[Editor's Picks] What Is an Anisong? A Look Back from the Past to the Present

YOASOBI, Creepy Nuts, and the streaming era

As the 2010s arrived, anisongs became much better. YOASOBI's "Idol" (Oshi no Ko) and Creepy Nuts' "Bling-Bang-Bang-Born" (Mashle: Magic and Muscles) were both created with a deep understanding of the original works, and they dominated music charts both in Japan and abroad. LiSA's "Gurenge" (Demon Slayer) was also written after she read the manga carefully and understood the characters' emotions and the main themes. Then, she wrote the lyrics. I'm always surprised by how talented the singers are.

YOASOBI's "Idol" is a very experimental piece of music. It sounds like a Japanese idol group song, with the singer, Ikura, deliberately making her voice sound more childlike and cute, which makes her seem like an idol. The song uses a lot of orchestral hits, sudden tempo changes, deliberate distortions, and even a rap section. If you know Oshi no Ko, the song feels so perfectly in sync with the story that it could only have been created for this series.

The song "Cry Baby" by the band Official Hige Dandism was written for the anime series Tokyo Revengers. The lyrics are full of words like "resist the bad end" and "revenge," showing the mindset of a character stuck in a time loop. The song's many key changes create a feeling of moving forward and instability, drawing listeners into the world of the anime.

What amazes me is how these songs work on two levels. You don't need to have seen the anime to enjoy the music. But if you're familiar with the series, they'll resonate with you even more, making your experience even better. Anisongs are now popular with a wider audience. Anime and the music related to it are becoming popular with people of all ages and from all countries.

In closing

I wrote a lot. Editors should probably rein me in, but this is the blessing and the curse of web media without hard limits.

My answer to what an anisong is has not changed. If a song is used in anime, it is an anisong.

From the 1990s into the 2000s, songs slotted into openings and endings as if the slots were ad inventory. Decades later, those tracks are welded to the shows in our minds. Because when I hear Sobakasu, Kenshin Himura’s face pops up. It just does.

Today, landing an anime theme is something many artists want. It can be a real fight. Songs made with respect for the work and with real understanding of the original are increasingly judged as part of the work rather than just a theme placed on top. That is possible because pioneers like Ichiro Mizuki and NoB opened the path and kept walking it.

Let us keep enjoying anisongs.