#yoko kanno is a goddess

[etheirysnoir]

“lithum flower” by Yoko Kanno ft. Scott Matthew. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex © Shirow Masamune / Production I.G.

She’s so cold and human It’s something humans do She stays so golden solo She’s so number nine She’s incredible math Just incredible math

And is she really human? She’s just so something new A waking lithium flower Just about to bloom I smell lithium now Smelling lithium now

How is she when she doesn’t surf? How is she when she doesn’t surf? How is she when she doesn’t surf? I wonder what she does when she wakes up? When she wakes up?

So matador So calm So oil on a fire She’s so good She’s so good She’s so goddess lithium flower So sonic wave Yeah, she’s so groove, yeah She’s so groove Yeah

Wow, where did she learn how to surf? Wow, where did she learn how to surf? Wow, where did she learn how to surf? You know I’ve never see the girl wipe out

How does she so perfectly surf? How does she so perfectly surf? How does she so perfectly surf? I wonder what she does when she wakes up?

I wanna go surfing with her I wanna go surfing with her I wanna go surfing with her I wanna go surfing with her

[marithlizard]

Listening to my anime playlist and thinking all over again: "Lithium Flower" is the only - they're not lovesongs, really, what do you call them? Infatuation songs? I-am-thirsty-for-this-awesome-babe songs? The only one of those that I can think of that has nothing to do with physical beauty. What do you sing about when you're pining for a woman with a full-body prosthetic, who could change it up as casually as we might change the kind of car we drive? Yoko Kanno rose to the challenge by getting metaphorical and yet keeping the thirst: So matador, so cold, so oil on fire She's so good, so good, so goddess lithium flower So sonic wave

And the lyrics keep coming back to surfing. Surfing the net, her ability to move through information networks being admired as something sensual and skillful and reminiscent of old Beach Boys songs. As torch songs go, it's very classy, neither creepy nor sad. (The only GitS I've seen is Stand Alone Complex some years ago, and I don't feel any particular need to see more, but I really liked Batou's affection towards the nonhuman robots and his patient devotion to Mokoto, who likes him as a colleague and friend and never in a million years. There's a bit I remember near the end where he risks his life to retrieve her cheap-looking watch, and when she asks why, he answers that he realized she doesn't wear that watch because it fits her wrist. She's always chosen to wear a female body with a small wrist that fits that particular watch. (It's implied, I think anyway, that he's thought about how if the watch wasn't so important to her she might well choose a male body for a while and how that wouldn't change his attraction to her.)

[wild-blue-sonder]

Kat Recommends Anime

Hello anime fans who are younger than me! I know a lot of you are probably watching stuff like Attack on Titan and Yuri on Ice and Naruto Next Gen and Madoka Magica or whatever else on platforms like Hulu, Netflix and Crunchyroll. Back in my time we had to stay up late on school days to get our dosage of anime from Toonami. It’s so awesome that we live in an age where you can just binge-watch an entire series instead of waiting for new episodes to air, and sometimes you didn’t even get to see them because your parents made you go to bed! Since I was born in 1990 I fully experienced the anime boom that took place between then and 2005. I’m here to recommend some older anime you might not have seen or heard of, stuff that I still hold in high regard to this day for its characters, plot, style or any combination of the three... actually, usually all three. Let’s go!

1: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (1992, 5 seasons, 200 episodes) Real talk: Sailor Moon Crystal was only produced so Bandai and Toei could capitalize on the nostalgia factor that a lot of companies are taking advantage of these days because my generation is coming into money. Sailor Moon began airing in the USA in 1995 and ended in 2002, though the fifth and final season Stars was never dubbed in English. I recommend watching this in Japanese because the English voice acting is atrocious. Sailor Moon is quintessential magical girl anime. It might not be as shiny and pretty as newer stuff like Madoka and Precure, but if you haven’t seen it then you definitely should because it will give you a better appreciation for the genre.

2: Trigun (1998, 26 episodes) Trigun is awesome. If you watch it in English you’ll probably recognize the voice talents of Johnny Yong Bosch, Lia Sargent and Jeff Nimoy, who did a lot of work in anime from this time period. Trigun is in the space western genre and follows the same premise as Rurouni Kenshin: goofy main character with a serious side is on a mission to stop the bad guy he’s emotionally attached to, with a host of side characters he also gets attached to even though he’d be better off alone and brooding. If you like good character development and lots of action, this is the retro anime for you.

3: Cowboy Bebop (1998, 26 episodes) Another space western with some noir flavoring, Cowboy Bebop features really likeable characters engaging in shenanigans with occasional bouts of seriousness. The intro theme is an awesome composition by Yoko Kanno. This anime requires reasonable suspension of disbelief- humans have colonized planets and moons throughout the solar system and seldom delves into the technology behind it. The English dub is really good thanks to veteran voice actors Steve Blum and Wendee Lee. Definitely a must-see if you haven’t.

4: Cardcaptor Sakura (1998, 3 seasons, 70 episodes) The American adaption “Cardcaptors” is just awful compared to the original version, so don’t bother with it. This is another magical girl anime that differs from most because the protagonist is in elementary school instead of junior high or high school. Despite her age she’s extremely relatable and displays all-important magical girl traits of appreciating her friends and remaining optimistic in the face of impending doom. It is worth noting that every single transformation scene, which are not drawn-out and flashy like Sailor Moon’s, is individually animated, and the quality really shines through. The premise behind Sakura’s magic is also explained quite well. This series is in my top five fave anime of all time.

5: FLCL/Fooly Cooly (2001, 6 episodes) This anime is interesting and off-the-wall in ways I’ve never seen replicated. It’s essentially a comedic coming-of-age story with dashes of sci-fi. The characters are all really interesting, the plot seems incoherent until the very end, and Kari Wahlgren makes the English dub worthwhile (the other voice actors are good too). Super short, super unconventional, super hilarious.

6: Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2002, 2 seasons, 52 episodes) A rich, complex cyberpunk/sci-fi world of cyborgs, robots and hackers. The animation was way ahead of its time. Inner Universe is one of the greatest anime themes ever and a great track in its own right. SAC appeals to a mature audience who can appreciate the themes and nuances. Really great main character design with a bevy of useful and interesting side characters. There is never a dull or sluggish moment with this series.

7: Wolf’s Rain (2003, 30 episodes) I haven’t encountered very many people who are familiar with this anime either in-person or online, and honestly that makes me sad because it’s freakin’ beautiful. Just listen to these two songs from the soundtrack. Yeah, that’s what you have to look forward to. Do you like wolves? Of course you do. Do you like wolves who project themselves as humans to avoid persecution in a post-apocalyptic world and go on a quest fraught with danger? Watch it and find out.

8: Samurai Champloo (2004, 26 episodes) This anime is #3 on my top favorites list. Stop watching shows that are full of bullshit filler and obnoxious side characters and pointless plot avoidance and just watch this. There are three main characters and their dynamic is perfect. The characters themselves are perfect. The plot progression is perfect. The resolution is pretty perfect too. It makes you want more but you’re not gonna get more, so go read some awesome fanfiction when you’re done. SamCham takes place in the Edo period and is fairly historically accurate, which contributes to the hilarity of certain scenes. It also has really good intro and outro themes; I hum the chorus of Shiki no Uta all the time.

9: Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha (2004, 4 series, 64 episodes) Another anime not many people seem to be familiar with probably because it was never dubbed in English. Lyrical Nanoha is a magical girl/sci-fi anime that deals with some darker subjects than most, but it handles them quite well. Strikers is my favorite “arc” of the series because it’s full of kick-ass ladies. The way this show handles magic is a bit more technical; the weapon designs are awesome and change form several times, but not to the point of being stupidly overpowered. The character designs themselves are also really cool because they’re actually suited for combat and not just looking pretty.

10: Paranoia Agent (2004, 13 episodes) This series is a really great psychological drama in which average people who are all a little fucked up in some way get attacked by a boy on roller blades with a baseball bat. A pair of detectives are assigned to track him down, but no one is certain he even exists. The animation is pretty standard for the time but the characters are where the focus lies. If you don’t mind something a bit more adult, give this a watch.

Bonus: IGPX- Immortal Grand Prix (2005, 26 episodes) IGPX is unique in that it was actually produced by the Toonami branch of Cartoon Network with help from a Japanese studio. If mechs and racing are up your alley then this is a fun, simple, fairly light-hearted series to watch if you’ve seen everything else.

There you have it, my favorite anime that might be older than you. If you decide to watch anything from this list, let me know what you thought of it!

[queenlua]

Cowboy Bebop’s soundtrack is great, but you know what other Yoko Kanno soundtrack is a 100% banger?  motherfucking Wolf’s Rain

if you loved “Road to the West” you gotta listen to that sweet fuckin alto sax solo in “Paradiso”

if you loved “Space Lion” you’ll go apeshit over “Sold Your Soul.”  (in general the Warsaw Philharmonic puts out nothing but straight bangers every single fucking track they’re on)

(also, that one is so clearly a “Yoko Kanno does what Yasunori Mitsuda wishes he could do” track, and I say this as someone who’s sworn their everlasting love to Mr. Mitsuda several times over.  Mitsuda is great but Yoko Kanno is just a goddess, i’m sorry)

and then you get shit like “Coração Selvagem” and “Amore Amaro” b/c bitch just cannot be bound by genre!!!

criminally underrated album imho

[venranae]

This is the most underrated song in any OST ever it's so good I start levitating and astral projecting when I hear it my soul ascends into another realm my third eye opens my skin is clear my crops are watered yoko kanno my goddess what would I be without your work

[falconlord5]

Batman's Thoughts On Selina Kyle And Talia Al-Ghul

She's so cold and human It's something humans do She stays so golden solo, she's so number nine She's incredible math Just incredible math And is she really human? She's just so something new A waking lithium flower just about to bloom I smell lithium now Smelling lithium now How is she when she doesn't surf? How is she when she doesn't surf? How is she when she doesn't surf? I wonder what she does when she wakes up? When she wakes up? So matador, so calm, so oil on a fire She's so good, she's so good, she's so goddess lithium flower So sonic wave Yeah, she's so groove, yeah She's so groove, yeah Wow, where did she learn how to surf? Wow, where did she learn how to surf? Wow, where did she learn how to surf? You know I've never see the girl wipe out

How does she so perfectly surf? How does she so perfectly surf? How does she so perfectly surf? I wonder what she does when she wakes up? I wanna go surfing with her I wanna go surfing with her I wanna go surfing with her I wanna go surfing with her

Lyrics obtained via Genius. All credit to Scott Matthew and Yoko Kanno.

[karamazovdmitri]

metalhime replied to your post “anyway i ended up watching la la land and honestly? i felt like it...”

I loved kids on the slope!! I literally watched it for Yoko Kanno. La la land? Meh.

@metalhime kids on the slope is honest to god my favourite anime/manga its AMAZING and same yoko kanno is a music goddess im so??? im glad we agree anything featuring yoko kanno  >>> la la land

[plottwiststudios]

Good day to you, Johnathan! Since you already revealed which program your artist uses, could you give it up for your fellow music fellas out there? What programs do you use, and what kinda stuff inspires you to make new tracks? Any tips for beginners? Also, what kinda music do you like? Thanks! ;D

Hey there! I’ll do my didily darned bestest to be of help! 

1. I use FL Studio 11 & 12. (Out of preference, I think other DAWs are more catered towards orchestrations.)

2. This can go for #4 as well! Literally everything inspires me as I find it important not to limit where inspiration comes from if you want to make tunes that take the best cues from various genres and create your own style. :’3 Though I do tend to tilt towards game, movie/tv, and anime music. To answer this more uniquely: Yoko Kanno is my biggest inspiration, with Hitoshi Sakimoto, Dave Porter, Shoji Meguro, Nobuo Uematsu, Motoi Sakuaba, and way, way, way too many other composers keeping me trying hard.

3. I’m a beginner in the grand scheme of things. Only real tip I can tell you is that ‘Yes, everyone really DOES love your music more than you do.’ That, and don’t feel bad if your music doesn’t feel as crispy clean and epic as movie composers’. They have top tier sound design team that go behind their works and elevate it for both movies and the standalone score. Needless to say, most of us can’t even afford one sound designer for one track. x’D

4. Literally. Everything. ಠ_ಠ (Especially from Yoko Kanno. Goddess Tier.

[theozilla]

Music Tag meme

Tagged by @ourqueenfelinefatale Thanks for the invite! (Put your playlist on shuffle and put in the first 10 songs.)

1. Ballad of the Goddess from Skyward Sword - Koji Kondo 

2. CAMBODIAN LIMBO - Susumu Hirasawa 

3. Albedo (Whitening) - Susumu Hirasawa 

4. Cosmos - Yoko Kanno and The Seatbelts 

5. Circuit OFF Circuit ON -Susumu Hirasawa 

6. Brain-Centric Theory - Susumu Hirasawa 

7. ROCKING ROAD - COOL JOKE 

8. You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) - Dead or Alive 

9. The Times They Are A-Changin' - Bob Dylan 

10. The Battle Drums - Joe Hisaishi

Yeah basically what I expected, lots of Susumu Hirasawa songs and soundtrack music and a few random ones. I’ll tag: @steinbecks​ @watertribegirl​ @alienbiologies @lulubelles @diocletianscabbagefarm @basedguts @reyshepkorra and anyone else who would like to.

[snowtoroislord]

List 97: Top Eleven Favorite Soundtracks in Anime

So much god damn music! From amazing tunes to ear shattering sounds, it was a journey listening to them all individually and rating them as such. Some were impossible to enjoy, and others had no official ost sadly. Yet, I had a lot of fun going through all of it. Music is a joy to me, and out of those 100 series(movies were exempt) these are the best of them all. I do hope some of you can enjoy these picks for their musical composition and if you have a little time go search them out. It will be well worth your time. 

Also I counted wrong when making my final cut so I have 11 because I didn’t have the heart to cut the 11th show. 

11. Spicy Wolf

Gosh what a lively OST. It is so charming to embark on. That fantasy world you see and imagine trying to be a part of really comes right off the screen when you hear this soundtrack. The music is so fitting in every way. I think the one drawback is this OST doesn’t have a particular show stealing song, outside of that though it is very wonderful. 

10. Baccano 

Historical anime tend to be very realistic. Well, Baccano isn’t exactly that way but it’s like if history decided to be a lot more creative and let loose. Hence why the jazz accompaniment for this OST is spot on. One of the more free feeling and wild musical genres(and a personal favorite of mine) this soundtrack is dripping with pure excitement and fun. Some tracks are a tad short or samey but for the most part you get a lot of strong pieces that get you tapping your foot to them. 

9. Mushishi

Mushishi is really a dark world full of mystery and the occultic. It always finds a way to bring the viewer on a spiritual journey with those mushi though. It’s something very tranquil and almost fragile. The music captures this feeling eerily well in the best of ways. I’d say most if not all the tracks are superb, the only drawback is they lack any length and end up being hard to name on the spot. As a whole though they were a strong cohesive. 

8. Haikyuu

Wow this was a surprise. I didn’t expect this soundtrack to be so damn mesmerizing with it’s selection. I really could feel the intensity and emotion welling inside me while listening to it, and I found a new respect for the series. The time spent on the music was damn good. Really I am impressed with this soundtrack for how it delivered. Props to you, props to you. 

7. Trigun

Such great guitar tracks right here. Most anime tend to really fall back on piano music of some sort, and guitar tracks seem to be less and less. And when they do appear boy are they just devoid of any effort. Not with Trigun, that classic rock and rock electric guitar to get you amped is there in spades! And it kicks ass just like the Human Typhoon. The issue is the OST is so long you kinda get some throw away songs before the good stuff settles in the dust. 

6. Clannad

Emotional OST’s are hard to come by. I heard so many soundtracks try to be moving and just fail with plain pieces. Clannad however excels at being a great mixture of SOL, comedy, and drama with it’s show and the music needed to match that tone. And by golly it sure as heck does! I would say some of the finest individual tracks are on this OST, but they get a bit diluted with overuse in remixes to the point of making you go, “Please stop that, please right now!”. This is an issue in all Key OST’s and Clannad suffers from it whilst being so good everywhere else. 

5. Darker than Black

Another big surprise was this OST! Wow, just wow how could this show have such a powerful Jazz musical powerhouse OST. Then I look it up and remember Yoko the Angel Goddess Kanno produced it. Seriously this is good stuff and makes an already enjoyable action thriller series feel even more exciting and bombastic. Truly a delight to hear, it’s only shortcomings would be a handful of short needless tracks. 

4. FLCL

Here is a respected pick I am sure, but I think we can all agree in terms of anime music, it is very unconventional. While thinking that, I also think that it is strange and foreign in the best of ways. What else would fit the weird ass blob of storytelling that is FLCL than something very unanime. A great selection of music to support a very odd ball short anime. I love it for what it is. It isn’t the best but it is damn good. 

3. Kids on the Slope

Did I mention I loved Jazz music? Yes? Ahh knew it! Well this is a time piece with all types of jazz music. From piano to drums to trumpet. The music hits all sorts of new creations and old historical classics. Yoko Kanno does it again with brilliance. Kids on the Slope has a powerhouse OST, the only reason I can’t rank it higher is not all the music is original and so 1/3rd of the strength of the music comes from preexisting music. I don’t want to credit it all to Kanno that way but it is well placed and makes a lot of sense. I can’t give it the overall win though for anime OST’s should be mostly of their own merit. 

2. Shiki

Atmospheric and disturbingly creepy as fuck this OST makes Shiki the chilling ride it is. While the character designs can detract from the horror, hearing the haunting ambiance this OST produces as it builds up to a soul splitting crescendo is hard not to be amazed by. I really think it is one of the best OST’s I have ever heard. A lot of simple and deeply effective scary music tracks that create a horror vibe like none other. It would be a winner but the top pick is just too good to best. 

1. Cowboy Bebop

Obvious pick is obvious but with over 6 hours of music Cowboy Bebop has my hands down pick for best anime soundtrack. The amount of genres it covers alone is impressive to boot, but to see the musical quality attached to each and every one of them is so noteworthy, I can’t praise it enough. Bebop is the master of music in anime for me and Kanno’s finest work. She is my favorite composer and this for me as of now is her Magnum Opus. It never fails to amaze me after hearing it time and time again. These 11 OST’s are all fine works, but for me Bebop’s soundtrack just reminds me how sweet life can be with a little music in it. 

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any of the above pictures. The credit goes to the original creators of each and thus will be considered theirs. Enjoy the pics!

Well those were my all time favorite soundtracks! What anime OST’s do you get your rocks off to!? Tell me somewhere!

See ya Space Corgis!

[firef-ck]

Title: Didn’t it Rain Artist: Yoko Kanno Album: Arjuna 2 - Onna no minato Year: 2001 Country: Japan

And then goddess Kanno created the rain.

-Tom Tomatoe

[swipestream]

Sensor Sweep: Celtic Fantasy, Donald Wollheim, Creepy Magazine, Hideous Creatures

Popular Culture (Men of Violence): Historical fiction special! Vikings! Roman soldiers! Pirates! Swash-buckling soldiers of fortune!68 pages, all colour, packed with reproductions of rare and unusual paperbacks.Articles, reviews, interviews and features on Casca, Gardner Fox, Henry Treece, Talbot Mundy, Rosemary Sutcliff, Rafael Sabatini and forgotten cover artists.

        Fiction (DMR Books): Awhile back, Dave Ritzlin here at the DMR blog asked me to recommend some good Celtic fantasy fiction. Today being Celtic New Year’s Day, it seemed appropriate to start off the New Year with a list of quality Celtic fiction.

To be honest, I can’t say that I like the vast majority of the fantasy which has been marketed or labeled as “Celtic.” As the late, great Steve Tompkins noted long, long ago, ���cheapjack Celticism” has reigned o’er the land of Celtic fantasy since at least the 1980s. Languid, matriarchal tree-huggery tends to be the order of the day in most “Celtic” fiction, with the authors in question either being pig-ignorant of Celtic history and culture or cherry-picking to suit their (boring) take on the subject. 

  Fiction (DMR Books): Don Wollheim died on November 2, 1990, leaving behind him a sword and sorcery legacy that has never been matched. In the rarefied Valhalla of S&S editors/publishers, Wollheim sits enthroned at the high table. He debuted or “broke out”–as in, “their first big splash in the paperback market”–more enduring and important characters in the S&S

  pantheon than any other editor/publisher. It is as simple as that.

  Anime (Walker’s Retreat): Any Space Opera taking queues from Japan will not fail to acknowledge the Macross franchise. Starting in 1982 with Super Dimension Fortress Macross (which many of you known as the most popular part of Robotech), this is the #2 Real Robot franchise in Japan and has been since its debut (following the king that is Gundam). The consistent presence music as a power unto itself, the love triangles that drive the relationships, and their combination in the form of music that has now had inter-generational influence in anison and J-pop (and brought about the rise of Living Goddess Yoko Kanno).

  Lovecraft and Gaming (Yog-Sothoth.com): My latest scrape of the internet reveals that Hideous Creatures: A Bestiary of the Cthulhu Mythos for Trail of Cthulhuhas been released. Kind of. Hideous Creatures… is officially on pre-order at Pelgrane’s web site, but an article comment reveals that you’ll receive the PDF as soon as you place the pre-order for the print edition. – That means it’s out. – The content is there for you to purchase and peruse now; the fact it’s digital bits rather than the 352 page hardback doesn’t alter the content (just the way it may be consumed). If you’re after a new bestiary of Cthulhoid creatures then have a look at Hideous Creatures… Pelgrane promises you something a little different.

Books (Atomic Junk Shop): Your Favorite Book Cover:

Oh my God that is an awful question for someone like me. I can’t decide. It really depends on the genre and the artist and what kind of mood I’m in that day. The best I can do is narrow it down to a few favorite artists. I think the artist that perfectly captured the spirit of the story more than anyone else is Gino d’Achille with his covers for the Edgar Rice Burroughs Mars books.

Fiction (Frontier Partisans): I was in the mood for some fun, for a read that strums the right chords but isn’t related to a project or anything that feels like work. That can be a problem for me. I tend to put way too much weight on my choices of fiction. Pondering this in preparation for Running Iron Report podcasts, I realized that I kind of expect a novel to rock my world, always seeking that visceral hit that I got when I was young and a novel would go to my head like strong wine. Chasing the high and most often finding myself dissatisfied.

It’s why I read very little fiction these days. I really don’t read just for funanymore. And that’s just stupid. I needed to get out of my own way and simply enjoy a yarn.

Over the weekend, I kept running across an author named Jonathan French and a book titled The Grey Bastards.

  Comic Books (Paint Monk): Robert E. Howard is best known, and deservedly so, for Conan of Cimmeria, but he was a prolific author who wrote in several genres. While he arguably created the sword and sorcery tale, he also hammered out a staggering amount of pulp fiction, including westerns, boxing stories, detective yarns, and horror tales.

One of his best horror works was “Out of the Deep”, posthumously published in Magazine of Horror #18in their November 1967 issue.

  Fiction (Tellers of Weird Tales): Before Spider-Man and Superman, before Marvel and DC, even before comic books, there was the word superhero. (1) My hypothesis is that the word and the concept originated in the 1890s, give or take a decade, just as so much of our popular culture originated at that time. In order to test my hypothesis, I have used an online search engine/database/index of newspapers dating to the nineteenth century. I can’t say that the newspaper articles I have found were actually the earliest occurrences in print of the following words. Even if they’re not, my guess is that they’re close, as ideas, concepts, and memes seem to arise at a certain time, often in a certain place, and in a certain society or culture.

  Cinema (Sacnoth’s Scriptorium): John Boorman’s Lord of the Rings

In 1970, The Lord of the Rings was everywhere, its eco-friendly escapism dovetailing neatly with the communal mindset of the post-Woodstock era. A film was inevitable, and rights-holder United Artists turned to John Boorman, a British director with a passion for Arthurian fantasy and – more importantly – a moderate hit under his belt in Point Blank. Joining forces with the young screenwriter Rospo Pallenberg, Boorman turned out a script that covers all three books, runs to 178 pages and is, without question, one of the weirdest documents in existence.

  Comic Books (Pulp Archivist): In 1947’s Writer’s Digest, Stan Lee, then editor of Timely Comics, writes in his “There’s Money in Comics”:

One point which I can’t stress too strongly is: DON’T WRITE DOWN TO YOUR READERS! It is common knowledge that a large portion of comic magazine readers are adults, and the rest of the readers who may be kids are generally pretty sharp characters.

  Comic Books (Paint Monk): Few comics had the impact on me that Creepy did. The first issue I got my hands on was issue 4 of the magazine, dated August of 1965. I hadn’t even been born yet when this issue dropped, but I happened upon it at a flea market we used to visit when I was a kid and remember vividly seeing that Frank Frazetta cover for the first time.

  Gaming (Niche Gamer): Publisher Skybound Games has announced they’ve cancelled the planned physical release of Hollow Knight.

The August-announced retail version of the game is now longer happening. Here’s a statement from Skybound:

“We are saddened to share that we’ll no longer be working with Team Cherry to bring Hollow Knight to new platforms. We absolutely love the game and wish Team Cherry continued success. We look forward to seeing what’s next for them.”

Here’s a rundown on the game:

  Popular Culture (Kairos): Author JD Cowan offers a grim prognosis on the fate of pop culture based on Hollywood’s manifest inability to connect with its audience.

The Predator is a shallow, spiritually dead movie of stolen imagination and rehashed ideas with a message that could only have been thought up by someone too pathetic to grow up beyond adolescence. And it was written by someone who was there when the original film was being made. And not a talentless man, either. He wrote the original two (and best) Lethal Weapon films as well as Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. He knows action and how to give the audience what they want.

    Sensor Sweep: Celtic Fantasy, Donald Wollheim, Creepy Magazine, Hideous Creatures published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames

[thearendork-blog]

One of my favorite anime. This is the instrumental version of the opening song. Been listening to it on loop for the past three hours.

I love you, Yoko Kanno.

[joomju]

HALP I found another Yoko Kanno soundtrack to adore. My heart keeps growing and breaking and growing again, I didn't know some of these emotions still existed inside me, I'm going to to be completely unintelligible for the next bit, wishing I could reply to my friends with music the way a blogger replies with gifs.  

[snowtoroislord]

List 96: Top Ten Favorite Composers

Well after listening to all of the soundtracks for the 100 shows I have been using for these lists, I present the final 3 music lists based upon those. First are the composers. The men and women behind the music of the anime. These people create the soundtracks we so adore with their talent in the art. So, I now list the cream of the crop as Macho Man Randy Savage would say.

10. Jun Maeda

Notable Works: Clannad, Angel Beats!

The father of Key kicks off this list. This man is the creative mind behind pretty much anything and everything Key related. And his music is very good overall. He has great selection with silly, dramatic, and theme songs. His only weakness would be issue with variety per OST. Too many reprises of similar songs that dilute the overall quality with too much of the same song. It hurts a song more when you have 5 versions rather than 2. 

9. Toshio Masuda

Notable Works: Mushishi

Mushishi is certainly a gem of a series. Its take on the supernatural genre is without a doubt one of the most atmospheric out there. A lot of this boils down to it’s music collection. A dark, foreboding, and very natural yet spiritual sound comes off of this OST. If you have seen the series you would have to agree the music really matches the tone beat for beat. If he had more credits, I’m sure he could rank higher.  

8. Yasuharu Takanashi

Notable Works: Shiki

Shiki is a spooky soundtrack, Unsettling in the best of ways. Just like Grandma’s athletes foot. You get such a creepy feeling listening to it and it all comes from this man. 80′s hair or not, he created a masterpiece of horror themed music and for that alone I had to toss him on my list. 

7.  Kenji Kawai

Notable Works: Barakamon, Eden of the East

Now this is quite a variety I would admit. The soundtracks for Barakamon and Eden are not similar. Aside from good quality that is. Barakamon’s OST has a mix of upbeat music to lift you off your feet and Eden of the East settles you in for the ride it is going to take you on. I suppose the best way to credit this creator is they match their series well. 

6.  Shiro Hamaguchi

Notable Works: Tari Tari, Shirobako, Hanasaku Iroha

P.A. Works should really thank this man. I suppose they do with all the work they have given him. His soundtracks are all worthy of being listened to. He really nails the SOL genre with his vision and for me that is a genre full of samey songs. So, having a bit of talent in that department is one thing I can totally commend. 

5.  Yoshihisa Hirano

Notable Works: Ouran High and Death Note

Well these two shows have almost zero in common. Aside from being in the same time period that is haha. Yet, if you hear both of them you will notice a large variety of songs that just ooze with personality. The charm and grace of Ouran and the intensity of Death Note. He really understands his material and gives it the best show with his musical craft. 

4.  Hiroyuki Sawano

Notable Works: Attack on Titan, Kill la Kill, Seven Deadly Sins

If you want vocal songs meant for high energy action scenes, this man is for you. All of his OST’s tend to have a chunk that is meh, but his strongest songs are all very very easy to jam out to. I would say his music is easily some of the most marketable in the anime world. He gets what people like the most and uses it to his full advantage. 

3.  Yuki Kaijura

Notable Works: Madoka Magica, SAO, Fate/Zero

Music that is meant to capture a dramatic presence is often hard to do. You want something memorable that causes an emotional response but you don’t want it to drown out the scene it accompanies. This happens in SAO a lot since the anime isn’t always strong enough to keep up with the powerful music, but the rest of her work makes it shine so much more. Madoka and Fate feel like some of the most serious shows out there due to the music there supporting them like fire to an inferno. She gets how to bring out the best of her story with strong, moving songs that will make you well up inside a little when you hear them after all is said and done. 

2.  Makoto Yoshimori

Notable Works: Drrr!!,Baccano!, Natsume Yuujinchou, Hotarubi no Mori e

This man is a master of music. From his modern take on music with Drrr, to his jazzy topical selection in Baccano, to the light hearted nature to his music with Natsume. The man is Brain Base’s musical overlord. Most of his music even if it isn’t the best soundtrack is memorable. If I can listen to your OST and recognize most of your music on the first listen you did a good job making it accompany your show. I think he knows what fits his work pretty darn well. 

1.  Yoko Kanno

Notable Works: Cowboy Bebop. Darker than Black, Kids on the Slope, Zankyou no Terror, Space Dandy

A musical goddess. All of her soundtracks are great, and even ones like Darker than Black and Space Dandy will surprise you with their depth. No one gets music better in the anime spectrum than the angel of music, Yoko Kanno. Just listen to the sweet melodies of Bebop’s OST alone and you will get her range. She of course excels at jazz the most, and this is why shows like Kids on the Slope pop so much, but she has hit so many genres with overwhelming success, I’m sorta astonished. I listened to all of her music with the assumption it might be nostalgia from the show speaking, but goodness no way, she really does own it. She is by far my top pick as the greatest anime composer of all time. Well aside from Joe Hisaishi but I didn’t include movies. I should do that in the future sometime. I’m sure those classics may have a person or two who could try to rival her. 

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any of the above pictures. The credit goes to the original creators of each and thus will be considered theirs. Enjoy the pics!

Who composes your favorite anime music? Tell me somewhere on the net, until then......

See ya Space Corgis!