When you ask someone how they first got into listening to visual kei, there are many, many answers you can get as a response. For some, they were given recommendations by friends whereas others may have heard the song somewhere and got into it that way. One answer I have personally heard several times (and also give, since I got into visual kei through the same way!) is that they discovered visual kei through anime. More specifically, through anime opening and endings. As I began listening to more bands, I realised just how many provided songs to different anime, and thought it would be fun to list some of them!
Black Butler – Monochrome no Kiss by SID and Shiver by The GazettE
I thought I would begin this list with the songs that first introduced me to visual kei, which are SID’s ‘Monochrome no Kiss’, the opening theme to Season 1 of Black Butler, and The GazettE’s ‘Shiver’, which was used as Season’s 2 opening theme.
SID is a well-known band in the anime community, as their song ‘Lie’ (‘Uso’) was also used as the opening theme to Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Bringing it back to Black Butler, two other songs have been used as opening and closing themes for the show, with another of their popular tracks ‘ENAMEL’ being used for the opening of the Book of Circus arc and ‘Glass Eyes’ (‘Garasu no Hitomi’) used as the ending for Book of the Atlantic. The band earned Best Anime Song for ‘Monochrome no Kiss’ at the 31st Anime Grand Prix.
The GazettE’s song is also very popular and is often the first track of theirs people hear due to it being featured in Black Butler. Though they haven’t had their songs used as much as SID’s as openings and endings, ‘Shiver’ is still incredibly popular and loved.
Black Butler started as a manga created by Yana Toboso that is currently on hiatus. The first season of the anime adaptation released in 2008. It is set in London, revolving around the young earl Ciel Phantomhive and his demon butler Sebastian Michaelis, who solve crimes as Queen Victoria’s watchdog.
It was my very first anime and one I still hold dear to my heart. Because of this, both songs are also very special to me. I think they both match the anime perfectly, with ‘Monochrome no Kiss’ having a more mysterious and fantastical sound, while ‘Shiver’ has sound that is a more melancholic and emotional.
xxxHolic – Kagerou by BUCK-TICK
Another well-known and beloved song from one of visual kei’s pioneers BUCK-TICK is ‘Kagerou’, which was used as the ending theme for the anime xxxHolic. It was released on August 2nd 2006 as a single under the same name and has a dreamy, almost longing sound. The single reached number 17 on the Oricon charts and stayed in the charts for 7 weeks after release. Because of its feature in xxxHolic, it is a well-known song amid both BUCK-TICK and anime fans alike.
xxxHolic is a manga series which has run since 2003 and is still ogoing. It spawned two anime series, running from 2006 to 2008. The series revolves around high school student Kimihiro Watanuki who is cursed by spirits and is granted his wish of having them removed in return for becoming the witch Yūko Ichihara’s housekeeper.
Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne – Piece of Love by SHAZNA
Unsurprisingly, my favourite band SHAZNA makes an appearance on this list with their poppy single ‘Piece of Love’! It was used as the opening theme to the magical girl shoujo anime Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne. It was released on 31st March 1999 with a non-vocal version and the ‘Natural’ version, which strips away the pop sound and brings more focus to the guitar, bass and drums. The song ‘Nightmare’ was also released on this single. It ranked at number 17 on the Oricon charts, where it appeared for 4 weeks.
Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne was originally a manga created by illustrator and writer Arina Tanemura that was adapted into an anime in 1999. It centres around a young gymnast called Maron Kusakabe and her experience becoming Phantom Thief Jeanne to seal demons and prevent the death of God by returning his power to him.
SHAZNA also provided the theme song ‘Pureness’ to the anime movie Crayon Shin-chan: Blitzkrieg! Pig's Hoof's Secret Mission, which featured a small cameo from IZAM!
Great Teacher Onizuka – Driver’s High by L’Arc-en-Ciel
The popular single ‘Driver’s High’ was used as the first opening theme to Great Teacher Onizuka, as well as a closing theme in the final episode of the anime. The single was released on August 11th 1999 and reached number 2 on the Oricon charts, where it appeared for 8 weeks. The song has an upbeat, throwing-caution-to-the-wind feel with energetic lyrics that match the tone of the anime well.
Great Teacher Onizuka, or GTO, was originally a manga written and illustrated by Tōru Fujisawa which was adapted into an anime. It revolves around ex-gang member Eikichi Onizuka and his development from a perverted young man who just wants to have sex to a teacher who wishes to help his students grow and become the greatest teacher of all time. It ran for 43 episodes from 1999 to 2000.
Death Note – the WORLD and Alumina by Nightmare
Undoubtedly the most well-known of all the songs on this list is ‘the WORLD’, the first opening theme of the highly successful anime Death Note. Even those who are not massive fans of visual kei would usually be able to tell you the title of the Death Note anime opening if asked – the opening linked sits at 6.3M views whilst the official music video Nightmare released back in 2011 now has garnered 21M views. It is one of those songs that is incredible without being tied to an anime which is just as incredible. The fact that it is just gives the song the popularity boost it so greatly deserves.
Perhaps a little less discussed, but still known, is the ending theme, ‘Alumina’. It is a beautiful song with lyrics that speak of finding one’s purpose and making their mark on the world, which connects well with Death Note’s narrative. Both ‘the WORLD’ and ‘Alumina’ feature on Nightmare’s 2007 album ‘the WORLD Ruler’, which ranked at number 6 on the Oricon charts for 6 weeks.
Death Note in its original manga form was published from 2003 to 2006, created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. Just 5 months after the manga finished, the anime adaption aired in October, running for 37 episodes. It centres around Light Yagami, a high school student who finds a notebook, dropped by shinigami Ryuk, that holds the ability to kill anyone by just seeing their face, writing their name and the cause of their death. From this, Light, under the name ‘Kira’, spirals into killing people to create his ideal crime-free world, while elusive detective L and the Japanese police force aim to stop this mysterious murderer.
After spending time searching and watching different anime openings and endings, it is apparent that anime and visual kei walk hand-in-hand, and oftentimes the popularity of either the anime or the band helps the other party see greater levels of success. Whether you enjoy the anime itself or just the song used for its opening or ending, it’s still fun to see how interlinked the two are!
