Anisong

History and character

Anisong (anime song) is the genre of Japanese pop that includes the theme songs (openings and endings), insert songs and image songs of anime, manga, video games and drama CDs, as well as songs released mainly for the animation market. Its origins: Kuroi Nyago (1929) is considered the first Japanese animated work with music; the Astro Boy theme (1963, lyrics by the poet Shuntarō Tanikawa) became hugely popular; in the 1970s specialized singers (“anime song singers,” such as Ichirō Mizuki and Isao Sasaki) emerged with the themes of Mazinger Z, Space Battleship Yamato and Candy Candy. In the 1980s artists from outside the anime world came in: Ai Oboete Imasu ka (Macross), Anri with Cat's Eye, TM Network with Get Wild (City Hunter).

In the 1990s dedicated labels appeared (King Records' Starchild) and A Cruel Angel's Thesis by Yoko Takahashi (Neon Genesis Evangelion) reached an audience far beyond fans. In the mid-2000s came the boom of voice actor-singers (Nana Mizuki — Eternal Blaze; Hare Hare Yukai from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya). In 2010 Ho-kago Tea Time from K-On! became the first anime characters to occupy the first and second places on the Oricon singles chart; Billboard Japan launched an anime chart. The 2020s made anisong global: LiSA's Homura at No. 8 on the Billboard Global 200 (2020), YOASOBI's Idol (2023), the first Japanese-language song to top the Billboard Global Excl. US and 22 weeks at No. 1 on the Japan Hot 100, and Kenshi Yonezu's KICK BACK, the first song with Japanese lyrics to be certified gold by the RIAA. Specialized labels: Lantis, Flying Dog, King Amusement Creative, Sacra Music, Toho Animation Record, Mages, Animex.

Characteristics: songs designed for a format of about 90 seconds (the “TV size” of theme songs: Gurenge has a 1:29 TV version), which must present the identity of the series in a few seconds; dramatic, note-packed melodies; dense arrangements that move between rock, EDM, orchestra, idol pop, jazz or electronic music depending on the work; lyrics that over the years have shifted from the series' names and settings to the characters' feelings, widening their audience. The genre has influenced “denpa songs” and “moe songs.”

Scales and keys

In modes, Roman numerals refer to the scale of the mode; in minor, to the natural minor.

Natural minor with harmonic V (dramatic openings)

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7, with the 7 raised on the V. In D minor: D E F G A Bb C (+ C# in the A7).
• Characteristic note: b6 (Bb) and the leading tone C# of the V: urgency, battle.
• Chords: i Dm – III F – iv Gm – V A7 – VI Bb – VII C.
• Use: VI–VII–V7–i in the B-melo and the sabi; string riffs and ostinatos.
• Example: LiSA — Gurenge (minor, 135 BPM).

Major with secondary dominants (upbeat openings, anime idols)

• Formula: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. In G: G A B C D E F#.
• Chords: I G – ii Am – iii Bm – IV C – V D – vi Em; secondaries B7 (V/vi), E7 (V/ii), A7 (V/V).
• Use: royal road in the B-melo, canon in the sabi, final modulation.
• Example: K-On! and many anime idol theme songs; YOASOBI and the royal road (Tabun).

Full harmonic minor (“epic” and orchestral themes)

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7. In A: A B C D E F G#. Augmented second F–G# for orchestral themes and neoclassical riffs.

Dorian (jazz and funk themes)

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7. In C Dorian: C D Eb F G A Bb. Jazz/funk themes (Cowboy Bebop — Tank! is big band jazz).

Yonanuki and pentatonic (Japanese color)

• Yonanuki major: 1 2 3 5 6 (in C: C D E G A); minor: 1 2 b3 5 b6 (in A: A B C E F).
• Use: “traditional” themes, theme songs of classic anime or Japanese fantasy.

How to choose

Harmony

Function

Concentrated J-pop harmony: in 90 seconds you go from A-melo to B-melo to sabi with a progression that builds continuously. Fast harmonic rhythm (one chord every 2 beats, or every beat in the B-melo), secondary dominants, passing diminished chords, modulation between sections or before the final sabi.

Techniques

• B-melo with royal road or VI–VII–V7 and a stop before the sabi.
• Ensemble kime on key chords (synchronized with the animation cuts).
• Key change between B-melo and sabi (often a whole step up) for the “explosion” effect.
• Chromaticism in the bass and inner lines.
• Hybrid orchestration with full string and brass chords over a rock or EDM foundation.

Voicing

Power chords + full strings; piano with 4-note chords; brass in triads; backing vocals in thirds.

Typical progressions

Rhythm and groove

Great variety depending on the work: fast 8-beat rock (shōnen openings), punk 2-beat in the fastest sabi, dance-pop and idol pop (130–170), EDM and drum and bass in some modern openings, big band and swing (Tank!), orchestra without a fixed drum part, ballads in slow 4/4 or 6/8 for endings. Ensemble kime and stops are very frequent. Swing 0% except in jazz songs.

Drums

Kick

8-beat with anticipations (steps 1, 4, 7, 9) in rock openings; four on the floor in idol; double kick in metal themes; often pattern changes between A-melo, B-melo and sabi.

Snare

On 2 and 4; rolls at the end of phrases; flams on accents; 2-beat in punk sabi.

Hi-hat, ride, cymbals

Eighth- or sixteenth-note hat in the A-melo; ride and crash in the sabi; crash on the kime accents.

Percussion

Orchestral percussion (timpani, bass drum) in epic themes; taiko for Japanese color; Latin percussion in jazz-funk themes.

Interaction

The drums follow the kime with bass, guitars and orchestra; in the TV size the stops serve to synchronize the video cuts.

By section

Intro (2–8 bars): riff with kime; A-melo: light kit; B-melo: half time or build; sabi: full; closing: stop on a chord.

Fills and sounds

Fast tom fills, rolls, orchestral hits; compressed, bright acoustic drums, reinforcement samples. Mistakes: intro too long for the TV size; kime not aligned.

Bass

• Sound: bright, melodic electric bass; synth bass in electronic themes; double bass in jazz themes.
• Notes: melodic lines with chromaticism, octaves in the sabi, unison with the guitars in riffs.
• Rhythm: eighth and sixteenth notes with kime.
• Examples: Gurenge (rock bass in eighth notes), Tank! (walking double bass).

Harmonic instruments

Distorted and clean electric guitars, piano, strings (often very prominent), brass, synths (pads, arpeggios, leads), organ, traditional instruments (shamisen, koto, shakuhachi) as color, bells and glockenspiel in idol themes. Full, bright voicings.

Melody and vocals

• Melody: dramatic and very wide-ranging (often more than two octaves in “singer's” themes), with many syllables per bar, leaps to the high register in the sabi, a long final note.
• Vocals: singers with strong technique (LiSA's belting, Aimer's dark timbre), voice actor-singers who sing “in character,” groups of characters (anime idols) in unison.
• Backing vocals: harmonies in thirds in the sabi, epic choirs, calls in idol songs.
• Effects: moderate plate and hall, doubles in the sabi, Auto-Tune in electronic themes.

Instruments

Vocals, backing vocals, guitars, bass, drums, piano, strings, brass, synths, orchestral percussion, traditional Japanese instruments, glockenspiel.

Drum patterns

Synths and sounds

• Augmented Strings — Cinematic strings: Hybrid strings for epic themes.
• Piano V — Piano: Intros and endings, doubling the chords.
• Jup-8 V — Pad and brass: Synthetic pads and brass under guitars and orchestra.
• Prophet-5 V — Arpeggios and leads: Arpeggios and leads for electronic themes.
• DX7 V — Bell and e-piano: Bells and chimes for idol and moe themes.
• Augmented Voices — Epic choirs: Choirs for dramatic intros and sabi.

Song structure

TV size (about 1:30)

Full size (4:00–4:30)

Intro – A-melo – B-melo – Sabi – interlude – A-melo 2 – B-melo 2 – Sabi 2 – C-melo/solo – ochi-sabi – Final sabi (often modulated) – outro. The full version develops what the TV size presents.

Mixing and mastering

Sonic goal

Bright vocal up front, strong impact from the very first seconds (the TV size gives no time), powerful guitars and orchestra, defined bass. References: LiSA — Gurenge, Yoko Takahashi — A Cruel Angel's Thesis, YOASOBI — Idol, Kenshi Yonezu — KICK BACK, Linked Horizon — Guren no Yumiya.

Kick and snare

Kick: HP 30 Hz, +3 dB at 60 Hz, −4 dB at 350 Hz, +3 dB at 4 kHz. Snare: +3 dB at 200 Hz and 5 kHz, plate 1.2 s, parallel compression.

Cymbals and percussion

Overheads HP 250 Hz, −3 dB at 4 kHz; timpani and taiko with a large room.

Bass

HP 35 Hz, presence at 1 kHz, compression 5 dB, mono.

Guitars, strings, brass, synths

Guitars: HP 100 Hz, −3 dB at 400 Hz, doubles L/R. Strings: HP 150 Hz, hall 2 s, wide. Brass: +2 dB at 2 kHz, pan 30–60%. Dynamic dip triggered by the vocal.

Vocals

EQ: HP 90 Hz, −2 dB at 300 Hz, +4 dB at 3–5 kHz, air +3 dB. Heavy compression (8–12 dB). Plate 1.2 s, 1/8 delay; doubles in the sabi.

Buses and groups

Drum bus 3 dB + parallel compression; orchestra bus glue 1–2 dB; vocal bus 2 dB.

Sidechain

Dynamic ducking of guitars and strings from the vocal.

Master

Chain: EQ → compressor 2 dB → clipper → limiter. Target −7/−5 LUFS, true peak ≤ −1 dBTP, PLR 6–8 dB. Theme songs must sound loud next to TV commercials.

Common mistakes

Long intro; vocal covered by strings and guitars; master that distorts on the vocal's high notes.

Reference tracks for the mix

Yoko Takahashi — A Cruel Angel's Thesis (1995); Seatbelts — Tank! (1998); LiSA — Gurenge (2019); YOASOBI — Idol (2023); Kenshi Yonezu — KICK BACK (2022).

Reference listening

• Astro Boy (sigla, 1963)
• Ichirō Mizuki — Mazinger Z (1972)
• TM Network — Get Wild (1987)
• Yoko Takahashi — A Cruel Angel's Thesis (1995)
• Seatbelts — Tank! (1998)
• Aya Hirano e altri — Hare Hare Yukai (2006)
• Nana Mizuki — Eternal Blaze (2005)
• LiSA — Gurenge (2019)
• LiSA — Homura (2020)
• Kenshi Yonezu — KICK BACK (2022)
• YOASOBI — Idol (2023)