Album Title: 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! Original Soundtrack Anime Title: 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! Artist: Satoshi Hono, Ryunosuke Kasai Catalog Number: PCSP-05737 Release Type: Soundtrack Release Date: April 10, 2024 Purchase at: Apple Music 7th Time Loop Soundtrack Review The 7th Time Loop soundtrack is easily overlooked. Part of it is because the anime itself was a fun ride with a likable protagonist in Rishe whose resourcefulness occupied a big chunk of m ..read more

Although Cowboy Bebop aired over 25 years ago, one of the most enduring elements from that anime is Yoko Kanno’s soundtrack. It’s focus on jazz, along with an eclectic mix of other genres including blues, bossa nova, rock and J-pop meshed well with the anime’s contents to make the overall package a memorable one. Even in a heavy-hitting soundtrack, some pieces hit harder than others. One obvious example would be the opening theme “Tank”. But you can also say the same for “Blue” which shone through Mai Yamane’s soulful delivery and elevated the final scene with Spike and his finger gun gesture ..read more

Album Title: Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Original Soundtrack Anime Title: Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Artist: Evan Call Catalog Number: THCA-60290 Release Type: Soundtrack Release Date: April 17, 2024 Purchase at: CDJapan, Apple Music Frieren Soundtrack Review The impression I got when sitting through Frieren‘s early episodes is that this isn’t your traditional epic fantasy anime. That is true of the story and the music is a reflection of that. Where one might expect the grim, somber fanfares characteristic of soundtracks like Princess Mononoke‘s and the Lord of the ..read more

Album Title: The Vision of Escaflowne Original Soundtrack Anime Title: The Vision of Escaflowne Artist: Yoko Kanno, Hajime Mizoguchi, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Maaya Sakamoto Catalog Number: VICL-769 Release Type: Soundtrack Release Date: June 05, 1996 Purchase at: Amazon, CDJapan, Apple Music Escaflowne Soundtrack Review The Vision of Escaflowne series dazzled me with its story, its characters, and most of all, its music. Prior to Escaflowne, I hadn’t been exposed to anime music that swept me off my feet to such a degree with its heavenly choruses and the sens ..read more

Radwimps’s work on Your Name’s soundtrack has many a memorable pop tune. But while the instrumentals don’t offer the same earwormy melodies that the vocal tracks do, “Mitsuha’s Theme” stands out as a notable exception. Its motif can be heard early on in “Date”, which features a sparse piano introduction as if it’s unsure of itself. Little by little, the piano adds an additional voice to create a burgeoning sense of warmth and tenderness. Once that emotional foundation has been established, the piece takes you on a playful side journey before returning to its core, this time backed by shimmeri ..read more

Album Title: A Symphonic Celebration – Music From The Studio Ghibli Films Of Hayao Miyazaki Anime Title: Various Studio Ghibli Films Artist: Joe Hisaishi, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Catalog Number: UMCK-7191 Release Type: Arrangement Release Date: June 30, 2023 Purchase at: Amazon, CDJapan, Spotify, Apple Music Joe Hisaishi’s A Symphonic Celebration Album Review Joe Hisaishi’s debut on Deutsche Grammophon, A Symphonic Celebration, sees him paired with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London to showcase 10 arrangements (12 if you count the bonus disc) to 10 of his Ghibli ..read more

Album Title: Kessoku Band Anime Title: Bocchi the Rock! Artist: Ikumi Hasegawa, Saku Mizuno, Sayumi Suzushiro, Yoshino Aoyama Catalog Number: SVWC-70613~4 Release Type: Vocal Release Date: December 28, 2022 Purchase at: CDJapan, Spotify, Apple Music Kessoku Band Album Review Bocchi the Rock’s Kessoku Band’s self-titled debut album jams. That’s not exactly my expectation going into yet another entry in the crowded field of schoolgirls doing music, but I feel all the better for having experienced this gem of an album. From the get-go, the clarity of vocalist Ikumi Hasegawa’s pe ..read more

Synopsis: In Cross Game, baseball was probably the furthest thing from Kitamura Kou’s mind. Aside from partaking in the occasional pickup game or two, Kou preferred to live a normal childhood, relaxing with his school friends and his neighbors, the Tsukishimas. One fateful summer, tragedy strikes. This event comes as an absolute shock, but it would serve as the catalyst that would awaken Kou’s desire to live out that person’s last dream: to see him and his group of friends reach the Koushien, the final stage of Japan’s national high school baseball tournament. Cross Game’s Highlights Episode o ..read more

Aina Suzuki is best-known voice role thus far has been for Love Live! Sunshine!! In it, Aina plays Mari Ohara, a third-year student at Uranohoshi High School who sprinkles englishisms in her speech (like the ever-present “shiny”) but who aims to become a renowned school idol. As a part of the role, Aina Suzuki has had to do a lot of singing. One of her solo efforts include “New Winding Road”, written by Aki Hata, composed and arranged by Makoto Miyazaki. Her delivery is excellent. She succeeds in bringing out the song’s yearning, nostalgic emotions while demonstrating a good amount of voice co ..read more

Album Title: Kiki’s Delivery Service Original Soundtrack Anime Title: Kiki’s Delivery Service Artist: Joe Hisaishi, Yumi Arai Catalog Number: TKCA-72742 Release Type: Soundtrack Release Date: August 10, 1989 Purchase at: CDJapan, Amazon Kiki’s Delivery Service Original Soundtrack Plays Like a Story Kiki’s Delivery Service takes a dose of witchcraft and pairs it with the mundaneness of an Amazon drone delivery service. Which is to say it’s a fantastic premise with the right amount of drama to make for a compelling watch. To accompany such a backdrop, composer Joe Hisaishi once ..read more