This is a third installment of Kitsune’s Thoughts special look back at the decades of anime music (70s, 80s). This time, Kitsune teamed up with Ayu to select anime themes of the 90s. The post is organized chronologically again, but spans many pages, so take your time.
Bring on the 90’s!
1990
Tanoshii Moomin Ikka (1990)
“Tooi akogare” by Emiko Shiratori
Record of Lodoss War (1990)
Adèsso e Fortuna~炎と永遠~ by Sherry
Kitsune: This song is quite interesting. For some reason I really liked it at the time and even learned how to play it on a piano. The song was actually written by Akino Arai. Here is her version:
Kitsune's Thoughts 
I think the English dub for adesso e fortuna is just as good. You don’t see that kind of quality these days.
Hey, the original Adesso e Fortuna is great; couldn’t find the Lisa de Simone version, though. ‘Voices’ is one of my favs songs too, but I like the instrumental version a tad more. I need to find more Akino Arai songs it seems.
And you hardly can’t beat Hisaihi on the piano. 😉 I am referring to ‘Friends’.
You also picked ‘Reincarnation’ by Kenji Kawai, damn I love how it starts at 1.43, but I think you put the wrong video up, ‘Ghost City’ instead of ‘Reincarnation’.
Yes, Akino Arai’s songs are very nice 🙂
Hisaishi on a piano is wonderful to watch and listen 🙂
You are right, in part. The video is definitely the one I intended, but the chant that plays during the scene is number two, “Ghost City”, whereas “Reincarnation”, chant number three plays closer to the finale. They are similar, differing mostly in the second part. Thank you for the correction 🙂
oh so nostalgic… Sailor Moon, CCS, Pokemon and Digimon a bit of Kiba the white lion where my first almost full fledged experiences of anime in my country before Internet opened a window into the world for me. I say almost because especially from CCS perhaps due to censorship to homosexual/homoromantic innuedos =.= the same happened to Sailormoon some years after the first airing…
Fushigi Yuugi was, if I remember well, the first anime I saw on net. Or perhaps second? Was it Ayashi no Ceres the first? It doesn’t matter, both anime were addictive like hell. Yes Yuu Watase’s heroines are made quite annoying. I can’t understand this mangaka… impregnating her girls at such young age! Miaka was modelled after another anoying girl- Usagi from Sailor Moon, so it can’t be helped. She was at least less dense. I had a thing for the male cast, especially Chichiri and the Emperor… *sigh* memories…
Then of cource Ghiblies, Cowboy Bebop and Utena. Lovely stories, wonferful music and in the case of Utena painful truths…
I was born in 1989, and my passionate watching of anime started after high school. And it was only university that I started following blogs, following ongoing series and getting into the sea of choices… I feel desperate each time I understand I must watch more, read more, listen more… The epics that Evangellion and GITS are, are still untouched…when will I be able to watch them? Soon working reality will leave me with much less time TT_TT
To end this…sheet, I want to say that I really really like Arai Akino’s voice and the anime songs she sings. I learnt about her through Spice and Wolf but she seems to has a big past. The Key Metal Idol’s video had quite an enchanting melody and Spring and Chaos left me both with many question marks above my head and in awe…
Thanks for your hard work.
Yes, those naughty cousins 😛
I see, immense procrastination in college made you do it! 😛
Evangelion is good, but you have to watch it at a certain age for the maximum impact probably. Also background in psychology may help. GITS is good too, but, again, the timing may be important. The animation was especially well done. I recall watching the move frame by frame to study how they animated it! haha Then, years later, I saw TV series for the first time and was like, WTH is this!!! It was ok though. One of my favorite scenes is when they reveal major’s childhood… those origami cranes… I actually made a post about it, and the video can be found at the side bar, among AMVs.
Working actually leaves you with more time. Studying is the most difficult thing because you have to do it all the time. While working, you just have to spend the time required and the rest is yours ( its more complicated if you are doing research though and are obsessed about helping humankind >.> ) Then there is family, if you have one. Then it all leads to the question, “What do you really want in life?” People tend to overestimate what they can accomplish in the short term, but they underestimate how much they can accomplish in the long term. So let’s say you have 30-60 years left. How are you going to allocate this time? What if you have just a few months?
“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.” – Carl Sandburg
Randy Pausch gave a talk on time management (text summary), and one of the things he emphasized was “making time”. So if you really want to watch those anime or do something else that you would really enjoy, put it on your calendar, dedicate a chunk of your time, and actually do it! 🙂
I also enjoy Akino Arai’s songs 🙂
Yes, it is a nice lullaby Key sings at the end 🙂
I am glad you enjoyed that Spring and Chaos excerpt! 🙂 The train launch at 5:50 is just amazing! Shouji Kawamori gave us Macross, but he also worked on many other excellent anime 🙂
You are welcome! 🙂 Ayu and I spent quite some time putting this long post together 🙂
That’s a long reply! haha See, what have you done! 😛 I appreciate your comments 🙂
yes, people find time, if they want… but in my job – i’m a teacher- that’s a bit difficult, because even after your job’s hours are finished you still have to prepare for next day or for the whole week… it can take quite the time, if you want to do it properly.
I know bits of psychology here and there: some Freud, Errikson and Winnicott. Also Piaget, Papert and some other that I seem to forget *sweatdrop*- so what is the right timing that you suggest for Evangellion and GITS?
I appreciate that you take time answering and checking our blog here and then- you and another friend of mine are the only ones that comment… it gets me a bit depressed, because usually when I write I put my heart to it… but I guess it’s ok. It started as a diary anyways 🙂
Yes, it takes time to prepare in the beginning. Nowadays, I don’t prepare at all – I just go in and lecture because I am familiar with what and how I need to cover things.
At the end of the day, the list of excuses is long and often valid, but it is really about setting priorities and making sacrifices. You have to choose what is more important in your life and what would make you happy ( I wouldn’t put watching anime on top of that list though 😛 )
It is better to be a teenager to watch Eva, it’s too late for the original GITS movie, and whenever for GITS TV series.
It depends on your goals for blogging. If you want a wider audience, you’ll have to do some work to acquire it. Unless you are blogging for money and it is your job, the point should be writing something you feel passionate about, learning about it, and enjoying the process. If others see it and like it – good, if not – that’s fine too. Also many people are kind of shy, so they might appreciate the post, but not comment. I like your posts and can certainly see that you put much time and effort writing them 🙂
you are a teacher??? I thought… you were a psychologist…that means we are ‘comrades’ in a sense? wow…
Yes, we are, in a sense 🙂 Teaching undergraduates is one of my responsibilities, but I am also studying and conducting research.
The nostalgia … too overwhelming @_@
Alright then, after about 3 different sittings, I managed to finish listening to this, and wow, what a trip to the past this was. I wrote my thoughts in not form, so this will be somewhat long lol
I liked how you started with a Sailor Moon picture and the Moomin’s 🙂 Really, if there was anything that symbolises and makes one nostalgic for the 90’s, it would be those two lol The opening for Sailor Moon is really a classic of the era.
”even learned how to play it on a piano.”
Really? I mean I sort of gathered that you knew the piano, but I’m surprised that you like this song this much. Its a good song though.
Ah, Gundam F91 and 0083 … Really good songs (The Winner in particular, among the best singles in Gundam IMO) but really horrible shows rolf.
Agreed on Omohide Poro Poro’s ending. Really emotionally powerful show.
Speaking of Classics, Yu Yu Hakusho. Ah good lord how much time did I spend on this series lol? Really nice opening here.
I personally prefer Sayonara bye bye as my favorite ending song, but the ”best” ending for YYH has to be, hand down, ED3 Unbalanced Kiss. The visuals and the song all merge beautifully together in that ending.
The Irresponsible Captain Tylor OP, you don’t see any of that sort of opening anymore, truly uniqe and represents what sort of show it is, all zainny.
I recently got into Ghost Sweeper since it was Zettai Karen Children’s same mangaka, and I have to say I like it, the opening is really fun though I don’t think there is much special about it.
Now Slam Dunk on the other hand … is it too much of a stretch to say that there is an entire generation of Basket Ball players who got into the sport professionally due to this manga lol? No, I think it’s very possible 😛
Hmm, we’ll have to check on Junkers, Key the Metal Idol and Akazukin Cha Cha sometime later.
G Gundam opening achieves what GaoGaiGar OP couldn’t lol Oh my indeed on GGG. I personally love the second OP for G Gundam more, but the first one really does the blood pumping.
Magic Knight Rayearth had a really good action OP with some really nice looking visuals.
Gundam Wing has without any doubt the best OP in the entire franchise. Sure the song might not be the *best* but how it works with the visuals and how it’s so good with matching up with the actual show … there is a reason why, 15 years later, people still attach TWO-MIX to Wing, and why even those who had forgot the plot of the show still remember this OP. That’s how good it was, and still is. Really one of those OP’s that has aged incredibly well 😀
Whispers of the Heart … this song still makes me cry to this day … Yoshifumi Kondo 😦
Ah yes, this wouldn’t truly be a list about Anime in the 90’s if we don’t include Eva there somewhere now wouldn’t it? 😛 Thesis of a Cruel Angel is a really nice song, though can’t say I’m all that particularly attached to it.
One thing can be said about that Rurouni Kenshin OP, it certainly left an ever lasting impression :laugh:
And yes, the endings were AWESOME. TM Revelation was really, really, really good, though I prefer ED4 (Fourth Avenue Cafe, not It’s Gonna Rain BTW, you made a mistake there Ayu 😉 )
Martian Successor Nadesico … really fun show that was. XEBEC GO BACK TO MAKING SHOWS LIKE THIS AGAIN! ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ
Spring and Chaos was interesting …
Grander Musashi lol I grew up watching this show on VHS. It gave a lot of bad fishing advice rolf that was my first ever lesson to never believe anything on TV haha
”Jigglypuff is the best! :D”
Ture that! 😀 Too bad they removed Jiggly from the show, it never was the same afterwards 😦
” The “airplane arms” technique played a vital part in helping me finish my race! :P”
Haha, so it did prove useful at least with some one eh? 😛 I really wish they’d make a remake of this show (actually, a lot of these shows would do well with a remake I think)
Oh God, Cowboy Bebop. Was there a track or song I didn’t love in that show? Nope I loved it all. It’s the reason why I worship Yoko Kanno.
IMO, Platinum was the piece that was the most memorable OP for Cardcaptor Sakura, par none really. It was that great.
Oh lol Initial D :laugh: That was such a fun show, and the music was also appropriate. Maybe too appropriate though lol
Now and Then, Here and There’s OP was really an excellent representation of the show. Iwasaki Taku first piece, and boy was that a great impression he left.
Agreed on Hunter x Hunter Ending, but I honestly think the second OP was really nice as well.
And we end it off with Turn A Gundam and Crest of the Stars. Great choices 🙂 Though for me, Century Colour Is the definitive OP for the show.
Really wonderful list, had a blast listing to it (though I would add Soar High! Isami OP as well, due to just how fun that was with some really great visuals) Thanks 😀
Thank you for your detailed comment! 😀
Yes, it takes time to listen to all those songs and may take a few sessions.
Indeed, Sailor Moon certainly evokes memories and represents the period.
I am kind of surprised myself why I liked that song so much at the time to learn it.
Yes, The Winner is good, but, sometimes, the quality of a soundtrack or songs don’t quite match the show.
Yu Yu Hakusho also brings memories (Kurama is on my avatar picture). Yes, Sayonara bye bye and Unbalanced Kiss are good also! Sayonara bye bye sounds like wet water though 😛
I see it now… NIH creates grants to make anime that encourage people to play sports! 😛
Yes, Junkers, KMI, and Cha Cha may be worth checking out.
The second OP of G Gundam is nice, but, as you mention, the first one is really uplifting 🙂
haha Actually, I did forget some of the plot of Gundam Wing, but the OP stayed very clear in my mind 🙂
It is really sad that many young talented animators pass away… Kon was 46 and Kondo – 47…
Eva is so popular, they made numerous parodies on that OP haha
Yes, it is ED5. To clarify,
ED4 “Fourth Avenue Cafe” by L’Arc~En~Ciel (eps 39-42)
ED5 “It’s Gonna Rain” by Bonnie Pink (eps 50-66)
Nobody picked up my title trolling with another video yet though 😛
Not going to edit the post because when I edited it once, WordPress sent me a warning of impeding blog termination lol I almost had a heart attack. I think that is because this post has too many links and it interpreted the post as spam. The issue is clarified now, but it might do it again if I edit it >..>
Speaking of fishing, that reminds me of fishing for that mysterious fish in Zelda haha
Yes, they changed the Pokemon anime, but I do see some nice fanart recently.
I am very suspicious of remakes actually. I can’t stand many character designs nowadays and might not watch a remake of a favorite show because it feels different. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to see how they turn out.
Yes, Yoko Kanno is great! 🙂
Here is a blue-ray for you! 🙂
and thank you for reminding about Isami! 🙂
Glad you enjoyed this post! We worked hard to put it together, so it is good to hear that you had a good time 🙂 Thank you for listening and commenting! ^_^
Hmm, nice to know that everyone has something they like (or not like) that makes them feel nostalgic about the anime they used to watch in the past. It’s also a good way to introduce anime that some has yet to watch…like me. xD
may I ask how do you create pages within a post? is it something I can do without a wordpress? if you don’t have the time to explain, would you be kind to link me to a tutorial, please?
WordPress is different and has a special command to do it. In your case, you could use just a regular html menu.
You could either just put a regular table with links to different pages at the end of each page that is a part of a set or you could make things more elaborate with divs that open and close. I have not done DHTML for years, so can/’t tell you how to do it right away. Nowadays they have many libraries though, so it should not be too difficult.