Interest
Pick the Anime Theme That Best Represents the Last 30 Years
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
Japan will enter a new era soon, marking the end of the Heisei era that began in 1989. The anime and manga industry and its fans are looking back on a great 30 years of stories. One Piece was voted as the manga most representative of the Heisei era and 170 artists collaborated to draw the characters they feel best represent the time period. But what about music?
The Heisei Anisong Grand Prix will decide what anime theme songs best encompass the last 30 years. The project has gathered a panel of six judges: music producer Akihiro Tomita, Nippon broadcasting announcer Hisanori Yoshida, Animelo concert producer Koji Saito, anime song disc jockey DJ Kazu, anime writer MaeQ, and Animate's Masaharu Matsubara.
The grand prix will hand out multiple awards by breaking down the era by decade. Awards include the overall Heisei Anisong Grand Prize, Popularity Award, Song Lyrics Award, Composition Award, Arrangement Award, Voice Actor/Actress Song Award, Character Song Award, Artist (an established solo artist or band) Song Award, Planning Award, Movie Theme Song Award, Special Prize, and Audience Choice Award.
Fans can vote for the song of their choice on the official website until February 8. The final results will be announced on March 1. How many categories do you think "Cruel Angel's Thesis" will take?
The Heisei Anisong Project will release a mixed CD of the nominees on March 20.
Heisei is the current period according to the traditional Japanese calendar, which is based on the reign period of the emperor. The Heisei period started on 8 January 1989, the day after the death of the Showa Emperor Hirohito, and is likely to end on 30 April 2019 (Heisei 31), the date which Emperor Akihito is expected to abdicate the Chrysanthemum Throne.
Source: Anisong Taisho via Nijimen
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