A genre widely explored in Japan is music, whether with bands or classical instruments. With that in mind, we wrote this article with a complete list of the best music anime of all time. In addition, we will leave a complete list with these anime for those who want to explore the genre 100%. We will also include the famous Idol anime.
In order not to get messy, let's leave it separated into categories of bands, instruments (classical songs) and idols. We will not leave any order or ranking, we believe that each music anime mentioned in this list has its merits, the other anime will be in the final list. If any anime is missing from the list, or if you want to comment on it, use the comments section at the end of the article.
Some music anime are focused only on the music, while others have a deeper story and leave the music in the background. Let's leave a number of • (1-3) that represent how much music is present in the anime.
We also recommend reading:
Table of Contents
Classical music anime and instruments
I propose we start with recommendations for anime with classical or instrumental music:
Your Lie in April
This is without a doubt one of the best and saddest music anime of all time. A heavy drama involving piano and violin. The art, designer, soundtrack, story, characters and direction is worthy of a masterpiece.
Like any anime, it has its flaws, but it is a must-watch for those who enjoy the genre. It tells the story of a boy with a trauma of playing the piano due to his mother, until he meets a violinist who will help him overcome it. MANDATORY! •••
Nodame Cantabile
Another very good anime, with a lot of comedy and drama involving classical music. This was one of the anime that brought the genre to life, telling the story of a crazy pianist who likes to play freely without depending on rules and sheet music and a perfectionist musician who only knows how to follow rules. The anime has several seasons and even a drama. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! •••
Sakamichi no Apollon
An anime that deals with the jazz genre, often overlooked. It tells the story of a classical pianist named Kaoru who is introduced to the world of jazz music by a delinquent named Sentarou. The anime shows the bonds formed through friendship and music. VERY GOOD! •••
Piano no Mori
A film involving a piano in the woods. I don't really know how to describe this story, but I recommend it!
Hibike! Euphonium
A fresh and light anime with a different proposal, mixing music, moe, and instruments that we didn't expect to see in an anime. The anime has a good background story, full of secrets and drama. We chose to place it in the instrument category, but they are a band from a school club. RECOMMENDED! ••
Other classical music anime:
- Kono Oto Tomare!
- Detective Conan - Movie 12;
- Piano;
- Haruchika;
- Princess Tutu;
- La Corda D'Oro;
Music anime involving bands
K-On
One of the most moe and famous anime in the genre. It tells the story of a light music club with five lovely, cute, and talented girls. The anime is light, funny, and quite popular. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND! ••
Nana
An anime focused on drama and adults. It tells the story of 2 girls named Nana who start sharing an apartment. One is a punk rocker and the other is a dreamer looking for a romance. The anime has a great soundtrack and captivates viewers with a deep story.
Beck
Tell the story of a band that takes the same name, with 5 young musicians who have to deal with growing fame and daily struggles. The songs of the anime are made by the voice actors themselves, who will take you on a journey of wild rock. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND! ••
Detroit Metal City
This hilarious anime follows the story of a shy boy who always dreamed of being a pop idol, but to pay the bills ends up ing a death metal band. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND! ••
White Album 2
Although it is written 2, they are different stories. It shows the story of a vocalist, pianist, and an indecisive boy, a very heavy drama with a surprising ending. The Anime seems to start focusing on music, but the romance of the story goes much deeper. MANDATORY! • (The 1 is also cool...)
We also recommend reading: Netorare – Unveiling the Japanese genre of betrayal
So Ra No Wo To
Tell the story of Kanata who enlists in the armed forces just to play the trumpet. The anime shows the motivation and inspiration in music, in addition to the hard training of the army. **VERY GOOD! ••**
Other musical anime involving bands:
- Macross Frontier (Recomendado);
- Tari Tari;
- Fuuka (2017);
- Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai;
- Super Sonico;
- Fukumenkei Noise;
- Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica;
- Bakumatsu Rock (2017);
- Shelter;
- Show By Rock!!;
- Kowarekake no Orgel;
- BanG Dream!;
- Fukumenkei Noise;
Music anime involving idols and singers
Love Live!
The story features a group of talented students who aim to compete in an event called Love Live. For those who want to get to know the genre, this is MANDATORY! ••
The iDOLM@STER
The second most famous idol anime, with the story of 13 moe girls who strive! The anime depicts a story of friendship and struggle! VERY GOOD! ••
Searching for the Full Moon
It may seem like just another moe anime with a Sailor Moon look, but it addresses a dark theme different from traditional shoujo anime. The main character is diagnosed with throat cancer and her singing career seems impossible, but she does not want to give up. PERFECT! ••
Other anime involving Idols:
- Macross Frontier;
- Uta no☆Prince-sama;
- Suite Precure; Symphogear;
- Kaikan Phrase;
- Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica;
- Pretty Rhythm;
- Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch;
- AKB0048;
- Wake Up, Girls!;
- Sekkou Boys;
- Miss Monochrome;
- Starmyu; B-Project;
- Aikatsu!; Magical☆Star Kanon 100%;
- Magic-Kyun! Renaissance;
- Tenshi no 3P!;
- ClassicaLoid;
Honorable Mention: Guilty Crown
A great action and drama anime, where the protagonist is an idol. The anime tells the story of an apocalyptic world dominated by a disease and under military rule. A boy has the power to take weapons out of the protagonist. Perfect soundtrack! MANDATORY! •
Ranking of the best music anime
Below I will share in numerical order a ranking with about 12,000 votes from the Ranker showing which are the best music anime. You may prefer to follow this order when watching anime of this genre.
- Your Lie in April
- K-On!
- BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad
- Uta No Prince Sama
- Kids on the Slope
- Love Live! School idol project
- NANA
- Comic Book Series
- Nodame Cantabile
- Corda D'Oro - primo o
- Video Game
- Full Moon o Sagashite
- Nodame Cantabile: Paris
- Fuuka
- Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch
- Comic Book Series
- Sound! Euphonium
- fukumekei noise
- Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream
- Gravitation
- IDOLM@STER
- Tari Tari
- B-project
- Show by Rock!
- Uta No Prince Sama: Legend Star
- Wake Up, Girls!
- Lost Song
- White Album
- White Album 2
- Kaikan Phrase
- Valvrave the Liberator
- Senki Zesshō Symphogear
- Senki Zesshō Symphogear G
- Sugar: A Little Snow Fairy
- Fancy Lala
The best music manga
Not all music, band, and idol manga and light novels receive anime adaptations. Now we will recommend some music manga and light novels:
- BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad - Harold Sakuishi
- Your Lie in April - Naoshi Arakawa
- Forest of Piano - Makoto Isshiki
- Fuuka - Kōji Seo
- Kids on the Slope - Yuki Kodama
- Nodame Cantabile - Tomoko Ninomiya
- Fukumekei Noise - Ryoko Fukuyama
- K-On! - Kakifly
- Full Moon o Sagashite - Arina Tanemura
- NANA - Ai Yazawa
- Pretty Rhythm - Mari Asabuki
- Tari Tari - Evergreen (original work), Tohru Naomura (construction)
- Detroit Metal City - Kiminori Wakasugi
- Bremen - Haruto Umezawa
- Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch - Michiko Yokote
- Seishun Pop! - Touta Kitakawa
- Uta No Prince Sama - Utako Yukihiro; Broccoli; Kunozuki Kanon; Kurahana Chinatsu
- Love Live! School idol project - Sakurako Kimino
- La Corda d’Oro - Yuki Kure
- Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan - Sumomo Yumeka
- Gravitation - Maki Murakami
- White Album - Leaf
- Sensual Phrase - Mayu Shijou
- Idol Dreams - Arina Tanemura
- Solanin - Inio Asano
- THE iDOLM@STER - Tatsuya Takahashi
- Rin Miasa - B-Project: Mousou＊Scandal - Morino Mizu
- Mashiro no Oto - Marimo Ragawa
- Nousatsu Rock Shounen - Kamuro Kikuchi
- Aozora Yell
