anime composer

An anime composer is a composer who mainly composes music for anime productions. Anime soundtracks are part of the "media mix" of anime marketing, in which a show encourages purchases of related products, such as memorabilia, games, and retail tie-ins. The careers of anime composers are accordingly shaped by different commercial pressures than other kinds of music writers. Beginning with Astro Boy in 1963, Japanese cartoons had short theme songs. These would be expanded with a few extra verses to sell on small 45 rpm records for children. The songs themselves were typically cheerful imitations of Western music styles, with essentially anonymous composers. Anime soundtracks became more mainstream in the 1970s. The major success of John William's score for Star Wars (1977) inspired the creat...