Recess! Media

With the influx of anime from Japanese cartoons like Pikachu, Hamataro, and Dragon Ball Z to the anime influenced likes of the Powerpuff Girls, one exciting aspect of these Japanese imports has been relatively overlooked: the music.

Take, for example, the amazing music from the soundtrack for the anime “Macross,” filled with hauntingly beautiful melodies.

Brief sound clip

The fact is that Japanese music is flooding our cartoons, but thus far kids seem to be the only ones noticing. The cartoon network has shown a number of cartoon music videos, which only serve to emphasize the importance of music to animation.

Interestingly, among all the great music that’s streaming over the internet, TV, and film, one of the most recognized groups is Shonen Knife, who sing the Powerpuff Girls’ theme song. Shonen Knife has been popular in Japan for nearly a decade, but has only recently become popular in the US. Shonen Knife marks an important area of intersection for kids and adults in terms of musical fun. Although Shonen Knife is one of the many hardcore girl rock bands in Japan, the Japanese hardcore girl rock bands regularly focus on subjects like cheesecake (and they do mean the dessert), superheroes, and milkshakes, making the music fast and wonderful for kids and parents to enjoy. Just try listening to this, from the CD entitled “Powerpuff Girls: Heroes and Villians” and see if anyone in the family can resist wanting to hear more.

Brief sound clip