Alongside the hundreds of thousands of movies and series curated since the invention of film, legendary original soundtracks (OSTs) that accompanied these masterpieces also reached critical acclaim  — too many to count, too many to highlight. Let us narrow the scope a bit. Dive into some of the best anime series OSTs with the Jets Flyover, in no particular order, both popular and underappreciated.

Cowboy Bebop

Cowboy Bebop, clearly proven by high ratings as a quintessential 90s indie anime, takes its spot as a cult classic. The unspoken complexity of the characters combined with a carefree, episodic narrative takes a spot in the hearts of Western film enthusiasts. Originally performed by SEATBELTS, a Japanese band, the phenomenal composition of tracks such as “Tank!”, “Goodbye Julia”, “The Real Folk Blues”, and “Space Lion” still hold their ground as undeniable musical legends in the Western sci-fi genre. “Cats on Mars” spread like wildfire on social media platforms and reestablished the timelessness of these scores. While classified as jazz fusion, I believe this soundtrack deserves its own sub-genre: cowboy jazz. While not so much of an “everyday listen” vibe, if you’re ever inspired to explore cowboy jazz, this OST is a must.

Attack on Titan

In 2013, Attack on Titan changed the game for all dark fantasy anime and set an unprecedented standard from the launch of its legacy. The dominant OST played a big role in what made this series so impactful. A progressive metal group unheard of before the release of the show, Linked Horizon took on this project. The explosive popularity of the collective soundtrack for a singular series seems rare, but the prominence of Attack on Titan led to numerous online parodies and memes — where even non-anime fans recognized the joke just from a few seconds of a track such as “Bauklötzen”, performed by Hiroyuki Sawano and Kobayashi Mika. Additionally, the song that appears in powerful patriotic moments in the show creates a sense of loyalty from the fans, making “Shinzou wo Sasageyo!” (translated to “Dedicate your heart!”) one of the most passionately loved tracks in the anime community. While the show itself was dropped and picked up by numerous studios, the soundtrack remained strong.

Violet Evergarden

Evan Call, an American composer who works in Japan, created the score for Violet Evergarden with 47 individual tracks. A post-war soldier and ghostwriter, Violet Evergarden struggles to adapt to the changed world and reconnect with her emotions. While the plot of Violet Evergarden mostly revolves around tragedy, the main themes remain hopeful and spread a positive message about the importance of love in life. Call perfectly captures the essence of the bright and nostalgic art style with his idyllic focus on the flute, piano, and violins. I believe tracks such as “A Doll’s Beginning” and “Those Words You Spoke to Me” represent the beauty of this underrated OST.

Evangelion

“A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” from the original Evangelion series took the cake as arguably the most iconic anime opening of all time. At the top of the list alongside Attack on Titan’s “Guren No Yumiya”, this classic theme song is celebrated amongst critics and fans even 20 years after its release. The 80s city pop/rock rendition proved to withstand the grip of time and stands as a popular listen to all — anime fan or not. Japan and even South Korea boasts the track as a top-sung karaoke jam. 

But “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” isn’t the only song from the soundtrack worth listening to. Each episode on the main series and even movies of Evangelion featured new versions of the prominent 1954 song “Fly Me To The Moon”, popularized in 1964 by jazz icon Frank Sinatra. The voice actors of some of the characters, such as Asuka and Rei, featured in the covers. The productions for Evangelion alters the genre to a bossa nova style Japanese pop song and creates a modern tribute to the beloved vintage. This groovy genre merged with the individualism of the show’s morals creates the perfect 21st century vibe for watchers.

Devilman Crybaby

This reboot of the 1972 series Devilman solidified Netflix as a respectable producer of anime with the show’s dark messages about mortal evil, the futility of human nature, and love in existentialism. This 12-episode series covers more poignant themes than other anime with over 100 episodes. The purposefully fast-paced style of Devilman Crybaby syncs with the hasty nature of the soundtrack, mostly categorized as Electronic Dance Music (EDM). While EDM is not a popular genre amongst many musicians, the explosion of passion felt through songs like “D.V.M.N.” and “Crybaby” makes it a contemporary prodigy.

Studio Ghibli

If we considered Studio Ghibli movies individually, this list would be dominated by the ingenuity of Hisaishi Joe. This Japanese composer single-handedly penned dozens of legendary instrumentals instantly recognizable worldwide. Scores by Hisaishi include tracks like the majestic “Merry-Go-Round of Life” from Howl’s Moving Castle and Kiki’s Delivery Service’s upbeat “A Town With an Ocean View.” Even the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London performed his music. The legacy of Studio Ghibli was built around its animation style, philosophical themes, and most of all, iconic soundtracks. Beloved to this day, time truly shows the agelessness of a good OST and, furthermore, studio.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure boasts its reputation as a six-part anime series known for its distinctive art style. This unconventional show gains its ceaseless traction by depicting stories based on different generations of a single bloodline. The main character in each part, always somebody nicknamed “Jojo,” somehow relates to Jonathon Joestar, the original protagonist of the story’s first arc. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is an example of how inconsistency in quality may result from drastically different stages of a piecewise story. However, unlike the storyline, the music stays congruent throughout the entire show. The introduction that caters to the vibe of each part never misses the mark to become iconic bops. While this show may not be everybody’s cup of tea, the soundtracks definitely build experience worth a deep listen.

You can check out all these soundtracks down below: