Anime songs have developed along with Japanese anime culture and have colored the times. This article looks back on the history of anime songs based on the sources provided and explains their appeal.
The Dawn of Anime Songs: Great Songs that Walked Along with the Works of Art
According to the source, the success of Astro Boy (1963), Japan's first full-length color TV animation, had a major impact on subsequent animation history. This work became a social phenomenon, recording a maximum viewership rating of 40.7%, and its theme song also became very familiar to children.
The following Jungle Emperor (1965), Japan's first color animation, also gained popularity, and its theme song became a widely sung classic. These early anime songs not only expressed the world of the works, but were also characterized by catchy melodies that captured the hearts of children and lyrics that sang of dreams and hopes.
The Arrival of the Animation Boom: A Time When Theme Songs Created a Social Phenomenon
In the 1970s, anime went beyond the framework of being aimed at children, beginning with the hit Space Battleship Yamato (1974), and began to attract support from a wide range of people, especially young people. The theme song of Yamato also became a social phenomenon, beautifully expressing the grand scale and dramatic nature of the work's worldview.
During this period, works such as Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) began to appear that depicted more complex and realistic human dramas, which were a far cry from the good versus evil storylines of the past. The theme songs for these works also went beyond traditional anime songs and became characterized by more sophisticated musicality and lyrics with deeper messages.
Media Mix Development: A Period that Expanded the Possibilities of Anime Songs
From the 1980s onward, anime began to develop a multifaceted media mix that included not only TV broadcasts, but also movies, video software, and related merchandise sales. In line with this trend, anime songs also went beyond the framework of mere theme songs and came to color the works in various forms, such as character songs, image songs, and insert songs.
In The Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982), the songs of the idol singer Lin Ming-mei, who appears in the film, play an important key role in the story, and anime songs are now closely connected to the worldview of the work. In addition, it became common for voice actors to take charge of singing, further increasing the popularity of anime songs.
Modern Anime Songs: Music Continues to Diversify and Evolve
Anime songs have continued to evolve in the 2000s and beyond. The theme song “Zankoku na Tenshi no Thesis” for Neon Genesis Evangelion not only had a major impact on subsequent anime songs, but also became an exceptionally long seller in the J-POP scene.
In recent years, anime songs have expanded in new ways, with Vocaloid songs and anime song DJ events gaining popularity.
Anime Songs Are a Mirror of the Times
This article has overviewed the history of anime songs based on the sources provided. Although anime songs have changed with the times, their role in expressing the worldview of the work and inspiring the viewer's heart has not changed. Anime songs will continue to move along with the animation industry, and we can expect to see the birth of new masterpieces that will color a new era.