The 10 Best Anime Songs of 2018

This has been a great year for anime music. But now, as we near the end of the year, it’s time to showcase the best of the best. So here my picks for the 10 best anime songs of the year.

*Note: Songs are presented in alphabetical order by series.

Image source: TVアニメ 「恋は雨上がりのように」公式 on Twitter

Anime: After the Rain
Song: “Ref:rain”
Artist: Aimer
Why I Love It: Heavy on the piano, this ballad showcases everything that is great about Aimer’s soft-yet-powerful voice.
  
Provided courtesy of iTunes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6MiNx3r8K8
Anime: Anemone: Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution
Song: “There’s No Ending”
Artist: RUANN
Why I Love It: Piano, pan-pipes, tribal drums, and a techno synthesizer support harmonizing vocals that aren’t afraid to go acapella for the sake of creating something beautiful.
  
Provided courtesy of iTunes

Image source: ブラッククローバー_テレビアニメ公式 PS4ゲーム9/13発売 on Twitter

Anime: Black Clover
Song: “Guess Who Is Back”
Artist: Koda Kumi
Why I Love It: If anyone can pull off a j-rock anthem, it’s Koda Kumi.
  
Provided courtesy of iTunes

Image source: 「ドラゴンボール超」TV・映画公式‏ on Twitter

Anime: Dragon Ball Super
Song: “Kyūkyoku no Batoru”
Artist: Akira Kushida
Why I Love It: Used several times in Dragon Ball Super, including the final climax, this song takes Kushida’s gravelly voice and combines it with a big-band style trumpet section to make something that really gets you pumped for the action on screen.
  
Provided courtesy of iTunes

Image source: アニメ「異世界魔王と召喚少女の奴隷魔術」公式✦次回第8話8/23放送！‏ on Twitter

Anime: How Not to Summon a Demon Lord
Song: “Saiaku na Hi demo Anata ga Suki.”
Artist: Yuu Serizawa
Why I Love It: “Darling make me happy, la la la, I need you~♪ Darling make me happy, la la la,  I love you~♪”
  
Provided courtesy of iTunes

Image source: 銀河英雄伝説DieNeueThese on Twitter

Anime: Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These
Song: “Binary Star”
Artist: SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:Uru
Why I Love It: Beautiful-yet-melancholy, this song is the perfect introduction to an epic space opera where good people battle on both sides in the grand tragedy of a galactic war.
  
Provided courtesy of iTunes

Anime: Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative
Song: “VigilaNTe”
Artist: Hiroyuki Sawano (Vocal:mpi & Gemie)
Why I Love It: The mixture of male and female vocals is where this song shines–especially with how the two switch back and forth between melody and harmony in the chorus to create something truly unique.
  
Provided courtesy of iTunes

Image source: アニメ「ペルソナ５」公式 on Twitter

Anime: PERSONA5 the Animation
Song: “BREAK IN TO BREAK OUT”
Artist: Lyn
Why I Love It: This song is all about the beat–it presses on relentlessly, building and building against the violin counterpoint until “breaking out” in the chorus.
(Song starts at 0:43 of the video)

Image source: TVアニメ「SAO オルタナティブ ガンゲイル・オンライン」公式 on Twitter

Anime: Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online
Song: “RYUSEI”
Artist: Aoi Eir
Why I Love It: I don’t know which I like more about this one: the syncopated beat in the bridge leading into the chorus or the soaring chorus itself.
  
Provided courtesy of iTunes

Image source: 「ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン」公式 on Twitter

Anime: Violet Evergarden
Song: “Sincerely”
Artist: TRUE
Why I Love It: What really gets me in this one is how the song begins with just a piano, vocals, and a simple melody but slowly and deliberately grows into something grand.
  
Provided courtesy of iTunes

Bonus: The Best Anime Cover From 2018

Game: Dragon Ball Z Abridged
Song: “Day of Fate ~Spirit VS Spirit~ (feat. Paolo Cuevas & Ani Djirdjirian)”
Artist: TeamFourStar
Why I Love It: This is an excellent reimagining of a classic anime song–and one those who have only seen Dragon Ball Z dubbed have likely never heard before. Gone are the 80s synthesizer, Japanese lyrics, and Japanese singer. Instead we have an orchestral arrangement, a new original English translation, and a singer who seems to channel Stan Bush’s work on Sailor Moon to give it that 90s anime dub feel. It really is fantastic–especially when set to the scene it was designed for.
  
Provided courtesy of iTunes

Bonus Bonus: Two Awesome Game Theme Songs from 2018

Game: Border Break (PS4)
Song: “Amazing Trees”
Artist: SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:Tielle
Why I Love It: Syncopated verse, soaring bridge, powerful chorus, there is nothing about this song I don’t like–well, other than the fact that it’s the theme to a Japan-only game that most people will never even know exists.
  
Provided courtesy of iTunes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGfDXi7t-rI
Game: Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress -Ran- (PC)
Song: “S_TEAM”
Artist: Eliana
Why I Love It: You know, I might feel bad for having four Sawano Hiroyuki-composed songs in this article if he weren’t so damn good at his job. I mean, this song already builds steadily to an amazing chorus, but when you watch the first person Wit Studio-animated scene designed to accompany the music, it becomes something truly surreal.

Top Image Source: 「ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン」公式‏ on Twitter.

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