Best of the Noughties: 15 Favourite Seiyuu & Anisong Albums
Anisong has always been a huge part of my fandom, it’s what got me into anime in the first place so it seems natural that I should draw up a list of the albums that I’ve loved most over the past 10 years. Unfortunately the industry isn’t really album-driven so looking for a good CD is like trying to find that elusive needle in a haystack. As such, it didn’t take me too long to make the choices for this list – most of them were really obvious in that they’ve been on my iPod rotation for forever.
Not in any particular order or ranking.
Calling Dream Field the most important anisong album of the decade may seem like a bit of an exaggeration but just look at all the Kalafina and FictionJunction projects we have to put up with now – the sad thing is that none of them hold a candle to See-Saw. The Kajiura Yuki-Ishikawa Chiaki partnership was one that worked so well and in fact, I daresay no other vocalist has grabbed Kajiura’s material by the neck and sung the hell out of it the way Chiaki did. Every single track on this one is a classic.
Choice Cuts: Sen’ya Ichi’ya, Tasogare no Umi, Yasashii Yoake
Having to ‘go back to the drawing board’ is not something most artists would contemplate, but angela did so and this sublime album is the result, ending a four-year dry run after being dropped by their first major label. Sora no Koe is epic pop perfection, backed by a retooled orchestral sound and a new, powered-up vocal approach by Atsuko.
Choice cuts: Asu e no brilliant road, Pain, Kirei na Yozora
Kajiura Yuki working with Sae-chan was a strange kind of exercise, as if she plundered the best of 90s bubblegum pop era See-Saw, infusing it with the new-found dramatical sounds of the latter-day See-Saw. everything does tone down on the sickly sweetness of their first record melody, throwing out the cutesy crap (no Castella!) in favour of mature ballads to fit Sae’s voice. This CD contains some of the best mainstream pop material Kajiura has ever written – from the pure Ice-Cream to the effervescent Daiya no Genseki.
Choice Cuts: Ice Cream, Daiya no Genseki#brilliant covered, Wednesday Morning
MAGIC ATTRACTION used to be my favourite Nana album, but I’ve been rethinking that stance over the past year and come to the conclusion that MA may have that killer tune (Power Gate) but as an album, ALIVE & KICKING is a better overall listen. You could consider A&K the transition album that still loosely holds on to the old-school Yabuki sound while beginning to embrace a newer Nana sound that fans of today are more familiar with, starting with the kick-ass Tears’ Night.
Choice Cuts: innocent starter, Tears’ Night, Independent Love Song
Fans still mourn Maaya in her Kanno Yoko days and it’s easy to tell why when you listen to this album. Some of her earlier efforts tended to be messy affairs but no such problems on Shounen Alice, eschewing random r’n'b tracks and fluffy Jpop for a tight, focused acoustic-based sound while. The perfect swan song for the Kanno-Sakamoto partnership.
Choice Cuts: Uchuu Hikoushi no Uta, KINGFISHER GIRL – The Song of “Wish You Were Here”, CALL TO ME
Note: The Shounen Alice unplugged session is absolutely worth checking out, songs like Yoru, Uchuu Hikoushi no Uta and Hikari Are sound even more gorgeous live than on record. And of course, Kanno Yoko talking about cookies and apples!
Tindharia is probably the most ‘out-of-place’ choice on this list and my only doujin pick. Shimotsukin’s first fantasy album has her working with Grandia composer Iwadare Noriyuki and it is a thing of beauty; packed with lush orchestration, gentle melodies and some of Haruka’s best, most emotional vocal performances on record.
Choice Cuts: Konya no Tsuki ga Nemuru Made, Shinjitsu no Honoo, Mamoribito
tiaraway has achieved somewhat legendary status for being the best seiyuu pop idol unit this decade, or at least they seemed so to fervent fans like me. Marrying the singing ability of Chiba Saeko and Nanri Yuuka with the songwriting chops of a then-not-yet-quite-famous Shikura Chiyomaru, TWO:LEAF is an oddly compelling album that is not quite like any other seiyuu idol album out there…probably because Chiyomaru stamped his ‘cheap video-game synth pop’ sound all over the songs. That’s not a bad thing, mind you – the guy did write a bunch of stuff for Mizuki Nana after all.
Choice Cuts: Omoide good night, Your Shade, From silent sky
Her final album proper before her untimely death in 2004. Those familiar with Okazaki’s style will no doubt warm up to the material found here (which is actually a Sister Princess Re:pure image album) immediately – a mix of cheerful pop and gentle and heartbreaking ballads that might make you shed a tear. Listening to her songs now, I wonder how many of them were written during Ritsuko’s times of poor health – she was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2003 before suddenly passing away from septic shock due to a blood infection. Five years on I still find it hard to take that she’s no longer with us but her songs will live on forever (oh god, cheese!) – and life is lovely. is arguably the strongest body of work she has to offer.
Choice Cuts: Serenade, Mamoritai Hito ga Ite, Sore wa Atashi no Kokoro nano
Listening to the music Makkun made during her prime was like getting high on a drug, never to come down again – the exhilarating hot-blooded female rocker awesomeness (can you say GAR?) was unparalleled. This album was a bit of a landmark in that it was her first work away from the production hands of Yabuki Toshiro (as well her final Starchild release) and at the time, seemed to indicate that her second coming would be even greater than her first glory run in the late 90s (the Rondo -Revolution- period). Things haven’t quite worked out that way but DEVOTION is still one of Makkun’s most fun albums and has stood up well to the test of time.
Choice Cuts: Sora no Kakeru Hashi, lotus, Train
The bulk of the material here is from ARIA with a couple more from Tsubasa, although strangely there’s a count of 1-1 for Kajiura Yuki-Kanno Yoko songs (Yume no Tsubasa vs Omna Magni) as well. Yui truly benefits from having such established writers (Kitagawa Katsutoshi, Kubota Mina, Kouno Shin) fashion songs for her and she holds her own vocal-wise, making an album that is like the ARIA series she is often associated with, pure iyashikei.
Choice Cuts: Modokashii Sekai no Ue de, Undine, Amurita
Pre-dating the breakthrough Suara made with Musouka from Utawarerumono, Amane Uta is an album of sweet love songs that touch on first love, separation and break-ups, all in that exquisitely pristine and delicate voice of hers. Somehow I feel like crying when I listen to something like Hajimari no Yakusoku…
Choice Cuts: Hajimari no Yakusoku, Tooi Machi, pray
Downbeat, dreary and depressing are the keywords that normally come to mind when thinking of Arai’s music but Eden is not quite the same – it’s a warm, organic album with more feel-good factor to it than past works and as always, her seductive whisper hooks you in easily. This makes for great listening on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Choice Cuts: Nijiiro no Wakusei, Roundabout Drive, Vanilla
Hocchan’s sound has always been unapologetically bright and breezy galpop and it is best captured on this album, for which her fanclub also happens to be named after. Some of these songs are so catchy (Aitai-ai-ai-ai…) they should be quarantined. Yes my jokes are lame.
Choice Cuts: Kono Yubi Tomare, Love Destiny, Tsuki no Kikyuu
Iizuka may get credit for penning all the lyrics but the strength of STORIES lies in the material. Sometimes great songwriting and production can help mask even the thinnest of vocals, as is the case here. And boy does it do it well.
Choice Cuts: Sincerely, Wasurenai., Ashita Hareta nara
Incredibly talented, terribly underrated – it took three years for Atsumi to release this, her major label debut, after her first single Mou Sukoshi…Mou Sukoshi… Acoustic female singer-songwriters are a premium in the anisong world and she’s one of the best. Tokyo Clumsy Days proves as much, a collection of love songs that are both earnest and charming.
Choice Cuts: Osanai Bokura, Ashita ni Nareba, Mou Sukoshi…Mou Sukoshi
Quick Links:
Best of the Noughties: 25 Favourite Anime
*finds ways to listen to all of these, seeing as she normally agrees with you on most musical things, but has never heard any of these…*
I think it may be due to not stumbling onto your blog til 2008 or so… >_>
… Saeko. <3
Bah, can’t say I’ve listened to any of these
(save for madokashii sekai no Ue de [thanks to NHK ni youkoso] and Horie Yuis sister princess OP)
[...] has already tossed down her list of 15 anisong/seiyuu albums that have come out during the last decade. I was delighted to see a few on there that I recognized [...]
@ r3
Agreed. Saeko <3 XD
Great, now I have some new stuff for listening. Thanks
Made me listen again to Ritsuko and sob (a wee bit). Saori Atsumi used to be on heavy rotation but nothing new lately. I am a bit miffed with the Kimi ga ita Monogatari Dreamfield Mix on the See-Saw album. Blergh.
Always get a kick seeing See-Saw MkI doing Swimmer live on TV. Kajiura developing her moves.
I’m so happy to see you comment on See-Saw. I always feel that that is the most under-rated of Yuki Kajiura’s projects. Something tells me that maybe it is time to give Horie and Makino Yui another try. =D
>>Tindharia no Tane. Shimotsuki Haruka [2007]
Oh wow. I own this album, and think that it’s some of Shimotsuki’s best stuff. Glad to see that more people like the work as well. :3
And I need to hear Shounen Alice unplugged, given how much I like the original.
Happy to hear you mention Suara, since I love her songs. I have that album, but definitely will try to listen to the other albums you rec.
Wow! I love this post letting me know more about seiyuu albums a decade ago.
And I totally agree with Hocchan’s album that ‘Kuroneko…’ is her best. (Though ‘Darling’ might be as qualified IMO)
For me I’ll surely add Orikasa Fumiko’s ‘Flower’ too.