Some Good Music (from anime OPs & EDs)

I think I kind of found what I like to write about on here: music. I listen to it every day, I believe it's a huge part of my life and it's truly an awesome way to express yourself. As is writing.

I've been juggiling with this idea for a YouTube video, but when I recorded it and begun editing, to me it sounded crappy because I improvised it and it 100% needed a script. In the end, I thought, heck I'll just write about it for Steemit instead!

So if you didn't catch the title, this is about good music from anime. I think this is the first real time I've spoken about this on Steemit, but I am avid fan of anime. I'm not a complete devoted fan who watches shows every day and updates his list every season, I just watch some if it peaks my interest and gives me some ideas for my books. However, thanks to some YouTube artists who dubbed songs from anime into English (NateWantsToBattle, AmaLee, dj-Jo etc), I discovered some different anime via their music! A lot of the shows are merely on my 'to watch' list, but their music has stuck with me! Whether it be the original or an English version, there is a lot of the music here I've fallen in love with!

Re:Re: by Asian Kung-Fu Generation

Re:Re: is the opening theme for the anime ERASED, which I've only just started watching and so far, am loving. The song itself I've actually been listening to for over 2 years! Well... some dubbed versions of it, at least! Funny that I've been aware of this song and anime for 2 years but only now have started to watch the show... huh. Can we also talk about the awesomeness of this album art? I really want to travel to Japan and this cover just gives me vibes. Anyway, the song is such a nice, chilled rock song compared to the heavy rock I've been talking about in recent posts. The Japanese original is awesome, but if you're not someone who's okay with listening to songs in another language, you MUST listen to AmaLee's version! It is so beautiful and chilled, but also gives you 7 different emotions you can't express. I absolutely adore her cover and yes, it makes me emotional. If you're not comfortable with getting emotional due to music, listen to NateWantsToBattle's shorter rock version! I would link both here, but if you're truly curious about all the emotional talk, here is AmaLee's version! If you go onto YouTube and type "Re:Re", both hers and Nate's will pop up.

The song is truly something special, if you don't see it the same way I do, that is completely fine, but I appreciate this song on a different level. It is rare for music to make me care like this, but AmaLee's cover nailed it! If you do enjoy Japanese music, definitely listen to the original by Asian Kung-Fu Generation! They actually released this song back in 2004 in their album Sol-fa, but re-recorded the album in 2016. The band started back in the 90's and throughout its entire lifetime, has maintained its status a 'fantastic, balanced rock band'. I do listen to a few Japanese artists, I do regret not having this band amongst that list... yet! Like my anime 'to watch' list, this band finds itself in my band's 'to listen' list. Oh, and since we're on the topic, even if you're not an anime fan, check out at least the first episode of ERASED! It's on Netflix and watching episode 1 gave me a new appreciation for the lyrics of AmaLee's cover. I'm not sure on your type of television preference, but this show has me captivated!

aLIEz by SawanoHiroyuki[nZk] feat. mizuki

Although I'm unfamiliar with the original Re:Re:, I do enjoy the original aLIEz song by Sawano Hiroyuki. He is an amazing Japanese artist who, in the past few years, has gone under the mantle of SawanoHiroyuki[nZk] who creates a lot of music featuring fantastic Japanese vocalists. This song features the artist 'mizuki', who is the lead singer of band 'Itsue'. This song was used for the anime Aldnoah Zero's second ending theme, I didn't enjoy the show because I'm not really a mecha fan, but the music made by Sawano Hiroyuki is something else! The lyrics are also something else, they define intensity and needed to go out and fight for yourself! Good English covers of this song are by dj-Jo, AmaLee and the most recently released one I enjoy, Russell Sapphire's featuring Chi-Chi.

Many good dubstep remixes have been created of this song, but the original is a very good mixture of electronic and rock. It works extremely well as a remix, the upbeat tone is very effective, very energizing. dj-Jo is a fantastic example of this, his remixes transcend 'good', they are awesome! And he will definitely be mentioned again in this list. The song is featured on SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]'s O1 album, which also features many other good songs used in anime, for example...

X.U. by SawanoHiroyuki[nZk] feat. Gemie

X.U. is one of the few songs sung entirely in English! Which is cool, but for some odd reason, the same artists mentioned before covered the song with altered lyrics (if you didn't know, no artist can directly translate a song as the lyrics most likely won't rhyme or have any structure in another language). The song has many good covers done by AmaLee, Sapphire and most prominently, dj-Jo! His dubstep remix done with Un3h's vocals are extraordinary, but I can't deny the greatness of the original! Sawano Hiroyuki is an exceptional artist, the fact he's willing to work with English artists as well as Japanese ones reveals his knowledge of what works with his music and what people enjoy. Ignoring the pink-anime girl thumbnail, check out dj-Jo's remix down below!

X.U. is an amazing song used for an amazing anime, Seraph of the End. The song is used for this show's opening, the lyrics and tone of the original song work extremely well for the anime, which is a dark-fantasy vampire show (if you're curious about the anime girl in the thumbnail, that's the head vampire). The show is one of my favorite anime, regardless of how dark it is, even so I enjoy it so much I bought the manga! But unfortunately, manga doesn't come with awesome music! However, the show does! Do yourself a favor and check out either the original or one of the covers of X.U.!

The Hero!! by JAM Project

Now here's something different! A song sung by a guy! How's that? The Hero!! is done by JAM Project for the anime One-Punch Man, which is hilarious and definitely should be watched! Anyway, the song sounds epic in any language, but if you're still in the need for an English cover, aim for those done by NateWantsToBattle, Caleb Hyles or my personal favorite, Jonathan Young! His metal cover is epic, exceeds expectations and should be listened to by any rock/metal fan!

Now thanks for reading this list! Whether you're a fan of music or anime, you should be aware of these songs! Hopefully one in this list proves enjoyable for you. If you liked my writing, please follow me or my YouTube channel (Trent_Y).

All images used are linked below. I own the O1 album so the artwork is in my possession.
https://goo.gl/images/LLbNFm
https://goo.gl/images/tZ9hsZ
https://goo.gl/images/aCwhxk