What is your favourite? Mine would have to be from Cowboy Bebop.
Record of Lodoss War. Probably.
Cowboy Bebop has nice music, 's true
I enjoy Utena’s soundtrack, but that’s probably because I really like the series.
LastEXILE has the most solid soundtrack I’ve heard, with the highest ratio of quality tracks to duds. After that would probably come (in no particular order):
Read Or Die and ROD The TV
Noir
Witch Hunter Robin
I’m a big fan of One Piece’s sound tracks (though it might just be because I watch so much of the series that the music has grown on me one way or another). It uses mostly orchestrated music, and there’s some really great stuff in it. Though the anime also borrows music from the movies as well. As far as I know there are four main OSTs, and nine others for the movies (there’s ten movies, but the first movie’s OST is also the first OST of the TV series, if that makes any sense). Some of my favorites…
One Piece OST 1 - Uunan and the Stone Storage Room - This track is used a lot in the series’ early years, though I don’t recall hearing it much since Episode 300 or so. It’s a piece used usually whenever someone is struggling with something, or remembering something painful.
One Piece OST 1 - To the Grand Line - Two parts to this track, the first is frequently used during moments of big revelation or plot significance. The second is a commonly used, catch-all villainous theme.
One Piece OST 2 - Difficult/Waruiyatsu - This video lists it as ‘Difficult’, my MP3 lists it as ‘Waruiyatsu’. But anyway, this is a pretty standard ‘dramatic organ’ piece on the surface, but the series doesn’t overuse it and brings it out during really effective moments. I’m only counting the first part of the music on this track, the second part is a bit humdrum.
One Piece OST 2 - Overtaken - Mostly known by fans as the ‘March to Arlong Park’ music, this is usually played whenever stuff’s about to go down and the Straw Hats stand up to do their thing. A really great piece. Well, the first part is. The second part of the track is a mostly decent battle track, nothing to write home about. (why do so many anime OSTs put multiple pieces on a single track?)
One Piece OST 3 - Mother Sea - This is the requisite ‘sad theme’ used for much of the series. A slow, piano and flute remix of the first opening theme song ‘We Are’, it’s not brought out as much as it used to be, but it still gets to tug at the heartstrings of the longtime fans. (again, first part of the track only, the second part is alright, but not the highlight here)
One Piece Movie 5 - Luffy’s Fierce Attack - This one has been used a lot more often lately in the series, though surprisingly never in moments about Luffy. During the middle of the series (relative to now anyway) a lot of Movie 5’s music was used in the main anime.
One Piece Movie 7 - Karakuri Defense System Deploy - Movie 7 is the source of much of the recent anime’s music, and it’s a bit more exaggerated than the early OSTs. Still, much of it is still really good, such as this track. It is used frequently during chaotic or frantic moments.
One Piece Movie 7 - Luffy vs Ratchet, Round 2 - By itself this piece is only so-so, but it was recently used in the anime during a really potent scene which reflected the unbreakable bonds of the entire crew. I can’t say much more than that without giving it away, but the use of it at that moment was great.
One Piece Movie 8 - I Will Surpass You! - I’m hesitant to bring this one out since, in this form, it’s a fairly unremarkable piece. Not bad, but not great. However it while it was used during the ultimate defeat of the villain of the eighth movie, it was altered and used again in the main series during the ultimate defeat of Luffy’s foe in Enies Lobby, one of the top fan favorite arcs in the series. The shortened version of this music during that moment was really effective, and I had to at least mention it. Pretty much what immediately follows the 2 minute mark of the track is the moment I’m talking about. The eighth movie was largely panned by fans, but it at least had a few really good tracks when used right.
Boy, I sure can rant about this series. It’s a miracle I kept this list as short as I did, there’s so many other pieces of music from this series that I like. If you read all that, awesome. The series isn’t for everyone, but it’s one I really enjoy. I’ll close off with one of my favorite tracks from the various OSTs, it’s not too spectacular in its own right but it has three of my favorite BGMs in the series. They’re fast paced, they’re fun, and they really reflect the character of the series: One Piece OST 4 - Serious Games.
Mine is Saiunkoku Monogatari soundtrack Hajimare no kaze
I love the music for Bakemonogatari, Nana, Clannad, or pretty much anything Key, and that is all that I can think of as my favorites. Naruto also has some good openings/ending songs sometimes.
Everything I’ve heard from Yuki Kajiura:
.hack//Everything
Petit Cossette
Mai Hime (funny cos I’ve barely seen the show)
Azumanga Daioh
Dragon Half
Snow Fairy Sugar
Exel Saga
FMA
K-ON! (Haven’t been this enamoured with anime music since 2005)
Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni (first season)
Clannad worked to get the emotions going: I sobbed like a little girl at the end of the Fuuko arc.
Sailormoon
Slayers
Wolfs Rain
Saikano - Hoshi No Hate is powerful as hell
Key the Metal Idol
Tenchi OVA/In Love
Joe Hishiashi
Code Geass for the same reason as Clannad
And one more for Azumanga Daioh, just because it’s probably the most unique soundtrack I’ve ever heard. It fits perfectly, and it’s listenable on its on and when I do, I immediately feel like I’m watching the show.