Whether it's the experimental movies like Fantasia or recent musicals like Netflix's Vivo, music and animation have worked perfectly hand in hand. Being able to create iconic scenes and moments from the lyrics and beats of the music has made them some of the most beloved animated titles.
And yet, there are plenty of Japanese animated movies and television shows that have explored many music genres and managed to make some of the best anime within the industry. From a death metal singer with a hidden secret to two students falling in love with their musical talents, these are the best examples of anime about music.
Detroit Metal City
Based on the manga of the same name, Detroit Metal City was released on Crunchyroll in 2008. Despite being only made up of twelve episodes, it gained a global fanbase and even saw a live-action movie too.
The series follows the lead singer of a death metal band, Soichi Negishi, who secretly dreams of a music career in pop music instead. But with mounting bills and money needed, he has no choice but to become his alter ego Johannes Krauser II for the band's adoring fans.
Gauche The Cellist
Released in 1982, Gauche the Cellist saw an isolated cellist who is rehearsing for an orchestra in the outskirts of town. During his practices, he is visited by a variety of animals who help him to become a better musician.
The sixty-three-minute movie was produced by Oh! Production, who would go on to make several more movies and OVAs, including their adaptations of the Devilman manga series. But the studio would also support movies from acclaimed Japanese animation directors like Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, who would both eventually set up and create Studio Ghibli.
Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad
Originally a series from the Monthly Shonen Magazine that ran for nearly ten years, Beck was turned into a twenty-six-episode anime series in 2004. Even though it had a short run, the series received positive reviews from its initial release and has remained a popular anime title.
Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad focuses on bored high schooler Yukio Tanaka and his newfound passion for western rock music after picking up a guitar. The series would eventually see him mature and take his music across America to spread his passion in the country that inspired him to become a musician in the first place. While not discussed as much today as when it first came out, the episodes around their road trip offer the same quality as some of the most underrated road trip movies.
Nodame Cantabile
The manga series Nodame Cantabile is one of the biggest selling in the world, with a circulation of over thirty-seven million copies. So it was no surprise that it was eventually adapted into an anime series in 2007.
The series' protagonist, Shinichi Chiaki, is a talented musician who wants to play his music in Europe, but he has a big fear of flying. But upon meeting Megumi Noda at university, he discovers her talents as a pianist and through their love of music, they both start to build a bond.
Kids On The Slope
In Kids on the Slope, shy and introverted Kaoru Nishimi enters his first year of high school and is ready to expect another lonely year. But after he meets the carefree Sentarou Kawabuchi and discovers his passion for jazz, Kaoru falls for the music and has found somewhere to show his skills behind the piano.
This beloved anime series saw the reunion of a couple of acclaimed creative individuals. Composer Yoko Kanno and director Shinichirō Watanabe previously worked together on the smash hit Cowboy Bebop, considered a must-watch single-season anime, and collaborated once again on this musical series.
Nana
Nana follows two very different women who share the same name after they bump into each other in Tokyo and form an unlikely friendship. Nana Osaki wants to become a professional vocalist and Nana Komatsu tries to make her relationship with her boyfriend stronger.
Produced by Madhouse, their name within the Japanese animation industry is certainly a familiar one. As well as adapting Cardcaptor Sakura and Trigun before they turned their sights onto Nana, they continued to produce other hit mangas into globally successful anime like Death Note, Hunter X Hunter, and One-Punch Man.
Given
Released nearly three years ago, Given focuses on the relationship between Haruki Nakayama and Mafuyu Satou after a chance encounter at school and discovering each other's passion and talent for music. The eleven-episode series opens up to the other members of Mafuyu's band and the growing chemistry between them.
A sequel movie was released in 2020 and continued the story from when the finale left off. Even though it was shown in approximately thirty cinemas in Japan, it reached ninth place on its opening weekend in the box office before making its way to Crunchyroll.
K-On!
Even though this anime series was released in 2009 and only had two seasons, it has remained one of the best anime about music and friendship to date. The Light Music Club at an all-girls high school receive a new member named Yui Hirasawa and convince her to join after playing their music to her.
K-On! grew in popularity, with a movie following their trip to England to celebrate their graduation and one of the best movies set in modern London. It was followed by an album featuring the music from the show and a couple of rhythm video games for the PlayStation consoles. This has all culminated in a franchise that sold $192 million in merchandise alone.
Carole & Tuesday
Among Netflix's lineup of original anime series and movies, there isn't anything quite like Carole & Tuesday. Set in the near future where humans live on Mars, Tuesday meets Carole in Alba City, and with nothing more than their keyboard and acoustic guitar, they decide to form a duet and try to compete against AI musicians and singers that have become popular.
Despite the initially odd concept, the show has been praised for its music and the top-notch quality in the animation that has made it one of the best anime on Netflix. With the studio Bones behind it though, the two-part series was in good hands as they are known for their work on the global phenomenon My Hero Academia.
Your Lie In April
Not also is this considered one of the best anime about music, but one of the best anime series in general. Based on the Weekly Shonen Magazine manga series by Naoshi Arakawa, it was adapted as an anime by A-1 Pictures in 2014.
Two years after the death of his mother, Kousei Arima loses his passion to play the piano and how music used to make him feel. But after a chance encounter at seeing a violinist named Kaori Miyazono play in the park, her music strikes a chord in his heart and he rediscovers his love for music.