13 Most Famous Anime Composers
Anime is a genre of film and television rich in emotion, beautiful animation. Although anime is a traditional Japanese genre, it has become a worldwide artistic and cultural phenomenon. Part of the reason anime is so popular is with the help of soundtracks. And in this article, we will take a look at 13 of the most famous, greatest anime composers…
1. Joe Hisaishi
Joe Hisaishi (born Mamoru Fujisawa) is arguably the most famous Japanese composer of all time. He is best known for his collaboration with director Miyazaki Hayao on dozens of Studio Ghibli films. Joe Hisaishi focuses on simple sounds to capture the magic and loveliness of Ghibli movies. Hisaishi is also very successful with work outside of the film industry. He has composed for a number of other movies, animated series and video games, in addition to being a book author and a good composer. To this day, he is still considered one of the most powerful anime composers alive.
2. Kanno Yoko
Although not as widely known as Joe Hisaishi, Yoko Kanno has the same admirable talent as the legendary Joe Hisaishi. She has written music for over 30 different animated movies and series, Kanno is an extremely talented keyboardist and plays all her works. Yoko Kanno's most famous soundtrack is the main theme for Cowboy Bebop, one of the most popular anime series of all time.
She's also a popular video game composer and has written music for numerous TV series and new live-action versions of the Cowboy Bebop classic. Kanno has also released six personal studio albums featuring her original piano music.
3. Sawano Hiroyuki
Hiroyuki Sawano is an incredibly talented musician who wrote the soundtrack for one of the most popular and longest running anime series of all time - Attack on Titan. He moved away from simple, piano-based themes and moved into large orchestral movements with choral pieces. Sawano's themes are as fast-paced as the anime itself. Sawano has won many awards for his compositions, especially for the main theme Attack on Titan.
However, Hiroyuki Sawano has also released several solo albums and is known for naming his original works with unique and interesting names (often involving symbols or numbers).
4. Kajiura Yuki
Yuki Kajiura has been composing music for anime and TV series for 25 years. She has created music for online shows, cartoons on the Netflix platform. Some of her most popular anime work includes themes for Demon Slayer, Sword Art Online, and Aquarian Age.
Kajiura has a more modern way of composing sounds and relies on a technical rhythm synthesizer for his compositions. She incorporated the sounds of electric guitars, drums, and pianos into the series' content to create something unique. It can be said that Yuki Kajiura is a master at creating memorable themes and songs to reflect the characters and emotions of the anime.
5. Shiro Sagisu
Shiro Sagisu has had a very distinguished career as one of Japan's leading composers. Sagisu was soon influenced by jazz and classical music and was a member of a jazz band before starting to compose individually. He has received many awards and had the honor of staging the Japanese national anthem for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
He has also won numerous awards for his work with anime, especially the Neon Genesis Evangelion series. Sagisu's soundtrack is fun and adventurous, with lively trumpet and piano sounds throughout.
6. Iwasaki Taku
Taku Iwasaki has dedicated his entire career to creating anime. His most famous works include JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Black Butler, Witch Hunter Robin, and White Cat Project. He has also written music for several video games, including Final Fantasy XV, and soundtracks for three animated films. Of course, Taku Iwasaki is best known for his anime theme.
Unlike many of the other composers on this list, Iwasaki doesn't have a specific "sound" – it's quite difficult to attribute a theme to an Iwasaki work unless you know his style very well. that. He blends his style into the anime genre and creates something particularly hard to imitate.
7. Yoshihisa Hirano
Yoshihisa Hirano started her career with music for the anime based on the popular manga Beyblades. He also writes music for the Final Fantasy games on the Playstation, many short-lived TV shows, and arranges music for other projects. However, Yoshihisa Hirano soon turned to anime creation much more seriously.
Deathnote is one of those anime that is famous for its intense soundtrack, and Hirano is responsible for the heavy metal sound with the prominent sad guitar riffs of the soundtrack. It can be said, Deathnote is an iconic anime with an impressive soundtrack.
8. Kawai Kenji
Kenji Kawai has worked in more Japanese films and television than any other composer on this list. His name is associated with composing movie soundtracks. However, Kawai never completed his music studies formally, yet he was quite successful and started his career composing music for local commercials at a very young age.
His talent soon led him to the field of cinema. Some of Kenji Kawai's most famous works include The Ghost in the Shell, Seven Swords, and Sky Crawlers. Kenji Kawai has composed for more than 100 anime films and TV shows. Kawai is known for using drums and vocals to create a sense of tension and emotion throughout his music.
9. Jun Maeda
Jun Maeda is a rare exception – he is primarily an animator. He has also composed anime stories and made his own music for these works. Jun Maeda specializes in visual novels – online stories with soundtracks. For most of his visual novel adaptations, it is Jun Maeda who will write the soundtrack.
This artist has perfectly paired the sound with the visual experience to create an ideal version of his anime world. Currently, Jun Maeda continues to make visual novels, anime and soundtracks through his company - Key.
10. Yuki Hayashi
Yuki Hayashi has worked for many animation studios. He has also worked with a few other famous composers such as Hiroyuki Sawano and Yoko Kanno to produce many impressive soundtracks. Hayashi didn't start out as a musician. He was a gymnast and became interested in music when he chose background music for his floor workouts.
Initially, Yûki Hayashi selected and produced music for gymnasts and then moved on to making music for dramas. Music experts commented that his music was very upbeat and interesting.
11. Sahashi Toshihiko
Toshihiko Sahashi has composed music for more than 100 TV shows and movies, including anime and live-action. This artist is quite famous in the field of film music composition. Toshihiko Sahashi's most popular series include Gundam Seed, Ultraman, Gunslinger Girl, Steel Angel and Full Metal Panic! In 2014, he announced that he would be doing a live stage musical called Sailor Moon.
12. Masuda Toshio
Toshio Masuda is known for composing TV soundtracks in Japan. However, his specialty is synthesizing music and soundtracks. Many of Toshio Masuda's works are modern and new-age sounds rather than classical or ensemble. The artist also uses traditional Japanese instruments to combine with classical orchestral pieces. Toshio Masuda's most famous work is from the early 2000s when composing the soundtrack for the anime television series Naruto. Since then, he has composed many other soundtracks for anime, as well as live-action television shows.
13. Michiru shima
The last person on this list is Michiru Oshima. She recorded and released more than 300 individual records during her lifetime. Her works are diverse with many genres, from television, animation to film… To date, Michiru Oshima has won many awards and is considered one of the most recognized composers. Japan's most respected.
Some of Oshima's most popular anime soundtracks include music for Full Metal Alchemist, Conqueror of Shamballa, Sound of the Sky, and Star Wars. Her music is said to reflect the beauty and emotion of anime. Today, she continues to write music and produce works that are loved by the public.
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