Music in Anime

Not the theme songs. But more specifically, what are your thoughts on the use of a soundtrack to convey mood and pacing in a series. What are some notable examples, and how did they affect your viewing experience?

Music always play a huge role in my opinion of various animes. When an anime uses music properly, it can go a long way. Some notable examples are Cowboy Bebop, Fairy Tail, and Naruto. In the earlier episodes of Naruto - the music had a lot of rock guitar in parts that added to the epicness of some of the characters. Then you take a show like Fairy Tail and it brings in the Irish feel to a lot of the soundtrack. It goes a long way to aid in the development of the characters and builds the fight scenes. One of the most memorable soundtracks however, is Cowboy Bebop. The uniqueness of this soundtrack is what sets it apart. The show is incredibly unique, the art style as well as the storyline, and then you couple that artsy feel with a soundtrack heavily influenced by Jazz, it makes for a one of a kind viewing experience.

I totally agree with superluxus! Soundstrack are very important to me as well. You can watch for yourself. Look at a epic battle in a anime and focus on it first with music and after that without music. It's a lot less interesting, well thats my opinion xD Soundtracks can bring an extra boost to the happenings / actions in animes. Or they let you feel more sadness while watching a characters end f.e. :( I could post a lot examples, prolly u don't need even one of them xD http://youtu.be/o8cCCfhGPS8 Scene from One Piece Episode 646

Hunter x Hunter 2011's Chimera Ant arc had the perfect OST to go along with what was happening. Original soundtracks usually make or break a series for me. For example...I can only imagine how terrible it would be to extract the BGM from a series such as Bleach or Naruto's dramatic scenes X"| Some OST songs are also perfect for exercising~

Yup chimera ant arc got a nice soundtrack. They just repeated a bit too often for me, especially this one: http://youtu.be/DhRWyPEUfT0 "Legend of the Martial Artist" is another one ^.^'

FLCL actually got the Pillows to do their soundtrack and the OSTs sound like more of an album (just without lyrics). It's one of those times where its hard to say, is the show dictating the mood in the music, or is the music dictating the mood in the show, because they go together so well.

FLCL was essentially an extensive Pillows music video. The show was amazing, but how perfectly the music WORKED was a major factor in making that show memorable. As hectic as it could be, the soundtrack really helped to pace your mind with each scene.

Samurai Champloo FLCL Beck Aku no Hana Neon Genesis Evangelion Serial Experiments Lain Tokyo Ghoul