For any anime we watch, chances are we’ll take an interest in the songs for that series, particularly the openings and endings. Many of us, myself included, become quite enamored with anime songs to the point of listening to them everyday and memorizing the lyrics. I’ve often wondered why we develop attachments to anime songs, especially when we usually can’t understand the words and they often have nothing to do with the show itself…
…which leads me to the main inquiry I have for this post. Why do we develop such a fondness for anime music despite the fact that we’re not fluent in Japanese and the songs are rarely about the anime itself (in the sense that many anime openings and endings are made for the artist first and not the anime)? After some consideration, I’ve come up with a few reasons.
The first and probably most important reason is simply the nature of music itself. As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once said “Music is the universal language of mankind.” We don’t have to understand the words in order to fall in love with the melody of a song or the voice of the singer. The j-pop and j-rock of anime songs have a sound and feeling that’s appealing to us and is independent of what the actual words to the song mean. The universality of music allows us to potentially love any piece of music despite not knowing its meaning or origin.
Another reason is the allure of Japanese that many of us develop when we become anime fans. The unique sound of Japanese compared to English, as well as its connection to the thing we love – anime – could instill a certain appeal in anime songs not present in any other type of song. And, though not extremely effective, memorizing/singing/reading the lyrics to anime songs is a fun way to study Japanese because the sentences are shorter and easier than regular dialogue, and all anime songs often use the same words and subject matter. Anime songs have helped me with my Japanese, though they’re often harder to understand than spoken dialogue because the emphasis in words is different when singing. I’ve found it much easier to understand anime songs when reading the lyrics than just listening.
And lastly, the connection that the songs have to the shows they hail from. I can safely say that I wouldn’t love many of the anime songs I constantly listen to if I wasn’t familiar with the show they come from. Even though the lyrics of most anime songs are not about the show itself, as I touched on in the above linked previous post, songs from a variety of anime feature similar themes of love, friendship, overcoming fears, following your dreams, etc., which are appealing themes that are present to some extent in just about all anime. When I listen to anime songs, for example, any of the Fullmetal Alchemist openings, I like them because they have a connection to a show I love, as in, listening to them reminds me of the show, and second, the themes in the lyrics are appealing and I like relating them back to the show despite that relation being subtle.
My love for anime songs usually stems from all three reasons, especially the first. I’ve grown to love the sound of j-pop/j-rock so much that I don’t even bother looking up the English translations to anime songs anymore. Knowing word for word what the song is saying is irrelevant to my enjoyment of the music. Depending on the song, with my current Japanese skills I can sometimes understand almost the whole song on my own, or sometimes nothing more than a few words. But regardless, liking the singer and melody is enough for me. I don’t usually look up non-anime Japanese songs, or songs from anime I haven’t seen, but on the rare occasions when I do, I could like them for one or both of the first two reasons.
Now I’d like to inquire of my readers, if you like anime songs, why? Is it for any, or all, of the above reasons I mentioned – the fundamental appeal of music despite not understanding the lyrics, help with Japanese study, a connection to the anime you love – or some other reason? And if you don’t have any particular interest in anime songs, why is that? Is it because you don’t like listening to songs where you don’t understand the lyrics, or is the sound of j-pop/j-rock just not to your taste?
When it comes down to it, anime songs are simply part of the fandom. If you really love anime, you can’t help but be interested in all parts of it, the music included.
I like the nostalgic throw-back to my childhood, when opening songs for cartoons and anime were something that became iconic of the shows themselves.. like Transformers, or even more niche stuff like Raccoons. Heck, even some of those old Disney cartoons like Rescue Rangers.
In much the same way, the OPs from something like GTO, Lucky Star, are often some of my fondest memories of the shows. Likewise for EDs like the ones from Wolf’s Rain and Chevalier D’Eon. They may even be insert songs or BGM, like the stuff from Gurren Lagann.
They don’t have to be poignant or artistically relevant tunes, nor are they at all necessary to me as parts of the fandom. But as soon as I hear a good tune from an anime come on my playlist, I am taken back to the moments of those anime that made it worth watching them.
That’s why I smile when I hear the OP from Giant Killing or the ED from Tatami Galaxy – they will serve to remind me of the best moments watching those anime, even if they aren’t timeless masterpieces.
@ Hogart
Yes, many of the older anime songs I still listen to, for example, the very first Pokemon opening, are extremely nostalgic. I suppose all anime songs have a potential nostalgic value, since time will make them all “old” eventually.
“But as soon as I hear a good tune from an anime come on my playlist, I am taken back to the moments of those anime that made it worth watching them.”
Totally agree. This goes along with my third reason for liking anime songs – the connection they have to the anime and how they remind us of something we love. Even if the lyrics have nothing to do with what the anime is about, hearing the opening/ending every time we watch an episode can’t help but make us associate the song with the show. And, if we liked the show, the song will remind us why we liked it – its best moments. And OPs and EDs that are relevant to the show, such as the Lucky Star OP and Wolf’s Rain ED that you mentioned, are particularly favorable =)
I listen to music in all different languages and I’m just a massive audiophile. I’m also pretty choosy about anime songs but i certainly have a sizable collection of favorites. Songs being in Japanese in no way hampers my ability to memorize teh lyrics and sing them with precision lol.
@ digital boy
Audiophile…I’ve never heard that term before but I like it XD
I think most people would only want to listen to songs in languages that are relevant to them, such as English if that’s their native language or Japanese if they like anime. So that’s great that you listen to songs in many different languages without letting things like a lack of understand hamper your enjoyment =)
Its better than the crap I hear on the radio these days like Lady Gaga… Ugh, I hate her music… Besides from that, there is a some pop artists I like such as Michael Jackson, but thats besides from the point.
I usually listen to anime and jpop on my computer or on my iPad while I’m browsing the interwebs, writing blog posts, chatting with other bloggers and program stuff… I just like these songs because they are catchy, good vocals and stuff like that. Even though I have hardly any knowledge in the Japanese language, it’s still enjoyable to listen opposed to Lady Gaga… god, I hate her music because it get stuck in your head even if you don’t want it to.
If you really interested in what I’m listening to, check out my last.fm account (same as the name) and the editorial on my blog discussing my favorite jpop artists.
@ chikorita157
I’ve never once in my life kept up with the latest American popular songs. Even before I was into anime songs, I only liked oldies and Disney songs when I was a kid =P So I have no idea who Lady Gaga is nor do I care to find out XD
I like to listen to anime or other songs as background music when I’m doing things like driving or cleaning my room. I can’t listen to music when I’m doing something that requires concentration though, such as writing blog posts.
It’s all about the karaoke potential.
@ 2DT
LOL, I was thinking of mentioning something about our karaoke adventures XD When was the last time we went karaoke-ing? December? There’s been lots of new songs since then, so once you’re back in town this summer, カラオケしましょう!
“And lastly, the connection that the songs have to the shows they hail from.”
Not “lastly”, its the single and only reason why we love anime songs. Its called “anchoring”, look it up. The other reasons are irrelevant.
@ karry
I meant “lastly” as in, that reason is the last I’m discussing on my list of three, not that it’s the least important.
I don’t believe the other two are irrelevant because there are lots of anime songs I love where I’ve never even seen the show it comes from, or I didn’t even like the show that much. I like these songs for the other reasons I mentioned – the melody, the lyrics, the singer, etc,.
It helps to not understand the language actually because when I listen to Western pop music, I’m put off by how inane the lyrics are. Sure, J-pop offers its share of inanity as well, but at least I can pretend it doesn’t exist because I don’t know Japanese.
Eh.. I’ve always been a soundtrack/BGM kind of person anyhow and while the OP/ED J-pop have some appeal to me, it doesn’t match the awesomeness that a good, solid soundtrack can deliver.
@ zzeroparticle
Yes, I sometimes feel I can appreciate the melody, beat, and feeling of the singer more with Japanese songs because I’m not paying as much attention to the lyrics.
For some reason, I rarely notice anime BGM unless something about it stands out to me (such as Yuki Kajiura and Yoko Kanno). I also like instrumental versions of the OPs and EDs that some anime episodes include.
I really think it’s that J-pop songs are composed to be appealing in that happy, upbeat 70s pop song way. Even the slower, ballad-like songs have easy to listen to melodies. It’s appealing, accessible music.
I would agree with you completely on the Japanese language part… if they would actually sing the whole thing in Japanese! The number of anime ops and eds I’ve heard that are marred by a sudden English word or phrase – it’s practically all of them. Overall, though, enjoying J-pop songs does kind of help with learning Japanese, because singing in a foreign language makes learning fun.
@ Jan
Yeah, if you like happy, upbeat music, the sound of j-pop is quite appealing ^^ Nowadays, j-rock is becoming more prominent in anime songs than j-pop, but it too has its own charm.
Heh, random Engrish in Japanese pop songs has been going on for years and I think it’s just part of the whole style. I don’t mind it too much though since it means less words of the song that I don’t understand ;)
I just find Japanese music much more aesthetically pleasing to the ear. There are certainly English songs that I like as well, both for the message and melody, but the number of Japanese songs that I find pleasing just vastly outnumber the English ones.
At the same time, there are a number of Japanese songs that I just DON’T find pleasing at all. I don’t really get the Vocaloid phenomenon because of that. Their synthetic voices just seem to ruin… well… everything :P
The songs I listen to are mostly anime songs, but it’s not because they’re nostalgic, but mostly because that’s how I primarily get exposed to songs that I like. I’m also a big fan of Touhou songs and their respective remixes, for the same reason. They just sound good :P
I also agree with your comment about Japanese. It just sounds aesthetically pleasing to the ear. Not sure why though. I think it’s because of the rather “soft” sounding nature of the language. Songs that insert English into their songs are a hit or miss with me. Because I’m a native English speaker, I notice terrible grammar and sentence structure and stuff. On the other hand, songs that just insert a few words of English that meld into the song are fine by me.
@ Mystlord
I also listen to mostly anime songs too because that’s what I’m constantly exposed to. I don’t actively seek non-anime Japanese songs unless I fall in love with a certain singer/band who sings in anime.
“I also agree with your comment about Japanese. It just sounds aesthetically pleasing to the ear.”
I think one of the reasons Japanese singing sounds aesthetically pleasing to the ear is because Japanese is a strictly consonant+vowel language, with every sound but one (the lone consonant “n”) ending in a vowel. Since vowels are the sounds that singers hold their notes on, it almost seems like Japanese was made for singing =)
I agree with you, TOTALLY. In my case, I like anime songs because of the firs reason (usually) and once I like a song, sometimes I look up for a translation (just in case the fansub don’t have one for the opening/ending I like).
Sometimes I like a song because it’s played in a specific scene that causes me a big impression in the anime, and listening to this song reminds me of THAT scene.
In some other cases, I like a song because the scenes presented during the opening, even if they don’t have a translation.
@ markushi
Yes, anime songs will often remind me of why I like the anime they come from, whether it’s the series in general or one or more specific scenes. And, in some cases, the opening animation itself can stand out on its own.
I would estimate that at least 75 percent of the songs on my iPod are Japanese, with most of them being anime themes. I agree that they’re sentimental for me as a fan. I sing along with the Mugiwara Crew anytime Oretachi wa Family comes on the shuffle. :D
Whether it’s from bias or not, I consider Japanese music to be better than most mainstream English. Because the music is usually, through association with anime, acted through both anime OP/ENs and the musicians themselves in music videos, I feel like JRock/etc remain a form of art and a universe that English music rarely transcends.
@Jan
I know! It’s not as hilarious as Engrish whenever a “foreigner” is introduced in a show itself, but I still do a double take whenever English words are just randomly thrown into the middle of a song. Words like “love” and “family” make sense, because they’re nearly part of the vocabulary, but sometimes the weirdest sentences will pop up.
@ Saere
I keep all my favorite songs on my laptop and I’d say 75-80% is anime songs XD And I love “Ore-tachi wa Family” too!
I’ve never once kept up with current English songs so I couldn’t compare them to j-pop/j-rock. I have my handful of English songs that I love, but so far anime songs give me enough enjoyment so I don’t feel the need to seek out other kinds of music.
“I wouldn’t love many of the anime songs I constantly listen to if I wasn’t familiar with the show they come from”
I must be backwards, because I would watch an anime series based on if I like the opening or ending songs. Or if the background music is good. In the reverse sense, if an anime doesn’t have good music in it, my personal rating of it goes down. This method is probably not giving enough credit to other aspects of the anime that might redeem it, but I really think that the music is a central aspect to anime in how it sets the mood and tone.
A lot of my early anime songs were heard from animenfo radio. I just like the sound of Japanese, and though I don’t understand the language, the lyrics are understandable in the sense that you can hear them and the words are distinct. This differs from English songs and lyrics, in which the words are slurred, jumbled and sometimes difficult to recognize (at least that is what I perceive).
Also, with all the different types of anime that are released every season, and each anime has an opening and ending song, there are bound to be some that veer off the generic j-pop and j-rock genre and do something unique. What comes to mind is Baccano’s opening, a very jazzy piece. So I think that for every taste and preference in music, there is an anime music that satisfies. Granted, the anime music is mostly J-pop, so if you can’t stand that type of music, it may be difficult/ unbearable to search for songs that pleasure you.
@ plasma991
If I hear good music from an anime, that will sometimes give me more incentive to watch it. But I’ll rarely degrade an anime for having bad music.
You’re right, with so many anime series being released each year, lots of j-pop/j-rock songs sound different despite being classified in the same music genre. That’s why so many anime fans with different musical tastes can find at least a few anime songs that they particularly like.
@Plasma
The mention of Baccano made me think of something else. I really like it when good English songs are used as an anime theme, like with Baccano and Higashi no Eden. I’m sure it makes some Japanese feel about English music the way we do about theirs, but then again, they’re constantly exposed to our artists like Justin Bieber while Jrock isn’t a part of the American pop charts…
@ Saere
I also like when they use English songs for anime OPs/EDs. I wouldn’t want them to do it all the time, but it’s a nice change, especially if it’s fitting for the series. I also like the occasional English song sung by a Japanese singer. The Wolf’s Rain ending, “Gravity” by Maaya Sakamoto, and Slayers Try finale song “Somewhere” by Houko Kuwashima, are two of my favorites of these. Their accents could make it hard to understand, but it’s still pleasant sounding =)
@Saere
The Japanese have a strange relationship with English. On my so-far one and only trip to Japan, I eagerly picked up a version of a dept. store map that was marked “English Version.” When I opened it, the only words in English were “First Floor,” “Second Floor,” etc. Everything else was in Japanese. ;) I guess they tried…
I generally love the songs because they remind me of the anime they are based on. So they are not just songs, there are a whole new world from the anime attached to them. Unlike regular songs which I have nothing else to connect them with :)
@ Canne
Yes, when I hear an anime song, it’s nice to be reminded of the anime it hails from, especially if it’s a series I liked but hadn’t thought about in a while =)
For me the last reason is the biggest reason by far. Evidence? If I can enjoy Lucky Star ED Karaoke Box album, what else can make that happen. I just recently bring that up to listen again. Ahh, that was a good time.
That’s why I’m very careful not to listen to Cyber Formula music while I drive. Every time I hear “Ano umi..” in Air’s Aozora or the intro of Natsukage, I almost feel the wind, the sun, and the sound of the sea. They bring those moment back, and I enjoy them.
I’ve only ever listened to Japanese music. Before I recognized Japanese it was more about how it all sounded, but now it’s turned to also what are the lyrics. For example, not only do I like Home Made Kazoku for their hip hop beats but I love the positive messages they convey in their music.
A lot of anime OPs and EDs have also lead me to groups I love today. It’s a very good publicizing tool.
A little late to the party, but here’s a cool link that’s actually relevant to the topic at hand. :D
Learning Japanese Through Anime Music
It’s a little informal class (free!) that goes down every Thursday night. ^^
@ Horizon X
That looks cute. Thanks for sharing =)
I never made many friends in these circles by admitting this…
but here it goes anyway: I loathe JPop. There, I said it, lol.
Every show that uses JPop (or very wimpy JRock) is immediately experienced as lame. It’s a feeling stronger than reason, I really can’t help it.
Which doesn’t mean I don’t like asian song…I love the music by Ikue Asazaki…that Nantoka nare opening song of Akagi and four or so very upbeat JRock songs. Oh and also that metalish stuff like in the opening of Death note lawl,…
I suppose what I can’t stand is that wimpy/high pitch voice many of the female singers have.
So personally, the vocals just don’t work for me…The majority of the music where, in my case, anchoring occurs is instrumental, like the soundtrack of Mushishi etc.
I’m also certain my lack of love towards anime songs isn’t a result of the language barrier. After checking my last.fm page it turns out that the songs I consistently listen to are often in a language I’m not familiar with.
After all, music is mainly rythm and harmony and you don’t really need to understand what’s being said in order to feel the general scheme of things.
Oh perhaps I should point out that I liked one of the FMA ending songs. つないだ手 by Lil’B lolz. So I suppose occassionaly one manages to slip through the net.
@ Reason
Yeah, meeting an anime fan who strongly dislikes the songs used in anime is pretty rare, but I imagine there’s gotta be some of them. The high-pitched female singer voice that you mentioned is definitely not for everyone.
You’re right for most cases, especially in the unlimited language – music. But there are still more reasons than that. There are some songs in my all-time favorite list but I never watch its anime series. It’s hard to say why I love them, maybe because they remind me of some peaceful memories, some nostalgic atmosphere, and some scatters of past emotion. They’re what I call the music of soul.
hard questions… but since i don’t (unfortuanatly) watch very much anime i can’t exactly anwer. But i’t nice to think about and you’re most likely right about the format of the songs. I’ve noticed some repition (of the format) in Engish songs too.
bye.
–End–
I like anime songs, because…I feel that even the modern songs have some of that ‘old-school’ pop trend that I grew up with, unlike American songs today. I also love the fact that I only understand bits and pieces of the original lyrics, so I can just make up my own meaning. >_< Also, composers such as Kajiura Yuki want me to stick to them more. She's AMAZING. You don't hear a lot of American shows using the sort of composition that she does. Even if some of her lyrics have absolutely no meaning to them.
*is listening to "nowhere" by FictionJunction Yuuka currently*
~Yamani yamani yahiya~
I like to listen to today’s Amercian artists; but that’s not all I listen too. I like listening to all kinds of music. My son and I are fans of Japanese anime and we like a lot of the songs we here. But for me I also like to listen to…well almost anything. The only kinds of music I don’t like are heavy metal, hard rock, and gangster rap. If there’s a lot of screaming and extermly loud music playing I change the channel.
I don’t like most anime music, but the ones I do like have a darker or more uneasy aura than usual (e.g. “Magia” from Madoka Magica).
I love to listen anime music. I even have my own playlist on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLH4R-DFCBx7PGgKG-wvjsEATQgiif0sFO