Yoko Kanno is a musical genius without limitations. Fun fact: she formed The Seatbelts specifically for Cowboy Bebop. Also, much of the music for the show was composed BEFORE the show was written and the music was used as inspiration for scenes and characters when they were writing.
Also a fun fact: watanabe made yoko tour American major music cities to listen to African American jazz musicians throughout the country before he let her compose the soundtrack so that she could see how actual jazz was played. He wanted her to hear the REAL DEAL before she tried to recreate the sound ;)
Lmao, that explains so much about the show, it all fits so well, it makes a lot of sense to hear that the artists and writers were listening to the soundtrack as inspiration for the series while making it
Similar to Huey Lewis writing Power of Love for Back to the Future. The song has nothing to do with the concept of the film, yet it fits so well. Both are geniuses!
That is so cool to me because I always immediately start looking for music to help provide inspiration\ when I get an idea for a character. Assuming I don't get inspiration for a character direct from just a single song or even a few lyrics in one. Truly a match made in heaven
@@deathsyth27 No. Jazz was already popular in Japan even before WW2. During the war, the Japanese government prohibited Jazz and other "enemy cultures", but it did not work completely.
@@Squeekysquiddude there’s over a 100 million people in Japan, you’ll find every major music subculture in Tokyo, and some very knowledgeable music nerds (since Tokyo has the easiest access to concerts out of anywhere in the world)
Cowboy Bebop is also one of the easiest anime’s to get into for someone new to anime. It’s an all time great piece of work and the first anime for a lot of people in America. One of the greatest English dubs too.
Also a genuinely great series. It's a good intro to the kinds of things a Japanese series is willing to do that a piece of American serialized fiction won't. It's funny that he mentions how he likes that this is a departure from the darker themes of some of the music on the channel. Won't be saying that if he ever watches the series.
So much this. It's a great introduction to Jazz also, I had absolutely zero interest in it before watching Cowboy Bebop (I was also a child, though, which might have made a difference lol)
Yoko Kanno is like the John Willaims of Japan in that she's written just a huge number of intensely memorable themes for TV and movies. I really recommend checking out more of her stuff!
Tank! is one of the most well known and loved anime theme songs ever written, and for good reason. Not only is it an incredible groove that really sets the feel for the show it accompanies (a space western), the show itself is one of the most highly revered shows in anime history. The entire soundtrack for that show oozes character, and absolutely elevates the show. Yoko Kanno is a musical chameleon. She seems completely capable of writing just about any style of music. Her wikipedia lists he genres as: Jazz, classical, orchestral, electronic, new age, blues, folk, pop, art rock, ambient, post-rock, heavy metal, bossa nova, jazz fusion, funk, soul music, city pop. She is one of the most incredible composers to have worked in the anime world. She also wrote lyrics and sang on a number of recordings under the pseudonym Gabriela Robin (she later revealed this was so she could freely mix english and japanese lyrics, presumably to avoid any sort of expectations), only to eventually reveal that Gabriela Robin was indeed her.
i am put of anime by some fans (no offence to you!) i finally watched one, two actually and loved them, it's weird because i was really into learning japanese culture and language before it exploded in popularity.. i am a musician firstly though so I appreciate your comment on something i know little about! that combines both! i love diversity in music also.
@@jibicusmaximus4827 anime fans can be obnoxious, and we know it. In part, it's because the fandom tends to skew to younger ages (although these days there are plenty of older fans, including myself). The key is to ignore the fans, and look for what seems interesting to your tastes.
watching real musicians like you get such a kick out of the tunes from my childhood is such a vindicating feeling since growing up their was so much dismissive attitudes in not just adults but also anyone my own age who wasnt a fan and just didn't get it. thank you for this video man, much appreciated
Yoko Kanno's work is terrific, especially throughout Cowboy Bebop. Across the four LPs and three EPs that make up the full soundtrack, there is such an immense variety of moods, sounds, styles, and colours, while never coming across as disjointed or fragmentary. I'd love for you to return to it sometime, nearly every piece is very satisfying - "Space Lion', "The Real Folk Blues", "Gotta Knock a Little Harder", "Ave Maria", "Fantasie Signe", "Adieu", "What Planet Is This", "Butterfly", "Blue", just a handful among many great tracks (really it would require at least a full EPL to get the sense of it, but that's probably too outside the bounds of that program).
It seems like people overlook Call Me Call Me, which I don’t understand. I love that song because of its longing, sentimental nature. It’s sad, soothing, and warm.
@@LordVolkov Vision of Escaflowne too.... She just ABSOLUTELY CRUSHED it with music. Episode 2 Jumping in with that giant sword with the music(Dance of the curse) kicking in.... JFC the chills.
@@Atari26 What planet is this was featured in the OVA, so I believe it is on a different album, but shares tracks with No Disc (or Vitaminless, I get them mixed up sometimes.)
I'm partial to 'Waltz for Zizi', 'Rain', and 'Digging My Potato', myself. But the whole album is pure fire. In my opinion, the first OST was the best of them.
Tank! is of course amazing. I'm an even bigger fan of Kano's Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex theme. It's a new age-ee scifi masterpiece with russian lyrics and an amazing sound.
Sadly the singer for a few of the GitS soundtracks, Origa, passed away a few years ago, she was Russian so she performed the lyrics well. She could switch between Russian, Latin and English fluidly. She is very missed.
You should ABSOLUTELY watch Cowboy Bebop (just not the live action). The crazy thing about the production of the show is that the music actually came first (for the most part) basically Shinichiro Watanabe is MASSIVELY inspired by music. He doesn't write scene's and have someone score them, Kanno would literally just pump out these eclectic jams as part of production and Watanabe would write scenes AROUND the music. Watanabe would do the exact same thing in his next series Samurai Champloo - though this time it was his rap and hip-hop friends he drew inspiration from and it is equally as amazing a show to watch as Bebop is.
Gotta start with the series, but you're right. As far as the planetary gov'ts go, while they aren't individually equivalent, the setup very much resembles Piers Anthony's Bio of a Space Tyrant. As for the space western subgenre, I can offer Mike Resnick's Santiago, which also follows a bounty hunter as the protagonist. I also must give a strong nod to my friend William F Wu's Hong on the Range. So yeah, the SF chops are there, even if the show didn't draw inspiration from any of them.
more then that, most of the episode titles are actually the titles of songs or albums, like hard luck woman, bohemian rhapsody, etc. infact, the title of the last two eps, and the ending theme, "The Real Folk Blues", is the title of a blues album by John Lee Hooker.
It's so informational and educational to watch multiple music professionals react to the same piece of music. Something that wouldn't have happened w/o YT. Enriched life chunk.
Kanno's quote you mentioned at the end is hitting it right on the nose, really. She very prone to just synthesizing musical styles and making tracks that are eclectic as all get out, and it's always a ride when she's on the production team for something.
Yoko Kanno is pretty much my favorite composer, period. it just blows my mind how good she is! tank is a masterpiece for sure! however, her music is so vast and diverse, it's really hard to get deep into it, I love the cyber bicci album, the ghost in the shell OST albums and the darker than black OST albums too, might be worth taking a look at those! cheers!
Same. Her work is vast and always incredible. Composition in every style possible, outstanding musicians and singers with top notch sound mixing (and the occasional sound design). It's a great journey for every music lover.
A classic opener for a genuinely classic anime. Cowboy Bebop is one of the few series I think even the vast majority of non-anime fans would enjoy. It's the only anime I ever really got my parents into back when I was ~12-13 as they rarely liked anime. The fact that it was so influenced by western media like westerns and noirs probably helped; that and the fact the English voice actors were excellent. Also, Yoko Kanno gets my vote for the best composer working in anime or video games today. She's incredibly versatile and has written soundtracks in pretty much every style/genre (classical, jazz, electronica, pop, soul, etc.) and succeeded in all of them. Never known of a more versatile composer anywhere.
So many Japanese anime soundtrack composers are very versatile when it comes to exploring diverse genres and styles, actually. So, I'm not too sure what do you mean by that🤔 A few other famous examples I could think of such as Yugo Kanno, who's best known for his soundtrack works for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series (and Doug already reacted to one of his soundtracks before), and Yuki Kajiura for a plenty of game and anime soundtracks e.g. Gundam, Fate series, Sword Art Online series etc. Another example to emphasize my point is the current rising star Kensuke Ushio. Try listen to his works for the following titles: A Silent Voice, Devilman Crybaby, The Heike Story and Chainsaw Man and try to identify what genres and styles he's infused to his soundtrack there!
@@GuyWhoLikesTheSnarkies1435 Never said other anime composers weren't versatile as well, but Yoko Kanno's work has always stood out to me. She's one of the rare soundtrack composers, period, whose work I've sought out even outside the films/series I was familiar with.
It's always fun to watch someone dive in to anime and video game music without having previous exposure to it. Being from an anime or video game doesn't automatically make something good, but there's some really exceptional stuff out there that unfortunately gets overlooked because of its association with "childish" cartoons and games. Thank you for being open minded and giving these songs a real chance.
I watched this show a few years back (my first anime), and the opening theme got me EVERY SINGLE TIME. The way it synched up with the visuals was also amazing.
You are a joy to watch. I'm gratified that you're getting to experience some of my favorite compositions in such a public way. Blessings to you and yours.
The music from Cowboy bebop is phenominal, IIRC they got 3 or 4 soundtrack albums of material out of 26 episodes. Not only did the show have great music but they did a fantastic job of juxtaposing the music with the visuals.
There was a time in my life where I binged all the anime that Yoko Kanno composed for. Wolf's Rain has a special place in my heart. I would love for Doug to react to one of the songs from that series.
Good call. Turn-A is one of my all-time favorite anime series and Kanno does some amazing work, though I feel like her work in the series aside from a few pieces like Moon's Cocoon tend to not stand out quite as much as some of her other works. It definitely fits the softer tone of the series, though.
So I've only recently discovered your channel Doug and the thing I love the most is not only the genuine joy you have for music but how much you respect the artists too. A lot of people out there do reactions to music and while each has their own style and merit very few dig so deep into the song at hand as you do. Even within such similar spaces like gaming and anime you still see derision between both sides but your openness to trying new styles, new sounds and new sources is a breath of fresh air. TANK is one of my all time favorites and if you've never seen it they actually did a in-home live performance for the anniversary during covid that you should definitely check out some time.
Now you see why I was so excited when you first mentioned doing this song on Sunday! Other faves include Rain, Knock a Little Harder; Call Me, Call Me and No Reply. The last two have brilliant vocals from Steve Conte and No Reply will break your heart with its simple, beautiful construction and achingly longing lyrics. I love this show, and LOVE Kanno's music for it.
Knock a Little Harder is my favorite song, period, and Call Me Call Me is up there in its own right. Cowboy Bebop is largely known for its Jazz jams like Tank but the lyrical songs are such masterpieces as well.
Subbed just for this video. Always like new ears taking on old classics. Respect for Yoko Kanno she is brilliant. Also for Nobuo Uematsu who I think was briefly mentioned. They are both musical heroes of my childhood.
I mean it’s almost mandatory that you do “Inner Universe” from the Ghost in the Shell OST. That’s the Yoko Kanno song that blew me away when I was a kid
Anything by Kano is guaranteed to be awesome. As a classical composer i would recommend checking out the Sound track for Macross Plus. The Israel Philharmonic loved recording the orchestral parts. Voices is one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs I've ever heard.
Absolutely! Her work is amazing. Particularly when she works with Origa (R.I.P) as on "Inner Universe" (from GitS: SAC) and when Origa performed "Moon" (from Turn A Gundam) in a live performance while Yoko Kanno conducted (Kanno originally performed it herself as Gabriela Robin, but Origa did the live performance).
I might not be able to hear this song for the first time again but seeing people like you show just so much enthusiasm for something that means so much to me is the next best thing, especially to get essentially a play by play of exactly why it was so good for them and finding words for why I like it too
As a musician myself that has listened to this track for many, many years, I have confirmed that the best part of the piece is the bongo player and it's not even close. The bongo player makes the track. Any percussionist can recognize that this player is playing out of his mind the entire track.
I'm glad to see that you also featured Japanese anime sounds, such as "Jojo" and "Cowboy Bebop." Many of the composers who contributed to the sound side of Japanese anime and games in their early days were influenced by progressive rock, and the context has been passed on to modern composers, the music of "Jojo" being a prime example. There is also a lot of other good Japanese progressive rock. In particular, 四人囃子(Yoninbayashi)'s "一触即発(Isshoku shokuhatsu)" incorporates the essence of Pink Floyd, YES, ELP, and others to create high quality progressive rock. Please give it a listen! I look forward to your continued coverage of Japanese music as well! From a listener in Japan
If you continue anime reactions, I recommend one of the following from Trigun (which was created at around the same time as Cowboy Bebop): H.T (intro song) Blue Funk (fun energetic song) Never Could Have Been Worse (very Led Zeppelin) Trigun still endures as one of the best in my book, although I wish they'd extend the ending to match how epic it was in the manga. Another anime with a great soundtrack is FLCL, with The Pillows as the music group behind all but one of their songs. Hybrid Rainbow is an easy recommendation from that anime.
Both your recc brought me straight back. I could not connect with the new Trigun Stampede's ost because there's no H.T. And yes, FLCL's ost is the reason i'm a big The Pillows fan until today
There's a series called Lupin III, about a master thief, that's described as 'Where Cowboy Bebop got its cool'. The theme music certainly hits in a similar vein, and just as hard. Thoroughly recommend, and there's so many different renditions of the same song that there's bound to be one you'll love.
Started at the AoT Suite reaction, then to JoJo, and now I'm here. Really enjoy this content along with being able to see you experience the love for anime OSTs I've had for many years! I remember my reactions all being so similar the first time hearing them.
It's so wonderful to witness other people learning why Yoko Kanno is effectively anime royalty from what she brings to their soundtracks If you are looking for other tracks of hers that are wonderful, I recommend Information High, and Santi-U from the Macross Plus soundtrack.
You're right about the music getting people into the show. I don't watch much anime but I had been a fan of Ghost in the Shell from the 90's, which also has great music, and somehow heard this song in an ad or on a DVD. Sought it out immediately and still re-watch it occasionally to this day.
One of the shows where i newer skip the intro! And i really liked the show because of music, story is ok, but music is definitely one of the main actors in this show…
Yoko Kanno is one of these Japanese composers that mastered so many foreign styles, it's always a pleasure to listen to anything she creates. The Cowboy Bebop anime has many musically-themed episodes. After watching the series, when you listen to the sound track, you will very likely remember the episode the song was featured in. She truly succeeded in adding a tremendous level of depth to the storytelling. Most series just have a few thematic songs that get reused for characters or situations, it's rare to dedicate a composition to a single episode.
When I first heard it I had a "What if bond was actually cool" feel for it, and it is to this day my favourite Anime opening and most returned to music piece I heard. I just really friggin love their immensely well done piece of music Also it's always a pleasure to see someone with understanding how music works have fun with music, like you
Really special anime, glad you liked the Opening theme. Here is the link for the other really famous song "Real Folk Blues" from the series. th-cam.com/video/8GwE0wwMmKE/w-d-xo.html
This soundtrack is legit in my top 5 albums of all time. It is a phenomenal musical experience with a piece for every taste. Could not recommend this soundtrack any higher.
I KNEW you would love this song. The entire soundtrack is full of instant classics. One of my favorites is called Blue, the final song of the series. I want it to be played at my funeral. It means so much to me
You know? Watching you react to this big band jazz track has made me consider that you could enjoy a Swedish band called Diablo Swing Orchestra. They are avant-garde metal and, as the name indicates, their music swings and it does it HARD. I can recommend their track Superhero Jagganath from the 2017 album Pacifisticuffs.
Huh. Now that I think about it, there might be a whole series worth of "swing fusion" bands to explore. I'm sure Diablo Swing Orchestra is worth a listen. Another band I'll bet Doug would like is Tiny Hat Orchestra (from Seattle), a ska/swing fusion band. Swing is such an amazing style to start with, then to blend it with other styles you always get something awesome. :)
For Diablo Swing, basically any song in their repertoire would be a unique listen, but I feel like Karma Bonfire, Voodoo Mon Amour, or The Age of Vulture Culture would be good on the jazz side. Otherwise Knucklehugs, Ode to the Innocent, or Celebremos Lo Inevitable would be fun!
I remember around '03 there was a brief trend for fans making their own opening credits for other anime, setting their favourite scenes to this music. Hearing it still brings back visuals of some of the good ones.
Spokey Dokey is my favorite track from the OST, the harmonica was used perfectly in the show and it truly shines in the episode Sympathy for the Devil, which, is among my favorite episodes. If you watch the show, look out for it.
Damn dude... I love your enthusiasm, and how it leads to some very accessible lessons in music theory! Your video was a blast to watch, and I look forward to seeing what else you'll cover in the future. 💯
Anything from Shiro Sagisu is a must hear , The composer for Bleach , Neon Genesis Evangelion , and Berserk. From biblically epic orchestras , to jazz , metal , opera , tearful ballads , this man never misses. Edit : How could I forget flamenco , from Clavar la Espada , Fiesta de Guerra , to Nube Negra ...
What I love about this entire anime is each individual episode is based off of a different style of music. And each of those episodes follows the tempo of that type of music the key changes are dramatic scenes inside of the show it is really well done musically.
Letting it just play the first time is a good move with this one, as it's not too long. I won't speak for the others here but I kind of like when reactors just kind of let it go and groove along, then go back. Some don't have the attention span for that, but I think it works here.
A lot of reactors don't let stuff play so they don't have deal with copyright issues. Doug often does have things stuck and taken down, but I think it speaks to his authenticity.
I highly recommend the soundtracks from the Nier videogames, they have some of the best tracks i've ever heard in a game, and also use a unique, made up language that sounds beautiful to listen to.
Cowboy Bebop is a classic and a significant part of its excellence is the soundtrack. From the moment this track kicks off you know you're going to be in for a wild ride. Thanks for doing this.
It would be amazing if you dived more into Kanno's work. Her work on Escaflowne, Ghost in the Shell, Macross Plus, Wolf's Rain and Kids on the Slope are some of my scores of all time.
I'm so happy to see someone else mention Wolf's Rain. It is such an amazing anime and no one I've met talks about it. I found it randomly in Toronto in their China Town district.
i hope yiu deep dive on Yokko Kanno. i only know a little about Her i know she traveled around America and hit all.the Jazz underground spots and absorbed Pure Soul.
respect for covering this. one of the all time greatest OP's in anime. On top of an ASTOUNDINGLY good show. DAMN you needed to watch this synched to the actual animated intro... its just .... honestly perfection.
Cowboy bebop is definitely a great first anime to watch. It’s unanimously considered a classic. I also found it interesting that you said you have a classical music background because there’s a lot of videogame OST’s out there that really do sound like reinvention of classical music for the modern age and a revival for the genre. I definitely recommend not sleeping on them! Anyway, good luck with your journey, it’s always enjoyable to discover new things!
Been waiting for this for a while! Once again recommending Cruel Angel's Thesis from Neon Genesis Evangelion for a similar style (and it's also probably the most popular song from anime, maybe tied with TANK!). Also recommend Komm Suss Tod from the Evangelion movie for a nice prog rock song (that's also in English)
![American reacts to Posts That Prove American's Think That Only They Exist [part 2]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/KZ_wRzra8yo/mqdefault.jpg)
This one is a certified classic
Gotta Knock A Little Harder is also great.
Certified hood classic
i just love the entire cowboy bebop ost
It's once every generation that such a talented arrangement is assembled and makes magic happen. If you like more like this, give Snarky Puppy a try.
This score is still in my regular plays, and I was in Japan when this show dropped
Yoko Kanno is a musical genius without limitations. Fun fact: she formed The Seatbelts specifically for Cowboy Bebop. Also, much of the music for the show was composed BEFORE the show was written and the music was used as inspiration for scenes and characters when they were writing.
her and Joe Hasashi have been rocking my life for as long as i can remember along with Kuzo on the video game scene : D
Also a fun fact: watanabe made yoko tour American major music cities to listen to African American jazz musicians throughout the country before he let her compose the soundtrack so that she could see how actual jazz was played. He wanted her to hear the REAL DEAL before she tried to recreate the sound ;)
Lmao, that explains so much about the show, it all fits so well, it makes a lot of sense to hear that the artists and writers were listening to the soundtrack as inspiration for the series while making it
Similar to Huey Lewis writing Power of Love for Back to the Future. The song has nothing to do with the concept of the film, yet it fits so well. Both are geniuses!
That is so cool to me because I always immediately start looking for music to help provide inspiration\ when I get an idea for a character. Assuming I don't get inspiration for a character direct from just a single song or even a few lyrics in one.
Truly a match made in heaven
Man, this guy would go nuts for the entire Cowboy Bebop soundtrack. He could make an entire week's worth of content just exploring that.
The sax solo is done by Masato Honda. He just turned 60 recently and is still a giant in the Japanese blues and jazz scene.
@@Squeekysquid Americans brought it after WW2 and it became very popular.
@@deathsyth27 No. Jazz was already popular in Japan even before WW2. During the war, the Japanese government prohibited Jazz and other "enemy cultures", but it did not work completely.
This is a brief history of "Japanese Jazz."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_jazz
@@Squeekysquiddude there’s over a 100 million people in Japan, you’ll find every major music subculture in Tokyo, and some very knowledgeable music nerds (since Tokyo has the easiest access to concerts out of anywhere in the world)
@@Squeekysquid Jazz is arguably bigger in Japan than it has been in the US in years.
Cowboy Bebop is also one of the easiest anime’s to get into for someone new to anime. It’s an all time great piece of work and the first anime for a lot of people in America. One of the greatest English dubs too.
Also a genuinely great series. It's a good intro to the kinds of things a Japanese series is willing to do that a piece of American serialized fiction won't.
It's funny that he mentions how he likes that this is a departure from the darker themes of some of the music on the channel. Won't be saying that if he ever watches the series.
So much this. It's a great introduction to Jazz also, I had absolutely zero interest in it before watching Cowboy Bebop (I was also a child, though, which might have made a difference lol)
I, too, chuckled at the "darker themes" comment.@@HollowGolem
I agree in that it's a masterpiece, one of the best anime there is. BUT I don't think it's one easy to get into it
Worked for me :)
Yoko Kanno is like the John Willaims of Japan in that she's written just a huge number of intensely memorable themes for TV and movies. I really recommend checking out more of her stuff!
I find it amazing how she can make something like TANK! from Cowboy Bebop and Total Eclipse from Darker Than Black. Totally different vibes to me.
Joe Hisaishi?
I would say Hisaishi is far more atmospheric than Williams. Plenty of iconic themes, but lots of just lush ambience as well.@@NicolasCharly
@@GhumieableDon’t forget the original Evangelion and Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex
I would say Hisaishi!
Tank! is one of the most well known and loved anime theme songs ever written, and for good reason. Not only is it an incredible groove that really sets the feel for the show it accompanies (a space western), the show itself is one of the most highly revered shows in anime history. The entire soundtrack for that show oozes character, and absolutely elevates the show.
Yoko Kanno is a musical chameleon. She seems completely capable of writing just about any style of music. Her wikipedia lists he genres as: Jazz, classical, orchestral, electronic, new age, blues, folk, pop, art rock, ambient, post-rock, heavy metal, bossa nova, jazz fusion, funk, soul music, city pop.
She is one of the most incredible composers to have worked in the anime world.
She also wrote lyrics and sang on a number of recordings under the pseudonym Gabriela Robin (she later revealed this was so she could freely mix english and japanese lyrics, presumably to avoid any sort of expectations), only to eventually reveal that Gabriela Robin was indeed her.
I just watch any anime with Yoko Kanno composing without doubt. That's how good she is.
i am put of anime by some fans (no offence to you!) i finally watched one, two actually and loved them, it's weird because i was really into learning japanese culture and language before it exploded in popularity.. i am a musician firstly though so I appreciate your comment on something i know little about! that combines both! i love diversity in music also.
@@jibicusmaximus4827 anime fans can be obnoxious, and we know it. In part, it's because the fandom tends to skew to younger ages (although these days there are plenty of older fans, including myself). The key is to ignore the fans, and look for what seems interesting to your tastes.
@@jibicusmaximus4827 I'd love to know which shows you watched! (:
@@FundaMental515if you enjoyed Cowboy Bebop then you will love the Ghost in the Shell show
watching real musicians like you get such a kick out of the tunes from my childhood is such a vindicating feeling since growing up their was so much dismissive attitudes in not just adults but also anyone my own age who wasnt a fan and just didn't get it. thank you for this video man, much appreciated
Don't tell em it's from an anime. Pick up an instrument and play it for them. Guarantee they'll dig it.l unless their dicks.
So real 😔
100% I was about to comment basically exactly this.
Yoko Kanno's work is terrific, especially throughout Cowboy Bebop. Across the four LPs and three EPs that make up the full soundtrack, there is such an immense variety of moods, sounds, styles, and colours, while never coming across as disjointed or fragmentary. I'd love for you to return to it sometime, nearly every piece is very satisfying - "Space Lion', "The Real Folk Blues", "Gotta Knock a Little Harder", "Ave Maria", "Fantasie Signe", "Adieu", "What Planet Is This", "Butterfly", "Blue", just a handful among many great tracks (really it would require at least a full EPL to get the sense of it, but that's probably too outside the bounds of that program).
Listening to blue is enough to get my eyes misty, even though I haven't seen the series in more than 10 years
What Planet Is This?
7 Minutes
And Knock a Little Harder.
It seems like people overlook Call Me Call Me, which I don’t understand. I love that song because of its longing, sentimental nature. It’s sad, soothing, and warm.
"Gotta Knock a Little Harder" is one of my favourites, such a good message to that song
@@SyzygyNoon
Steve Conte, Rain is also fantastic.
Yoko Kanno is spectacular. Her solo stuff, stuff with the Seatbelts, soundtrack work for series from Macross to Bebop, it's all great.
The Sharon Apple arrangements are worth watching Macross Plus alone, not even mentioning the gorgeous visuals they set to her music.
@@LordVolkov Vision of Escaflowne too.... She just ABSOLUTELY CRUSHED it with music. Episode 2 Jumping in with that giant sword with the music(Dance of the curse) kicking in.... JFC the chills.
“Information High” was so good. Sounded like a Muse song 10 years before they released Exogenesis.
@@LordVolkov I didn't realize they did the Macross Plus soundtrack!
@@BensBrickDesigns And Macross Frontier.
I like Tank, but I especially love "What Planet is This" from the same soundtrack. Thanks for doing this song
Also "Bad God No Biscuits" and Rush in both versions kick ass
yeeees so good!
@@Atari26 What planet is this was featured in the OVA, so I believe it is on a different album, but shares tracks with No Disc (or Vitaminless, I get them mixed up sometimes.)
There isn't a bad tune on the entire OST.
I'm partial to 'Waltz for Zizi', 'Rain', and 'Digging My Potato', myself. But the whole album is pure fire. In my opinion, the first OST was the best of them.
Tank! is of course amazing. I'm an even bigger fan of Kano's Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex theme. It's a new age-ee scifi masterpiece with russian lyrics and an amazing sound.
the OSTs of GITSSAC are all bangers.
also "inner universe" is in latin and english, as well as russian.
Inner Universe is one of the few songs that I unilaterally get goosebumps from. Hell, I have goosebumps just thinking about it lol
Sadly the singer for a few of the GitS soundtracks, Origa, passed away a few years ago, she was Russian so she performed the lyrics well. She could switch between Russian, Latin and English fluidly. She is very missed.
私もそう思います！
You should ABSOLUTELY watch Cowboy Bebop (just not the live action). The crazy thing about the production of the show is that the music actually came first (for the most part) basically Shinichiro Watanabe is MASSIVELY inspired by music. He doesn't write scene's and have someone score them, Kanno would literally just pump out these eclectic jams as part of production and Watanabe would write scenes AROUND the music. Watanabe would do the exact same thing in his next series Samurai Champloo - though this time it was his rap and hip-hop friends he drew inspiration from and it is equally as amazing a show to watch as Bebop is.
Always get him confused with Shinichi Watanabe, the other NabeShin
Gotta start with the series, but you're right. As far as the planetary gov'ts go, while they aren't individually equivalent, the setup very much resembles Piers Anthony's Bio of a Space Tyrant. As for the space western subgenre, I can offer Mike Resnick's Santiago, which also follows a bounty hunter as the protagonist. I also must give a strong nod to my friend William F Wu's Hong on the Range. So yeah, the SF chops are there, even if the show didn't draw inspiration from any of them.
Cowboy Bebop is a great show, each episode is titled after a music genre and music plays a huge role in it.
see you , space cowboy .... bang!
And every episode except the last two is a send up of a classic American cinema genre. The last two are a traditional ronin tale set to film noir
I didnt know that, maybe ill start to watch it
The music is the story of each episode
more then that, most of the episode titles are actually the titles of songs or albums, like hard luck woman, bohemian rhapsody, etc. infact, the title of the last two eps, and the ending theme, "The Real Folk Blues", is the title of a blues album by John Lee Hooker.
watched every episode multiple times and never got sick of the theme song
Space Lion, real folk blues, knock a little harder, there are so many great tracks from this show
Ask DNA from the movie is such a banger too
You're gonna carry that weight..
piano black has always been one of my favorites that piano riff has been stuck in my head since the first time i heard it
Space Lion is a badass ambient track
Forever Broke on loop
To me, Tank! is arguably the single greatest jazz number to come out of the last 30 years at the least. Thank you for this react.
It's so informational and educational to watch multiple music professionals react to the same piece of music. Something that wouldn't have happened w/o YT. Enriched life chunk.
Kanno's quote you mentioned at the end is hitting it right on the nose, really. She very prone to just synthesizing musical styles and making tracks that are eclectic as all get out, and it's always a ride when she's on the production team for something.
ever since i found your channel last month ive been waiting for this .
yoko kanno is one of the most underappreciated contemporary composers. her whole body of work is amazing and so multifaceted, it's incredible
Yoko Kanno is pretty much my favorite composer, period. it just blows my mind how good she is! tank is a masterpiece for sure!
however, her music is so vast and diverse, it's really hard to get deep into it, I love the cyber bicci album, the ghost in the shell OST albums and the darker than black OST albums too, might be worth taking a look at those!
cheers!
Same.
Her work is vast and always incredible.
Composition in every style possible, outstanding musicians and singers with top notch sound mixing (and the occasional sound design).
It's a great journey for every music lover.
A classic opener for a genuinely classic anime. Cowboy Bebop is one of the few series I think even the vast majority of non-anime fans would enjoy. It's the only anime I ever really got my parents into back when I was ~12-13 as they rarely liked anime. The fact that it was so influenced by western media like westerns and noirs probably helped; that and the fact the English voice actors were excellent. Also, Yoko Kanno gets my vote for the best composer working in anime or video games today. She's incredibly versatile and has written soundtracks in pretty much every style/genre (classical, jazz, electronica, pop, soul, etc.) and succeeded in all of them. Never known of a more versatile composer anywhere.
So many Japanese anime soundtrack composers are very versatile when it comes to exploring diverse genres and styles, actually. So, I'm not too sure what do you mean by that🤔 A few other famous examples I could think of such as Yugo Kanno, who's best known for his soundtrack works for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series (and Doug already reacted to one of his soundtracks before), and Yuki Kajiura for a plenty of game and anime soundtracks e.g. Gundam, Fate series, Sword Art Online series etc. Another example to emphasize my point is the current rising star Kensuke Ushio. Try listen to his works for the following titles: A Silent Voice, Devilman Crybaby, The Heike Story and Chainsaw Man and try to identify what genres and styles he's infused to his soundtrack there!
@@GuyWhoLikesTheSnarkies1435 Never said other anime composers weren't versatile as well, but Yoko Kanno's work has always stood out to me. She's one of the rare soundtrack composers, period, whose work I've sought out even outside the films/series I was familiar with.
The saxophone player is Masato Honda, you'd love some of his solo work, and some of the work he did with T-Square.
Yooooo, a T-Square/Casiopea reaction would go so hard.
@@mox_ndwnthere should be an extended play lounge for the full 2h live from 2003
Kanno's Kids on the Slope (Sakamichi no Apollon) OST is a pure masterpiece.
Yes, Kids on the Slope immediately came to mind as Doug was talking about his experiences.
Kids on the Slope is one of my faves, just such a wonderful love letter to jazz
This was fun to watch. Subscribed and thank you.
It's always fun to watch someone dive in to anime and video game music without having previous exposure to it. Being from an anime or video game doesn't automatically make something good, but there's some really exceptional stuff out there that unfortunately gets overlooked because of its association with "childish" cartoons and games. Thank you for being open minded and giving these songs a real chance.
another absolute banger of a track on this album is Bad Dog, No Biscuits. Very bebop/ska/bluesy and just all around a good time!
When the ska section comes on, it's impossible to not dance!
YES!
I watched this show a few years back (my first anime), and the opening theme got me EVERY SINGLE TIME. The way it synched up with the visuals was also amazing.
You are a joy to watch. I'm gratified that you're getting to experience some of my favorite compositions in such a public way. Blessings to you and yours.
The music from Cowboy bebop is phenominal, IIRC they got 3 or 4 soundtrack albums of material out of 26 episodes. Not only did the show have great music but they did a fantastic job of juxtaposing the music with the visuals.
This review never gets old. I think I've seen it a handful of times and I love your sense of discovery and surprise each time I've watched it!!
Such many bangers on the CowBe and Yoko Kanno's OST catalog, LESSGO!!
Yoko Kanno is amazing and did work all over the industry. One of my favorites is from Escaflowne and underrated af. All of her work is amazing, tbh.
Escaflowne ost is a master piece
Love your analysis. TANK! is such a (modern) classic for a reason.
There was a time in my life where I binged all the anime that Yoko Kanno composed for. Wolf's Rain has a special place in my heart. I would love for Doug to react to one of the songs from that series.
I didn't know she wrote scores for wolf's rain, but that just makes so much sense 😮😅
Yoko Kanno's work on Turn A Gundam is spectacular, and my personal favorite from among her OST work.
Good call. Turn-A is one of my all-time favorite anime series and Kanno does some amazing work, though I feel like her work in the series aside from a few pieces like Moon's Cocoon tend to not stand out quite as much as some of her other works. It definitely fits the softer tone of the series, though.
So I've only recently discovered your channel Doug and the thing I love the most is not only the genuine joy you have for music but how much you respect the artists too. A lot of people out there do reactions to music and while each has their own style and merit very few dig so deep into the song at hand as you do.
Even within such similar spaces like gaming and anime you still see derision between both sides but your openness to trying new styles, new sounds and new sources is a breath of fresh air. TANK is one of my all time favorites and if you've never seen it they actually did a in-home live performance for the anniversary during covid that you should definitely check out some time.
Now you see why I was so excited when you first mentioned doing this song on Sunday! Other faves include Rain, Knock a Little Harder; Call Me, Call Me and No Reply. The last two have brilliant vocals from Steve Conte and No Reply will break your heart with its simple, beautiful construction and achingly longing lyrics. I love this show, and LOVE Kanno's music for it.
Call Me, Call Me and Knock a Little Harder are winners. Space Lion is also a classic.
If he started to analyse Cowboy Bebop's OST he had material for a couple years of videos 😂
Knock a Little Harder is my favorite song, period, and Call Me Call Me is up there in its own right. Cowboy Bebop is largely known for its Jazz jams like Tank but the lyrical songs are such masterpieces as well.
Subbed just for this video. Always like new ears taking on old classics. Respect for Yoko Kanno she is brilliant. Also for Nobuo Uematsu who I think was briefly mentioned. They are both musical heroes of my childhood.
OMG, haven't heard Tank for a while. Still got the chills. Classic song. Awesome anime.
I mean it’s almost mandatory that you do “Inner Universe” from the Ghost in the Shell OST. That’s the Yoko Kanno song that blew me away when I was a kid
Anything by Kano is guaranteed to be awesome. As a classical composer i would recommend checking out the Sound track for Macross Plus. The Israel Philharmonic loved recording the orchestral parts. Voices is one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs I've ever heard.
Cowboy Bebop has one of the greatest soundtracks in anime history. Definitely worth diving into more.
Yoko Kanno is an amazing composer and arranger. I particularly love her work in the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex OSTs.
Absolutely! Her work is amazing. Particularly when she works with Origa (R.I.P) as on "Inner Universe" (from GitS: SAC) and when Origa performed "Moon" (from Turn A Gundam) in a live performance while Yoko Kanno conducted (Kanno originally performed it herself as Gabriela Robin, but Origa did the live performance).
I might not be able to hear this song for the first time again but seeing people like you show just so much enthusiasm for something that means so much to me is the next best thing, especially to get essentially a play by play of exactly why it was so good for them and finding words for why I like it too
As a musician myself that has listened to this track for many, many years, I have confirmed that the best part of the piece is the bongo player and it's not even close. The bongo player makes the track. Any percussionist can recognize that this player is playing out of his mind the entire track.
Your expert commentary, though short, is always cool to listen to and learn from. Thanks!
I'm glad to see that you also featured Japanese anime sounds, such as "Jojo" and "Cowboy Bebop."
Many of the composers who contributed to the sound side of Japanese anime and games in their early days were influenced by progressive rock, and the context has been passed on to modern composers, the music of "Jojo" being a prime example.
There is also a lot of other good Japanese progressive rock. In particular, 四人囃子(Yoninbayashi)'s "一触即発(Isshoku shokuhatsu)" incorporates the essence of Pink Floyd, YES, ELP, and others to create high quality progressive rock. Please give it a listen!
I look forward to your continued coverage of Japanese music as well!
From a listener in Japan
You looked like you were having so much fun, it was a joy watching you dissect the song. Looking forward to more stuff by you!
My favorite piece from that soundtrack is Space Lion. Something about it speaks to my soul. It'd be worth listening to, in my opinion.
During the pandemic they did a session with each musician from their own home and played together. It was awesome. Best wishes.
What a surprise! I really enjoyed all about Yoko Kanno's work on that soundtrack. Nice to see the reaction vídeo
Yoko Kanno made me a fan with her Macross Plus soundtrack. I’ve been listening to what ever she produced ever since.
If you continue anime reactions, I recommend one of the following from Trigun (which was created at around the same time as Cowboy Bebop):
H.T (intro song)
Blue Funk (fun energetic song)
Never Could Have Been Worse (very Led Zeppelin)
Trigun still endures as one of the best in my book, although I wish they'd extend the ending to match how epic it was in the manga.
Another anime with a great soundtrack is FLCL, with The Pillows as the music group behind all but one of their songs. Hybrid Rainbow is an easy recommendation from that anime.
Both your recc brought me straight back. I could not connect with the new Trigun Stampede's ost because there's no H.T.
And yes, FLCL's ost is the reason i'm a big The Pillows fan until today
Instrumental anime openings always have a place in my heart. To me, its Tank (Cowboy Bebop) and the incredible H.T (Trigun).❤
I love the reactions musicians and composers have when a song pulls off something unexpected. Just that face of "Excuse me?! How dare you?!"
There's a series called Lupin III, about a master thief, that's described as 'Where Cowboy Bebop got its cool'. The theme music certainly hits in a similar vein, and just as hard. Thoroughly recommend, and there's so many different renditions of the same song that there's bound to be one you'll love.
Yes! this needs to be voted all the way to the top. YUJI OHNO's theme is amazing.
Lupin III is one of the most famous Myazaki's work
Started at the AoT Suite reaction, then to JoJo, and now I'm here. Really enjoy this content along with being able to see you experience the love for anime OSTs I've had for many years! I remember my reactions all being so similar the first time hearing them.
Yoko Kanno's work on Macross Plus and Kids on the Slope is just amazing.
Hah! I like the connection you made to The Incredibles soundtrack. I never thought of that.
It's so wonderful to witness other people learning why Yoko Kanno is effectively anime royalty from what she brings to their soundtracks
If you are looking for other tracks of hers that are wonderful, I recommend Information High, and Santi-U from the Macross Plus soundtrack.
Yeah man you did it! A reaction to Tank, incredible soundtrack for this anime and this song is the better example for that.
I enjoyed your video man!
And then you compare this to the heartbreak of Green Bird off the same soundtrack, or Stray from Wolf’s Rain. Yoko Kanno is astounding.
Thanks for sharing, Doug. Both series and the movie have the best soundtrack I've ever heard. It's mind blowing.
You're right about the music getting people into the show. I don't watch much anime but I had been a fan of Ghost in the Shell from the 90's, which also has great music, and somehow heard this song in an ad or on a DVD. Sought it out immediately and still re-watch it occasionally to this day.
One of the shows where i newer skip the intro!
And i really liked the show because of music, story is ok, but music is definitely one of the main actors in this show…
Yoko Kanno is one of these Japanese composers that mastered so many foreign styles, it's always a pleasure to listen to anything she creates.
The Cowboy Bebop anime has many musically-themed episodes. After watching the series, when you listen to the sound track, you will very likely remember the episode the song was featured in. She truly succeeded in adding a tremendous level of depth to the storytelling. Most series just have a few thematic songs that get reused for characters or situations, it's rare to dedicate a composition to a single episode.
When I first heard it I had a "What if bond was actually cool" feel for it, and it is to this day my favourite Anime opening and most returned to music piece I heard.
I just really friggin love their immensely well done piece of music
Also it's always a pleasure to see someone with understanding how music works have fun with music, like you
the way you immediately launch into flappy hands ahhh i could watch you listen to music all day i'm so glad there's so many of these T_T
The incredibles probably got inspiration from this
This track always makes me smile, love that song and the TV show 😁
Doug did 2 of my favorite soundtracks back to back. I'm jammin
we eating Good!!!!!!!!!!!!
This reminds me a little of BIll Chase's Get it On.
Great analysis as always!
Really special anime, glad you liked the Opening theme. Here is the link for the other really famous song "Real Folk Blues" from the series.
th-cam.com/video/8GwE0wwMmKE/w-d-xo.html
Wowsers!!!! That was amazing! It sounds like a mash-up of 60's movie and TV show themes. So cool! Thanx Doug!
Yuji Ohno is a master of this kind composition and has been producing stuff since the 70's . You should check his works out too.
Love it watching you dancing and enjoying all of this, instant subscribe and like
This soundtrack is legit in my top 5 albums of all time. It is a phenomenal musical experience with a piece for every taste. Could not recommend this soundtrack any higher.
I KNEW you would love this song. The entire soundtrack is full of instant classics. One of my favorites is called Blue, the final song of the series. I want it to be played at my funeral. It means so much to me
You know? Watching you react to this big band jazz track has made me consider that you could enjoy a Swedish band called Diablo Swing Orchestra. They are avant-garde metal and, as the name indicates, their music swings and it does it HARD. I can recommend their track Superhero Jagganath from the 2017 album Pacifisticuffs.
Huh. Now that I think about it, there might be a whole series worth of "swing fusion" bands to explore.
I'm sure Diablo Swing Orchestra is worth a listen. Another band I'll bet Doug would like is Tiny Hat Orchestra (from Seattle), a ska/swing fusion band. Swing is such an amazing style to start with, then to blend it with other styles you always get something awesome. :)
For Diablo Swing, basically any song in their repertoire would be a unique listen, but I feel like Karma Bonfire, Voodoo Mon Amour, or The Age of Vulture Culture would be good on the jazz side. Otherwise Knucklehugs, Ode to the Innocent, or Celebremos Lo Inevitable would be fun!
Oh, thanks for putting the Diablo Swing Orchestra back in my mind! I’ve always loved Balrog Boogie.
I remember around '03 there was a brief trend for fans making their own opening credits for other anime, setting their favourite scenes to this music. Hearing it still brings back visuals of some of the good ones.
Spokey Dokey is my favorite track from the OST, the harmonica was used perfectly in the show and it truly shines in the episode Sympathy for the Devil, which, is among my favorite episodes. If you watch the show, look out for it.
Damn dude... I love your enthusiasm, and how it leads to some very accessible lessons in music theory! Your video was a blast to watch, and I look forward to seeing what else you'll cover in the future. 💯
Anything from Shiro Sagisu is a must hear , The composer for Bleach , Neon Genesis Evangelion , and Berserk. From biblically epic orchestras , to jazz , metal , opera , tearful ballads , this man never misses.
Edit : How could I forget flamenco , from Clavar la Espada , Fiesta de Guerra , to Nube Negra ...
Isn't Berserk Susumu Hirasawa?
@@Vergilius314 Shiro Sagisu composed for the golden age film trilogy
Yesshhh Shiro Sagisu what a legend!
My favourite of his works is from an underrated anime called kimagure orange road. Classic city pop
What I love about this entire anime is each individual episode is based off of a different style of music. And each of those episodes follows the tempo of that type of music the key changes are dramatic scenes inside of the show it is really well done musically.
The entire soundtrack is just as good. You should watch the show... keep the fun rolling
You are the only guy that I give a like even before pressing play, because you ALWAYS get the best topics and your videos are GREAT!
Letting it just play the first time is a good move with this one, as it's not too long. I won't speak for the others here but I kind of like when reactors just kind of let it go and groove along, then go back. Some don't have the attention span for that, but I think it works here.
I'm glad he replayed it to do more analysis.
A lot of reactors don't let stuff play so they don't have deal with copyright issues. Doug often does have things stuck and taken down, but I think it speaks to his authenticity.
My University's Jazz Band played this at a Jazz concert and it was amazing :D Thanks for the reaction!
honestly, you should listen to the whole album. This is such amazing music.
Your reaction was fantastic to watch but the education you give on what’s happening musically is absolutely fascinating!
I highly recommend the soundtracks from the Nier videogames, they have some of the best tracks i've ever heard in a game, and also use a unique, made up language that sounds beautiful to listen to.
Cowboy Bebop is a classic and a significant part of its excellence is the soundtrack. From the moment this track kicks off you know you're going to be in for a wild ride. Thanks for doing this.
It would be amazing if you dived more into Kanno's work. Her work on Escaflowne, Ghost in the Shell, Macross Plus, Wolf's Rain and Kids on the Slope are some of my scores of all time.
I'm so happy to see someone else mention Wolf's Rain. It is such an amazing anime and no one I've met talks about it. I found it randomly in Toronto in their China Town district.
Fantastic!! I love all this for you and for us and viewers of your channel!! Bring on the Anime!
i hope yiu deep dive on Yokko Kanno. i only know a little about Her i know she traveled around America and hit all.the Jazz underground spots and absorbed Pure Soul.
respect for covering this. one of the all time greatest OP's in anime. On top of an ASTOUNDINGLY good show. DAMN you needed to watch this synched to the actual animated intro... its just .... honestly perfection.
If you liked that one, you should check out the opening for Gunsmith Cats!
Cowboy bebop is definitely a great first anime to watch. It’s unanimously considered a classic. I also found it interesting that you said you have a classical music background because there’s a lot of videogame OST’s out there that really do sound like reinvention of classical music for the modern age and a revival for the genre. I definitely recommend not sleeping on them! Anyway, good luck with your journey, it’s always enjoyable to discover new things!
Been waiting for this for a while! Once again recommending Cruel Angel's Thesis from Neon Genesis Evangelion for a similar style (and it's also probably the most popular song from anime, maybe tied with TANK!). Also recommend Komm Suss Tod from the Evangelion movie for a nice prog rock song (that's also in English)