Jazz has always been divisive. For every person who admires the technical skill and rhythm the genre demands, there's another person who simply can't bear the busyness of jazz music. Musicians tend to admire jazz more than laymen do, but there's no denying that jazz harbors a profound ability to set an atmosphere.
Perhaps, then, it isn't surprising that so many beloved anime series feature jazz soundtracks. Jazz has been embraced in Japan for decades, with its flourishes apparent even in the city-pop era and in modern J-pop. A fantastic jazz soundtrack can serve as a gateway, and many anime fans have grown fonder of jazz thanks to the work of phenomenal anime composers. While Cowboy Bebop is the most famous jazz-centric anime, it's not the only one.
10 Cowboy Bebop Is the Quintessential Space-Jazz Opus
It's hard to think of any series, anime or otherwise, so married to its soundtrack as Cowboy Bebop. The show catapulted both director Shinichiro Watanabe and composer Yoko Kanno to the heights of anime fame, and Cowboy Bebop is held in higher universal regard than almost any other series from the 1990s.
While Kanno and Seatbelts, the band she formed specifically for the show, do indulge in other genres, including funk, pop, blues, and rock, jazz is the blood that runs through these space adventures. And like jazz, the story can go from ecstatic cacophonies of joy to the saddest lows ever. Cowboy Bebop would be unrecognizable without its soundtrack.
9 In Sakamichi No Apollon, Jazz Is A Lifesaver
Watanabe and Kanno struck again with their fantastic collaboration on Sakamichi No Apollon. Even the opener, belted by anime OST legend Yuki, has a rare flare: cascades of horns and piano perforate what otherwise might have been a pop ballad. But what really makes the soundtrack to Kids on the Slope so vital is the way the music becomes a character in the plot.
These 1960s kids fall for jazz and each other and the world all at once, and it both saves and ruins them. Their lives may be fraught, but at least they have music to help them through it.
8 Kekkai Sensen Is Cooler Than It Has Any Right To Be
Kekkai Sensen is criminally underrated, but it doesn't seem to mind. The series was written by none other than Trigun author Yasuhiro Nightow. Both seasons of the anime adaptation were produced by Studio Bones, but fans were hesitant about the second because the series switched directors in the interim.
Regardless, both adaptations are graced by a standout soundtrack. Composed primarily by Taisei Iwasaki, the soundtrack incorporates jazz, hip-hop, reggae, world music, and orchestral pieces. The music of Kekkai Sensen proves as diverse as the cast of characters and the setting, transdimensional New York City. Anyone looking for a gorgeous piece of lounge music should listen to "White Beyond."
7 Durarara!! Equates Chaotic Music With A Chaotic Cast
Durarara!! fans know that every time Izaya appears, a shrieking trumpet sound is bound to follow. The show's soundtrack, written primarily by Makoto Yoshimori, is jazzy, lo-fi and psychedelic, and perfectly mirrors the offbeat metropolitan backdrop the show works so hard to create.
Jazz is sometimes seen as very individual: each instrument is given a chance to shine, and separate melodies intertwine. Similarly, the characters in Durarara!! bounce off each other and into each other and have their moments to rise and fall. "Ikebukuro West Exit Five-Way Intersection" captures the essence of this, and while jazz isn't the only genre on display, it's the genre that best exemplifies the series.
6 Showa Rakugo's OST Captures A Fading Era
Showa Rakugo is a quality show in almost all regards, and from Episode 3 onward it announces itself with a killer jazz opening. Composed by relative newcomer Kana Shibue, the series has one of the most classic jazz soundtracks of any anime, but every so often a stunning piece of orchestral music, enhanced by the incorporation of traditional Japanese music, cuts through. "Gei No Asubare" is a true and timeless stunner. It's also a clever choice to choose a type of music considered so retro and divisive, as the art of rakugo is also proving retro and divisive for the characters.
5 Baccano's Setting & Soundtrack Are Prohibition-Chic
To be fair, Baccano is set during the prohibition, an era where jazz was unavoidable. Any other genre would feel deeply out of place. Written by the same author as Durarara! and adapted by the same studio and crew, albeit a few years prior, Baccano! helped place director Takahiro Omori on every anime radar.
The series also shares its composer with Durarara!: Makoto Yoshimori, who made this magical realism mob caper a lively delight, enhancing every scene. Look no further than the series opener, "Guns and Roses," which encapsulated "Tank!" levels of pizazz and charm.
4 Darker Than Black's Soundtrack Is The Best Thing About It
Yoko Kanno is the gold standard for anime soundtracks, and it's not surprising she features so strongly here. While Darker Than Black has both devoted fans and frustrated detractors, one aspect worth celebrating is its soundtrack.
While jazz and science fiction don't always go hand-in-hand, Yoko Kanno knows how to score virtually anything and improve upon it. Though her work on other sci-fi classics, such as Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, often leans more into electronic, synth, and psychedelic music, Darker Than Black's OST is about as jazz-heavy as they come.
3 Trigun Has A Hearty Share of Jazz Moments
It's almost impossible to separate memories of Trigun from memories of its music. However poorly other aspects of the classic series may have aged, the soundtrack elevates the show at almost every other turn.
Written by Tsuneo Imahori, who once apprenticed under Yoko Kanno, the soundtrack often highlights a bare guitar, but also delves into rock, country, and jazz, creating music perfect for a space-western backdrop. Jazz isn't the only genre in the show, but it still steals the spotlight. Take, for instance, the effervescent "Permanent Vacation."
2 Death Parade Makes Elevator Music Cool As Anything
Lobby music, like elevator music, is usually no one's favorite. And yet the cool lo-fi jazz backdrop of the Quindecim, the afterlife hotel bar that serves as Death Parade's setting, is supremely effective. Composer Yuuki Hayashi, known for his work on more mainstream titles like My Hero Academia and Haikyuu!!, has truly outdone himself here.
Right from the eponymous opening track, "Death Parade," the music is by turns inventive and classic, featuring a forlorn saxophone theme that feels eternal. But just like the show itself, the soundtrack continues to evolve throughout the show, layering the music with ethereal vocals and orchestral flourishes.
1 ACCA-13's Soundtrack, Like The Show Itself, Is An Underrated Gem
In keeping with the tradition of Natsume Ono's work, Acca-13 is a series too many anime fans slept on. Even so, it's got a peculiar sense of class that's missing from a lot of modern seinen series. Ono, perhaps best known for writing Ristorante Paradiso and House of Five Leaves, has a unique drawing style, and Acca-13's soundtrack is just as perfectly peculiar.
Composed by Ryo Takahashi, the music consists of laidback jazz and hearty funk. "New Year's Eve" sounds like a holiday classic from another world, and "Kiss Me" is the kind of music people fall in love to. Like every other aspect of this series, the soundtrack is underrated.
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