The best anime about making music not only entertain with thrilling performances, but exemplify many of the most beloved themes in anime. The power of friendship, belief in oneself, and, of course, excellent soundtracks reign supreme in these shows. It’s a combination of talent and teamwork that propels musicians to the big time.
Music anime spans all genres. From rock to jazz to classical, every style is appreciated and given its moment in the spotlight. Each climactic performance is a triumph of both musical talent and personal development, and depicts the pure joy of what it is to make a beautiful sound.
10 Your Lie In April Brings Together Instruments & Artists
Based on the manga by Naoshi Arakawa
Kousei Arima was once one of the brightest rising stars in the music world. Years of abusive training from his mother not only destroyed his ability to play piano but left him a recluse with devastating anxiety. It’s only when he meets violinist Kaori Miyazono that his long-buried love of music is rekindled.
Your Lie in April is both a sad anime guaranteed to make fans cry, and one of the few series that portrays the synergy of a violinist and their piano accompaniment. As Kousei and Kaori grow closer, they both get to experience things they never thought they would, in music and in life. Their unwavering faith in each other changes them for good, even when they’re ultimately separated.
Watch On Crunchyroll
9 K-On! Turns A Novice Band Into Determined Pros
Based on the manga by Kakifly
K-On! is short for keiongaku, or light music, a soft and gentle variety of classical. After her senpai graduated, Ritsu Tainaka is delighted to assume the presidency of Sakuragaoka High School’s K-On Club by default. The only problem is, neither she nor the new members she collects to keep from being disbanded can actually play any of their instruments.
One of KyoAni’s most popular anime played a major part of kicking off the moe boom of the early 2000s. However, there’s plenty more to love about K-On! Not only does it pack in quite a lot of the club’s musical performances, portrayed with top-notch animation, but it boasts a well-rounded cast that learns and grows together a great deal over two seasons.
Watch On The Roku Channel
8 Inu-Oh Brings The Power Of Rock To Ancient Japan
Based on the novel Tales of the Heike: Inu-Oh by Hideo Furukawa
Blinded by a weapon of the gods, a young biwa player, Tomona, wanders the earth searching for a purpose. He finds it in a chance encounter with the wild dancer Inu-Oh, shunned for his birth defects but blessed with skills beyond any human. Together, they form a powerful friendship and the perfect musical duo.
Masaaki Yuasa has spoken extensively about his unique style, characterized by surreal imagery and dazzling motion. Inu-Oh is no exception, bringing rock opera to a historical fantasy setting in pure, stylistic fun. Through song, Tomona and Inu-Oh both fight relentlessly to tell their story and assert their own identities.
Watch On Hulu
7 Ao No Orchestra Overcomes Trauma Through Classical Violin
Based on the web manga by Makoto Akui
Once, Hajime Aono was excited to follow in the footsteps of his famous violinist father. In the wake of his parents’ bitter divorce, he throws his instrument away, vowing never to have anything to do with the violin again. It’s only when connecting with other violinists years later that he realizes he can use his talents for true good.
Fans’ favorite part of Ao no Orchestra is how Aono and his very different classmates come together as they hone their skills. Aono’s personal trauma stems from media treatment of his family in the midst of his father’s scandal, but his friends have very different hardships to move forward from. Like an orchestra playing in harmony, the students come together to support one another as they strive to become the best.
Watch on Dinsey+
6 Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight Delights In Musical Theater
Based on the musical franchise created by Bushiroad, Nelke Planning, and Kinema Citrus
As children, Karen and Hikari promised that one day, they’d become world-famous stage actresses together. Though they’ve been separated for many years, they reunite at Seishou Academy, which trains the greatest young talents in musical theater. Competing with their classmates for the coveted lead roles in Starlight, the girls learn whether they really have what it takes to be Top Star.
Revue Starlight is a far-reaching franchise with stage musicals, mobile games, manga, and two spin-off anime movies that rank among the best animated films of all time. The anime specifically, however, encompasses what it’s like to try and get ahead in theater, simultaneously encouraging your friends and striving to get ahead yourself. Its eye-catching visuals and unique soundtrack make it as enthralling to watch as any of the best stage shows.
Watch On HIDIVE
5 Aggretsuko Shows Off How Satisfying Metal Screams Are
Based on the character created by Yeti and Sanrio
Office jobs can be more stressful than expected, especially if you’re a small, timid red panda. Beleaguered accountant Retsuko struggles with misogyny in the workplace, romantic fumbles and failures, and persistent feelings of frustration. To cope, she lets out the feelings she bottles up with regular secret sessions of death metal karaoke.
Retsuko is far from a professional vocalist, but she doesn’t need to be for her form of making music to be interesting and important. Catharsis and self-expression are essential to music, and Retsuko’s particular methods are not only healthy for her, but help her get closer to other people. Being confident enough to sing in front of someone else is a huge sign of how much she trusts them.
Watch On Netflix
4 Nana Teaches to Face Adulthood With Music And Love
Based on the manga by Ai Yazawa
Nana Komatsu and Nana Osaki have very different reasons for journeying to Tokyo: the former for love, and the latter to recover from it by focusing on her music career. The two room together out of convenience, but the longer they stay in the city and the greater challenges they face, the stronger their newly forged friendship becomes.
One of the must-watch anime series for adult fans centers around Osaki’s punk rock band and friends in the music scene. Komatsu is quickly drawn into their world, witnessing their struggles and triumphs as they work hard to make it big. As she discovers firsthand, success as musicians depends just as much on getting through conflict among band members unscathed as it does on the group’s popularity or sound.
Watch On Hulu
3 Bocchi The Rock! Battles Anxiety With Rock Guitar
Based on the manga by Aki Hamaji
Hitori “Bocchi” Gotou’s debilitating anxiety keeps her from making friends, and she takes refuge in practicing her beloved Gibson. Thanks to that guitar, friends find her anyway, and before she knows it she’s part of the fledgling rock band Kessoku Band. Surrounded by her new bandmates, Bocchi not only becomes a stronger musician but starts to come out of her shell.
Teenage bands like Kessoku Band, by nature, aren’t likely to stay together forever. As Bocchi discovers, the experiences and relationships a musician gains from them are invaluable, becoming more confident and better able to weather life’s difficulties. To depict the concert scenes as accurately as possible, physical actors were filmed playing Kessoku Band’s parts and used as models for computer animation.
Watch On Crunchyroll
2 Given Explores Grief And Love Through Music
Based on the manga by Natsuki Kizu
Ritsuka Uenoyama has never met anyone who lugs a guitar around all day without having any idea how to play it. When he meets Mafuyu Sato, he discovers that not only is the guitar a relic of a tragic past, but that Mafuyu’s true instrument is his beautiful voice. He’s the secret ingredient that Ritsuka’s band, newly dubbed Given, needs to become truly great.
Given is as much an exploration of how music is used to move through trauma and pain as it is of how a band comes together. The climactic performances as Mafuyu channels his grief and love into his lyrics and singing are heartrending. What puts it back together again are the romances that bloom between not only Mafuyu and Ritsuka, but the band’s bassist and drummer, Haruki and Akihiko.
Watch On Crunchyroll
1 Blue Giant Is a Jazzy Delight
Based on the manga by Shinichi Ishizuka
Jazz was instantly popular when it was introduced to Japan in the early twentieth century, and even today, Japan has the highest proportion of jazz fans in the world. When Dai Miyamoto hears his first live jazz performance, his life is changed forever. He sets out on a journey to become the greatest jazz player in Japan’s history.
Studio NUT, created by former Studio Madhouse artists, doesn’t have a large filmography yet, but Blue Giant is a great sign of the studio’s future. Dai and his bandmates, Shunji and Yukinori, have excellent chemistry as musicians and as friends. Most memorably, the intensity and creativity of the animation depicting how perfect their jazz sounds together is a joy to watch.
Watch On Apple TV
