Anime Soundtracks!

Since I discussed Ghost in the Shell in my recent post on Borges's "Pierre Menard," I thought I'd do a bit of follow-up and introduce everyone to the joys of anime music! Below are some songs from several different GitS soundtracks, all of which are composed by Yoko Kanno. (Unlike Western soundtracks, which are basically compilations, the Japanese actually write original music.) All three are performed by Origa in Russian and English.

Yoko Kanno is pretty much the #1 person for anime music. I've been interested in checking out her work for Cowboy Bebop. According to Wikipedia, "The series' art direction centers around American music and counterculture, especially the beat and jazz movements of the 1940s-60s and the early rock era of the 1950s-70s, which the original soundtrack by Yoko Kanno and The Seatbelts recreates."



"Inner Universe," the opening theme from the first season of GitS: Stand Alone Complex



"Rise," the opening theme from the second season of GitS: SAC



"Player," from Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society, the third and most recent film (This video was made by ninetailfoxkyuubi using images from the Kingdom Hearts video games, which are also Japanese in origin and have a ton of anime influence - especially that kid's hair! So cute!)