You owe it to yourself to check out Hitoshi Sakimoto's anime work--"Romeo X Juliet" and "Tower of Druaga." Both are hugely orchestral and very thematic (though the songs are a bit naff, as is par for the course with anime).
I also highly recommend Nobuo Uematsu's "Guin Saga" especially if you can find the bonus disc.
Someone mentioned Yoko Kanno's "Magnetic Rose" segment of "Memories" not too long ago; that's another really stellar effort (though the scores for the other two segments, especially the second, are pretty wretched in comparison).
Thanks for the suggestions! While I like a rather wide range of music as noted above, thematic scores are still my favorite kinds of music hands down. My absolute favorite anime score remains the Giant Robo series.
Emily of New moon - Akira Miyagawa Dog of Flanders (movie) - Taro Iwashiro definitely "The Girl who leapt through time" - and "Tales from the Earthsea"!! something more modern - Gankutsuou
and also I have a thing for Takeo Watanabe's Candy Candy and Sandybell, which are anime I grew up with.
Although he is much better known for his video game scores (and controversial political views), I am quite fond of Koichi Sugiyama's scores to the anime films "The Sea Prince and the Fire Child" from 1981 and "The Ideon: Be Invoked" from 1982.
"The Sea Prince and the Fire Child" was released recently on DVD in the United States and is a fantasy/romance for children that actually found some airtime in the United States in the 1980s on the Disney Channel. I do not think that there has been a soundtrack release other than an LP at the time of the film's release. The Japanese trailer to the film is set to selections from the score, which is very lyrical and beautiful, and can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QceQqiAHR80
"The Ideon: Be Invoked" is the movie conclusion to the anime series "Space Runaway Ideon" and the last 20 minutes or so of the score is some of the best "religious" music I have ever heard and in some parts is quite reminiscent of Miklos Rozsa's "Ben-Hur." The anime has never been released in the United States and the CD soundtrack is long out-of-print. I find the finale of the score quite an orchestral and choral powerhouse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSTwt6mBfZ0
I remember "The Sea Prince and the Fire Child". Saw it in the 80's on one of the movie channels. Its a lovely score. To bad its never been released on CD.
Space Runaway Ideon is new to me. The YouTube sample is quite impressive. Sounds like it was lifted from Shores Lord Of The Rings!
What, no mention of Shoji Yamashiro's percussive AKIRA, one of the quintessential manga films in history?
There's a ton of great animé scores out there, also beyond Hisaishi, but I wouldn't know where to start. Plus, my knowledge is probably not as vast as others here.
You owe it to yourself to check out Hitoshi Sakimoto's anime work--"Romeo X Juliet" and "Tower of Druaga." Both are hugely orchestral and very thematic (though the songs are a bit naff, as is par for the course with anime).
I also highly recommend Nobuo Uematsu's "Guin Saga" especially if you can find the bonus disc.
Someone mentioned Yoko Kanno's "Magnetic Rose" segment of "Memories" not too long ago; that's another really stellar effort (though the scores for the other two segments, especially the second, are pretty wretched in comparison).
I absolutely second these fantastic suggestions!
I will split my suggestions by composer. Yoshihisa Hirano My favorite is from tatakau shisho the book of bantorra. I also quite enjoy his work on Break Blade
Souhei Kano wrote a fantastic score for the anime Fractale this year.
Kotaro Nakagawa My favorite set of scores is from Gun X Sword followed by Code Geass and 07 Ghost Melody of Michael. He also wrote some fantastic music for Planetes and Zoids Genesis
Michiru Oshima Some recent scores are quite good including yojouhan shinwa takei, Sora no Woto and Bounen no Zamned. There is also some fantastic music she wrote for Fullmetal Alchemist
Nanase Hikaru wrote a fantastic score for Zettai Shounen
Tsuneyoshi Saito write some amazing scores for the Fafner series and some decent scores for the later movies.
Yuki Kajiura My favorite scores of hers are for Elemental Gelade, Tsubasa Chronicles, and El Cazador de la Bruja
There is so much amazing soundtrack from anime movies and TV series. Here is short list of my favorite anime soundtracks and composers + few youtube links
TAKAYUKI NEGISHI: Mnemosyne, Card Captor Sakura - TV series + movies, Tokyo Mew Mew, Cardfight Vanguard
TAKAYUKI HATTORI Tears of Tiara, Nadesico
AKIRA SENJU Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood
KAZUNORI MIYAKE Area 88
TANAKA KOHEI Bastard, One Piece TV series + movies, Rosario Vampire
SHIRO HAMAGUCHI Big Windup, Hanasaku Iroha
TOSHIHIKO SAHASHI Gundam Seed Destiny, Sacred Seven, Cutie Honey Flash, Ghost Sweeper Mikami, Full Metal Panic
HAYATO MATSUO Hellsing OVA, Magic Knight Rayearth, Transformers Micron Legend, The World Only God Knows
IKE YOSHIHIRO Ergo Proxy, Karas, The World of Destruction
TOMOHISA ISCHIKAWA Togainu No Chi, Innocent Venus
SHINKICHI MITSUMUNE Rozen Maiden, Zero no Tsukaima
Resurrecting an old thread since I'm now listening to anime soundtracks. In my list that I posted in the first page, I'd like to add the Main Title theme for "Robotech" which was one of the first pieces of music (or maybe the first) that caught my ear at a time when I didn't know what is film music or soundtrack..
Time Stranger by Hikaru Ishikawa Harmageddon by Nozomi Aoki Daggar of Kamui by Eitetsu Hayashi & Ryûdô Uzaki Wings of Honneamise by Ryûichi Sakamoto Crusher Joe by Norio Maeda Iczer-1 (OVA) by Michiaki Watanabe Lensman by Akira Inoue Galaxy Express by Nozomi Aoki Space Battleship Yamato by Hiroshi Miyagawa Yotoden by Seiji Hano Dancougar by Takeshi Ike & Osamu Totsuka Giant Gorg by Mitsuo Hagita
and of course Arion and Nausicaa by Joe Hisaishi Robot Carnival by Isaku Fujita & Joe Hisaishi
Time Stranger by Hikaru Ishikawa Harmageddon by Nozomi Aoki Daggar of Kamui by Eitetsu Hayashi & Ryûdô Uzaki Wings of Honneamise by Ryûichi Sakamoto Crusher Joe by Norio Maeda Iczer-1 (OVA) by Michiaki Watanabe Lensman by Akira Inoue Galaxy Express by Nozomi Aoki Space Battleship Yamato by Hiroshi Miyagawa Yotoden by Seiji Hano Dancougar by Takeshi Ike & Osamu Totsuka Giant Gorg by Mitsuo Hagita
and of course Arion and Nausicaa by Joe Hisaishi Robot Carnival by Isaku Fujita & Joe Hisaishi
Theses are all great choices. I would kill to get the score to Etranger (The GoShogun movie) by Tachio Akano.
This is an album version of the music that goes with this climactic scene. The music in the film is much better.
