Musical Bento Box

Quite a few anime have music that goes hand in hand with the beautiful character design and art style to bring forward the perfect animation. Ones that you can still vividly remember when you sit down on a rainy afternoon with a cup of coffee, listening to their magnificently produced soundtrack.

Some soundtracks are so well-made that people who haven't watched the anime or are non-anime watchers would love listening to them too. I would recommend the following soundtracks to everyone, since you don't even need to know Japanese to enjoy these.

ANGEL BEATS
This anime has made people shed a lot of tears, and its heartfelt soundtrack only helped the case. Girls Dead Monster is a fictional band that plays within the anime and it features artists like LiSA, a famous Japanese pop singer-songwriter. Two albums: Keep The Beats! and Angel Beats! Original Soundtrack, were released following the anime. With Jun Maeda and Anant-Garde Eyes' wonderful composition, the songs My Soul, Your Beats! and Brave Song create a melancholic atmosphere in just the right moments throughout.

SAMURAI CHAMPLOO
Four CD soundtracks were released for the anime, namely Samurai Champloo Music Record: Masta, Departure, Playlist, Impression. The title can be roughly translated to "Samurai Mashup" and the soundtrack keeps true to it with its hip-hop beats created by artists like Nujabes, Force of Nature, Tsutchie, and Fat Jon. There are only a handful of tracks with vocals, but the music alone is amazing and worth listening to, especially if you're a fan of hip-hop. The emotive beats perfectly infuse with the samurai swordplay in the anime. Be sure to check out Battlecry.

GUILTY CROWN
This anime deserves a lot more recognition for both its story and its soundtrack. The music is breathtaking and is wonderfully woven into the scenes. My personal favourite is a scene where Inori, the female lead, sings the song Departures standing atop a radio tower while the rest of the protagonists are caught up in a riveting chase. Egoist is a fictional band from the series that brings life to the songs in the anime, while Supercell has written the openings and endings. My Dearest and Departures are songs you need to listen to. Right now.

COWBOY BEBOP
This is an obvious addition to the list since bebop itself is a sub-genre of jazz and suggests that the anime will have a strong musical side, which it so successfully does. Most people would argue that Cowboy Bebop's original soundtrack is the best out there. The band Seatbelts was formed by Yoko Kanno just to make the anime's music. The music incorporates both rhythm and blues and hard bop. Please do give The Real Folk Blues and Tank a listen. You're in for a treat.

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD
Even though this anime is not highly acclaimed for its music specifically, anyone who has watched the series will tell you that they never missed a single opening or ending while watching. Akira Senju deserves a standing ovation for the masterpiece that he has composed. I won't even recommend any song individually. They're all just that good. Every opening/ending fits the arc it belongs to so the genres differ. But one thing's for sure: they perfectly capture the essence of the anime.

Absolute recommendation: First theme song of Pokémon. Nothing tops it. Nothing.

Mayabee Arannya is a confused soul still searching for a purpose. Give her advice on life at facebook.com/mayabee.arannya