is a loosely defined trend from the 2000s that involved an increase of

Shibuya-kei is a microgenre of pop music or a general aesthetic that flourished in Japan in the mid-to late 1990s. The music genre is distinguished by a "cut-and-paste" approach that was inspired by the kitsch, fusion, and artifice from certain music styles ...

influence in

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

soundtracks. The term is a portmanteau of "Shibuya-kei" and "

Akiba-kei or is a Japanese slang term for Akihabara style. Akihabara is a district in Chiyoda, Tokyo where many otaku, or obsessive anime, manga, idol, and video game fans gather. Definition ''Akiba-kei'' is a Japanese slang term meaning "Akihabara ...

". Both were 1990s cultural movements associated with musical and

otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, particularly in anime, manga, video games, or computers. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in '' Manga Burikko''. may be used as a pejorat ...

interests, respectively, and Akishibu-kei was thought to have represented a merging of the two.

Overview

From mid-1990s, anime music was diversified due to composers like

Yoko Kanno is a Japanese composer, arranger and music producer best known for her work on the soundtracks of anime series, television series, live-action films, video games, and advertisements. She was born in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. She has wri ...

who mastered idioms from many genres such as classical music, jazz and ethnic music. In 2002, Shibuya-kei band Round Table invited female singer Nino as the guest vocal and offered the song "Let Me Be With You" for anime ''

Chobits is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by the Japanese manga collective Clamp. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Young Magazine'' from September 2000 to October 2002, with its chapters collected ...

''. The soundtrack of Chobits was composed by Keitaro Takanami, the former member of

Pizzicato Five Pizzicato Five (formerly typeset as Pizzicato V and sometimes abbreviated to P5)Yang Jeff, Dina Can, Terry Hong, (1997) ''Eastern Standard Time'' pg 277 New York: Mariner Books was a Japanese pop band formed in Tokyo in 1979 by multi-instrume ...

. From then, Masao Fukuda from

FlyingDog , also stylized as flying DOG, is a Japanese record label formerly known as the Victor Entertainment subsidiary M-serve (stylized as m-serve), founded in 1997. ''FlyingDog'' is a record label that specializes in the production of animation-related ...

, the musical director of Chobits appointed many Shibuya-kei musicians as

anisong , also shortened to , is a genre of music originating from Japanese pop music. Anime songs consist of theme, insert, and image songs for anime, video game, and audio drama CD series, as well as any other song released primarily for the anime mar ...

s/anime soundtracks composers. Fukuda is considered as tastemaker of Akishibu-kei. Some artists from FlyingDog such as

Kana Hanazawa is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer. A prolific voice performer in anime, she has amassed several film and television credits since her debut in 1990. She won the Seiyu Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2015, and won the Newtyp ...

was provided songs by Shibuya-kei composers. Hanazawa is considered as the representative singer of Akishibu-kei.

Dimitri from Paris Dimitri from Paris (born Dimitrios Yerasimos, el, Δημήτριος Γεράσιμος; 27 October 1963) is a French music producer and DJ of Greek descent. His musical influences are rooted in 1970s funk and disco sounds that spawned contempo ...

, Turkish-born French DJ provided the song “Neko Mimi mode” to '' Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase'' as the opening theme. Since he was one of the contemporary artists popular among Shibuya-Kei fans, "Neko Mimi mode" is considered to be a representative song of Akishibu-kei music though this song is sometimes considered as an example of

denpa song A is a type of Japanese music that is intentionally strange and catchy. Common features of ''denpa'' songs include intentionally off-key vocals, nonsensical lyrics and an over-the-top tune. ''Denpa'' music has grown into a subculture within J ...

Examples of Akishibu-Kei anime songs

* "Let me be with you" by ROUND TABLE featuring Nino (Opening theme of ''Chobits''.Composed by Kitagawa Katsutoshi) * "Onnanoko ♡ Otokonoko" by

Yuko Ogura is a Japanese gravure idol and model who typically aimed for the cute, innocent schoolgirl look prior to her 2011 marriage. She is represented by Platinum Production. History Ogura was born in Mobara, Chiba, and regularly, if not entirely serio ...

(Ending theme for ''

School Rumble is a Japanese ''shōnen'' manga series written and illustrated by Jin Kobayashi. First serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from October 22, 2002 to July 23, 2008, all 345 chapters were later collected in 22 ''tankōbon'' volumes b ...

'' Composed by Yasuaki Konishi) * "Neko Mimi mode" by Dimitri from Paris (Opening theme of ''Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase'') * "Dramatic Market Ride" by

Aya Suzaki is a Japanese voice actress and narrator affiliated with I'm Enterprise. She is widely known for her work, such as Tamako Kitashirakawa in ''Tamako Market''. Biography Suzaki is good at singing, and lists soft tennis and scuba diving as her fav ...

(Opening theme of ''

Tamako Market is a Japanese anime television series produced by Kyoto Animation, directed by Naoko Yamada, and written by Reiko Yoshida. The series aired in Japan between January 10 and March 28, 2013. The anime has been licensed in North America by Sen ...

'' Composed by Tomoko Kataoka) * "Yukitoki" and "Harumodoki" by Yanagi Nagi (Both opening theme of '' My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected'' Composed by Kitagawa Katsutoshi) * "Your Voice" by Rhodanthe*(Ending theme of ''

Kin-iro Mosaic , also known by the abbreviation , is a Japanese 4-panel manga written and illustrated by Yui Hara. The series began serialization in Houbunsha's ''Manga Time Kirara Max'' magazine in June 2010 issue and is licensed in English by Yen Pre ...

. Composed by Reiji Okii * "Rocket Beat" by

Kiyono Yasuno is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Miyagi Prefecture. She attended voice actor training classes of the Avex Artist Academy before becoming affiliated with Avex Planning and Development. She is known for her role as Megumi Katō in the a ...

(Ending theme of '' Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card'' Composed by Kitagawa Katsutoshi)

References

{{Music of Japan Music in Tokyo Japanese styles of music Music scenes Pop music genres Shibuya-kei J-pop Retro style 2000s in Japanese music Japanese subcultures Japanese youth culture Moe (slang) Otaku