Ask John: How Does Japan View Anime Soundtracks?

Question:
Do the musicians that produce music and soundtracks to anime go on tours or appear in concerts in Japan? The thing that really got me thinking was Two-Mix’s Gundam Wing soundtrack. Was Two-Mix already a legit band or did they only do Gundam W’s music?

Answer:
This is something of a broad question because it has to do more with the Japanese music industry than it does the anime industry. In most cases, the theme songs to anime series are not performed by vocalists specifically in the anime industry. Most often, anime themes are performed by “legitimate” rock groups who loan their songs or talents to anime. A good analogy would be American groups like Metallica or Destiny’s Child performing music for NBC or Fox television series. The groups aren’t famous for their anime themes. They’re already self-supporting successful groups who have a small portion of their music used as anime theme songs. In the cases of performers and groups like Megumi Hayashibara, Masami Okui, L’arc~en~Ciel, Dream, TM Revolution, Two-Mix, and Judy & Mary, these groups have numerous albums and regularly perform in Japanese stadium concerts. Only a portion or sometimes a very small minority of their music happens to be used for anime theme songs. In the cases of L’arc~en~Ciel and Two-Mix, for example, these two groups have dozens of best selling albums between them, but only less than a half-dozen of all of their songs have ever been used as anime themes. To the average Japanese person, these groups are known for their hit singles and then known secondarily, if at all, for their contributions to anime series. Some groups and vocalists, though, are exclusive to the anime industry. Luca Yumi, for example, who performed the “Truth” ending theme to Utena, released only a handful of CD singles but never a full CD. Legolgel has likewise performed anime themes for Petshop of Horrors, Devilman Lady, Corrector Yui and Run=Dim, but never released a full CD. Other groups like The Alfee, Dream and TM Revolution were major hit acts long before one or more of their songs were ever chosen as an anime theme. Still, in other cases, such as the pop-star singing careers of Megumi Hayashibara and Houko Kuwashima were essentially launched as a direct result of their involvement in the anime industry.