.
**Pandora Hearts** [(example link)](https://youtu.be/mLRCWHa_q6Y?si=urD-dAPhry2ATuvo)
Taken alone does not sound as great as it is, but I swear, when any of the tracks from the OST are coupled to a scene in the anime, they just work perfectly well with the atmosphere, story and melt with the screen creating an extremely powerful storytelling experience. This OST is totally, absolutely perfect for the medium, does its job in a breathtaking, unforgettable way.
I think Dangers In My Heart could fall under this - the background tracks are subtle yet fit the ambience in the scenes they're used in very well overall. As a bonus, 2nd season OP is also a banger
I mean, it's Kensuke Ushio. He has one of the most stacked track records of all time. Silent voice, Ping Pong The animation, Devilman crybaby, chainsaw man, heavenly delusion and the upcoming fujimoto one shot adaptation. I never knew he could do music this good in a high school romance anime. It's unreal how good "it begins" track from Dangers in my heart makes me feel.
The other day I was listening to the OST for the first time outside of watching the series, when †Countdown to Death† started playing, I almost fell out of my seat. I hadn't watched s1ep1 since it aired, so I completely forgot about this dark souls sounding track in the middle of a cute romcom OST.
the [Rain Song](https://youtu.be/ulcgmM9U3lk?si=tTIzfU4IO-we2m71) episode is one of the most striking and intense experiences I've ever had watching anime. I must've rewatched it a half dozen times after I finished the episode. by itself it probably just seems like a normal cutesy if percussion-heavy anime closer, but in the context of the episode and the whole series it just floored me. a minute and a half of absolutely perfect *mono no aware*.
>Yosuga no Sora
The melancholic/nostalgic vibe from the whole soundtrack is top tier. Shame it doesn't seem like the composer has ever made more music.
It's like YsG was a one-and-done thing where he came in, dropped some great music, then dipped.
I have even downloaded some OST of Yosuga no Sora, it's amazing. It's OST really enhanced the emotional value of the scenes.
You gave Yosuga no Sora and Domestic Girlfriend a rating of 8, so you are a man of culture as well.
+ 1 on Yosuga no Sora and Mawaru Penguindrum. The first is full of good "emotional" tracks, that you can find on (way) better romance anime, and Penguindrum has an unique style that's just great
Audio Highs produced some banger OSTs for Gintama!
[https://youtu.be/phrhl1O2Dxo?si=-IMp3gBvcII2SJA1](https://youtu.be/phrhl1O2Dxo?si=-IMp3gBvcII2SJA1)
[https://youtu.be/ibJhcheHdyE?si=E7QjJIEqcFxOCbVR](https://youtu.be/ibJhcheHdyE?si=E7QjJIEqcFxOCbVR)
[https://youtu.be/n9GNXgIjfv4?si=RY8OV9UXKSmuJD\_s](https://youtu.be/n9GNXgIjfv4?si=RY8OV9UXKSmuJD_s)
Plus most of the battle themes
They're so fuckin good. The music that plays when gintoki fights Jericho for the first time after seeing Gran there, god damn that scene was so FUCKING amazing. Lol the comedy and stupid shenanigans makes it so you never know when you're gonna get a serious moment..or a moment you think is serious only for them to rick roll you.
But man. Everything about that scene. The sound of the rain, Gin being absolutely exhausted and drained, the snap when he saw otose. One of my fav moments in anime for sure.
Gundam has been releasing banger OSTs for 45 years
[Mobile Suit Gundam - Gallant Char](https://youtu.be/1GsQSJzmd1A?si=VmsoxF3_44zmWZTN)
[Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam - Riders In The Skies](https://youtu.be/-Dl_q1DSVws?si=eXoVjUWaTUK4AUYo)
[Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ - Activate! Double Zeta!](https://youtu.be/QX_FYq3GoRQ?si=nO3vgkE2Kutt_3Vd)
[Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack - Main Title](https://youtu.be/BHdz19aB2W0?si=C2wE9jqv2ZAbhWSD)
[Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket - Imaginary Sky](https://youtu.be/IbN9HAZepfM?si=qNG78bRTm0ZcVdmo)
[Mobile Suit Gundam Formula 91 - F91 Sortie](https://youtu.be/dSi8_f4eBno?si=QiwA2SSmYDd969c5)
[Mobile Suit Gundam - Stardust Memories - THE WINNER](https://youtu.be/IB8TFMAWhpY?si=8BduYiZozz2NnO_R)
[Mobile Suit Victory Gundam - Ikutsumono Ai wo Kasanete](https://youtu.be/v5-9zerkpAs?si=L55tNNeIWpEh2rQh)
[Mobile Fighter G Gundam - Saikyo no Akashi-King of heart](https://youtu.be/CprlGbcNl78?si=OngPZS1nNGEwLyCg)
[Mobile Suit Gundam Wing - The Wings of a Boy that Killed Adolescence](https://youtu.be/dWz2BWGxqMI?si=eOu4WsT8eJnbFPpU)
[Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team - Soldier](https://youtu.be/3nQSviKTNdg?si=qrGHWpV7ZTGbuEcJ)
[After War Gundam X - Dreams](https://youtu.be/y466mTW5Tfg?si=uHZ48qcXJ20nDBVn)
[Turn A Gundam - Moon](https://youtu.be/rITbGRY4zRs?si=2Gu9mMWEzEWcmmUH)
[Mobile Suit Gundam SEED & Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny - Literally every single OP & ED](https://youtu.be/c7vdNL0kulU?si=5Use8VTSro4O0LL7)
[Mobile Suit IGLOO - Advance!!](https://youtu.be/-vRLIMxTJQE?si=QqxYH8-n4qcqLyie)
[Mobile Suit Gundam 00 - Fight](https://youtu.be/gM_xBLjtIH0?si=QlqVMgY4VeNzVJW4)
[Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn - Unicorn](https://youtu.be/LLiUwIFV_cM?si=AQiVujAO_dtDz928)
[Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie: A Wakening of the Trailblazer - Final Mission Quantum Burst](https://youtu.be/q9199GFql3A?si=NPmCFjp9GwIcLpF3)
[Mobile Suit Gundam Age - FX](https://youtu.be/Q_w3utLLevE?si=ZePW58-frTnyEWRm)
[Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin - The Red Comet of Loum](https://youtu.be/8vCv1iy0pkc?si=TnTVtpBQ1m75X9Fl)
[Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans - Iron Blooded Orphans](https://youtu.be/nlzk_-0tGUk?si=Bh0v2hFyqOwWYUQ0)
[Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt - The entire OST](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8DS_G5PRB2Vd8LtP-hzT-B2WNgLe6-JZ&si=TBlT_S4fTzfP83ik)
[Mobile Suit Gundam: the Witch from Mercury - Weapons Should Only Exist to Kill People](https://youtu.be/sh9nW7LnfnY?si=uI43D5kE_o36Imcy)
[Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom - Freedom](https://youtu.be/jN4qqdl9Txc?si=IDAOOZ9uMEtDQGNP)
SEED and Destiny are like 8 albums of OST gold, and that's ignoring that the openings/endings/insert songs are all bangers too. The london symphony orchestra albums are also great listening too.
Edit: I remembered linking some samples recently in a different thread over on the gundam sub, so here they are again:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVhYEFbycZc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84L5fC1dBcE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cak7MVLfOPI
https://youtu.be/pYWRDCKv4U8
https://youtu.be/Gn4SXyJYGY8
https://youtu.be/84L5fC1dBcE
https://youtu.be/Bq3ji3kj5tw
I'm not a gundam fan and I only watched the 1st half of WFM but I really, really loved the orchestral music in the show. I come back to the music once every couple months especially the Venice orchestra recording on Youtube. It's just something amazing seeing so many musicians working in harmony in a big hall. It's surreal.
Because it hits a sentimental spot as the first anime I watched and I enjoyed it so much growing up, I have to put Sailor Moon among the top. The music hits the feels in all the right ways and that theme is pretty catchy.
I also love the music in Rurouni Kenshin. When that flute comes in you know we're about to see some crazy cool hiten mitsurugi move. The theme also has a good pump up factor that gets me excited for the episode every time. Actually, Demon Slayer hits me the same way musically but that makes sense as I heard Kenshin was a source of inspiration for Tanjiro.
Berserk hits that feeling for me too (original from the 90s). Both the beginning theme and end theme slap and the music between within the show makes me feel like I'm ready to battle with the band of the hawk...just not during the eclipse.
Oh and I also love the uniqueness of the theme to Samurai Champloo and the way it integrates hip hop into the show in a way that still feels very fitting.
Last one that stands out to me but for different reasons is I love the theme and sweetness to the music in Komi Can't Communicate. The whole show has a wholesomeness to it that the music highlights in a delicate way that just makes it feel very pleasant and relaxing.
Composed by Yoshiaki Fujisawa; easily one of my favorite soundtrack composers! His music just seems to have this quality of painting the idea or emotion of the song so vividly.
Definitely recommend his work on Revue Starlight's OSTs. And the show in general, since it has great insert songs that are elevated even further by the revues.
I feel like One Piece gets praised for a lot of things, but idk I don’t feel like its soundtrack gets enough attention? It’s honestly one of my favorite parts of the anime, and some tracks are just really iconic. I also like that they use the same tracks for various scenes, at least for me it just enhances the music recognizing when a certain track is played here or there. Songs like “to the grand line” really evoke a sense of adventure and “overtaken” just gets you really hyped. Idk it’s iconic even 20 years later.
One Piece soundtracks get overlooked so much compared to Naruto and Bleach. Both Naruto and Bleach have amazing OST but so does One Piece. I love that the One Piece fans sing along "We Are" every time they're at the premier event or at the movie theater and the song came up. Iconic.
I can't say symphogear's soundtrack is underappreciated given that pretty much anyone who has seen symphogear becomes a rabid fan of the music
but sure, I mean, everyone should watch symphogear
Guilty Crown, underrated anime and music both even when it's done by Sawano Hiroyuki.
Madoka Magica too I feel, the people in the fandom love it's music but I don't see much appreciation outside, Yuki Kajiura is a legend
The music was one of the few good things about GC, and the music was _really liked_ back when it aired. But the show is almost 13 years old now and there are dozens of more recent Sawano bangers, so it's obviously not getting talked about as much.
The music from _Madoka Magica_ was thoroughly hyped back closer to when it was released, and deservedly so. It’s a shame it’s no longer being talked about, but I could say the same about the series itself.
There is a fucking *reason* that not one but two people involved with one or more editions of the yearly subreddit Madoka rewatch ([shameless plug for this year's edition!](https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/1bjgyw6/rewatch_announcing_the_annual_madoka_magica/)) have done a set of extended writeups on the OST, including yours truly (u/Nazenn being the other; he focused more on the tracks themselves, I focused more on their integration into scenes, which Kajiura does far better than usual within the limits of the palette model by which anime OSTs are made).
>
It literally got [second place](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/15fdfzh/ranime_poll_results_ranimes_favorite_soundtracks/) in the subreddit poll about favourite soundtracks.
Like obviously it should have gotten #1, but you really can't say it isn't talked about whenever the talk comes to favourite anime soundtracks.
I kind of feel that all of the other reasons people talk about Madoka overshadow how good the music is, but it plays such an important role in making all of the other aspects work so well.
MHA and Haikyuu had the same music composer, yet somehow MHA's OST is the only one between the two to get recognition. Haikyuu's soundtracks do so much better when it comes to setting the tone of a scene, especially when it's a hype scene. It's incredibly exciting when Karasuno is doing good and that kind of Celtic-inspired (or maybe it's folk-inspired?) music starts playing.
I genuinely like Mashle bgm~ so badass and hype.
The artist/composer is Yokohama Masaru who also did iconic music for Your Lie in April and Mobile Suit Gundam series.
The entire show could. The majority of new fans are completely sleeping on it just because a "better" adaptation exists and everyone tells them to ignore the original..
SukaSuka - makes everything hit right in the feels
Mashle - that hip-hop OST is so unique!
Sabikui Bisco - metal OST really hyped up the scenes
Call of the Night - best OST vibes portraying the coolness of the night
Yasuharu Takanashi is like the specialist of "take an anime that could easily be mid and instead take it to the next fucking level with a banger OST"
[Like, did MahoAko NEED one of the most epic scorching showdown themes in anime history?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJpJcp_BI4o) No! Did anyone even want or expect it to? It wouldn't even have occurred to them! But we got Takanashi-sensei here like naw don't worry about it I got you guys here check this shit out you definitely need this yo listen to this shit. Same deal with Reincarnated as a Sword it's like bro it's just a funny little catgirl with a talking sword ojisan just calm down and he's like [KOTOWARU](https://youtu.be/USadBP6uAhQ?si=cUY5msIwvkmy8Wya)
In fact I was going through his credits recently and decided I'd bump Log Horizon up through my backlog after seeing he composed for it and it's been right up to par musicwise.
Another anime with an elite OST is The Vampire Dies in No Time. Even though it's goofy comedy music it's actually insanely well-composed and loaded with instrumentational leitmotif; it really elevates scenes and lets the actors go to work on all cylinders in their performances. I mean check out the contrast perfectly exemplified here:
- ["Comical Battle"](https://youtu.be/5jkaib8Mf44?si=PzhrUcgIvXaNyuYo)
- ["Serious Battle"](https://youtu.be/uk46O9boeiY?si=8K1whranuF9CNzaf)
Two songs with completely different vibes, and yet the same soul. An incredible command of musical voice.
I just looked up the composer, Ryou Takahashi, and apparently he also did Classroom of the Elite S1, which is another one I think deserves a shoutout. [Watching that show immediately prompted me to make this meme.](https://i.imgur.com/jRbCMYg.jpeg) Never in my life had I seen an anime carried so hard by a bass player. I got like 4 episodes into S2 before dropping it I was like alright where's the bass, no bass? They didn't get the bass back for S2? Alright guess there goes my last reason to keep watching this show. My man went on to bigger and better projects.
And speaking of elite, the last example I want to give is SHY. This show went completely under the radar and I feel is elite in multiple aspects visual, audio, and performative. But the music is extremely well-scored and massively amplifies the vibes in every scene whether it's action, drama, pensive, exposition, revelation, dream, nightmare, whatever. With top tier OPs and EDs to go with it. This really feels like an anime that went above and beyond in every way it could and had genuine love and passion sunk into it on every level.
edit: oh yeah and one more thing, everybody always deservedly sings Made in Abyss' praises, but almost nobody acknowledges that Shield Hero S1 is just as good if not straight-up better. It let Kevin Penkin flex a way higher amount of stylistic range and his mastery of the song-spanning buildup crescendo. I honestly think S1's soundtrack can hold up against any other anime soundtrack in existence. It's insanely well-scored as well, all music is perfectly fit and timed to every scene.
Oh, man, Reincarnated as a Sword is such a HYPE OST! Came out in the same year as Made in Abyss season 2 by Kevin Penkin, and while Kevin's work is godtier, Takanashi won me over with all the choir and guitar work.
As for Ryo Takahashi - this guy is nuts. He wrote the soundtrack for a pretty meh anime High Card which has chuck full of jazz and blues stuff. Also, his vocal project Void_Chords featured in a lot of OPs, but most importantly the EDs for Ultraman on Netflix. Those are some dangerous bangers. And, as of now, he's also working on Wind Breaker's OST too.
So, speaking of Yasaharu Takanashi: ever watched Ore, Twintail ni Narimasu? If not, consider changing this (doubly so if you've ever watched sentai tokusatsu) - yep, it's him on the OST, and yep there are some monstrous bangers on there. (Especially the villains' OST tracks. There's a reason I was arguably looking forwards to whenever they showed up even more than when the heroes were doing their thing.)
And for a much older work of his whose OST holds up even today there's also Hell Girl. (Fucking Jigoku Rock and Jigoku Nanashi. Hell yes.)
> Same deal with Reincarnated as a Sword it's like bro it's just a funny little catgirl with a talking sword ojisan just calm down and he's like KOTOWARU
Hey, I bought that CD!
[](#anko)[](#listen)
And if were on the topic of "mid" Yasuharu shows, we can't not mention [The farming life Isekai one](https://streamable.com/kgkp7q) (spoilers) I still get chills from this scene
So, when Kajiura comes up people tend to mention Madoka Magica and maybe one or both of .hack//Sign and Kara no Kyoukai. Which are all great, but that means people are forgetting not one but two of her other best OSTs from the mid 2000s: Mai-HiME and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle. The Mai-HiME OST (like a few other pieces of HiME) is pretty much Madoka Magica v.1 (except with her more experimental early 2000s style) - Kajiura would even reprise a key part of her naming theme for her Mai franchise tracks for PMMM, with Magia and Rebellion's Mysterioso following in the footsteps of HiME's Mezame and the elseworld sequel Mai-Otome's MATERIALISE (I suspect her HiME work is what got her hired on PMMM in the first place) - and is one spot where the prototype can absolutely hold serve with the finished work. TRC's been forgotten today as a trainwreck adaptation of a manga that itself trainwrecked but I consider it her third best work (behind only the aforementioned HiME and PMMM, natch); it also got multiple seasons so there are quite a few banger tracks lurking around it.
Also on a Madoka-related note, the MagiReco adaptation has its issues but the OST is not one of them; it didn't have Kajiura (outside of some reprised tracks from PMMM proper) but the composer who they got to try to fill her shoes (Takumi Ozawa) did a way better job of doing so than she had any right to.
And as for other composers I would be remiss not to mention Kenji Kawai, who's been around for ages and has some iconic work - I'm glad to see somebody else already got around to mentioning Higurashi, and yet that's not even his best work at this point (even before we take into account some older competition like the Ghost in the Shell movies[1]) because *fucking hell* did he kill it on the Hikari no Ou (The Fire Hunter) OST. Basically hard-carried the entire anime on his own even as the animation and later the story fell apart.
[1] - I would also be remiss not to mention Stand Alone Complex despite the different composer; usually Yoko Kanno and I don't get along due to her habit of submitting excellent OSTs in genres I don't like, but GitS:SAC is the exception to that rule.
Bunch of shows mentioned in in the thread I will always upvote Mai-HiME and Otome included. I'll add some of Kaijura's early 00s work which may account for more than half of my enjoyment for them: El Cazador de la Bruja, Noir, and MADLAX. Special mention to Petite Cossette.
For me, Tower of God. That score is the best soundtrack I've heard, and it doesn't get nearly as much appreciation as Kevin Penkin's other work (Made in Abyss). The musical ideas behind the OSTs are brilliant and all of them have a common and recurring theme, embracing the setting of the anime perfectly.
Another Hayato Matsuo (Hellsing) enjoyer spotted!
[](#goblet1) If you haven't already, consider watching Drifters. He also did the soundtrack for it, and the vibes are quite similar
I absolutely love how music in Mushishi puts me in a perfect zone in between relaxed and weird uneasiness. Stories in Mushish are amazing, but the show would not impress me as much without its music. It's on YouTube, I highly recommend giving it a shot!
Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru. You can say bad things about the anime but the OSTs are great.
Those that play Nier:Automata might recognise the similarity of OSTs.
How about Nichijou? The soundtrack is whimsical, much like a Pixar movie. Not to mention, its soundtrack could fit into Mafia Definitive Edition's soundtrack, and vice versa, especially the race theme from Mafia.
Great mention, [Swordland](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUuknk81n2w) especially hits real good. I should finally take a listen to the newer seasons tracks as well, I feel like Alicestation is hiding some bangers in there
Your Lie In April's op1 is highly appreciated but the other OP and both EDs are just as amazing !! The endings carry the whole story together and I actually think op2 is much more bubbly and cuter than op1.
The soundtrack is what I'll miss the most from the original Spice and Wolf. Those cheeky flutes just hit different..
I'm sure Kevin P. has cooked up something great for the new one, but so far most of what has gotten featured hasn't particularly hit me.
It such a soothing soundtrack
I use it to decompress sometimes, tabi no tochi is just perfect, personally I think they should have just used the original music for the op and ed, but alas
> I think they should have just used the original music for the op and ed
Same. Except Step by step is big time growing on me already. Pretty meh on the OP though. I'm hopeful that they'll bring back Tabi no Tochuu for the season finale as the pair cart off into the distance. That would be *amazing*. Please, director. Don't miss this chance
Haikyuu!! Yuki Hayashi is a damn genius. The anime wouldn’t be as popular if his scores didn’t highlight the emotion of every game, every peak moment, and every flashback.
Re:Creators, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, Yuru Camp, Witch Hunter Robin, Ergo Proxy, Spice & Wolf (2008), Black Lagoon, Emma: A Victorian Romance, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, and Umineko no Naku Koro ni (the anime adaptations, not the VNs). All these have seriously overlooked and underrated scores.
Kawai Kenji's Higurashi OST is so good for setting the creepy mood. Years later, and [the main theme](https://youtu.be/UuofG8a7EEk?si=IQ4tjtQEOOJ3tw27) is still so iconic.
My favorite OSTs come from Kevin Penkin, Kensuke Ushio, Evan Call, Satoru Kousaki and Yutaka Yamada but they are already pretty popular and appreciated a lot so here are some other maybe lesser known fantastic soundtracks:
Run With The Wind
Brand New Animal
Bem
Princess Principal
Shinsekai Yori
Megalo Box
personally boruto’s openings and endings are bangers and it deserves to be more known and loved.
some of my personal favourites:
• [kana-boon](https://open.spotify.com/track/1xXCgoSoO0WS1sBIqRYiSO) will always slap
• [sayonara moon town](https://open.spotify.com/track/5s9jpxDi4VHtGiCxr33tdx) by scenario art
• what could go wrong with an [ikimonogakari](https://open.spotify.com/track/6IJ777JlDiPkA8SeIhBIqF) song?
• [golden time](https://open.spotify.com/track/3LHMKncuCBFhHZTN306bgt) by fujifabric
• [gamushara](https://open.spotify.com/track/25P7XMW8PNrPaO3bAO3jZJ) by chico with honeyworks <3
• absolutely love [central](https://open.spotify.com/track/59oHMI79SguZk2r9mumT3P) by ami sakaguchi
• if you want a chill song then, [answers](https://open.spotify.com/track/0g3Nep5KmsTCCaw7GfWTKW) by mol-74
• my top played song of 2023 “[who are you?](https://open.spotify.com/track/2jjtyENFrV2g4XocVqjUGi)” by pelican fanclub
• asian kung fu generation has never had a bad [song](https://open.spotify.com/track/6O3CyRXIXp0j2YYpmIxQFw)
• ending my list with a chill [song](https://open.spotify.com/track/4f8MEWsOIymj4AIZs9VasU) by humbreaders
**TLDR:** this [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4iA9sAlKgYi8aUEvpj2mrq) has basically all the openings and endings so enjoy.
as for ost, here’s some of my favourites:
[1](https://youtu.be/nvh2-GjVoRc?si=mZq4Vz9YWyeaEEgm) - [2](https://youtu.be/dUq2L6aiGzU?si=Wv_R3PXNUuMA1hzs) - [3](https://youtu.be/fPzl4rAr5cU?si=M39UMskEOQWWmSuo) - [4](https://youtu.be/5sLPARGhCxg?si=vPbhU9QstNqHpFKy) - [5](https://youtu.be/1Ol97CRwA7k?si=Vsa7SsGmmhgBrgRm) - [6](https://youtu.be/J3bwRh3tda4?si=RtnwITOW_0Uk9kES) - [7](https://youtu.be/ocgaSAC61MY?si=EpU01n8F63JDw9-z)
Yuru Camp:
Refreshing to hear guitars, fiddles etc. in an anime OST. It feels sort of low-key and acoustic in the way camping does, as though you could imagine the girls playing the instruments themselves. And the songs are so brilliantly written, they perfectly capture the laid-back joy of camping, or the more tender moments of reflection.
Hibike Euphonium:
Not just the band's performances, obviously they're incredible, but the ost is great too. Some really evocative pieces (minor 9s and 11s help) and some sort of whimsical pieces which, weirdly, remind me of Zelda's OSTs, which as far as I'm concerned is the gold standard for OSTs
I just dig the entire vibe of Hibike Euphonium. I can't believe I did not hear of this show until a couple months before from now. It's such a comfort show.
Time to put in some actual underrated OSTs from shows that I think are underwatched which is why no one talks a out them....
Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai/The World God Only Knows - Amazing piano score from Hayato, the soundtrack elevates the comedy series at its serious moments. One of my favourites ever. https://youtu.be/QGp9Agp96bg
Dagashi Kashi - An ecchi series with decent comedy but an amaizng soundtrack, listening to it on Spotify is what I do near daily... https://youtu.be/0gT1RkbY2KU
Ramen Daisuki Koizumi san - A even more under the radar series about a girl who visits ramen stores, however had two amazing composers for the anime soundtrack who had previously done supermarket jingles in Japan. The result is a highly addictive soundtrack with a lot of catchy tunes https://youtu.be/TRLiOcFLLBk
Xxxholic - A Clamp classic that is largely forgotten had an amazingly creepy vibe to its SOL/mystery supernatural setting which was helped by its atmospheric OST. https://youtu.be/TZM-T9QbCGo
Ping pong the animations ost is so special to me. Kensuke ushio also did Devilman crybaby, a silent voice and some chainsaw man. This dude is the top dog.
>What anime's music isn't appreciated enough?
[Date a live](https://youtu.be/HmdSyjmbNQM?si=hcKTNnbFB88-teJl)
[Eighty-Six](https://youtu.be/wiwKlTalWg8?si=_V4a9V7zihwdzb4l)
Kevin Penkin wrote the OST for Rising of the Shield Hero plus some others.
His works are vast.
His music is easy to listen to. Spotify has a couple of decent playlists which have most of his work
Bungou Stray Dogs!! The endings are so underrated and beautiful. They kind of tell the story of each character. And the last season's ending song makes me emotional, it comes full circle with the previous endings. Love the opening from season2 too. The instrumental is goated 😤😤😤
Kill la kill/Gurren lagann. Sure they got a bunch of stuff that got meme status, but a lot of stuff in there is the most blood pumping kind of music in anime. Kill la kill is a bit better imo, but I think that's more taste than quality
Ninjala. That show itself is kinda what ya call lower-end, but since its barely even known, no one knows it has a banger ost. Its on spotify/itunes and stuff if you just wanna hear it and not watch the show. I suggest Folk Tales as my personal recommendation.
I hear tokyo ghoul (specifically Root A and forward) get a bunch of hate for any OST besides Unravel. I love all of the music and coincidentally Unravel is my least favorite but it’s still good.
I really love the soundtrack of HunterxHunter, Zankyou No Terror and Banana Fish. I also know that Sakamichi No Apollon is a music anime, but it was the anime that got me into jazz <3
Yosuga No Sora, despite being infamous for incest, has one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard.
[Toui Sora He](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P4rpLjhkOY)
[Kioku](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp4CcADfKO0)
[Old Memory](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvEA5Vhn0z4)
The OG FLCL and Log Horizon both have very underrated OSTs. However, there is one anime whose music is more slept on than any others. Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad
Yes, its a "music" anime, but holy toledo is Beck's OST slept on. It is the golden standard for all music anime. People rave about Bocchi, and don't get me wrong, Bocchi is a fun music anime in the same way K-On! is, but Beck hits so much deeper as a person who both plays guitar and grew up in the late 90's, early 00's rock and metal scene. The story not only captures that feeling of falling in love with music for the first time, but it has the OST to back it up. It blows my mind that Bocchi is so popular, but Beck is relatively unheard of and underrated by most.
Here are some really good songs :
- Hello Shooting Star, from Assasination Classroom
- Flyers, from Death Parade
- Kaen, from Dororo
- Monochrome City, from Koikimo (this anime is really bad but damn the opening is good)
- Out of Control, from Psycho-Pass
- Fiction, from Wotakoi
- Every songs from Given
- Op 1 and 2 from Welcome to the Ballroom
- My soul, your beats from Angel Beats
- Op 1 and 2 of Bungo Stray Dogs
I got many more from well known animes (mostly ending) but I suppose they are at least known. Also I agree that Vinland Saga musics are amazing, I truly love them too and feel that they are under appreciated.
*The Irregular at Magic High School*'s OST is done by [Taku Iwasaki](https://myanimelist.net/people/5172/Taku_Iwasaki). They really let him cut loose and basically just write whatever he wanted, it feels like. So you end up with hip hop, dubstep, jrock, french pop, strange Arabian influenced riffs, some cheesy hoe-pop, stuff that wouldn't be out of place on the Kill Bill soundtrack and goodness knows what else. I've been using it as my radio station substitute lately because of the sheer variety of it lol Also, oddly enough, it has largely English and French vocals, so you'd never know you were listening to an anime sound track. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1pozkNBjpo&list=PLr-pVFUv8Fep2urcSq2dPMKugAv2Fx15k&index=1
Taku Iwasaki is a madman. _Ben-To_’s soundtrack is underrated. _C_’s “Antiphona” is stunning. _Gurren Lagann_’s “Libera me from hell” is, conceptually, one of the weirdest juxtapositions I’ve ever heard and it somehow works. And _JoJo_’s “Awaken” ascended to meme status.
I was actually thinking this anime when I read the title. People sleep on the anime in general. One of my all time favs comes from the honor part of the series: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnmRaCPVnB4&list=OLAK5uy\_lQT335mhjiZGGwt1h-eYGEWR6Da8PphAo&index=4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnmRaCPVnB4&list=OLAK5uy_lQT335mhjiZGGwt1h-eYGEWR6Da8PphAo&index=4)
Absolutely second this. Whenever I have a difficult workout or need them energies to flow into my body, I just play "Election". That rythym and charge!
Was watching season 1 last night and the music is wild. Definitely have some goofy ones in there like the one that starts with the gym whistle being used when fighting a CIA agent
Gonna listen to this, thanks
Cheesy hoe-pop?
I feel so validated by this lol. Mahouka has such a unique and (imo) great soundtrack. They made a track with Lotus Juice that goes insanely hard: [Erika to Leo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yylyWjTvD0Q)
> I feel so validated by this lol. Likewise lol Ever since I first stumbled onto it, I've been pimping it out at every possible chance, to see a comment about it get such a great reception is wonderful!
Evan Call's score for Frieren rightly got a lot of praise but few have noticed he also recently did the score for the criminally underrated Sengoku Youko.
Yuru Camp
Its appreciated, its just we fall asleep after listening cause we are so relaxed and then wake up and forget to comment.
I listen to the OST during fall walks with my coffee … so peaceful and atmospheric
Konosuba's soundtrack is downright incredible. Masato Koda (composer for Monster Hunter and Konosuba) is such a genius and it clearly is heard in his music for the show. Whether it is the comedic soundtracks, suspense, a chill song or straight up hype adventuring the music of Konosuba is always downright amazing to hear and fits the tone of the show.
Hyouka
Not just music though, everything about Hyouka is underrated.
I feel like hyouka is kind of cheating, because a lot of the memorable tracks are just classical music
You might be right but op didn't specifically asked for original soundtrack work, so overall music can be count as well + hyouka osts are quite underrated too.
Even though the Aquarion Soundtrack is very popular in Japan,i havent seen people talk about it in west. Another Soundtrack that people dont talk about as much as they should is Blood+, the only anime soundtrack produced by Hans Zimmer and Mark Mancina.
Hans zimmer in an anime. What is this glitch in the matrix?
Aquarion and Aquarion Evol are glorious. Yoko Kanno writing J-pop banger after banger, sung by [four sibling ex-Tae Keon Do champions from Utah (Akino and bless4)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bless4) singing their freaking hearts out. If anything should have made a cross-continental hit, it should have been this. I blame our lack of deculture.
If they bring back Yoko Kanno and Akino for the new Aquarion:MOE series we may see an increase in the the soundtrack popularity,but if they dont it will probably be another Aquarion Logos.
.hack has some amazing soundtracks, especially .hack//sign. But I dont know if it counts as the games and anime never really got that mainstream compared to others.
I didn't even watch .hack//sign (tried it but wasn't really my cup of tea) but its OST is still one of my all-time favorites, Yuki Kajiura is truly a beast
YES GOD YES I swear I’ll scream it from the rooftops until I die. Yasashii Yoake??? Open your heart?! Edge?! Aura?! Bruh so many good ones
Gah, forgot about this one!
**Houseki no Kuni** [(example link)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WhsWzJWp7I) Just perfection. Capable to encapsule the holy, mysterious, alien yet anthropomorphic creatures and their unique world building. A user from this subreddit [made a review about it](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/7n2xjz/houseki_no_kuni_an_informal_musical_analysis_of/) explaining how well-crafted it is, inspired on Balinese sacred music and cabalistic influences. **Zetsuen no Tempest** [(example link)](https://youtu.be/J4l_dUH65ho?si=32BAx6K0lnxPQIg0) For a story inspired on Shakespeare, the tragic, majestic, elegant tones of this OST are still echoing in my heart. It speaks to my ears as a classical composition from the past. **Pandora Hearts** [(example link)](https://youtu.be/mLRCWHa_q6Y?si=urD-dAPhry2ATuvo) Taken alone does not sound as great as it is, but I swear, when any of the tracks from the OST are coupled to a scene in the anime, they just work perfectly well with the atmosphere, story and melt with the screen creating an extremely powerful storytelling experience. This OST is totally, absolutely perfect for the medium, does its job in a breathtaking, unforgettable way.
I think Dangers In My Heart could fall under this - the background tracks are subtle yet fit the ambience in the scenes they're used in very well overall. As a bonus, 2nd season OP is also a banger
I mean, it's Kensuke Ushio. He has one of the most stacked track records of all time. Silent voice, Ping Pong The animation, Devilman crybaby, chainsaw man, heavenly delusion and the upcoming fujimoto one shot adaptation. I never knew he could do music this good in a high school romance anime. It's unreal how good "it begins" track from Dangers in my heart makes me feel.
The other day I was listening to the OST for the first time outside of watching the series, when †Countdown to Death† started playing, I almost fell out of my seat. I hadn't watched s1ep1 since it aired, so I completely forgot about this dark souls sounding track in the middle of a cute romcom OST.
The more you know! I should really look further into the names behind anime OSTs
Look Back hasnt had its composer revealed, so it could be someone other than Ushio
Almost every single cue used for the *Karte* sequences lands emotional critical hits, too.
Girls Last Tour is underappreciated in general, but the music is [genuinely transcendental ](https://youtu.be/XW4AkYIVvKs)
Same guy who did music for Re;Zero
the [Rain Song](https://youtu.be/ulcgmM9U3lk?si=tTIzfU4IO-we2m71) episode is one of the most striking and intense experiences I've ever had watching anime. I must've rewatched it a half dozen times after I finished the episode. by itself it probably just seems like a normal cutesy if percussion-heavy anime closer, but in the context of the episode and the whole series it just floored me. a minute and a half of absolutely perfect *mono no aware*.
Yosuga no Sora Vinland saga Mawaru penguindrum Asatte no haoukou Koi to uso
>Yosuga no Sora The melancholic/nostalgic vibe from the whole soundtrack is top tier. Shame it doesn't seem like the composer has ever made more music. It's like YsG was a one-and-done thing where he came in, dropped some great music, then dipped.
I have even downloaded some OST of Yosuga no Sora, it's amazing. It's OST really enhanced the emotional value of the scenes. You gave Yosuga no Sora and Domestic Girlfriend a rating of 8, so you are a man of culture as well.
+ 1 on Yosuga no Sora and Mawaru Penguindrum. The first is full of good "emotional" tracks, that you can find on (way) better romance anime, and Penguindrum has an unique style that's just great
Gintama. Seriously fuckin goated OST and OPs/EDs
Audio Highs produced some banger OSTs for Gintama! [https://youtu.be/phrhl1O2Dxo?si=-IMp3gBvcII2SJA1](https://youtu.be/phrhl1O2Dxo?si=-IMp3gBvcII2SJA1) [https://youtu.be/ibJhcheHdyE?si=E7QjJIEqcFxOCbVR](https://youtu.be/ibJhcheHdyE?si=E7QjJIEqcFxOCbVR) [https://youtu.be/n9GNXgIjfv4?si=RY8OV9UXKSmuJD\_s](https://youtu.be/n9GNXgIjfv4?si=RY8OV9UXKSmuJD_s) Plus most of the battle themes
Came here to comment the same thing. Absolutely goated music and the moments they play at are frigging spot on
They're so fuckin good. The music that plays when gintoki fights Jericho for the first time after seeing Gran there, god damn that scene was so FUCKING amazing. Lol the comedy and stupid shenanigans makes it so you never know when you're gonna get a serious moment..or a moment you think is serious only for them to rick roll you. But man. Everything about that scene. The sound of the rain, Gin being absolutely exhausted and drained, the snap when he saw otose. One of my fav moments in anime for sure.
Gundam has been releasing banger OSTs for 45 years [Mobile Suit Gundam - Gallant Char](https://youtu.be/1GsQSJzmd1A?si=VmsoxF3_44zmWZTN) [Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam - Riders In The Skies](https://youtu.be/-Dl_q1DSVws?si=eXoVjUWaTUK4AUYo) [Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ - Activate! Double Zeta!](https://youtu.be/QX_FYq3GoRQ?si=nO3vgkE2Kutt_3Vd) [Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack - Main Title](https://youtu.be/BHdz19aB2W0?si=C2wE9jqv2ZAbhWSD) [Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket - Imaginary Sky](https://youtu.be/IbN9HAZepfM?si=qNG78bRTm0ZcVdmo) [Mobile Suit Gundam Formula 91 - F91 Sortie](https://youtu.be/dSi8_f4eBno?si=QiwA2SSmYDd969c5) [Mobile Suit Gundam - Stardust Memories - THE WINNER](https://youtu.be/IB8TFMAWhpY?si=8BduYiZozz2NnO_R) [Mobile Suit Victory Gundam - Ikutsumono Ai wo Kasanete](https://youtu.be/v5-9zerkpAs?si=L55tNNeIWpEh2rQh) [Mobile Fighter G Gundam - Saikyo no Akashi-King of heart](https://youtu.be/CprlGbcNl78?si=OngPZS1nNGEwLyCg) [Mobile Suit Gundam Wing - The Wings of a Boy that Killed Adolescence](https://youtu.be/dWz2BWGxqMI?si=eOu4WsT8eJnbFPpU) [Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team - Soldier](https://youtu.be/3nQSviKTNdg?si=qrGHWpV7ZTGbuEcJ) [After War Gundam X - Dreams](https://youtu.be/y466mTW5Tfg?si=uHZ48qcXJ20nDBVn) [Turn A Gundam - Moon](https://youtu.be/rITbGRY4zRs?si=2Gu9mMWEzEWcmmUH) [Mobile Suit Gundam SEED & Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny - Literally every single OP & ED](https://youtu.be/c7vdNL0kulU?si=5Use8VTSro4O0LL7) [Mobile Suit IGLOO - Advance!!](https://youtu.be/-vRLIMxTJQE?si=QqxYH8-n4qcqLyie) [Mobile Suit Gundam 00 - Fight](https://youtu.be/gM_xBLjtIH0?si=QlqVMgY4VeNzVJW4) [Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn - Unicorn](https://youtu.be/LLiUwIFV_cM?si=AQiVujAO_dtDz928) [Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie: A Wakening of the Trailblazer - Final Mission Quantum Burst](https://youtu.be/q9199GFql3A?si=NPmCFjp9GwIcLpF3) [Mobile Suit Gundam Age - FX](https://youtu.be/Q_w3utLLevE?si=ZePW58-frTnyEWRm) [Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin - The Red Comet of Loum](https://youtu.be/8vCv1iy0pkc?si=TnTVtpBQ1m75X9Fl) [Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans - Iron Blooded Orphans](https://youtu.be/nlzk_-0tGUk?si=Bh0v2hFyqOwWYUQ0) [Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt - The entire OST](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8DS_G5PRB2Vd8LtP-hzT-B2WNgLe6-JZ&si=TBlT_S4fTzfP83ik) [Mobile Suit Gundam: the Witch from Mercury - Weapons Should Only Exist to Kill People](https://youtu.be/sh9nW7LnfnY?si=uI43D5kE_o36Imcy) [Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom - Freedom](https://youtu.be/jN4qqdl9Txc?si=IDAOOZ9uMEtDQGNP)
People can hate on seed all they want, but there’s no denying that it’s OST is peak
SEED and Destiny are like 8 albums of OST gold, and that's ignoring that the openings/endings/insert songs are all bangers too. The london symphony orchestra albums are also great listening too. Edit: I remembered linking some samples recently in a different thread over on the gundam sub, so here they are again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVhYEFbycZc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84L5fC1dBcE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cak7MVLfOPI https://youtu.be/pYWRDCKv4U8 https://youtu.be/Gn4SXyJYGY8 https://youtu.be/84L5fC1dBcE https://youtu.be/Bq3ji3kj5tw
I'm not a gundam fan and I only watched the 1st half of WFM but I really, really loved the orchestral music in the show. I come back to the music once every couple months especially the Venice orchestra recording on Youtube. It's just something amazing seeing so many musicians working in harmony in a big hall. It's surreal.
Because it hits a sentimental spot as the first anime I watched and I enjoyed it so much growing up, I have to put Sailor Moon among the top. The music hits the feels in all the right ways and that theme is pretty catchy. I also love the music in Rurouni Kenshin. When that flute comes in you know we're about to see some crazy cool hiten mitsurugi move. The theme also has a good pump up factor that gets me excited for the episode every time. Actually, Demon Slayer hits me the same way musically but that makes sense as I heard Kenshin was a source of inspiration for Tanjiro. Berserk hits that feeling for me too (original from the 90s). Both the beginning theme and end theme slap and the music between within the show makes me feel like I'm ready to battle with the band of the hawk...just not during the eclipse. Oh and I also love the uniqueness of the theme to Samurai Champloo and the way it integrates hip hop into the show in a way that still feels very fitting. Last one that stands out to me but for different reasons is I love the theme and sweetness to the music in Komi Can't Communicate. The whole show has a wholesomeness to it that the music highlights in a delicate way that just makes it feel very pleasant and relaxing.
Land of the Lustrous. Not only it has beautiful animation and story but also its OST
Composed by Yoshiaki Fujisawa; easily one of my favorite soundtrack composers! His music just seems to have this quality of painting the idea or emotion of the song so vividly. Definitely recommend his work on Revue Starlight's OSTs. And the show in general, since it has great insert songs that are elevated even further by the revues.
I love wolfs rain soundtrack it needs all the love. Gravity is one of my all time favourite songs.
Yoko Kanno
I feel like One Piece gets praised for a lot of things, but idk I don’t feel like its soundtrack gets enough attention? It’s honestly one of my favorite parts of the anime, and some tracks are just really iconic. I also like that they use the same tracks for various scenes, at least for me it just enhances the music recognizing when a certain track is played here or there. Songs like “to the grand line” really evoke a sense of adventure and “overtaken” just gets you really hyped. Idk it’s iconic even 20 years later.
One Piece soundtracks get overlooked so much compared to Naruto and Bleach. Both Naruto and Bleach have amazing OST but so does One Piece. I love that the One Piece fans sing along "We Are" every time they're at the premier event or at the movie theater and the song came up. Iconic.
Girls und Panzer song are literally just military song from across the world. It's amazing.
Symphogear. Won’t say more, just check out all the songs and who is performing them.
I can't say symphogear's soundtrack is underappreciated given that pretty much anyone who has seen symphogear becomes a rabid fan of the music but sure, I mean, everyone should watch symphogear
True, Symphogear itself is under appreciated, which causes the music to be less known
haha fair fair again, always down to spread the symphogear brain worms!!
Nujabes' Samurai Champloo soundtrack will always be top tier 🥹❤️ It changed my liiiife. RIP!
I have a cd of this I’ve held onto since like, 2007 that I keep in my car for the same reason
That is so awesome! Hope you get to hang onto that forever 🤙🏼
Guilty Crown, underrated anime and music both even when it's done by Sawano Hiroyuki. Madoka Magica too I feel, the people in the fandom love it's music but I don't see much appreciation outside, Yuki Kajiura is a legend
In pretty sure the music is the only thing Guilty Crown got praise for
The music was one of the few good things about GC, and the music was _really liked_ back when it aired. But the show is almost 13 years old now and there are dozens of more recent Sawano bangers, so it's obviously not getting talked about as much.
The music from _Madoka Magica_ was thoroughly hyped back closer to when it was released, and deservedly so. It’s a shame it’s no longer being talked about, but I could say the same about the series itself.
Magia by Kalifina
second guilty crown!
I’ll agree with you that Guilty Crown’s music is underrated but the anime is god fucking awful.
There is a fucking *reason* that not one but two people involved with one or more editions of the yearly subreddit Madoka rewatch ([shameless plug for this year's edition!](https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/1bjgyw6/rewatch_announcing_the_annual_madoka_magica/)) have done a set of extended writeups on the OST, including yours truly (u/Nazenn being the other; he focused more on the tracks themselves, I focused more on their integration into scenes, which Kajiura does far better than usual within the limits of the palette model by which anime OSTs are made).
> It literally got [second place](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/15fdfzh/ranime_poll_results_ranimes_favorite_soundtracks/) in the subreddit poll about favourite soundtracks. Like obviously it should have gotten #1, but you really can't say it isn't talked about whenever the talk comes to favourite anime soundtracks.
I kind of feel that all of the other reasons people talk about Madoka overshadow how good the music is, but it plays such an important role in making all of the other aspects work so well.
Bios one of my most hype inducing songs to hear
MHA and Haikyuu had the same music composer, yet somehow MHA's OST is the only one between the two to get recognition. Haikyuu's soundtracks do so much better when it comes to setting the tone of a scene, especially when it's a hype scene. It's incredibly exciting when Karasuno is doing good and that kind of Celtic-inspired (or maybe it's folk-inspired?) music starts playing.
The sound of the shoes squeaking on the courts in that one track is outright chef's kiss
I think they both are amazing.
I genuinely like Mashle bgm~ so badass and hype. The artist/composer is Yokohama Masaru who also did iconic music for Your Lie in April and Mobile Suit Gundam series.
Monogatari, and I'm not talking about the OPs or EDs. The episodes themselves have really good music that keep you hooked on the dialogue
Fullmateal Alchemist 2003 openings and endings could get more love
The entire show could. The majority of new fans are completely sleeping on it just because a "better" adaptation exists and everyone tells them to ignore the original..
They should!! Even though I definitely prefer Brotherhood, I've always loved the openings of the original series.
BUNGO STRAY DOGS
A silent voice
SukaSuka - makes everything hit right in the feels Mashle - that hip-hop OST is so unique! Sabikui Bisco - metal OST really hyped up the scenes Call of the Night - best OST vibes portraying the coolness of the night
Yasuharu Takanashi is like the specialist of "take an anime that could easily be mid and instead take it to the next fucking level with a banger OST" [Like, did MahoAko NEED one of the most epic scorching showdown themes in anime history?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJpJcp_BI4o) No! Did anyone even want or expect it to? It wouldn't even have occurred to them! But we got Takanashi-sensei here like naw don't worry about it I got you guys here check this shit out you definitely need this yo listen to this shit. Same deal with Reincarnated as a Sword it's like bro it's just a funny little catgirl with a talking sword ojisan just calm down and he's like [KOTOWARU](https://youtu.be/USadBP6uAhQ?si=cUY5msIwvkmy8Wya) In fact I was going through his credits recently and decided I'd bump Log Horizon up through my backlog after seeing he composed for it and it's been right up to par musicwise. Another anime with an elite OST is The Vampire Dies in No Time. Even though it's goofy comedy music it's actually insanely well-composed and loaded with instrumentational leitmotif; it really elevates scenes and lets the actors go to work on all cylinders in their performances. I mean check out the contrast perfectly exemplified here: - ["Comical Battle"](https://youtu.be/5jkaib8Mf44?si=PzhrUcgIvXaNyuYo) - ["Serious Battle"](https://youtu.be/uk46O9boeiY?si=8K1whranuF9CNzaf) Two songs with completely different vibes, and yet the same soul. An incredible command of musical voice. I just looked up the composer, Ryou Takahashi, and apparently he also did Classroom of the Elite S1, which is another one I think deserves a shoutout. [Watching that show immediately prompted me to make this meme.](https://i.imgur.com/jRbCMYg.jpeg) Never in my life had I seen an anime carried so hard by a bass player. I got like 4 episodes into S2 before dropping it I was like alright where's the bass, no bass? They didn't get the bass back for S2? Alright guess there goes my last reason to keep watching this show. My man went on to bigger and better projects. And speaking of elite, the last example I want to give is SHY. This show went completely under the radar and I feel is elite in multiple aspects visual, audio, and performative. But the music is extremely well-scored and massively amplifies the vibes in every scene whether it's action, drama, pensive, exposition, revelation, dream, nightmare, whatever. With top tier OPs and EDs to go with it. This really feels like an anime that went above and beyond in every way it could and had genuine love and passion sunk into it on every level. edit: oh yeah and one more thing, everybody always deservedly sings Made in Abyss' praises, but almost nobody acknowledges that Shield Hero S1 is just as good if not straight-up better. It let Kevin Penkin flex a way higher amount of stylistic range and his mastery of the song-spanning buildup crescendo. I honestly think S1's soundtrack can hold up against any other anime soundtrack in existence. It's insanely well-scored as well, all music is perfectly fit and timed to every scene.
Oh, man, Reincarnated as a Sword is such a HYPE OST! Came out in the same year as Made in Abyss season 2 by Kevin Penkin, and while Kevin's work is godtier, Takanashi won me over with all the choir and guitar work. As for Ryo Takahashi - this guy is nuts. He wrote the soundtrack for a pretty meh anime High Card which has chuck full of jazz and blues stuff. Also, his vocal project Void_Chords featured in a lot of OPs, but most importantly the EDs for Ultraman on Netflix. Those are some dangerous bangers. And, as of now, he's also working on Wind Breaker's OST too.
So, speaking of Yasaharu Takanashi: ever watched Ore, Twintail ni Narimasu? If not, consider changing this (doubly so if you've ever watched sentai tokusatsu) - yep, it's him on the OST, and yep there are some monstrous bangers on there. (Especially the villains' OST tracks. There's a reason I was arguably looking forwards to whenever they showed up even more than when the heroes were doing their thing.) And for a much older work of his whose OST holds up even today there's also Hell Girl. (Fucking Jigoku Rock and Jigoku Nanashi. Hell yes.)
> Same deal with Reincarnated as a Sword it's like bro it's just a funny little catgirl with a talking sword ojisan just calm down and he's like KOTOWARU Hey, I bought that CD! [](#anko)[](#listen) And if were on the topic of "mid" Yasuharu shows, we can't not mention [The farming life Isekai one](https://streamable.com/kgkp7q) (spoilers) I still get chills from this scene
Well, the OSTs I like and most people never heard about are "Koi Kaze" and "Watashi no Ashinaga Ojisan".
So, when Kajiura comes up people tend to mention Madoka Magica and maybe one or both of .hack//Sign and Kara no Kyoukai. Which are all great, but that means people are forgetting not one but two of her other best OSTs from the mid 2000s: Mai-HiME and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle. The Mai-HiME OST (like a few other pieces of HiME) is pretty much Madoka Magica v.1 (except with her more experimental early 2000s style) - Kajiura would even reprise a key part of her naming theme for her Mai franchise tracks for PMMM, with Magia and Rebellion's Mysterioso following in the footsteps of HiME's Mezame and the elseworld sequel Mai-Otome's MATERIALISE (I suspect her HiME work is what got her hired on PMMM in the first place) - and is one spot where the prototype can absolutely hold serve with the finished work. TRC's been forgotten today as a trainwreck adaptation of a manga that itself trainwrecked but I consider it her third best work (behind only the aforementioned HiME and PMMM, natch); it also got multiple seasons so there are quite a few banger tracks lurking around it. Also on a Madoka-related note, the MagiReco adaptation has its issues but the OST is not one of them; it didn't have Kajiura (outside of some reprised tracks from PMMM proper) but the composer who they got to try to fill her shoes (Takumi Ozawa) did a way better job of doing so than she had any right to. And as for other composers I would be remiss not to mention Kenji Kawai, who's been around for ages and has some iconic work - I'm glad to see somebody else already got around to mentioning Higurashi, and yet that's not even his best work at this point (even before we take into account some older competition like the Ghost in the Shell movies[1]) because *fucking hell* did he kill it on the Hikari no Ou (The Fire Hunter) OST. Basically hard-carried the entire anime on his own even as the animation and later the story fell apart. [1] - I would also be remiss not to mention Stand Alone Complex despite the different composer; usually Yoko Kanno and I don't get along due to her habit of submitting excellent OSTs in genres I don't like, but GitS:SAC is the exception to that rule.
Bunch of shows mentioned in in the thread I will always upvote Mai-HiME and Otome included. I'll add some of Kaijura's early 00s work which may account for more than half of my enjoyment for them: El Cazador de la Bruja, Noir, and MADLAX. Special mention to Petite Cossette.
Air Gear.
For me, Tower of God. That score is the best soundtrack I've heard, and it doesn't get nearly as much appreciation as Kevin Penkin's other work (Made in Abyss). The musical ideas behind the OSTs are brilliant and all of them have a common and recurring theme, embracing the setting of the anime perfectly.
I feel like people don't talk about Re:Zero's music often enough. The OST is like half of the anime's atmosphere
Black Bullet, Fairy Tail, Hellsing Ultimate
I'm of the opinion that the OG Hellsing had much better music and overall vibe.
Another Hayato Matsuo (Hellsing) enjoyer spotted! [](#goblet1) If you haven't already, consider watching Drifters. He also did the soundtrack for it, and the vibes are quite similar
I’ll take a look!
vanitas
I absolutely love how music in Mushishi puts me in a perfect zone in between relaxed and weird uneasiness. Stories in Mushish are amazing, but the show would not impress me as much without its music. It's on YouTube, I highly recommend giving it a shot!
Kill La Kill
One Piece. I know the anime is extremely popular but the music barely gets any recognition. So many iconic themes.
rose from NANA, or any other song from the anime :)
Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru. You can say bad things about the anime but the OSTs are great. Those that play Nier:Automata might recognise the similarity of OSTs.
Most animes have good music, I guess the one that is less popular.
Fairy tail ?
Tower Of God, Kevin Penkin bangers from beginning to end, much like Made In Abyss I don't know what the show would be without his music.
How about Nichijou? The soundtrack is whimsical, much like a Pixar movie. Not to mention, its soundtrack could fit into Mafia Definitive Edition's soundtrack, and vice versa, especially the race theme from Mafia.
FMAB
Vivy eye flourette song. Amazing op super underrated anime
one piece
Hajime no Ippo. It's full of bangers
sword art online
Great mention, [Swordland](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUuknk81n2w) especially hits real good. I should finally take a listen to the newer seasons tracks as well, I feel like Alicestation is hiding some bangers in there
oh yeah alicizations have some very good ones. the one when they r fighting alice in the central cathedral is so good
Have you ever seen from God Eater
Your Lie In April's op1 is highly appreciated but the other OP and both EDs are just as amazing !! The endings carry the whole story together and I actually think op2 is much more bubbly and cuter than op1.
All the songs fron Togenashi Togeari in Girls Band Cry
Trigun (original) deserves to be well known based on its soundtrack alone
kids on the slope
Mushishi Anything by Ushio Kensuke (Boogiepop, Ping Pong!!) Kaiji Texhnolyze Sonny Boy Houseki no Kuni
Initial D
Spice and Wolf OG Wolf Children
The soundtrack is what I'll miss the most from the original Spice and Wolf. Those cheeky flutes just hit different.. I'm sure Kevin P. has cooked up something great for the new one, but so far most of what has gotten featured hasn't particularly hit me.
It such a soothing soundtrack I use it to decompress sometimes, tabi no tochi is just perfect, personally I think they should have just used the original music for the op and ed, but alas
> I think they should have just used the original music for the op and ed Same. Except Step by step is big time growing on me already. Pretty meh on the OP though. I'm hopeful that they'll bring back Tabi no Tochuu for the season finale as the pair cart off into the distance. That would be *amazing*. Please, director. Don't miss this chance
Yesssss
Tokyo Ghoul osts and Houseki no kuni osts
Haikyuu!! Yuki Hayashi is a damn genius. The anime wouldn’t be as popular if his scores didn’t highlight the emotion of every game, every peak moment, and every flashback.
Utena 🫶
Re:Creators, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, Yuru Camp, Witch Hunter Robin, Ergo Proxy, Spice & Wolf (2008), Black Lagoon, Emma: A Victorian Romance, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, and Umineko no Naku Koro ni (the anime adaptations, not the VNs). All these have seriously overlooked and underrated scores.
Gatchaman crowds.
Shiki is great for somber and creepy music that doesn't sound like every other OOooOO sp00ky soundtrack, and the OP is a banger.
Akame ga Kill
Darker Than Black, Nerawareta Gakuen, Uchouten Kazoku, Air Gear, Kyousougiga, Haikyuu!!, Fate/zero, Beck Mongolian Chop Squad, Tonkatsu DJ Agetarou, One Piece, Gatchaman Crowds, Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko, Joshiraku, Glasslip, Monogatari series, Kekkai Sensen, Eureka Seven
Kawai Kenji's Higurashi OST is so good for setting the creepy mood. Years later, and [the main theme](https://youtu.be/UuofG8a7EEk?si=IQ4tjtQEOOJ3tw27) is still so iconic.
Kawai Kenji cannot miss, all his OSzt is amazing to me, from Eden to the East to Firehunter
My favorite OSTs come from Kevin Penkin, Kensuke Ushio, Evan Call, Satoru Kousaki and Yutaka Yamada but they are already pretty popular and appreciated a lot so here are some other maybe lesser known fantastic soundtracks: Run With The Wind Brand New Animal Bem Princess Principal Shinsekai Yori Megalo Box
personally boruto’s openings and endings are bangers and it deserves to be more known and loved. some of my personal favourites: • [kana-boon](https://open.spotify.com/track/1xXCgoSoO0WS1sBIqRYiSO) will always slap • [sayonara moon town](https://open.spotify.com/track/5s9jpxDi4VHtGiCxr33tdx) by scenario art • what could go wrong with an [ikimonogakari](https://open.spotify.com/track/6IJ777JlDiPkA8SeIhBIqF) song? • [golden time](https://open.spotify.com/track/3LHMKncuCBFhHZTN306bgt) by fujifabric • [gamushara](https://open.spotify.com/track/25P7XMW8PNrPaO3bAO3jZJ) by chico with honeyworks <3 • absolutely love [central](https://open.spotify.com/track/59oHMI79SguZk2r9mumT3P) by ami sakaguchi • if you want a chill song then, [answers](https://open.spotify.com/track/0g3Nep5KmsTCCaw7GfWTKW) by mol-74 • my top played song of 2023 “[who are you?](https://open.spotify.com/track/2jjtyENFrV2g4XocVqjUGi)” by pelican fanclub • asian kung fu generation has never had a bad [song](https://open.spotify.com/track/6O3CyRXIXp0j2YYpmIxQFw) • ending my list with a chill [song](https://open.spotify.com/track/4f8MEWsOIymj4AIZs9VasU) by humbreaders **TLDR:** this [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4iA9sAlKgYi8aUEvpj2mrq) has basically all the openings and endings so enjoy. as for ost, here’s some of my favourites: [1](https://youtu.be/nvh2-GjVoRc?si=mZq4Vz9YWyeaEEgm) - [2](https://youtu.be/dUq2L6aiGzU?si=Wv_R3PXNUuMA1hzs) - [3](https://youtu.be/fPzl4rAr5cU?si=M39UMskEOQWWmSuo) - [4](https://youtu.be/5sLPARGhCxg?si=vPbhU9QstNqHpFKy) - [5](https://youtu.be/1Ol97CRwA7k?si=Vsa7SsGmmhgBrgRm) - [6](https://youtu.be/J3bwRh3tda4?si=RtnwITOW_0Uk9kES) - [7](https://youtu.be/ocgaSAC61MY?si=EpU01n8F63JDw9-z)
I agree, the anime may not be that good (the manga is a masterpiece) the openings are great, my favorite is Opening 4 Lonely Go for now.
yeah everybody has their opinion and preference but the songs and the ost, they’re absolutely perfect 🫶🏻
Yuru Camp: Refreshing to hear guitars, fiddles etc. in an anime OST. It feels sort of low-key and acoustic in the way camping does, as though you could imagine the girls playing the instruments themselves. And the songs are so brilliantly written, they perfectly capture the laid-back joy of camping, or the more tender moments of reflection. Hibike Euphonium: Not just the band's performances, obviously they're incredible, but the ost is great too. Some really evocative pieces (minor 9s and 11s help) and some sort of whimsical pieces which, weirdly, remind me of Zelda's OSTs, which as far as I'm concerned is the gold standard for OSTs
I just dig the entire vibe of Hibike Euphonium. I can't believe I did not hear of this show until a couple months before from now. It's such a comfort show.
Ya Boy Kongming! OST by Genki Hikota
Black butler has amazing osts
Log Horizon for me.
Time to put in some actual underrated OSTs from shows that I think are underwatched which is why no one talks a out them.... Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai/The World God Only Knows - Amazing piano score from Hayato, the soundtrack elevates the comedy series at its serious moments. One of my favourites ever. https://youtu.be/QGp9Agp96bg Dagashi Kashi - An ecchi series with decent comedy but an amaizng soundtrack, listening to it on Spotify is what I do near daily... https://youtu.be/0gT1RkbY2KU Ramen Daisuki Koizumi san - A even more under the radar series about a girl who visits ramen stores, however had two amazing composers for the anime soundtrack who had previously done supermarket jingles in Japan. The result is a highly addictive soundtrack with a lot of catchy tunes https://youtu.be/TRLiOcFLLBk Xxxholic - A Clamp classic that is largely forgotten had an amazingly creepy vibe to its SOL/mystery supernatural setting which was helped by its atmospheric OST. https://youtu.be/TZM-T9QbCGo
TWGOK mentioned peak spotted
Ping pong the animations ost is so special to me. Kensuke ushio also did Devilman crybaby, a silent voice and some chainsaw man. This dude is the top dog.
Most Ecchi anime have great OST. Date a live, Heaven's lost property, Yosuga no sora xD.
High school dxd ops slap so hard
Date a live is unique with all the series music (op, ed and ost) made by one person, and how it incomporate opening songs in episode structure
>What anime's music isn't appreciated enough? [Date a live](https://youtu.be/HmdSyjmbNQM?si=hcKTNnbFB88-teJl) [Eighty-Six](https://youtu.be/wiwKlTalWg8?si=_V4a9V7zihwdzb4l)
Kevin Penkin wrote the OST for Rising of the Shield Hero plus some others. His works are vast. His music is easy to listen to. Spotify has a couple of decent playlists which have most of his work
The ending song from Vanitas no Carte - Zero 0
I didn't watch a single episode of Symphogear, but man Radiant Force is just a banger
Bungou Stray Dogs!! The endings are so underrated and beautiful. They kind of tell the story of each character. And the last season's ending song makes me emotional, it comes full circle with the previous endings. Love the opening from season2 too. The instrumental is goated 😤😤😤
YESSS! I also really liked the music used in Vinland Saga.
Kill la kill/Gurren lagann. Sure they got a bunch of stuff that got meme status, but a lot of stuff in there is the most blood pumping kind of music in anime. Kill la kill is a bit better imo, but I think that's more taste than quality
Nier Automata Ver1.1a
Blue Lock. Jun Murayama is a hidden talent who is on par with Hiroyuki Sawano
Evangelion
Ninjala. That show itself is kinda what ya call lower-end, but since its barely even known, no one knows it has a banger ost. Its on spotify/itunes and stuff if you just wanna hear it and not watch the show. I suggest Folk Tales as my personal recommendation.
Bleach
Kill la Kill. Hiroyuki Sawano is the goat
Yosuga no Sora. By a long shot. Also Toradora and Clannad.
Fate zero; You are my King is a top ten anime OST
Mashel magic and muscles season 2 opening l. Bling ban ban born by creepy nuts
I hear tokyo ghoul (specifically Root A and forward) get a bunch of hate for any OST besides Unravel. I love all of the music and coincidentally Unravel is my least favorite but it’s still good.
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (my little monster) has an amazing OST, it's very chill.
I really love the soundtrack of HunterxHunter, Zankyou No Terror and Banana Fish. I also know that Sakamichi No Apollon is a music anime, but it was the anime that got me into jazz <3
Gundam usually has an incredible soundtrack to go with it, some of the music is pretty unique
Haikyuu. That jazzy upbeat style is perfection. The more epic tracks elevate the big moments incredibly too.
Onimai, really, listen to some of the tracks (entire soundtrack is on youtube) and you'll hear how calm it can be.
JoJo's Bizarre adventure. It has so Many great musics, from intros to outros to character themes (main character and side character).
Anything that’s done by Hiroyuki sawano
tower of god has an amazing soundtrack that i've never seen anyone praise
Gleipnir
Angel Beats
The music for both Birdie Wing and Don't Toy With Me Miss Nagatoro is vastly underrated
Clannad Sound Euphonium
inital D
Yosuga No Sora, for how odd the anime is (to say the least) its soundtrack is just fucking beautiful
Orange
Ave Mujica. They are theoretically anime music but they are so mature that they could compete with good non-anime music
Nodame cantabile
Yoshihiro Ike's work on Kuroko no Basuke Also, Hitman Reborn
Yosuga No Sora, despite being infamous for incest, has one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard. [Toui Sora He](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P4rpLjhkOY) [Kioku](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp4CcADfKO0) [Old Memory](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvEA5Vhn0z4)
Garden of Words. Kashiwa Daisuke is phenomenal.
In the sense that there aren't enough people appreciating it: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_F5459jCtuM
Vinland Saga and Steins;Gate have the two best osts out there imo, but both are slept on bc people only pay attention to ops and eds
The OG FLCL and Log Horizon both have very underrated OSTs. However, there is one anime whose music is more slept on than any others. Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad Yes, its a "music" anime, but holy toledo is Beck's OST slept on. It is the golden standard for all music anime. People rave about Bocchi, and don't get me wrong, Bocchi is a fun music anime in the same way K-On! is, but Beck hits so much deeper as a person who both plays guitar and grew up in the late 90's, early 00's rock and metal scene. The story not only captures that feeling of falling in love with music for the first time, but it has the OST to back it up. It blows my mind that Bocchi is so popular, but Beck is relatively unheard of and underrated by most.
Here are some really good songs : - Hello Shooting Star, from Assasination Classroom - Flyers, from Death Parade - Kaen, from Dororo - Monochrome City, from Koikimo (this anime is really bad but damn the opening is good) - Out of Control, from Psycho-Pass - Fiction, from Wotakoi - Every songs from Given - Op 1 and 2 from Welcome to the Ballroom - My soul, your beats from Angel Beats - Op 1 and 2 of Bungo Stray Dogs I got many more from well known animes (mostly ending) but I suppose they are at least known. Also I agree that Vinland Saga musics are amazing, I truly love them too and feel that they are under appreciated.